Wayward Son (Monster Squad) by Heath Stallcup

Bang and HS brings you straight back into the action with no time to breathe!

Apollo is still reeling from Sheridan’s disclosure about the love of his life, Maria and the decision he has made after that soon come to haunt him, in fact throughout the whole of this book, I feel so sorry for him, love is possibly the most dangerous emotion on the planet.

We get caught up on Paul and Rufus who after being blown to bits and some nasty dealings from Paul, well actually his normal self! They eventually heal, visit the vampire council to offer them an ultimatum.

And what an ultimatum as something BIG is coming; Lilith is now fully regenerated and calling for her maker, omg!

To the new baby squad there is a new unexpected member and the group is not finished yet! This looks like a great new squad coming together, I just love the gargoyles!

Tufo has changed; after having his guts ripped out all sorts of things are now happening to him! But the relationship he has with everybody is still on the edge of hysterical, love the humour that HS puts into these books. You may be about to have your head chomped off but HS will make one of his characters have a giggle about it.

There is so much crossing and double crossing in this book I was having to write notes to keep up with who was enemies with who! But with Werewolves, Gargoyles, Elves, Gnomes, Vampires and gosh knows what else in the mix who knows what will happen next – but something bad is coming and I am really looking forward to the next instalment. 

Wayward Son

Cast in Blood by Christine Sutton, Lisa Lane and Jaime Johnesse

Lenny is a troubled girl but she has found salvation and a haven at Children of Light church, when Apollyon the demon comes into her life things start to become a little more complex for this untapped, talented shape shifter.

Not only is Apollyon a First Knight of Hell, an expert in torture and right hand helper to Lucifer (Lucy to her friends!), she is on a mission to a catch a djinn (very bad but lesser demon of hell) and find out who is stealing all the souls from both Heaven and Hell.

Drew is the final heroine that make up the (don’t say it – Charlie’s Angels!) trio, as a succubus you would think her life as a “working girl” would be perfect, but she is on the wagon and going cold turkey, much to the disgust of her demon pimp the purple fedora wearing J.D.

Hershel aka Father is a charismatic leader, and true believer, and he is willing to sacrifice to bring about the cleansing of the sin upon the earth. With his devout followers not being quite what they appear is Hell about to unleash on the world??   So what is going on the basement?

This book has some seriously powerful female characters, great ideas and interesting thoughts regarding humanity and the whole theory of Heaven vs Hell. It turns a few myths on their heads in some very amusing ways; I would love more of Polly and Lucy’s beginnings and journey.

Along with the splattering, then gushing of gore were some giggle inducing moments and some snort out loud lines too.

Whilst I found the beginning a little slow, the laying out of all the characters is steady and easily followed then the story starts to gather pace, I could not find a good place to stop as each chapter just leaves you on a knife edge of questions or battle.

Some of the character thoughts, sayings and ideals are a bit sugary and more YA in texture than the others but the gore element and subject matter soon take care of that. There was also some over repeating of the "Fall" explanation, not really done in a differing enough PoV in my opinion to be different enough, but by the middle of the book I was hooked and thought the overall story with the gore and great characters made up for any doubts in the start.

These authors rock individually with their own novels and characters but together they have blown me away! This is the start of what promises to be a brilliant series, so don’t let me down ladies, don’t let your characters become too perfect or too safe! !

                          

Cast in Blood

DEAD: Snapshot Portland by TW Brown

Ken is a grieving, gone to seed, ex-cop widow. Jason is a fresh out of jail convict who happens to help Juanita whilst she is being attacked. Rose is a freshly divorced dog lover.   Stupid (or Baily), Imp and Circe are the lovable dogs along for the ride.

This is the start of the zompoc, the start of the DEAD series (now on book 10) right back at the beginning with a huge bang.

Their stories quickly intertwine in the town of Portland, Oregon as the zombies pop back from the dead.

There is lots of gore in this book, lots of shooting, lots of heart break, some humour but always great writing and deep character building, TWB does his best to make you care for these people so you are also immersed in the story.

I was so upset when a certain above character died but even more devastated when a second character dies trying to save them. Yes, lots of people die in these books, it’s sad but as TWB often states no character is safe.

