The narrative took a while to resonate with me, which diminished my enjoyment. Initially, I felt disconnected from the protagonists due to their lackluster backstories. As a short story, the failure to captivate from the start is a critical flaw, given the brief window to engage the reader. Although the pace improved towards the end, the story struggled to reach a satisfying conclusion. The lack of explanations for the events left the resolution feeling incomplete.
Allison Bright, a single mother, sought a new beginning. She and her teenage daughter relocated to a dilapidated farmhouse on Maryland’s eastern shore. Soon, they began to realize the reasons behind its affordability.
The book was a swift read, lacking extensive character or setting development, yet it provided some entertainment. This was my first experience with the author’s work, and despite not being an impressive introduction, it has piqued my interest to explore more of their writings. The pace was so brisk that I scarcely had time to form an opinion about the characters, living or dead. The prose was competent; however, I anticipated more suspense and events within the house.
Wyatt Harper resides in a house constructed by his father. Tragically, at the age of 20, Wyatt lost his parents in an accident. Marrying a local woman, he devoted his love to her, aspiring for a lengthy life together. His ominous final words pledged an eternal presence in the home. Years later, Blake, a 22-year-old embalmer, acquires the house, oblivious to its prolonged vacancy’s cause. Uncovering its past compels her to contemplate fleeing.
Although the narrative is somewhat terse, it manages to deliver a modest thrill and kindles curiosity for similar tales. It’s a satisfactory haunted house story, fitting for a late-night read.
This started out by confusing me and then just keeping me wondering. I enjoy a story that has monsters of both the human and otherworldly variety but this one did not really fully immerse me at any time. The blurb is a little deceptive because it makes it sound like one thing when it turns out to be something else altogether, though I will not divulge how it differs. The story jumps around a lot, mainly through time but also locations can change from chapter to chapter and sometimes sections. Once you know who is being targeted and why it seems unnecessary to continue moving through time.
The story is kind of predictable once you get into it and it is also a little overblown. With all of that, I never felt any dread or even a little frightened by what was going on. The characters while well drawn in most cases still did not make me like them enough to ever fully care about what was happening or going to happen to them. Plus the added headache of trying to keep straight who was related to who made me less than happy since I had to keep looking back to remember. I mostly just wanted to know how things were going to end for each. The locations are all familiar in that I know where they are even if I have never been there myself.
The story is told in a non-linear manner which makes it sometimes hard to follow. The ideas behind the story are interesting and I liked them, which is why I wanted to read it. The problem is that it didn’t hold up to what I expected.
The story begins in Victorian England in the year 1894 in the home of a minor noble who has brought together others for an evocation of evil. A young serving girl is curious and hides away to observe what these rich people are doing which requires her to do extra work. As the gathered nobles start their incantations something on the other side of a barrier finds the new life within the girl and decides that using it can further its goals. The child is touched and changed in his mother’s womb and so it begins.
Fast forward to 2004 in Ohio on Christmas Eve and we will find the culmination of all those years in between. The evil has grown up and needs to feed in order to open the door between world that will devastate the human race.
There were some glitches in the narrative with sentences ending abruptly leaving out words obviously in several chapters. The demons and the rift itself do not show up very often and when they do are less than scary. You also have words used in the wrong way or order and the wrong words being used on occasion, but you can usually figure out what is being said.
I liked this well enough though it did not tick all the boxes for me when it comes to a novel I know is supposed to be horror. I would recommend this to anyone who likes horror or supernatural stories.
Upon visiting the bookstore, I inquired with the clerk about a commendable vampire novel, and he recommended this particular one. I am immensely pleased that he did, as I was swiftly engrossed by the narrative. It revolves around a Vampire Huntress (envision Buffy but with an extra dose of sass) who is also a spoken word artist. The underlying themes are spiritual yet resonate with real-world authenticity. This novel marks the beginning of a 12-book saga that transports readers across the globe, reimagining the age-old battle between good and evil in an exceptionally captivating manner. Within its pages, one will encounter numerous figures from biblical and mythological lore, yet the tone remains far from sermonizing.
I deemed it an excellent introductory novel and believe it would appeal greatly to anyone fascinated by vampires and those who vanquish them.
**The narrative persists in its allure, and the mysticism interwoven throughout continues to provoke thought and wonder.
I have to say that this never did really grab me and pull me in but I did slowly start to warm up to the story and the characters as things progressed. The characters seem a little bland, to begin with, and kind of standard since we first meet our main family after the initial lead and they are typical for you would expect, an ex-military dad who you know will be the hero. The mother who loves him but feels he should be more loyal to the family, and sweet kids with that sour teenager thrown in for flavor. They are all present and accounted for, but there is a surprise that made me more interested. Once you get past them we are introduced to more characters in their own segment who you already know are going to be significant to later storylines.
