Blackbirds

Written by: Chuck Wendig
Published by:  Angry Robot  Books
Page Count: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0857662309
ISBN-13:  978-0857662309
Where to buy: Angry Robot, Amazon, and other fine book retailers

Publisher’s comments:
Miriam Black knows when you will die.

Still in her early twenties, she’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and slow deaths by cancer. But when Miriam hitches a ride with truck driver Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be gruesomely murdered while he calls her name.

Miriam has given up trying to save people;  that only makes their deaths happen. But Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim. No matter what she does she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.

Hey folks,

One of the perks of being an assistant editor for SNS is that I get a look at some really cool books that come in for review and it always excites me when a new batch becomes available. Wondering what hidden treasures we will be able to unearth  always stokes my inner lit-geek. But the downside of that (and, really, the only drawback to being assistant editor) is that, from time to time, we get something in that I just know is going to be great…. but I have to let it go so that someone can review it quickly. Sarah and I get to build our own “to read” piles but we have a whole staff of hungry reviewers who love good stories just as much as we do. And every now and then I throw a tidbit to them that looks tasty enough that it makes me wish that I had time and energy (and sanity) enough to review them all.

I had a sneaking suspicion that that was going to be the case with the novel that Marc is reviewing below.

But I will let him fill in the details for you……..

Enjoy!

Floyd

Chuck Wendig’s writing is sharp, and I don’t just mean sharp as a tack. I mean sharp as a razor blade when you’re all out of shave cream. Sharp as the teeth in the maw of a shark swimming toward your head. Sharp as a switchblade in the hands of that shady looking character who passed you just now and slid it into your liver before the pain even had time to register, and there he goes, padding off softly with your wallet and expensive wristwatch. Its sharp like that.

Blackbirds  tells the story of Miriam, a girl with the “gift” of being able to see exactly when and how people will die just by touching them. She’s a naughty girl to be sure, a self-described vulture in a world of wolves and sheep. See, Miriam uses her ability to find people who are going to kick off the mortal coil sooner than later, then hangs around to empty their pockets when death comes to claim them.

Wendig’s voice as an author is astounding. There is a very Pahlaniuk vibe to the brevity of his sentences and the hyper-realism of his dialog. The imagery is excellent, the action is frantic but never hard to follow, and the pacing is more than excellent – it is perfect.

The characters come off a bit clichéd at first glance: the picaresque heroine who we all hope “does the right thing at the end”; the smarmy egotistical con-man with balls far bigger than his brains; the quiet hardened killers; the too-creepy-for-words Eurotrash villain. But there is a depth to every character in this book that challenges and defies their very core concepts, elevating them FAR above the initial cliché they appear to be.

I’m not only glad that I read Blackbirds, I’m also a little pissed that I didn’t write it. It is *that* good. I am so impressed with Blackbirds that I know with 100% certainty that the next book I buy for myself will be by Wendig. And probably the one after that, too.

Final Thoughts:
This is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. Blackbirds is like a roller coaster with broken brakes, where Satan is the carnie running the ride and the amusement park is in one of the Nine Circles of Hell. I honestly think Chuck Wendig is probably deranged and likely some kind of prophet of the coming apocalypse; and all I can say is that I want to drink the Kool-Aid when he starts passing it around. This book was so good that not only did I love it, I kinda hated it too… and that’s good writing.

Without hesitation, Blackbirds deserves 5 out of 5 tentacles. Maybe even more.

Marc Nocerino, Columnist/Reviewer

The Whisperer in Darkness

Actors: Matt Foyer, Barry Lynch, Matt Lagan, Stephen Blackehart, Daniel Kaemon
Written by: H.P. Lovecraft (story), Sean Branney (screenplay), Andrew Leman (screenplay)
Directed by: Sean Branney
Produced by: Sean Branney, Andrew Leman, David Robertson
Format: Black & White, Subtitled, Deluxe Edition, Dual Disc, NTSC
Run Time: 104 minutes
Where to buy:
HPLHS Bazaar, Arkham Bazaar, and other fine DVD retailers

About the Movie:
Written in 1931, H.P. Lovecraft’s iconic genre-bending tale of suspense and alien terrors is brought to life in the style of the classic horror films of the 1930s like Frankenstein, Dracula and King Kong. Using its Mythoscope™ process — a mix of vintage and modern techniques — the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society expands on Lovecraft’s original tale while still bringing you unparalleled authenticity.