Zombies are never the all-out reason for the demise of humans, we manage that on our own, we just need the nudge and TWB paints a very frightening picture.

He deftly uses his DEAD series to highlight small towns and cities and I am delighted that he plans many more of these, promising anyone who writes to him with details of their town, friends and loved ones he will place into the zompoc and annihilate your town for you!

I really enjoyed the differing views of the same scene from various characters but did not enjoy the dogs PoV, it felt stilted and very anthropomorphised, more like how we would LIKE our animals to think of us not how they actually do.

I was also a bit concerned that the animals on the farm and the veggies they were originally growing seemed to disappear.

Whilst the ending was nicely wrapped up it did feel a little rushed in comparison to his other books but then maybe I am comparing 10 books to 1 !!

Overall I can’t wait for the next one. 

DEAD: Portland

Lobsters and Landmines by Glen Johnson

Lobster Theodore:

Jim, his girlfriend the chain smoking Tracy and her fat son Theodore; a tantrum prone child.

Jim disagrees with the ADHD diagnosis recently bestowed upon Theodore, he prefers to think of him as just an obnoxious child, but then Jim has very set feelings about child rearing!

His day job is as a lobster boat man and he is struggling with his “familys” wants and his lack of buyers, thankfully he has Tracy’s benefit money to keep the business afloat.

Even the rest of his street are demanding of him, poor Jim, but then he does something that makes the lobsters happy!

GJ is a master at making characters appear real and with huge histories within moments of you reading about them, love or hate them you are involved in their lives.

Little Prick:

Jasmine is wasting away and watching her mother care for her 24/7 also waste away. She has all manner of skin and internal ailments all brought on by one deadly disease, HIV, but she has a plan.

Her story is heart-breaking but the plan she and her doting mother have hatched to end all their suffering is a poetic one.

I really enjoyed the ending, but it had so much sadness in this story I had to “walk” away from the book for a few weeks.

Man’s Best Friend:

Lennie is revolting individual that left the Army less of a human, if that’s possible, than when he went in thanks to an IED.

Now living in Thailand he is able to keep slave women, pigs and dogs with a side-line of child kidnapping into the bargain. The pigs and dogs are sold for meat the women fair much worse.

Whilst Lennie is living the life those around him are not, but Karma is a Bitch, literally as it turns out for Lennie.

I was sad to learn of the landmines that still pepper this beautiful country still causing death and destruction so long after the war.

GJ does such a wonderful job of describing the land and areas of beauty.

Towers of Fear:

Kerrie has lost her best friend and possibly her reason to live. 

She continues to relive the day that planes crashed into the Twin Towers destroying so many lives and changing the way we all now live our lives.

Whilst most of us will remember what we were doing, where we were, who we were with and some, many, more who we lost, seeing this close up personal view was very harrowing. Not all horror is gore, some if just pure fear.

Best for the Job:

Jenny is an air hostess with the mostess! Tall, beautiful and blonde she has fallen in love with Luciano and followed him to his native Brazil, again such beautiful descriptions of country and people by GJ.

But being a kept woman is not her idea of fun and there are only so many museums you can visit. So she sets off to find another job and lands a perfect role in a small new company doing charter flights.

She is aware of the bad safety record of flights in and around Brazil and takes care to ensure all her passengers are aware of the onboard safety instructions, not that it really matters in what is about to happen to them all.   Eeeeeewwww!

The Last Cake:

Grace is off to her final days work as a midwife and tomorrow she plans to bake her final award winning cake, she just needs to gather a few final secret ingredients.

Just revolting, but also very funny.

Lockdown:

Don is a doomsday prepper and not just any old scenario he is prepared for everything! From economic collapse to volcanic eruptions he has it all planned for, or does he?

He has a daily routine of wandering his complex with its multidue of hidey holes, animals, windmills and plant growing sets ups. In his bunker at night he inventories his food and ammo leaving nothing to chance.

When the earth starts to shake he knows something has happened and goes into lockdown mode. His lack of compassion for animals and even his 14 year old companion dog made what occurs next make me smile. That lovely Karma again, plus can you really plan for everything?

I did a little giggle/snort when we find out what the rumbles and earth shakes were.

