Title: The Only Child

Author: Andrew Pyper

 

I’m pleased to also offer up a guest review from my friend Jennifer Sullivan of Andrew’s fantastic book ‘The Only Child.’ Jen is a fantastic friend, fellow reviewer from Kendall Reviews and one of the few people in the book world I’ve actually met!

(I’m super jealous because Jen has actually met Andrew!)

Take it away Jen!

**

Years ago, my critique buddy, Larry Brown, convinced me to attend a book reading from an author I hadn’t heard of at the Brantford Public Library.

“He writes spooky things. You’ll like it,” Larry said, knowing my weakness for anything horror related.

The author was Andrew Pyper, the book ‘The Damned.’ Walking out of that live reading I became a Pyper fan. Not just because ‘The Damned’ sounded like something I needed to read (which it was), but because of the way the author talked about his creative process. In answering questions, he spoke as if the characters were real, as if he were transcribing memories instead of making the whole thing up. And even when his stories take a turn toward the supernatural there’s such a heightened sense of reality that I can believe in monsters.

In Pyper’s novel ‘The Only Child,’ the main character Lily believes in monsters, too. Not the mythical creatures, but the human variety. After years of working as a forensic psychiatrist it would be nearly impossible for her to downplay the evil that lives inside humanity. Yet, there’s a memory from her past, the night her mother was killed, which her scientific mind can’t quite unravel. When she meets a new patient, a man with no name, who knows more about Lily than should be possible, her quest for answers becomes more desperate.

After the man she comes to know as Michael escapes custody she chases after him in a cat-and-mouse game through Hungary, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Lily and Michael’s encounters are often brief along the way, but through conversations and letters he leaves behind she learns of his connections to Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and even Robert Louis Stevenson. At first the information seems to be the ramblings of a madman, however as pieces of Michael’s past start to come together, Lily’s doubts begin to fall away, and she reconsiders her lack of faith in non-human monsters.

‘The Only Child’ is one hell of a ride! From bringing together elements from Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to the descriptions of the European cities, and the complexities of the character relationships, this is a novel you fall into and it consumes you to a point where you have to remind yourself the story is fiction.

As soon as I read the first line of ‘The Only Child,’ I was hooked: “She was awakened by the monster knocking at the door.” How can you read that and not want more? There’s no long preamble or unnecessary character set up, he just jumps straight into the story, grabbing the reader straight away. The rest of the novel is just as lean too, something I’ve come to expect from Pyper. He never takes the story down inconsequential tangents, nor does he interrupt the pacing for flowery descriptions or sidebar internal character thoughts. Every word on the page is there for a reason. However, the author’s exactness still manages to paint vivid mental images of the scenery and provides character introspection. It’s almost like magic.

While the plot is thrilling and the style of writing is beautiful, what I will probably remember most about ‘The Only Child’ is Lily’s character. She’s a woman conflicted with herself, which starts from the first page and intensifies through the story. Her memories of the night her mother was murdered is at the heart of her internal struggle. In keeping with the classic Gothic stories woven into the book, Lily’s fight centres around what science can prove against what life’s experiences demonstrate to be true. Being a woman of science, Lily wants to completely dismiss anything that can’t be logically explained, and as evidence mounts for the existence of the supernatural, she begins to unravel, clinging on to anything and anyone that might provide comfort. In the end though, she comes to accept that she’s known the answers all along and embraces who she really is in a final scene which still gives me shivers.

There’s so much more I could say about what I enjoyed in this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so suffice to say, I highly recommend ‘The Only Child.’

My rating is 4 of 5 stars.

As a brief end-note, in March of 2019, I was fortunate enough to attend the Toronto International Festival of Authors presentation called “Oh, The Horror of It All” where Andrew Pyper spoke as part of a fantastic panel. After the event I was able to chat with Pyper briefly, and he signed my copy of ‘The Only Child,’ which is a real treasure!

If you’re ever able to attend one of his live events, don’t let the opportunity pass you by – he’s passionate about books, writing, and is an all-round wonderful person.

 

Thanks so much, Steve, for sharing Pyper-May-Nia with the world and for allowing me to celebrate our mutual love for this superb Canadian author!

**

Absolutely my pleasure, Jen! I hope to be able to meet up with you again in the future!

So, now really, what are you waiting for?!

 

(Review 1 of 2 featured for The Only Child, with Jennifer Sullivan providing the other one today! This originally was posted to Goodreads on November 14, 2018)

