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Music is a powerful thing. There is nothing, and I mean nothing better than finding a song or artist that moves you. In many ways, our lives generate their own soundtracks. For example, when I hear The Beatles on the radio I often think of my parents, who love the band and played their songs throughout my childhood. As someone who grew up in the 90s, I always perk up when I hear the “grunge” bands of that decade. And how about our favorite movies? Would Jaws be as menacing without John Williams’ score? Would Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers be as chilling without their trademark themes?

Yes, music is a powerful thing.

Such is the case in Peter Straub’s PORKPIE HAT, a longish novella about a man who is deeply affected by the jazz musicians of his era. The narrator of the story recounts his time as a college student, during which he became fascinated by a saxophonist nicknamed Hat (a name derived from the porkpie hat he always wore). After hearing Hat play a number of times, the narrator asks the musician for an interview. Normally a very private man, Hat acquiesces and agrees to the narrator’s request. While the “official” interview proves to be an interesting study of Hat’s musical career, there’s one story that Hat will only recount if the narrator promises not to publish it.

Much of the remainder of the book is then told from Hat’s perspective as he explains what happened to him on Halloween night when he was eleven years old. This section has a definite coming-of-age feel to it as Hat and his friend venture into The Backs, a seedy backwoods area that the poorest people from his community live in. What he sees that night changes his life forever, turning him into the withdrawn alcoholic that the narrator met as a college student.

Straub takes great care when bringing Hat to life, detailing a man with unbelievable musical talent who is also haunted by the weight of numerous personal demons. Hat’s story is retold ever so slowly, with just the right pace, as it works its way toward a heartbreaking conclusion. Indeed, Straub’s PORKPIE HAT can be held up as a model for characterization, mood, and slowly building tension.

Simply put, this is how it’s done.

PORKPIE HAT is being released by Cemetery Dance, and will be available in three formats – a $19.99 trade hardcover, a $50 signed limited edition, and a $200 traycased lettered edition. (Note: The signed limited edition has sold out, but there is a waiting list.)

(8 out of 10)

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Why do we read? The commonest answer is to escape. Escape from the drudgery, the ceaseless worry, the endless heartbreak of life. That's good. We need that. Readers like to identify with a superhero for an hour or so. Decent citizens get the thrill of committing a crime from a mystery or suspense story, without taking the risk. We love to escape the tedious world we live in and take off to one of gods and monsters.

Yet sometimes we read for another reason: To confront. To confront our demons. To examine ourselves, our lives, and the lives of those we love. It often isn't pretty. In fact, it can get downright grueling.

Bill Pronzini's newest stand-alone novel is called The Hidden, and reading it was a grueling experience for me. The first half of The Hidden is virtually indistinguishable from a mainstream, literary novel. In it, we meet a good, decent man who has been handed bad hand after bad hand from life. Jay Macklin's dreams of owning a business have failed, He lost the job that gave him the self-respect that a man needs. His marriage is crumbling and there seems to be nothing he can do about it. And Jay has been hiding a secret from his wife.

Shelby Macklin is a strong woman. Resourceful. She is an EMT in an emergency room and is used to handling crises on a regular basis. Her husband leans upon her for emotional and financial support. She is losing her respect for him, as well as for herself as long as she stays with him. She knows the marriage is crumbling too.

Jay insists that he and Shelby spend the New Years holiday at a friend's cottage in a sparsely populated coastal area. He seems to think it will help rekindle their affection toward each other.

The interactions between Jay and Shelby are painfully real. Having come off of a recent divorce myself, I know all too well what it's like. The innocent comments that turn combative. The tension so thick you almost choke on it. The heartbreaking knowledge that the institution you gave your heart and life to, the partnership you vowed to stay with for life, is sinking as surely as The Titanic. The utter helplessness of it.

Bill Pronzini knows these things. I can think of no other writer that so deftly gets into the minds of his characters. Sometimes, as with The Hidden, it's almost too deep into their heads.

But Bill Pronzini is known as a suspense writer, and the second half of The Hidden is a nail-biting story of a mentally unhinged killer that erupts the uneasy holiday that The Macklins are not enjoying. An emotionally eruptive party at a nearby house further complicates things. And frustrated, ineffectual Jay Macklin finds inner reserves of fortitude against bitter odds that threaten his and his wife's lives, his vastly stronger spouse must confront her own fear of the dark in order to survive.

I hope that I didn't scare you off from reading The Hidden with this review. Yes, I found it to be an arduous journey, but I also was exhilarated by it. This is one of the finest novels that Bill Pronzini has written yet. Be sure not to miss it.

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Come one, come all.

Step right up, folks, step this way.

