All Entries Tagged With: "Patrick Kill"
The Buzz: Customer Reviews 11/18/09
Time for a week in review of…reviews. From the critics who matter the most: people like you, our valued customer!
URBAN GOTHIC by Brian Keene (Limited Edition Hardcover)
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:3.5/5]
Bloodletting Press’s most recent release, Urban Gothic by Brian Keene, is another fine publishing package! Beautiful two-tone cover complemented by fantastic full color interior illos, courtesy of Alex McVey! Unfortunately, the actual tale from prolific wordsmith Keene is another story. A virtually formulaic, cliched plot wrapped around unbelievable characters made for a flat, boring read. Let’s hope Keene can come up with some interesting stories in the future, once he steps away from his Laymon and Lee homages. Recommended, but only for the production values!
Reviewed by: William C. Rasmussen
THE WORLD MORE FULL OF WEEPING by Robert J. Wiersema (Digital Edition)
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:4/5]
I enjoyed this story, though I would not categorize it as horror. Nor is it a novel. It was about 1,500 locations on my Kindle, so I would put it at just over 100 pages.
Reviewed by: pidgeon92
COLLECTED KILL: VOLUME 1 by Patrick Kill (Digital Edition)
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:4/5]
I downloaded and read this irreverent collection the other day. There really isn’t a bad story in the lot. Did I mention irreverent? This is definitely a must-have for blasphemers everywhere. I would say it’s a finger in the eye of organized religion but it’s not his finger he’s poking with. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by: Mark Webb
THE BETTER YEAR by Bridget Morrow (limited edition paperback)
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:5/5]
THE BETTER YEAR is thoughtful, intelligent character piece that mingles real-life insecurities and fears with a touch of psychological horror for a deep and thought-invoking read. As the protagonist of this haunting, yet ultimately uplifting little book battles cancer (as well as her mid-life regrets childhood demons) she wages war not just for her life, but for her will to live. The character and her insecurities feel very real, and the horror elements are handled with a subtle, yet effective, touch. A fantastic novella with excellent characterization and a beautiful literary bent to the prose, THE BETTER YEAR is HIGHLY recommended.
Reviewed by: Thomas Moran
The Buzz: Customer Reviews 11/10/09
THE BITCHFIGHT by Michael Arnzen
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:4/5]
With Bitchfight, Michael A. Arnzen has written another tale which is both horrific and poignant. The plot is just as compelling as the characters who propel the story. In the hands of a lesser writer, The Bitchfight could be absurd, but Arnzen proves his mastery of the subject matter, making the reader care about the “animals” as well as the vet forced to care for them. And the ending…well, you’ve got to read it.
reviewed by: Erik Smith
DEMONICA AND THE DREAM HOUSE by Patrick Kill
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:4.5/5]
Wow. I just read this little tale and enjoyed it very much, although now I feel like I need a shower. Patrick Kill (Shane Staley) has a knack for combining humor, horror, the bizarre, and depravity to make a nice little siction cocktail. This story is no exception. If you like both your horror and your sex hardcore, then this tale is for you. Highly recommended.
reviewed by: Mark Webb
GROANING SHADOWS by Paul Finch
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:4/5]
Groaning Shadows by Paul Finch is a nice collection of his longer work. Published by Gary Friar Press, this book features four novellas and one short story. All of the tales are well-written and nicely suspenseful, if somewhat skewed by their Brit flavor and language. Nevertheless, a well-produced offering which I highly recommend!
reviewed by: William C. Rasmussen
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:5/5]
Wonderful digest style fiction and poetry magazine. Standouts include: Playing Dead, The Farmer’s Child, Surviving the Holidays, The Self Portrait, A Hand-Made Christmas, A Tale of Terror. While not all the stories are great, they are good, solid stories. Highly recommended.
reviewed by: Mark Webb
THE CYESOLAGNIAC by Edward Lee
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:5/5]
I received this yesterday and started reading almost immediately. I finished it today and have to say I really enjoyed it. While it has its visceral moments it isn’t over the top like Header. A great addition to Sideshow Press’s catalog. Gordon Heyton is a 3-dimensional character with assets and liabilities like the rest of us. Nice ending. Highly recommended.
reviewed by: Mark Webb
KINGDOM OF SHADOWS by Greg F. Gifune
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:5/5]
Kingdom of Shadows, Greg Gifune’s offering from Darkside Digital, is another fine novella from this amazing, prolific author! With a tip of the hat to the 1990′s movie, Jacob’s Ladder, Gifune crams a deep, involving tale of criminals, demons, and psychological experimentation into just 85 pages! Highly recommended!
reviewed by: William C. Rasmussen
This is my first shot of Gifune’s work. I liked the grittiness of the story, for sure. The previous reviewer mentioned Jacob’s Ladder, which is a good comparison. I will add that there were also elements (believe it or not) of Event Horizon. Obviously not sci-fi but the darkness was very comparable in my opinion. This is well worth the price so check it out. Now. Go on. Quit reading reviews and download this sucker! Go. Highly recommended.
reviewed by: Mark Webb
Also my first taste of Gifune and it was sweet indeed, I’ll definitely be back for more. Gifune’s a masterful writer, and the story unfolds in a way, going back and forth between past and present (or is it?) in a way that is really intriguing and keeps you reading on to find out just what is happening to Rooster. A masterful, satisfying read.
reviewed by: Mark Gunnells
Avg. Customer Rating:
[Rating:3/5]
I think this is a neat chapbook here. I’ve been a fan of Ketchum for awhile and reading this brings you a little closer to him in a way. One thing that interests me, almost more than the stories themselves, is the inspiration and ideas behind the works of fiction. And with this chapbook you get to see a behind the scenes, in a way. You get to see a bit deeper into the author’s mind. So I enjoyed Books of Souls but I can see how this wouldn’t be just anyone’s “thing” for reading. But if you are a fan of Ketchum do yourself a favor and give this a shot. Oh, and Bloodletting does another amazing job with this chapbook, the cover alone looks just fantastic. Just wanted to throw that in there too.
reviewed by: David Dickey
