A Breath of Much Needed (Dead) Air

ROT by Michele Lee (2009 Skullvines Press / 50 pp. / tp)

Dean, a worker at a wayward home for zombies, develops a friendship with one of the undead while he slowly starts to fall in love with another one named Amy When she goes missing, Dean begins an investigation (along with his zombie buddy, Patrick) to find her, only to discover corruption that makes him wonder who the real monsters are.

ROT is a wonderfully different zombie story, combining elements from several genres, yet never skimping on the flesh-eating mayhem. The zombies here are intelligent, and I like how there is a nod to voodoo (something seldom seen in modern zombie tales) at the conclusion.

Lee has done a fine job creating a believable world and scenario in which zombies exist. Fans of the undead don't want to miss this.

A VERY Bizarre and a Modern Noir...

A RHAPSODY FOR THE ETERNAL by Darren Speegle (2009 Raw Dog Screaming Press / 174 pp. / tp)

It took me a bit to get through this 12-story collection, and not because it's bad; quite the contrary. Speegle's deep, artistic prose may take a bit to "hit" you, but when it does, you'll find these tales quite unique from every angle. These stories are difficult to categorize, and while a few clearly lean on the sci/fi side (such as THE MAN IN WINDOW THREE, one of my faves here) they're all bizarro and beyond.

THE HORN ON WHICH THE FRUIT BLOSSOMS is a dazzling "mini-epic" fantasy / science experiment / head-trip, while DISAPPARENCY--about a man who can't find a co-worker--provides a wicked twist on the "missing person"-story.

While I found a couple of tales to be a bit too confusing, Speegle manages to keep them interesting, even when I was a bit lost.

RHAPSODY will be enjoyed by anyone with a thirst for truly different dark fantasy (at least that's what the publisher has labeled this), or those with a desire to to see some fantastic writing employed in the strangest of settings. (12 stories, 5 presented here for the first time).








SHADOW SEASON by Tom Piccirilli (to be published 10/27/09 by Bantam / mmp)

Piccirilli strikes with yet another crime/noir caper, this time pitting a former cop (now a teacher at an isolated private school) against a corrupt ex-partner as well as the mob.

The twist this time is our protagonist, Finn, has been blind since leaving the force. At his new job, he teaches literature and has a relationship with the school nurse; pretty young students continually flirt with him and he spends much time meditating on his former wife, Dani. A nasty blizzard greets the few staff and students who stay at the school for the holiday vacation. But just when Finn thinks he'll have a drink or two at a small student party, a student--and his girlfriend--go missing.

As he begins to wonder if his ex-partner, Ray, or the heavy-drinking school janitor are responsible, a couple of inbred-type goons show up demanding to be paid an old debt.
SHADOW SEASON reveals Finn's past with perfectly-sized flashbacks, hence unraveling everything that's going down in the present with a tension-filled pace. Piccirilli even manages to keep the suspense full-throttle until the FINAL sentence, something I haven't experienced too many times before.

This is Pic's 6th highly-addictive crime/noir for Bantam, and he shows not a single sign of slowing down. Don't miss this.

A First-Timer from Down Under

SPARE KEY by R. Frederick Hamilton (2009 LegumeMan Books / 226 pp. / tp)

Credited as "a young up and comer," R. Frederick Hamilton's novella (along with two short stories) will appeal to fans of the extreme thing, although the endings of two tales here are apparent from the outset.

In the title story, Ben (a psycho on experimental medication) is prematurely released by his doctor. He finds a flat (the stories take place in Australia) and quickly begins to get his "old urges" back as he spies on his cute neighbor, Rachel, across the way. Before long he discovers a key that just happens to unlock her flat, and when he finds a most personal box under her bed, he knows there's no stopping a relapse of his psycho sexual habits; but Rachel has been on to his creepy stares and has devious plans of her own.

The less said about the second story, THE FILMMAKERS, the better; If you're interested in graphic detail about what happens when a group of young boys begin to make their own rape/snuff films (with girls as young as six years old), perhaps you belong in the same institution Ben (from the title story) was released from. It's simply an unpleasant story from every conceivable angle.

