Buckle Up...

TENTACLE DEATH TRIP by Jordan Krall (2012 Eraserhead Press / 223 pp / tp and eBook)


It's 2035, ten years after World War III unleashed nuclear, chemical, and bio terrors across the globe.  America is now a neon wasteland populated by mutated people, animals, and con-artists who still know how to capitalize on any situation.


Mr. SIlver is one such shady character.  He organizes an anything-goes car race from Jersey City down to Atlantic City after hand-picking five of the country's best racers.  The winner is promised plenty of food and provisions, as well as residency on R'lyeh, a sparkling new city that has recently emerged from the depths off the Jersey coast.


The contestants are Samson, a man bent on finding the gang who raped his wife and kidnapped his son; Junko, a former slave who's adrenaline is pumped to be in his first race by himself; Gabby Peppermint, a spoiled rotten girl who murdered her family on her sweet sixteenth birthday; Mama Hell, a foul-mouthed holy roller; and Drac Dunwich, whose gasoline-filled crystal skull is almost as eerie to behold as his tentacle-jacked hot rod.  Each driver has a car rigged with various weapons, Mama Hell's saw-blade equipped mini-van being one of the coolest.


During the race, the drivers come across mutants, religious cults, strange animals, weird roadways, and endless, violent confrontations with each other.  Samson also rescues a young boy who becomes a pivotal part of the story.  Each character's background is colorful and is revealed at a nice pace.


The first half of TENTACLE DEATH TRIP reads like a stranger version of DEATH RACE 2000, and for a while I wondered if this would be nothing more than a bizarro version of the classic cult film.  But Krall kicks it into high gear during the second half, making his story so much more.  There's double crosses, plenty of well-placed humor, non-stop action, and during the psychadelic thrill-ride of a finale, we even get a father/son moment of (literal) bonding that's all heart.


With even more surprises not mentioned here, TENTACLE DEATH TRIP is easily one of Krall's finest--and funnest--offerings.  Buckle up...

THE FLESH OF FALLEN ANGELS by Roy C. Booth and R. Thomas Riley (2012 Grand Mal Press / 178 pp / eBook)


Booth and Riley have saddled up a wild cast for this pulpy blast that's a cross between a spaghetti western and Tales from the Crypt's DEMON KNIGHT film.


Gibson Blount travels from town to town, attempting to protect citizens from the fallen angels who are bent on destroying everything in their path.  Told in a Now/Then format, the authors slowly reveal why Blount does what he does, culminating in a gory, action-packed finale that had me on the edge of my seat.


While demon-themed horror stories get tiring with the appearance of "Legion" in almost every one dating as far back as Blatty's THE EXORCIST, this time we're treated to a new take on demons and even hell itself.  Blount's allies--from a priest to a prostitute to the legendary confederate guerilla William Quantril--are all as interesting as he is, as are the several fallen angels attempting to take down the town and then the world.


Read after you roll a cigarillo and throw on your cowboy boots for maximum effect...

GREAT concept...

HARRY WALL'S MAN by John Leahy (2011 Malange Books, LLC  / 58 pp / eBook)


After famous architect Harry Wall dies of a drug overdose, his former wife contacts another architect, Ridley Case, to help her understand what was going through her ex-husband's head during his final days.

It turns out Harry's last creation--a 29-story building shaped like a man--is made of a most unusual steel, one that's known for moving on its own. Ridley, along with a website geek, manage to get a room in the building and try to help the current residents who are unknowingly fueling the building as it slowly begins to...come alive. But Ridley finds out too late the geek had other plans.

HARRY WALL'S MAN is an inventive dark fantasy, although it ends a bit too abruptly for my taste. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on Leahy.

Another Killer Novella...

TORN by Lee Thomas (2011 Cemetery Dance Publications / 130 pp / limited edition hardcover)


Lee Thomas delivers the latest installment in Cemetery Dance's novella series, this time pitting a small town sheriff against a group of shape-shifting creatures.


Sheriff Bill Cranston's wife self-medicates in retaliation to an affair she's convinced he's having while their two young daughters are hardly looked after.  With his home life in turmoil, Cranston is called to investigate the disappearance of a young girl named Maggie.  They discover her in the woods, tied to stakes, yet unharmed; turns out she was used as bait by a werewolf-like creature to send a message.  The creature also savagely kills Arthur, a man who volunteered to search for Maggie, then seemingly vanishes despite being shot twice by Cranston.


