Slap Happy Fun Time

 Pet Sematary - Stephen King                                                                          Writers always have books they cite as major influences and this one is mine. I was ten when I first read this and suddenly a light bulb clicked on in my head and I wanted to be a writer. I was ten so I wasn't thinking about anyting other than writing. Writing was more than enough and it turns out, I'm pretty good at it despite not making any money from being a published author. Odds are, you've never read anything I've written but if you look up Michael Noe on Amazon, you'll find some of my work. The point is King's novel is dark and sinister and deals with a subject no one likes to talk about. We think about it a lot and even see it on our television screens but we pretend that it can't happen to u...

 'Salem's Lot Stephen King                                                                                  It's hard to believe that 'Salem's Lot is Stephen King's second novel or maybe it isn't so hard to believe. When we think of King now a lot of words come to mind, but back then, he was simply a new writer trying to find his voice. Carrie was a great introduction to King's writing style and what an introduction it was. Carrie is a classic horror novel and showed us how great horror could be if done correctly. 'Salem's Lot was King's attempt at story about vampires invading a small town and it includes a few Easter Eggs as a nod to Bram Stoker's classic novel. I remember reading this as a kid and not liking it all that much so I hadn't bothered to reread it. One day I pic...

       In The Dark - Richard Laymon                                                                       Jane is a librarian working through rhe last of her shift when she spots an envelope with her name on it and inside is a letter inviting her to play with someone named the Master Of Games. The simple task sets of a chain of events that slowly escalate to the point where the money becomes more important than Jane's safety. Who is The Master Of Games? What's his motivation? This is what drives the novel as well as the escalation of each dare. At any point Jane can quit, but the pull of easy money is far too hard to ignore even though she sees first hand just how dangerous things are becoming. Laymon stacks the novel with a great deal of suspense while throwing in his usual trademarks. At its c...

 Your Secret Admirer - Carl Laymon                                                                                                                               I know you're asking yourself why I'm reading a cheesy young adult novel but more importantly why am I reviewing it? The answer is simple. Your Secret Admirer was written by none other than the late Richard Laymon and I wonder how he felt about this novel when he started gaining a cult following. Did he know that fans like me would actually track it down just to show them off in their collection? It's funny to see Night In The Lonesome October, Funland and Bite standing next to a book called Your Secret A...

 Mine - Robert R. McCammon                                                                   I've heard a lot about McCammon yet the only experience I've ever really had was with Blue World a short story collection. I can only remember bits and pieces of it and I have tried, and failed to read Swan Song. Mine was picked up on a whim and I thought I was going to read a straight up horror novel but to be fair, it's not, but that's not a bad thing. What we have is a story with multiple threads weaving the plot together while the core focus is on Mary Terror and the baby she's stolen to present to a cult leader. As I read about how easy it was to kindnap the baby it was unsettling and couldn't happen these days. You simply can't go into a hospital wearing a nurses uniform and just snatch someone's kid. There are two st...

Come Out Tonight - Richard Laymon                                                             This isn't my first time reading Laymon's Come Out Tonight but I can tell you that it's still in my top 5 Laymon novels and it was also the 2nd book of his I read. I was given a copy of The Stake many years ago because the woman who owned it didn't care for it and then years later a woman I worked with gave me my first copy of Come Out Tonight and I was instantly pulled into the story. What a story it is and I can see why some people would be turned off by Laymon's style. As I read it again, the shock and awe of Laymon's style still got me. This is not an easy novel to read and isn't recommended for those who dislike violence. Come Out Tonight starts off with a couple planning on making love but don't have any condoms. Duane decided to hit th...

The Cabin At The End Of The World - Paul Tremblay 5/5 stars                                                                          Paul Tremblay I would like to say that I hate you and I love you at the same time. We all love and hate authors. It's nothing new but this hate stems from the way he writes and makes it impossible to stop reading even after he begins to make you uncomfortable. His books slowly build tension while taking in directions you don't want to go yet have no choice. Cabin isn't a simple novel and all I can say is that it's about a home invasion and the apocalypse. The rest is up to you discover and figure out on your own. Tremblay takes two simple genres and creates something we haven't seen before which is the mark of a great author. Each turn of the page gets you closer and...

The Shining - Stephen King 5/5 stars                                                                    It's hard to believe that The Shining was released forty-five years ago and surprisingly it's held up well. Not only is it one of the greatest horror novels ever written, but also one of the greatest novels ever written. Reading Stephen King's third book is at times exhausting given the amount of detail he provides. While some may say it's overkill, it's an essential part of the story. These are people we get to know so well it what happens to them even more frightening. King's writing style is what makes this so damn good. It elevates it from just a haunted hotel story to a story about the slow destruction of a family. The isolation of the Torrance's is told well and you feel as if you're experiencing it with ...

The Outsider  Stephen King 5/5 stars                                                                      To be fair I should point out that I am no longer one of Stephen King's constant readers. I consider King to be an old friend I check in on from time to time to see how he's doing. Sometimes he's doing well, and others not so much. The Outsider is a monumental release. This is King's 60th book which makes me feel a bit old. What this means is that there are fans of his that started reading his books from the beginning, and there are newer fans who discovered him from his recent output which has been hit or miss. Sixty books is no small feat ...

Richard Laymon - Quake 5/5 stars                                                                     In an interview Richard Laymon said his books are about bad people doing bad things and in Quake you see that in a large scale as an earthquake hits Los Angeles. The core of the novel is survival and simply trying to make their way home. Of course in a Laymon novel it's not that simple. he allows us to glimpse at a world in which laws no longer apply, the carnal side of human nature runs rampant. He also knows how to pile on layers of tension while allowing us to peer at the ugly side of humanity. We never imagine people at their worst in a time of crisis,...

