I hope you are having the best start to August. Kids are almost back in school, Summer is almost over, and Fall is just around the corner. How can things get better? With these amazing books, of course!
Let’s get cold with Mother Cold, bloody and sexy with Jane and her beau, tuck ourselves in with some Brian Evenson, and fall asleep with killer Batman (seriously, the guy killed people… a broken neck, pffft.)
Time to start the fire…
THIS HOUSE WILL NEVER BE WARM
By Paul Avery Tindol
RELEASE: August 16,2024
Talk about the perfect story for the heat of this summer! Tindol has you covered so turn on the heat and get a blanket, it’s about to get cold.
Marty is a Confederate soldier in 1864 and things, well, we know the history books. It’s not looking good and when he is given an option to live but his subsequent lineage must give one child per generation to Mother Cold. Enter Jasper and Autumn, brother and sister, who just so happen to be the most recent generation that is in peril. Will they figure out a way to stop the deal or will Mother Cold claim another?
HOLY SHIT, friends. This was not only a great historical fiction story, but one of familial ties and loyalty. There are more turns in here than GPS has in its system. Tindol makes you feel, smell, and fear the cold, actual and supernatural.
Absolutely stellar and a must read. A HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5/5.
This House Will Never Be Warm - Kindle edition by Tindol, Paul Avery. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
VILE
By Ash Ericmore
Joe Nobody and Jane have an interesting start to their relationship. He runs into her with a cab he stole from a cabbie he killed. Come to find out, Jane, is a possible international spy. The spice is spicy, and the blood is bloody.
Ericmore is at his best with this one. Sex, blood, and potato peelers (wait… what?) say nothing of the wit in this short. The one thing Ash constantly can do is make you giggle at the most inappropriate things. We shouldn’t laugh at a man being tortured… but when you add in all the inner monologue and one liners, well, pants will be peed.
Another homerun for Ericmore.
A HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5/5.
GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT
By Brian Evenson
RELEASE: September 10, 2024
GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT is my first collection (or any form of prose) by Evenson and was I impressed. There are nineteen stories that hit on social commentary, current worries of technology, and our secret fears.
Let’s get into them.
The Sequence - when childish games come with a haunting conclusion.
The Cabin - when stage fright of not telling a story can get you more than booed.
The Rider - Don’t knock on doors and stay away from creepy children. (This one scared me a bit.)
A True Friend - Blood isn’t always thicker than water.
Annex - What lengths would you go to continue your line even if you aren’t human?
Untitled (Cloud of Blood) - A gore laden short that is reminiscent of THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY.
The Thickening - Greppur must deal with a sleep entity that has followed him from childhood to adulthood.
Mother - a “child” goes in search of the truth after finding a shiny, metal object.
Good Night, Sleep Tight - This one will keep you up at night for a while. Read with all the lights on. Trust me.
Vigil in the Inner Room - Oh, don’t turn the lights out yet. It gets scary again. (My favorite of the collection.)
The Other Floor - I have my theories on the theme in this story and it’s depressing. (Loved this one, too.)
Imagine a Forest - Could you, without regret, save only nine people out of fifty-three?
Maternity - A scary yet perfectly written story that deals with PPD.
The Night Archer - Two children realize that their fantastical tale may have some truth behind it.
Servitude - What happens when the servants become Masters and slaves are only ones that can save them?
It Does Not Do What You Think It Does - The main character meets a stranger who doesn’t know what he is haunted by.
Under Care - The main character cannot understand where he is or why he has a tube in his side.
Never Little, Never Grows - Given the chance to have your memories restored, could you go through with it?
Solution - This story puts the fun in dysfunctional family.
Evenson’s stories of AI gone rogue, decimated environments, and unspoken nightmares channel some of the greats: Hemingway, Wilde, and Asimov to frighten and exhilarate.
A DOUBLE HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 10/5.
Good Night, Sleep Tight - Kindle edition by Evenson, Brian. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
BATMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE Vol. 1
By Bob Kane
We have this idea of Batman that he doesn’t kill the bad guy and is the getter of evil. But did you know he was a little more morally grey at the beginning of his comics?
THE GOLDEN AGE Vol. 1 are the DETECTIVE COMICS 27-45, BATMAN 1-3 an d NEW YORK’S WORLD FAIR COMIC #1. There are 417 pages of pure crime stopping action. Readers are introduced to Robin, The Joker, Catwoman, Clayface, Professor Strange and a bunch more.
But also, we see Batman killing some villains. Some ways are noose hanging from batplane, breaking necks, and many more creative ways for Batman to kill people. The comics are darker than I would have expected but also, really engaging and page turning. Even for the 30s and 40s, while the artistry was nothing to what we are used to, there was still that sense of immersion into the city of Gotham.
I couldn’t stop reading it and telling my Batman obsessed ten year old new trivia (although I did leave out the whole killing factoids). A must read for fans and nosy readers alike.
A HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5/5.
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