No pushing and shoving, there’s plenty of room for everyone at William Ollie’s SIDESHOW, a place where cotton-candy dreams turn to nightmares in the blink of an eye…

SIDESHOW is set in the small town of Pottsboro, South Carolina. One day thirteen-year-old Mickey Reardon is riding bike outside of town when he sees a Ferris wheel spring up out of the ground in Godby’s field, an abandoned stretch of land that years before was the site of a horrendous massacre. He quickly pedals to see Justin Henry, his best friend. Unconvinced that a carnival has come to town – after all, it’s not only too early in the summer, but it’s also setup in the wrong place – Justin follows Mickey back to Godby’s field to prove his friend wrong.

Upon arriving, the boys not only see the gigantic Ferris wheel but also a bunch of tents being erected and performers getting ready for their shows. But, perhaps most disconcerting of all is the carnival’s proprietor, Hannibal Cobb. As the boys watch, Cobb is able to light his pipe with the end of his finger and setup booths with a wave of his hand. Worst of all, Cobb blows a smoke ring that increases in size and floats above the town of Pottsboro. Frightened, the boys hop on their bikes and hurry back to town.

What they find upon their return does nothing to ease their concerns. All along the streets, people from town are transfixed on the dark cloud hovering in the sky. After staring at it for a lengthy period of time, the townsfolk frantically head home so they can get ready to go to the carnival that night. Dancing through their heads are vivid memories from their childhood – the thrill of the rollercoaster, the bustling midway, the smells of corn dogs and French fries – as well as meaner, darker, nastier thoughts.

Hannibal Cobb’s carnival is in town, and Heaven help anyone who gets in the way of the people who are being called to the revelry of the fair.

SIDESHOW is Ollie’s second novel and it’s a significant step forward from his debut, THE DAMNED. First and foremost, Ollie has created a genuinely creepy villain. Cobb’s outward sincerity thinly veils his frightening persona. Hiding behind his large smile and good manners is a man who is all-knowing and very dangerous. He’s one of those characters who gives the reader chills every time he’s in a scene. And, let’s face it, the name “Hannibal Cobb” is one of those perfect bad-guy names (a la Randall Flagg or Leland Gaunt). In my opinion, Ollie couldn’t have created a better antagonist for his story.

The same can be said about the Sideshow performers that are a part of Cobb’s troupe, including everything from an alligator boy and a contortionist to a sword swallower and an armless and legless man. The performers would be freakish enough as-is, but they’re even more scary when they do Cobb’s bidding.

Ollie was also effective at describing the downfall of Pottsboro’s citizens, both past and present. Via the use of flashbacks he describes how the town’s founding fathers were heavily involved with slavery and details the atrocities that were committed in Godby’s field. Even more disturbing is how quickly the present-day citizens morph from upstanding to demented once Hannibal Cobb begins bending their minds.

My only complaint about SIDESHOW is that it felt a little padded in spots. There were occasions when I would read a paragraph, only to have the next paragraph restate the same thing. There are also instances when the same scene plays out in successive sections, with only a point of view change from one character to another. While SIDESHOW is already a short novel at just over two hundred pages, I think it could have been just a bit leaner-and-meaner if some of the repetition were cut out.

William Ollie’s SIDESHOW was published by Dark Regions Press. While the limited edition is sold out at the publisher, SIDESHOW is still available as a trade paperback for $18.95 and an e-book for $7.99. Grab your copy today.

(7 out of 10)

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I haven’t read many of Bill Pronzini’s books, although it’s not from a lack of interest. Two of his standalone novels – STEP TO THE GRAVEYARD EASY and THE CRIMES OF JORDAN WISE – rank among my favorite pieces of noirish fiction. That being said, the books I’ve really wanted to read are from the Nameless Detective series. Numerous people (including Bill himself) have said that readers won’t be missing much by joining the series midstream. But, me being a stubborn bugger, I was determined to start at the very beginning…not an easy task considering many of the early books are out of print and command a high price on the secondary market. But as luck would have it, I scored a batch of early Pronzini books from eBay earlier in the year, including a reprint of the first Nameless Detective novel, entitled THE SNATCH.

Was it worth the wait? Oh yes…yes indeed.

The book begins with Nameless being summoned to the home of Louis Martinetti, a San Francisco investor whose son has been kidnapped and is being held hostage for $300,000. Martinetti, distraught over his son’s disappearance, has decided not to involve the police. Instead, he’s agreed to pay the ransom in return for his son’s immediate release. Martinetti asks Nameless to do a simple task for him – drive to the drop spot and deposit the satchel full of money; in return, he would be paid $1500 for his services. After initially being hesitant, Nameless decides to take the job. Easy money, right?

Wrong.

What follows is a complex “whodunit” in which everyone involved has something to hide. And herein lies the brilliance of Pronzini’s writing. I can’t tell you how many times, especially early on, when I thought to myself “I’ve got this all figured out.” Then the story would unfold a little further and Pronzini would pull the rug out from under me (undoubtedly laughing at my hubris while he did it). No matter how many times I thought I had this story pinned down, Pronzini would pull another fast one on me. We’re not talking about ridiculous twists that don’t follow the storyline or characters’ personalities; by the time the finale rolls around, I was left shaking my head at how well everything tied together and how good the ending was.

