Handyman wants to parlay his DIY YouTube stardom into getting a TV gig (which seems unrealistic for a 20-something and the current revenue yielded by Handyman wants to parlay his DIY YouTube stardom into getting a TV gig (which seems unrealistic for a 20-something and the current revenue yielded by being a YouTube sensation) so he plans to renovate a house in 30 days documenting his progress. Whoops, turns out the house is wicked haunted and mayhem ensues. For some reason I do not understand, though bless Ibsen for at least addressing it, despite positive video proof of ghosts and some high quality EVPs, Kevin, our struggling protagonist, ignores this ghost hunting stardom opportunity in favor of struggling through hanging drywall while trying to ignore poltergeisty shenanigans -- much to his detriment.
I love a haunted house story and in this worn out genre The House of Long Shadows does not disappoint. There are some creepy ghosties here, but as is true within this genre, you have to truly bring it to actually do something unique in this space. Ibsen had the makings of something quite good, but unfortunately it was rushed and unrealistic and poorly explained when we got there. Not horrible mind; just not amazing.
Where the book truly falters is in its rendering of any sort of dialogue, including Kevin's YouTube videos, the comments left on said videos, and his internal monologues. Clunky. I would suggest Ibsen reads more Elmore Leonard, or maybe better Joe Lansdale, to refine his style.
Nonetheless, not a horrible read at all. Solid effort and about a million times better than the sequel which I'm reading now and am not sure I can finish. For a Kindle Unlimited book, definite 2 thumbs up. For an Audible credit, which Audible kept insisting I use, no frakkin way.
This reads a lot like the Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges) trilogy, but I liked it quite a bit more. This was less repetitive overall, though it suffers 3.7
This reads a lot like the Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges) trilogy, but I liked it quite a bit more. This was less repetitive overall, though it suffers from bloat (no duh, it is Stephen King after all) and a sort of silly ending (no duh, it is Stephen King after all). However, whatever its faults, it is Stephen King (after all) so compulsively readable and generally well written.
I find there is little point in recommending this novel, or advising you stay away from it since it is King and that places it, no matter how junky it is, on most people's must read list. This book wasn't junky however and I think King fans will be pretty satisfied. His overt and subtle nods to his other work alone make it fun for King fans. And when he's on a roll, as in the first 1/3 of the novel, it is a great ride.
A note on the audiobook: The narrator, Will Patton (thanks Char!), is the same guy who did the Bill Hodges books and while generally good, he is awful at voicing certain characters -- in particular Holly Gibney (sp?) who becomes a major character here (imo). It is hard to have sympathy for her character when she sounds like a cross between a robot and an alien schoolmarm. I have no idea how this character reads, but I am fairly sure she is meant to be sympathetic and that just isn't conveyed by this narrator (as it wasn't in any of the Bill Hodges books) to yours truly. Your mileage may vary. ...more
Strange plot -- narrator goes on search to find the man who built his odd childhood vacation house and in doing so recounts not only his past but the Strange plot -- narrator goes on search to find the man who built his odd childhood vacation house and in doing so recounts not only his past but the past history of a host of "Frank" houses -- yet entertaining. Overall resolution not really sensical, but a decent read overall.
In 1975, M. Das, a famed Indian poet -- at least in literary circles -- disappears and is presumed dead. In 1985, new excerpts of poetry aOverall: 2.6
In 1975, M. Das, a famed Indian poet -- at least in literary circles -- disappears and is presumed dead. In 1985, new excerpts of poetry attributed to Das start making the rounds and Harper's magazine sends critic Robert Luczak to Calcutta to retrieve any examples he can of this new poetry and investigate the story of Das' resurrection. Luczak brings his Indian-born (but raised in England) wife and baby with him for a holiday while he does his research, presumably so she can "reconnect with her roots", though it is apparent upon arrival in Calcutta, a "place too wicked to be suffered", all is not going to go smoothly. In searching for Das, Bobby ends up embroiled in the machinations of a cult dedicated to the destructive aspect of the Great Goddess Mahadevi, Kali.
[image] Yikes.
