Slap Happy Fun Time

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...

    Whispers Volume 2: A Second Collection - Stuart Keane  5/5   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0167FX8NW?keywords=Stuart%20Keane&qid=1450303737&ref_=sr_1_4&sr=8-4                                                                                Stuart Keane has had a busy few months. First Cine, then Grin, and now Whispers Vol 2. For a lot of writers that would be overkill. You have to space out your output a little, or else you start to piss off your fan base. Stuart's fans actually prefer that he release his work this way. We hate a long wait. Whispers is a collection of short stories that are both old and new. Like Whispers they feature some pieces that were in other anthologies and some that are new to the collection. Either way it's a win win...

     Stuart Keane - Grin 5/5      http://www.amazon.com/Grin-Stuart-Keane-ebook/dp/B017EHJ98U/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8                                                 I cannot say enough good things about Stuart. This is a guy knows horror and he has a knack for going deep into the muck and the mire of the dark side of humanity. If you see Stuart's name on a book then you know it's going to be good. He shows us that the monsters sometimes wear human faces and in Grin they will slaughter your whole family and leave you disfigured. Reading Grin you can't help but feel Dani's pain and look forward to the moment when she finally sets out to get her revenge. I thought  that Cine was Keane's best book, but I was wrong. The thing about Keane is that with each book he evolves, and that's what a writer does. You can see that he's at that po...

     The Other Boy Ian Taylor & Rosi Taylor  5/5   http://www.amazon.com/The-Other-Boy-Ian-Taylor-ebook/dp/B016N3I2E8                                                            I was given a copy of The Other Boy in exchange for an honest review and figured that I would wait until the day of launch to post this. Here's the deal. You need to click the above link now and pre-order this bad boy so you can begin reading it the day it comes out on November 10. Believe me when I tell you that this is one novella you do not wanna miss. Ian and Taylor have captured something here that goes beyond just your ordinary ghost story and becomes something else entirely. Some might even say it's a bit cliche but you know what? I love horror stories like this and it takes some of the darkest elements of the genre and t...

       Greasepaint - David C. Hayes  5/5                                                                   When I received an advanced copy of Greasepaint I should have known what I was in for. For just a second let's talk about this new influx of clown horror and what it does to those who are deathly afraid of clowns, and also what it does for horror in general. I myself aren't afraid of clowns. Do I find them creepy? Hell yeah I do. With their floppy ass shoes. And big red noses. As a horror writer I have written a couple of short stories that features a few clowns and I can tell you that there is a lot there to work with and it's easy to see why clown horror is the new in thing. They've always been creepy and it's easy to look beyond the bright cheerful demeanor and peer into something dark...

Blade Of The Destroyer - Andy Peloquin 4/5      I received Blade Of The Destroyer in exchange for an honest review and I have to admit that I didn't realize that it was a fantasy novel. I'm more of a horror/bizarro guy so I was a bit worried. I can't even tell you the last time a read a fantasy novel. I do have an open mind though and have been known to genre hop from time to time. I'm the kind of reader that likes a good story regardless of what genre it's in. It's quite nice to sometimes step outside of your comfort zone and see what other books are out there. As I started this I was instantly hooked. Blade is an often violent novel about a guy called the Hunter. This is one bad ass dude but unlike a lot of other novels Andy gives this guy some depth and it's the Hunter himself that fuels this novel.      Blade is the start of a new series and what I like is that the story moves quickly and unlike a lot of other novels you aren't mired in...

     Finders Keepers - Stephen King 5/5                                                                           I started reading Finders Keepers on a Saturday but I couldn't read a lot due to my kids visiting, but on Sunday I started reading it before I went to bed. It was one of those nights when I couldn't go to sleep no matter what I did so I went downstairs for a cigarette and a cup of decaf, and read for two hours. I can't tell you the last time I read a King novel like this. To find two back to back is quite rare. The one thing I kept seeing in reviews is that this is sort of like Misery and that is pure bullshit. Misery is utterly terrifying, and while Finders Keepers does have some terrifying moments these are some misleading comparisons. At its core Keepers is a book...

     Stephen King - Mr Mercedes 5/5       Mr. Mercedes Review                                                   I know I complain a lot about Stephen King's current output, and maybe it's a little mean. King after all was a huge influence on me and made realize that I wanted to be a writer. Had it not been for Pet Sematary I would have never become a writer, and it's quite possible that I wouldn't have been such an avid reader. This was the only writer I have ever followed with rabid obsession. When you bought a Stephen King book you knew what you were getting into. To a twelve year old kid this was some serious shit. No one wrote like King. There would of course be other horror writers later on, but Stephen King was my gateway drug. Now the odds of him creating a classic horror novel are pretty slim, and I haven't been a fan...

How To Successfully Kidnap Strangers  - Max Booth III  5/5                                                                       Max was gracious enough to give me an advanced reading copy of his latest book in exchange for an honest review, but after reading it I'm not even sure I can be honest. What if I end up kidnapped and shoved in a trunk with a bag full of severed heads? I don't want to be kidnapped because I wrote a bad review. Actually that's the premise of the book and the kidnapping and everything else that happens in Booth's book is a direct result of a sheer panic and indecision. If you're actually using this as a a guide to kidnap people you have serious issues and the book isn't even a guide that you can use,     This is my fourth Booth book and I haven't read a bad nove...

     The Ghost - Andrew Lowe   2/5                                                                             The premise to Andrew Lowe's debut novel sounds pretty exciting. When I saw it on Netgalley I was instantly intrigued and wanted to check it out. The problem is that the premise makes the book sound more exciting than it actually is. This is one of those novels that show a great deal of promise but never gains a great deal of momentum. I've read books with the same themes and they're executed a lot better than this one is. Don't get me wrong. Andrew Lowe is a talented writer, but the book limps along and I really felt obligated to finish it just to see what happens. The book is just boring and the end left me feeling as if I had just wasted three days of my life....

Richard Laymon - Allhallow's Eve 4/5                                                             All Hallow's Eve is an interesting novel for a variety of reasons. It's not your typical Laymon novel. By this time people knew what to expect from him so this to me felt as if he were showing the critics that he was capable of creating a novel that was void of its usual mayhem. Eve is Laymon's attempt at a straight horror novel and surprisingly it works. Laymon proves here that he is a great story teller, but there is the usual references to sex, but not as much as say Come Out Tonight. These are still Laymon characters and when I say that I don't mean that to be derogatory at all. Laymon's characters are all a little flawed and show us that everyone has a darkside. All Hallow's Eve is no exception except for the fact that the action...