A Real Culinary Crackpot

AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT (2009 Bad Moon Books / 290 pp. / hc)

Remember the low budget 80s schlock-fest, GORE-MET ZOMBIE CHEF FROM HELL? Of course you don't, being there were about five of us (world-wide) dumb enough to rent it (yes, it's a real film---google it).

I'm happy to announce that Michael Louis Calvillo's second novel, dealing with another culinary crackpot, is NOTHING like the aforementioned flick. Like Wrath James White's SUCCULENT PREY, this one deals with cannibalism and works on a level that's more psychological than physical (despite some gruesome depictions of murder).

When her friend Heather goes missing after a date, Ashley begins to worry and eventually investigates the man who had asked her out. With a little Net-searching, she discovers Montgomery is a highly respected chef, as well as the name of the restaurant ('MAIZE') he works and teaches at.

Along with her underground detecting, Ashley's also struggling to get her junkie punk rock boyfriend (and herself) off the smack. Things get a bit easier when his band finally lands a record deal, but begin to go south when she ends up being abducted by Montgomery.

What follows is a gripping, tense trip through the mind of a psychopath who has a much stronger human side than your typical genre slasher; sure, he's a real nutjob, but Montgomery HATES to murder, despite he and his girlfriend's addiction to finally-prepared human meat. 'Sound a bit too b-movie-ish? Trust me--it's not. Calvillo has crafted a realistic, tormented villain who you want to see get his, yet at the same time may find yourself cheering for his recovery.

AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT's suspense level is fantastic, and despite some "thought" sections that seem to ramble a bit, I doubt you'll be able to put this one down. (One note of warning: if you're a kitty lover you might squint at one scene!)

(You can grab a cpy here: http://www.horror-mall.com/AS-FATE-WOULD-HAVE-IT-by-Michael-Louis-Calvillo-p-18554.html )

Paranoia in the City...

SPOOK COUNTRY by William Gibson (2009 Berkley Books / 480 pp. / mmp)

Gibson's 9th novel (originally released in 2007) finally comes to paperback.

Hollis Henry (former member of semi-famous rock band "The Curfew") takes on a job as a reporter for a magazine called NODE (although the first issue has yet to be released) and begins to do a piece on a new art form (that involves wearing a VR-type vision helmet to see images the naked eye can't). During her investigation, she comes across some strange characters, including Tito, a Cuban immigrant who works for an apparent ring-leader known as "The Old Man"; while at first they (and others) seem unrelated, they eventually become part of the same picture.

Not sure if she's been thrown into the middle of a pending terrorist attack or a simple drug deal, Hollis plays it cool when she learns her "captors" are smuggling a case containing an undetermined amount of radioactivity.

While I was a bit let down by what Tito and The Old Man ended up being involved with (after a tense, 350+ page build up), Gibson's mind-bending prose and unique way of creating suspense kept me flipping the pages and managed to genuinely creep me out a few times.

SPOOK COUNTRY is part spy thriller, part techno-thriller, a metaphor-rich commentary on post 9/11 American society, and best of all, unlike just about anything I've read in the past few years. Highly recommended.

What a Sick Puppy!

TWISTED TALES FOR SICK PUPPIES by Mark McLaughlin (2009 Skullvines Press / 84 pp. / tp)

McLaughlin strikes with ten disgustingly demented tales and one poem that truly live up to this books' title.

Most of the entries here fall into the "gross-out contest" category (a contest Mark has won at several World Horror Conventions). Among the more memorable (and funny) are LUNCH-TIME AT THE ORPHANAGE NEXT-DOOR TO THE COLONIC IRRIGATION CLINIC, THE JIZZ-RAG THAT ATE TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, and my favorite of the lot, THE INSIDE-OUTSIDER. There's a nice blend of horror, scifi, and the author's trademark Lovecraft references throughout.

Although Mark's humor gets quite sophomoric at times, it's hard not to get a charge out of the sheer absurdity of it all, and the writing itself flows along at a nice pace.

