Not Since PSYCHO Have Showers Been This Terrifying

With the pile of books that I have waiting in the wings, it's rare that I "borrow" books from people, and when people recommend books, I usually make a note of it and maybe I'll get to it, maybe I won't. Daniel Pyle's Down the Drain came recommended to me by a friend, and at first I was going to pass it by, but then I saw it was a small file (yes, I read it on the Kindle), and therefore knew it would be a quick read. I never expected to become so engrossed with it that I wouldn't want to put it down. I will note, however, that after the first chapter, I almost did put it down. I'll get to that later.

When Bruce's cat disappears, he's more than just a little upset. The cat has been a part of his family for over ten years and his only real friend since his girlfriend walked out. She's nowhere in the house, and the only thing he can think of that might explain her disappearance is that she had somehow managed to sneak out and she was lying dead in a ditch somewhere. Never in his wildest dreams would he guess the truth of what happened to his feline companion. But he's about to find out. It seems there's something living under Bruce's house. Well, that's not exactly right. There's something living in the plumbing, something that surfaces through the drain in the shower. There's really not much more I can say without giving too much away, but suffice it to say, there is a showdown. Who wins? You'll just have to pick it up to see.

I was kind of puzzled initially when I started reading Down the Drain, figuring I was going to be reading the story from the thing's point of view, but it didn't take long to realize that the first chapter is written from the POV of a cat. So we, the reader, know exactly what happened to Bruce's favorite feline. And this is where I almost put the book down. You see, I'm a sucker for animals. Yes, I love me some horror fiction, and you can maim, mutilate, butcher, cannibalize, and torture as many people as you want and it doesn't bother me (yes, I'm sick, I know it), but pleasepleaseplease leave the animals alone. Kill off an animal and you run the risk of losing me as a reader. That's just the way I am. BUT I persevered with this one. Why? It was short. I finished it in about an hour, hour and a half tops. And because my friend said she had really liked it.

Once I got past the kitty killing, I admit I enjoyed Down the Drain. The central (only) character is likable enough, and the creature, as far-fetched as it was, was interestingly original. I did find it a tad predictable, but I pushed on hoping to find out more about the origins of the creature. Yes, it was what I thought it was, but I wanted to know HOW it came into being. Unfortunately, that is never explained. It was well written and well plotted, and with an ending that leaves it wide open for a sequel. Pyle is an author I will definitely be reading more of—provided he stops killing defenseless animals in stories. If you have an hour or two to kill, I would definitely recommend checking this one out.

Feels Like The First Time. . .

Have you ever found an author that you like? Somebody who has been publishing for awhile, somebody who has a back list but who is entirely new to you? You absolutely love this author and wish you had discovered them earlier because now you have so much to catch up on. Wouldn't it have been great if you had been able to get in on the ground floor, so to speak. Well, here's your chance. First Time Dead is a two volume zombie anthology published by May December Publications and edited by TW Brown. All of the stories contained between the covers have been written by first-time authors. Now before you go rolling your eyes, let me say this. . . I was impressed. And for me to say that about a collection of short stories. . . Well, if you've read my past reviews, you know how much I dread them because they are usually inconsistent.

I mentioned that First Time Dead is a two-volume anthology; however, please note that I am only going to be covering Volume 2 in this review, which gets off to a kick-ass start with "In This House I Dwell" by Ron Harris. The zombie apocalypse is already underway when the story opens, and Harris' tale of survival of a man and his wife veers from the norm because some of the zombies are evolving, regaining the ability to speak, think, and reason. But is there something darker at work here?

DA Chaney explores the possible origins of the outbreak with "Zombie Bites: The Old Dead", combining the decaying zombies we all know and love with a hint of the more traditional zombies of The Islands.

With "Ooky" Matthew R. Davis paints a classic portrait of adolescent one-upmanship as a young couple pass regaling each other with past sexual exploits. While the zombie action is low in this one, the story itself proves to be one you won't quickly forget.

Joe Blevins' "Once More Without Feelings" does not deal with the zombie apocalypse, which we have come to expect with zombie anthologies, but delves more into Voodoo idealogy. Blevins proves that when you got it, you got it, even when you're dead.