Horror and science fiction collide in the adventure of Albert Wilmarth, a folklore professor at Miskatonic University, as he investigates legends of strange creatures rumored to dwell in the most remote mountains of Vermont. Wilmarth’s investigation leads him to a discovery of horrors quite beyond anything he ever imagined, and ends in a desperate attempt to escape the remote New England hills with his life and sanity intact.

The studio that brought you The Call of Cthulhu now presents one of Lovecraft’s weirdest tales as a feature-length talkie starring Matt Foyer as the intrepid folklorist, Albert Wilmarth. Celebrated television and stage star Barry Lynch plays Henry Akeley, supported by an ensemble of outstanding actors. Shot on location in New England and in Hollywood, The Whisperer in Darkness brings Lovecraft’s intense imagination to vivid life in the style of the 1930s.

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

Today I am very excited to share my thoughts on The Whisperer in Darkness by HPLHS. I have been impatiently waiting to see the film since our live interview with Sean and Andrew back in 2010. So without further ado, I present the movie and extras through the eyes of a Lovecraft fan – moi. Enjoy, my fiends!

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

First let me get the geek grrl squees out of the way – THIS MOVIE RULED! What a fun trip. I have seen it three times already and still have not had enough. This is one of those movies I will be showing people for many years to come! Totally worth the wait! *phew* Ok, now that that is out of the way I can talk about this as a critic.

This film was shot as a 1930′s style talkie. If there is one thing the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society is good at, it is creating period pieces and props. All Call of Cthulhu fans are bound to agree with me on this.

I was curious to see how they would make the Mi-Go. Would it be practical, cgi, what was the design going to look like? Oh so many questions. I will tell you this much. They were perfect for the look and feel of the film. (You can learn all about “Creating the Mi-Go” on the special features disc – see movie first to avoid spoilers!)

Who doesn’t love a brain in a jar? For those unfamiliar with the story I will try to leave this as vague as possible. The Mi-Gos had a method of transporting beings from one planet to another. The HPLHS did a beautiful job with this of course.

I bite my nails as I write this review, because this film is so hard to talk about without giving spoilers. So I will now just talk a bit about the practical fx in this picture. Hollywood has such a bad habit of going straight to cgi of late. So it was beautiful to see so much old school work in a film. Shooting in black and white gives you a bit of wiggle room as far as what you can get away with. They made it work. (Again, see special features — but only AFTER you have watched the flick.)

The acting in the movie was stellar. I have to say, there was a lot of rain in the film and the soaked actors took it like troopers. There was a child actor in the film. This is always touch and go, especially when you are talking about a genre film. Not only was she not over-the-top, she showed a broad range. I was quite impressed at the end of the film. It took until the end of the film for me to see this, because she was so believable and worked so well with the other actors. I believe Autumn Wendel, if she keeps at it, will grow into a fine addition to cinematic royalty.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the original score for this film. Troy Sterling Nies really pulls the film together with his creepy and delightfully mad score. Bravo, Troy!

And now for the extras…

The second disc is packed with goodies for those of us who dig the behind-the-scenes thing. There are tons of featurettes and they are all intriguing with great insight into the art of filmmaking.

In addition the folks at HPLHS includes deleted scenes and all  three trailers for the film!

