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In an isolated section of woods in Maine billionaire computer guru Ty Winsloe incarcerates so called
mythological creatures in a glass prison.  He employs two witches and a shaman to help him find his prey.
Once he catches a victim, his hired scientists study the captive before releasing the prisoner into the wild.
Finally Ty as a predator and his hounds hunt the otherworldly individuals.

His current target is a werewolf and his choice amongst that species is its only known female Elena.
Witches warn Elena of the coming danger and actually rescue her from an abduction attempt by Ty’s
thugs.  However, the dye has been set as Ty plans to cage Elena, allow his scientists to study her and
ultimately free his prisoner so he can hunt and kill her.  However, he will find the she-werewolf will not
give up easily.

STOLEN, the sequel to the delightful, BITTEN, is a refreshing rendition of “The Most Dangerous Game”,
except that the quarry in this novel is the supernatural beings.  The key to this strong story line is that the
varying mythical creatures seem so genuine especially when the scientists classify the species in a
taxonomy that Carl Linnaeus would endorse.  Elena retains her bite from the first novel while Ty is an
ideal predator playing a live “video” game with his chosen victims.  Kelley Armstrong provides a
tremendous "Women of the Otherworld" novel that horror and thriller fans will value.
 

Dark Vigil: A Collection of Religious Horror
By L.J. Blount
Published by Double Dragon Publishing
ISBN: 1-55404-028-0
A DDP First Edition February 28, 2003
Cover Art by Deron Douglas
ebook/paperback

Reviewed by Brutal Dreamer

The Brutal Introduction to L. J. Blount's Dark Vigil: This devilish collection is written by one of the best masters of macabre; his dreadful words are like having sandpaper scraped across your tender flesh.  You've not been in the bowels of Hell, until... you have been bathed with the eternal brimstone and fire by L. J. Blount.  He swathes you with the sinful warmth of hellfire through these 12 hellish amusements from the baneful one; one that spins myths and terrorizes the soul, L. J. Blount!

Fear not, I will only lead you where you can find your own answers of eternity and wonders: through the
unspeakable sinful, fleshly desires of Julie, through the cursed days of Enziel, and the demons that try to
become angels, perhaps angels of death.  Light a candle, say a prayer, and join me in this Dark Vigil.

L.J. asks, "If Angels who have fallen from the grace of God become devils, do devils who have fallen
from the spite of Satan become angels?" In his first tale of the collection:

Enziel: Of Fallen Devils
Enziel's upbringing leaves a lot to be desired. Hell, he might as well of been raised by vultures and
ravenous wolves or even raised by Satan himself.  What must Enziel do to see his dearly loved Mother
again?  Had God forsaken him to the Devil and his minions?  Enziel faces the Dark One.

Touched:
Julie (Jules) Niles, a sexy sixteen year old girl who happens to be a whore who must have another night
with the creature.   How she craved a man, a real man.   However, she was with the ‘incubus' again
tonight.  She was to provide four souls for the demon.  The creature offered her a better Hell than her
Hell on Earth.

Seppuku:
Taylor was a Christian woman, living a life of honesty and devotion.  She is raped, and becomes pregnant--how she opts to deal with this pregnancy is quite brutal but not in comparison of what she feels for her Father, her Lord.

Concede: The First Circle of Hell:
Two demons: Mia, a succubus and Lorna, a minor-league demon meet up with a man, until he pleads for
mercy!

Penance: A User's Guide:
Authoress of "Penance: A User's Guide" The Harvester of Souls pseudonym for Andi Maxwell; a writer
with the old demon, ‘writer‘s block’. She hadn't written anything in almost three years and now her
psuedo was haunting her, taking her to the bowels of Hell by the hand of a demon.  Are you feeling the fiery blazes upon your skin?  Never fear, sinner!  The torture has only just begun. Now on to Replicate!

Replicate:
Sydney had compassion and empathy for the sinners, she feared their pain but Branson was apathetic.
She feared this was her atonement for her own sins, watching others suffer, feeling them writhed in pain
as they were punished.

Liquid Echo:
Wishing only to die, a figure of a woman comes to him. She never speaks; she only floats above him and
then pours a liquid from a bowl upon his flesh.  The unyielding pain is beyond what Jesus Christ had to
endure.  She dumps the liquid upon him. He has tried every death conceivable and she arrives to save
him and bring on a new pain.  All his curiosities are answered though the liquid echoes of his eternal hell.