Apparently this was Simmons first published work and I think it shows. While the prose and general narrative are good -- and the man manages to explain enough about Hinduism in less than 5 pages to give a clear picture of this complicated religion, no small feat that -- I found some of the language excessively florid and the plot a bit too ridiculous. Eh, ridiculous isn't the right word -- Simmons does actually do a good job in making what could be a rather far-fetched sort of plotline and making it realistic, I guess my problem was more that I never quite understood the motives for people acting as they were. The human behavior here was overly complicated.
The book is worth reading for the depictions of Calcutta -- while unbelievably harsh -- I found they rang true in terms of the sheer foreignness that is India -- especially in early 80s.
Overall this book didn't work for me -- hence the a bit below average rating -- though I do have to rack some of this up to personal preference probably. Your mileage may vary and it is a quick read, and interesting enough to plow through in one go, and even though it is early Simmons, his raw talent in on display here.
Confrontation with Evil is meant to give the true life story of the true life story behind the story that inspired The Exorcist. LaChance presents anConfrontation with Evil is meant to give the true life story of the true life story behind the story that inspired The Exorcist. LaChance presents an interesting take on the story of the possession of Roland Doe, but if you haven't already read Allen's Possessed: True Story of An Exorcism or another account of Roland's story, you will be somewhat lost by LaChance's interpretation. It was unclear to me throughout Confrontation with Evil whether LaChance assumed readers should already know about Roland's case and thus be appreciative he was not boring us with all the details again or whether LaChance really just needs to study up on how to write a non-fiction book. Even if it is the former, there is still a bit of a problem here that unless you have committed all this to memory or otherwise are so deeply involved with this origin story that you remember every detail, it is really easy to get lost, but I think it is really the latter. LaChance wants to make an argument here, but he doesn't seem to know how to do that. The text is generally disorganized and the underlying argumentation is not coherent.
For example, LaChance places a lot of blame on the mother of Ronald, and when you understand the actual story, some of this seem warranted, but he gives a blow by blow blaming fest without the actual facts to support such a thing. I would have rather he decided to detail the story and overlay his opinions as most non-fiction writers do. Likewise, when he decides to go all gung-ho on blaming everyone for not acknowledging how St. Micheal the Archangel appeared to defend Roland it would be interesting to hear that this actually happened to begin with – or at least how it appeared to people.
The book itself is probably worth it however for the weird, almost appendix-like chapters, describing the places where Roland was treated (and exorcised) and where maybe, just maybe, a priest associated with the exorcism was kept (view spoiler)[ until his death where freaky shit is happening like every minute and THIS is the book LaChance needs to write (hide spoiler)].
Ultimate vote: Pass if you haven't read anything about this whole thing to begin with because you won't know what is happening; Read it for those who know something about the case because when he lays into the mom is kind of interesting – and that creepy shit about the hospital is sort of killer; Generally, petition the author to really write a book about his experiences on the weird time-stopped priest floor because wtf!
Thank you Lleweyllen Publishing, Stephen LaChance, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this....more
I found this review by Richard Vialet which I feel sums up my thoughts pretty well. So, instead of paraphrasing it, I am just going to quote it for3.6
I found this review by Richard Vialet which I feel sums up my thoughts pretty well. So, instead of paraphrasing it, I am just going to quote it for you and save us all needless repetition (and give some props to Richard):
"All I ever wanted was a mad, mad world."
It feels like Ed Kurtz borrows a lot of this book's structure from much of Stephen King's small town work, especially 'Salem's Lot and Needful Things, where the story moves at a slow pace for the first half, introducing us to the various characters around town and getting you invested in their stories and their fate until all hell breaks loose. And that's just what happens here. Just not as effectively.
The everyday laid-back ambience in the small Arkansas town of Litchfield is shaken up with the arrival of a traveling movie roadshow. It's an educational "hygiene picture" meant to teach the kiddies and their parents about the horrors of sex but the locals discover that the roadshow's purpose is much more horrifying. We first learn about the people of Litchfield and not a whole lot happens initially, but then the story devolves into all kinds of scary shit like voodoo, werewolves, old silent films, circuses, creepy nurses, calliope music and even Hell itself.
