Horror World Book Reviews
June, 2008

BROKEN ON THE WHEEL OF SEX: THE JERZY LIVINGSTON YEARS By Jack Ketchum
Review by Dave Simms

In the introduction to this very different collection by Mr. Girl Next Door/Off Season/Peaceable Kingdom, we find out that Jack Ketch means “executioner” in British slang. It seems he’s a little worried as to how his fans will digest this spattering of sex themed stories.

He shouldn’t be worried; if you were a fan before, you’ll still be one after reading the stories. To be able to cut his teeth for $150-300 a pop in skin mags when the rest of writing world would sell their internal organs for that pay is amazing, especially when you consider that these were composed between 1976 and 1981! Add that most of these are mostly sexual in nature and you can’t feel sorry for the guy.

One constant throughout this collection is Stroup, an interesting character who seems to embody the sexual mindset of the seventies. He enters each story with a purpose, leaving the other characters changed somehow by tale’s end. Funny, cruel, sad, kinky – you name it, Stroup’s done it. Male readers will likely envy him and females might hate him (or remember dating a similar man while clenching whitening fists). As the title suggests, there is LOTS of sex, kinky at times (even a board game?) and story titles that I’d lose body parts if quoted in this review. Regardless, there will be a reaction, and I’d bet money that’s what Ketchum was aiming for. Reading a horror legend as grows and tumbles through the formative years can be quite enlightening. Fans will be able to see the genesis of Ketchum’s earlier novels and possibly understand the twisted brains behind Off Season, Offspring, and Joyride.

Set in three sections, Mr. Jerzy Livingston (a nom-de-porn as he calls it) writes pre-Ketchum material first in short story form, followed by nonfiction entries, to close the collection with “Sheep Meadow Story,” a tale reviewed by me in Triage (along with Laymon and Lee) that marks the return of Stroup. Love him or hate him, you’ll find yourself feeling something strong towards Jack – and Stroup. I think that’s a good thing.

Delirium Books

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

THE TAKEN By Sarah Pinborough
Review by Patricia Snodgrass

It’s raining in Somerset again, just like it rained forty years ago, when a flood cut the town off from the rest of the world and ten year old Melanie Parr was carried away when she fell into a rain swollen river.

But there is more going on than just the death of a little girl that everyone secretly feared and despised. The adults, especially the women in the village have their own secrets about what happened that day. And now, after four decades, Melanie has returned, bringing along friends she picked up along the way. And the most powerful friend of all is an ancient being that she has learned how to control. And she uses his awful power to wreak vengeance upon the town.

Alex, a woman who is dying herself, has to find a way to stop Mary if she can. And since the girl has grown so powerful, stopping her is going to take an act of God. Or a God, at least.

Sarah Pinborough’s book The Taken is absolutely wonderful. It is filled with suspense virtually from page one, heavy with tension and has a command on horror that reminds me of those wonderful old masters I read as a kid.

Nor have I been so disturbed by reading such a story. The scene where Mary plays ‘fishing with Kate’ literally had me crawling backwards up my recliner. Other scenes, while tastefully done and very plausible, were heart breaking. Alex sees what had happened to the little dead boy who becomes her impromptu guide into the ‘between’ for example. Sarah had me in tears. And the ending…the ending is so wonderful, so satisfying, it left me breathless.

I don’t’ want to tell you more about the story because I don’t’ want to spoil it for you. But what I will say is that you have got to read this book. It is the most well written and deeply disturbing books I’ve read in a long time. If you buy only one horror novel this year, make it The Taken. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Leisure books

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

LESS LONELY PLANET by Rhys Hughes
Review by Joe Kroeger

After finishing Rhys Hughes newest collection, Less Lonely Planet, I’ve been racking my brain to categorize exactly where within the genre this short story collection should be placed and all I can come up with is this is just a flat-out fun reading experience. With a sprinkle of science fiction and a dash of fantasy mixed with a whole lot of humor, Less Lonely Planet stands out on its own with an originality and all-out humor that you don’t see very often within the sci-fi and fantasy genre. It seems that Hughes has taken up the baton from such great humorous writers as Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman and run off in his own direction proving he is an author that stands out from the rest. Less Lonely Planet by Rhys Hughes is an extremely enjoyable short story collection that will leave you with a whole new humorous outlook on life.