The Cleansing of Vildar:
Vildar had been invited by the Oracle Kring (the curator of souls) to come to the Alcherealm to be
cleansed. Due to his loyalty to the Oracle Kring, he was allowed to choose his destiny from an orb.  He is
given a second chance to be with is precious Alyssa.  But will he want the circumstances that comes with
it?

Unspeakable:
Arianna has gift, her own life can't offer.  She has a little sacrifice to make rather she understands it or
not.  This sacrificial rite will leave you in harrowing sadness and feeling the offering with each
hammering of the gavel. The scene upon the bloodied cross is so vivid, so surreal, it is ...unspeakable.

Flames of Tartarus:
Dakota finds himself in a surreal world, nightmarish.  He loves horror and feeds off terror but this
clawing, gnawing panic-stricken darkness breeds a fear inside Dakota that even he hadn't felt before.
However, he is on his road to Tartarus to be cleansed and pay penance.  Journey with him through his
darkness and fears through this surreal nightmare.  Is it a dream?  The ending will consume you.

Expiation:
Writer's are often interviewed, even if they don't make much money -if any money- from their works.
Zines are still interested in what makes a writer write.  Teri agrees to an interview   in the park .....  Could
she be answering those typical form questions from the computer?  The deathly conclusion is a shocker!

Baneful Dead:
Bane Baxley has got to be one hell of a character to write about.  His hilarious, "don't mess with me"
attitude, is probably one of the best of his kind.  Almost making Dirty Harry look like a wuss.  Bane, the
Oakley wearing, gun toting, rebel has a satiable appetite for tasty little whores and seems to be a naughty
Peeping Tom.  His morals are rather shady, and lives by the night.

L. J. Blount spins this horror into a beastly demonic bloodbath. This story is filled with wild scenes, a colossal amount of action, and characters that make you tremble, snicker, and emotions will run high toward the end! A rather lengthy piece of work by L. J. Blount.  However, Baneful Dead is definitely worth every word he used.  Each word was strategically placed and supplied some serious punches.  Probably one of the best stories in this dark collection.
 

The Road to Darkness
By Shawn P. Madision
Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing
e-Book: 213 pages (April 2003)
ISBN: 1554040469

Reviewed by Brutal Dreamer (P.J.)

This horrific assemblage of Shawn P. Madison’s heart-thumping tales will lead you down the darkened
road of his psyche.  Shawn is one of my most favorite authors and he has not disappointed me in this
collected works of his superlative stories.  His softened whispers will send terrified chills down your
spine as he reveals a Father’s Guilty Pleasure, when the train rolls around to a familiar face that haunts
him and the bloodcurdling fear of being inside Corbett’s Cage as the eerie darkness closes in around him
after having his comrades savagely killed and his ship sunk into the cold waters.

Or you can journey another route and vacation to a place known as: so many ways to die.  There you will
enjoy a boat ride for a group sailing to a dark continent, until you are awakened to one of the most
terrorizing African landscapes that will leave your heart pounding and your eyes reddened. Upon their
arrival, it was feeding time in the most brutal and vile frenzied of ceremonies, and by Vacations End you
will pray you never go down that passage again.

Shawn P. Madison is certainly a novelist that knows how to reach into his fans and replace their dreams
with grave nightmares!  This road will lead you down a menagerie of terrors, but which way will you go?
Shawn directs you to 19 different outcomes on the other side, the outer realms of reality, places beyond
your wildest imagination. Your destination: THE ROAD TO DARKNESS… Don’t panic, follow the
lingering dreadful feeling through these bizarre nineteen paths of terror with caution.  I highly
recommend this book!

Witchblood
By Timothy Whitfield
February, 2003
Publisher: Black Death Books/KHP Industries
http://www.khpindustries.com
ISBN: 0-9679220-5-4

Reviewed by Brutal Dreamer

There aren’t many horror fans that do not have a fascination with witches and the Bible.  Most link their
doubts and lack of faith with the Bible and even with the possibility of witches living in our own
neighborhood.  WITCHBLOOD is a very dark, surreal, believable tale of witches and has just been
offered to you from the inspired author, Timothy Whitfield.  He delves into places that the simple mind
never treads, where the cursed dread.  He enters deeper than a blackened heart, farther than the ravenous
pits of Hell; the bloodline of its dark ancestry has been awakened.

