Book Reviews
Updated on February 4th, 2012
Cthulhu Cult (Lulu)
Author: Venger Satanis
Review By Dave Wolff
Regardless of what you think or heard of Venger Satanis, regardless of whether you’re a member of his Cult Of Cthulhu, regardless of whether you walk the left hand path, there are things here to benefit anyone who sifts through and finds something that personally speaks to them................read more
Spore (Smashwords, 2010)
Author: Ian Woodhead
Review By Lucas McPherson
I'm a fan of many stories starting in media res, so this short story certainly didn't disappoint in the respect that we're introduced to the main character, Alistair Carstairs, after his mother has already become infected with a most decidedly horrible ailment................read more
Catching Hell (Samhain Publishing)
Author: Greg Gifune
Review By Mari Lynne Rupp
Four friends from a community summer stock theater in Cape Cod drive to Maine for a restort getaway before college starts....On the way, they encounter a freak storm and lose their way, finding the small quaint town of Boxer Hills, which they soon realize isn't as quaint as they thought................read more
Allure of the Vampire (Dark Moon Press)
Author: Corvis Nocturnum
Review By Mari Lynne Rupp
This book discusses in more length, and more specifically the more sensual and erotic lure of the vampire, involving essays and surveys by regular readers and those in the vampire onine community, nicely tied together by Corvis Nocturnum................read more
Little Vampire Women (Harper Collins)
Author: Louisa May Alcott & Lynn Messina
Review By Mari Lynne Rupp
This was a charming little gem I found in the discount bin at a bookstore. I feel we are in a great era for fans of supernatural young adult reading. I wish I had this kind of selection as a teen................read more
Electric Angel (Black Bed Sheets)
Author: Sue Dent
Review By Char Hardin
Terminal patient Anna Chadwick pregnant with twins is told her cancer would not allow her to live or carry to term her babies and to make it worse they tell her one is stillborn. She prayed for a miracle and it was an otherworldly entity that answered. Anna's miracle promised to save her children................read more
Donor (Samhain Publishing)
Author: Elena Hearty
Review By Mari Lynne Rupp
I've been reading vampire and horror novels for most of my life, and every now and again, there's one that will blow my mind...."Donor" is that very book. I found it by chance on the Samhain Publishing website, read the synopsis, and took a chance. The synopsis is that modern-day vampire Richard, with his partner Paul, look to goth clubs and outsiders to be willing "donors" to their bloodthirsty appetites................read more
The Clever Cat That Could (Publish America)
Author: Gia Lee
Review By Dave Wolff
Not many children’s books are credited with drawing influence from Kipling’s The Cat That Walked By Himself. But this is where author Gia Lee says she decided to title this one with the word “that” instead of “who.” From this bit of information alone, this is not your average everyday children’s book................read more
The Pitchfork Diaries: Vol. One
Author: JS Bannerman
Review By David Rupp
The Pitchfork Diaries is a collection of short stories and prose unlike anything you have ever read before. Even the darkest and most violent imaginings of your mind cannot come close to matching the horrors contained within................read more
Cinema of Shadows (Seventh Star Press)
Author: Michael West
Review By David Rupp
The night the Titanic sank, it opened for business...and its builder died in his chair. In the 1950s, there was a fire; a balcony full of people burned to death. And years later, when it became the scene of one of Harmony, Indiana's most notorious murders, it closed for good. Abandoned, sealed, locked up tight...until now................read more
Lure of the Vampire
Author: Bertena Varney
Review By Mari Lynne (Mimi) Rupp
This book is a wonderful primer for those new to the vampire genre....Any "Twilight" or "True Blood" fan would do well reading this....