The central theme of Less Lonely Planet that loosely interconnects each story of the collection is that an alien planet collides with Earth fusing the two planets together which doubles the surface area and forces two separate race of beings to live together. Never having the pleasure of reading any of Rhys Hughes fiction before, I went into this collection expecting some hardcore Science Fiction rich with alien confrontation and futuristic ideas, but what I came away with was so much more enjoyable that I could have imagined. Each hilarious snippet gave me a uniquely funny look at a world that bears a striking familiarity to our own while throwing in a bit of action here and there.

The collection opens with Thinner Air, a story that takes a unique look at the use of invisibility as a wartime weapon, which perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the book. Even though some of these stories are not any longer than a couple pages, every entry in this collection is chock full of original and well drawn characters that bring each story to life. Whether it’s a bumbling goblin hired the care for the garden in Goblin Sunrise or the idea of “microscopic giants” in When the Microscopic Giants Took Over Happenstance, each of these stories came alive with its own unique flavor. The book brings everything to a close with an afterward featuring an interview with the King of Shush that will leave you chuckling as you turn the last page.

Aside from the silly ideas and goofy characters filling the pages of this book, the prose that Hughes writes is smooth flowing and an absolute joy the read. He writes with a rich descriptive style that perfectly paints the picture for the readers while never wasting time with unnecessary words that creates a clean prose that moves expertly along the pages throughout each story.

If you looking for a quick read that is extremely enjoyable from the first page to the final sentence, you cannot go wrong with the humorously written Less Lonely Planet by Rhys Hughes. You will be sure to put the book away with quite a few favorite stories stuck in your mind for a long time afterwards.

Humdrumming Press

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

INFERNO by Ellen Datlow
Review by Norm Rubenstein

When deciding upon reading/purchasing either a novel or short fiction collection, the initial and major factor of consideration is the name of the author. However, when deciding upon whether to read/purchase an Anthology, there are usually three major factors of consideration. One is the list of authors whose works have been included, though this is not necessarily as important and is not, at least to me, an overriding consideration. The second factor is whether the Anthology is “themed,” and if so, just what the theme of the particular Anthology being considered might be. Indeed, sometimes these days, Anthologies can become rather specifically and narrowly themed, sometimes perhaps overly so. An Anthology based upon, say, Werewolves, further tied to the music of perhaps Warren Zevon, and then further limited, upon a tertiary basis, to selected pieces of artwork by R. Crumb, might be a bit outside my (and I’d hazard a guess, at least some others’) range of interest. (Yeah, I know – I’ll just apologize, in advance, to whoever is set to announce their new Anthology, “Fritz The Cat & Other Werewolves Of London”). Anyway, the third, and I’ve found, most reliable, method of consideration of Anthologies is to locate the Editor(s) and be guided by them if you’ve already had some experience with their works. A good Editor almost always makes for a good Anthology; one who is experienced and has selected good material in the past is likely to select interesting material once again.

In this final respect, I’m “experienced” enough (sounds better than old and decrepit), to have read and appreciated Ellen Datlow’s pioneering work as Fiction Editor of Omni Magazine back throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. I’ve also long been an admirer and avid reader of the multi-award winning “Year’s Best Fantasy And Horror” anthologies that Ms. Datlow has successfully co-edited for many years now. Of course, Ellen Datlow has also edited and/or co-edited quite a number of other successful anthologies, including the excellent Ghost anthology, The Dark. What I have found is that Ms. Datlow’s abilities as an editor to select good-to-great stories in and for her anthologies is virtually unmatched. I simply cannot remember a single anthology that she has been a part of editing that has had any truly off-putting stories. Rather, her anthologies are filled with stories and authors, many of which were/are hitherto completely unknown to me, that are quite entertaining and even very memorable. One just cannot ask for more from an editor of an anthology. The seven World Fantasy Awards, two Bram Stoker Awards, and Hugo award so far amassed by Ellen Datlow as an editor, speak to her excellence and expertise in the field.