This grisly author gives his brave readers a taste of fear tinged gore and disgust in Biblical proportions.

As WITCHBLOOD opens you are delivered a tangy flavor of evil with no apologies.  Have a strong
stomach and watch the birth begin.  Timothy Whitfield does not hold back but opens with a prologue of
this brutal tale; introducing his readers and fans to a girl named Annebella.  She’s pregnant with
something sinister growing inside her and the babes father “The Man In Black” performs his fatherly duty
and delivers his offspring most bloodily.  He opens her belly causing a crimson deluge heaving forth with
the demonic fetus.  You are now ripened for the gore-story so sit back and listen quietly as I tell you
about the Fall From Evil taking place in Pennsylvania, 45 years later with a new lineage.

The Witchblood descended from the Nephilium, (the fallen angels) and the Saurian (serpentine) lineage
believe that by mixing their blood with the Witches  --together they can create the Antichrist.  This dark
tale weaves an intriguing diabolical concept and wicked manifestation of a spiritual essence of the
meaning of what it would take to create the Antichrist.  The ingenuity of the author and his profound
knowledge --offers an air of reasonability to the ultimate doom for its own race and overflowing with
many possibilities.

Timothy also creates such care of his characters you feel for them.  You understand Nicolas and his
pessimistic views and shortcomings, and truly feel for Michele and Rachel.

The question is: Do you believe the rumors of a secret society of witches?

Timothy Whitfield appears to be a voracious author with an insatiable craving for Biblical facts or
blasphemy with a plausible creation so wicked, so dark, and yet so possible that you will be on the edge
of your seat while you are plunged into a world where darkness dwells.  If you love horror, feed off the
blood of witches, and enjoy someone that knows his own craft --I highly recommend you conjure up the
bravery needed to read this book.
 

Exit the Light
by Walt Hicks and HORNS
Publisher: Aventine Press
US $25.00
ISBN# 0972293280
Paperback

Review by Brutal Dreamer
 

I’ve recently read Hicks and Horns’ work and been stricken with a desire to read more of their deviant
craft and embrace their darkness; becoming their loyal follower.  Like this collection, I am not shocked
that these two authors have such a devoted following.  Their work is completely fear-provoking and
riding on possibilities that lie between reality and fantasy.  Creating believable to the unbelievably.
However, once you open these unholy pages, you will not be able to discern from what side is which..  I
call “Exit the Light” the Horns and Hicks Unholy Book of Darkness.

Terry “Horns” Erwin and Walt Hicks are portrayed as the most devout disciples of horror.  After reading
their book: “Exit the Light” I can vouch for their daunting legacy.   These prophetic grisly tales will send
you into shivers.  You get service with a gore-soaked smile at the “Showdown at the One Way Café”
where evil stares its victims in the face through the hungry eyes of Dr. Stiletto. You are also given
menacing envelopes with messages that will send you into a blood-curdling fear in “Deadly Crescendo”.

While petrified Toni is forced to eat she sees the evil black eyes and blood coming for her, could it be the
legend of  the “Bog Men” coming back for more while a little old woman reminisces? Autumn has arrived
donning its reds and oranges and yellows as Gretchen and Trask prepare for “Oktoberfeast” --this
ceremony is sure to leave you feeling feverish and achy all over.

Those two tales aforementioned, had the eerie ambiance of “The Fog”

Jake King was a normal, everyday man until the desalination plant he worked at took on Biblical
importance and he confides in a young beauty in “Crooked Serpent”.  Could this desalination plant be
one of many aiding in rising Leviathan?

Within this ill-omened book: EXIT THE LIGHT, consisting of thirty-two sinful stories you are bound to
understand where Horns and Hicks get their legacy of being known as the devout disciples of horror.
Each word will be as if you have been viciously swiped with a viperous sandpapery tongue.

These gruesome authors know our fears and our deepest thoughts and these thirty-two glimpses into Hell
will leave your heart quivering inside its cold blackened hole.  Each tale will relentlessly bathe you with
the sinful roaring flames of Hell; terrorizing your souls.

Do you feel the panic setting in?  If so, you are ready to journey with the two disciples of Hell and EXIT
THE LIGHT.
 

