Book Review | Ugly Little Things by Todd Keisling

Ugly Little Things is a collection of horror stories by Todd Keisling.

THIS IS GOING TO HURT.

The eleven stories in Ugly Little Things explore the depths of human suffering and ugliness, charting a course to the dark, horrific heart of the human condition. The terrors of everyday existence are laid bare in this eerie collection of short fiction from the twisted mind of Todd Keisling, author of the critically-acclaimed novels A Life Transparent and The Liminal Man.

Travel between the highways of America in “The Otherland Express,” where a tribe of the forsaken and forlorn meet to exchange identities. Witness the cold vacuum of space manifest in the flesh in “The Darkness Between Dead Stars.” Step into the scrub of rural Arizona and join Karen Singleton’s struggle to save her husband from a cult of religious fanatics in “When Karen Met Her Mountain.” Visit the small town of Dalton in “The Harbinger” and join Felix Proust as he uncovers the vile secrets rooted at the heart of Dalton Dollworks. And in the critically-acclaimed novella “The Final Reconciliation,” learn the horrifying truth behind the demise of the rock band The Yellow Kings.

With an introduction by Bram Stoker Award-winner Mercedes M. Yardley and illustrations by Luke Spooner, Ugly Little Things will be your atlas, guiding you along a lonely road of sorrow, loss, and regret. This is going to hurt—and you’re going to like it.

After reading and loving Todd Keisling's The Final Reconciliation earlier this year, I was excited to have the opportunity to read more stories by Keisling in Ugly Little Things.

The first thing I want to mention is The Final Reconciliation is included in this collection. You can read my full review for that here. It's my favorite novella I've read so far this year.

I didn't realize that several of the stories in Ugly Little Things had been previously published. This was fine for me as I hadn't read any of the other tales, but your mileage could vary on that.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a few of the tales fell into the novelette/novella range. I'm a big fan of that format when it comes to horror, and I think these longer works are also the best of this collection.

I highly recommended The Final Reconciliation earlier this year, and with Ugly Little Things you get that novella and more. It's kind of a no brainer if you are interested in checking out Todd Keisling's work. He's an author I keep on my radar, and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

8/10: Great Read

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | No Mercy by Alessandro Manzetti

No Mercy is a collection of horror poetry from Alessandro Manzetti.

From the Bram Stoker Award-winning poet that brought you Eden Underground...

The Lady in Black shows no mercy to anyone; she has cold skin, a job to do, and many lovers on Earth: Despair, Loneliness, Madness, and their soldiers and killers of daily life, armed with blades, hammers, teeth, and illusions. There are strange and bloody stories that tell all about it, if you want to hear them…

Are you sure? Well, you’ve found the right place, but consider that in turning these pages you’ll be thrown forward through time, until you reach the Apocalypse—the last stop.

So, like the Lady in Black, show yourself no mercy—sit down and read these stories, listening to Janis Joplin with a bottle of Southern Comfort cradled in your arm.

Don’t worry, you’ll find both of them inside this book, along with so many other dark pleasures.

No Mercy is dedicated to the late, great Janis Joplin. Some of these poems placed me right into Port Arthur, Texas and "the smell of river and summer". I had to look up where Alessandro Manzetti is from to find out if he is simply that big of a Janis Joplin fan or if he is actually from my part of the world. It turns out he lives in Italy.

I cannot claim to be an authority on poetry. I love reading it when I come across it, but I've never really made an effort to seek out modern poetry. I used to subscribe to a lot of fiction magazines (mostly horror) and that's where I've been exposed to most of the modern poetry that I have read save for a few anthologies that have included them. My personal feeling toward poetry is that it should evoke some sort of emotion from the reader. Perhaps I only feel that way because all of my favorite poems have done that, and as I stated, I'm not any kind of an authority on what poetry should or should not do.

For me, No Mercy was very successful in evoking emotion. For that, I think it is a wonderful collection. Unfortunately, the emotions it evoked for me were not pleasant. I feel like No Mercy did it's job, but I wasn't the perfect audience.

No Mercy is a perfect title, I suppose; it's a very bleak collection.

I have no doubt there is an audience that will connect with all of the poems in No Mercy, and it will be a solid collection for those readers. If you look at the ugliness of horror and see beauty, you might be the right fit. I look at horror as something to overcome. I see horror as a balance to the light. It's more of a source of entertainment for me than something I try to internalize. I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading this collection, though, because your mileage certainly could vary.

6/10: Good Read

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | The Final Reconciliation by Todd Keisling

The Final Reconciliation is a new horror novella from Todd Keisling.

