Tag Archive for 'thriller'

A Grab Bag of Mini Reviews

I’ve managed to rack up quite the backlog of books lately. So I’m taking a page out of the book of Arbogast, and have dialed up some mini reviews. Those pressed for time may wish to check the executive summaries (in italics) at the end of each mini where I rate each book for creepiness, suspense, violence, and erotic factor. Each executive summary ends with a one word summary of the book.

Supernatural The Unholy CauseCivil War re-enactment has never been more terrifying as the Winchester brothers tangle with demonic powers unleashed by a 19th century unholy relic in SUPERNATURAL – THE UNHOLY CAUSE. Should the brothers trust the kindly single dad and his earnest boy, or the aggravating town Sheriff, Jacqueline Daniels, who seems to be keeping something big to herself? What is causing so much friction between the Winchester brothers? Who is Castiel looking for? Where the heck are the black helicopters? The book is a fun read and is suspenseful. Joe Schreiber is probably not going to win the Bram Stoker award for it, but nobody I know picks up a novel based on a TV series because they want to sink their teeth into some Literature. I found this one a little more entertaining than the last one I read: Supernatural – Heart of the Dragon by Keith R.A. Decandido. Creepy, suspenseful, and violent, but not sexy. Entertainment. (Titan Books, 2010)

A Boy Born of MoldLorin Morgan Richards charts the paths of weird clouds that pass far overhead and then maps the changes that their rain makes on the lives of people living below. His writing has become better and more interesting in his newest collection of very odd stories, A BOY BORN FROM MOLD. The stories are amusing and make me think of the likes of Shel Silverstein and Tim Burton. As I reported with his last book, I was left wanting more outrageous tragedy and monsters and wished it wasn’t printed in ALL CAPS. If you like zines, Tim Burton, and nonsense stories, you may wish to check it out. Maybe creepy, maybe suspenseful, not violent and not erotic. Odd. (Published by the artist, 2010)

The Name of the WindDepending on your tolerance level for bigger-than-life heroes and melodrama, your good humor and fascination may or may not turn into irritation by the end of THE NAME OF THE WIND. Patrick Rothfuss chronicles the boyhood of a traveling musician (bard? gypsy?) who loses his parents to a violent supernatural gang, barely survives as a child beggar on the streets, and then studies to become the greatest wizard of all time. The fantasy is thick, the world-building is complete and amazing, the story and characters are compelling. Be warned: The childhood is more tragic than you can imagine; the woman is more beautiful, confounding, and mysterious than any you will ever meet; and the love affair is more painful and exultant than any normal heart could bear. I can see that many will love this book and look forward to the next (it is the first in a series). At some point I grew a brand new callus on my heart and could no longer be moved. Lightly creepy, suspenseful, sometimes violent, and romantic. Magical. (DAW Books, 2009)

When Ghosts Speak by Mary Ann WinkowskiYou may think that your house is haunted by the ghost of a notorious satanist, a pair of tragic lovers, or maybe someone interesting like Clara Bow. If that’s the case, then WHEN GHOSTS SPEAK is here to set the record straight. Your ghost probably has more in common with your great aunt Mildred, who still feels awful because she flushed your grandmother’s wedding ring in a fit of spite, but who never fessed up to the crime. Mary Ann Winkowski assures us that ghosts are not dangerous and recommends that they should always be directed into The Light. Lie to them if you must and let the afterlife sort ‘em out, she advises. Just get them there. Other important facts to remember: 1) Your dog or cat can become a ghost. 2) NEVER EVER play with a Ouija board. 3) Your chronic respiratory ailment might be due to a haunt. 4) If you’re a ghost and you’re haunting Jennifer Love Hewitt, it’s probably because you want to watch her in the shower. How many ways can I say it? The book is not fascinating. Creepy in a voyeuristic way, not suspenseful, not really violent, and occasionally titillating. Ghost-gossipy. (Grand Central Publishing, 2009)

Many thanks to the Hachette Group for the review copy of When Ghosts Speak, Titan Books for the review copy of Supernatural – the Unholy Cause, and Lorin Morgan Richards for the review copy of Boy Born from Mold.