MINION
By L.A. Banks
St. Martin’s ISBN 0312316801
Trade Paperback, Price:$12.95
Genre:Horror

Review by Harriet Klausner

Fallon Nuit is a master vampire who had a seat on the vampire council but when he went rogue he was
banished into eternal darkness.  Through a series of accidents Fallon was able, with the help of the evil
Egyptian deities known as Amanthra, to free himself and make several second-generation vampires that
his rescuers can inhabit.  Fallon’s goal is total control of the vampire territories on Earth and the death of
the slayer.

Street smart Damali Richards is making a name for herself and her group as a singer for Spoken Word.
She is also the slayer protected by seven Guardians who battle the creatures of the night including the
Amanthra vampires.  As she is nearing her twenty-first birthday, she is coming into the full use of her
considerable power and both Fallon and the vampire council want her stopped.  There is only one person
who can get close enough to her to achieve this objective, but she is also the only woman he ever cared
about.  It will be interesting to see if he will sacrifice his humanity for untold power and riches.

MINION is the first book in a three book series (the other books coming out in 2004) that will appeal to
fans of Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Executioner novels.  L.A. Banks has written an urban
fantasy novel that deals with several social issues in a manner that is both educational and entertaining.
The character that is the most intriguing is the man who will be either the Slayer’s savior or doomslayer
which is why readers will want to read AWAKENING as soon as it is published.
 

SERIOUSLY DARK & DISTURBED
By Nora Weston (Nightscaper)
Publisher: Virutal Bookworm.com
ISBN: 1-58093-334-1
Pages: 140

Reviewed by Brutal Dreamer

CAUTION: Seriously Dark and Disturbed authoress, Nora Weston may induce mind-altering visions,
confusion, and torment your soul. Do not read alone in the dark on a stormy night, can cause serious
disturbing hallucinations.

The Brutal Introduction...to the NIGHTSCAPER'S SERIOUSLY DARK AND DISTURBED dementia:
This disturbing collection is written by a star that glimmers through nightscapes and nightmares; she's
seriously dark and disturbed... and brutally wicked! Exceptional book and I highly recommend it.

This fiendish authoress, Nora Weston will enlighten you on the blackest of nights where silence looms
over you and her ethereal words will caress you with each tease of the candlelight. She'll envelope you
into her world as if she's been stroked by the Devil's cunning talon.

You've not been in the entrails of darkness, until... you have been bathed with these seriously dark and
disturbed nightscapes from Nora Weston. She'll cradle you seductively in "Touched by the Devil" and
then send your soul straight to Hell as you plead for mercy in "Drakken - Dark Knight of Death". Journey
through the pages brave reader, through these hellish pleasures from the ultimate panic-stricken one; one
that is seriously dark and disturbed, the Nightscaper!

Don't be frightened to voyage into her dementia as she leads you through these maddening memoirs of
her bloodthirsty fantasies. Fear not, she'll will only take you where you will indulge your passions and
soothe you bruised egos with a fictional love affair for abused, sad, Rachael. One of my favorite tales in
the book: "Crimson Knight" which is also the first piece of work I ever read of Nightscaper's. She knew
then she had me in her evil clutch and spell-bound for more. This story was ferociously told and tightly
written. Then the baneful authoress surprised me. It wasn‘t much later, after reading "Crimson Knight",
she sent me the dazzler called: "Black Masquerade".

And then I realized when I received Nightscaper's collection, that she was just tantalizing me. I had no
idea just how dark... how disturbed... Nightscaper was; until I read some of her poetry she included in
this assortment works. I felt I was in an unyielding tempest of her dark cravings tinged with "Red Rain"
and many other vivid dreamlike scenes that causes much anxiety in the one she bestows her trickery on
through her unique prose. Beware, she's very cunning and will have you as a devoted reader of her
nightscares within a flash, she also included five quick glimpses into her darkest pits of despair.

If I had to pick my very favorite tale from this menagerie of The Dark One's severest writings, I'd choose
"Touched by the Devil" because I love a good steamy story from deathly depths of Hades. Who are you
craving in your dreams, Nightscaper? Readers and dreamers alike be wary, according to Nightscaper your
dream lover just might be more than a nightmare.

You will be entranced and not allowed to leave her dark and disturbed world until the final page. Open
the book, turn the page, and remember: You've been warned, contents are seriously dark and disturbed.

