I’ll admit, halfway through the first story I was confused and frustrated. But something kept pulling me back into the pages, the eerie dread kicked in halfway, and by the end of that first story I was left hungry for more. Still discombobulated, but with an understanding that I needed to shift expectations. This collection is not straightforward in any traditional sense. It ambiguous and multidimensional, full of nuance and beautiful, dreamy imagery.

Ambiguity is certainly a double edged sword. It allows for a multilayered experience that rewards repeat reads, but it also runs the risk of coming off as hollow and meaningless. It’s either enlightening or incredibly frustrating. I’m happy to say that Daniel’s stories are firmly in that first camp. He writes with such precision, empathy, and imagination. The stories are captivating, and the characters immediately real and relatable. I loved the variety of locales and themes presented, as well as the dips into various genres within horror and fantasy.

The author is certainly interested in the tension between the supernatural and psychology, as most of the stories could be justified through either lens (I love the multiple layers of meaning). I fully allowed myself to sink into the stories and let the current carry me through these strange, dark underworlds. It was an experience that I definitely recommend! Not all of the stories worked for me, but most did. My favorite ones were:

“How to Stay Afloat When Drowning”
“Tommy’s Shadow”
“Cloudland Earthbound”

Huge thanks to @daniel_braum for sending me this collection in exchange for an honest review!

Basically the earth is overrun by creatures from myth and folklore after that a group of scientists thought it would be a good idea to trigger dormant monster DNA in humans. In this post apocalyptic hellscape humans are in the minority, and Dez McClane is one of the few left trying to survive in a world of werewolves, vampires, cannibals, and other monstrosities. Dez is facing all odds to find his wife, and along the way he comes across many colorful characters, even teaming up with a few by the end.

So I’m COMPLETELY onboard just from the premise (the whole post-apocalyptic monster world thing), but then Janz goes in with the quality writing, interesting well-developed characters, and top notch action/suspense and this became a book I read voraciously. Like I was on vacation and I just wanted to ignore everyone and read. It didn’t take but till page 40 that I knew I had something special in my hands. So many memorable characters and scenes, and so many cool ideas!

Apart from the obvious monsters, I love the idea that Latents are still out there, meaning anyone could at any moment turn into something crazy (which does indeed happen in the balls-to-the-wall insane climax of the book). There’s also plenty of suspense, brutal violence, and well-balanced humor throughout. I’m seriously trying to avoid writing this like a gushing fanboy, and likely failing. I just enjoyed this book so much!! It’s also set up perfectly for a sequel, so I’m gonna need @jonathan.janz to hurry up with that

The collection of over 80 poems is grouped into five sections: The Love Song of Allegra, Fairy Tales, All the Monsters in the World, The Capacity of Violence, and Myths and Dreamscapes. If you want more specific thoughts/insights into each section then go read the review on my blog at readingvicariously.net!!

Just know that this is an excellent collection of poetry, full of poems that are worth reading over and over. Needless to say the beautifully descriptive language and fervent imagination of the author make for wonderful stories. Their cruelty, brutality, and violence clearly put the collection as a whole in the category of “dark poetry,” but that’s not to say there aren’t also threads of grace, love, and redemption. And with such a variety of styles and genres (myth, fantasy, science fiction, crime thriller, and straight horror just to name a few) there’s something here for everyone to enjoy!

Favorite poems include “Always a Beast,” “Memoirs in the Dark,” “The Tooth Collector,” and “ Future World”

Thanks to @rdspress for sending a copy to review, and to @christinasng for her wonderful poetry!

So I should begin by saying I have never read Stephen King's IT. When reading this book I got the sense it was influenced by/borrow from King, but I can't be sure as to the extent this is happening. Perhaps my opinion of this would be different had I read King first. Regardless, here are the current thoughts I have on The October Boys.

The author does a great job of building suspense in the opening act. The atmosphere and dread are heavy, the ice cream truck is menacing, and the disappearance of Ryan is unsettling. I felt my stomach drop when the boys split off and the truck decides to go after the lone straggler. It's a terrifying beginning, and the rest of this book is permeated with this same fear and tension (except for the ending, but we'll get there).

I liked the jumping back and forth between boyhood in 1988 and adulthood in 2016. It's interesting to see how the three remaining friends have grown up and how the past still haunts them. They all felt like fairly fleshed-out characters, and I genuinely empathized with how the Ice Cream Man was continuing to wreak havoc on their lives and relationships. Some of Tom's adjacent issues are ones I've dealt with myself in the past, and the conflict between him and his wife felt very real to me. Also, I have a little girl and so I felt like I could strongly relate to Luke in the second half of the book as he tries to protect his daughter (indeed the scenes involving her - both in nightmares and reaity - were some of the most disturbing to me).

I thought the background for the antagonist was interesting, but, as it goes with these types of stories, I found myself wanting to know more about him, his abilities, and how exactly the lore tied into the plot of the book. Regardless, the Ice Cream Man made for a very creepy and powerful foe. I was glad that Woods was brought back in the 2016 storyline to help the men conquer their childhood trauma.

There weren't many things I didn't like in this book, but I did feel like the female characters weren't as dynamic and detailed as the male characters. My biggest complaint is actually about the ending (don't you hate when that happens?), as to me it came across rushed and confusing. But to say more would be to venture into spoiler territory. Though the book left a sour taste in my mouth, overall it was a lot of fun to read - especially during the Halloween season!

I can't think of a much better way to get into the spirit of Halloween then reading a bunch of Halloween-related short stories. And if there's one thing that you should take away from this review it's this: Season of the Dead hits the spooky season nail directly on the head! I may not have been enamored with every single story, but at the very least they all accomplish setting the perfect mood for October. That speaks the strengths of the stories, but also the careful discernment of editor William Simmons (who also provides an insightful introduction and helpful notes at the beginning of each tale).