Donny Chavez shows us what a "day in the life" of a handful of survivors must be like in "Snow Days". Of all the stories, this is one that I feel could very easily be expanded upon. It has the same feel to it as The Walking Dead.

Alexandro Rios offers up a more analytical view of the outbreak in "Zombies in Puerto Rico: Island of the Dead," in which an ex-reporter witness and blogs about the breakout as it occurs.

"The Last Legacy" by Amanda Larson focuses on a mother and her two children who decide to stay in their remote island home, literally cut off from the outside world, and how the community pulls together to survive the outbreak.

Eric Pollarine's "The Mission" takes us underground, as the survivors of the zombie apocalypse take to the sewers and underground tunnels. This is one of the most desolate stories in this volume, as it shows the hopelessness of the "new world", that not matter what you do to survive, eventually you will be joining the ranks of the walking dead.

Jason Thacker takes a more comic approach to the zombie tale with "The Hungriest Zombie" as he tells his tale from the zombie's point of view. This is the first zombie story I've come across where, between the chuckles, I actually felt sorry for the zombie.

"Rude Awakening" by David Maynard is a heartbreaking tale of a father losing his family one by one to the outbreak. The ending of this tale is chilling and memorable.

In "Zombie by Night" Aaron Phillips takes a unique experimental approach to the zombie theme that has a vampiric feel to it as he tells of a man's search for his brother's murderer.

Gregory A. Carter is the only author to have the zombie affliction spread to the animal population in "What the Cat Dragged In". It's a story of love, loss, despair, and hopelessness as a young couple prepares to flee the city for what they hope will be a safer area.

While not all the stories in First Time Dead Volume 2 will be for everybody (and that can be said about every anthology), there's no denying the talent that exists between the covers of this collection. The stories are well crafted and well written, and if you are a fan of zombie fiction, I would highly recommend checking it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Vengeance Is Mine. . .

One of the best things about the Kindle is the resurfacing of so many out of print books that you would only be lucky enough to acquire should you stumble across a copy in a used bookstore or by paying an exorbitant amount of money through a second-hand deader. Jack MacLane's Keepers of the Beast was originally published in 1988. I was in college at the time, and was just beginning to get into horror fiction. I was a voracious reader and read as many books as I could get my hands on, but some managed to slip through the cracks. This was one of them.

When Barry Shannon's younger brother is murdered, Barry wants answers. . . and revenge. The first half might prove difficult; the second half won't be a problem because he is a U.S. Government-sanctioned assassin. The agency Barry works for has agreed to give him the time off that he needs to complete what needs to be done, but they also make it known that if he chooses to pursue this, he goes in alone. Driven more by feelings of guilt than the desire to see justice done, Barry takes his leave.

His investigation leads him to a small college town in Texas, where his brother was enrolled in the university. At first, after talking to one of Tod's professors, it appears Tod just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but after talking to one of the students, Barry is led back to the professor, who lied about how closely he knew the younger man. It seems Tod was involved in some sort of grant research, and Professor Phillips was his faculty advisor. Curious to know what kind of research his brother was doing, Barry checks out the younger man's apartment. When he arrives he finds the place is being trashed by two men who are obviously looking for something. When he confronts them, he comes face to face with something from the darkest depths of nightmares; one of the men appears to be part animal. The two men escape, and when Barry looks around the ruins of his brother's apartment, he realizes that they are somehow connected to the research his brother was doing for Phillips. He's only able to assemble small pieces to a larger puzzle, a puzzle that deals with demonic entities and possession. Barry is left wondering what the hell his brother had gotten himself involved with.

Sara Lansing is a reporter for the local paper. She's getting antsy and bored covering the local news—not much ever happens in town—and is seriously considering putting the town behind her and moving on when a bunch of cattle are mutilated. Her reporter's instinct tells her there's something more behind the attacks other than a crazed drifter (as the sheriff would like her to believe). She thinks that cracking this story will open up doors for her on the national news scene, but what she uncovers during her investigation might prove to be too sensational, not to mention utterly unbelievable, to be ever be printed in anything other than a supermarket tabloid.