Nosey Parker:

Tim has survived his two days training at the new computer care job despite his over fussy mum and very cold ex-army father.

His new company uses a super computer that analyses chemicals to such a degree that no animal testing is required – perfect.

Perfect is also what Tim’s job is; go to work, pursue your hobbies, surf online, read books, eat free food, sleep or whatever you want – just don’t ask questions and get paid lots of money.

But Tim is a Nosey Parker and soon discovers first-hand what the company are actually upto.

Personally I loved the whole set and am filling in an application form!

Regrets:

Nicholas hates flying, he is also missing his sons football games, hugging his daughter and after a nasty fight with his much loved wife he is feeling guilty too.

A distraction at the cockpit soon distracts him. Such a sad ending, another 9/11 little glimpse.

I found the whole book more sad than horror, and overall,  whilst there were some humorous moments they were overshadowed by the sad bits, plus the odd missing letter/or misspelling and this is not GJ best work - a relook would do it some favours BUT he is still an amazing author with some serious skills!

Lobsters & Landmines

A-Z of Horror (E, F & G) by IR Wright

Antworth Manor is a three story Edwardian house that needs some love and attention, but first its new owner needs to evict the current tenants – half a million creepy crawlies.

With a pure hatred of all buggy things since a horrific childhood experience, could this bug infested house even be too much for bug killer extraordinaire Chris Treadwell.

Love the little quotes at the start of the story, Arachnophobia; bound to get my goose bumps rising.

As he goes about the building spraying and stomping Treadwell finally makes it to the cellar, then the horror really starts.

Treadwell is urged on through greed mostly, and then defiance even as the unusually large and prevalent multitude of wasps, beetles, spiders and other insects, decide to bite and sting.

When he finally makes it into the Library a few new discoveries finally give him the “willies” enough to run for the exit.

The ending is smirk worthy and full of wonderful gore; another brilliant instalment of the A-Z of Horror.

There were a few word and grammatical errors in this book, not enough to distract, but not IRW usual perfection.

E is for Exterminator

13year old Max on has girls on his mind and whilst he is forced by his parents to enjoy a caravanning holiday in the UK whilst all his friends are off to exotic places.

However, he soon meets up with three older girls who seem like they want a “good time” too!

Before long he is agreeing to meet them in the woods, even after one of the girls tells some gore laden story about a murder in said woods.

Let down, teased, tormented and then scared half to death Max is given a life or death choice from an unlikely source.

IRW manages to get teenage mannerisms and speech to a tee, makes for uncomfy reading.

Another great instalment in this series.

F is for Feral

You know when science and secret are in the same sentence that something is going or gone wrong.

Dr Lester Solberg has been tempted by a large final pay packet and shipped off to a secluded location in Bratislava with the promise of research and more riches.

Taken to a rather boring looking facility with high levels of security Dr Lester is soon introduced to his research fellows and finally The Experiment.

The idea of what can be done and what is to be studied by Dr Lester made me shudder and then very curious all at the same time.

With such big and bold characters to “play” with IRW does go to town with some clever wording that gave me the odd snort.

The ending was sort of expected but I would love to see this story extended.

G is for Genome

The Hunt Chronicles: Awakening by JD Demers

This is cleverly narrated by a survivor holed up in an office block running out of water and food. It is done with diary style with dates and the order runs very well.

He often eludes to the fact that he is unique in having immunity and as his story played out I was impressed with how the author, JDD, managed to allow information and knowledge to seep out slowly.

It is straight to the point, very matter of fact but with an underlying element of sadness in his trains of thought, he claims he is not a hero when clearly he has only acted as most of us would in times of horror eg hiding, running etc.

Then there is the burden of carrying the "cure" in your blood and the guilt of having others die to save you, I thought these thoughts were dealt with very well and it was really great to see the character developing before my eyes.

In one of the first few chapters he recounts a drive to the local bar and I had to laugh at the irony of his driving; it was like a bad joke about women drivers!

As the world descends into chaos he is very honest in his realisation that he did not believe it at the time, that he remained a scaredy cat.

Eventually he is forced into a life or death situation which leaves him with a little reminder of the struggle; teeth marks, and we all know what that means in a zompoc!

