Slap Happy Fun Time

 Beware! - Richard Laymon                                                          Richard Laymon is not only one of my favorite authors, he's also a huge influence on my own writing. Beware! is one of his earlier works and it shows in the early going. It's almost as if he wants to make up for the past mistakes of The Woods Are Dark by tapping into mainstream horror and it almost works The problem with Woods was that the failure wasn't his. His publisher gave him a crappy cover and hacked away half of the book. He has a distinct, almost frenetic writing that pulls you in from the opening paragraph. What it lacks is the usual Laymon trademarks, it more than makes up for in plot and pacing. Beware! is an updated version of the Invisible Man, but here, there's nothing redeemable about the guy. He uses his invisibility to create as much mayhem...

 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...

        One Of Us Is Lying - Karen M. McManus  5 stars                                                                   Once in a while you'll find yourself buying a new tablet and setting up all your stuff including your Moonreader app. All I intended to do was get the settings adjusted and well I discovered this among a lot of other books I intended to read but never got around to. If you read the blurb it mentions something about The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars but I aside from the initial detention there's nothing here that comes close to the film at all. One Of Us Is Lying is a great piece of fiction that may be intended for a young adult audience but it's engaging enough for readers of all types. A great novel has the abiiity to cross over into areas effortlessly and engage a...

    Peacemaker #1 3 out of 5 stars                                                                                                I had been doing some comic reviews on another blog I used to use but it seemed to make more sense to move them here. This one is used for book reviews and stuff so why not do comic reviews? They're still books, right? Why not include comic reviews and other comic book related stuff. I read a lot of books and I also read a lot of comics so why can't I do both? You may have a few book snobs who will no doubt frown upon comics being listed among real books, but if you've seen the stuff I read you're probably thinking I'm insane anyway and besides, we could all use a day without our cellphones and just relax on...

      The Haunting at Foxwood Village - Kasey Hill 3/5 stars                                                                                                                                                                     Ghost stories aren't new to fiction and it's hard to keep the genre moving  forward when your subject could be a simple mental condition disguised as something paranormal. I'm not saying that's the case here, but it does follow the usual tropes of paranormal fiction to attract readers while giving you something to think about as you read...

Along Came A Spider - James Patterson 3-5 stars                                                                         It's interesting how you return to a book you've already read and your opinion changes after a long absence. For a long time I was an Alex Cross junkie and devoured the series any chance I could. When I began to read Along Came A Spider I was ready for greatness, ready for that James Patterson rush I used to get everytime I cracked open one of his books. Is it as good as I remember? Yes, and no. Patterson's first Cross novel is an intro of sorts. You get to meet Alex and even meet an sinister guy who's kidnapped a couple of famous kids. Patterson's style is easy to read and focuses more on action than storytelling. Cross is likeable enough but it's Soneji who steals the first half of...