And although Kurtz gives it a good try at first, the final half just doesn't work and all the pieces of Kurtz's story puzzle kept falling apart all the way to the end. The characters ultimately fell flat and their relationships never rang true, with some dying throwaway deaths that should have been more impactful. Attempts at a little levity and witty one-liners here and there just rang silly. There are also several good ideas in this book that should work well in any good horror tale, but they never came together as a cohesive whole for me. It felt like Kurtz had a bunch of ideas that he found interesting and tried to stitch together for this book but just couldn't get the threads to stick right. Some story points even felt forgotten about, or maybe they just weren't all that important to begin with.
I didn't dislike this book as much as Richard, and I would mention additionally that I thought the eventual reveal was a bit ridiculous (and kind of confusing), yet I still think it may be worth a read -- many of the other reviewers apparently think so and as always, individual mileage may vary. I do know though that this will not be put back in my to-read-again pile.
I must be a heartless wench since I can only say this novella was good, but not great. This opinion seems to differ greatly from the norm, hence my coI must be a heartless wench since I can only say this novella was good, but not great. This opinion seems to differ greatly from the norm, hence my conclusion I am a heartless wench. While the story is shocking and sad, I thought you could see what was coming from a mile away and I found myself unable to really feel the deeper motives of the narrator or his conflict. But then again, what should you expect from a heartless wench?...more
A mixed bag tending toward the negative end of the spectrum. If you are a fan of short stories and have Kindle Unlimited you could do worse, but ot2.6
A mixed bag tending toward the negative end of the spectrum. If you are a fan of short stories and have Kindle Unlimited you could do worse, but otherwise there are better anthologies out there. ...more
Keene and Bailey edited this collection of short stories which are united under the theme of a setting -- Oakland's Chapel of the Chimes -- a colum2.7
Keene and Bailey edited this collection of short stories which are united under the theme of a setting -- Oakland's Chapel of the Chimes -- a columbarium where the ashes of the deceased are interred in golden books shelved in "bookcases" behind glass:
[image]
Weird. But a rather cool idea, no? The Chapel of the Chimes literally embodies the idea that our lives are a story and should be remembered as such. And The Library of the Dead takes that idea and runs with it telling the life (and death) stories of (fictional) individuals connected by interludes where a Guardian/Librarian leads a narrator through the rooms of this "library". Taking down the books in series of three, the anthology unfolds little by little to the narrator and the reader.
The stories here are quite diverse, which can actually be anticipated in that the only linking theme is that our characters are interred in this columbarium. They run the gamut from two tales of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, to serial killers, to a Lovecraft-inspired tale, to the ordinary lives of average folks in the recent past -- and a lot in between. Almost all the tales have a supernatural element of one sort or another (exempting some of the tales of murder). This makes the anthology, for me at least, quite a mixed bag. Unlike some other reviewers I was not impressed with all the stories and I found the quality of writing quite mixed. There was nothing truly awfully written here, but I didn't find much that was super high quality either. The word that is coming to me as I type this is competent -- as in the writers are all competent, but no one seemed particularly brilliant or likely to be winning the Nobel Prize anytime soon (I know, I know, easy for me to say as a non-writer).
What I found most tedious about the anthology was actually the story of the Guardian and the narrator that was supposed to tie this anthology together. It was rather unsurprising and pretty cliche and read like a freshman's entry in her first creative writing course.
Nonetheless, there were some stories of note in between the Guardian blather:
The Last Things to Go by Mary SanGiovanni and Brian Keene was an affecting tale of loss and grief and how one eventually moves on. With some supernatural elements moving the whole thing along.
A Chimera's Tale by Chris Marrs gets a nod for a creative source idea: A supernatural figure -- half demon and half angel -- who is looking for it's other half.
I'm Getting Closer by J. F. Gonzalez was sort of trite: a supernatural killer with the ability to mess with technology stalks a young girl. It had a definite When a Stranger Calls vibe which was fun even if the story was pretty predictable.
Reliving Through Better Chemistry by Weston Ochse was a creative tale of boys who live the lives and deaths of others by sniffing their ashes. The story builds to reveal the ultimate effects of such interesting drug use.
Fault Lines by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon gets a mention not for the storytelling -- if the narrator talked one more time about how she needed to get home to her dying daughter I was going to throw the Kindle across the room -- but for an interesting premise: archeologists who discover Pandora's box.
