Horrorology -- OUT NOW!

The latest release from the Library of Horror is an anthology called Horrorology, edited by Jodi Lee.

Life as you know it is about to get ..... icky.

Could you survive a zombie attack ... if you were blind?
Have you watched the blood dance at the end of a blade?
Have you gone fishing in a forbidden pond?
Do the voices tell you to get tattooed?

This book is dedicated to Jamie Eyberg.

Available at Createspace now and amazon very soon.

Interesting Albert Fish Documentary

Last night I watched the documentary Albert Fish about one of the most notorious child killers in American history.  For those in the horror community, I have to assume that many of you already know about Mr. Fish and his deviance, but I didn't know all that much aside from the fact that he killed children and was a psychotic masochist who had pins and needles inserted into his body at the time of his arrest.  After watching this documentary I found out that he was even worse a deviant than I had known, but I won't get into that.  If you're interested you should watch the film for yourself.

I do have to say that I thought the documentary (what netflix call a "docudrama," which is bullshit because it's really nothing more than a documentary, which isn't what I expected) was a bit too long and spent too much time discussing his religious inspired motives as if he was just a troubled man who went wrong.  It's important to find out what's in the mind of a killer, but I think some of the commentary in this documentary, particularly that of Joe Coleman who seemed to me to have an unhealthy obsession with the child killing bastard, attempted to give Fish an out because of his horrible upbringing and the words of the bible as interpreted literally.  Clearly these things were seeds in Fish's self destruction, but he was really nothing more than a vicious man with a vicious appetite who, in my opinion, used the Bible as a means to justify his maniacal impulsions.  (As a side note, Joe Coleman has done amazing paintings of serial killers including Fish that, in themselves, are quite disturbing and graphic.)

In the end, I enjoyed the documentary in that I learned about a sick fuck that I knew little about, and though parts of the film were done very well, I think it could have been a bit shorter, which would have made a more poignant impact.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

My Review of 'The Infinite' by Douglas Clegg

I finished reading Douglas Clegg's The Infinite last week and I thought I would share my thoughts on the book.  First off, it was the Leisure mass market paperback edition.  Whether or not it is still available, I do not know.  I have been holding on to this copy for quite some time and just got around to reading it.  My TBR pile is astonishing to say the least.

That being said, I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Infinite is from the Harrow series, of which I have only read Nightmare House, though you don't have to have read the previous Harrow books to be able to understand this one.  It stands alone quite nicely filling the reader in on the happenings of Harrow enough for one to get the bigger picture.  In The Infinite three strangers with special abilities are brought to a haunted house for a sum of money in hopes of eliciting the secrets of the house.  Sounds familiar, right?  Well, it's the interaction between the characters and how very real they are that makes this a great read.  The base idea has been done before, bringing strangers into a haunted house, but the depth of the characters and the history of Harrow carries the story to a crescendo of an ending with some very memorable scenes that are still lingering in my mind.

I felt that the beginning was a little slow, a series of character profiles, which is something that usually loses my interest in a novel, however Clegg is a gifted author and he has the ability to lock my eyes on the pages.  I imagine he could write about a sterile white bathroom and I would read to the end.  Yes, I've read several of his other books and found them even better than this one, but that shouldn't take away from what The Infinite has to offer.  If you're looking for gut-busting violence and bloodshed, look elsewhere.  If you're looking for a thought provoking tale of real people dealing with the supernatural, give this one a shot.  And, if you haven't yet read Douglas Clegg...what the hell are you waiting for!

"The Lakatos Clan" in Sideshow Fables #3

Sideshow Fables #3 is live.  You can read my tale of gypsies, rival carnivals, and magic entitled "The Lakatos Clan" in this issue for FREE!!!!!  Check it out HERE.

This one has been a long time in coming, and frankly I'm kind of interested in re-reading it myself.

Enjoy!

"Till Death..." Accepted for Publication!

Got the good word the other day that my short story "Till Death..." was accepted for the Library of Horror anthology Made You Flinch...Again!  This pleases me greatly as this story has nearly made it into several other publications with the editors rejecting it due to not liking/being able to connect with the protagonist.  Sure, there's not a good person in this story, but like I always say, "Bad people have stories too."

In fact, this is the story that was the seed that eventually turned into Malicious Deviance.  I toyed with the idea of publishing "Till Death..." in MD, but I am weary of publishing my own work in an anthology I edit.  There's nothing wrong with doing that, I just rather not judge my own work that way.

Anyway, thanks Bill Tucker and Jonathan Moon for seeing the potential in this twisted story.

Nice Review for Through the Eyes of the Undead

Horror World published a nice review of the anthology I edited entitled Through the Eyes of the Undead.

Check it out HERE

The book is available at amazon.com in print and for kindle as well as barnesandnoble.com and smashwords in a variety of formats.

Look for volume 2 later this year or early 2012.

Jack's Magic Beans by Brian Keene

I recently finished reading Brian Keene's Jack's Magic Beans, one of the many reissues from Deadite Press. This book contains the title novella as well as four additional short stories, all of which were phenomenal. At about 100 pages I tore through this book in no time at all.

"Jack's Magic Beans" begins like any normal day at the grocery store until people suddenly turn into bloodthirsty psychopaths.  Only four people find themselves unchanged and have to deal with a nightmare of blood and guts and crazies. The only complaint from me is that the story ended too early. I was so engrossed that when I read the last sentence I couldn't help but feel like there was a whole story there to be told and I sort of felt let down. On the other hand, this novella delivers the goods and the characters are so very real that you feel like you're there dealing with the madness they are subjected to.

The four stories that follow are quick little bites of nastiness.  Very poignant and brutal. I particularly liked "Without You," the tale of a man so disgusted with his life that he goes to extreme measures, only he finds that some promises are more powerful than life itself.  "I am an Exit" and "This is Not and Exit" follow, introducing a serial killer Keene promises we will see more of in the future. Serial killer stories are getting bland, but these ones bring the goods. The final story "The King, in: YELLOW" is a crazy tale about a couple who decide their lives are getting dull and that they need to spice things up.  They decide to see a play that some half-cocked bum tells them about which is anything but dull, although perhaps a bit too spicy.

I would suggest this title to any fan of horror.  Nicely written, bloody, bizarre -- good stuff! I am certainly going to buy another Keene title from Deadite press and I suggest you do too. Available HERE