There was a sense of realism when internally discussing the zompoc which was good and compelling. I loved the bonding with Boomer, the dog. I also felt like this gave a different element to the story line with our manin character having a dog not a human for a companion.

In addition some of the other major aspects of this “version” of the zompoc are far, far different from any other books I have read.  The zombies are different, their evolution is different etc.

The army speak explanations were really good as they allowed me into this work and therefore did not bore me. Whilst army he admits to being a supply man and not gunned up to the eyeballs which also makes a great change.

It could have been cleaner with the odd missing letter/word and incorrect tense; however this did not distract too much as the story was riveting.

However, a couple of things did irritate me that I have to mention, in hope the author will address these in subsequent books:

When locked in the bedroom for two weeks how did the woman go to the toilet? The explanation for how she got water was quite detailed but the other end is never mentioned! But JDD is not alone in this, most authors of apocalyptic situations never address these issues, weeing, pooping, periods etc…..

The lack of medical knowledge (and therefore research) annoyed me re the wound care and expecting a body to regenerate/replace blood loss overnight. But I suppose this is an occupational hazard for me.

Is Christian bigoted or brutally honest in describing people, I’m not sure.

This story starts with a bang, has a really strong middle, with no slow points and the ending leaves you with just enough of a cliff-hanger to want more, I certainly am looking forward to the next volume in this series.

The Hunt Chronicles: Awakening

JD Demers is a brand new author, he was very gracious in providing me with a bit more information about himself, so read on for all the gossip!

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I served in the US Army for five years as Military Intelligence, and then contracted to the DoD for another seven.  After years of traveling, I decided to settle down in Florida.  I’m married with two children and two lovable and annoying dogs.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I enjoy shooting mostly.  It allows me to unwind.  

What’s your favourite food? 

Popcorn.  My wife hates it.  I can eat three or four bags in one sitting.

Who would be on the soundtrack to your life story?

I would hope it would be Breaking Benjamin, but it would probably end up being Weird Al Yanukovych 

Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction?

Horror.  I guess I’m old school.  Weird Fiction doesn’t seem to describe Horror and Dark Fiction seems like a politically correct way of saying Horror.

Who are some of your favourite authors?

My first and foremost would have to be Tom Clancy.  I do not write anything like him, but when I joined the military and found out I was going to be Military Intelligence, my recruiter bought me the book “Patriot Games.”  He highlighted what I was going to be doing since he really wasn’t supposed to talk about it.  Funny, as I look back now, that was a security violation.

I’m a big fan of TW Brown.  I would love to include Stephen King, mostly because his book “On Writing” was so influential, but truthfully, his style throws me off a little.

What is your all-time favourite horror novel, and film?

Novel: The Dead  

Film: Signs.  And before anyone says anything, it’s not that Signs was exactly Horror, but the movie gave me chill bumps.  Gore doesn’t make Horror.  Something that keeps me on the edge of my seat, worried about what’s going to happen next and sends shivers down my spine… That’s Horror.

If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

Gore makes Horror.  I hate that.  I can write a book full of blood and guts, but to me, that’s just blood and guts.  Saving Private Ryan had lots of it, and it wasn’t a Horror story.  Don’t get me wrong, you need it, but that’s not what Horror Authors should focus on.

Which fictional character would be your perfect neighbour, and who would be your nightmare neighbour?

Perfect: John McClain.  He seems like the type of guy that would keep to himself, but at the same time, hold a decent conversation at the mailbox.

Nightmare: Edward from Twilight.  The guy’s a creepy stalker.  

What do you think of the current state of the genre?  

It’s in flux.  There are a lot of new writers out there with Self-Publishing.  Some are good, some are bad.  I think the market is getting flooded, and hopefully some good ones are not being drowned out by the sheer volume of books being released these days.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?

Great Book: Game of Thrones.  The writer did a superb job of creating a whole new world.

Disappointing Book: Zombie Fallout 2.  I thought the first book was great, but the second kind of threw me.  I love Mark Tufo’s style, but the story got a little weird for me for a zombie book.

How would you describe your writing style?

