I asked on Twitter if I should do a year in review and was surprised to see folks convey interest in wanting me to do a wrap up!

Well, to those who wanted it – here we go! For those who didn’t – jog on and all!

Where to start?

Let’s begin with… hmmm… the personal life!

How about we start with the “bigger” trips.

Personal Life:

As with all of us, COVID-19 has put a dampener on attending things, going places and doing activities. We decided this year to not really look into booking anything major, but to find things that we could do and enjoy that would have a solid chance of not being cancelled, while allowing us to be safe.

For Easter, we went out to B.C. to visit with my sister, brother-in-law and my two nephews. They are a pretty self-contained group, so we all agreed to make sure everyone was healthy before we went. It was a blast and it was great seeing Grandma Helena in Castlegar as well.

When July rolled around, we got to do something that had been previously cancelled due to Covid. Back in 2020, we’d booked a trip to Drumheller and Calgary. We wanted to surprise Auryn, as the last time we’d been to Drumheller, Amanda was about 7 months pregnant with Auryn! But, alas, right after I booked everything, Covid hit and we had to cancel.

So, in July, we went out to Discovery Wildlife Park near Innisfail. We’d been before and Auryn was so excited to see the animals again. What he didn’t know was that we were going to drive from there to Drumheller after. He was suspicious as we drove, but soon fell asleep. Then, when we came around a corner and the sign that says ‘Welcome to Drumheller’ appeared with a big dino beside it, he was over the moon! He called it Dino-Town the entire time we were there (and still asks when we’re going back). He also didn’t know that we had another surprise for him – my sister, brother in law and two nephews met us there!

We went to the World’s Largest Dinosaur and then the following day we went to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. It is such a cool place to visit. When we were there, we started to go around it a second time, when things flashed and the power went out! We were plunged into darkness and it made for a memorable moment that Auryn still talks about! This trip also happened to coincide with my 40th birthday, so that was a fun way to celebrate getting SOOOOO MUCH OLDER!

A little over a month later, Auryn’s 5th birthday arrived and to celebrate that, we went down to Calgary to do the second half of our previously cancelled plans. We went to the Calgary Zoo, which was fantastic. We go to our Zoo all the time and Auryn loves animals so much, so it was great to go to a different Zoo and learn about more animals and the roles Zoo’s can play in conservation.

So, that was the bigger trips we took. But we also did a ton of fun, local things!

We have a Zoo membership to the Edmonton Valley Zoo and go frequently throughout the year. I’d estimate this year we went at least a dozen times, if not more. This also included their Halloween event and Zoominescence, when the Zoo is lit up for Christmas!

As well, we have a membership to Jurassic Forest, a really cool place about 45 minutes north of us near Gibbons. It’s a neat place with animatronic dinosaurs and a boardwalk that weaves through it. We get there 5-6 times each year and it was great to see them add a few new cool dino’s before the season ended.

Also, my mother in law and father in law got a new seasonal camping lot, near Wandering River. If you’ve read my novel ‘The Stranger,’ you’ll recognize that name as the one character. But Wandering River is a real place, roughly 2.5 hours north of us. We got up there a few times to camp, which was great. Auryn got to meet a new friend who shared his love of all things Godzilla and we got to get out into nature even more.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Edmonton has a ton of green spaces and walking areas, especially throughout the river valley, but it is also nice to leave the city and visit places such as Clifford E. Lee Nature Conservatory and Chickakoo Lake.

In July, we went to the very cool ‘Expedition Dinosaur’ Exhibit at our Telus World of Science. It was really fun and Auryn has a blast with all things dino!

In August, we did something that we hadn’t done in A LONG LONG time. This was planned as part of Auryn’s Birthday Celebration, and on August 28th we went to a theatre in St. Albert to watch the Paw Patrol Movie. Auryn wasn’t too fond of how loud it was, but once we got over that hump, he had a blast!

And in September – Auryn started Kindergarten! It has taken some time, but he finally does love school and has made a ton of friends! I love getting to hear about how each day was.

The last thing I’ll mention, is this year, on March 21st, our beloved dog, OJ passed away. We adopted OJ when he was two. Back then, my wife and I were confident we’d never have children. We’d been told previously we couldn’t and we were fine with that. OJ came to us at the perfect time. He was such an adorable, loveable chrome-dome from day one and we helped him through all of his quirks and fears (he had a lot!). For those who know already, you’ll be aware of what happened, but for those who don’t – about a year after we got OJ, he suffered a spinal stroke. One night, he grew super restless. We quickly saw that he couldn’t use his back legs. We rushed him to an emergency vet clinic and after an MRI he was diagnosed with FCE – Fibrocartilaginous Embolism. This occurs when a section of the spine ‘dies’ or is impaired. With OJ, it meant he lost function in his back legs and he was bed ridden for a week with a catheter. We started Aqua Therapy with him as soon as the catheter was out and roughly six weeks after starting therapy he was starting to walk on his own again.