Final Thoughts:
If you are a Lovecraft fan  - this is a must own film. If you enjoy early “talkies” – this is a must own film. If you’re into suspense and terror – this is a must own film. Heck, this just needs to be in everybody’s film library. Seriously, go buy it now! I can’t say enough about The Whisperer in Darkness. It far surpassed my expectations. It is a beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, well-written, film… I think even Mr. Lovecraft would be proud. I believe you know where I am going with this, wicked ones. This film gets the rare 6 out of 5 tentacles and a hearty Iä! Iä!

Sarah L. Covert -

Creator/Editor/Reviewer/Columnist/Reporter

Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom
[An All Ages Graphic Novel]

Writers: Bruce Brown and Dwight L. MacPherson
Artist: Thomas Boatwright
Publisher: Arcana Comics
ISBN-10: 1926914848
ISBN-13: 978-1926914848
Diamond Code: JAN12 0814
Where to buy:
Arcana, Amazon, and your favorite local comic book store (tell them to order it NOW!)

Publisher’s Comments:
Howard Lovecraft’s family has been imprisoned on a far-flung alien planet, Spot hopelessly captured, and he is slowly becoming a mindless Fishman. Accompanied by his insane father, a pistol-packing constable and his hungry cat, they must face the all-powerful ruler of the Outer Gods, a revengeful old enemy, an army of deadly monsters, and a lethal world called Yuggoth, to save the day. All Howard has to do is surrender his father’s Book. But that would mean certain doom for all of mankind.

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

Generally I take hold of every Lovecraftian piece that crosses my desk… but occasionally I like to toss them to one of my Minions who also love the Mythos. It was easy to find the perfect candidate… this is an all ages book and Marc (a lover of all things Lovecraftian) just had his first child. It seemed like a great fit. So, without further ado, I will leave this in Marc’s capable tentacles. Enjoy, my fiends!

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

P.S.
Marc will be interviewing Bruce Brown live on Saturday, February 11th at 6:30PM Eastern, Tune-in!

I got a real treat earlier this month when Sarah asked me to review the outstanding new comic, Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom, written by Bruce Brown and Dwight L. MacPherson, with art by Thomas Boatwright.

HPL Undersea (which I’ll just be calling it for short) is the sequel to 2009’s Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom; but really this book stands alone just fine. Brown and MacPherson do a great job keeping the reader up to speed on the story with contextual clues; and anyone who knows Lovecraft’s Mythos will have a pretty good idea what is going on. I hadn’t read the Frozen Kingdom before reading HPL Undersea, though I have read it since, and it honestly isn’t necessary to read it first. (Though I would be remiss if I didn’t say that Frozen Kingdom was a fun ride, too).

HPL Undersea centers around good ol’ Howard Phillips Lovecraft as a young whippersnapper of eight-ish years old, and implies that HPL wrote all those wacky stories later in life because his dad was a cultist, and that HPL had actually met Cthulhu, Shoggoths, King Abdul (a reference to Abdul AlHazred, I’m assuming), and Azathoth while still a child. Of course, he calls Cthulhu “Spot”, but what else would a little kid call a twenty foot tall octopus-headed green humanoid?

Now, I know some die-hard Lovecraft fans might get their tentacles in a twist at someone taking such a bizarre, comedic take on “the Gentleman from Providence”, but I assure you this comic is fun, witty, and an enjoyable read despite the liberties taken. In fact, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that part of me was initially turned-off at just how glib and creative Burns and MacPherson treated their rendition of someone whom I so admire.

But it is that same glibness and creativity that quickly won me over. There is such wit in the dialog that I found myself re-reading the comic from cover to cover as soon as I had finished my first read-though. The dialog is quick and funny, although it is by no means authentically “period”. In many ways, though, the lapses into modern slang make it even funnier.

On top of the clever writing, the art is great too. Boatwright does an excellent job infusing retro-style comic art with the unspeakable horror of the Lovecraft Mythos. Some panels remind me of Sunday comics, and there is a subtle undercurrent of Calvin and Hobbes in the interplay between Howard and Spot. But Boatwright really stretches the boundaries, having some panels that look like acrylic or oil paintings next to ones that look like they could have crawled out of an old Archie comic. Really well done.

