Slap Happy Fun Time

     Michael Faun - Gillian's Marsh 5/5                                                                                            http://www.amazon.com/Gillians-Marsh-Michael-Faun-ebook/dp/B00XIHLSNU     Michael Faun's newest novella may be short but sometimes the shortest books pack the biggest punch. If you've ever read Michael's work you know that he often mixes in a variety of genres to create something unique, but this time he's written a straight up horror novel that holds back just a little and the results are quite stunning. Taking the idea of the occult and the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials and blending them together you get Gillian Marsh. This is by far the best novel that Faun has written. This is a writer who has attempted to stretch beyond his comfort zone and it works.      Gillian's Marsh has a classic horror feel to it while keeping just a hint of splatterpunk. As a writer Faun knows how to create a readable story, and the deta

Cine - Stuart Keane 5/5                                                                I started Cine after reading another novel knowing that I should have just gone to bed. I knew better, yet I started at about 12 A.M. early Monday and finally finished at about two. I was late to work and it's all Stuart's fault. See, Stuart is the kind of writer that writes stuff that is highly addicting. You want to stop reading yet you just can't tear your eyes away. Cine is probably the best book that Keane has written. It takes it's influence from guys like Barker, and yes even Laymon and presents a story that flows like blood from a freshly severed vein. This is a guy that loves horror and it shows.      If you've read the blurb you know what the story is about and I can tell you that the next time you're in a movie theater and the lights go down you're going to get a little nervous.  Cine is about greed, and desire. At it's core the ugliness that socie

    The  Andy Peloquin interview:       I was supposed to post this earlier this month and totally forgot. It's been a busy month, You can find links to his  J. Ellington Ashton Press release at the bottom. I also have a review here as well. I urge everyone to check it out.  . Q: Blades Of The Destroyer is your latest release from JEA. How did you come up with the Hunter? I've always loved "bad guys". Villains usually prove to be the more interesting characters in classic (often clichéd) fantasy novels, so the idea of telling the story from the perspective of the "bad guy" was totally intriguing. Trying to find a way to make my readers identify/relate to this dark, cynical, cold, murderous character was a huge challenge, and one I'm thrilled to take on.  Q: How long have you been writing? Off and on, since the age of 15. I have been a professional copywriter for almost five years, but I only started writing fiction two years ago. Making the decisi

     Stealing Propeller Hats From The Dead - David James Keaton 3/5                                                            I received Propeller Hats from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I felt at times that this was exactly what the zombie genre needed. Keaton takes a dark sense of humor and injects it right into his new book. No matter what you call it, be it spoof, or homage to the zombie genre it's a pretty decent book. Keaton is a talented writer that knows that zombie genre is the perfect genre to make fun of. Each of these stories take the genre in a new and interesting direction. These zombies aren't what you're expecting and that's why this book is so good.    Keaton is obviously a fan and that's why this works as well as it does. We all watch whatever zombie film we can get our hands on because nothing excites us more than the undead. Keaton shows us that it's okay to take the piss to the genre because it's an easy targe

A God Of Hungry Walls   5/5                                                                                   I received an advance copy of Walls from Deadite Press in exchange for an honest review. The book isn't available until October First and I don't believe it's up for pre-order either. I don't even know if I'm supposed to be reviewing this early but after seeing the cover and reading the blurb I couldn't wait to dive into this. This is Garret's first horror release and of course with Deadite Press being the publisher this has all the makings of a classic. Think of this as not only a review but a glimpse of hell and Cook is your Fedora wearing tour guide. I'm just a guy strapped into the seat wondering what the hell I''ve got myself into.      Garrett takes everything you thought you knew about ghosts and haunted houses and gives the genre a new, and much needed spin. This is a story told by the ghost himself or as he likes to cal

      Salem Kapsaski - Nazi Sniper 5/5      I received Salem's debut novella in exchange for an honest review and it's unfortunate this will get a lot of one star reviews on Amazon with simple one word descriptions. Ugg, Ewww!, and too violent. Those people are exactly the kind of reviews that really bother me because these people fail to read the blurb that's on the back of the book. These are the kinds of people that get butt hurt when they see or read anything that they find offensive. They then post meaningless drivel that does nothing for the author. The fact is that Nazi Sniper is a dark, often violent novella, but, the thing is that we need this kind of horror. Is it senseless? Is it written to shock you so much that you curl up in a ball and recite the Lord's Prayer? Dig a little deeper and you'll see that Salem has a message here. It's quite simple really and it has a variety of meanings that o

            The Jason Wayne Allen Interview        Jason Wayne Allen has written stories for quite a few anthologies. Strange Vs. Lovecraft, Zombie! Zombie! Brain Bang! and he also edited his own anthology  50 Secret Tales of the Whispering Gash: A Queefrotica in 2014. He's just released his own novella through Morbid Books entitled  Ichthyic in the Afterglow.  http://www.amazon.com/Ichthyic-Afterglow-Jason-Allen-ebook/dp/B01549CFZY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442201410&sr=1-1&keywords=Ichthyic+in+the+Afterglow      Ichthyic in the Afterglow was released by Morbid Books. This is a publisher that's known for its harder edge. It's like the ECW of publishing. How has that affected your writing style? A: I’ve always written dark and violent horror stories, but have had more success with the Bizarro genre, so far. My fear with publishing with Morbidbooks was I didn’t think Ichthyic was dark or violent enough! Morbid’s roster has some hardcore guys

     Jason Wayne Allen - Ichthyic in the Afterglow 5/5                                                               JWA was gracious enough to give me a copy of Afterglow in exchange for an honest review. This is a surreal novella that blends in a variety of influences while staying original and bizarre. Allen has a knack for creating a world that you would only see in nightmares, and while you would expect the story itself to ramble incoherently it makes a great of deal of sense. This is where Allen thrives. He looks beyond the normal themes that lie scattered around the bizarro genre and creates something that you would only see while you're tripping on acid It's a nod to Lovecraft and while it has elements of violence it isn't over done and fits in with the theme of the novella.       There isn't a lot mentioned in Afterglow about the cults or their origin. That doesn't matter though and while at times I felt as if I were only getting

Bret Hart -  Hitman: My Real Life In The Cartoon World Of Wrestling  3/5                                                    I totally forgot that I had read this about three or four years ago. The digital edition sports a different cover so it threw me off a little. I should also warn you that I'm a huge pro-wrestling fan. I have a ton of wrestling books lined up so be prepared. In terms of how many of these books I've already read this one isn't exactly the worst. Bret isn't publishing this with the WWE's backing so you can breath easy and be prepared for some serious dirt. That's why we read these isn't it? We want to know which wrestlers are assholes, You know the guys that refuse to put anyone over and think that their shit doesn't stink even though they suck. Bret pulls no punches and he doesn't allow you to forget that he was the best wrestler that ever graced a WWE/F ring. He's the best there is, the best there was, and the best t