Title: The Only Child

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release date: May 23, 2017

“She was awakened by the monster knocking at the door.”
With that opening line burrowing in your head, ‘The Only Child’ kicks off. What a ride.
If you follow me on Twitter, you have undoubtedly come across any number of my tweets stating how Andrew Pyper is my favourite author. I have shared this tale before, but I stumbled across Mr. Pyper’s work in Walmart of all places.
Leading up to reading ‘The Only Child’, I randomly read ‘Vlad the Impaler’ and ‘The Resurrectionist.’ In hindsight, I truly couldn’t recommend two books better to read beforehand than those.
‘The Only Child’ reads like a horror book, wrapped in a dark psychological drama, wrapped in an ongoing ‘Where in the World is Carmen Santiago?’ – action adventure. I read this in three sittings (only because I had to travel for work so saved it for the plane) and the number of phenomenal cliff-hangers in this book is amazing. You will be flipping the pages frantically, being pulled ever further into this amazing alternative history tale.
The story follows the main character Lily, haunted by the visions she sees of her mother’s death all those years ago in their tiny cabin in Alaska. Now working as a psychiatrist at a criminal centre in New York, she is assigned a curious admission. A man who tells her he is the true-life inspiration behind Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This patient tells Lily that he is over 200 hundred years old. Then the cat and mouse game begins.
One of the numerous gifts the author has is the ability to transport you to an exact location and allow you to feel the street under your feet, the buzz of surrounding traffic and people, and the smallest details that let your fingertips to actually feel the environment. His ability to use minimal words to convey maximal emotion will make you gasp time and time again.
Until reading this book, my favourite book of all-time was easily his 2006 release The Wildfire Season. Until reading this book, it was. ‘The Only Child’ transfixed me from sentence one and never let go. I found myself pausing at points and using google street view, only to find the exact description I had read was so accurate I would be smiling.
The entire book is a sprint, a trip around the world that ends with a dramatic and action-packed finale. Sometimes you can go home again, and in this case Andrew Pyper shows why you must and what secrets still lay buried.
I couldn’t recommend this book more. 5 star ratings are sometimes inadequate and in this case it falls far short of what I want to rate it.
If you haven’t read any of Andrew Pyper’s work, please, please fix that ASAP, and this would be a fantastic place to start.

(The Only Child was released in 2017)

 

“She was awakened by the monster knocking at the door.”

Up to this point, I’d read a number of Andrew’s works and loved them all. I’d not been staying on top of the ball with his most recent releases and as I became more involved in the Twitter/Instagram book world, I always found it amazing when other’s mentioned they loved Pyper’s works as well.

Look, I know, I know. Andrew is an International Bestseller, Award-winning author and millions of people have read his books.

But a part of me still considered him to be my secret author.

It was during a Twitter exchange with either Sadie Hartman or Mindi Snyder where they asked if I’d read ‘The Only Child’ to which I replied ‘of course!’

Only it took me a moment to realize, that I had not in fact read it. I had confused it with another book. Which one? No idea.

But I righted that wrong, snagged the book and then let it sit.

Part of the reason I let it sit was knowing ‘The Homecoming’ had been announced and I didn’t want to fly through this and be left without the impending announcement of more Pyper. I know, that sounds odd, especially considering there were still other releases of his that I hadn’t read yet.

A common thread that you’ll find in these retrospectives is my personal fear of ‘what if?’ I’ve said it a few times, and it’ll pop up in a few more during this month, but what if I read something and I don’t like it? If you look at the quote on the cover of ‘The Only Child’ and in fact this quote appears on a number of Mr. Pyper’s covers, it says “Pyper could be the next Stephen King.” This was from a National Post feature on him, some years back. Well, to me – Andrew is my Stephen King.

King was my introduction to the horror game, and as mentioned in the first piece I shared here about ‘The Demonologist,’ for many years was my main horror source. Hell, I only just read a Clive Barker book in the last few years. So, time and time again, I went to King and there’s very few pieces of his I haven’t enjoyed. But truth be told – I’ve never related to King on any sort of level. It’s an interesting thing to sit down and digest. And I’m not talking about the fact he’s a millionaire many times over, has 60 books out, has 25 or so adaptations of his work on the big screen. No, I’m talking about not relating to him because of where he’s from and the fact he’s almost double my age. He doesn’t write at all about Canada or Canadian locations etc.

With Pyper, I’ve found an author whom I greatly admire as a master of his craft, but also as a proud Canadian who doesn’t shy away from including that. On Friday, the piece I’ll be posting will be a re-sharing of Andrew’s embrace of Canada in his works made me a better writer, so I won’t touch on that much here.

What I’ll instead say, is that I connect with Andrew because of shared upbringings, shared experiences, that only comes from that country connection. Of the love of hearing pucks hit the end boards during warm ups before a game, of the smell the air gets before a crisp early snowfall happens, and of the idea that no matter where someone comes from, being nice is always the first option.

Before I dive a bit deeper into ‘The Only Child’ let’s pop back for one second. I’m the worlds most extroverted introvert. I love, love being on my own and just reading and writing. There was a week a few years back where my wife and son went to visit her mom in Fort McMurray. I came back from a conference and had a few days off before needing to pick them up. When I went to get them, on the 5 hour drive from Edmonton to Fort Mac, I realized I hadn’t spoken a word out loud in almost 5 days. But, people are often surprised when meeting me. How outgoing I am. I can talk to anyone, anywhere about anything at anytime. I have no filter and at group gatherings, people will often assume I’ve had a few too many, because I’m the one to willingly climb something, jump off something or jump into something. All of this is to say, that when I first messaged Andrew, he could have easily said “Thanks, take care.” But instead, he engaged and has always been gracious when I’ve contacted him.

I try not be a pest, and it’s tough, but seriously – Andrew Pyper is my Stephen King. If Stephen King was kind enough to reply, wouldn’t you say have a few questions back? 🙂

(And this isn’t said to imply King is mean or doesn’t like people or is unrelateable.)

So, back to where the hell I was going, yeah?

I decided to dive into ‘The Only Child’ with a sense of dread over what I would find. That was allayed with the opening sentence, which I quoted at the start.

“She was awakened by the monster knocking at the door.”

That line is my single favorite opening line and from there, Andrew doesn’t let up. ‘The Only Child’ is an immersive read, to the point of having a Dan Brown feel. Now, I know some people see Brown’s name and spit on the ground as though they are from Dog River and you’ve just mentioned Wullerton.

If you’re not sure of that joke;

But it’s an accurate description, in that the book takes us all over the world, starting with one of Andrew’s calling cards – a far North setting.

The book follows Dr. Lily Dominick, a forensic psychiatrist working in New York. Tasked with assessing the worst of the worst, things go astray when she’s assigned Client 46874-A. The nameless man tells her that he is the living inspiration for Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

WHHHHAAATT!

Yeah, I know right. What a pull in. Immediately Pyper immerses you in what is and what is not, and you soon find that not only are you questioning the around the world journey Lily embarks on as she tracks this man, but also why there is a strange connection between them.

There will be two reviews posted about ‘The Only Child,’ today as well, mine and my friend Jennifer’s, so I won’t go too deep into the rest of the book, but when I was done reading this, I was left speechless.

The story moved at such a break neck pace and as I’ve said before, Pyper has the single best writing voice out there. It’s like the Uncle at a family reunion who you haven’t seen in a few years, but you can’t wait to sit down and chat with.

One last note before I wrap this one up.

I’ve always loved this cover. It tends to lend some resemblance to all three of the ‘inspiration’ aspects featured within, but a part of me, deep down, believes that the figure on the cover walking away is actually Andrew. I searched once before, trying to find out if it was, but haven’t had any luck. I love the thought so much though, that I haven’t worked up the courage to actually ask Andrew.

Who know’s, maybe he’ll read this and message me?

Be cool if it was, eh?

(Now, go buy the book!)

 

 

(*This review was originally posted on Goodreads on July 2, 2018)

Title: The Wildfire Season

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release date: January 1st, 2005

My new favourite book, from my favourite author!

The Wildfire Season became my new favourite book for me personally, because of the connections I found I had to this novel.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, in a place not that different from Ross River. I grew up hunting, and my cousin Jason was a big game guide in the Yukon and Alaska.
We spent a number of summer’s on evacuation notice due to forest fires, and when my Dad’s logging job would be shut down due to fire hazard, he would work as a forest fire fighter.

I have always been drawn to books set in barren landscapes and characters that continue to fight against the odds, no matter how overwhelming they appear.

This book had everything and more for me.
If you love Mr. Pyper’s work, and haven’t checked this out yet, I highly recommend it!

(The Wildfire Season was published in 2005)

Alright, so up until now, I’d read ‘The Demonologist,’ ‘The Damned,’ and ‘Lost Girls.’ I still had a ways to go and while I’d loved everything Pyper had produced that my eyeballs had witnessed, I was still somehow scared to be let down. (Oddly, I still had that fear with just ‘The Guardians’ and ‘The Killing Circle’ left to read. That fear has been completely crushed now, Pyper doesn’t fail to deliver – ever.)

I was reading more and more, but my life was changing and in big upheaval. In Abbotsford, I had been managing an Orthotics Clinic while working towards my Pedorthic certification annnnnd trying to become some semblance of a world class thrower in shotput (which never happened!) I had a significant elbow injury and while trying to come to terms with no longer thrower and maybe never being competitive again, I recalled a conversation I had a few years back and took the chance. Over the next year, I lost 100 pounds and transformed from a thrower to a bobsledder. I moved to Whistler for six months and then we moved to Calgary the following October, as I tried to pursue sliding and the very, very, very small chance of making the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Come 2016, we were expecting our first child, and with my body completely breaking down, I stopped pursuing the Olympics. Our son arrived in August 2016, then in January 2017, I was told my job was ending and after going to numerous interviews, I was at a loss as to what to do next. Then, an offer was extended from a clinic in Edmonton, and in February we moved to Edmonton and I started my job, where I still work to this day.

When September of 2017 rolled around, I was struggling mentally with a lot of stuff. So, when we went camping at Crimson Lake, I made sure to bring a few books.

One such book was ‘The Wildfire Season.’ You see, when my mental state is seeing roadblocks and barriers and having trouble finding the sun, I turn to a comforting voice – and in literature, that voice is Pyper.

I started reading ‘Wildfire…’ in physical, reading 50% of the book over the few sporadic reading spots I got that week. Coincidentally, I would’ve read it all if I’d not been inspired to write draft one of my book ‘The Stranger’ while there!

I finished reading ‘Wildfire…’ on my Kindle and when I was done, I messaged Andrew and gushed about the book and how it had felt like such a connection for me. At the time, he replied kindly, while wondering if he should hit the block button, but it still boggles my mind when I look back at this book.

‘The Wildfire Season’ follows our main character, Miles who works as a forest firefighter – more specifically the crew chief. He’s haunted by his past, when he lost a crew member and lives each day with horrific scars to remind him of his decisions. He’s now fled to Ross River, Yukon. For Pyper fans, you’ll see a frequent connection with the North of Canada in many of his books, this one being firmly set there.

Pyper introduces us to a number of characters in this small town and between a raging fire descending on the town, the prospect that a ‘firebug’ may have purposefully started it and a pissed off bear deciding to exact some revenge, the reader is blessed with a psychological thriller, an eco thriller and a supernatural slow burn.

Ross River is a real place. It’s not close to anything.

That’s it at the red dot, far up on Google Maps.

And it’s small. See, let’s zoom in!

I grew up thirty minutes from a place about the same size as Ross River, with many of the same similarities. My dad was a logger and when needed in the summer’s, he’d fight forest fires when called upon.

Much like Ross River, we’d even lived under evacuation alert during one summer, watching with awe and fear as the fire on the other side of the Arrow Lakes jumped over to our side.

Growing up, I’d also been on hunting trips with my dad frequently. These were usually just day trips, sometimes over night excursions, but I dreamed of the life my cousin Jason had – tracking big game through the Yukon and Alaska. I’d been introduced to ‘using what the land provides’ from a young age, my grandpa having a trap line and everyone having massive gardens to grow most of our food.

All of these experiences culminated to feel like ‘The Wildfire Season’ was written specifically for ME. I know it’s an odd thing to say or even feel, but when you’ve read something that just speaks to you, the reader, then you know what I’m saying.

When I’d finished reading this, I proclaimed at that time, that this was my all-time fav read. While, I wouldn’t state that now, it’s not because the memory of this book has diminished – not at all.

It’s because I’ve read more of Pyper’s work and have continued to fall further and further into love with his writing voice and his storytelling.

Up next, I’m going to dive into reading ‘The Only Child,’ but until then, enjoy a companion review of ‘The Wildfire Season.’

 

It’s been some time since I actually sat down and did a ‘what’s up’ type post!

Life has been strange, hectic, boring, surreal – so many things. But not having been at work for over a month now, the only time I truly sit down in front of the computer has been to write and to get the Pyper-May-Nia! posts formatted and scheduled!

So, this past Wednesday, May the 6th saw the arrival of ‘COMMUNION.’

Exciting right! It’s already getting some cool reviews and I even saw a physical copy someone had snagged over on Instagram! (Thank you, John!)

This is Book Two in the ‘Father of Lies Trilogy.’ Book Three is in the early stages and from what I’ve pulled forth from the depraved depths of my mind so far, prepare to be unnerved. I highly suggest you read ‘Ritual’ and ‘COMMUNION’ before part three arrives.

I also wanted to say, today is the last day to grab ‘COMMUNION’ for only $0.99. It will jump up to the astronomical price of $1.99 tomorrow! As always the ebook for ‘Ritual’ is and always will be $0.99.

Haven’t snagged ‘COMMUNION’ yet?

 

So, what else have I been up to?

Reading, writing and hanging with the family.

I haven’t even been listening to much music at all, so no songs to share, sorry!

I have however been hard at work getting this Pyper-May-Nia! stuff up and going.

So far, I’ve shared an interview;

https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/pyper-may-nia-2/

A retrospective on ‘The Demonologist’ ;

https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/the-book-that-opened-my-eyes-the-demonologist/

And a retrospective on both ‘The Damned’ and ‘Lost Girls’ ;

https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/2020/05/06/next-taste-the-damned-and-lost-girls/

Next week will feature retrospectives and reviews of ‘The Wildfire Season’ and ‘The Only Child’ as well as an essay on how Andrew Pyper made me a better writer.

Lastly, before I leave, I wanted to share some really cool news that has kind of left me stunned.

I’ve been fortunate enough to appear in Kevin J. Kennedy Publishing releases a few times now. First was in ‘100 Word Horrors 3’ and then ‘100 Word Horrors 4.’ I was then humbled to have a story selected for ‘The Horror Collection: Silver Edition’ which featured me alongside Kevin, Lex Jones, Calvin Demmer and the legend Edward Lee.

Well, recently ‘The Horror Collection: Emerald Edition’ was released and I’m still in shock that a story from myself appears in a collection with the living Horror legend himself, Ramsey Campbell!

INSANE!

If you want to check out this amazing collection;

The ebook is out now, paperback to come!

 

Alright, so that’s all I got right now.

Hope you are all well and safe!

Until we meet again,

Steve

Title: The Keeper of Chernobyl

Author: Alessandro Manzetti

Release date: October 19, 2019

** 2019 Bram Stoker Award Nominee**

God, what a truly bleak story.

Alessandro Manzetti is a highly accomplished author, both in fiction and in poetry, and runs an esteemed publishing press. Yet, somehow, through all of that, the general horror community at large seems to have missed this one. I say that because, at the time of writing this review, this release has four Goodread ratings and one review.

The first thing that drew me into this book was the gorgeous cover. I know gorgeous isn’t maybe the phrase you’d most commonly associate with this picture of a man caressing a flower while wearing a mask and radiation suit, while in the background an emaciated, pale, woman wearing no protective gear looks on, but it is.

The second was the synopsis.

Set in the 60’s and 70’s, as Russia went full blown, top-secret mission crazy, a scientist tells his story of working in a bunker deep under ground.

A) Everything about Chernobyl has always fascinated me. I’m not sure why, honestly, as the entire event and fall out is and was horrific. Maybe it’s because of the stark photos I saw growing up of the abandoned amusement park?

B) The secret bunker, secret experiment angle will always get me, every single time.

What I liked: While I typically don’t enjoy the journal style/epistolary style of books, this one worked perfectly. Told through the pages of the main scientist’s secret journal he kept, we get the details of ‘Project Prometheus.’ A group of intelligent individuals are gathered in the Kremlin to facilitate a program to ‘create’ new beings.

Manzetti does a great job of creating a claustrophobic feeling throughout this book, but as things go off the tracks and the government begins to eliminate scientists one by one as their projects fail, the level of tension raises much like a Geiger counter would in the exclusion zone.

The book’s third act, after they move to Chernobyl’s site, is really a thing of beauty. We start to see the main scientist’s love for his subjects grow, even as things get worse and everything hits the fan.

What I didn’t like: While the journal style did work, I think I would have loved this book even more if it had been a straight forward story. I wanted more details, more information on the events that happened.

Why you should buy this: Just a stunning, stunning book. Think ‘Frankenstein’ meets ‘Splice’ meets the horror movie ‘Chernobyl Diaries.’ Manzetti truly created a masterful story of suspense, tension and while the ‘Prometheus Project’ on its own would keep me riveted, the added unseen force of the Russian government always willing to rear up its ugly head was a bonus.

I do want to add that there is a note at the start that this was translated from Italian, which is Manzetti’s native language. I found no issues what-so-ever with the phrasing or writing, so if that is one of the reasons holding you back – don’t let it be.

This one’s going to stay with me for some time and I really, really hope more people begin to find it.

5/5

(Lost Girls released by Dell in 2000, The Damned released by Simon & Schuster in 2015)

Welcome back for the third post in my PYPERMAYNIA celebration.

Let’s jump into the next chapter shall we?

I’d discovered Pyper and loved ‘The Demonologist,’ and lucky for me, he had a number of releases out already. This is always such a fantastic moment, when you realize you can read more of an author you’ve just discovered!

I made a return trip to the Coles at Seven Oaks and was pleased to find two of Pyper’s releases in stock – ‘The Damned’ and ‘Lost Girls.’ I bought them both without even reading the synopsis and I vividly remember the goth clerk who worked at both Coles and HMV in the mall saying she loved ‘Lost Girls’ and it made her bawl her eyes out.

After reading the synopsis’ of both, I decided to start with ‘The Damned.’

‘The Damned’ follows Danny Orchard, bestselling author of a memoir detailing his near-death experience that claimed the life of his twin sister. Pyper doesn’t let you feel comfortable once within this book, creating a claustrophobic world. One aspect I loved was just how familiar the house where the fire happened was. It could’ve been any house, on any street, near any of us. As the book went on, it grows darker and bolder and the ending will stay with you for long after you are done reading it.

I haven’t re-read this, purely because it’s a book that has stayed so solidly in my brain since I first read it that there’s no point yet in reading it! I’d end up skimming!

If you’ve not read it, jump on this! Click the link, then head below for ‘Lost Girls.’

 

‘Lost Girls’ was a book I put off from reading. Partly it was the synopsis, partly it was the reaction the goth chick from HMV/Coles had. I’d had some great discussions with her over the few years HMV was open and I knew she was a pretty tough woman. Hell, we spent time chatting about all the crazy stuff we’d seen on Liveleak at one point.

If this book had messed her up, then I was wondering just what it would do to me.

‘Lost Girls’ is a sorrow filled, creep fest.

To know go back and examine this as Pyper’s debut is really quite stunning.

We are introduced to Attorney Crane, summoned to a small town in Ontario to piece together just what’s happened as he looks to defend a high-school teacher accused of killing two students. The town stays quiet, and Crane realizes nobody cares whether he’s there nor if the teacher is innocent or guilty.

Oddly, I loved the small tie-in’s between ‘Lost Girls’ and ‘The Guardians’ when I read it recently. The saying ‘small towns know how to forget’ is wholly accurate, and as someone who grew up in the smallest of small towns, you see it happen time and again.

This town has a secret and Pyper decides to tell us in slow-burn fashion, drawing us in chapter after chapter.

I remember being unnerved completely, every time the phone rang in the eerie hotel, how Pyper described the shadows seen in the dark streets and when we finally arrive at the ending – goth chick was right.

I was distraught.

It works so well, but left this reader regretting having binged read the book and felt the enormity crash down on my soul.

You see, Pyper writes with horror in his veins, but Canadiana in his fingertips. He crafts these characters that work at the corner stores, that bag our groceries and show up at our barbecues or tail-gate parties at the beach.

This is why I adore Pyper’s writing, it speaks to that sense of where I came from, but also what I imagine.

So, once again – have you read ‘Lost Girls.’ ?

If not, I highly suggest you check it out, but be warned – you’ll be crushed.

The Demonologist, published by Simon & Schuster in 2013.

Before I discovered Goodreads and the Book Horror Community on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, I was an impulse buyer. A new Stephen King book – yup. A book with a cool sounding synopsis and a striking cover – yuppers. I used to spend a fair amount of time in the Coles at the Seven Oaks Mall in Abbotsford, BC looking over their painfully small horror and science fiction section, hoping to find a new to me book to snag. We’d also check out the Walmart book section, they had a fairly well stocked 2/$15 paperback section, where I grabbed books like The Martian.

I’d grown up being a devoted King fan, having borrowed every single copy that my neighbor, Patti Moody owned and voraciously read them. To me, back then, there was only one name in the horror world that I knew would bring me joy.

I’ve told this story a bajillion and one times, but one day, me and my wife were checking out the 2/$15 section and I spotted a book with the cover I’ve shared here at the top. A very simple, yet striking cover of a darkened forest and a young child. The title grabbed me immediately – how could it not, and the synopsis read like something any horror lover would gobble up. I didn’t buy it, though. I took a picture of it and the book beside it and then nagged and whined to Amanda the rest of our shopping trip about how awesome the two books looked. The other book, for reference, was The Troop by Nick Cutter.

I ended up buying both, and while my memory has faded and I no longer remember if it was during that shopping trip or a return over the next two days, but I dove into both. And while both were absolutely stunning, I was drawn to Pyper’s release more.

‘The Demonologist’ is, to me at least, at its heart, a journey of a scarred man. A man who doesn’t believe what he studies completely, but once his family becomes directly involved, he’s forced to face the truth that maybe there are other things out there, things we can’t see when our internal blinds are closed.

I remember, to this day, vivid scenes. Scenes that scared me to my core and had me question whether I’d be able to continue.

While I read this book far before my time reading and reviewing, posting to sites like Goodreads and Bookbub, I still consider this to be a 5 star read and one that I’ll need to revisit again soon.

At the time of its release, ‘The Demonologist’ was in production to become a movie, and while that seems to have been put on pause, I know I’d love to see an adaptation.

Something, specifically, that I’ll always treasure and cherish from reading and discovering this book, was that it was from A CANADIAN. I know it’s a weird thing, but yes, in Canada, we really do have a sense of commonality about fellow Canucks. When we see a new NHL player and find out he’s from our hometown, he immediately becomes a player we root for. Same goes for actors/actresses, authors, comedians, you name it. So, to have discovered a Canadian who was writing THIS type of book, blew my mind and opened a lot of doors.

Maybe a part of me was closed off and scared to allow another author to invade the space I’d created and curated for my horror reads, but Pyper was the one. His book and his writing spoke to me and opened up a new voice that I haven’t been able to put down since.

Oddly enough, with a large portion of the back story of Professor David Ullman being a man who studies ‘Paradise Lost’ it is interesting to read Andrew’s thoughts on that epic poem. I don’t know if it is still available, but I was lucky enough to snag a Kindle copy of ‘Paradise Lost’ with an essay from Andrew about the poem as well as some questions directed towards ‘The Demonologist.’ I’d highly recommend you snag it if its still out there.

So, in closing, that is why ‘The Demonologist’ means so much to me. It was almost a repeat of when you first discover a horror movie on TV late at night and you can’t believe what you’ve stumbled on. When I started reading it, I had no idea that the book would expand the possibilities for me of all that I could read, that was out there, but also that other Canadians were doing this as well.

While ‘The Demonologist’ isn’t my all-time favorite book from Andrew, it will always hold a very special place in my heart.

In fact, I was lucky enough to find an ARC of the book at a used book store last year and snagged it immediately. I still can’t believe it and I can’t believe that Andrew has been kind enough to sign both versions for me.

As I write this, I have a photo beside my laptop. You may have seen it already, but if not, here it is;

For those who don’t know, this is a photo of Andrew’s ‘demon research books’ that he used when writing ‘The Demonologist.’ My friend, Jen (who is contributing a review of ‘The Only Child’ as well) gave it to me as a gift and it makes me smile at least a dozen times a day.

So, there. ‘The Demonologist.’

Outstanding book, but a book that will forever be my first Pyper love.

Haven’t read it?

What are you waiting for?

 

Welcome back, friends!

I’m really, really excited to officially kick off the exciting month of May with my celebration of all things Andrew Pyper! There’s some exciting stuff to look forward to this time around. I attempted a grand celebration last year and honestly, I failed me, Andrew and his fans. A part of it was my internal voice saying – it’s too much, you’re annoying him with this!

Kindly, Andrew has assured me that this is not an annoyance and so this time around – bigger and better!

So, what should you expect? Here’s what’s on tap!

May 1st – today’s post is featuring an all new interview with Andrew, so keep scrolling below. I’ve re-asked him some questions from last year, as well as new one’s!

May 4th – A retrospective on his book ‘The Demonologist.’

May 6th – Retrospectives on ‘The Damned’ and ‘Lost Girls.’

May 11th – Retrospective and Review of ‘The Wildfire Season.’

May 13th – Retrospective, Guest Review and Review of ‘The Only Child.’

May 15th – Article revisit on how Andrew helped in making me a better writer.

May 20th – Retrospective and Review of ‘The Homecoming.’

May 21st – Retrospective and Review of ‘The Trade Mission.’

May 22nd – Andrew answers some questions specifically to each of his books.

May 25th – Retrospective and Review of ‘Kiss Me.’

May 26th – Retrospective and Review of ‘The Residence.’

May 27th – Retrospective and Review of ‘The Guardians.’

May 28th – Retrospective and Review of ‘The Killing Circle.’

May 29th – Wrap up!

Wowsa. See what I mean about diving into the deep end, this time around!

Alright, so I’ll shut up and here’s the interview!

Andrew Pyper Interview 2020!

Once again, Andrew, thank you so much for putting up with my shenanigans and being such a great sport with this whole thing. I’ve said it before, but truthfully – I’m very honored and humbled that you’ve ever interacted or even replied to anything that I’ve sent your way. To have you agree to do this interview (and with this second go around – even more questions with the specific book focuses) is just outstanding!

So, without further ado, welcome back for PYPER-MAY-NIA 2!

Let’s dive right into the questions!

I asked this last year, but for those that missed it, what initially drew you to writing dark fiction/horror/psychological thrillers? Did you have a favorite horror book growing up?

It must be some form of hard-wiring because even my earliest short stories from childhood came out that way: not necessarily horror tales, but people on the run, dreams that invade reality, doors that open into different dimensions. Where did that come from? Certainly, the books I was drawn to. Stephen King, of course, but also Peter Straub, paperback monster horror (The Rats, The Swarm, Jaws) – along with much quieter literary fiction that I loved and didn’t see as incongruent with the scary stuff all that much, notably Alice Munro. Also, the movies that stayed with me the most tended to combine the domestic, the gritty, the smaller scale, with the fantastical or horrific. I loved then – and continue to love – stories that cross over from one set of “rules” to another.

Did you have a literary mentor when you started?

No. I’m jealous of colleagues who had mentors they corresponded with or were taught by. That would have been a comfort to have someone around to say “Yes, by all means, you can do it that way,” early on, but I didn’t.

Have you found any barriers to writing your style of fiction being Canadian?

More in the earlier days of my publishing career than now. But absolutely, I’ve encountered dismissiveness among certain critics, or resistance from cultural gatekeepers who see “quality” in Canadian fiction exclusively occurring on a narrow field. I even once had an editor who recommended that I write my novels under a pseudonym to avoid not being taken seriously when I returned one day to writing “proper fiction.” Today, I’m happy to report that while the publishing business remains difficult in all the ways it’s always been difficult, writing within and through genre in Canada is less of a disqualification than it used to be.

How much input do you typically have regarding your book covers? Do you suggest something once done writing and it’s been handed in, or do you typically let that be handled and then you approve the options?

I try to limit my involvement on covers to speaking up when I think a terrible mistake might about to be made. Fortunately, that’s hardly ever happened! My test is: Can you live with it? Can you look at it on a shelf and not feel a gag reflex? If you do feel those things, then jump into the mix. If not, then keep your powder dry.

Of your own books – do you have a personal favourite cover?

I love The Demonologist trade paperback in the US and Canada. Also, the US trade paperback for The Wildfire Season and the US/Canada hardcover for The Damned.

‘The Homecoming’ is your most recent release and has been greatly received.  Have you begun your next book already or do you take some time post-release for promotion, reflection etc?

I’ve completed a new novel, The Residence, that’s coming out in September. But you mention the space between one novel and the next – that’s always a weird time for me. I tend to get antsy, or pursue stupid diversions, or (in my younger, wilder years) get into trouble of one kind or another during these periods between projects. Part of it, I think, is catching up from the person you were when you started the previous book to the person you are now. I feel like I grow up in a sometimes painful, hyper-accelerated way between novels, because in the time I’m writing them I’m frozen in the world I’m creating. It can be a disorienting, if necessary, experience.

Since we spoke last year for PYPER-MAY-NIA 1, ‘The Homecoming’ has continued to be prominently featured on bookstagram, Twitter and the Amazon charts, and you’ve announced your next book as well – ‘The Residence’ – which arrives in September. Has ‘The Residence’ been something whittling away for some time or was this the project you jumped into once ‘The Homecoming’ was out of your hands?

The Residence has an interesting origin story for me, as most of the time my underlying ideas for novels have been percolating away for some time – subconsciously probably for years – before I start on them. In this case, I was well along on an outline for a completely different project to follow The Homecoming when I was tooling around on the internet, just for fun, looking up true ghost stories. You know the ones: accounts by real people who buy the perfect little house in the country, move in, hear scratching in the walls, voices in the night, then catch a glimpse of a spectral grandma in the kitchen? I love those stories. Anyway, I was just wasting some time on that one day when my searches brought me to ghostly stories of the White House. Most of it was narratives I’d heard before. Not really my thing. But then I bumped into the Pierces and…hoo boy. President Franklin Pierce. I’d never heard of him. But I was immediately struck by his story of tremendous loss prior to becoming president, his odd marriage to his grief-stricken wife, Jane, the many unsettling facts that were attached to his single term of office. I was hooked. And within the space of a day or two, I set aside that outline for a different novel knowing The Residence was up next.

Was writing ‘The Residence’ daunting at all? Historical fiction can be challenging, but tackling one set in The White House must have presented some unique and different barriers. Had you considered writing historical fiction in the past?

I’d never really thought of writing historical fiction before encountering the Pierces. All the big, famous, dramatic episodes of the past seemed to have already been exploited in one way or another, and I’m not much of an amateur historian in the first place. I thought it was an area meant for others. But when I decided to write a ghost story in the White House based on real people and real events, I figured I had to come up with an approach that would suit my material along with my creative inclinations. So I devised a few guidelines right from the start: I would depart from the historical record freely on the ghost story side, but stick to the facts in most other respects; I would keep the book as crisply written as possible to avoid any excess historical exposition; I would make Jane an equal if not greater focus of the novel than Franklin (as it was Jane whom I fell for in the first place).

I asked you this last year, but what independent/self-published/small press releases have stood out for you lately?

There’s so much out there! I try to keep up with work that I hear others being excited about, but the TBR stack is going to topple over and smother me to death in the night. But off the top of my head, I’ve loved The Fisherman by John Langan, North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingsrud, Experimental Film by Gemma Files.

Similar question to last year, what advice would you give to any new authors out there that you wish someone would’ve given you?

I wish someone had told me early on to hold on to work longer before submitting it. The impulse to get stuff out there is strong, but despite what some might say along the lines of “I know it’s just a first draft, I’ll keep that in mind as I read” it’s not true. First drafts are judged the same as finished drafts, and it can jeopardize the viability of a project to have it burn out before it’s ready. Hang on to your drafts. Read them aloud to yourself. Pursue beta readers (with great love and lots of gifts for their labour). Ask yourself “Is this really, honestly, the best I can do?” If there’s a shade of doubt at all…go back to it again.

In most of your books, you’ve featured a small northern Canadian town or location. Even to the extent of having ‘The Wildfire Season’ set in the Yukon. Is there something you’ve found that continues to draw you to the far north?

I suppose there’s personal and aesthetic answers to that one. On the personal side, I love the north, both the down here and ‘Up There’ versions: the woods, the water, the quiet, the being away from things. It makes me feel at once small and empowered, if that makes any sense. On the aesthetic side, the north provides many narrative assets, especially in the stories I write: isolation, physicality, places to hide, places to be found, and lots of places to bury the bodies.

I recently messaged you asking if you’d heard of the mythical Nick Cutter aka Craig Davidson unreleased book. A book Craig has deemed so extreme that it will never see the light of day. Is there a mythical book in the Pyper vault? Is there much unreleased work sitting around collecting dust that us fans would love to see?

There are some things I’ve written that will never see the light of day but it’s not because they’re too extreme, just…not what I wanted them to be. Having said that, on the screenwriting side, I’ve got a few movie and TV scripts that failed to get off the ground that, who knows, might find another life down the line. Wouldn’t that be nice?

I’ve often referred to you as my ‘Stephen King’ and being able to have any sort of interaction through social media is mind blowing and frequently leaves me speechless. You’re pretty active on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Do you enjoy the interaction and accessibility the platforms give or is it more of a necessity with the changing face of promotion?

That’s very kind of you to say! And in answer to your question, meeting readers like yourself is a great joy to me, an interaction I learn a lot from. It reminds me of something so fundamental you’d think you’d never forget it, but sometimes you do all the same: you write because there are people out there you hope to connect with, to create something that plays in their heads. It’s such a privilege when that connection is made, and social media is now the primary means by which one learns of it.

I asked a similar question to this last year.  You have two kids.  How old will they have to be until they are allowed to read any of your works?

My eldest is thirteen and loves horror, but it frightens her terribly and gives her bad dreams (she would deny this, but trust me, it’s true). My younger is more honest about it: he likes action, but not “the freaky stuff.” All to say that I’m not rushing any Read Dad! campaigns around here. My dream is that they find the books on their own time, on their own terms, when their curiosity gets the better of them.

Lastly – when you kindly participated in last year’s PYPER-MAY-NIA celebration, you’d indicated that you didn’t take a break after finishing a book and that (at that time) you’d already begun your next book. I’m going to assume that was referring to ‘The Residence.’ Should us die hard Pyper fans, aka your “scare hounds” (stick tap to Randall Perry for that!) circle 2021 to be a year to expect another Pyper release?

I wish! No, I’ve been working on a few different projects that came after The Residence, none of them novels. I can’t really say more than that, but I hope to be able to soon. But I do have an outline for a book I want to get back to – remember that book I mentioned that was up next before I met the Pierces? Maybe this fall I can dive in.

Bonus question! 

When I was finishing this up, my 3-year-old son, Auryn, came over and said I had to ask you what your favorite color is and do you like spiders?

Auryn, great questions! Blue. And yes!

 

Thank you again for doing this Andrew! It is incredibly gracious of you and I’m very humbled that you would take the time to answer these!

Where to follow Andrew:

Website: http://www.andrewpyper.com/

Twitter: @andrewpyper

Instagram: @apyper29

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.pyper.16