Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Sons of the Devil Vol 1

Title: Sons of the Devil Volume 1.
(US Link.)

Author: Brian Buccellato.

Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror.

Series: Sons of the Devil.

 

Release Date: 8-10 Dec 2015.

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

 

I had never heard of this series - but the cover art looked pretty awesome, with a gritty, half-noir kind of vibe. So I decided to give it a shot. Impulsive reading pays off!

 

Premise:

In 1989, a cult was broken up in California. It was lead by a man named David. He had plans for his children; he had 'work' to complete.

Travis has lived the life of a foster-care orphan. He has a short temper. He has court-ordered therapy. He has a whole bunch of mystery surrounding a photograph of the man who might be his father - a man with eyes just like his: one red, and one blue.

Best bits:

The art keeps that cool, lush, half-noir, thing going throughout - it matches the tone, and looks pretty awesome.

The story is intriguing - we know that there's something seriously sinister going on, and the layers are peeled back to reveal just a tantalisingly small amount of the truth at a time. It definitely keeps you reading.

Overall, the book has a fab gothic/horror/freaking weird vibe. As that's my kind of thing, I definitely enjoyed it. It's likely to appeal to people who enjoyed The Crow (US link,) V for Vendetta (US link) - y'know, the grittier side of things.
 

Not so great bits:

It probably goes without saying, but if you're not a fan of horror, demons, and bloody violence, this is probably not for you.

There's the occasional feeling of disjointedness (you know, the 'who was he again?' 'what's he doing?' kind of feeling,) but it's exceedingly small.

Verdict:

An intriguing and absorbing graphic novel for those who like their plots sinister and sinuous, their art lush and noir-ish, and their graphic novels awesome.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA - Goodreads – Author's DC Comics Profile

This is Halloween! - Top 5 Spooky Hidden Gems

'Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?'

I thought that for Halloween I'd highlight some books that either get overlooked or unfairly forgotten. I'm something of a fan of all things horror and gothic - so I'm going to give you fair warning that these books are not for those who scare easy. If you've got the stomach for it, then read on...

1. For the Rock Fan - Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Judas Coyne is an old rocker with a thing for collecting macabre and occult objects. He may have just bought the real deal.


This was the first book I read by Joe Hill. This was the start of my love of his work. I adore this book. It may be too scary/spooky/grim for some - Hill has horror running through his veins - but for anyone up for a walk on the darker side of life, I seriously recommend this. The quality of the writing speaks for itself; this is easily one of my favourite books.


2. For the Scandi-Noir Fan - Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

1981. Sweden. A bullied twelve-year-old, Oskar - finds a friend, Eli. Eli is not all she seems. And people are dying.


This is not a book for the faint-hearted. Fair warning. These are not the vampires who sparkle - these are the kind of vampires based in the gritty realism of Scandinavian winter. It also involves some fairly uncomfortable social problems - including a character who is a paedophile. While Lindqvist's deftness with difficult topics is evident even through the translation, this is still highly disturbing fair.

3. For Your Inner Goth - Florence & Giles by John Harding

New England in 1891. Neglected by their guardian, Florence and Giles have made their own entertainment. But then there's what happened to the last governess, and Florence's suspicions of the new one.


This book has a fabulous twisted feel to it - truly gothic. Inspired by The Turn of the Screw, and devilishly readable, all fans of spooky period drama, and things that go bump in the night, will be thrilled. This isn't particularly long, and has quite a fast pace to it; plus some real page-turning credentials.

4. For the Movie Fan - The Crow by J O'Barr

Eric Draven has a score to settle. The Crow has brought his spirit back to wreak his vengeance.


Born of grief, and plagued by it's own mythos, The Crow has developed something of a life of its own. Long before the film which would be Brandon Lee's last, there was the graphic novel. This is not a happy book. It is graphic. It is violent. There is rape, drugs, and murder. For all that, there's something about which is sublimely beautiful - it's a piece of art. I had the great pleasure of meeting James O'Barr once (one of my heroes, if you must know) - and he is a genuinely lovely person, despite everything he's been through in his life.

 

5. For All Horror Fans - NOS4R2/NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Some people creates worlds in their heads. Vic McQueen has her bridge, Charlie Manx has Christmasland.


