Review Category: Books

Review:  Beast in the Basement / Author: Jason Arnopp / Publisher: Retribution Books / Release Date: Out Now (Download Only)

Journalist and screenwriter Jason Arnopp (he recently scripted UK supernatural DVD movie Stormhouse) turns his attention to prose horror in this effective and affecting page-turning debut novella. Beast in the Basement may evoke Lovecraft with its lurid title but the tone and subject matter is very definitely Misery-era Stephen King in its tale of a small cast of characters caught up in a life-or-death struggle in a remote and isolated location.

 Beast in the Basement is a tough call as it’s difficult to summarise, let alone review, without blowing the game-changing, head-turning twist which makes it an entirely different story to the one we thought we were reading. A tormented writer is holed up in a country cottage struggling to finish the manuscript of the third in a trilogy of novels chronicling the adventures of children’s hero Jade Nexus. But the writer is tormented by his work; he’s just not happy with the ending of his book and he’s suffering intermittent spells of writer’s block. But there are distractions in the form of a terrible recent family tragedy, an attractive divorcee who has moved into the nearby cottage, a pesky night-time burglar… and the Beast locked up in the basement. But what kind of slavering monster lurks in the darkness and what retribution will it wreak if it escapes?

It’s a clever, intimate and sometimes oppressive tale and Arnopp takes us deep into the dark recesses of his lead character’s tormented mind as he rushes from pitiful hopelessness to elation via an unhealthy dose of desperation. The reader remains intrigued by the presence of the Beast and the writer’s efforts to keep it at bay and we’re driven to find out just what it is and why it’s kept under lock and key. The answers, when they come, just aren’t what we might be expecting and what seemed like a stifling claustrophobic monster horror story becomes something else entirely.

This is a more than decent first effort from Arnopp. His writing is tight and snappy, terse sentences and paragraphs driving his urgent, edgy narrative although there are a couple of slightly schlocky descriptive passages and a bit of clunky penny-dreadful dialogue. But it’s a good story which rattles along, doesn’t outstay its welcome and acquits itself nicely with a decent twist and a satisfying, perhaps even cautionary, denouement. Now let’s see what Mr. Arnopp can do with something more long-form.

Review: Alone / Author: Brian Keene / Release Date: Out Now

We will admit to being a big fan of Keene’s work. Dead Sea is hands down one of the best zombie novels ever written, and his use of a shared reality and mythos in his novels is incredibly effective. We were therefore rather excited when we heard of his latest work, a self-published novella called Alone.

Dan wakes up one morning to find his partner, Jerry and his adopted daughter missing. The power is out, as are the phones, and he quickly discovers that all of the neighbours are missing and the street outside is filled with a dense fog in which something dark and terrifying lurks.

That, in a nutshell, is the entire plot of Alone. It’s not a long read – around 15,000 words, and for its length it does a very effective job at portraying the pain, confusion and terror experienced by Dan.

There is a problem with Alone, however, and it’s a big one. The problem is that we worked out the twist ending on pretty much the first page. Maybe we’ve just read too much stuff like this, or perhaps it was just telegraphed too much, too soon, but from that point onwards, the story held no surprises for us. Everything that Dan encounters backed up our initial theory, and by the time the big reveal came at the end we were quite disappointed to have been right all along.

The story is well written, and is an effective and subtle horror story when looked at from the perspective of Dan’s reaction to his new found isolation, but having worked out the ending on the first page, the whole thing lacked any sort of tension.

Review: The Dirty Streets of Heaven / Author: Tad Williams / Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton / Release Date: Out Now

Bobby Dollar is an angel cloaked in human form, one charged with guiding souls to heaven once they’ve shuffled off this mortal coil. The opposition also have a vested interest in the souls of mankind and Bobby has to attend a celestial hearing to advocate the inherent goodness of each man, woman, and child he’s called to defend. Bobby hopes to see them into the afterlife that he believes (some more than others) that they richly deserve. In a scenario reminiscent of today’s judicial system, Bobby wins and occasionally loses his cases, trouble being the ones he loses, the other side get to keep – and play with. Damnation in hell, so he’s given to understand, can last a real long time.

Events take a turn for the worst for Bobby when he finds himself centre stage in a search for a mysterious object, an enigma that may have far flung consequences to both sides who are actively engaged in a kind of holy/unholy cold war. Heaven and Hell, it would seem, suspect that he’s got it. However, not only has Bobby Dollar not got it, he doesn’t have the first clue what it is.