The main aspect of Pronzini’s writing that I really enjoy is that he “gets” his noir (how’s that for stating the obvious?). The environments are stark, the characters are flawed, and most important of all, Nameless’s dialogue and demeanor perfectly match what this type of story demands. How does a simple “sure” or “no” make for good dialogue? How does a withdrawn main character with a no-nonsense attitude endear himself to the reader? It’s not something I can explain. It’s just the way it should be when you pick up a good mystery novel. It feels *right*.

One thing I found myself wondering about is whether or not Pronzini had been planning to make the Nameless Detective an ongoing character when he wrote THE SNATCH. From the get-go, Nameless seems as if he’s on the brink -- he appears to have a major lung problem from all of his smoking, he’s borderline penniless (spending his extra money on pulp magazines), he’s on the outs with his girlfriend, and seemingly depressed with his life. It felt as if Nameless might have another book or two in him, but that he wouldn’t be able to keep his head above water for much longer. I look forward to continuing the series so I can see where Pronzini takes the character next.

What’s truly criminal is that this book (and others in the series) is no longer in print. The only way to find a copy is via sites like eBay and Abebooks. Patience will be your best ally if you try to track down a copy of THE SNATCH. I’ve seen them go from $1 all the way up to $100+, with the average price somewhere between $15-20. It’s well worth the effort to find a copy though. THE SNATCH was a great debut to what promises to be an excellent series of mysteries.

(9 out of 10)

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THE ADVENTURES OF THE PRINCESS AND MR. WHIFFLE is a bit of a departure for Patrick Rothfuss. His excellent debut novel -- entitled THE NAME OF THE WIND -- is a doorstopper of a book, coming in at close to eight hundred pages in its mass-market paperback version. This time out, Rothfuss has created a children’s story that starts out sweet and gets progressively darker in nature. The tale recounts the exploits of a Princess and her stuffed teddy bear, Mr. Whiffle. The opening pages are reminiscent of Christopher Robin playing with Winnie the Pooh while staging numerous imaginative adventures. But herein lies the difference: there’s a creature that lives under the Princess’s bed. It lurks in the shadows, waiting for complete darkness so it can sneak out of its hiding place. Before going to sleep the Princess lights a candle by her bedside to keep the monster at bay, but one night the wind snuffs it out…and the creature comes out to play.

A fun aspect of the book is that it has three endings – the first comes about halfway through the book, the second at the three-fourths mark, and then the finale. The text up to the first ending is tame and could be shown to kids of all ages (in fact, it would probably work as a suspense “primer” because there’s a small amount of tension before Rothfuss finishes with a cute wrap-up). At this point the reader could duck out of the story having read a nice standalone fairy tale. For those choosing to continue, the second section builds upon the first and finishes with a darker ending. By continuing to the third section the reader can see how the author intended to close out his story, and it’s here that Rothfuss bares his teeth. The conclusion is humorous and pitch-black, earning its “not for kids” moniker.

THE ADVENTURES OF THE PRINCESS AND MR. WHIFFLE is around seventy pages in length. While Rothfuss provides readers with a good story, my only disappointment is that there wasn’t a little more text. In total there can’t be more than a few hundred words. That being said, the book is lavishly illustrated by artist Nate Taylor, who perfectly captured the scenes of this twisted tale. He truly outdid himself when it came to bringing the story to life. With luck, this duo will come together again and create a new tale involving the Princess and her furry friend.

Subterranean Press, which published THE ADVENTURES OF THE PRINCESS AND MR. WHIFFLE, pulled out all the stops on this oversized children’s book. I honestly can’t recommend it enough. At this point the $25 trade hardcover is still available, but is well on its way to being out-of-print in its initial run. Head over to Sub Press’s website to grab a copy while you can.

(9 out of 10)

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It's a normal day in Compton: hot, with violence in the air. But today there's something more to worry about than typical gangbangers. Something far more sinister.

It starts in a sleazy diner. Some gang members assault the place, but not for a robbery. They're there to eat, but the daily special isn't what they have in mind. The police arrive to find a ghastly nightmare. He Stepped Through, a banger says, as he commits an unspeakable act.

There's a new buzz on the street. It's seen in graffiti and is heard from the mouths of scared gang members that normally have no fear: He Stepped Through...

Something nasty, something nightmarish, something from a place our world. A drug dealer has discovered a rift in the walls of the cosmos and he stepped through. But the door would not close again.

I could sum up He Stepped Through as Menace 2 Society Meets H.P. Lovecraft, but that would be a bit unfair to Southard. This isn't a gimmicky mash-up of genres, such as is so popular today. He Stepped Through is too good for that. The writing in this chapbook is crisp and dynamic, the dialogue is sharp and credible. In very few pages Southard establishes characters and spins a scary plot. The 52 pages of He Stepped Through quickly build dread until the reader hits the disturbing ending.