Cat's Paw
By Mark Sutton
$4.99 USD
eBook 248 Pages (July 2002)
Publisher: Double Dragon eBooks
http://double-dragon-ebooks.com/
ISBN: 1-894841-66-2
~now released in Paperback~

A Review of Cat's-Paw by Brutal Dreamer/ Peggy J. Shumate, Editorial Reviewer DDP

Cat's-Paw has a BRUTAL warning label attached. This is a heart-thumping sensational story! The ruthless
author, Mark "Old Warrior" Sutton, takes the reader into realms they dare not go alone! With the conflict
of good and evil brewing, the reader is given some out of this world characters with strong Biblical
undertones. Sutton's primal rage is unbridled as he lets loose a demon named Galatea that serves The
Machine in the most gut-retching techniques. This steamy thriller is a tasty morsel served up to feed the
mind's eye.

Witness Evil in her most brutal flair as she battles against her archrival for the validation of the universal
question that rages on to the climatic ending. "Which trait is primary in and of this universe; good or
evil?" Are there two Earths duplicated with two different dimensional planes? The same Earth with a
different aura? One realm a Heavenly Earth and the other realm a Hellish Earth?

Mark Sutton takes his readers - his loyal servants of his tortuous satiable appetite for sex and mayhem -
and weaved a tale of Biblical proportions into a nightmarish scheme! Can The Machine take hold of
everyone in the final tribulation?

Sink your teeth into the Cat's-Paw and revel in the sheer brutality and genius of the way the tale spins the
reader with amazing twists and turns. This ride is not for the squeamish.
On a final note, the cover art to this book is beautifully wicked.
 

RESTLESS SHADES
by Paul Melniczek
ISBN: 1894841239
Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing
http://double-dragon-ebooks.com/

Reviewed by Brutal Dreamer

From the Inside Flap
RESTLESS SHADES takes us through then different tales of lurking horror at its finest. The scarefest
begins from the start of the book and doesn't let the reader off the rollercoaster ride of shrills and thrills
until the final page. If you're looking for a feeling of dreadful enchantment, Paul Melniczek's book
RESTLESS SHADES is sure to send those chills down your back and send horror connoisseurs into a
heart-thumping of fun!
RESTLESS SHADES is a collection of horrifying tales brought to the brave reader from the whisperings
of a dark and sinister mind - Paul Melniczek.
Darkest Jungle: The primeval forest holds many terrors and legends. Perhaps even demons yet lurk,
taunting you from the deepest and blackest depths of the wilderness.
Devil Man of the Hollow: What lies in the unknown depths of the jungle? Tread softly, lest you stir from
slumber the malevolent beasts that dwell within. A tale of breath-taking horror.
RIFT: Was it a storm, volcano? Or something alien, unknown to humankind that envelops an ordinary
home?
SCARY NIGHTS: Are you afraid of the dark? Nights are a scary time for Bobby, because he is convinced
something waits, and watches, from inside his closet.
THE UNCERTAINTY: There is one certainty - you will be shivering, wondering if an eccentric
archaeologist has unearthed an ancient secret. Cannibal or curse - which is the real truth?
UNWELCOME: Craig Andrew's psychic energy takes him to places where he isn't quite welcome. You'll
shudder at Craig's harrowing confrontation with the supernatural when he trespasses on the unholy
ground of a brooding manor, entering where only the dead rule.
STICK MEN: What kind of farm hands does Bobby's uncle have helping him? Can you keep a secret? I'll
tell, but the truth will terrify you. Men made from sticks and straw. But how do they help in the cornfields
and where did they come from?
THE RAID: Halloween time is here, a time for tricks and treats. Tommy and Rusty are mischievous little
boys who find themselves stranded in a web of trouble when they raid a haunted house.
FORSAKEN: The path leads into unexplored hinterland, vast forested mountains and gloomy valleys
claimed by no man. Three woodsmen discover a cottage tucked away deep inside the wilderness. What
diabolical secrets are waiting to be found within this shrouded hollow?
STEALER OF THE SHADOWS: The path to pleasure may lead one into darker pastures, areas of twilight
and madness where evil patiently dwells, eager to feast upon the unwary.

Cerulean Sins
By Laurell K. Hamilton,
Berkley: Hardcover $22.95,
ISBN: 0425188361

Review by Harriet Klausner

Vampires, werewolves and other preternatural creatures share the same civil rights as human beings, but
when one commits a crime, licensed executioner and federal marshal Anita Blake kills them.  Her lovers
are Jean-Claude, the Master Vampire of St. Louis, and Micah her co-leader of the loyal shape-shifting
leopard pard that looks to he or protection.