I’m not one for spoilers, but I want to give a brief summary of the plot just so you can see how off-the-rails this story is. HPL’s father is locked in Arkham Asylum, apparently having gone insane from penning “the Book”, which is for all intents and purposes the Necronomicon. Young Lovecraft has the book, but King Abdul, a not-very-nice Lizard Man and the former ruler of R’Lyeh, wants it for his own nefarious purposes. Lovecraft is thrust into an adventure with his loony dad, a salty old policeman, and of course Cthulhu to stop King Abdul’s evil plan to use the Book to bring about all kinds of nastiness.

Final Thoughts:
While not my favorite Lovecraft inspired comic book, it certainly was an enjoyable tale once I stopped being a “fanboy” and started just enjoying the comic for what it was. The art is fantastic, the writing is witty, and the story is fun in the most ridiculous way. I give this book a 4 out of 5 tentacles.

Marc Nocerino, Minion (Columnist/Reviewer)

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

We have some terrorific news to share today from the folks at Tartarus Press. It is a little late (sorry Ray), but it is never too late for good news… I will now turn the virtual mic over to Tartarus Press. Enjoy, my fiends!

Absrtusely,
Sarah L. Covert

We are delighted to announce a paperback reprint of Quentin S. Crisp‘s short story collection, Morbid Tales. In these eight immaculately realized strange stories, Quentin S. Crisp delves deep into the decadence of contemporary life. The fresh originality of the tales and their settings: an English country garden in ‘Cousin X’; contemporary Japan in ‘A Lake’: is matched by the elegance of the writing. They are unified, perhaps, by a yearning for the achingly perfect, ecstatic moment.

Contains: Foreword by Mark Samuels, “The Mermaid”, “Far-Off Things”, “Cousin X”, “A Lake”, “The Two-Timer”, “The Tattooist”, “Ageless”, “Autumn Colours”.

ISBN 978-1-905784-36-3
Morbid Tales is a paperback book of 267 pages.
Price: £12.95/$30 inc p&p

Quiet Houses

Written by: Simon Kurt Unsworth
Published by: Dark Continents (Septmenber 20, 2011)
Page Count: 148
ISBN-10: 0983624518
ISBN-13: 978-0983624516
Where to buy:
Dark Continents, Amazon, and other fine book retailers

Publisher’s Comments:
THE HOUSES ARE QUIET.
IT IS THEIR RESIDENTS WHO ARE SCREAMING…
“No-one could be that unhappy and be alive…” A chambermaid’s seemingly innocent request is granted, an act of kindness that has dire consequences for a guest at THE ELMS, MORECAMBE…
“I wish I had been right; I wish that it had been a man, or death alone, that had found her…” An unearthly light in an abandoned bungalow resolves the mystery of a missing child, but no human force has taken her. An entity that fishes for children is in THE MERRY HOUSE, SCALE HALL…
“Go beyond the graves, and they will come to you.” An invitation to a clifftop graveyard leads to a harrowing chase by things that remain unseen BEYOND ST PATRICK’S CHAPEL.
“The great delight in being part of the Save Our Shit crew was that sometimes they could persuade those designers of the present and the future to save or incorporate the past into their designs.” In THE OCEAN GRAND hotel, work is underway to upgrade the building but something is stalking the workers…
“Something white came out. Something white, screaming and screaming…” Jobs fit for heroes, they were promised after the Great War. They were given something else in THE TEMPLE OF RELIEF AND EASE.
There is a hidden agenda to paranormal researcher Richard Nakata’s investigations into these houses. A commission that witnesses cattle lowing in the cowsheds of STACK’S FARM long after they’ve been slaughtered, and a reckoning in the showhouse of 24 GLASSHOUSE, as he and his colleagues pay the price for creating their own ghost…
Simon Kurt Unsworth reinvents the classic English ghost story with a portmanteau collection that takes the haunted house genre and makes it scream…quietly.
Because the most terrifying screams are the silent ones.