The only Nate Southard story I had previously read was the Thunderstorm Books edition of Just Like Hell. I liked that one a lot, too. Clearly, this is a writer on the move.

I believe that the paperback chapbook of He Stepped Through has sold out, but a digital edition is available, as well as an ultra-deluxe lettered edition.

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If you haven't read Chris Conlon's Stoker-nominated novel, Midnight on Mourn Street, you should. The guy is an outstanding writer, and this is a magnificent piece of fiction. It was my personal favorite book of 2008 and many others I have spoken to loved it as well.

Midnight on Mourn Street is a painful story. Quite literally, it is filled with pain. It deals with some of the vilest actions humans can commit, but Conlon handles these subjects with compassion and empathy.

A lonely man with a secret lets a homeless teenage girl into his house one cold, rainy night. His motivations are completely pure. Well, he wants to help the young lady, but he is also desperately lonely. The teen is a streetwise runaway, yet underneath her tough veneer is a scared little girl. Yet she has secrets of her own, as well as a deadly vendetta.

The two begin an unconventional friendship. He is shy, reclusive, bookish. She is old before her time and has already lived a brutal life on the vicious streets. All seems well at first, but their relationship is an emotional timebomb that is ticking toward an eventual explosion.

I've barely touched the bases of this powerful story, but to reveal any more would be a disservice to the book as well as to potential readers.

Now, two years after the publication of Midnight on Mourn Street, Christopher Conlon has adapted his own work into a play. It has been performed and now Midnight on Mourn Street: A Play in Two Acts, has been published and is available for purchase.

Conlon doesn't merely rewrite Midnight on Mourn Street into a scenario. While the story is essentially the same, there are subtle character differences and the finale is completely different. So if you loved the book, I urge you to buy the play. If you haven't read the book, I'd recommend that you read it first, and then read the play. But it wouldn't kill you to do it the other way around, or to simply read the play instead of the novel. You can try that, but if you do, my money says you'll be shelling out for the novel soon after you read the play.

Midnight on Mourn Street: A Play in Two Acts is an inexpensive trade paperback that is available at Amazon and other retail outlets.

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John Little is at it again, which is always a good thing for readers like you and me.

In his latest mindbender -- entitled DREAMS IN BLACK AND WHITE -- John tells the tale of Charlie Parkinson, a photographer who suffers from insomnia. Charlie wakes up over a dozen times each night and as a result he never feels completely refreshed. After going through a sleep study, Charlie finds that he doesn’t enter into REM sleep and therefore never dreams. For years he’s been resigned to the fact that he’ll never get a good night’s rest…

…until suddenly, he sleeps for an uninterrupted stretch of four hours. On top of that, Charlie has a vivid dream in which he sees an accident occur a few miles from his home. Excited about sleeping for the first time in ages, yet curious about the premonitory “feel” of the dream, Charlie sets out to watch the accident site. While the circumstances he witnesses don’t exactly match his dream, an accident does happen and Charlie is there to capture the scene in black and white. As time goes on, Charlie has more and more dreams, all of which point him to the specific time and location of another accident.

Weaved throughout the story are a number of themes that will undoubtedly hit close to home for a number of readers: a self-absorbed spouse and parent who becomes entrenched in his work to the detriment of his wife and child; a wife who has a secret she wants to share with her family, but doesn’t know how to; the effects of alcoholism; the helplessness someone feels when there is nothing they can do to right a wrong; and the drive to go to any lengths to protect loved ones. John Little has become a master of taking painful situations -- the things all of us deal with but tend to bottle up inside ourselves -- and leveraging them to make the reader feel something, anything, no matter how much it hurts. Strip away all the dreams and manipulations of time and space that Little employs in many of his stories, and you’re left with everyday people and their various shortcomings, striving to change their lives for the better and doing whatever it takes to get there. What makes Little’s writing even more effective is that he realizes even the most well-intentioned people don’t always think things through, taking a bad situation and unwittingly making it worse in their desire to make things better. In the end it all boils down to this: John Little is honest with his readers – celebrating characters’ small victories yet not shying away from the deepest, darkest spots of their lives – and he’s to be commended for giving it to us straight.

Accompanying the long novella are interior illustrations by Zach McCain, who successfully captured some pivotal scenes from the story; an introduction by James Newman, who hits on a variety of reasons why John’s writing clicks with so many people; and an afterword in which the author shares where he got the ideas for the story.

DREAMS IN BLACK AND WHITE was published by Morning Star (an imprint of Bloodletting Books) and is available in a number of states – an e-book for $5.95, a signed limited edition for $50, and a traycased lettered edition for $295. Head on over to the Horror Mall and pick up whichever version fits your budget. This one shouldn’t be missed.

