Friday, October 10, 2008, 08:02 PM
This fantastic collections by a brilliantly twisted author is one of the best anthologies I've read. Highly recommended to any enthusiast of the macabre.
Anomie
An ill-mannered bum gets a comeuppance in the face of a philosophical teenager.
3.5/5
And Justice for Doll
A child's playworld becomes the fertile breeding ground for a court case of her own invention.
4.0/5
Nessmas
A loch ness monster turns up on the lawn of a Scottish couple.
3.5/5
Speaking Mouth Dog
An allegory for modern art, "Seeing Mouth Dog" is the tale of a blind, mute, and deaf man still able to create "literature".
4.0/5
The Trespasser
An old-style autopsy takes a supernatural turn.
4.0/5
Billy
Set in what some animal activists would call the ideal future, a young girl comes to love a -- literal -- mindless hunk of meat.
4.0/5
Cthulhu Fhtagn, Baby!
The book's namesake is a scathing "review" of "musical" Cthulhu Fhtagn, Baby!. One of the most imaginative pieces I have ever read.
5.0/5
Soured
A child's dislike of milk proves to be well-founded.
4.5/5
Portrait of the Horror Artist as a Young Man
An "N" in art goes from worse to better.
3.5/5
Raw Recruits
An early attempt at spirit-channeling goes eerily wrong. This is one of my favorite stories in the volume.
5.0/5
Representational Sample
A collection of many strangely gathered items grows, brought together for a mysterious purpose.
5.0/5
Bingo
A retired, drug-sniffing police dog finds a new home with two apartment-bound college students.
4.5/5
You're Welcome
A childhood romance ends tragically -- or does it?
4.5/5
Solidity
Bums have a special place in the fabric of reality -- do we all?
4.5/5
Exit Laughing
A roadtrip through Florida takes a disastrous turn.
4.0/5
Grandpa, What Happens When We Die?
A final, parting poem reminds readers to live for the day.
3.5/5
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4.5/5
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( 0 / 0 )Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 03:08 AM
Touch Me Not
Shannon Emmel
2008
Montgomery Jones, the on-television persona of Sadira Montgomery, has a childhood of ridicule and a special gift to overcome. As an aura-reader, she has a unique perspective that she can use on her talk shows and in daily life, though she must cloak her usage of her special gifts. While battling the demons of her past and acknowledging her future, she opens herself to a world of possibilities.
Touch Me Not is well-written if somewhat formulaically developed novel. While I really enjoyed the premise, the characterization was rarely present, and where it did exist, it didn't seem as if there was much in the way of novelty. The "universe" of psychic healing that Emmel creates is interesting, but I found her side-characters more compelling than those she centered her story around.
The ending was also a bit rushed, but it's a relatively short book, so this is understandable, and as often happens, can't be helped.
All in all, not a bad book by any means, a quick and entertaining read. A lack of adult content left the writer open to explore more of a plot; she took full advantage of it, making this book stand out in this regard.
3.5/5
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( 0 / 0 )Sunday, September 28, 2008, 09:03 AM
Immortal Desires
Shannon Leigh
2002
An artfully, sensuously crafted tale of a young vampire's tortured existence, "Immortal Desires" is a highly enjoyable, poignant story marked by tragedy and loss. The book moves slowly, both in the style of writing and in the passage of time, which leaves the reader feeling with the character -- it's quite a visceral novel.
In the opening pages, Elizabeth, a French-Victorian barmaid, finds herself attacked by a group of humans and rescued by Adrien, dark-souled vampire who sees her as a chance for "light" in his life. Her brush with the powerful Adrien, however, is short-lived, and as she adjusts to her new, inhuman life, she finds herself thrall to a crueler, sadistic vampire, Mikel. His twisted plans for her use against Adrien -- and her slow path at recovery -- set this book apart from others in the genre. All the characters have their darker halves, yet redeeming qualities, and how they all tie together by the end of the book is highly well-orchestrated...
