Man, this book was a LOT of fun. It immediately sets us up with our two main characters and throws us into the action. I like how the story switches back and forth between the perspectives of Jack and Meg, giving us insight into their background and motivations. I definitely was rooting for Meg the whole time and, despite them both being serial killers, I felt more empathy for her character. Jack is also painted in broader strokes and not given the same character development, but I wasn't too bothered by for what this is.

I love the whole killer vs killer premise, and when Meg and Jack finally meet you have no idea how the story is going to go. Sure they're attracted to one another, but they also want to kill each other. This makes for great underlying suspense as you never know when things are going to pop off.

I also love the stripped down nature of the book, especially in the second half: two characters at odds in a confined setting using whatever objects are around them to survive. I think it allows for more creativity, dark comedy, and tension in the final act (which, without spoiling anything, is GREAT). There's plenty of violence, as to be expected, but there's also humorous moments I did not expect. I actually laughed out loud at the scene where Jack and Meg meet for the first time.

I tried not to say "fun" too many times in this review, but that's my main take away. It's one of those stories that has some genre tropes but manages to elevate beyond with grim humor and shocking surprises. Based purely on feeling, and not actual plot details, it makes me think of cross between Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Green Room, or The Nice Guys and Don't Breath. Does that make sense? Probably not haha.

Reviewing coming soon!

What's it like to be the first on the "scene of the crime"? What's it like to visit the living vacuum of traumatic events; places empty of humanity yet brimming with the electrified air of horrifying aftershock. Or maybe they're not so empty. Was that a thump upstairs? Did that shadow just move? Why is there a foot laying here, and where is the rest of the body? Is something out there?

This collection of derelictions (i.e. stories of abandonment) is experimental writing in its truest form. With each tale Adam Nevill places us in a story post-climax, or a sort of unresolved or unfinished epilogue. Something truly devastating has happened in this setting, but all we're given are grim clues. There are no characters and no dialogue. Only descriptions of scenes and a narrative style that feels like someone is leading you through the chaos. You are intrigued, you are disturbed, and you're not quite sure what is going on.

The thing about such an approach to "storytelling" is that it's incredibly risky. It's automatically going to put most readers into a love-it-or-hate-it camp from the very first couple of stories. But the author is discerning enough to know that, and in fact he is intentionally playing with form and expression. There is an author's note at the back of the book where he explains the germ for the collection, and what other avenues of thought and experimentation came out of that. It's all very compelling, but does it work?

For me, at least, the answer is a strong yes! Both the wordsmith and the horror lover in me absolutely enjoyed what Nevill is trying to accomplish here, and I think he manages to knock it out of the park. The collection is a mash up of cult/alien/creature stories, all very strange and eerie in their telling. Though follow a similar narrative style, they are all different enough to stand on their own. Each has at least one scene (usually the ending) that will haunt me for a long time. The writing is wonderfully descriptive and engaging; a vivid prose style that carries the brunt of the ploy and does it well, even without characters and even without dialogue.

My only complaint, though not a complaint really, is that the nature of the stories and the description-heavy writing style are such that each takes time to get through. They require slower reading and more processing. That's not a bad thing, but it does make reading them all back to back less of a satisfying endeavor. My recommendation would be to space them out over a period of weeks, or even one a month. They all deserve to ruminate in your mind, so give them the space to breath.

Again, this is very much a love it or leave it collection. Many readers I trust absolutely hated it, while others were enamored by it. Clearly I'm in the second camp, but I'm curious to hear what others think.

All the stories were gems in my opinion, and I loved them all for different reasons. To rank them would be to degrade them, but regardless if I had to (sorry Adam) it may look something like this:

"Hippocampus"
"Monument"
"Low Tide"
"Enlivened"
"Wyrd"
"Hold the World..."
"Turning the Tide"

Video Palace is like a cross between Slenderman creepypasta and The Ring franchise. The legend this time focuses on the enigmatic "Eyeless Man," a being who moves through the airwaves, controls your mind via sound and static, kills you, steals your soul, opens doorways to the Great Stack...and some variation of all the above. I'm not entirely sure. The more that is revealed the more questions we're left with. It's all very ambiguous, and a little creepy.