You can find my full review of this novel here. This is another fantastic book from Joe Hill. It's long, but very much worth the read. I do recommend that if you're not ok with having your childhood memories possibly irreparably ruined, you read this at any time except Christmas. I'm just saying.

Comics Wrap-Up - Disorientation and Vampires

Spring 1: Born Again, is another of the Double Take comics that I've been working my way through. I have to say, unfortunately, I wasn't impressed with this one. Apart from the unnecessary naked girl on the cover (which, let's face it, happens in comics from time to time,) and some of the (ahem) artwork that is most definitely not appropriate for younger audiences, I didn't actually have a clue what was going on. This may just have been me being a bit dull. But I have no clue what this was about - something to do with water? I was even confused about whether this was supposed to be one time period or two - there was 1960s stuff going on, and then what seemed to be modern stuff (though I'm not sure,) and I just got really disorientated with the whole thing (sigh.) Maybe I'll try reading it again some time - with more coffee in me - to see if it makes sense then.

The other comic-reading I've done this week is of the vampire variety - Halloween is coming up after all. I read Dark Horse Does Vampires Right - this is a sampler of vampire stories from Dark Horse - one of the larger non-Marvel, non-DC, publishers. Dark Horse's stable (ha, unintended horse pun,) tends to be quirky and/or slightly gothic. Vampires are one of their mainstays because of their rights to various Buffy the Vampire Slayer titles, which continue on past the show's seasons. Half of this collection of six tales involve titles from the Buffy pantheon - and I have to say, the Spike story bl***y rocked! I also love that the big, cataclysmic event, which changed everything in the Buffy universe was named 'Twilight,' somebody knew what it was they did - and is probably still chuckling to themselves to this day. The Strain and Baltimore stories were pretty cool - if a little creepy/bloody for some tastes. I like the art for the House of Night story - a comic adaptation of the House of Night YA novel series by P.C. and Kristin Cast. I've noticed a lot of YA gets adapted to comic/graphic novel form these days - which is pretty cool in my ever-so humble nerd-girl opinion. So, yeh, if you want a taste of Dark Horse's vampire titles, I do recommend this sampler - though it's perhaps a little mature for some readers.

Comics Wrap-Up

This is the wrap-up of my week in comics (because comics and graphic novels deserve more recognition than they get):


This week in my comic-reading habit (and yes, it's pretty much as bad as my novel-reading habit,) I've been reading horror comics from indie producer Double Take via Comixology - these comics are based around an event that turns the dead into zombies/ghouls. I have to say that the most disturbing was Home 1: Lighter Than Air, due to the demented swearing child that no-one seems to think is weird. The covers of these are really stand-out, and (despite the obvious sexism) I can't deny that the cover to Rise 1: Sister's Keeper, from an artistic point of view, is stunning.

In terms of the big boys (which, to the terminally uninformed are, obviously, Marvel and DC,) I read Hulk #1 (I know, there are a million Hulk #1's by now) of Marvel's Marvel Now! releases, subtitled 'Who Shot Bruce Banner?' this is the first issue in the Bruce Banner DOA storyline. And it was freaking awesome. It is woefully easy for Hulk comics to slip into caricature, parody, and needless complex messes, but this avoids that and stays instead to measured story, affecting art, and emotional heart. And look at the cover! That, my dearest readers, is how you make an excellent and effective Hulk cover.

Time to Review the Evidence (Classics Edition!) - Dracula by Bram Stoker

Title: Dracula (US Link)
Author: Bram Stoker
Genre: Classics, Horror, Paranormal, Vampire

A few starting notes:

I've read 'Dracula' several times now - it really is the godfather of vampire fiction. What Mr Stoker would have thought of Twilight et al is anybody's guess, but this was considered terrifying and risqué when it was first published.

Premise:

Jonathan Harker (one of the most under-appreciated characters in literary history, in my humble opinion,) a young solicitor's clerk, is engaged in work that takes him to Transylvania and one Count Dracula. He soon finds that things are not as they first appear.

Back home in Britain, Jonathan's fiancée, Mina Murray, is planning a break in Whitby with her friend, Lucy Westenra. Soon, Mina is worried about Lucy's health - what could be causing her illness?

Meanwhile, Lucy's jilted lover, Dr John Seward, continues his work at the lunatic asylum. His patient, Renfield, is acting very strangely...