Bobby Dollar is something of a maverick angel and as his unfortunate situation spirals into complete chaos he tries to take matters into his own hands. Bobby doesn’t do things by halves and after becoming overly familiar with a femme fatale member of the opposition and rubbing a Duke of Hell up the wrong way he inevitably makes matters a whole lot worse.

Peppered with a crime detective noir and blended with a religious mythology which we are all familiar with, The Dirty Streets of Heaven makes for an entertaining read. The characters, in the main, are well thought through, multi-dimensional beings, and all become suspects in Bobby Dollar’s otherworldly quest.

As exciting a romp as this novel is, it’s not all plain sailing. A sad fact of current fantasy tends to define female characters by their sexuality (women are either engaged with the protagonist on a romantic basis or reduced to menial subservient roles) and in this case The Dirty Streets of Heaven is no exception. Although this may very well be a nod to the crime genre of yesteryear it did however raise an eyebrow from this reviewer. It would be nice to see female characters in roles as many and as varied as the men. Sigh.

Regardless though, The Dirty Streets of Heaven is a solid, engrossing read, the whodunit factor is well-played, the action sequences and general tone and feel of the book spot on with what one might expect (demand) from a detective/fantasy novel.

Review: Tomorrow, the Killing / Author: Daniel Polansky / Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton / Release Date: October 11th

Daniel Polansky’s exceptional debut novel, The Straight Razor Curve, introduced the ill-fated and manipulative Warden, and the crime-infested, fractured society of Low Town. Tomorrow, the Killing is Polansky’s second novel (although new readers are quickly brought up to speed) and continues the Warden’s story from where the last book left off.

The Warden, our unusual protagonist of the tale, is a broken man who, as a soldier, bore witness to the travesties of war. The novel spends chapters reliving the Warden’s military service and we quickly learn that he served under Roland Montgomery: a true leader and general who inspired complete devotion in his men. After the war, Roland continues in this role and tries to change Low Town into a better place for all concerned.

Unfortunately for Roland not everyone agrees and he’s found sometime later in the street, throat slit. No witnesses, at least any prepared to talk, and the killer(s) are never brought to justice. Just one more death in Low Town. Life moves on. However, Rhaine (Roland’s little sister) isn’t so keen to let the matter slide. Determined to discover the truth she starts to lift rocks and poke sticks into dark corners. Life is cheap in Low Town and a rich kid searching for her brother’s killer to honour a naive sense of justice is like a magnet to the darkness that infects the town.

Warden is summoned to the big house on the hill, for a meeting with Rhaine and Roland’s father. Montgomery senior is an influential figure in his own right, deeply worried about his daughter and wants her returned safe and sound, lest she follow her brother to the grave. Warden as the self-styled protector of Low Town is his best bet and Montgomery sets him hard on Rhaine’s trail.

However Rhaine has other ideas, she has no intention of leaving Low Town without the identity of her brother’s killer and the Warden, short of carrying her out of town, can’t make her leave. Incredibly, Rhaine makes a connection with the Warden, perhaps possessing something of her brother’s influential gift of the gab, so when a short time later she’s found dead, it sets the Warden on a path of wanton destruction and Rhaine’s quest becomes his own.

The Warden knows how to play the psychotic gangs and associations, how to pick apart their fledgling truce and let the blood flow. In Tomorrow, the Killing we see the Warden’s drug-fuelled cruelty and single-mindedness played out to the max. He stands upon a knife’s edge between his twisted sense of justice and the depths of encroaching madness.

This book is an excellent page turner. The Warden makes for a compelling protagonist, capable of turning situations to his advantage, resorting to violence and diplomacy as the need arises. The supporting cast are multi-dimensional, and the world is wonderfully realised, utterly bleak yet remaining darkly compelling.

In the Warden we have a unique character, head and shoulders above the standard affair. Tomorrow, the Killing is an absolute must for fans of fantasy and is definitely one to be recommended.

Review: Spartacus – Morituri / Author: Mark Morris / Publisher: Titan Books / Release Date: Out Now

Spartacus – you’ve seen the TV show, you’ve smelt the sandals, now read the book. Morituri takes place within the timeline of the first season, at the point when our hero has just become Champion of Capua. But some things never change, and his master Batiatus is running short of coin. Eheu! Which is Latin for “Bummer!”