Hamilton wraps things up with WRITER'S BLOCK, a decent ode to Stephen King's MISERY; this time a slightly off-balance mother keeps her son locked in a room and forces him to write a "masterpiece." It's short and to the point and helps to get the bad taste left by THE FILMMAKERS out of your mouth.

Despite subject matter that I find tasteless, SPARE KEY is a decent first effort (from a writer's standpoint), but I'd like to see the author employ his skills without constant references to masturbation and young children being partially raped and killed; there's a difference between Horror and Exploitation, and also a way to walk that line without become too exploitative. Here's hoping the author finds it.

The End of a GREAT Series

ORPHAN'S TRIUMPH by Robert Buettner (2009 Orbit / 368 pp. / mmp)

Since 2004, I've been addicted to Buettner's Starship Troopers-ish series dealing with humans battling slug-like creatures for control of the universe (and beyond). Protagonist Jason Wander has been developed quite nicely since he was orphaned in the first installment during an all-out attack on Earth; from immature punk to legendary commander of an intergallactic allied fleet, this final installment (I'm assuming this is the grand finale) is exciting, satisfying, and has much to say.

A weakness has finally been discovered: the Slugs can be destroyed by a rare type of rock, which is discovered in abundance on a Socialist planet. Jason Wander and co. infiltrate a mysterious area of said planet that turns out to be the sight of a modern (and ongoing) holocaust. Buried beneath the snow is more than the precious rock . . . countless corpses belonging to those who dared to defy the Socialist society bring Hitler's death camps to mind. While Wander and co. are able to turn a few hundred potential prisoners into makeshift soldiers and overcome their captors, stronger reimbursments are on the way, causing more difficulties in gathering the Slug-slaying meteor-chunks.

There's some great scenes between Jason and his Godson Jude, and Jason's old robotic sidekick, Jeeb (a metallic cockroach he takes out of retirement) returns and plays a pivitol role in the breathtaking final confrontation between Jason and the Slugs (Jeeb becomes a translator, making dialogue between human and Slug possible for the first time . . . and at the brink of each one's destruction).

ORPHAN'S TRIUMPH, like it's predecessors, is full of action-packed battles (both in space and on various palnets), interesting footnotes to historical wars and Generals, as well as the author's latent musings on current issues (the aforementioned ending causes one to wonder how the world would be if genuine dialogue could be had between Islam and the West--although I'm not sure if that was the authors' intention).

This may be considered "military science fiction," but there's plenty of horrific elements to satisfy fans of both genres. I hate to see this series end.

The Return of MIKE GRELL!

Mike Grell is a name that brings back fond memories of dinosaurs, strange creatures, warriors, and scantly clad babes doing battle in a strange realm somewhere in the middle of the world. DC Comics has recently released the first 3 issues of Grell's re-vamped series, THE WARLORD, and comic geeks like me couldn't be happier. Grell provides the cover art for these issues and is the writer, while the fantastic interior artwork comes from Joe Prado. I forget how truly strange this series could be---great blending of genres here.

LOADS of fun here...Is it just me or does it seem every comic some of us enjoyed as kids (i.e. CONAN and KRULL) have been staging top-notch come backs lately?

Basket Case, Japanese Style

So I finally get around to seeing the "Banned from Cable" MASTERS OF HORROR episode directed by legendary Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike. I must say I was genuinely disturbed by a couple of scenes, and I found the whole tone of the film as dark as some of the violence. As far as MASTERS OF HORROR (the series) goes, this is easily one of the best of its first two seasons (I have no clue if a third is on the way or not). As far as a stand alone film, it DOES deliver the goods, although I can't help but compare it to Frank Hennenlotter's 1982 cult classic BASKET CASE (I'm assuming I didn't just ruin this for too many of you), albeit on a "classier" level.

'Tis a bloody good time (that is, unless you're not into horror that pulls no punches).

Perhaps now I'll give Miike's AUDITION (1999) another chance (the first time I was quite unimpressed---although I'm in the minority on that one).