I was thus quite excited and pleased to have been given the opportunity of reading and reviewing Ellen Datlow’s latest Anthology, Inferno, recently released by Tor Books, and which runs 385 pages in length. This is a non-themed anthology – meaning that the editor has not been constrained in her selections by having to fit the stories into any particular category or theme. Instead, the editor has granted the freedom to select any stories that she chooses based upon her own likes and dislikes. Ms. Datlow, in her interesting Introduction to the twenty stories she has selected, provides the readers with both her basis for selection and inclusion of the stories in Inferno, and the method by which such readers may judge her relative success in her selections:

“… to provide the reader with a frisson of shock, or a moment of dread so powerful it might cause the reader outright physical discomfort; or a sensation of fear so palpable that the reader feels impelled to turn up the lights very bright and play music or seek the company of others to dispel the fear; or to linger in the reader’s consciousness for a long, long time after the final word is read.” (Inferno, Introduction at page 14).

“After editing as many books and magazines as I have, I’m not so naïve as to believe you’ll agree with every single story I’ve chosen. But if even one of these tales does for you what they have all done for me, perhaps you will have one of those great memories that will stay with you always, a memory of something dark, dangerous, and brooding. One that will bring you a momentary thrill when you recall it.” (Inferno, Introduction at pages 15-16).

Now that editor Datlow has set forth her selection process and the test by which we as readers are to judge her selections, how has she actually done in Inferno? Well, as far as this reviewer is concerned, Ms. Datlow has succeeded quite admirably, and earns a solid “A” both for memorableness and moments of shock, dread, and/or discomfort. There is not a single story in this anthology that isn’t a fine, satisfying read. There are no “weak” entries, not a single “clinker.” There are an above average number of stories in INFERNO that I found to be truly memorable and superior, ones that did indeed, remain with me long after I’d finished reading them, even for a second or third time.

The book starts off very well with Riding Bitch by K. W. Jeter. Jeter takes what is generally considered the most famous passage from the biblical “Song Of Songs (8:6);”

For love is as strong as the death

Passion fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

A raging flame.

Jeter then creates an incredible, lyrical and chilling story around this quotation, one that will remain with you and haunt you long after you’ve finished reading it.

This is immediately followed by Misadventure by Stephen Gallagher, another very ghost strong story that is very well written, simple, elegant, and very effective. The same can be said of Inelastic Collisions by Elizabeth Bear, and The Uninvited by Christopher Fowler. Mike Driscoll’s 13 O’Clock is a terrifically atmospheric and frightening ghost story. Lives by John Grant is another excellent, eerie and very disturbing story, as are Lee Thomas’ An Apiary Of White Bees, Bethany’s Wood by Paul Finch, Lucius Shepard’s The Ease With Which We Freed The Beast, Perhaps The Last by Conrad Williams, and Pat Cadigan’s Stilled Life.

My personal favorites, the stories that seemed to resonate just a bit more deeply and/or fully with me, and which stayed with me the strongest and longest are Ghorla by Mark Samuels, The Keeper by P. D. Cacek, Hushabye by Simon Bestwick, The Suits At Auderlene by Terry Dowling, and lastly (and perhaps best), The Janus Tree by Glen Hirshberg. These five tales are, alone, well worth the cost of the entire Inferno anthology. However, there are additionally four other fine tales that round out the anthology, The Forest by Laird Barron, The Monsters Of Heaven by Nathan Ballingrud, The Bedroom Light by Jeffrey Ford, and Face by Joyce Carol Oates.

Ellen Datlow still has the magic, and has put together an awesome and truly memorable and inviting anthology of superb modern Horror that will thoroughly entrance and grab the reader. Many of these superlative stories will certainly fulfill Ms. Datlow’s mission, and leave any reader with more-than-momentary thrills, and with lasting chill memories. Ms. Datlow – truly, thanks for the memories! Inferno receives my highest recommendation.

Tor Books

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

THE SCRUBS by Simon Janus
Review by Joe Kroeger

If you are looking for a quick read that is sure to leave you breathless until the final page is turned, you cannot do any better than The Scrubs, a new novella by Simon Janus. This flawlessly written novella reads like an action-packed thrill ride from the first paragraph to the shocking ending for good reason; Simon Janus is the pseudonym for thriller writer Simon Wood. With the perfect mixture of heart-pounding action and bone chilling horror, The Scubs takes its readers, with break-neck speed, deep within a nightmare world where anything is possible. As your fingers tear through the pages, you will be riveted by the rich descriptive prose leading you helplessly to the unexpected ending. The Scrubs by Simon Janus is a novella length work that packs more of a punch, with more chills contained within its exceptional pages, than many of the novel length thrillers on the bookshelves these days.