Tommy Sloan is just a kid being raised by his mother. His father went out one day and never came back. Tommy is convinced his father is at the house at the end of the road, the house where it is rumored some crazy people live, but he's always been too afraid to go and check it out. When his mother disappears, he becomes even more convinced that she and his father are together in that house, and if he ever wants to see them again, it is up to him to go down there and bring them back.

Three lives are about to be drawn together by a nightmare none of them could have ever imagined, and in order for any of them to survive, Barry will be forced to battle the monster within himself, the monster that made him what he is today. Can he do it, or will his inner monster be seduced by the darkness and the promise of power beyond his comprehension?

Never having read anything by MacLane, I wasn't sure what to expect. I admit I approached this with a little apprehension, especially after having read quite a bit of the horror fiction published in the 8os, so much of which was story driven with stock cardboard characters. I was surprised with Keepers of the Beast, as the story is more character oriented. That's not to say that the story drags, because it doesn't. The details that flesh out the characters, making them fully realized individuals, are woven seamlessly into a story that moves along at a swift pace. You feel yourself rooting and fearing for the characters as the story progresses. To say that the story is realistic would be stretching it, considering the fact that it is a horror novel, but the plot is solid and I never once questioned the events as they unfolded within the fictional world.

As I said, this is the first MacLane novel I have read, and based on it, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another of his books. If you are looking for a novel that will keep you reading long into the night, I would highly recommend Keepers of the Beast.

Opening of WIP

I pissed my pants. I can’t believe I pissed my fuckin’ pants.

He tried not to think about it, but the embarrassing warmth was quickly turning to a cold clamminess at his crotch, serving as an uncomfortable reminder that he had lost control of his bladder. And it sure as hell beat the alternative. He didn’t want to think about how he was trapped beneath the motor home, face down in the mud, especially since it hadn’t rained in weeks. As long as he kept his eyes shut and his thoughts focused on the chafing between his legs, he didn’t have to think about what exactly it was that had dampened the earth enough to have it oozing between his fingers. But there was no denying that smell. The thick coppery tang mixed with the mineral-rich scent of the dirt was like a wad of cotton plugging his nostrils, but as long as he didn’t open his eyes, he wouldn’t have to acknowledge the source. He had a feeling he knew what it was, but he was too afraid to look.

All Hope Abandon, Ye Who Enter In

For most people, there's nothing scarier than being lost. That was the premise of The Blair Witch Project, which scared the crap out of me because I could relate to the situation the characters found themselves in. Not the part of being "hunted" by a supernatural creature, but the part about being lost in the woods. It has happened to me. There's nothing more terrifying than not knowing where you are going, if you are constantly going around in circles, going the right way to freedom, or working your way deeper into the wilds. And that's in the daylight. Now imagine being in that situation in the dark of night. If you can't relate to that, how about a corn field maze? An amusement park fun house? Or something as simple as an unfamiliar neighborhood. That's what you will find in Brian Keene's Urban Gothic.

Kerri and her friends are on the way home from a concert when her boyfriend, Tyler, gets it in his head to score some drugs in order to keep the good mood going. Everybody just wants to go home, but Tyler's driving, and he claims the guy is a friend and it's not far. However, when a closed road causes him to detour, he gets himself all turned around and they find themselves in one of the seedier parts of town. As if that wasn't bad enough, the car picks that moment to give up the ghost. Insisting that he can fix it, Tyler forbids anybody calling for help, but when a group of locals approach them, they panic. They run straight for the abandoned house at the end of the street despite to other kids telling them not to go in there.

From the moment they get inside, they realize they are in trouble when the door locks behind them. Despite the rundown condition of the house, the door is stronger than it appears. When they decide to search the house in order to find another way out, they are set upon by a giant of a man, or so they think. Tyler and one of the girls are killed immediately, and Kerri and her remaining three friends run deeper into the house in order to avoid meeting the same fate. They get separated, and soon discover that the house is rigged up like a carnival fun house, with sliding panels and trap doors. They also soon realize that what they are up against isn't just one psychotic killer, but multiple generation of deformed mutants that have lived beneath the house longer than anybody knows. Driven by fear and a desperate desire to stay alive, the four remaining friends search for a way out, but in order to reach it, they must pass through the mutant lair. Can they do it?