Best bits:

This still has the power to draw you in to its atmospheric Gothicism and delectable prose. Perhaps we now consider it less frightening than our Victorian forebears did, but then, we have been de-sensitised by shocking films, books, TV shows, and video games. It's a wonder that anything frightens us, really.

The characters (with some notable exceptions) are vivid and intriguing. I personally favour Jonathan Harker - a man who fights his way through the darkest of situations.

The epistolary (look at me with my shiny literary terms - that means it's written in letters, diaries, etc.) form is used fantastically to highlight portions of plot with pin-prick precision, and to document the passing of time without getting in too much of an ever-loving muddle.

Not so great bits:

OK, don't yell at me, but I can't stand Lucy Westenra. She, to me, is the most awful stereotype. She is contradictorily pure and tainted at the same time - a symbol of Victorian sexual politics if ever there was one. She faffs about like a wet rag for most of her screen-time (I know there's no screen, but you know what I mean.)

The casual sexism is what bothers me the most about this book. The urge to scream at statements about thanking God for brave men is quite high. Unfortunately, I think this is largely a by-product of the time in which it was written.

Some may find it a very slow read - Victorian English, and not exactly short - but please don't let it put you off.

Verdict:

This is, and ever will remain, a classic. The book that popularised the vampire still has the power to entrance, absorb, and delight.

Reviewing the Evidence! - Printer's Devil Court

Title: Printer's Devil Court (US Link)
Author: Susan Hill
Genre: Horror, historical fiction, ghost story

A few starting notes:

This is a novella from modern master of the period ghost story, Susan Hill - author of similarly spoopy (I'm sorry purists - I, of course, mean spooky) tale, The Woman in Black.

Premise:

Hugh Meredith is a medical student at the turn of the last century (I think - it's never made all that clear to be honest,) when his fellow students suggest something which usually ends so well - raising the dead. Cue poop hitting fan and ghostly goings-on.

Best bits:

The atmospherics are pretty damned awesome here - this is something that Susan Hill can do. Gothic setting? Check. Shiver down my back? Check. Ghosties? Check.

It's also illustrated - giving it an authentic-style old-timey feel in its mimicry of the old plate illustrations in Victorian/Edwardian books/periodicals.

The entire thing is inherently readable - short, illustrated, and gothic. Awesomeness.

Not so great bits:

There's no excuse for the degree of typos folks, there's just not. You say there are two other doctors and then name three? It will jar you right out of the story. It's just not on, and I hope it's different in other editions.

The time-frame is never made all that clear - and I have some time perception issues that would've benefitted from clarity. Also, what level of technology and setting are we supposed to be imagining? Time period makes a difference when you're writing historical fiction - you can't leave it all fuzzy-wuzzy and up in the damned air!

Also, given the subject matter, I would've expected some mention of Mary Shelley - whose book Frankenstein was definitely in print at the time in which this is set; bit of an ever-loving heffalump in the room.

Verdict:

I enjoyed this - if it wasn't for the practical problems (typos, fuzzy time-periods, etc.,) I would've looked on it far more kindly, but it is inherently a very good book. Any fan of gothic horror and/or ghost stories will love it.

Reviewing the Evidence - Doctor Sleep

Title: Doctor Sleep (US Link)
Author: Stephen King
Genre: horror, paranormal
Series: The Shining

A few starting notes:

It's probably no great surprise to anyone by now that this is the sequel to The Shining. With that in mind, I do recommend that you read The Shining first - you'll just get so much more out of Doctor Sleep if you do. I'm going to keep this spoiler-free, with the exception of anything you can learn from reading the blurb for Doctor Sleep - because I think that's only fair.

Premise:

Daniel Torrance is all growed up. Except, the problem when you had an...unusual...childhood is that it tends to leave after-effects.

But now he has something else to think about. Or, at least, someone else. Abra Stone is a girl with one of the strongest examples of the Shining the world has ever seen - and she's attracted some attention. The True Knot aren't human anymore, and they live off steam - the thing that kids with the Shining produce, their essence. The True Knot are coming, they're coming for Abra...

Best bits:

It's an almost universal rule that the sequel will never be as good as the original. This is one of the exceptions. I hesitate to say that it's better than The Shining, but it's certainly as good as its predecessor. I personally also found it easier to relate to - but that's probably because the world in which Doctor Sleep is largely set is one I recognise, one not lost to the time after WW2 but before I was born like The Shining was.