Sadly, this injury was a huge strain on ‘Mr. Old Man.’ His body aged rapidly and on the morning of March 21st, my wife and I both knew that he couldn’t go on and that he didn’t want to go on.

Our lives are certainly emptier without him in it. Auryn loved his dog so much, and we still talk about OJ all of the time. The plan is to adopt another bully in the spring, once the winter weather leaves and we can spend plenty of time with our new fur pup outside.

Book Promo:

I’m going to call this next section – Book Promo. This isn’t about my releases at all, but about what I did that was above and beyond regular reading and reviewing.

So, let’s go alllll the way back to February.

On February 17th, my interview with the amazing Adam Nevill went live on Kendall Reviews. The response was out of this world. I couldn’t believe it. It was a wonderful interview, with Adam delivering some top-notch and thorough answers. I can’t thank him enough.

{Interview} Taking Back Control: Steve Stred talks to the brilliant Adam Nevill.

A month later, on March 17th, my interview with Ronald Malfi went live. Ronald is a super nice guy and a phenomenal writer, so it was great to pick his brain about ‘Come With Me.’

{Interview} With a brand new novel ‘Come With Me’ out in July via Titan Books, Author Ronald Malfi talks to Steve Stred.

On May 5th, I was able to tick off a bucket list highlight, and I interviewed Andrew Pyper live on Instagram. I had started the year off with doing Pyper Previews, where every Tuesday, I’d post about one of his books, the different versions of them etc and share about each book. For the previous three years I’d done a ‘Pyper-May-Nia’ celebration of his work in May, so the Pyper Preview’s all led up to this interview. Of course, me being a knob, I didn’t figure out how to save the video… (But more on that later!)

On July 28th, I was able to attend my first ‘Author’s Night’ as an author, not a spectator, when I was one of four authors featured at Daisy Chain Book Store. This was a really great event, where we each did a brief reading of our work, answered questions and got to sign some copies.

August 17th saw the launch of something I was really excited to share and it was something I’d been working on behind the scenes for some time. It began as something I was doing on my own, researching and collecting links/releases etc of all of Andrew Pyper’s work. I finally worked up enough courage to directly ask him if I could officially launch an archive of his work, and he kindly said yes. So, on August 17th, 2021, The Official Andrew Pyper Archives launched. As a super fan, I’m very proud of the research and information available, as well as the links etc that allow you to go back and learn about the writing of the books. You can visit that site here – theandrewpyperarchives.ca

As part of launching the archives (and partly due to my dumbassery with the Instagram live video), Andrew agreed to do another interview, but this time I was going to do it through Youtube and record it. To make sure I didn’t mess up, I wanted to interview somebody before hand, which led me to asking my friend, editor and co-author of The Navajo Nightmare, David Sodergren, if he’d be up to be interviewed as a guinea pig.

On August 31st, I bombarded him with ruthless and brutal questions, which he volleyed back like the veteran he is!

And that led to me sitting down and formally interviewing Andrew Pyper for the second time on September 28th (I’m so sorry, Andrew!). This was an almost two hour chat about his career, books, writing and the archives itself. This was a very candid interview and like the first one, truly an honor.

Writing:

On the writing front, I would say the highlight was seeing my novella ‘The Window In the Ground’ appear on the HWA Bram Stoker Award’s Preliminary Ballot for ‘Long Fiction.’ Blown away that it made it to that level and really something I’ll always cherish. I don’t write for any other reason than the joy of writing, but when something gets recognized, that’s always so very cool.

Workshops:

I’ve never attended any writing workshops before. I did take Creative Writing electives in High School and College, but that was about the extent of my writing ‘education.’

That changed, when I saw that an author whose work I love dearly (Hint Hint Andrew Pyper) was announced as hosting a virtual workshop on the art of crafting an idea into a novel and then pitching that novel. On March 6th, I attended the workshop and not only was it a blast and gave me some insight into how Andrew creates his novels (which for a super fan was amazing!), but it helped me in a number of ways. It had me rethink my approach to writing, as well as helped me work through three novels that I was struggling to connect the dots in a few spots. One of those (Mastodon) has been announced already, which I’ll discuss about more in a bit and the other two I’ll share info about as well.