The next day Cranston learns a suspect has been caught; in his jail's small cell is Douglas Sykes, a nutcase who answer questions in poetic riddles and has the same bullet wounds on him as the creature he had shot the previous evening.  Sykes then delivers a warning that a group of creatures are about to attack the small town of Luther's Bend, looking for him.  Cranston eventually believes Sykes is indeed a shape-shifting creature, and takes precautions in an attempt to protect his family and his town.  An exciting and gruesome battle soon plays out at the police station.


TORN is a top-notch novella that packs as much punch as most full-length novels.  Lee's creature feature also deals with Cranston's inner demons, and will leave the reader with much food for self-contemplation.  This is a smart, expertly-written graphic horror tale enhanced by some great interior artwork by Vincent Chong.

The Frenzy Series Continues...

THE FRENZY WAR by Gregory lamberson (to be released 6/12 by Medallion Press / 392 pp / tp)


The second installment in Lamberson's "Frenzy Series" picks up two years after the events of THE FRENZY WAY.  With serial killer/werewolf Rodrigo Gomez behind bars, things have been quiet in New York City.  Mace--the hero cop who put Gomez away--is now taking it easy, working with a K-9 unit in Brooklyn as his wife Cheryl's local news career begins to take off.  But when a murder and kidnapping at a Manhattan occult book store shows signs of involvement from the Brotherhood of Turquemadans (a top secret, Vatican-sponsored werewolf exterminating squad), Mace is called back into the game to head a secret NYPD operation to weed them out.  And when the Brotherhood begin blowing up known wolf hideouts, Mace's team (as well as the FBI and National Guard) go after them as they would a terrorist cell.


Meanwhile, the Brotherhood torture bookstore clerk Rhonda, she a werewolf, in an attempt to obtain info on her fellow wolves' wereabouts.  All hell breaks loose when--on the eve of a groundbreaking live TV interview with Rodrigo Gomez from prison--the Brotherhood manage to abduct Cheryl, throwing her in the same holding pen as Rhonda.


Mace is now forced to team-up with Gabriel, the head wolf of the greater New York Pack, to rescue both his wife and Rhonda.  During these happenings, future police lieutenant Willy learns a dark secret about his co-worker/girlfriend Karol, and the Brotherhood are on the verge of releasing a video that will finally convince the world werewolves are all too real.


THE FRENZY WAR is a non-stop rollercoaster ride of action, violence, and intrigue that builds suspense right up to the last page.  Lamberson employs a large cast, but the reader is never confused despite the ever-growing chaos.  While you won't be lost if you've missed the first novel, I'm betting this is essential reading before the third book, which can't arrive fast enough.


A total blast of shape-shifting mayhem that'll have you wondering just whose side you're on.  GREAT wrap-around cover art by Patrick Reilly, too. 

Creepy Crawly Goodness...

WUFTOOM by Mary G. Thompson (to be released 5/8/12 by Clarion Books / 250 pp / hc)


For two years, Evan has been bedridden.  No doctor can explain what is wrong with him, but a worm-like creature who visits him in the night informs him he is becoming one of them.  Evan is also visited by a Vitfly, a winged creature who attempts to use him to locate the hideout of the Wuftoom, the name of the race of worms Evan is transforming into.  As a bribe, the Vitfly manages to let Evan "enter" some of the kids at his school, giving him a taste of what he's been missing since becoming ill.


Evan eventually turns into one of the Wuftoom, yet his mind remains mostly human: his memories of his human mother continually haunt him, something the elder Wuftoom tell him must stop if he is to survive in his new state.  But as Evan learns to live in his new body, and use Wuftoom-designed hunting weapons, the Vitflies get to him: Evan is faced with defending his new race, or selling them out so the Vitflies don't eat his mother.  An inevitable war between Wuftoom and Vitfly ensues, leading up to a heartbreaking but satisfying conclusion.


WUFTOOM is an inventive dark fantasy, loaded with creepy crawlers, savage battles, and a host of interesting characters (both human and non-human).  As a plus, it isn't afraid to hide the gruesomeness of what it must be like for a former human to live like an animal (some of the feeding scenes are quite grim, although written in a non-offensive manner).  But the novel's highlight is it's study of loyalty and the all-too human way Evan reacts to the new challenges he continually faces.


