-
REVIEW: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
Many followers of this blog are probably familiar with A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay. It made several 2015 year’s best lists and won the Stoker Award for best novel. Rightfully so because it is an excellent book. Merry Barrett, our narrator, recounts her experiences as a child when her sister Marjorie becomes…
-
REVIEW: The Last Weekend by Nick Mamatas
It probably should come as no surprise that I enjoyed The Last Weekend by Nick Mamatas. There are zombies. Gore. Sex. Power tools. I’ve published Nick’s short fiction half a dozen times and a book he wrote about surviving as a writer titled Starve Better. If you’re in the enlightened intersection of readers who have…
-
REVIEW: The Human Equations
Dave Creek is a familiar name to fans of Analog Fact and Fiction magazine. Even though I don’t read Analog too often, I’ve noticed his name on the cover of the magazine numerous times. After reading The Human Equations, I can see why he’s a frequent visitor to their pages. Most of the stories in…
-
REVIEW: The Weight of Chains by Lesley Conner
The Weight of Chains (Sinister Grin Press) is an eye-opening debut novel from Lesley Conner. You might remember Lesley from her “What Say You” post a couple weeks back. She’s a sweet-faced Girl Scout leader who writes horror that makes even *me* cringe. Set in 15th century France, this historical-horror novel contains two fast-paced plot…
-
REVIEW: Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
“…frustrating triumph” — Slate.com, Mac Rogers I believe that neatly sums up my assessment of Jeff VanderMeer’s magnificent Southern Reach trilogy. (SPOILER FREE REVIEW) First, a quick recap: Annihilation (Book 1) — A mysterious, alien environment named Area X has taken over a spot of land in a location I presume to be the Florida…
-
REVIEW: Hard to Be a God by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
The last five years has seen a resurgence of interest in non-Western European (for the sake of keeping things simple I’ll include the United States, Canada, and Australia in this group) genre fiction. I can speak to this personally, as I’ve had much success with The Apex Book of World SF anthology series. We’re seeing…
-
REVIEW: The Echo by James Smythe
*MOSTLY SPOILER FREE* On my iPhone, I made a note to myself to buy and read The Echo by James Smythe. I don’t recall why I did this. I don’t recall when I did this. But I can tell you that I followed through with the note to myself. I’m delighted I did. I should…
-
REVIEW: Beautiful You by Chuck Palahniuk
*NO SPOILERS* Chuck Palahniuk’s novels have been providing diminishing returns for a long while. Readers would be asking too much for the author to reach the glorious heights of his debut THE FIGHT CLUB…that’s a once-in-a-lifetime book and earns Palahniuk a table with the greats of American novelists. But the poor quality of some of…
-
REVIEW: The Dark Defiles by Richard K. Morgan
The Dark Defiles is the third and final book of Richard K. Morgan’s Land Fit for Heroes series. It’s a rather epic, challenging, and satisfying conclusion to a strong grimdark fantasy tale. The Land Fit for Heroes saga is a strange bird. It’s a broad stroke of science and sorcery. We have the Kiriath, an…
-
World of Trouble: The Last Policeman Book III by Ben H. Winters
World of Trouble is the last book of Ben H. Winters’ The Last Policeman trilogy. These three books should go into the canon of recommended apocalyptic novels due to their emotional depth and way Winters shows the rapid decline of society and his protagonist, Detective Hank Palace. I’ve written about the first two books in…