The Scrubs refers to London's Wormwood Scrubs Psychiatric Prison where deep within the shadows of its walls a nightmarish experiment known as the “North Wing Project” takes place. Michael Keeler, an inmate with nothing to lose and the ghost of a horrible mistake haunting his every waking moment, agrees to be part of the mysterious experiment. At the center of the “North Wing Project” is James Jeter, a horrible serial killer with an unbelievable power to open a rift into another world. Keeler’s job, with a chance of parole hanging over his head, is to enter “the Rift” and locate the two previous inmates who have failed to reemerge into our world.

To give you anymore of the plot would surely spoil the twists and turns of the imaginative storyline that leads up to the frightening ending that will have you mourning the turn of the final page. Simon’s prose is smooth flowing as it moves flawlessly with the pace of the novella while offering rich mind-bending description that is sure to stick with you long after you put this book away. The elaborate cast of characters, each with their own hidden agendas, is brilliantly written to life by an author who truly understands the human condition. Every word of this novella is a rare treat that deserves to be read with the enjoyment that only a true lover of the horror genre can appreciate.

I cannot recommend this novella enough for someone searching for a quick reading experience where hardly a word is wasted as an intense storyline rockets the reader to an exciting conclusion that will linger long after the final pages. Proving the old adage that good things do come in small packages, The Scrubs by Simon Janus is a compact novella, bristling with originality and exceptional writing, which shows a bright shining future for the horror genre.

Bad Moon Books

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

GENERATION DEAD by Daniel Waters
Review by JG Faherty

Dan Waters writes great stories. Funny. Creepy. Irreverent.

And now he’s written a great book.

Generation Dead is being marketed as a young adult novel, but it’s much more than that. It’s a book everyone can read and enjoy, filled with cynical jabs at today’s society, accurate portrayals of teenage boys and girls, and outstanding characters.

Oh, yes. It has one more thing: Zombies.

Right off the bat, Waters gives us a clue that this book will be like nothing else you’ve ever read. His zombies aren’t flesh-eating ghouls, brainless automatons, or evil creatures bent on devouring everything in their path. Instead, they’re just like you and me - if we were music-obsessed, gossipy teenagers. And that’s just the beginning.

Generation Dead is a coming of age story about living and dead teenagers at a typical high school. Something has caused random teenagers all over the country to come back to life as zombies, which the adult population has coined politically-correct names for - ‘living impaired’ and ‘biotically different.’ In the beginning, the zombies seem rather ‘slow;’ the kind of teens you’d be more apt to see climbing into the little yellow school bus rather than excelling in class. But as the book goes on, many of them grow more ‘alive.’ Some of the zombies - and the living who study them - believe this is because they’re still growing into their new selves. Others believe it’s because of their interactions with breathing humans. Not all the zombies animate at the same pace, and some don’t at all. But the ones who do, begin demonstrating different personalities, just like ‘normal’ people do.

Enter Phoebe and Margi, two goth chics, and Adam, a star football player who somehow stands for everything Phoebe hates about school, yet the two remain best friends. Adam has a crush on Phoebe. Phoebe has a crush on Tommy, the ‘leader’ of the dead kids. Right away, we have interconnecting conflicts between Tommy and the ‘in-crowd’, Phoebe and Margi (Margi is afraid of the zombies), Adam and Phoebe, and Tommy and the other football players. Tommy wants to play football. The football players and their coach want to see him in his grave - again. Adam finds himself siding with Tommy because the other players are jerks - and so he can stay in Phoebe’s good graces.

Sound familiar? Take away the zombie aspect and you can make Tommy and his undead cronies any minority you can think of - black, Hispanic, poor, or just plain weird. With his delicate hand, Waters manages to convey the idiocy of segregation, prejudice, and social intolerance without ever resorting to preachiness.