It began as research to her final class she needed for her Masters degree................read more
Mecha Birth Art Book 1
Author: Frank "Arte Mortifica" Garcia
Review By Dave Wolff
The inner cover of Mecha Birth contains this quote by Mario Savio: “There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious.” Savio was a renowned activist who was involved in the Berkeley free speech movement. This statement is almost prophetic considering how modern technology................read more
City of the Undead
Author: Evelyn Smith
Review By Dave Wolff
If you read Evelyn Smith’s interview in AEA zine you’ll have an idea her take on vampire fiction hasn’t been attempted by other authors, but the relation is so obvious it feels like something that was waiting to be stumbled upon................read more
Immortal Fantasy
Author: Winston Blakely
Review By Dave Wolff
Many of you should be familiar with Winston Blakely, from the cover artwork he has designed for AEA zine since issue #5 when Faustina Karpathia’s first likeness was created and from his interviews published. Many others should be familiar with him for his extensive graphic novel work................read more
Zone One
Author: Colson Whitehead
Review By David Rupp
The basis of the story is there was an unknown plauge that spread globally on what survivors call Last Night, and follows the survivor dubbed Mark Spitz from his discovery of the catastrophe to supposed santuary. What I liked about the book was the zombies are not over played, they aren't the focal point but the vehicle to deliver the true story................read more
Undead Tales Vol. 1 (Rymfire Ebooks)
Author: Various
Review By Dave Wolff
Available since July, Undead Tales is an anthology of zombie fiction penned by eighteen contributing authors. What intrigues me about this, besides that I found the zombie genre at an impressionable period in my youth and that I am an avid enthusiast of horror and science fiction stories presented from a fan point of view is................read more
Southern Fried Hoodoo #1
Author: Various
Review By Dave Wolff
Having released the first issue of the groundbreaking publication known as Metal, Magick and Mythos, can Wiill Lovelaw produce a second publication that equals it for content, information and enthusiasm? The first issue of his zine Southern Fried Hoodoo resonates with the same kind of inspiration that generated the zine he devoted to extreme metal................read more
iDrakula
Author: Bekka Black
Review By Mari Lynne Rupp
Being an avid fan of "Dracula" and the style in which it was written, this fresh modern take
on the classic is both fun and ingenius. It opens up one of the original vampire legends for
our next generation of vampire lovers while keeping the scares and the mysterious feel of the original................read more
Play Dead
Author: Richard Montanari
Review By Bindi Lavelle
Play Dead is another thriller featuring Montanari's recurring characters, Philadelphia homicide detectives Byrne and Balzano with a page turning tone of cold case as written by Michael Pye (Taking Lives)................read more
Carrie
Author: Stephen King
Review By Bindi Lavelle
For those unfamiliar, the book follows the story of Carrie, a high school misfit routinely bullied at school and tormented at home by her evenegical mother. Freak accidents occur during a few of these instances, and Carrie realizes she possesses telekinetic powers................read more
Metal, Magick and Mythos Issue #1 ( USA )
Author: Will Lovelaw
Review By Dave Wolff
I highly recommend this to everyone. The debut issue of a new zine published by contributor Will Lovelaw, Metal, Magick and Mythos #1 is a veritable time bomb of forbidden knowledge, religious heresy and individual will that hasn’t even begun to realize its full potential................read more
V4: Water Vamps (2010)
Author: G.L. Giles
Review By Dave Wolff
As a longtime reviewer and correspondent of G.L. Giles’ I have grown familiar with her writings, especially her Vampire Vignettes series. Since my first review of her vampire/vampire saga I always appreciated that she brought something original and inventive to the mythos................read more
The Slate Hill Covenant (2010)
Author: Bonnie Stewart
Review By Mari Lynne Rupp
Although a well-written novel, this book was difficult to get through. The author pulls no punches and unflinchingly describes scenes of abuse and neglect, with the more serious crimes such as molestation and incest implied, but no less brutally................read more
V XXX: Special Edition Compendium (2010)
Author: G.L. Giles
Review By Dave Wolff
When I interviewed G.L. Giles for issue 14 of Autoeroticasphyxium, and she described the imagination and hard work that went into her Vampire Vignettes series, I knew I had discovered something unique to vampire lore. As someone who was fascinated by vampires, werewolves, zombies and space aliens (not to mention The Munsters and The Addams Family) from a young age, I imagine my childhood would have been quite humdrum without these otherworldly beings to explore my own imagination with...............read more
Poetry, Songs and Stygian Stories (2009)
Author: Lucas McPherson
Illustrated by Cyan Jenkins
Review By Dave Wolff
Compiled in 2009, Lucas McPherson’s Poetry, Songs and Stygian Stories is a collection of prose and fiction that swings open doors previously sealed by the rigidly enforced conformity fostered both by religion and media; two apparently opposing forces that operate together more effectively than some might suspect. The ideas and theories presented in this written work establish an alternative to both, even it we don’t realize it until we sever the bonds they secure on our minds...............read more
Warm Bodies (2010)
Author: Isaac Marion
Review By Mari Lynne Rupp
A zombie, who remembers himself only as "R", attacks a group of youths in post-apocalyptic America. He doesn't remember his past life, can barely walk and speak, and can only go through the most basic of human-like functions from his past life.