Mark also contributes the cover and interior artwork (the piece that accompanies the aforementioned LUNCH-TIME is as funny as the story), making this collection the complete McLaughlin experience.

Enter at your own risk!

The "Wolf" is Loose

RED by Paul Kane (2009 Skull Vines Press / 87 pp. / tp)

Kane expands on the "Little Red Riding Hood" mythos with a sharply-written novella that pits a decendent of the classic fairy tale character against the "real" creature of the same story. But make NO mistake: this isn't for kids (hopefully this won't get mixed up at any scholastic book fairs anytime soon!).

Rachael is on a mission to bring medicine to an old woman she cares for. The only problem is she lives in a bad part of the city, where gangs prowl and something far more dangerous is hot on her tail .

You can tell Kane had a real ball twisting and updating the 'Riding Hood' thing, especially how he has crafted this new, psycho-sexual "wolf." For the sake of not ruining anything else, let's just say RED is a real BLOODY good time. (Author Tim Lebbon also gives a neat little introduction).

Monsters Everywhere

THE MONSTER WITHIN IDEA by R. Thomas Riley (2009 Apex Publications / 206 pp. / tp)

This collection of 18 stories (half of which are presented here for the first time) features more hits than misses, and as a plus to the author, most of the new stories are hits.

Among my favorites were the brief opener, ATTRITION, an intense soul-searching parable on honesty in repentence; PERFECT is a familiar but well done study on vanity; HAVEN has a tone unique to the whole zombie subgenre; IN THE BEGINNING is a tight and creepy (possible) terrorist tale, while THE LESSER EVIL is a great gangsta yarn with a too-cool ending.

BRITTLE BONES, PLASTIC SKIN (originally published as an Amazon.com short) is one of the finest moments here, as Riley delivers a classic old-school style horror yarn. The final two tales (which also happen to be the lengthiest), THE CORE OF FORGOTTEN and ONLY SPIRITS CRY, are just fantastic and display the work of a promising, rising new talent.

Despite a couple of tales that lost me for a minute, THE MONSTER WITHIN IDEA is a fine sample of Riley's style and will easily wet your appetite for more.

Nanobots in Drag

SINGULARITY SKY by Charles Stross (2003 Ace / 313 pp. / hc)

After reading his last four novels, I've been on a bit of a scifi kick thanks to Charles Stross, one of the more celebrated writers in the genre of the past 10 years.

Digging back into the Stross catalog, I checked out 2003's SINGULARITY SKY, a nifty space travel epic loaded with the authors' famous technobabble, gadgetry, and some finely done humor.

Rachel (a UN inspector) and Martin (an engineer) board the ship 'Lord Vanek' as it travels light years to confront a problem on an isotaled space colony. Irritated by Rachel's diplomatic immunity, Vanek's crew has their eyes on her, and when she starts seeing Martin off work hours, suspicions of spying rise.

While SKY is as compulsive a read as anything else in the author's arsenal, a latent 'New World Order' message managed to turn me off (not to mention what COULD BE taken as some anti-U.S. sentiment-but maybe I'm reading too much into things?). Regardless, Stross knows how to keep his preaching to a minimum---his mind-bending explanations on super-advanced space travel are fun to read, and one sequence involving Rachel's luggage full of nighties and spider-like nanobots is pure comic genius.

This is hardcore scifi, loaded with all kinds of 'bots, technology of the strangest kind, and plenty of intrigue and plot twists. It's easy to see how Stross has gained such a loyal (and large) following, and if you haven't read him, SINGULARITY SKY is a fine place to start.

Novel Sale

I am very happy to announce that I have sold my debut novel, DON OF THE DEAD, to Coscom Entertainment, a very cool small press that specializes in superhero, monster, and zombie fiction. The release date is to be announced, but it will be out before the end of 2009.

The novel is a darkly comic blend of THE GODFATHER and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, with a few bizarre twists along the way.

Coscom Entertainment has been releasing some fine novels and novellas lately, and I am proud to be part of their growing roster.

More news to follow...