And then there’s the sex. Or lack of it. There are boyfriends and girlfriends, but there are also lesbian couples, sluts, and even some necrophilia - after all, what else can you call a live girl making out with a zombie? Here, too, Waters expertly captures the youth of today - sexual boundaries rarely exist anymore, compared to twenty or thirty years ago. It’s no longer unusual for girls to be openly bisexual, or for people to have inter-racial relationships, not in a world where ‘furries,’ sado-masochism, auto-erotic play, and spring break orgies are not only in the news, but on prime time television. Yet nowhere in the book are there any overt sex scenes; in fact, the lead characters don’t have sex at all, they just flirt with it.

There is some violence, including a scene of attempted rape and another where some of the undead are attacked with baseball bats. But again it’s understated; certainly no worse than what the average teen or even pre-teen has seen on television dramas. In fact, Waters somehow manages to grab and keep the reader’s attention without resorting to gross outs, steamy sex scenes, or jump-out-of-the-closet monsters.

How, you ask? With his writing. His prose is superior, especially for a first novel, his characters believable (he captures teens in a way that only Josh Whedon before him has done), and his cutting wit is doled out in neat doses.

Waters does a great job of turning old horror tropes on their tails. In Generation Dead, the zombies are the good guys (taking the place of the rebel kids in teen movies and books since the dawn of time), and small-minded ‘normal’ humans are the evil creatures bent on death and destruction. The goth chick only wants a vanilla relationship. Even the well-worn stereotypes - the dumb jocks, the girl with the chip on her shoulder, the parents who don’t listen - are carefully used but not overused, so that they add to the conflict without making a mockery of it.

Generation Dead delivers a message that we’re all alike beneath our differences, and even though this book is aimed at teens, it’s we adults who should probably take notice. After all, we seem to be the ones who have a problem understanding that simple rule.

Most importantly, however, Generation Dead does something few books today can do.

It entertains us through skillful writing, rather than manipulating us through contrived scares.

Hyperion Books

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

OOGIE BOOGIE CENTRAL/OOGIE BOOGIE BOUNCE by M Stephen Lukac
Review by Dave Simms

If your brain is anything like mine, you’re probably wondering. “What the hell does that title mean?” In due time, in due time. If you’re thinking this book can’t be serious, you’re not too far off the mark. However, if you think that a novel with this title can’t be good, or scary, you’re completely wrong.

In West Virginia, more things occur than the mythical brother-sister do-si-do and Mothman sightings. A serial killer is caught and killed (via a prolonged subway death), but where most other novels would stray into the tried and true, Oogie Boogie Central picks up the reins and dances into a world of fun. In Lukac’s world, there exist Hunters and Gatherers. A person can gather up many souls (along with their unique personalities) creating what at first seems to be a multiple personality disorder family picnic.

Main character Milo works as a store detective who gets caught up in a clusterscrew of a situation – without giving too much away, he becomes aware of a “talent” he has. Ted Munsch, the serial killer, keeps going and going like the Joker, Hannibal Lecter, and the Energizer bunny all set to puree in a blender.

Without great characters, a novel cannot become great fun to read. In Oogie Boogie, both Central and Bounce, there are a BUNCH of personalities, all of which who are fully drawn and fun to experience. Notice how the word “fun” keeps arising? They stew inside one character, who “bounces” to another, then another, are so well formed that a psychiatrist would never stop to wake up from this schizo-scriptic wet dream. What make these horror novels almost believable are the relationships between the characters, both within Milo and his adversaries and between him and his wife and best friend. The dialogue is true, funny, and honest and never strays into cliché or “cutesy” witticisms that seem to plague some best-sellers nowadays.

The second of the two novels picks up a year after Milo discovered his new “talent” which shouldn’t really be a secret after the first ten pages. More focus is placed on the wife/Milo, best friend/Milo, Milo/passengers relationships which make this even more “human (?)” to the reader. True, Lukac steps up his game with the villains as well, but the interplay of the characters is what drives the story home.

These books are as schizoid as Milo and the other carrying characters – equally comedy, mystery, suspense, but definitely horror. Then, if the writing wasn’t enough, place the two covers together and see artist Alan Clark’s work form one very cool image.