The prose, plot, and characters are sublime. King knows what he's doing. I wonder why people still doubt his awesome mastery of the art. The writing hooks you in and carries you along on the tide. The characters are recognisably real in that they have flaws - some pretty major ones - virtues, and a good dollop of everyday life.

Also, and the amount to which I was chuffed by this is probably a testimony to just how nerdy I am, Stephen King's books have cross-contaminated with Joe Hill's. As well as references to other portions of his work (a brief mention of the ever present Castle Rock, for example,) there are references to Joe Hill's NOS4R2 (or NOS4A2, depending on which version you have,) which you may remember my previous review of. I also remember the odd reference to Stephen King works in Joe Hill books - and I love it. They need to keep this going for as long as possible because together I reckon they're damn-near unstoppable.

Not so great bits:

This is a Stephen King book - there are going to be traumatic things. You need to accept this. King is rarely if ever gratuitous however and deals with such weighty issues as alcoholism, various types of abuse, and some pretty unpleasant things happening to children, with his usual measured blend of realism and tact. There is also swearing, again, as per usual.

I personally would've liked it if certain aspects of the story - can't go into too much detail on account of spoilers - were brought more to the fore. For example, the actual 'Doctor Sleep' persona. And the cat - there should be more cats in everything as far as I'm concerned. This is a matter of personal preference though - I really can't fault Mr King for going in the direction he did with this, even if I would've liked to see other avenues expanded and explored.

Verdict:

This is an excellent sequel to a book considered a modern classic. It doesn't fall into the trap of trying to replicate the original, neither does it strain too much under the weight of its predecessor. This is carried off with skill and power. If you've read The Shining, read this.

Reviewing the evidence - NOS4R2 (aka NOS4A2)

Title: NOS4R2 (NOS4A2)
Author: Joe Hill
Genre: Horror
 
A few starting notes:

I'm a big fan of Joe Hill. I read Heart Shaped Box, Horns, and 20th Century Ghosts before I'd ever read anything by Hill's father (some little-known author named Stephen King.) His writing is just amazing. I'm not over-hyping, this dude has some talent.

NOS4R2 is the British name of Hill's novel NOS4A2, probably due to the fact that pronunciation is different on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and the publishers wanted the pun on Nosferatu to still make sense. It's nice for things to be Anglicised (I wish that phrase was Britishised or something, Anglicised is far too centred on England, and I don't live in England) instead of Americanised for a change.

Premise:

Sometimes people can create their own worlds in their head - what if it didn't always stay in their head?
 
Vic McQueen has a bridge. A bridge which finds things for her. She hops on her Raleigh bike, and looks for what's been lost.
 
Then there's the Wraith. Charles Talent Manx. He takes children to Christmasland, where it's Christmas every day - except they're not quite...children, anymore.
 
When Vic and Manx cross paths, things are going to be interesting. And bad. Very bad.
 
Best bits:

Firstly, I have to point out the quality of the writing. Joe Hill wraps you in the rhythm and tone of the words, and carries you along. You're a passenger on this ride, and it leaves you enchanted.
 
The plot is considered and well thought out, lining up its intricacies to slot them all neatly together. Yet nothing feels forced. Due to Hill's light and controlled touch, there's none of the awkwardness which may occur with other writers.
 
Likewise, the characters are believable and complex people, who need little more than ink, page and reader to come inexplicably to life. I particularly like the Scrabble-obsessed Maggie Leigh. She's incredible.

Not so great bits:

If you're sensitive, or wary, about the following: abuse (of several types,) swearing, addiction, cancer, mental illness, child abduction, self-harm and graphic violence - then I advise that you are cautious when it comes to this book. I may even have left some potentially traumatic issues out. But, it's to Hill's credit that it doesn't feel overwhelmed by the issues which he handles so matter-of-factly, yet so deftly and competently. This could so easily have become a leaden weight around the plot, but Hill manages to pull it off.

Also, unless you're OK with adding a taint to all your childhood memories, I suggest you don't read this around Christmas.

Verdict:

I cannot emphasise enough how amazing and masterful this book is. Any horror fan who has not yet discovered Joe Hill (and any who has) needs to get hold of a copy of this. You won't regret it. I would give it 5 stars any day.