I won’t say that it is totally predictable because it does have a few elements that I have not seen in some other novels in the same genre. But the story so far has been pretty straightforward with some interesting twists that I want to find out more about. There is however the matter of the word ‘yens’, what the heck does it mean. It is used over and over and I got the context, sort of, but still have no idea if this is a real world or a massive typo.
The end of humanity started at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean in a military aircraft carrying the bodies of deceased soldiers home for burial. As the plane flies over the Bermuda Triangle they run into a mysterious cloud bank that seems to cause problems with the plane and finally with their cargo. With the crashing of the plane, the epidemic spread like wildfire from the East Coast across the country and beyond.
Mankind seems doomed but Maynard Dunn, ex-marine, husband, and father seems pegged to lead humankind out of the darkness. He will lead a small group who will fight back and try to save what they can of humanity from the dark force that is trying to wipe them out.
There is some action and blood and gore. The language can be a little vulgar at times but nothing you couldn’t hear just walking down the streets. I would say if you like zombies then you should give this a try. I do want to read book two to see where things go from this ending which was expected.
This is another author that I have never read before and it seems to have become a theme during Christmas that I find new authors that I like. This is said to be a stand-alone novel but I think that even though it can be read without having read the previous books it still might be a good idea to read them to lend more context to the story. Reference is made to situations and people from previous books which can make it hard to understand what is happening sometimes. This was a really good ghost story with subtle but very interesting and well-thought-out imagery.
Steven’s brother and his family are coming for a visit during the holidays after years of staying away. To make things more comfortable for his brother he decides to rent a location for their vacation that will be neutral and hopefully help everyone enjoy themselves. Steven settles on Point No Point, the oldest lighthouse in the region, which offers the lighthouse keepers’ house as their vacation spot. The family finds their holiday turning into a nightmare as they start to notice changes in each other and try to figure out the haunted secrets of Point No Point things take a turn for the worse.
This was a very enjoyable story that had me from beginning to end as I tried to figure out what was going on along with them. The characters were fantastic and the scenery was what you would expect from the Pacific Northwest right down to the weather. It gave me great visuals. The slow build was perfect and added to the atmosphere that was being built within the house.
Because this is a short story collection I generally rate each story separately and then do an average. With that said, I give this 3.71 stars and have rounded it up to 4 for the sake of their system. I fell in love with the Zombie Fallout books after the first one that was given to me by my sister and have been enthralled ever since. This gives you plenty of the folks from the novels getting into general mayhem.
2 stars, ‘Fucking Pepperoni Pizza’. Michael decides to have a couple of slices of pepperoni pizza knowing that it does not agree with him. When it wakes him up in the night he starts to feel that something is not right. Then he sees something that he hopes is a pepperoni dream.
3.5 stars, ‘Mike in Trouble Again’. Tracy wants Mike to keep his promise to clean out the garage and he tries to get out of it. When he finally starts the work he manages to fall, hit his head, and end up in some alternate universe. Somehow he pulls BT with him and they are being stalked.
4 stars, ‘Michael’s Haunted Adventure’. Mike is asked to conduct a tour of a haunted location because of his own weird experiences with the paranormal. The Paranormal Examining Society has set up a tour of a haunted penitentiary and he is doing it for almost nothing. Turns out things are a lot more spooky than he planned for.
2.5 stars, ‘Through My Baby’s Eyes’. Mercury Jones was born to teenage parents who were forced into marriage. His father stayed around long enough to give him the bizarre name and then took off for parts unknown. His mother found solace in heroin and abandoned her son in that way. Raised by his grandparents he grew into a good young man but suffers from multiple ailments because of his fathers’ many vices. He has tried to live well for a long time and finally, it all catches up to him.
4 stars, ‘Mayan Prophesy’. Michael is trapped with Travis, Tracy, Henry, and Rylie (their bulldogs) in their home on Christmas Eve. The zombies come out of the woods and find their way into the basement where they start to make their way into the house proper. Mike does not have the time he did before and things look a lot more grim.
5 stars, ‘A Visit From That Bitch Eliza’. Okay, this is a poem set to a very familiar Christmas one. You will enjoy it.
5 stars, ‘Henry’s Story’. That bulldog who always seems to be in the right place at the right time gets his own little aside. He does what he does best, takes care of his human.