I have no idea why these shouldn’t see huge distribution. Most of the bigger names in the business, in all genres, should be worried. Recommended to all imbalanced readers – this means you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

RAIN DOGS by Gary McMahon
Review by Joe Kroeger

Gary McMahon is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite authors when I am looking to submerge myself deep within a richly atmospheric and beautifully written horror tale. With his expert prose and shockingly original ideas, I have yet to find myself disappointed after reading any fiction that bears his name. McMahon is one of those authors who reside solely within the small presses but unquestionably deserves to be propelled into mainstream literature and stocked on every bookstore shelf imaginable. With the publication of his newest book, Rain Dogs, Gary McMahon should be placed high among quiet horror’s greatest authors, like Ramsey Campbell or Charles L. Grant, as an exceptional author who truly understand what it takes to spin a spectacular horror story.

With Rain Dogs, McMahon follows the lives of two central characters who are inexplicably intertwined together as a supernatural rainstorm batters the landscape. Guy Renford is returning to his hometown of Stonegrave after losing three years of his life to prison that resulted from a rash moment of violence against an intruder. Rosie, who has the ability to see the dead after a childhood tragedy, has been on the run from her past until events occur that send her running back to Stonegrave where the ghosts of drowned schoolgirls wait within the down pour. As the storm increases and something evil begins surfacing from the rain, Guy and Rosie are drawn together towards a final confrontation where not only their lives are at stake, but the lives of the entire town.

McMahon has incredibly taken his writing to the next level with the smoothest flowing story I have read in some time and such beautifully written prose so thick with atmosphere that you could cut it with a knife. The exceptional imagery that he lays out with his writing brings this story to life so vividly that you will swear you are right there with the characters. More often than not, I found myself stopping to re-read passages alive with imagery just so I could slow down and fully grasp the beauty of his writing, which, I must say, was an extremely difficult thing to do with the blistering pace that McMahon sets for this story.

Living within this atmospheric story are McMahon’s expertly written characters that come to life so perfectly that you can literally feel their flaws and are haunted right along with them. He puts so much life into even to lesser characters that you feel as if you have been living within the town of Stonegrave you entire life.

I want to tell you that Rain Dogs took me on a nostalgic trip back to the heyday of horror fiction or that this novel is a perfect example of the state of horror fiction today, but Gary McMahon has successfully taken this book and raised it above any preconceived notions about what horror has been or will be in the future to create an exception work of fiction that stands alone within it’s own ideal of the horror genre. Tightly written and perfectly plotted, this book is a fast moving read that begs to be read slowly and every word savored.

I cannot recommend Rain Dogs enough. This is one of those books that I wish would be plucked from the Small Press and placed in every bookstore so everyone could experience the pleasure of this amazing horror novel. Rain Dogs by Gary McMahon is one of those rare books that is just about as perfect as a novel can get.

Humdrumming Press

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

HORROR LITERATURE QUARTERLY #4 Edited by Paul Puglisi, Susan Taylor and Kelly Perry
Review by Ron Dickie

People don’t like to read fiction online. If it’s on the web, it must certainly be of lower quality than a print magazine, correct?

WRONG! Horror Literature Quarterly (HLQ) has, in its first four issues, proven that assumption to be very clearly misguided. Starting off with a story by Lavie Tidhar, Recipes offers one of the more memorable opening lines in a long time: “The day was cold and bright like a Nazi scientist.” From there, we are taken on one person’s escape from the horrors of Auschwitz through the composition of recipes in the narrator’s head. Or is it entirely in their head?

Following that is a longer tale by Christopher Golden, Nesting, which tells of one family’s attempt at the American dream, and the horrors that await them when they find what they are looking for.

Two very different tales, but both told with confident voices and a knowledge of what gets under a reader’s skin and stays there. And this is just typical of the quality of the fiction available at HLQ. Previous authors featured in these handy downloadable pdf files include Kealan Patrick Burke, John Urbancik, Erik Tomblin, and Maurice Broaddus among others. Also included on the site is a separate story, The God Of Rain by Tim Lebbon. The cost for all this great, free, original fiction from established names and up-and-comers? About a minute and half of your time to register, and that’s it. Once registered, you can access all the back issues whenever you want.

Strong, literate, professional fiction. Free. Follow the link and enjoy.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

THE RICHARD MATHESON COMPANION Edited by Stanley Wiater, Matthew R. Bradley, & Paul Stuve
Review by Norm Rubenstein

For those astute enough to appreciate such things, we are all blessed and lucky enough to be living in a time co-existent with a number of treasured living literary legends. By this I mean authors whose work is consistently groundbreaking and sparked with brilliance and which transcends any kind of alleged classification or attempted genre-fiction. One such magical author, who has quite literally transformed the contemporary literary landscape and even popular culture over the last half-century and counting, is Richard Matheson.