3.5/5
For the full review, please visit:
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=888
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( 0 / 0 )Sunday, September 28, 2008, 08:53 AM
Escape: Gator Bait
Mary Winter
2007
Sylvie Skyler, alligator wrestler and naturalist celebrity, expects only to have a hot day of sun on her private Florida beach. Enter Remington, a hunk who turns up the heat from sunlight to sex. What Sylvie doesn't know is that "Remy" is a man with a secret, a secret which will thrill the 'gator wrangler.
Gator Bait is a very hot, quickly developed short story, but the characters -- especially Sylvie -- are very likeable, and it is easy to fall into lust along with her. A promising start to a series of shorts!
3.5/5
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( 0 / 0 )Saturday, September 27, 2008, 05:48 PM
Disappear
Cameo Brown
2008
Lorelei, a warrior-witch who has long denied her true nature, is forced to accept her destiny when her long-time dream lover is threatened. To save him from the "dream-dimension", she has to train as the warrior she's resisted being, and ultimately battle the evil goddess who enslaved him...
For the full review, please visit:
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1263
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( 0 / 0 )Thursday, August 21, 2008, 02:49 AM
The Ghost's Child
Sonya Harnett
2008
This is one of the most poignant tales of love and loss I've ever read. Full of sad regret and a mysterious, impenetrable mystique, it is a book I expect to reread many times.
For the full review, please visit:
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1049
5.0/5
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( 3 / 5 )Tuesday, August 19, 2008, 12:41 AM
Vampire Oracle: Chalice
Ericka Scott
2008
Laced with interesting character development, Chalice is an enjoyable twist on the detective short. Set in New York City and packing a quick punch with the two lovable leads, Chalice is a hot novella that begs for sequel tales.
4.0/5
For the full review, please visit:
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=1013
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( 3 / 5 )Sunday, August 17, 2008, 03:34 PM
The Second Line
Sheryl Nantus
2007
The word for this book is "fun", and as a light-hearted romp that doesn't take itself too seriously, it's just that -- an enjoyable, occasionally dark look at the vampire world. Written from the perspective of a snarky, smartass cop's daughter who tells things like it is, this is a rare book that makes up for what it lacks in character development in plot and action....
4.0/5
Read the full review here:
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=987
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( 3 / 5 )Wednesday, August 13, 2008, 02:11 PM
Twice Damned
Carrie S. Masek
2005
I would like to begin this review by saying that Twice Damned is one of the best-written, best-developed, and most thoughtfully composed books I have ever read. So much care and detail has been put into this book that it honestly amazes me. I offer my most sincere congratulations to the author on this beautiful book.
In their ongoing crusade to create the ideal soldier, the Nazis created a mutation designed to bring their soldiers great strength and invulnerability, yet something went awry: their creation became Nosferatu — the damned forced to live away from the harm of sunlight and drink the blood of humans. The results of their experiment were horrifying, and the few survivors quickly became unmanageable killers...
Read the whole review here:
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=938
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( 3 / 5 )Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 09:05 PM
Rises the Night
Colleen Gleason
2007
In this, the second volume of "The Gardella Vampire Chronicles", author Colleen Gleason seamlessly continues her poetically elegant tale -- any (oft-suggested) shades of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are soon forgotten in her Venators -- slayers -- these books are utter class and sophistication.
A year has passed since the death of Victoria's husband, and while she continues to grieve, there is a new undercurrent forming in the waters of vampire society: Victoria's mourning will have to be set aside in favor of combating a rising new evil. Nedas, son of Lilith, the vampire queen met in "The Rest Falls Away", begins an ambitious scheme to gain immeasurable power -- and perhaps even more damagingly, sets old friendships and loyalties astray.
Aside from her unusually deep, thoughtful heroine, Gleason offers readers a plethora of interesting, compelling supporting characters. The long-standing relationship between Victoria's trainer, Kritanu and her aunt Eustacia is one of the most touching and interesting I've come across in my readings. And while I was very much endeared to Victoria's husband of the first book, Phillip, I would also like to mention that the transition to the Venator's new romance, Sebastian Vioget (which was more than foreshadowed in "The Rest Falls Away") is one of the most natural I've read.
Yet another stunning book from an outstanding author. Utterly superb.
5.0/5
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