In the meantime, the neighborhood kids who had approached the car know the house's reputation. They don't know what lives there, but they do know that whoever goes in is never seen again. Feeling partially responsible, they call the cops, but the police are all too familiar with the house as well, and when they don't show, the kids decide to take matters into their own hands. Somebody has to help those other kids, and it looks like it's up to them. Will Leo and his friends be able to gain access to the house and help those trapped within, or will they, too, become victims of the house?

Reading Urban Gothic, I was reminded of one of my favorite movies, The People Under The Stairs (yes, I'm a freak, I admit it, but I love Wendy Robie and Everett McGill in that movie. It's kind of like Lucy and Ricky on acid.). The house Keene has created brings to mind the creepy castles of Gothic fiction, with their secret passageways and miles upon miles of tunnels running beneath them. Those castles and the ghosts that haunt them are tame in comparison. Keene's house is inhabited by a tribe of cannibalistic freaks, which he paints with a grim brutality that will have you looking over your shoulder as you read. His human characters are painted with that same gritty realness that will have you on the edge of your seat as they make their way through the house looking for a way out.

As much as I liked Urban Gothic, there were certain things that stood out as problematic, at least for me. Keene reveals that these mutants have been around a long time, longer than the town has been in existence, but that is the extent of it. We are never informed as to the origin of these creatures, which I found disappointing. I kept hoping that the kids would stumble across something that would reveal the origin of these monsters. Given that the house appears larger on the inside than is perceived from the outside, you wonder if maybe it's a portal to another dimension. There was also a moment where I thought Keene might be attempting a Cthulhu mythos tie-in. There's nothing definite, which was frustrating to me as a reader.

The other issue I had with these mutants is that some of them spoke English in complete sentences. To me, this would imply that they had more contact with the outside world that we are led to believe. One of the questions that is raised by one of the characters in the book is what do these creatures live on? Their sole sustenance can't be the chance individual who happens to stray into their lair, and there aren't enough rodents to keep their race alive. Are they working with somebody from the outside, somebody who regularly lures unwitting victims to their demise? This would help to explain how they can communicate with their victims. We just don't know, and for me, it ruined the credibility of these mutants. I would have preferred it if they stuck with grunts, groans, and moans as a means of communication. If language was necessary, they should have spoken in a fragmented dialogue.

All in all, however, I did enjoy Urban Gothic, and would highly recommend it to anybody who doesn't mind raw, brutal, graphic horror fiction.

Four's a Crowd

I love the BBC version of BEING HUMAN, so when I saw there were several media tie-in books, I just had to had to check them out. For those of you who aren't familiar with the premise of the series, it's like a supernatural Three's Company—Annie (a ghost), George (a werewolf), and Mitchell (a vampire) share a London flat and try to pass themselves off as human. For the most part, it works, but there are those who aren't happy with the lives the roommates have chosen to lead and are doing their best to break up their happy home. While the book stands on its own, it does help to have seen at least Season 1 of the series, as there are references made to events that took place on the show.

Ever since Annie refused to go through her door to the other side, she has learned there are beings on the Other Side who are not happy with her decision. She now lives in fear, never knowing when they are going to send one of their agents to try to force her through the door. She also has developed a fear of the radio and the television, as they are a means of communication from the Other Side. When a door appears in the kitchen, Annie fears the worst, never expecting a ghost to come through it. These doorways have always been portals TO the Other Side, never FROM.

Gemma claims not to know why she is back, that she was able to escape but is afraid that they will be coming for her. She admits to having visions of a noose and a road, but she doesn't know what they mean. Mitchell suspects she knows more than she's letting on, but he can't prove it. Not yet anyway. In the meantime, he notices a change in Annie. He knows she's been afraid to leave the house because she's afraid of them, but she seems to have lost her vitality since Gemma arrived. He also doesn't think it's a coincidence that the ghost of a teenager has been seen around the hospital where he works. Something is going on, but he's clueless as to what it is. He realizes the problem is more serious that anybody realizes when he enters the flat and Annie apologizes, stating that she had fallen asleep, and ghosts don't sleep. With Annie's energy fading, it's becomes a race against time. Can Mitchell, with George's help, put the pieces of the puzzle together before Annie loses what little life she has left?