(9 out of 10)

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Many, many years ago, a friend and I saw a copy of Herbert Lieberman's City of the Dead in a used bookstore. It was the same cover you see to the left of these words. We thought it might be a flesh-eating zombie story in the vein of George Romero. We thought that was exciting, as preposterous as that might seem today. Imagine it, being excited about a zombie book. Times change, and usually not for the better.

We were wrong. City of the Dead is not a zombie novel. It's one hell of a lot more disturbing than that.

Paul Konig has an intimate relationship with the dead. He knows them, and in his way, loves them. They parade through his life every day, whispering their ghastly stories to him. Paul Konig is the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City.

Dr. Konig is a professional man. Possibly the best in the world at his job. He is content in the logical world of dead bodies. Their mysteries are easy for him to solve by now, and despite the horrible way that humankind treats itself, the facts are absolute in a corpse. Paul Konig has seen it all.

In the city mortuary, Dr. Konig is a ruthless yet fair commander. He handles his people not unlike he does medical instruments. They are all tools at his disposal, which are needed to accomplish his job, which is to rob the dead of their secrets, and hopefully find and bring to justice the guilty parties. But things have gotten out of his control of late.

In a profession where the worst atrocities are seen daily, a particularly sickening discovery is made. Mutilated, dismembered body parts are found and Konig must put the pieces literally together to find his answers. His office is in the middle of an embarrassing scandal, and the blame is publicly falling upon his weary shoulders. Underlings more interested in political rising than tending the dead are seeking to discredit and replace him. And worst of all, his estranged daughter is being held for ransom by a deranged group of radical leftists.

But the title refers to more than the human heart to stop. Blood to stop coursing through a body's veins. The dead are all around us. The city kills our passions, our convictions, our decency. It sucks what made us bright and enthusiastic in our youths and turns us us into soulless beings not unlike what are seen in movies like Dawn of the Dead.

I read City of the Dead way back in the early 80's. I can't quite say that I enjoyed it, because this isn't the sort of novel you really enjoy. Admire, yes, respect, absolutely. I recommend City of the Dead, even though it is one of the bleakest and most unpleasant books I've ever read. Re-reading it almost thirty years later, I find that City of the Dead has lost none of its power to disturb and to make me think.

You may not know the name, Herbert Lieberman, and that's a shame. He is one of the most neglected, under-read writers I know of. I'm certain that he sold a lot of books in his day, but somehow he isn't remembered as he should be. If anyone knows him, it's probably because of his second novel, Crawlspace, which was made into a TV movie that more people know about than have actually seen, I think. Lieberman wrote numerous other books, most of which are provocative and genuinely disturbing.

Crawlspace is a fantastic book, which was made into a decent, but inferior movie of the week. The Eighth Square reminds me of an Ira Levin book, but better. And, no, I haven't forgotten how good A Kiss Before Dying, The Boys From Brazil, or Rosemary's Baby are. The Climate of Hell deals with a Nazi who is modeled after Josef Mengele, who is hiding in South America. Nightbloom is a serial killer novel with a fiendish twist, which was written long before everyone was trying to ape Thomas Harris's success.

Look for any of those books I just listed. Or, if you have a strong constitution and a taste for the dark side of humanity, dig up a copy of City of the Dead and you'll find out just how frightening the dead can be.

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Ronald Kelly ventures off the beaten path with his latest novel, trading in his patented Southern suspense for a good old-fashioned western. That’s not to say that TIMBER GRAY doesn’t have any chilling moments; quite the contrary, in fact. Kelly has written a powerful man-vs-beast tale that’s sure to give you a shiver or two along the way.

Jefferson “Timber” Gray was a happy family man, living in the Tennessee hills with his wife and son. Upon returning from a turkey hunt, Gray is horrified to see that a pack of wolves is attacking his family. The man attempts to save them from the beasts, but is ultimately too late. After recovering from his injuries, Timber Gray makes a vow to hunt down as many wolves as he can find, hiring himself out as a mercenary when he hears that a town or ranch is beset by the beasts.

But Gray’s latest contract might be more than he bargained for. A rancher has requested the hunter’s services after a pack of fifty wolves has been terrorizing his cattle and eventually killed one of his cowhands. What follows is a quest across the western United States as Timber Gray tracks the deadly beasts. Along the way he comes across a family from Minnesota looking to start a new life in the West as well as a black man who was wrongly accused of murder and is being hunted by a group of bounty hunters.

While the wolf hunting is the overarching theme of the story, I found the scenes to be more interesting when Timber Gray stumbled across people on the trail. The threat of the wolves makes the story tense at times, but there are only so many ways to describe shooting wolves, and after awhile they become somewhat repetitive. The reclusive Gray’s run-ins with humanity prove to be much more enjoyable as they give the reader a look at the hurts and insecurities of a man who lost his family, and how he strives to overcome the experience of that dark day.