When he eats the brain of a spunky young man...............read more
Night of the Living Trekkies (2010)
Author: Kevin David Anderson & Sam Stall
Review By David Rupp
Night of the Living Trekkies was not at all what I was expecting, in fact it surpassed the jovial camp and cheesy quotes I thought were going to drive this vehicle. Set in a hotel in a downtown Texas city. Brought to you by Quark Press, yes those witty folks behind the release of...............read more
Book of Shadows (St. Martins Press, 2010)
Author: Alexandra Sokoloff
Review By Mari Lynne Rupp
"Book of Shadows" starts out as almost any other paranormal suspense. With a mysterious death under mysterious circumstances, discovered mysteriously. Throw in a few 'magick' dabblers, witches, demon-summoning spells and catholic cops, you've got a fantastic mix...............read more
Ruthless
Edited by: Shane McKenzie
Review By David Rupp
Ruthless,an extreme shock horror collection is just that, in fact it's all of the above. Released by Pill Hill Press and boasting many talented authors, this collection of stories is guaranteed to find a nerve exposed and pluck it...............read more
Jacks School of Shines
Author: Jack Sorenson
Review By G.L. Giles
This young adult novel of 203 pages moves along at a good pace with lots of action, so it’s fairly easy to read. The similarities to the Harry Potter series are readily apparent as it is the story of five Wizard boys from Jacks School of Shines Witchcraft and Wizardry...............read more
Pussy Tales
Author: Natasha Brooks
Review By G.L. Giles
After Jasmine’s husband, Marcus, abandons her and her two daughters unexpectedly, Jasmine is basically forced to go into escorting (in this case, it’s really prostitution) to make ends meet. Being basically forced into prostitution isn’t a new story, but what makes this one stand out is that the lead character, Jasmine, actually likes having sex with multiple strangers: including a teenage boy and masochistic senatorl...............read more
Revenant
Author: Carolyn Haines
Review By G.L. Giles
This mystery/thriller novel of 362 pages is a definite keeper due to the excellent character depictions. For starters, there’s the protagonist Carson Lynch, a female investigative journalist, who responsibly covers the deaths of five young ladies killed about a quarter of a century ago---left buried with their ring fingers cut off and wearing bridal veils. Carson has a soft-spot for these victims and their families as her own daughter was tragically killed as well...............read more
Empire: A Zombie Novel
Author: David Dunwoody
Review By G.L. Giles
As the PROLOGUE informs the reader, the zombie outbreak began in 2007 when a zombie virus accidentally spread. These zombies, or afterdead (as the military classified them), were resurrected due to a dark energy emitted from a source in a swamp in Louisiana. So it should come as no surprise that most of the action in this novel takes place in Louisiana (Jefferson Harbor specifically). However, the main storyline takes place over a hundred years after the outbreak...............read more
The Graveyard Book (2008)
Author: Neil Gaiman
Review By Sam O'beirn
Set in a town in England, The Graveyard Book is the story of a little boy named Nobody Owens, who gets taken in by the local dead of a graveyard when his family is horribly murdered. There he is raised and cared for by the ghosts, as well as by his guardian, Silas. He makes and loses friends, learns about the dangers of the world (and of the graveyard itself)...............read more
Gothic Charm School (2009)
Author: Jillian Venters
Review By Sam O'beirn
Jillian Venters has written an invaluable guide for all Goths who've asked themselves such questions as "What should I do if people want to take my picture?", "How can I convince my Parents/Boss/Friends that I'm not a demon worshiping, drug addled orgy organizer?" Dispensing good advise for Goths, Goths-to-be, and others who may have people they know who are Goth...............read more
Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter (Damnation Books LLC, 2010)
Author: Edward M.Erediac
Review By Mari Lynne Rupp
This is one of the most unusual books I have read in a very long time.
