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Tattered Souls 2 Edited by Frank Hutton: Reviewed by Alex McDermott

Gaynor Stenson, Vamplit Editor & Publisher — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:52:00 +0000

The world of horror writing is a struggle. There are millions of time-worn cliché ideas to fall back on and many writers do just that. Taking a chance means taking a risk and that’s a dangerous idea. Selling the cliché is far easier. Editor Frank Hutton has put together a collection of stories that take chances in his anthology Tattered Souls 2. The authors here have stepped outside of the cliché box. Although the result is a mixed bag, Hutton gives us something more challenging than the latest zombie fare to sink our teeth into.

The stories in this collection cover the standard horror topics. There is the usual suspects list of zombies, evil dolls, and haunted houses. But it’s the spin these authors take that sets this collection apart. In The First Stroke by Elias Siqueiros for example, we have a very sinister doll as our horror creature. Instead of the cliché satanic, possessed dolly however, Siqueiros delves into Old World European customs and culture for a completely different take on the Pinocchio legend. Steve Ruthenbeck gives us the zombie apocalypse from a teen’s perspective in I Was a Teenage Zombie Apocalypse. Only unlike most of the zombie teen protagonists, this one never morphs into the hero rising from geekdom to save the girl. These authors take risks in their characters, plots, themes, and monsters. They’re a breath of fresh air in an increasingly stale market.

Different doesn’t always work however. In an attempt to be different, some of the plot turns become so convoluted they never come back to centre. In short, they just don’t hold together enough to make sense! Even those stories are a better read than the same blood-soaked zombie tale or throat-ripping vampire story.

Reviewing a short story collection is difficult. Each story is unique and touches readers differently. With elements of Gothic horror to touches of Steampunk, this collection covers a wide range of tastes. The authors take a chance and that’s worth the read right there! Step outside of the mundane and pick up a copy! FOUR STARS!
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Alex McDermott is a writer, horror fan, and lunatic! He likes fiction dark, thought-provoking, and creepy. Shadows in the corner, sounds from the closet and things that go bump in the night… these are a few of his favorite things.

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Review: Willy by Robert Dunbar: by Alex McDermott

Gaynor Stenson, Vamplit Editor & Publisher — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:38:14 +0000

As any of my regular readers know, gore and violence is not my thing. Most horror today however, is just an excuse for torture, graphic violence, and bloodshed. Every now and then though, an author throws out the Horror 101 handbook and really digs into terror. Robert Dunbar’s Willy is one of those no rules novels.

Dunbar opens the novel with a jumbled mess of words. My first reaction- huh? What am I reading? But we quickly discover we are reading a diary from a young boy. We never learn his name, but his journal tracks his experiences in a crumbling, decrepit school for troubled youth. His roommate is an enigmatic boy, Willy, who is feared, hated, and disturbed. How disturbed? Is he evil? How much control does this boy exert over the horrific events that take place? How culpable is the headmaster, Spencer? Dunbar challenges us to examine the true nature of evil and leaves us wondering if there even is an answer!

The themes, setting, and characterization in the novel are amazing. There are only a few moments, which distract us from the growing sense of dread throughout the novel. The joyride, for example, is a jarring break in the tension that felt very out of time and place. And instead of creating a consistently dark, ominous figure with Willy, he at times comes across as cocky, whining, and frivolous.

Dark, haunting, and disturbing, Willy is a welcome change from the pile of body parts in the average horror novel. We are drawn into this decaying school and the frayed psychological state of everyone from staff to students. The terror is unseen, unspoken, but very real. A must-read. Five Stars!

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Review: Verland: The Transformation by Alex McDermott

Gaynor Stenson, Vamplit Editor & Publisher — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:38:39 +0000

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I’ve been a fan of horror for as long as I can remember. I started on reruns of Buffy and moved into the blood, splatter and gore as I got older. But last October, after a terrible accident, my life changed radically; suddenly the blood and guts didn’t have quite the same appeal. I had to relearn everything about my life, and I started going to dark, intense places that I had never been before. As I battled to get my life back, books filled the hours. Most of them came and went, but one reached deep inside my shattered emotional and psychological place—Verland: The Transformation.

I was never a big vampire fan. I’ve read my share of vampire novels, but few really captured the complex, monstrous essence of the original myths. Many modern vampires are boyfriends, serial killers, or party dudes—in other words, rock stars with a taste for blood rather than epic gothic outsiders. When I came across Verland: The Transformation, I expected something similar, but the more I looked at the cover, the more it drew me in. What was through the crumbling gateway? Where did the path lead? Was the figure in the doorway the vampire entering our world, or were we following him into his? I was on a new journey anyway, and so decided that I might as well find out.

The protagonist, Elle Bramasol, is a true-crime writer struggling with the darkness that still haunts her from her mother’s murder twenty years ago. She’s content, and yet the bright, happy sunshine of Los Angeles doesn’t feel completely real. When she gets the break of her career writing about Hollywood director Eliot Kingman’s conviction for murder, her darkness collides with something far more intense. Kingman’s bizarre obsession with death proves a dangerous match for Elle’s own hidden desires, and he pulls her deeper and deeper into a nightmare of vampires, necromancers, and murder.

Verland isn’t like any vampire book I’ve ever read. He doesn’t sparkle and he doesn’t rip people apart. He’s a killer and the description of his transformation will make you squirm; he conducts experiments with razor blades and pins that will make a grown man break down in tears! The cast of characters supporting Verland will also haunt your nightmares. They are ferocious, frightening, and kill to survive; for traditional horror fans, there’s no lack of bloodshed or macabre action.

But the book goes far beyond killing and bloodshed—from exploring ancient practices such as cannibalism and cremation to challenging our basic beliefs about death and the afterlife, Verland: The Transformation makes you think. Verland is an outsider destined to be alone even among his own kind. We want to be a part of his world, maybe even kill for it, but we know that it cannot be. He lures us in, but we’re never really with him. He’s alone, immortal, and deadly. But like Elle, Verland carries a deep sadness within him. Verland may not appeal to fans of intense gore and splatter action; like the vampire himself, the book draws you in slowly, subtly. The more philosophical passages may lose some readers’ attention, although the payoff is well worth it. Immortality isn’t the gift mortals think it is, and the book builds to an intense and powerful moment of realization for both Verland and readers alike.

By the time I reached the book’s conclusion, those dark, intense places in my head and heart had new light. I didn’t feel quite as shattered. This book made me think about the struggles I was going through, and challenged so much of what I thought I knew. I finished the last pages and sat watching the endless Seattle rain, and my injuries, my mortality, and my soul felt different. Elle faces her darkness, and although I didn’t realize it as I was reading, so did I. We made the strange and terrible journey through Kingman and Verland’s world together. Verland: The Transformation is more than just a story about a vampire or a horror book. It made me believe. It transformed me.

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