Yet another fine modern YA title that's equally as enjoyable for adults (not to mention the author's first novel).  Check it out.


(NOTE: This review will also appear in the May, 2012 issue of THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW)

2nd Review for ANTIBACTERIAL POPE in...

"Nick Cato makes you vomit and laugh at the same time - you're lavomitting, but it's all good.  He's a carnival barker of the absurd who will entertain and simultaneously sicken you.  Worth the dollars, worth the read, worth your attention.  The man's going places."

-Eric Mays, author of KARAOKE DEATH SQUAD

Little's 22nd is a Mixed Bag

THE HAUNTED by Bentley Little (2012 Signet / 389 pp / mmp)


Julian and Claire Perry, along with their young son and teenage daughter, move to a better neighborhood in New Mexico.  They love the new house, although each one begins to have issues with it, stemming from similar nightmares they share as well as sightings of a creepy old man in the basement.


Each family members then becomes haunted in different ways: daughter Megan begins receiving perverted (and then deadly) messages on her cell phone with no return number; son James partakes in a game of Old Maid where the Maid becomes all to real...and threatening, and for some reason finds himself craving dirt as a snack (!).  Julian begins having unusual sexual desires for Claire, and starts seeing the man in the basement outside of the house (it's later learned he's a homeless man who had died in their basement).  And Claire--haunted by the death of a child--begins to research their house and community at a local library.  Of course what she finds is anything but positive.


The first half of THE HAUNTED ranks within the top five of Little's scariest novels: he gets the goosebumps going, and despite the familiarity of a haunted house tale, manages to get under the reader's skin and pull out a few surprises (especially when we learn what this thing is that's driving the Perry family crazy).  But it seems as if Little has held back here: readers expecting things to get as demented as in past novels may be a bit disappointed.  His macabre edge has taken a holiday this time out and left me wanting more.  Things DO begin to head in that direction, but not to the extent of novels such as THE MAILMAN or THE RESORT.  


Little's 22nd novel blends the classic story line of his older novels with the emotion of his more recent experiments, resulting in a horror tale that--while satisfying--may leave some of the author's fans wanting more.


A slightly above average outing, worth it for the aforementioned first-half's chill factor.

FIRST Review for my Forthcoming Collection is in...

“Imagine Edgar Allan Poe fakes his own death, gets into a time machine and heads into the future. He discovers new inspiration in Gary Larson’s classic Far Side comics. I can neither deny nor confirm that has happened, but if it did, Edgar would be writing under the pen name ‘Nick Cato’”

~ Gregory Hall, author of ‘At the End of Church Street’ and host of The Funky Werepig

JUNE, 2012

Curse of the Queerwolf...

THE TROUBLE WITH HAIRY by Hal Bodner (2012 CreateSpace / 442 pp / eBook and tp)


In this sequel to Bodner's 2005 novel BITE CLUB, a series of pet deaths hits West Hollywood,  and while the police take notice, they don't take action until human corpses start piling up.  Coroner Becky O'Brien notices a similarity with each victim, and not only by how they died: they each happened to be gay men, which reminds her of the vampire attacks of a few years earlier.


When two old women discover a naked man eating one of their pets in their backyard, he is arrested--and when Becky catches wind of this, she contacts gay vampire Chris to once again come in and help the police identify the suspect.  Chris arrives with his boyfriend Troy (much of their dialogue is hysterical) and it doesn't take long for Chris to realize the naked man in police custody is actually a werewolf, one of many living in the area.


Once Bodner gets things going, the laughs come fast and furious, as do several suspense scenes that'll have you tearing through the pages.  One chapter featuring City Manager Pamela Burman who--while "babysitting" the werewolf suspect--takes him out to a fancy restaurant and things (of course) go haywire.  This whole segment had me laughing out loud, and was just a taste of things to come in the second half of the novel.


This is a smart, finely-crafted horror comedy, its only flaw being a bit TOO much character background given when things start to take off: these several areas slow the pace down, but it's worth sifting through the info. overload to get to the goods.


If horror comedies are your thing, this should be right up your alley.