Jaded Winds by Rena Mason moved right along -- a story about two Chinese business men -- one who is cooking up devious plots -- in San Francisco's Chinatown prior to the 1906 earthquake. What I liked most about this story was the incorporation of Chinese folklore and mythology.
Tears of the Dragon by Michael McBride moves back and forth in time -- between the horrors of a Japenese-led prisoner-of-war camp in Manchukuo during WWII and the present day. The story tells about the life of Dr. Sam Himura as told by himself in a video to his funeral guests.
Tales the Ashes Tell was probably the best story -- in terms of prose -- in this collection. An interesting meditation on the afterlife and how that intersects with the stories of our lives. Set in the Chapel of the Chimes and told by the building itself it is a somewhat horrifying, but ultimately rather charming, meditation on living. It goes into some weird places which sort of detracted from the story's theme, but overall it worked.
This anthology gets 2.75 instead of the usual 3 I give most anthologies (that author mix really tends to average out) because the writing wouldn't quite average out here and the interludes were not to my taste as mentioned above. However, competent it is and the setting/theme is marvelous.
Burn, Borrow, or Buy: Borrow (if your pile of books has dwindled and you just need to kill some time).
Ancient, literally, evil meets small town in Arizona. Demonic weirdness starts happening -- churches defaced, people missing, eveProbably around a 3.3
Ancient, literally, evil meets small town in Arizona. Demonic weirdness starts happening -- churches defaced, people missing, everyone like whaaaat? Nothing really novel here per se, characters are a totally underdeveloped (actually, I found the relationship between the major couple, whose names I already forget, rather confusing -- was I supposed to like them? Was Marina -- I think that was her name -- nice? Was Gordon -- is that his name -- nice?) and story is relatively predictable, but nonetheless, for what it is, it works.
Plus point: monster/evil babies and fetuses. Yes, fetuses.
You know, I didn't love The Troop and I am 100% not a Nick Cutter Fangurrrl. However, the premise of this book intrigued me and it wasn't as if The4.5
You know, I didn't love The Troop and I am 100% not a Nick Cutter Fangurrrl. However, the premise of this book intrigued me and it wasn't as if The Troop was bad, I just didn't find it to be the genre-redefining-blasting-Stephen-King-out-of-the-park-amazing-adventure-ride everyone else thought it was. Nonetheless, here's the premise (how cool is this?):
Three bounty hunters (yes, bounty hunters) meet in the 1960s. Stuff ensues, but besides their differences, including one actively aiming to kill one of the others, they band together on a job to infiltrate a religious cult (I KNOW) to just sort of get the lay of the land for a client. Some seriously weird shit ensues. Not only do we have this cult, but we have some serious (supernatural) evil a-brewing and even though we know our “heroes” escape the 1965 fun time since the novel starts in present time (more or less), we have no idea how, why, or what.
I loved this book for its sheer fun-a-palooza. I felt that Cutter revels in the sheer, can I say fun again, okay, joy of horror in Little Heaven. Not only is there a tight plot, and amazing characters in Minerva, Ebenezer, and especially Micah, but man, is there just some sheer reveling in horror tropes here. And not just tropes, but inventions on these tropes – for example, one seriously scary monster is just a henchman for an even worse sort of thing which can appear as a freakin' baby! (I swear, this doesn't spoil anything, but as I write this I realize this sounds so absurd that maybe people think we are in the world of the bizarro, but no, this works in some weird Cutter-way). It is really quite inventive.
This isn't a perfect book. Cutter tends to be repetitive here – there are only so many times we can describe the same scene – and worse, he has a tendency to repeat the same scene while not explaining the scene. For example, I do not know how many times people could not explain what they were seeing. I won't quote, but it was like, “Wow, it was so mind-blowing, my mind could not process” and “I will not describe this because it was so not able to be processed yadda yadda yadda”. But then again, I read an early copy, so maybe they will cut some of this. But even if they don't, it is worth plowing on, because the good bits, which is most of this book, are so freakin' worth it.
Read it.
Buy, Burn, or Borrow? Buy! And send one to your friend....more
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