Published on May 27, 2010 in Book Reviews. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Book Review: Blood Water by Dean Vincent Carter

Blood Water by Dean Vincent CarterInfluenza is a mainstream type of monster and has lately eschewed the supernatural. The flu invades bodies and kills the very young, the very old, the infirm, (and sometimes the perfectly healthy), and spends a lot of time in the limelight. Influenza drinks a lot of margaritas while sitting around the pool and has forgotten all its old friends. In fact, it’s safe to say that the flu threw out its little black book long ago. Not that I’m harboring any grudges. Of course there is competition, like flesh-eating bacteria and deadly e-coli, but really when you catch the flu, it’s on top of the world.

Have you ever wondered if the flu does other things than just make you feel bad? What if it could change your personality? What if it could take control of your body?

In Blood Water, a supernatural horror thriller aimed at the young adult set, Dean Vincent Carter asks some of these questions and comes up with horrifying answers. A scientist discovers a leech-like creature in a cave pool. When introduced to other animals, it enters their bodies and takes over, making them do horrible things. It also slowly brings about their deaths in a way that resembles the horrifying ends of people who die of the flu (breaking out in sores, suffering from massive infections that lay waste to the internal organs, and eventually ending in what is known by the medical community as “bleeding out”). Did I mention that it is also homicidal? And as these things tend to go in supernatural horror thrillers, the creature escapes and wreaks havoc in a school during a flood.

I think Carter has tapped into our collective terror about the flu and given it a supernatural twist. Take two parts Hot Zone, one part 28 Weeks Later, and mix with a hearty dose of best-selling horror thriller author Dean R. Koontz, and you’ll get a book like Blood Water.

My one nagging disappointment is that I think the author didn’t use the flood situation to its fullest. Here you have a deadly black leech-like creature that can swim, and you have a school full of unsuspecting students in knee-deep water, and to me that sounds like some fertile ground for a nightmare. Instead the monster spends most of its time jumping from host to host. Don’t get me wrong — that was plenty scary — but I think that would have been interesting.

The book is suspenseful, fast moving, well-written, and in places, quite terrifying. I mentioned in my Weekly Geeks introduction of this book that it was gory, and several people had reactions to that. Jackie at Farm Lane Books wondered if it had a good story-line as opposed to being all about the gore. (Yes. Good story-line. Not so much gore.) anothercookiecrumbles wondered if this book would be a good introduction to the genre. (Yes. If you’re curious about supernatural horror thrillers for young adults, this would be a great book.) Jacqueline C. wondered about Dean R. Koontz. (In a nutshell, he wrote really terrifying thrillers which sometimes had a lightly supernatural element but which usually could happen in real life. My favorite is Phantoms, which is a book about a town whose population is mysteriously disappearing in a terrifying manner.) Jackie at Literary Escapism worried (as many parents probably do) about the gore in this book and exposing her young adult kids to it. To answer her question: although it’s pretty graphic and nasty, the gore in the book is not gratuitous and there isn’t tons of it. I personally was reading far worse at a young age and look how I turned out. Ah HA! HAHAHAHAHA!

Creepy Factor: 4 out of 5
Suspense Factor: 4 out of 5
Weird Erotic Tension Factor: 0 out of 5 (darn it.)
Funny and/or Strange Factor: 1 out of 5

Final result: Although I think most adults would find the broth a bit thin, I have to recommend Blood Water for young adult readers. Other reviewers have mentioned that in a time of incompetent vampire teenagers, geeky magician teenagers, and obnoxious time-traveling teenagers, this fast-paced thriller stands out from the pack.

Blood Water by Dean Vincent Carter – Corgi Books – 2009

Blood Water on Amazon

Thanks to the folks at Random House for sending me a copy of this book! (See my disclosure policy.) Thanks to you for reading another one of my book reviews. Hopefully next time I review a nice juicy horror novel with loads of Weird Erotic Tension. I’m working on it! See you next time!

P.S. This review was part of a Weekly Geeks assignment.

Published on June 17, 2009 in Book Reviews. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .