Title: One of Us

Author: Craig DiLouie

Release date: July 17th, 2018

You know, social media is a funny beast. Those of us who frequent it to sell our own books, as well as post about other people’s books, and connect with book folk, often focus on the shiny new releases. The books that have just released, as well as those books that have the completely random staying power that some of them do. Now, don’t get me wrong, each and every author wants to see their newest books flying off the physical and digital shelves, but sometimes, truly phenomenal books seem to fly under readers radars, and for this reader, ‘One of Us’ is a prime example of that.

I discovered Craig’s work through his novel ‘The Children of Red Peak.’ From there, I dove into ‘Suffer the Children,’ ‘Episode Thirteen,’ and his most recent horror novel (at the time of writing this) ‘Djinn.’ It was while reading ‘Djinn’ that I knew I needed to grab another of Craig’s novels and when I popped on Amazon, one of the first books that was listed was ‘One of Us.’ For whatever reason, I’d never heard of this book. Funny, that when I posted I was reading about it, so many others commented about how amazing it was. But how did I miss it? Who knows.

Before starting this review, I also want to note that this book is unputdownable while also being one of the most difficult books I’ve ever read. This hit me much like David Demchuk’s ‘Red X’ hit me. So, when reading a book like this – even with it being five years old – and seeing how topical, how timely and how infuriating life continues to be for those without privilege. It was a lot to digest. This book broke me a number of times. It’s been awhile since a book has made me cry more than once. Especially a fiction book. Non-fiction can often get me going easily. But fiction is tougher. And this one cracked me good and hard.

What I liked: Set in an alternate, dystopian history, and taking place in the early 80’s, the novel follows a group of kids from two different sides of life. In the late 60’s, kids were born with a mutated gene, creating ‘monsters’ or who many people refer to as ‘creepers.’ They didn’t look like normal kids, they had upside down faces, fur, fangs, tentacles, whatever, just not the ‘normal’ human body. It occurred because of an infection past through sexual contact, and as such, the world is trying to stop the spread as well as segregate and confine the ‘creepers.’

DiLouie has managed to create a novel that metaphorically can be applied to every single marginalized group. This could be about Indigenous people. Blacks. Slaves. Jewish people. LGTBQ. Women. Ethnic minorities. It doesn’t matter which non-white group you plug into the metaphor he’s created, you’ll see it is horrifically accurate towards how the larger Caucasian (and often Christian) population treats those. And within, we get glimpses of that battle. The normal son of the town preacher begging his father that God preaches love and acceptance and not hate and intolerance. And his father turning his back on him. Time and time again, Craig offers up the sentiment – it is better to do what is right than what you’ve been taught – and time and time again, that sentiment is crushed under archaic beliefs.

Throughout, we get some truly wonderful characters. ‘Dog,’ whose real name is Enoch, might be one of the best characters I’ve ever come across. From his loyalty to his friends, his desire to ‘run on my four legs like God intended,’ to his ‘awe-shucks’ good-naturedness. Enoch was a gentle soul and one that plays a pivotal role in how the world treats the normal people vs the monsters.

Early on, we also learn that some of the kids who are forced to live in these group homes away from regular society, have started to develop super powers. Mind-reading. Super strength. Telekinetic abilities. And as they continue to get beaten down and treated poorly, a rising up is rumored and a rumbling begins.

The final third of this book is a fantastic look at how, even within that group of kids who wish to live like normal people, there are some who want to fight and those who want to live harmoniously. Again, a timely, topical narrative over the explosive events we seem to be living with each and every day in this crazy, mixed up world.

The ending was perfect. It lets us, the readers, know things will never be the same, things may never calm down, but that we each need to find our own way and do the best we can. A sentiment that applies profoundly at the tail end of 2023.

What I didn’t like:  There will be a number of times this book FRUSTRATES you to no end. When the right decision is directly in front of that character and you know they won’t make it and then they don’t make it and you’ll want to scream. But DiLouie winds this tale magically and it only works to heighten the tension.