      Diablo Snuff - Carver Pike  5/5 stars                                                                                                             I've never erotic horror before, but there's always a first time for everything right? I was given a copy of Carver's novella not knowing what to expect. Take the normal rules of horror and add a smidge of sex and presto. This is not a book for those who are weak and squeamish. Carver writes like a man possessed, a man who wants to shock his readers and has no trouble reaching into the dark recesses of his mind to do it.       At the core of this is what exactly is Diablo Snuff. While theit comes novella itself is short, it's a...

The Night Manager - Jeff O'Brien  5/5 stars                                                                        Once again Jeff has finally released another book, and I say it's about dang time. The Night Manager is a blast to read because it features all the stuff that Jeff enjoys. Aliens, and meat. It seems as if the book is about himself and his desire to be a hero. Makes sense when you think about it. Who doesn't want to save the world from an alien invasion? Doyle is the kind of hero we can relate to. He lives in a trailer park, he's fat, and he's stuck in a job where he makes very little money. Of course when he finally gets p...

The Last Days Of Jack Sparks -  Jason Arnopp 5/5 stars                                                                                     Once in while you come across a novel that totally messes with your head in such a way you become absorbed in it to the point where you almost become obsessed. The Last Days Of Jack Sparks is one such novel. You can't call this a horror novel despite the horror elements, and you can't really call it a black comedy either. So what exactly is it? It's a seamless blending of genres that takes you on a trip. It's not always a pleasant trip, but it's a trip nonethel...

Psycho Circus: A Collection Of Horror  - T.S. Woolard 5/5 stars                                                           I received a copy of Psycho Circus in exchange for an honest review       When you call a book Psycho Circus, you better deliver something unique, or at least a little weird. I've read a lot of weird books, and I've read a lot of extreme books as well. To describe this one would be a mixture of the two. While it's not a straight up horror collection, it's still pretty damn good. The problem I find with a lot of extreme horror is that it lacks a clear plot, and only wants to beat the reader into submission with its brutality. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I crave a little more from my books.        Woolard is a decent writer that explores the dark side of human...

Ketchup On Everything - Nathan Robinson 5/5 stars                                                            Okay, first things first. This is not a horror novel, at least it doesn't appear to be in the traditional sense. The only real horror comes toward the end of the novella, and that's where you have the obligatory: "Well, I didn't see that coming!" It's a huge moment, but up until that point, the only horror is the loss Elliot and his wife feel when their son disappears out of thin air. If anything, this is a sad, depressing book that you simply can't stop reading. How does a kid just vanish? Will they ever find him? If you're overly sensitive to missing kids, or know one who has recently gone missing, well, you should stop reading right away. Seriously, just don't even attempt reading this novella. Put it down and pick up some...

The Darkness In The Woods - Kasey Hill, and Elias Raven 5/5 stars                                                         I received a copy of The Darkness In The Woods in exchange for an honest review       The Darkness In The Woods is the sort of horror novel that doesn't tread a lot of new ground, but works amazingly well for what it is. We've read stories like this before, and we know exactly what to expect, but sometimes, the best horror comes from the familiar. I know exactly what you're thinking. if it's unoriginal why are you giving it five stars? I'm glad you asked and I was going to tell you anyway. It's an occult/paranormal novel, and it's set up pretty well. You have a great back story that ties everything together, and let's be honest, if you have a story set in the woods with any sort of family drama ending in ...

Halloween Carnival Volume 3 - Various Authors                                                                                                                       I received a copy of Halloween Carnival in exchange for an honest review        Wow, volume 3 already, and I have to say as a reviewer, and a fan of horror, this is one series of anthologies that shows no signs of slowing down at all. If you're a fan of either of those things, well, this is one series that delivers. These are short, easy reads with the theme being Halloween. I had planned on reading the entire series before Halloween but I fell behind, so here we are at the beginning of November and I have ...

 Halloween Carnival Vol 2 - Various Authors  4/5 stars                                                                              I received Halloween Carnival Vol 2 in exchange for an honest review       It's hard to keep momentum going throughout an anthology series especially if the theme is Halloween. I liked this one better than the first volume because the stories here were a bit darker, and didn't start out wanting to depress you. I like where the series is going and each story presents you with something different. What I'm finding is that these stories aren't about the scares, but the atmosphere. These stories embody the dark, almost foreboding atmosphere of what the holiday is about.       It does stumble a bit, but still, it's not a...

     Halloween Carnival Vol 1 (Various Authors) 4/5 stars                                                      I received a copy of Haloween Carnival from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.       It's official, Halloween is officially upon us and Hydra has come to get us in the Halloween spirit with a new anthology series. I loved the cover, but let's go ahead and be honest here by admitting this isn't exactly what I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, but I wasn't exactly sure how this was going to end, or even what it was trying to achieve. When you think of Halloween stories you expect scary, but none of these are. That's not a bad thing, and if anything, it sets up the series to be something different which it achieves nicely. Two of these stories have a nice Twilight Zone feel ...

Stephen King - It                                                                It isn't an easy novel to read, but not because of its length. That's only a smart part of what makes it so hard to get through. It was written way back in 1986, a time when people weren't so politically correct, or required a trigger warning to go along with whatever they read or watched. People weren't easily offended so the themes that King places in his novel didn't seem so politically incorrect. If you're easily offended, this is clearly not a novel you should read. There is a bit of racism, and homophobia mixed into the central plot, but there's something march darker, and far more sinister to worry about here. If It had teeth, it would bite, and bite hard.      It is simply put, a masterpiece of horror fiction and easi...