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

I have known about Simon’s book, “Quiet Houses”, for some time now. I was thrilled when it found a home and when a review copy came across my desk, I knew just the Minion to assign it to. So, without further ado, I will let Marc tell you all the gory details. Enjoy, my fiends!

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

Quiet Houses, by Simon Kurt Unsworth, is the best book I’ve read in 2012. OK, it is also the first I’ve read this year, but so far we’re off to a great start!

Quiet Houses is a modern version of the classic Ghost Story. Actually, it’s a few ghost stories all wrapped into a central narrative centering around one Richard Nakata.

What can I say about Nakata? Well, he is the first protagonist in a long time who I actually truly empathize with. He reads more like a human being and less like a character. He is curious, empathetic, braver than he gives himself credit for, and yet fragile. He also has a “crisis of faith”, of sorts, though as a scientist his epiphanies come in the form of the dialectic between his belief in the empirical and his experiences based on his own psychic sensitivity.

The story follows Nakata as he conducts research into ghostly phenomena around a series of people and places. Sometimes he simply interviews people about their own experiences, but other times he is right there in the thick of the paranormal activity.

Some of the vignettes read like they may have been written as separate short stories and inserted into the Nakata narrative (second time I’ve seen this in a book I’ve reviewed for SNS, though maybe that’s just my own interpretation). These insertions in no way take away from the credibility of the work as a whole, and at no time did they feel ham-fisted or forced. On the contrary, they fit quite well into the “interview” framework Unsworth has set up.

There are some very tense moments, as Nakata or the various one-off heroes tell their stories. Unsworth’s descriptions are vivid, and I could easily envision the places and people he wrote about. In a few of the scenes (particularly the walking trail and SOS crew chapters) I could literally envision myself there, and consider my life the richer for having seen those places.

So, how were the ghost stories themselves, you ask? Brilliant for the most part, I answer. Unsworth is inventive and creative, taking old tropes and time-honored tales of haunted places and inserting his own unique take on the underlying reasons and catalysts for the ghostly presences.

But alas, there is always a negative. In Quiet Houses, I found that the tension and drama building up to each climax to be far superior to the climaxes themselves. Unsworth has such a subtle touch in ramping up the adrenaline of his characters (and his readers) that it came as a big letdown to me when, time and again, the ghostly manifestations read too much like the “jump scenes” so popular in bad modern horror films. I had high hopes that the big reveals would be handled with the same delicacy that permeated the rest of the novel, but such was not the case. These scenes just seemed disappointingly out of character with the rest of the book’s flavor.

Final Thoughts:
This is an excellent book. Characterization, setting, plotting, tension, pacing — all these are handled beautifully. Plus, the stories are FUN to read. Other than the actual manifestations, which are a bit over-the-top for my tastes, these ghost stories are suspenseful and scary. Had the climaxes been written as skillfully and subtly as their setups, I would have given Quiet Houses a perfect review; but as it is this book still gets a resounding 4 1/2 out of 5 tentacles.

Marc Nocerino, Minion (Columnist/Reviewer)

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

Please help us in welcoming our newest staff member, Paul Weir – the mastermind behind Mr. Clown (learn more about him on our staff page).

He and I enjoyed our Friday the 13th Twitter-a-thon so much that we have decided to make this a monthly event.

February 25th (at 11PM Eastern) we will be watching Prom Night with world class scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis! We’ll be sure to mention it again as we get closer so if you don’t have it you can rent it and tweet-along with us!

Welcome aboard, Paul! We are glad to have you amongst our horde!

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

Did you miss today’s live interview with Trent Zelazny? Well don’t worry! We have it archived and commercial free >>right here<< !!! Enjoy, my fiends!

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

The show begins at 6:30PM Eastern. If the player isn’t working, refresh the page. Enjoy, wicked ones!