The Regional Preternatural Investigation Team asks Anita to help on the case of a murdered man nailed to
the wall in a mockery of the crucifixion with Nordic Runes painted nearby. Anita is positive that this is
not a magical murder.  When a woman is ripped apart, Anita knows that this is the calling card of a
shape-shifter.  Meanwhile, the woman, who turned Jean-Claude and his second-in-command Asher into
vampires, Belle Morte has the sadistic Musette come to town to learn why her boys are so infatuated with
Anita.  Anita knows she must do something to stop Belle and Musette from taking vengeance upon her
loved ones, but whatever she decides will leave her in peril.

Anita Blake is a great character who has dramatically changed from a deadly vampire killer to a person
who realizes that some non-humans are more humane than mortals are.  In CERULEAN SINS, Anita
realizes she is more comfortable amidst the vampires but especially with her pack of shapeshifters than
she is among humans.  However, the key that makes this novel a standout in a tremendous series is Belle
Morte as frightening a villain as one will find since even her own species fears her.  Fans of Anita Blake
will want to read this tale and see the direction Laurell K. Hamilton is taking her heroine and readers.

SHIVERS
By Katherine Irving
Amber Quill Press, LLC http://www.amberquill.com
ISBN: 1-59279-041-0 (Electronic)
ISBN: 1-59279-967-1 (Paperback)
Cover Art: Trace Edward Zaber

Review by S. Joan Popek

Recommended

This collection is an enigma.  Some of the tales in this collection of twenty-three horror stories are good.  A few left me scratching my head in bewilderment. But the rest are flashes of pure brilliance!

Rather than mention each story, I'll tell you what a few of my favorites are in this unusual collection.

"Freeze Frame" is a unique look behind the doors of the so called insane asylum.  Who is really crazy?  The ones on the inside or the rest of us on the outside?

"Excavation" is truly exceptional.  It's a whole new take on the UFO and little green men phenomenon. (And I live in Roswell, New Mexico, the UFO Capitol of the World, so I know whereof I speak. <grin>)

"Baby Daddy" is a shiver-summoning story of what may be in our society's near future and a new twist on the cloning controversy going on in our courts today.

"Freak Of Nature" is a look at how nature sees us humans and what steps she might take to fight back.

"Slab Gab" scared the hell out of me.  (Enough said--I just hope it's not true.)

"Everything Billy" is an untraditional ghost story with a real twist ending reminiscent of "Twilight Zone."

But my two favorites of all of them is "Itty- Bitty," a most ingenious way to get the worst kind of revenge, and "Out Of The Blue" which is a surreal tale of a circus and a clown that both scares you and makes you wish it was true.  The story ideas in these last two are indeed among the  freshest and most unique that I've read in a long time.  If you buy the book just to read these two stories, you'll get your money's worth.  I recommend this book for a shivery night's entertainment.  But a word of caution--don't read them alone--and-uh--leave the light on.

Beyond Bizarre
By Bill Wilson
Double dragon Publishing
ISBN 1-894841-94-8
ebook (several formats)
$4.99 USD

Reviewer S.  Joan Popek

Strange, chilling, eerie, I tried to nail down one of these adjectives for this unconventional collection of ten stories, but alas, I failed.  All of those words and more describe this really scary assemblage of surreal, horror and science fiction short stories.

These stories are peopled with Aliens, vampires, ghouls, ghosts, zombies and other assorted nasty types, and they do their jobs well.  This book will keep you awake far into the night.

I'm a horror fan.  It's hard to sneak up on me with a twist ending, but "Clean Freak," the very first story, took me completely by surprise.  Thus hooked, I didn't stop reading until I turned the last page.  Each story offers it's own chilling possibility.

"Angels of Another Kind" seemed a typical vampire story, but again, Wilson surprised me with an unexpected ending--one that I never thought of.

Each story will pull you along and ambush your senses with the sharp blade of fear and a jolt of the supernatural.  I highly recommend this book for an evening of goose bumps and chills.  If you like a really weird mix of horror and science fiction, you'll love this one.

The Curse of the Three- Headed Circus
By Bonnie Mercure
Published by: Double Dragon eBooks PO Box 54016 1- 5762 Highway 7 East Markham, Ontario L3P 7Y4 CANADA http://double-dragon-ebooks.com
ISBN: 1- 894841- 08- 5

Review by S. Joan Popek
 

 Who is Little Mary?  Is she what she seems to be?  A three-foot tall, perfectly proportioned young woman with a face like a china doll is tied in a sack and dumped on the circus lot.  The close-knit group of performers rescue her and allow her to join their troupe.