It seems like a stroke of good fortune, then, when a wealthy Greek named Hieronymus moves into town. The bestie of Marcus Crassus, a biggus wiggus from Rome, he has the temerity to establish a rival school of gladiators under Batiatus’ nose. But his men are inexperienced, and Batiatus’ scheme is simple and foolproof. Crush these upstarts in the arena, fleece Hieronymus, and chum up to Marcus Crassus. Unfortunately, as the day of the contest approaches, Batiatus’ gladiators fall prey to a wasting illness. Could it be witchcraft? Eheu maximus!

Fans of the TV series will feel right at home with the book’s sexy and bloody content, but might be a little surprised by the mix of elements. Despite two lengthy set-piece battle scenes, the focus is more on debauchery than on disembowelment and on life upstairs with the masters rather than downstairs with the slaves. Batiatus – a highlight of the show – is easily the most colourful character on the page, fuming, plotting and swearing oaths on the private parts of all the deities on Mount Olympus. By contrast, Spartacus is almost a guest in his own book. At this stage of the timeline, he’s under the impression that Batiatus has done the right thing by him in trying to reunite him with his wife Sura, and is thus content to be at the wily lanista’s beck and call. And that’s basically his role – to prop up the boss man, offering a strong arm, wise counsel and moral support, like Jeeves in a leather codpiece.

That’s not the only problem. The dialogue in the book takes its cue from the second season and Gods of the Arena in regularly omitting the definite and indefinite article, i.e., “Needless death falls upon ludus.” This is a pity, because funny way of speaking gives reader headache. Also, the plot, which lacks the thumping great story arcs of the TV show, is rather small beer, or minumus vino, as those ancient Romans would say.

Yet despite these shortcomings, Morituri goes down like an oyster at a toga party, it’s so slickly written by Mark Morris, who is probably best known for his Doctor Who novels, but who takes very lustily to this more red-blooded fare.

Review: Zombie Apocalypse – Fightback / Author: Stephen Jones / Publisher: Running Press / Release Date: September 25th

Zombie Apocalypse: Fightback is just the latest attempt by Jones to breathe new life into a genre that just won’t die. Featuring contributions from Robert Shearman, Guy Adams, Neil Gaiman and many more, this book had so much potential. So where did it go wrong?

The simple answer is, had this book been 200 pages shorter it would’ve scored much higher than it did, but by the time you get to the end of this 500 page slog you start to feel as weary as the characters. Not that you’d know how far you were in the book; the pages are unnumbered and devoid of easily identifiable markers.

On paper, it’s a damn clever idea: using texts, diaries, emails and other media to tell the story of a slowly unfolding zombie apocalypse (very slowly – we’re talking centuries here). However, the anthology format means that as soon as you find a story that you’re keen to hear more of or an author whose style you’re particularly enjoying, it moves on to one that bores you or one that just isn’t as good.

Some of the pieces are superbly written and engaging (especially Dead Air and Peace Land Blood) but they do little to improve a book that goes on for far too long and lacks any real closure. If you do decide to pick this up, you’d best set aside a lot of time to read it.

Review: Wonders of the Invisible World / Author: Patricia McKillip / Publisher: Tachyon Publications / Release Date: October 1st

For over thirty years, Patricia McKillip has been beguiling readers with dreamy, opulently written fantasies, and this new collection of short stories continues in that fine tradition. The title could hardly be more apt, as for the most part these tales concern themselves with those fleeting moments when reality seems to fray a little at the edges, creating a dizzying vista into the unknown.

Many are bitter-sweet in mood, and about half of them are small masterpieces. One of the longest and best, The Kelpie, involves a turbulent love triangle between a beautiful girl with artistic ambitions, her gallant, good-natured beau and an influential but caddish painter who wants her to model for him; the ensuing conflict finally leads her to discover her own identity as an artist and as a person in the most unexpected and dramatic way. In another tale, the housekeeper of a scholar studying to become a great magician is distracted from her daily drudgery by glimpses of strange, mythological figures in the surrounding forest – magic is where you least expect it, and can be experienced by anyone with an open mind.

McKillip’s prose – compact and poetical, yet also tough and humorous – is ideally suited to capturing the fragile visions that occasionally haunt, but just as often uplift, her characters. As a result, this is one to dip into, savour and place on that special shelf for books to be cherished.