TIMBER GRAY is currently available as an e-book from Crossroad Press. The short novel comes in at roughly 125 pages, sports an amazing cover by Zach McCain, has the low price tag of $5.99, and is available in a number of different e-formats. Check it out if you’re looking for a change of pace.

(7 out of 10)

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I remember when I was in high school, I heard of this book called Naked Lunch. It was by a writer that shared a last name with another writer I was quite fond of. Rumor had it that Naked Lunch was filled to the brim with outrageously perverted sex and violence. Well, being the normal, red-blooded lad that I was, I had to locate a copy. Thank God for the shopping mall. I found a copy of Naked Lunch in a WaldenBooks. I bought it up, earning a strange look from the cashier. Funny that I was buying a book that was far more explicit than the average X -Rated movie I was not able to get in to see.

I eagerly started reading Naked Lunch, but after experiencing some amusement early on, I rapidly grew bored. I tried for a while, but threw in the towel.

Years later, older and supposedly more mature and sophisticated, I attempted to read Naked Lunch again. This time I made it farther in the book, but I still quit long before the end. I felt that I knew that the author was trying to do with the story, but that it wore out its welcome and that a short story would have served his purposes better.

Somewhere along that same time, I began hearing of this writer named Dennis Cooper. I heard that he took transgressive fiction to new heights. Or perhaps depths is a better word. Once again, I thought that I had to read it. Luckily I was able to borrow a copy from the library and I didn't have to pay a cent for his novel, Frisk. For I would have felt cheated. I thought Frisk was dreary, pretentious, and worst of all, DULL.

There was the well-known small press publisher that wrote massively hyped, over-the-top fiction. I won't say who it is, but he had a collection published by Shocklines Press. Once again, I took the bait. And once again I hated it. Most people raved about the stories, but a few, like me, emphatically didn't. This minority was often accused of being prudish.

Well, maybe in some ways I am. Even though I am a fan of the wildest movies and I've read a lot of spectacularly explicit sexual horror fiction. Starting with Philip José Farmer's amazing The Image of the Beast.

And then there's Edward Lee. I don't even need to read all of the copycats out there to know the Edward Lee is, was, and always will be The Crowned King of Hardcore Horror Fiction. No one does it like him and I'm sick of people trying to emulate him.

The Lee cult began slowly. I first encountered his work in the novel, Creekers. I thought that this one was unbelievably over the top. I haven't seen nothin'; yet.

Over the top, yes, but Edward Lee is also a first class storyteller. The guy can weave a tale, and he knows character, plot, and story construction like few others do. The guy has chops and this is what sets him apart from the others.

Oh yeah, Edward Lee is a funny son of a bitch, too. For my book-buying dollar, he's the funniest man in horror.

You know about Header, right? What's a Header? If you haven't heard, I'll tell you this much: A Header is a method of revenge by backwoods hillbillies. The method consists of putting a hole through the skull of one that injured your family, and---well, having intercourse with the head.

Surely that is the most depraved, disgusting, perverted, sickening thing imaginable. Even Edward Lee can't top that. Can he?

Oh yeah. He did it shortly after Header was originally published. Header was a novella, but The Bighead is a full blown novel. And it goes far, far beyond what happens in Header.

Now, Edward Lee, the sickest bastard in horror, gives us Header 2. And this time he goes all the way.

Taking elements from predecessor, Header 2 pits an oddly likable brood of inbred misfits against a Mafia mobster and his henchmen. These two wildly different, yet strangely similar, groups of madmen take turns trying to top each other with viciously depraved methods of revenge. And damn it if we don't end up rooting for them. Even (gulp) empathizing and caring about them!

Only Edward Lee could have written Header 2. No one else could put such gleeful mayhem on each uproarious page and keep the story propelling for over 300 pages. The ante ups at each turn and just when you think Lee can't go any further, he does. And does again. And again.

Major props go out to Camelot Books and Gifts for putting Header 2 out in such a lovely edition. They even did a moderately-priced trade hardcover for the non-collecting readers out there. This is the first hardcover I've seen from Camelot and it's as nice an edition as I've seen from any publisher. And best of all, Camelot didn't skimp on the trade edition. When you consider the quality binding, the sewn-in bookmark, the numerous illustrations, and the free Mylar protective sleeve that's included, Header 2 is just about the best deal I've gotten from the small press in ages.

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Meet Hiram Grange: womanizer, drug addict, smartass. To say he isn’t your typical hero is an understatement of epic proportions. But despite his quirks, Hiram gets the job done.