While I found the story entertaining and well written, I had to put some distance between the book and the series. Simon Guerrier has crafted an interesting mystery that will keep you turning the pages, but he has failed to capture the essence of the characters: George doesn't come across as the hyper personality that he is, Mitchell isn't the brooding addict that the show captures so well, and Annie is just flat, which is a shame because, even though she started out the show as the weakest character and my least favorite, she is one of the stronger characters who has come into her own and has become my favorite.

The failure to accurately capture the show's characters doesn't detract from the story itself, provided you approach it as a stand-alone story that happens to involve supernatural characters; however, if you go into this looking for something to tide you over until the Season 3 of the series begins (which thankfully is this coming Saturday, February 19th), you will be in for a big disappointment.

They Get Under Your Skin

For those who have read some of my earlier reviews, you'll know that I have a thing for "When Nature Strikes Back" movies and books, so naturally, when I saw David McAfee's GRUBS, I just had to get it. I've never read anything by McAfee before, so I had no idea what I was getting into.

Eight scientists on a routine field research expedition in the wilds of Maine. Short of a sprained ankle or a broken nail, nothing could go wrong, and to make certain of that, Colby, a disgraced ex-Marine, has been hired by the firm to keep the researchers safe. It's an easy job, and it even comes with a few perks, as the lone female scientist has taken a shine to Colby, but then one of the researchers goes missing. When they find traces of blood in the man's tent, Colby immediately organizes a search party and they head out to find the missing man, who they eventually find. Well, part of him anyway. At first Colby thought it was just the boot, but then he finds the foot is still in it, and it is alive with flies busy laying eggs in the flesh.

Back at base camp, panic begins to set in as they speculate what could have happened to Jared. Regardless, Colby has decided that whatever is going on is beyond him and they need to get the hell out. The only problem is, there's no way to call for help. They can't get a signal on their cell phones, and a SAT phone wasn't in the budget. That means either walking out through the wilderness or heading out to the drop-off point with the hopes that they will be able to get a signal in the clearing. But not knowing what they are up against, Colby thinks it's better to take a small group. It will be easier to keep a couple of people safe in the wilderness than having to keep an eye on everybody.

One day out, they discover what poses the threat to them. Voracious leech-like grubs that have to ability to reanimate dead tissue. As if that wasn't bad enough, the queens, once attached, secrete a will-deadening toxin that allows them to control the living. It becomes a battle of man versus nature for survival, but can Colby protect the people in his charge against an enemy that is all but invisible until it's too late?

With GRUBS, it appears as if McAfee is trying to combine zombie fiction with "nature strikes back" fiction, and he does a remarkable job blending the two together. While the story, which was well written, moves along at a brisk pace, I did have a problem with the characters. Not all of them were fully fleshed out, and none of them were truly likable, and maybe that's because they are all painted as fallible. They have flaws. They are human. There are no white knights here, no one individual who is impervious to everything that is thrown at them. The hero of our story, Colby, is a disgraced Marine who blames himself for the death of his men while on a mission. When the first scientist turn up dead, his past comes back to haunt him and he fears that history is about to repeat itself. That in itself is fine; a character in need of redemption. But he is too often sidetracked with thoughts of the only female scientist in his charge. His feelings for her make him careless. And is she really worthy of his attentions. As much as Janice claims she is keeping her relationship with Colby a secret, she is flaunting it in the face of her ex-husband, who happens to be one of the other researchers on the team. Can we say "Bitch"? One of the scientists is a sex-crazed sociopath who has set his sights on Janice. The rest of the characters are relatively flat—cardboard characters thrown in as cannon fodder.

Was it enough to keep me from enjoying the book? No. It was one of the rare instances where what happens to the characters becomes secondary. My attention was focused more on the grubs: Where did they come from? What was their purpose other than trying to perpetuate their dying species.

If you, like me, enjoy those cheesy low-budget horror movies that were shown periodically on weekday afternoons after school in the 70s, then this is definitely a book for you.