Listen to internet radio with SheNeverSlept on Blog Talk Radio

Empire State

Written by:   Adam Christopher
Published by:  Angry Robot
Page Count: 448 pages
ISBN-10:  0857661930
ISBN-13:   978-0857661937
Where to buy:
Amazon, Angry Robot, and other fine book retailers

Publisher’s comments:
The stunning superhero-noir fantasy thriller set in the other New York.

It was the last great science hero fight, but the energy blast ripped a hole in reality, and birthed the Empire State – a young, twisted parallel prohibition-era New York.

When the rift starts to close, both worlds are threatened, and both must fight for the right to exist.

Adam Christopher’s stunning debut novel heralds the arrival of an amazing new talent.

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

Today we are proud to present a review of Empire State by our tentacular Assistant Editor Floyd Brigdon. I have not heard much about this book, but it seems like a very interesting cross-genre book. I am sure I will be adding it to my very long list of books to read in my “free time” (translation: when my review pile dwindles).

Since this book has Noir elements, I find this the perfect time to remind you about our interview with the phantastic author Trent Zelazny. The live interview will begin at 6:30PM Eastern and we will leave the line open for call-in questions for the full half hour of the show. We’ll be discussing his latest book Destination Unknown and who knows what else! So do tune in and don’t be shy – call in with your questions! The player will be on SNS early in the day. If you don’t hear the show begin at 6:30, refresh the page.

And now back to your regularly scheduled program… I will leave things on Floyd’s capable hands. Enjoy, my fiends!

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

When I first dove into Adam Christopher’s Empire State, I expected something like a superhero-noir-mystery-action/adventure-blowout. After finishing the novel, I can safely tell you that it is absolutely nothing like that. It delivers nothing at all like the story that I had envisioned when I read the little bit that is available on Angry Robot’s website about the novel.

But what it does deliver is so, so much more than I could have ever imagined.

Early in my reading of Empire State I was considering calling the novel a mixed bag. I thought that the opening was very engaging and almost immediately gripping. Christopher doesn’t waste any time at all with background or backstory but, instead, throw the reader immediately right into the thick of things and that is a definite plus. On the negative side, however, there were many transitions in the first few chapters (really the first third of the book) that were very jarring, with scenes shifting in the middle of a page. I was reading this on a Kindle and thought, for a while, that maybe the effect was due to a formatting error, but these transitions often left me with more than a few “What the hell?” moments.

Having finished the novel and being able to look back at those moments, I am happy to say that Empire State is one of those novels where almost everything in it… even the “flaws”… makes sense in the long run.

The story is a huge mash-up of a lot of different genre tropes and ideas. You have some superheroes, some steampunk elements and some science fiction ideas all blended with noir imagery and, at its backbone, a good old detective story. But if I had to pick just one label to put on this novel I would use “pulp” because  Empire State often felt like a classic pulp story… and some of the chapters even use the good old cliff-hanger endings. The novel plays around with all of these very broad genres and styles but it consistently refuses to succumb to the temptation to be stereotypical itself. The characters are larger than life (and very unusual in some surprising ways) and the story that they are involved in unfolds with a captivating pace (and I loved the nod to Fredric Wertham).

I can tell that Adam Christopher had a great time while writing this novel. You can almost feel that in every part of the story and it is an infectious feeling.

Final Thoughts:
Empire State  both defied and exceeded my initial expectations. It is a very enjoyable read that I would suggest to anyone who has the vaguest of interest in the genres that it touches on. I found out about one of the neatest and most unique aspects of the novel when I was reading its afterward. Christopher and Angry Robot  have made the world of Empire State  that is open to other creators and writers and have already spawned a number of works building onto the original piece (including an RPG!). Now that alone should tell you something about how inspirational this novel truly is. I give it and enthusiastic five out of five tentacles and look forward to seeing what comes next from the pen of Adam Christopher.

Floyd Brigdon, Assistant Editor/Columnist/Reviewer