Saying that – if you’re someone who believes wholeheartedly that those with different beliefs are lesser humans, or that someone with a different skin color is scum, you’re going to hate this book. Actually, you probably won’t be reading it as you’re most likely too busy trying to ban books like this down in Florida.

Why you should buy this: This is one of the most powerful, beautiful and horrific books I’ve ever read. Time and time again, while reading this, you’re gonna have that hitch in your breathing, that dangle of hope in front of your eyes. But just know, it will never get to you. Everything gets crushed and those who just want to live life free of titles, designations and fear will never get there, unless they take it. Because, as we often see, those who are in power are in power for all the wrong reasons. They don’t care about the little guys. They don’t care if people can eat, afford a roof over their heads, or have equal rights. They only care about being in power and padding their bank accounts. And as you can see, that applies to this book and to the world around us.

This is perhaps one of the best books I’ve ever read and a book that has deeply shaken me and changed me. And I thank Craig for that.

5/5

Title: Grim Portraits: Six Stories About the Dark Side of Art

Author: Kealan Patrick Burke

Release date: September 11th, 2023

Every time Kealan Patrick Burke announces a new release, it feels like an event. A celebration. A gathering of excited Burke-ians who can’t wait to see what creepy, dread-filled nightmares Kealan has conjured and is unleashing on his ever-growing fanbase.

When this one was announced, it was evident this one meant a lot to Kealan. If you’ve followed him on Twitter for any sort of time, you’ll see three constants – hilarity, his dog, and his sharing and appreciation of all things art. The last one there, typically has included him sharing paintings (though I think this was a more common a few years back than currently), and I was always intrigued by the paintings shared, as they always were very different in tone and texture each time.

The foreword to this one is wonderful and creepy and sets the stage for the stories that follow and if you’ve been a fan of Burke’s work for any length of time, I think you’ll know what awaits.

What I liked: This collection featured six stories that all infused the world of art really nicely. It opens with a bang, and one of my favorites – ‘Sometimes They See Me.’ This story felt ‘off’ from the beginning, as a troubled artist connects with another and we get a deftly told paranormal style story that felt so cinematic.

Up next was ‘The Binding,’ which felt as though it was plucked from Clive Barker’s vault itself. A man wakes, completely bound to a bed, unable to move anything expect his eyes and unable to remember much of what happened that led to him being there. The only way I can describe this one is as though you found yourself trapped inside an oven and someone turns it on, the heat rising and increasing until you can no longer handle it. Just amazing.

From there, we get the one-two punch of ‘Portrait’ and ‘The Acquisition.’ Both felt similar and thematically linked, while different enough to have each completely engaging for this reader. I would be hard pressed to choose which one I preferred more, but ‘Portrait’ I think comes out slightly ahead.

Which leads us to my personal favorite in the batch – ‘The Barbed Lady Wants for Nothing.’ Two small-time crooks decide to rob a rare bookstore, knowing that riches await, but things go hideously wrong when one of them discovers a comic book that shouldn’t exist. This was the most ‘Tales From the Crypt’-style story of all of them and I could almost hear Kealan cackling like the Cryptkeeper while reading this.

The collection ends with transcribed story, ‘The Amp,’ which is typically not my style of storytelling I enjoy, but it ripped along and I was whisked away into this ‘interview’ easily enough, making sure I enjoyed how this collection ended.

What I didn’t like: As mentioned, I’m normally not a fan of transcribed type stories, which may dampen some people’s enjoyment of that final piece, but trust me when I say the story told through that interview is a blast.

Additionally, if you’re not typically a fan of reading themed collections or anthologies, this may not be your style, as Kealan makes it quite obvious that this is a collection focused on and based around art.

Why you should buy this: Kealan fans will most likely already have snagged this, but for those who haven’t yet, or who haven’t read Kealan, trust me when I say this is just a phenomenal collection that will grab you quick and not let go. Kealan is a master storyteller – both of short and long fiction – and it’s obvious throughout that he wrote these stories from a place that mattered to him.

Just a fantastic collection by one of the best authors out there.

5/5