I liked the structure of the book, framing a series of short stories from different authors with one professor's obsessive search for the truth. The stories are interspersed with notes from the professor detailing the progress of his search, as well as his own descent into madness. The collection appears to be based on a podcast, and everyone involved is writing with such honesty and earnest that it started to mess with my mind (like is there even a Eyeless Man mythos or is it all just made up for this book?).

I've never done hard drugs (great way to start a sentence), but I've always been intrigued by psychedelics, lucid dreaming, thought control experiments, and so forth. Stands to reason those elements of the story were the most interesting to me, and also why my favorite stories were "Ranger Ronin Presents...," "The Inward Eye," and " Ecstatica".

As with all collections, some stories were better than others. At about the halfway point it all started to feel fairly repetitive though, and I began to lose some interest. I did appreciate attempts to portray the Eyeless Man in different ways, but most hit the same basic beats. There's definitely some creepy scenes, but the scares also began to lose their luster. I could see this working well in a visual medium (perhaps a TV show?).

3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely the bones of a good story there; one full of intrigue, epic battles of good vs evil, and engaging, diverse characters. I just had a difficult time cheering on our heroes when they were people I didn’t feel connected to, moving through places and events I didn’t care much about.

Full review at Beyond the Veil (https://gobeyondtheveil.co.uk/comics/die-vol-1-review)

Blue in Green is a story first and foremost about music and the creative pursuit. But it also weaves in ideas about the burdens of the past and the ghosts that haunt our present. It’s about family secrets, loss, rapture, unexplainable feelings, and cosmic dread. We are confined to the mind of Erik, and as the story progresses we have to question how reliable of a narrator he really is. I may not have understood everything that happened, but I know it was well worth the experience. This is a story that is ripe for further read throughs and I’m already itching to dive back in.

Full review available at Beyond the Veil (https://gobeyondtheveil.co.uk/comics/blue-in-green-review).

Not everything about the plot adds up, but that’s not the point and I was very much okay with it. Instead I allowed the story to lift my spirits and carry me along, cheerfully rooting for Max to find his way out of each new debacle. The Thirteenth Floor is billed as 17 stories of pure entertainment, and on that it won’t let you down.

Full review at Beyond the Veil (https://gobeyondtheveil.co.uk/comics/the-thirteenth-floor-review).

Here Rodney Barnes has given us a pretty solid story. There are some themes that didn’t quite pan out, and the romance angle between Jimmy Jr and Jose felt unearned and tacked on. But overall, I really enjoyed reading it. And though the primary storyline is wrapped up here, the ending easily sets us up for a sequel. I for one am very much looking forward to sinking my teeth into another volume of Killadelphia in the future!

Full review at Beyond the Veil (https://gobeyondtheveil.co.uk/comics/killadelphia-review).

Coffin Bound is a wild romp that hooked me from the very first page and never let up. The art is bold and captivating, and it works well in creating the outlandish atmosphere the story requires. The writing, with its quirky diction, great one-liners, and contemplative musings, also does a good job of fully immersing the reader into this weird world. Like Izzy I recognise that we are all in this life bound for the coffin, but before you go, I highly recommend you checking out this entertaining and provocative graphic novel.

Full review at Beyond the Veil (https://gobeyondtheveil.co.uk/comics/coffin-bound-review).

I DNF around 80 pages in, so I'm not giving it a rating. But I will say what I read was bizarre and confusing (and not in a good way). The writing seemed clunky, and I didn't care for any of the characters. The blend of witchcraft and mythology felt strange, and I was not comfortable with the nonconsensual spell-induced romance.