Another thing to note is that the stories here are mostly from the bygone era of the late 19th century to the early 20th century. That's not a turn off for me by any means, but it did require reading more slowly and carefully as to not miss anything from the occasionally archaic language. Still, that didn't keep me from freaking out when stone statues came to life, shuddering when someone's flesh was pulled from their face, laughing when a wayward man was cursed to carry a corpse around on his back, and almost crying when a young boy was stolen away from his family by faeries.

I've read Hawthorne's incredible "Young Goodman Brown" and Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror," but apart from those the rest of the stories were all a first read for me. And though I recognized a lot of the author names (Edith Nesbit, Fitz-James O'Brien, W.W. Jacobs, M.R. James, Robert W. Chambers, Edith Wharton, etc), I hadn't even heard of many of these stories before. I appreciate Simmons for bringing them to my attention and casting a light on some lesser-known female authors because there's a lot of good stuff here.

Only a few of the stories fell flat or just didn't work for me. The rest were great! Some standouts include:
"Man-Size in Marble"
"The Three Sisters"
"Teig O'Kane and the Corpse"
"Dracula's Guest"
"The Scarecrow"

The premise of this book hooked me very early on. The main character Carrie's POV of being possessed, what the ghosts were using her for, her sense of helplessness and fear - all of it is frightening and interesting. I haven't read a lot of books where the perspective is that of the person being possessed, so I found it to be pretty engaging. There were other ideas/situations that I also liked: the ghosts completely wrecking Carrie's life so that even when she is free of them she still has very real problems to deal with; the presence of other friendlier spirits, and the ways in which they can and can't interact with the world; sometimes even Daniel, and the dark humor they share together. There's definitely a lot to like here and some neat ideas. I also thought the writing was very good for the most part. Unfortunately, the aspects I enjoyed were burdened by several things I didn't care for.

I get the ghosts are using Carrie to fulfil their bodily desires, but the amount of sex and bodily fluids made me a little uncomfortable. Especially considering Carrie's helplessness in all of it, it just comes across as icky (and not in a good way). There's a lot of abuse, in many forms, to the female body and I wasn't crazy about it. And this may sound wrong after saying all that, but I didn't really connect at all with Carrie. I certainly sympathized with all the horrible things happening to her, but apart from that the other aspects of her life and personality felt flat. I certainly don't understand her relationship with Daniel, and the mystery element thrown in at the very end was a little strange.

So I’m a little conflicted here. On one hand Lucy Snyder is a great writer. Her writing voice is so strong, and every story exudes a style that is whimsical, engaging, and very approachable. There’s also a pleasant variety of genres here, from cosmic horror to dark comedy to science fiction and fantasy. The stories that are really good are a lot of fun to read.

On the other hand, not every story really worked for me. Typically they would begin with furious activity but then fall flat by the end. Also, and this may not be a qualm for some, but in a collection that would appear so Halloween-centric there are very few stories that actually involve the spookiest of seasons in any meaningful way. And the inclusion of two Christmas stories felt...wrong.

Overall it’s an uneven group of stories, as collections tend to go, but there’s certainly much worth reading. In fact with such a wide variety there’s probably something here for everyone! Certain stories I’d even like to see as full novels! Favorites include:

“Cosmic Cola”
“Visions of the Dream Witch”
“What Dwells Within”
“In the Family”

Giddy, whimsical, fanciful, beautiful - all the things I expect from Bradbury. Full review coming soon!

Review coming soon!

The opening of the book is fantastic. It’s horrifying and gruesome, and it immediately gives you a sense of where the book is heading (introducing a main character and giving a first glimpse of the mysterious power behind the music). But instead of pausing to slowly build back up the tension the creepy moments continue on, with strange and unnatural occurrences happening every few pages. There’s lots to unsettle you and build anticipation for what’s to come, and I love how the book throws the reader right into all of it and doesn’t let up.

Without giving too much away, the book functions as sort of a spin on the “sell your soul to the devil” trope, but it’s told predominantly from the perspective of the victims to Angie’s insidious plan. I like how the story shifts back and forth between the POVs of Mike (the police officer tracking Angie’s moves), Josh (a down-on-his-luck music store owner), Esmeralda (a shop owner of the uncanny who regrets introducing Angie to secrets of another world…), and Shawna (Angie’s twin sister who suffers from bullying and low self-esteem).

The book is a lot of fun for numerous reasons, but it doesn’t break a lot of new ground (and in fact it reminds me a lot of a horror film called The Signal where a mysterious transmission that turns people into killers invades every cell phone, radio, and television). So you might have an idea of where the story is going as you read, but that’s okay. You’re still totally invested with the well-rounded characters, excellent writing, creepy moments, and humor interlaced throughout (this book is FUNNY!). There’s also a lot of the author telling us directly what characters are thinking and feeling. Normally I’m a big fan of “show, don’t tell,” but I actually think it works here and goes well with the humorous/suspenseful tone.

Again, the book may not be totally original but it’s still a blast. And to be fair it’s incredibly terrifying in parts and tackles a subject that isn’t entirely overdone (at least from what I’ve read/seen). There’s plenty of fresh blood for Angie to mine. I love seeing all the different ways the town (and world) starts to change from the effects of the hit song; how it bores into their brains, and what it makes them do in turn. Plus I’m always down for anything involving demonic rituals and weird cults! I think my biggest complaint is that the story waits until the last twenty pages to hit the climax, and then it ends with an epilogue that feels rushed. Overall this book gets a strong recommendation from me!

As the author states in the inscription, pop music is the devil!