Even those who might not be immediately familiar with Richard Matheson by name, are certainly more than familiar with the gentleman’s work. In a manner similar to the way in which Gene Kelly transformed Dance in America, and the way in which audiences both perceive and appreciate it in the 20 th and 21 st centuries – Richard Matheson by and through his work in a variety of mediums, through the written word as well as television and film, has even more thoroughly transformed the way in which people perceive and appreciate story telling and literature, characters, plotting, and the conveyance of terror, fear, and other primal emotions. To borrow again from my analogy – where Gene Kelly both masculinized and athleticized dance and brought it into modern mainstream America and modern American pastimes, Richard Matheson transformed horror from it’s Victorian/Gothic and earlier antecedents, modernized it and brought it in a direct and terrifying manner into the modern mainstream America of urban sprawl and suburban dystopia.

A thorough examination or even listing of Richard Matheson’s work and contributions is well beyond the limited space allotted to this review. Very briefly – his authored short fiction was and remains revolutionary and riveting, and has formed the basis for many television and film adaptations, including famously, such Twilight Zone classics as Nightmare At 20,000 Feet (yep, that unforgettable story with a pre-Captain Kirk William Shatner observing the little demon ripping apart the wing of the commercial airplane upon which he is flying), Third From The Sun, and Little Girl Lost, among numerous others. Matheson also wrote episodes for and/or had stories utilized for many other popular television shows including but certainly not limited to, Star Trek, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Night Gallery, Amazing Stories, and Masters Of Horror. Then there are Richard Matheson’s novels, which include, I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, A Stir Of Echoes, The Beardless Warriors, Hell House, Bid Time Return, What Dreams May Come, and Journal Of The Gun Years, among many, many, many others.

Richard Matheson’s written work spans numerous genres, and is far from limited to the “familiar” Horror/Dark Fantasy Genres with which he is all too often associated. Indeed, Matheson’s work has been recognized and won numerous awards for his Western, Suspense and Mystery, Children’s, and even Romantic fiction, as well as Matheson’s elegant and significant non-fiction books and essays. Then there are his many screenplays and teleplays, not only adapting his own works but also creating a number of famous characters and works. There are all the wonderful and entertaining films he did with AIP in their “Edgar Allan Poe Cycle” of films (House Of Usher, Pit And The Pendulum, Tales Of Terror, The Raven, The Comedy Of Terrors). Then there’s his and Charles Beaumont’s brilliant screenplay adaptation of Fritz Leiber’s novel, Conjure Wife, filmed as Night of The Eagle a/k/a Burn Witch Burn and his screenplay adaptation of Dennis Wheatley’s novel The Devil Rides Out a/k/a The Devil’s Bride for Hammer Films. Richard Matheson is also justly famous for his teleplay adaptation of his own story, Duel, which was filmed by a then young director Steven Spielberg as his very first commercial feature, and which was a huge ratings hit when initially shown on ABC. Then there are his equally famous and popular teleplay movies in collaboration with Producer Dan Curtis, including Dracula, starring Jack Palance in the title role, the Trilogy of Terror teleplay starring Karen Black, and the sequel, Trilogy Of Terror II, starring Lysette Anthony – both featuring segments based upon Matheson’s renowned short story Prey, featuring a murderous Zuni Warrior doll. Perhaps best known is their collaboration upon two teleplays in which Matheson introduces the indelible character of Karl Kolchak, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler.

For a far more complete introduction to the genius of Richard Matheson, one can hardly do better than to purchase a copy of the new book, The Richard Matheson Companion, edited by Stanley Wiater, Matthew R. Bradley & Paul Stuve, which has just been released by Barry Hoffman’s Gauntlet Press. This is a huge volume of over five hundred and seventy-five pages. The book contains a stunning cover art portrait of the author by famed artist Harry O. Morris, who has worked with author Matheson for many years, and provided artwork for many of his titles – and who also contributes an informative essay to the subject book. Aside from very detailed and comprehensive Bibliographies and Filmographies of all of author Matheson’s works and listings of even such things as Collectibles and Forthcoming Publications – which are well worth the price of the book alone, this book further includes illuminating essays concerning various aspects of the author’s works and appreciations of Richard Matheson by such notables as authors William Nolan, Jack Ketchum, Harlan Ellison, David Morrell, Dennis Etchison, Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Dean Koontz, Barry Hoffman, Brian Lumley, and Ed Gorman.