by the definition in the glossary at the back of the book, a Merkabah Rider is a Jewish mystic
Who can leave his body and explore the upper and lower worlds of heaven and hell through various
Solomnic and hebrew magical texts. This story is told by way of four short stories that could
stand on their own, but weave together a picture of a lonely soul travelling...............read more
The Crescent (Black Rose Writing, 2010)
Author: Jordan Deen
Review By G.L. Giles
I was immediately drawn into Deen's paranormal world of werewolves. Written in a hip, colloquial style, it's both easy and a treat to read. Life can be trying enough for frequently hormonally-challenged teens, but add to that the trials and tribulations of being caught up in the drama and bloodshed of feuding werewolf families? Well, it's certainly enough to have seventeen-year old Lacey Marie questioning her sanity...............read more
Convict Grade (Xlibris, 2009)
Author: Azrael Paul Damien
Review By G.L. Giles
If you're looking for a thick book with gore galore, then this will probably be a good, long read for you! This novel of 340 pages will probably not be a one-sit read, so I like how Damien includes chapter titles (many books don't these days) to help you remember exactly where you left off (even if you forgot to mark it). Plus, chapter titling enables you to get a preview of what's to come. Obviously, I dig that feature of the book...............read more
Twilight Fall: A Novel of the Darkyn
Author: Lynn Viehl
Review By G.L. Giles
This is one of the best paranormal romance novels that I've read in some time. I believe this is in large part due to the fact that there aren't too many sappy love scenes included. Rather, the "paranormal romance" scenes are somewhat sadomasochistic in parts. Perhaps I'm a bit jaded, but I found that refreshing. The lust-making scenes between Valentin Jaus and Liling Harper are of particular note. Valentin Jaus is an Immortal Darkyn Lord, which basically means he's a vampire...............read more
A Sigh for Life's Completion ( Infinity Publishing 2009)
Written by Sara Kuhns
Review By G.L. Giles
That Sara Kuhns has a great command of the English language is readily apparent from start to finish in this lengthy novel of 401 pages. And that should come as no surprise as the back cover reveals that she taught English in the Chicago and Phoenix areas. Added to that, her modern-world descriptions are unparalled by most, especially those centering around the bar crowd at Lolly's...............read more
Red Wet Dirt (Black Bed Sheet 2009)
Written by Nicholas Grabowsky
Review By G.L. Giles
This is one of the most interesting, attention-grabbing collections of writings I've come across in a while. From short stories, including two tales of holiday horror I was particularly engrossed in, to screenplays to a letter to Playboy to poetry, etc., this book was certainly diverse enough to hold my attention from start to finish...............read more
Vampire, Interrupted (Avon Books, 2008)
Written by Lynsay Sands
Review By G.L. Giles
Vampire, Interrupted is a novel in Lynsay Sands's Argeneau vampire series. Set primarily in England in current times, I was happy to be taken to that place across the pond where I also picked up some new lingo, like the word snickelway. In Sands's mythology, vampires prefer to be called immortals, and they can eat human food, though most generally don't unless they've only recently turned or have found their lifemates...............read more