I try to not get overly descriptive.  I love Tom Clancy and can stomach his long descriptions only because I worked in the Intelligence field for twelve years.  But I get turned off when an Author spends three paragraphs describing one zombie.  I like to provide just enough information to let the reader know what’s going on, but not drown it out with the colour of table cloths and drapes.

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?

Unfortunately, I have yet to receive any negative reviews.  I would like to know what irritated people with my writing.  However, the best positive review I received said my character growth was amazing.  That really made me happy because I focused a lot on making my characters both likeable and real.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?

Thinking of stories is easy for me.  If I had the time, I would have a couple hundred books by now.  The problem comes with putting the thoughts on paper.  Things do not always translate the same way.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?

Erotica.  Just don’t have it in me.

If you could kill off any character from any other book who would you chose and how would they die?

Edward from Twilight.  He would die in a burst of flame from the sun like he’s supposed to.

What do you think makes a good story?

Besides great characters is an objective.  That objective can vary greatly depending on what the story is about, but sometimes, especially in the zombie genre, the objective of “survival” becomes bland after book 2 or 3.

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?

This is a hard one.  Christian, the main character in The Hunt Chronicles, is named after my son (and his sister, Trinity, is named after my daughter).  Other than that, I go with what would sound right for the character.

How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

That’s a hard one.  I’ve always been creative.  But I think mostly I’ve learned to be more realistic when it comes to unrealistic scenario’s (IE: Zombies, Aliens, Magic, etc.).  I know that sounds weird, but I think you have to make it believable.  Not just “It is because it is”.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

The ability to become the characters you are writing about.  When I write about my characters, I don’t think “What would I do,” I think “What would they do.”

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?

Ignore the Trolls and learn from constructive criticism.  (Bobby Adair)

How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

Facebook and Twitter, hands down.  

Who is your favourite character from your book and why?

I have to go with Fish.  He is an asshole, but a complicated one with a past not too many people can compare themselves with.  Most of my readers agree and I’ve already been begged not to kill him off. 

How about the least favourite character?  What makes them less appealing to you?

So far I would have to say Jenna.  Not because she isn’t likeable, but because I still haven’t put her where I want her to be.

Fame, fortune, or respect?

Can I say the last two?  Fortune because I would like my writing to sustain me financially.  Fortune to me does not mean rich, but rather comfortable.  Respect in my writing is most important, though.  

What piece of your own work are you most proud of?

I guess I’d have to say The Hunt Chronicles.

And are there any that you would like to forget about?

Not yet.

For those who haven’t read any of your books, what book of yours do you think best represents your work and why?

The Hunt Chronicles because, currently, it is the only published work I have.  But I do think it will really represent who I am for years to come.

What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do?  And what would be the answer?

When would I retire?  From work?  Now if I could.  From writing?  Never.

Website: http://www.jddemers.com/

Blog

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/authorjddemers

Twitter @jacob76dem

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jddemers

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/wwwgoodreadscomjddemers

Biography -  

J.D. Demers served in the United States Army as an Intelligence Analyst for five years.  After he was honorably separated from service, he continued to serve his country as a civilian Department of Defense Contractor for another seven years.  Since then, he has returned to his hometown in the State of Florida.

J.D. Demers has been writing since he was in High School.  His interests mostly gear him toward Science Fiction, though he does enjoy Politics, International Affairs, and History.

Condoms & Cabbages by Glen Johnson

Wayne Ward does not sound like an attractive chappie, inside or out, although who doesn’t fantasise about wanting to beat their noisy neighbour to a bloody pulp at 3am!

Wayne has given up his hard life of dodging work and living off UK benefits and managed to move to Thailand via a few dodgy deals and other nasty moments.

He constantly finds fault in everyone around him, mostly cultural, and he is not shy in voicing his opinions; loved the irony that he is more revolting than those (habits) that surround him.

Whilst on the hunt for his next victim he meets Precious and decides that now is the time to act on one of his fantasies of beating, raping and robbing an ethnic woman.

He bargains a hard price and off they set for the afternoon of pleasure but Wayne gets way more than he agreed too. The ending was exquisite and gave me great satisfaction.

The flip flop comment actually made me gag; be on the lookout for that one!

I adore the way GJ always points out at the start of his books that he is British and that all his words are correctly spelt!

Condoms & Cabbages