TAKE OFF YOUR MASK.

Thirty years ago, a progressive rock band called The Yellow Kings began recording what would become their first and final album. Titled “The Final Reconciliation,” the album was expected to usher in a new renaissance of heavy metal, but it was shelved following a tragic concert that left all but one dead.

The sole survivor of that horrific incident was the band’s lead guitarist, Aidan Cross, who’s kept silent about the circumstances leading up to that ill-fated performance—until now.

For the first time since the tragedy, Aidan has granted an exclusive interview to finally put rumors to rest and address a question that has haunted the music industry for decades: What happened to The Yellow Kings?

The answer will terrify you.

Inspired by The King in Yellow mythos first established by Robert W. Chambers, and reminiscent of cosmic horror by H. P. Lovecraft, Laird Barron, and John Langan, comes The Final Reconciliation—a chilling tale of regret, the occult, and heavy metal by Todd Keisling.

I was nervous going into The Final Reconciliation because I had Robert McCammon on the brain. How can I think of a horror story that revolves around music without thinking of McCammon's The Five? I feel bad for any book that has to live up to McCammon, but The Final Reconciliation had no trouble at all! Where McCammon's The Five was about feeling the emotion of music, The Final Reconciliation was about feeling the music itself. (That and some kick ass horror.)

I'm a metal head and I fancy myself a musician so I was absolutely the perfect audience for The Final Reconciliation, but I think that's all just icing to a really great story.

The Final Reconciliation was inspired by The King in Yellow mythos. I have to admit to never having read The King in Yellow. I actually tried to get into it last week, but I was just coming off The Great God Pan and was burned out on classic horror. It would have been cool to have a better reference point for The Yellow King, Carcosa, etc., but it wasn't necessary. I think if you've read The King in Yellow, you will dig the connection.

The Final Reconciliation is a novella so I'm hesitant to say much other than the fact that I really enjoyed it. I'd rather leave you to discover what happened to The Yellow Kings for yourself.

My year has started out unusually strong, but I think it's a safe bet to say The Final Reconciliation will be one of my favorites of the year. I highly recommend it especially if you love music and horror.

9/10: Highly Recommended

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | Where the Dead Go to Die by Aaron Dries and Mark Allan Gunnells

Where the Dead Go to Die is a new horror release from Aaron Dries and Mark Allan Gunnells.

There are monsters in this world. And they used to be us. Now it's time to euthanize to survive in a hospice where Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible.

Post-infection Chicago. Christmas.

Inside The Hospice, Emily and her fellow nurses do their rounds. Here, men and women live out their final days in comfort, segregated from society, and are then humanely terminated before fate turns them into marrow-craving monsters known as ‘Smilers.’ Outside these imposing walls, rabid protesters swarm with signs, caught up in the heat of their hatred.

Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. But in a world where mortality means nothing, where guns are drawn in fear and nobody seems safe anymore – at what cost will this pursuit come? And through it all, the soon to be dead remain silent, ever smiling. Such is their curse.

This emotional, political novel comes from two of horror’s freshest voices, and puts a new spin on an eternal topic: the undead. In the spirit of George A Romero meets Jack Ketchum, Where the Dead Go to Die it is an unforgettable epilogue to the zombie genre, one that will leave you shaken and questioning right from wrong…even when it’s the only right left.

It won't be long before that snow-speckled ground will be salted by blood.

Why did I read Where the Dead Go to Die?

This was a simple case of being in the mood for a new horror release. I try at all costs to get away with selecting books without reading the descriptions. That's not always possible, but when Crystal Lake Publishing offered up Mark Allan Gunnells's new release, I said yes without knowing it was a zombie book. I'm glad I did! I'm not sure I would have said yes so quickly if I had known the subject matter, and that would have been unfortunate.

The Strengths

The biggest strength for me was the nurse/caretaker perspective. Where the Dead Go to Die is not your typical zombie book - we are talking zombie hospice here - and it added some new things to the zombie genre.

I also enjoyed the characters (even though I victim blamed the hell out of all of them).

The Weaknesses

It was a rough start. I was pretty confused in the beginning trying to piece things together. There were also similes galore which scared me more than anything else, but eventually it all came together. Once the back story got going and all of the holes started filling in, I was solidly along for the ride. I had to give it a good 20%, but it was totally worth it in the end.

Would I recommend Where the Dead Go to Die to others?

Yep. I keep expecting the day to come where I've had my fill of zombies, but today is not that day. As long as folks like Aaron Dries and Mark Allan Gunnells keep coming up with original ideas, I'll be there.

7/10: Recommended Read

Review copy provided by publisher