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Daughters of Darkness by Derwin et al | Book Review
I’m going to put all my cards on the table – Women in horror are nailing the genre with a razor-sharp cleaver right now. Daughters of Darkness was an anthology that was read quickly and with ease. The authors created characters that I had instant connections with, characters that I loved to hate, and these women are consummate storytellers that bridged the gap and allowed me to walk straight into their worlds. The authors that contributed are ones that I will always read, in fact I have purchased anthologies containing these authors and I have never been disappointed. Theresa Derwin knows how to deliver a short sharp shock with her…
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The Apocalypse Strain by Jason Parent | Book Review
Funnily enough I really enjoy reading about viruses and the potential of how these can wreak havoc upon our world. Our world is hospitable to a deadly virus, you only must examine the spread of Covid-19 to see that we have the conditions that allows deadly viruses to destroy our way of living, our health and oftentimes take away our lives. The Apocalypse Strain enforces that knowledge when scientists in a Siberian Research Facility discovers a potent Pandora virus, something that we have never experienced before. Sergei is the lucky scientist to have discovered it but since then memories of his daughter’s death have been haunting him…alongside the voice of…
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Killer Scarecrow by Scott Donnelly | Book Review
Dark and haunting. Killer scarecrow is multi-faceted and strips the layers back of the human condition. It is certainly a brilliant example of deciphering logic from trauma. Our ability to cope and compartmentalize grief. It is an intelligent and fascinating novella on several levels. It is a deeply unsettling story that investigates the fragility of life, childhood trauma and the complexity of relationships. The horror is real – no not the idea of a Killer Scarecrow but the horror of death and the consequences for those left behind. A scarecrow in the yard is all that remains of Benny Billings so why does Cash feel like his best friends last…
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The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence | Book Review
The Girl and the Mountain yet another stonking story from Mark Lawrence. Once again, the author had that perfect formula for breaking me. It’s a straight run on from The Girl and the Stars, it didn’t skip a beat, not for one second and I settled into meeting old friends again. An ending that had me needing more, an ending that proved just how addictive Lawrence’s writing is. His writing skills are so dastardly and intoxicating that its impossible not to race to the end. I’ve had to wait a few days to write this review because I have been living in a hungover, adrenaline intoxicated state. Let’s take a…
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Fear by Rob Bliss | Book Review
Fear by Rob Bliss is a thriller novel filled with action, horror, gore and a story that is both uncomfortable and unnerving in its narrative. Although predominately a thriller novel it has plenty of horrific themes running through-out. it’s a story that has fear at its absolute core. If the government and subsequent authorities have no fear instilled in its citizens, then they have nothing…no control…nothing. Although I enjoyed the story, I did find it extremely slow at times and it felt a lot longer than the two hundred odd pages it was. It was an ambitious story with a ton of promise, but it just failed to hit the…
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Shelter for The Damned by Mike Thorn | Book Review
Shelter for the Damned spins a tale of teenage rage and angst mirrored with the events occurring in the shack. Set the scene…A shack in the middle of a field, it has an exorable pull to the protagonist, Mark. It almost calls to him like a voice in the wind, a siren call. Thorn has a cutthroat ability to reel you in, a writing style so sharp and penetrating that it threatens to tear you open, layer by layer. It is a brutal examination of the emotions and turmoil that teenagers battle with. Shelter for the Damned felt like the lovechild of Barker and King. I’m not a huge fan…