There are also truly heartfelt remembrances by Mr. Matheson’s wife and five children, three of whom are gifted authors in their own rights, and by many other influential and knowledgeable persons. Additionally, there is a fascinating and extensive Photo Gallery not only covering the author, but including rare images of many of his rarer book and magazine covers. Much of the book’s unique content, by its over two dozen contributors, is being published here for the very first time, and offers great insight into the extraordinary and remarkable career and life of Richard Matheson. Perhaps of seminal interest and import, the book includes the very first publication of the young Richard Matheson’s very first novel, The Years Stood Still, written when the author was only fourteen years of age. With a special introduction from the author’s son, eminent author Richard Christian Matheson, the novel is a minor revelation in itself, and an extremely, indeed amazingly mature and experienced work for someone of even double the author’s then age.

This book is, like its subject, a true and singular treasure. The more one examines Richard Matheson’s writings, life, and career, the more amazed and informed one will become. This book is both a spectacular introduction to the man and his work-product for those relatively unfamiliar with Richard Matheson, and is also a unique font of valuable information concerning this multifaceted and major talent for even those who think they know all about him. Gauntlet Press has had an ongoing and special relationship with Richard Matheson for the past thirteen years during which Gauntlet Press has published quite a number of the author’s previously unpublished and/or unpublished in a Deluxe/Limited edition form, of stories, novels, and even non fiction titles. As with all Gauntlet Press titles, the book is beautifully designed and constructed and will prove to be a handsome edition to anyone’s library.

The book has been released in two editions – a Limited, Numbered edition of Three Hundred copies, signed by Richard Matheson and co-editors Matthew R. Brady and Stanley Wiater for $65.00 (this same Numbered edition without any signatures is available for $50.00), and a Deluxe traycased Lettered Edition that has additionally been signed by many of the famous contributors to the book for $250.00. A Slipcase for either of the Numbered editions is an extra $25.00. The Richard Matheson Companion is an invaluable resource and a wonderful read, as well as being a fitting tribute to one of the world’s finest living authors and literary talents, and receives my highest recommendation.

Gauntlet Press

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON by J.L. Bourne
Review by Dennis Duncan

A Plague of unknown origin is sweeping across the planet. A virus is reanimating the dead and when they rise the only thing they seek is warm human flesh.

They hunt their prey tirelessly and without any remorse. All that made them human in life no longer exists in death. They are now nothing more than mindless killing machines. Governments have lost all measure of control and billions are either dead or dying. Civilization is crumbling and it is every man for himself. Come enter this nightmarish world through the journals of an unnamed U.S. Naval officer. Bear witness to his daily struggle for survival in this dark and twisted new landscape ruled by the Dead.

I have said it time and time before, but one more time won’t hurt, I am a sucker for a good zombie story. I have also come to expect nothing but the best from Permuted Press releases. They publish the best Zombie Fiction on the market today so when I got my copy of Day By Day Armageddon I was expecting nothing but the best. Once again Permuted Press has come through in a big way. Day by Day Armageddon starts fast and never slows. Mr. Bourne serves up a story full of blood and guts along with nonstop action. I was also very pleased with the character development. Often times zombie stories lack well-developed characters focusing solely on the gore and action. Mr Bourne did not make that mistake. The characters are not wooden in the least and I actually found myself caring about the fate of the protagonist. I have rarely ever had that happen in a zombie story. The story flows smoothly and when I finished I was left feeling satisfied but a little disappointed. The story itself was wonderful, but I wish it had been longer.

I will end by saying that I highly recommend Day by Day Armageddon to all Zombie Fiction fans and fans of Horror Fiction in general. It is one heck of a story that will leave even the most jaded readers feeling satisfied. Permuted Press has published another great story and they have become the premier name in Zombie fiction.

Permuted Press

# # #

Previous reviews now appear in the Archives