Hated and abused by her family, she agrees to join the circus to get away from them.  The Three-Headed Circus already has problems.  When Little Mary joins the group, strange things begin to happen--strange and dangerous things.

 This is a thrilling, suspenseful story that keeps you guessing until the very end.  Mercure weaves mystery with the supernatural into a tapestry drawn on the background of the excitement and tragedy of  a small, traveling circus where the unusual is normal.

 Unrequited love, betrayal and obsession are all threads that cause the unity of the small band of performers to begin to unravel as the story unfolds.  Murder and mistrust are key players in this fast paced story.

 The Curse of the Three- Headed Circus is a skillful blend of suspense and the macabre and gives us a fascinating look into the world of circus entertainers, their special problems and joys as well as the world of black magic and mysticism.

I recommend this book for an entertaining evening--but don't turn out the lights.  The ending will haunt you for some time after you close the last page.

Drago Descending
By Greg F. Gifune
Published by The Fiction Works http://www.fictionworks.com
Ebook, (Several formats)
Review By S. Joan Popek
Highly Recommended

Greg F. Gifune is one of this generation’s most talented authors. His unique blend of real life with surrealistic horror borders on genius. Mix a generous portion of mystery, dark suspense and good versus evil.  Stir in a dash of the underworld of pornography, a down and out private detective and you have a seriously entertaining horror story.

David Drago is a private detective alone, broke and wondering what to do next when a mysterious man hires Drago to find his missing fiancé.   The job will give him the money he needs to get back on his feet, but there is a perplexing twist. The man’s fiancé was once Drago’s girlfriend whom he never stopped loving.

During his investigation, he is drawn into a world of surreal violence and intrigue.  It seems like everyone he meets is either involved in a satanic cult or dies–or both.  Is he battling real demons?  Are real angels guiding his search?  Or is he falling back into the pit of depression and hallucinations that led him to a psychological breakdown and the mental ward of the Veteran's hospital after the Gulf War.  Will he find his lost love alive? And if he does, will the sacrifice be worth the pain of returning her to her depraved life?

Can Drago regain his faith?  Should he?  This is a tale that will keep you guessing until the last page is turned. This book is impossible to put down once you start reading it.  I highly recommend Drago Descending for a chilling, evening’s entertainment.

Flesh Wounds
By Brian A. Hopkins
Lone Wolf Publications (13500 SE 79th Street, Oklahoma City, OK, http://www.dm.net/~bahwolf/fw.htm )
Art by Brian Hopkins
Limited Edition, Autographed CD, $13.95
Review by S. Joan Popek
Highly Recommended

Want to be really scared? Want to lie in bed listening to every bump and creak in your house? Then you must read FLESH WOUNDS. A collection of thirty short stories guaranteed to raise the hair on the back of your neck, this book is an extraordinary work of horror fiction. This is not your run-of-the-mill slash and gash, but rather understated horror that creeps into your unconscious mind and stays with you long after you read the last story.

I can't really tell much about the stories because Hopkins has woven a twist into each and every tale with such expertise that if I tell, I will spoil the shocking surprises you have in store for you. But I will give you a few hints.

The first story, Dead Art, begins the parade by touching on a subject abhorrent to many, undreamt of by most, yet completely logical when you read it. A future society that turns death into art is shocking enough, but the author twists the ending in a way that makes you wonder about special talents some people may possess.

The Woodshed is terrifying in its simplicity and Night Bite is absolutely astounding in its surrealism and cold description of Hell and what happens after death, or is the protagonist really dead after all? Of A Darker Kind is an interesting twist on an old horror theme made new and exciting by this dramatic author. The Scissor Man gives a new dimension to the grim reaper and Roses in December makes growing old not seem so bad after all--not if you know something no one else knows.

My two favorites were To Walk Among the Living, a truly unique look at an intensive care unit in a hospital that could be in own your home town and Grampa Goes Fishing, one of the "happy ending" (well, it was happy for some of the characters) stories in this remarkable collection.  I highly recommend this book to horror lovers everywhere. It is one you will treasure and read over and over--that is if you can sleep with the light on--because you will never see the dark in quite the same way again. I promise you that.

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