And just what is that job? Hiram works for a secret organization that strives to protect Earth’s population from monsters that have entered into our world via portals from the abyss. Werebats? No problem. Dragons? Piece of cake. Sexy nymphs? Well, those might pose a bit of a problem…

Hiram’s latest mission is to go to Krakow to track down a rusalka – the spirit of a murdered woman who is wreaking havoc along the shores of the city. Not one to shirk his duty, despite the fact that he nearly died during his previous mission just moments before getting debriefed on the rusalka, Hiram hops the next plane to Poland in hopes of tracking down the ancient evil. Unfortunately, what he finds in Poland is not only more than he bargained for, but it also causes him to question his beliefs about the organization he works for.

HIRAM GRANGE & THE NYMPHS OF KRAKOW is the fifth novella in a series of books that follows Hiram as he battles all manner of creature. The series takes a round-robin approach not unlike the Gabriel Hunt series, in which a different author pens each installment of the story arc. Due to the pulpy nature of the book, there’s little room for the development of characters: this one’s all about the action. As such, the book doesn’t allow for a lot of wiggle room when it comes to showcasing Wright’s considerable writing talent. He’s forced to conform to Hiram’s pre-defined personality and adventures, and while he does a great job of extending the series, this type of story has been done many times before (as evidenced by last year’s ARMAGEDDON BOUND by Tim Marquitz, which features a lead character similar to Hiram Grange in both personality and occupation).

For the most part, HIRAM GRANGE… can be read as a standalone book, although there was mention of people and places that I’m guessing were addressed in the previous novellas. It might be a good idea to start at the beginning of the series if you want to catch all of the details, but Wright’s novella can definitely be enjoyed if you go into it blind (which I did). Wright also concludes his novella with a very interesting cliffhanger, one that should prove exciting in future installments.

HIRAM GRANGE & THE NYMPHS OF KRAKOW is being published as a $7.99 paperback by Shroud Publishing, and should be available soon. For more information on the series, visit http://www.hiramgrange.com

(6 out of 10)

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My apologies in advance. This review won’t come close to describing the brilliance of Patrick Rothfuss’s debut fantasy novel, entitled THE NAME OF THE WIND. Alas, I’ll do my best.

The epic story opens at the Waystone, a nondescript inn located in the middle of nowhere. In fact, the inn is so remote that it rarely has more than a handful of customers each day, mainly locals who come in for a drink and a bit of gossip. While the innkeeper loves his place and works hard to keep it maintained, the reader immediately gets the sense that something is missing from his life.

One day a Chronicler comes to the inn, claiming the subdued innkeeper is none other than Kvothe, a legendary man known for his fighting ability, prowess with women, and unmatched musical talent. After initially trying to maintain his cover, the man admits that he is indeed Kvothe, and agrees to allow the Chronicler to write a memoir about his life.

With the exception of a handful of brief interludes, the remainder of the story is a first-person retelling of Kvothe’s early years. The tale begins by describing his time on the road with his family, a group of traveling musicians. After a horrible tragedy he ends up in a nearby city, spending a couple years homeless and penniless. From there, Kvothe goes to The University and becomes the youngest person ever admitted.

Much of the book details Kvothe’s time spent at The University, and it’s here that THE NAME OF THE WIND can be compared to the Harry Potter series (albeit a little more adult in nature) -- Kvothe comes in as a gifted student and is fast-tracked through numerous classes; he has a handful of teachers who like him, but a couple who have it out for him; a student named Ambrose does everything in his power to get rid of Kvothe. But after you get past those skin-deep comparisons, you’ll find a quality story that carves its own unique path and far exceeds the adventures of young Harry Potter.

Rothfuss puts on a clinic on how to handle characterization through the use of the “autobiographical” storytelling employed in THE NAME OF THE WIND. Over the course of 700+ pages we learn almost everything there is to know about Kvothe when he was a child and young adult. But it doesn’t stop there. All of the primary and secondary characters come to life, each with their own unique voice and personality (not an easy task with as many characters as there are). You’ll love ‘em and hate’ em, laugh with ‘em and cry with ‘em, but by God none of them will bore you or feel out of place.

That being said, excellent characters cannot carry a story on their own. Fortunately, Rothfuss has many more tools at his disposal – from interesting settings to an original take on the nature of magic to a devilish sense of humor throughout, THE NAME OF THE WIND has it all and more. I also appreciated that Rothfuss’s protagonist doesn’t come across as all-powerful or infallible. Instead, Rothfuss is honest, delving into the process of how legends are created. Are the stories linked to Kvothe rooted in truth? For the most part, yes. But the protagonist is quick to explain that many times he was scared to death or made it through a dilemma out of sheer dumb luck…yet allowed the stories to become embellished in the interest of fostering his reputation. I found Kvothe’s openness to be refreshing, as it’s something you don’t see much of in epic fantasy tales.

Needless to say, I highly recommend THE NAME OF THE WIND to everyone. That’s right, not just the fantasy readers, but everyone. While there is a little magic, and even a dragon, this isn’t your typical fantasy novel. The story is more concerned with the characters and their relationships than delving into your typical sword and sorcery tropes.