Review: The Dusk Watchman / Author: Tom Lloyd / Publisher: Gollancz / Release Date: Out Now

Endings can be difficult, especially in a long running series such as the Twilight Reign series. The Dusk Watchman is the final book in Lloyd’s first series of fantasy novels, and does not disappoint. Lloyd has made a name for himself by delivering eloquent, free-flowing fantasy, with a distinctly dark yet heroic bent. This is the sort of fantasy fiction that tends to be seen as very British; the heroes are always on the back foot, the hour is always dark and though there is hope, the road to victory is filled with danger and any rewards the protagonists may receive will be fleeting at the very best.

The plot is your usual fantasy world, but one filled with bleak futures, terrible weapons, horrific demons, dangerous magic and a ruined world far too injured and ancient for the terrors still yet to be inflicted on it. In other words, excellent stuff.

The author’s style is also quite alluring; this is an easy read though the content is quite dark and grim. It is also very, very violent, filled with shocking twists and a deep ending that the series really does deserve. Existing readers have been rewarded for their patience, and those new to Lloyd have picked the right moment to start reading; this is a good series.

Be warned that this is very much the end of a long-running series; despite reasonable efforts being made to keep the most casual of readers up to speed, there is simply too much here for new readers to catch up on, and certainly it would be a waste to try, as the previous works are well worth the journey. Fans of the better sorts of Warhammer Fantasy novels, the work of Steven Erikson or those who are looking for something like A Game of Thrones but with better violence and an actual ending should check the Twilight Reign series out, especially as we now know that it’s got a cracking finale.

Review: Trinity Rising / Author: Elspeth Cooper / Publisher: Gollancz / Release Date: Out Now

There is a cliché in the music business that can be described as ‘the difficult second album’, and alas, this also applies to novels. Often the flaws that can be found (but are ignored) in an authors’ debut work become exasperated in the inevitable sequel, and this is the problem with Elspeth Cooper’s Trinity Rising.

The first book, Songs of the Earth, was a rather stunning debut fantasy novel, one that though firmly entrenched in the mainstream take on the genre was still fresh, engaging and interesting. However, the book also suffered from having too few strong characters; those present were quite samey. This was fine in the first book because of the pace, however Trinity Rising is slower and less powerful overall.

It doesn’t help that very few of the male characters are not sympathetic or interesting in any way. Many of them are utterly vile, and this tends to be dull and alienating. In addition the supporting cast seem only to exist to get in the way of the plot. This is a huge shame because when the narrative comes together it’s extremely impressive; Trinity Rising has some real fireworks and those moments almost make it worth the journey. There is a lot of potential on the page, but it fails to cross over from average to awesome, even though it comes frustratingly close. This is a tale of heroes, magic and extreme conflict and yet fails to excite.

Elspeth Cooper writes novels that are hard to stop reading, her style is very reader friendly and she brings you into the world almost effortlessly. Sadly once she has you, the tale flounders. The voice and style are superb, but the content is just not strong enough. If you enjoyed the superior Songs of the Earth then you will probably want to pick this up, but be warned that it ends unfinished; clearly there is a third book in the series and I seriously hope that it turns out to be a stunner, especially given the promise of the first.

Review: Total Recall / Author: Philip K. Dick / Publisher: Gollancz / Release Date: Out Now

The title of this anthology may confuse some of you. After all, Phillip K Dick never wrote a book called Total Recall and given that he died in 1982, it’s unlikely that he wrote a special tie-in novel for the 1990 movie of the same name, or the forthcoming 2012 remake. He did write We Can Remember It For You Wholesale however, the short story on which both movies are based, and of course, that story is included in this anthology.

Dick wrote over one hundred short stories during his highly prolific career, and Total Recall is a stark reminder of what we lost; he was a brilliant sci-fi author and continues to be a must-read author. Despite this being a blatant movie tie-in, they haven’t taken the easy option here; this is a good selection of his work, and showcases all the things that the author was good at writing about. We have tales about transcendental experiences, the nature of reality, the importance of identity, the dangers of monolithic corporations and the loneliness of being. Rarely comforting, often challenging, but always worth a read. The anthology includes stories from the length and breadth of his career and there is very little fat on this.

That said, if you already have a collection of his work, there’s a reasonable chance that Total Recall will contain some duplicates. This is very much aimed at people who need introducing to one of the greatest science fiction writers of the last century. If you’ve heard of Phillip K. Dick and yet never gotten around to reading him, do yourself a favour and pick this up, pop it in your bag (or put it close to your reading space) and dip into this anthology when you need to read something good.