Most of the stories do not have a Christmas theme but there are two which do. I had been going for a Christmas novel but this still worked fine for me because I do love to deal with Michael Talbot and his penchant for trouble. You get Michael at his snarky best in pretty much each story not to mention BT who is always entertaining in his weird friendship with Mike. I think anyone who enjoys Zombie Fallout or any Mark Tufo novel will be happy with these tales.
This was one of those books that it took me a while to get into. I liked the idea of the book and after reading the blurb I was prepared to totally like it but it did not click right away. I think it partially had to do with the main character, I had a hard time warming up to her. She was actually rather dull at the beginning though I had decided I liked her by the time we were getting to the end. The fact that the story was two-pronged both helped and hurt me. I understood that it was a matter of telling the story of Ichabod Crane as well as bringing it into the present it was not bad and I liked the way that his story was handled, the present just didn’t flow as well. I also liked that Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle were prominent parts of his story.
Ichabod Crane and his friends go to Sleepy Hollow where he has been retained as the Schoolmaster. After the war, they are all just wanting to find work and live out their lives as peacefully as possible. But they have come to the wrong place to find that peace because Sleepy Hollow is under a curse that seems to be pulling them in. Ichabod has fallen in love with a girl who has been promised to another. Rip is making a reputation for himself under Ichabod’s name and Irving is just being himself. When the Horseman rides and seems to be coming for his beloved Ichabod makes the ultimate sacrifice.
Ireland Crane is looking to make a fresh start in Sleepy Hollow after a bad breakup that has left her mistrustful of men. She has no idea that bearing her name in that town is not the best of ideas. She comes there as a guidance counselor to the local High School and proceeds to fall into the role it seems she was always meant to play. When the Horseman seems to reappear and she becomes a prime suspect things could not seem worse. Then she finds a squatter in her basement who turns out to be Rip Van Winkle and he tells her that she is cursed.
With bodies dropping and no knowledge of why or how she seems to be involved Ireland must try to believe something so fantastic it could only be a movie. But to break the curse she will help someone she has never believed existed.
The story is a good one but it took a while for me to connect, this does not mean it would be the same for anyone else. Once it gets going well the story takes on a life of its own and draws you in. I am debating on reading the remaining books in the series but may just see where things go after she takes charge.
I would recommend it to anyone who likes the retelling of old myths and legends.
This is the first thing I have ever read by this author and it was a nice introduction to his work. It was not something I was immediately drawn into but it did not take long for me to see that I was going to enjoy it. The characters actually made this whole story for me because I liked them almost from the start and was rooting for my favorites to get out alive. Which is pretty foolish when you have a story that you know is going to have a high body count. You get some standard monsters and some not-so-standard monsters, the main thing is that they are some evil monsters.
Four years ago a forest popped up in the middle of the New Mexico desert on the outskirts of Cromay, a small town that was taken unaware. There were not a lot of survivors that day but those who got out told tales of creatures that made the skin crawl. It didn’t take long for someone to come along and see the possibilities and so the Haunted Forest Tours began.
Christopher Brummit was having a very bad day but then he gets a call from his mother, Mindy, telling him that she has gotten tickets for the Halloween Haunted Forest tour for the two of them. He is excited and does not give his problems any further thought. When they arrive they go through the presentation and finally board a tram that will take them into the heart of the forest instead of the usual trip on the outskirts. What they find inside that forest will be with them forever if they can manage to make it out with mind and body intact.
There is quite a bit of action to find in this story. Some might find it gory, and it does have a bit of gore but nothing too excessive. While I liked the end I think that it was anticlimactic in a lot of ways, it just seemed to be very abrupt. This was a well-paced, roller coaster ride through a monster-filled territory that will thrill most and scare some. I would recommend this to anyone who likes horror with some light comic relief!
I have never read anything by this author before and found that I do like them, though this book could have been a little shorter. While I appreciate the attention to detail from character development to the nuance of the plot, it could have been toned down to make the thriller aspects a bit more thrilling. The supernatural was well represented as were the religious aspects but I never felt any true sense of urgency while reading. That’s not to say that I did not enjoy it because I did, it just never fully engulfed me.
Sleeping collects the Unwanted, a child not created/born from want. They are the guardians of the underworld who feed on tormented souls. When they enter our world they are the ones who haunt those they believe belong in Hell. The Sleeping is relentless and employs whatever means are needed to obtain the souls of those they have laid claim to.
James has seen The Sleeping since he was five years old and has been fighting them since that time. They continue coming for him and he hides as best he can from them, but the things he does keep him firmly on their radar.
No real action to speak of, not scary, just not. As I have said it has a decent story with some characters that will make you hate them or love them but you will feel something about them. I just wish there had been more going on besides all the explaining about what this is and what that is. But someone will enjoy it.
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