THE NAME OF THE WIND was published by DAW Books and is currently available as a $16 trade paperback and a $9 mass-market paperback (both of which are discounted if you order online at Barnes & Noble).

Be sure to look for book two of the trilogy, entitled THE WISE MAN’S FEAR, in early 2011.

(10 out of 10)

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And now, a break from our regularly scheduled programming…

It isn’t often that I venture into the world of YA novels these days, which is a shame. I love stories about kids and the various things they go through as they come of age. Unfortunately, the YA market has been overrun by vampires, swords & sorcery, and valley girls, making it more and more difficult to find decent reading material these days. But just when I thought all hope was lost, I came across DIARY OF A WIMPY KID.

As its title implies, a wimpy kid named Greg Heffley has decided to keep a journal of his first year in middle school. Greg faces the same things we’ve all faced during our youth – dealing with bullies, living with siblings who make our lives miserable, being embarrassed by our parents at the worst possible moments, but most of all, just trying to fit in during the tumultuous time of young adulthood.

The book is laid out like an actual diary, with lined pages and handwritten entries. Accompanying many of the passages are little sketches that help portray what Greg is going through in his daily life. But what makes the book so special is the sly sense of humor running throughout. I can’t tell you how many times I was outright laughing at the journal entries and/or the illustrations.

While some of the journal entries are little tidbits or observances, there are long stretches that deal with major things in his life – the desire to make it into the school’s yearbook as one of the Class Favorites (“Most Popular,” “Most Athletic,” etc), being forced by his mom to be a part of the school play, trying to start his own haunted house at Halloween, getting skunked at Christmas, and many more hilarious tales.

There are a half-dozen other books in the WIMPY KID series, as well as a movie that was released earlier in the year. I look forward to checking out each and every one of them as soon as I can.

And while this all sounds tame based on what most visitors to this site read, I found it to be a refreshing break from all the blood and guts, and most important of all, it put a smile on my face. Grab a copy and see if the same doesn’t happen to you.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID was published by Amulet Books and is available as a trade hardcover with a cover price of $13.95 (but it can be found at a discount at numerous retailers).

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming…

(9 out of 10)

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Paul Kane’s THE GEMINI FACTOR breathes some fresh air into the serial killer subgenre, chronicling the efforts of Sergeant Harrison and Inspector Mason as they work tirelessly to solve a series of murders in the city of Norchester. What makes their case unique is that the killer is only targeting twins, using a two-pronged fork to kill one twin while letting the other one live. The suspect also takes a trophy from each victim by removing one item from a paired body part (i.e. one hand, one leg, etc). As more and more bodies are found, the city of Norchester lives in fear of the “Twin Killer,” or “Twinkle” for short.

As Sergeant Harrison analyzes the murders, she notices a man who routinely shows up at each scene. After chasing him down and bringing him in for questioning, she learns that the man – Jack Foley – is the surviving member of a set of twins. Jack’s brother was murdered two years prior to the current rash of murders, after which Jack devoted his life to tracking down his sibling’s killer. But what Sergeant Harrison learns next is enough to make her question the vigilante’s sanity: Jack is able to “see” each killing as they’re about to happen. Jack believes he’s been given this power because the killer took one of his twin’s eyeballs as a trophy. The problem is that Jack has always been one step behind the killer, unable to use his visions to intercede on future victims’ behalf. After seeing Jack have one of his episodes, Sergeant Harrison decides to team up with him in hopes of ending the massacre taking place in Norchester.

Kane ‘s tale of suspense is a fun read. Not only is the nature of the killings so unique, but the story also goes through numerous twists and turns along the way. There’s no doubt in my mind that readers will think they know where Kane is leading them, only to have the rug yanked out from beneath them time and again. Kane’s style is such that you can’t help but turn the page to see what he’s going to do next, and it’s that unpredictability that has earned my readership in the last couple years. Simply put, the man can tell one hell of an entertaining yarn.

(Minor spoilers ahead.)

One aspect of the story that didn’t work for me is the romantic relationship that develops between Sergeant Harrison and Jack Foley. Other than a couple of Q&A sessions between the two characters, they didn’t spend much time together prior to the finale ramping up. But along the way both characters periodically daydream about each other, eventually leading to a romantic evening and plans for the future. These snippets seemed too forced for me, and in my opinion it would have worked better to have a more business-like relationship between the two characters. I understood why Kane went the route he did once I got to the epilogue, but the paper-thin process of getting to that scene didn’t justify its inclusion.

(End spoilers.)

If you’re looking for a fun summer read, go grab a copy of THE GEMINI FACTOR…and while you’re at it, pick up a couple more of Kane’s books. He hasn’t disappointed me yet, and I’m guessing you’ll enjoy his writing too.

THE GEMINI FACTOR was released as a trade paperback by Screaming Dreams Press with a cover price of $15.99.


(7 out of 10)