Podcasts:

I had the pleasure of appearing on four different podcasts this year. I typically try and limit my podcast availability as I work very hard to keep my writing stuff to my breaks and lunch time at work, but I do get a few weekend ones in each year (which has convinced David Sodergren that I live in my vehicle).

Staring Into the Abyss;

https://staringintotheabyss.libsyn.com/the-navajo-nightmare

Ross Jeffery and Kev Harrison;

Dark Between Pages;

Joseph Sale;

My appearances are available for patrons;

https://www.patreon.com/themindflayer

Releases:

Much like most years since I started really focusing on writing, 2021 was a busy year for myself for releases.

Up first – ‘The Future In the Sky.’ This was released on March 1st, and is part one of the Empyrean Saga. This novella tells the story of Lizzie, living on a ship that orbits the Earth. Classes are chosen for either Salvation or Eradication. Eradication is straightforward. Salvation on the other hand… The students have to jump from the ship, plunge towards the surface of the planet and try and catch an orb that is launched towards them, an orb that contains their future within.

Universal Link;

mybook.to/futuresky

My second release of the year was the novel ‘The Navajo Nightmare’ which was co-written with David Sodergren. David and I had written the early drafts of this back in 2020 when Covid hit and we were stuck at home for some time. This was such a fun Horror-Western mashup that focused on vengeance and stopping an evil entity.

Universal Link;

mybook.to/navajonightmare

Following ‘Navajo,’ I finished up the Father of Lies Series. On June 1st, the third chapter in the series released with the novella ‘Sacrament’ finishing the Trilogy. On July 21st, I released the omnibus ‘Father of Lies: The Complete Series’ which had a foreword from the talented Sonora Taylor, all three novella’s, a bonus novelette, an essay from cover artist Mason McDonald and an extended essay from myself discussing the writing of the series!

Sacrament Universal Link;

mybook.to/sacrament

Father of Lies: The Complete Series Universal Link;

mybook.to/fatheroflies

My final, “official” release of 2021 was the novel ‘Incarnate.’ Incarnate was a blast to write and followed a family in the late 70’s as they went to stay at a supposed haunted house, only to discover that it is instead possessed by a demonic entity. People seem to really be digging this one!

Universal Link;

mybook.to/Incarnate2

Now, I said final “official” release because, as most of you may have seen, I’ve announced my next novel, which is arriving January 28th, 2022. It is up for ebook pre-order now and features an amazing cover by the talented Francois Vaillancourt. This one was a book I wrote originally in 2020 during my time at home, but became stuck in a few place. The workshop I attended unstuck it, haha! ‘Mastodon’ follows our main character, as he hikes into the Canadian Rockies to try and find his father.

Universal Link;

mybook.to/mastodon

Anthologies:

2021 was also a busy year for anthology involvement. I was more focused on my own writing, so didn’t submit too many stories, but was very kindly invited to a number of releases, which I made sure to carve out time to submit.

April 7th, saw the release of the anthology ‘He Has Stayed Too Long.’ This was a massive undertaking by Don Gillette, where he had 30 people band together to each write a chapter and make a single story. I had a blast with my chapter, and I think more people should check this one out.

July 25th, I had a story released in The Ruby edition of Kevin J. Kennedy’s ongoing ‘Horror Collection’ series. I’ve been lucky enough to have a number of my stories selected, so it was nice to be in a release of his once again.

October 3rd, saw the release of A.A. Medina’s short story collection ‘God Forbid.’ A.A. amazingly reached out and asked if I’d write a foreword for it. No brainer. Medina is a great author and a fantastic cover designer.

On October 27th, the third edition of the Books of Horror Community Anthology was released. Two editions were actually released due to the volume of stories, and my story featured in the first part, aka the ‘black’ edition.

November was a busy month, with two anthologies out that I was lucky enough to feature in.

The first was another Kevin J. Kennedy anthology, this time it was ‘The Best of Indie Horror: Christmas Edition.’ This released on November 15th.

And, just 15 days later, on November 30th, the stunning anthology ‘A Silent Dystopia’ was released. This anthology features stories set in the world created by Dave Jeffery and his ‘A Quiet Apocalypse’ series.

Alright, so we’ve got to this point.

Let’s finish this off with what I’m working on, or Work In Progress.

WIP;

As many of you know, I’m always on the go with different projects in various forms of completion.

At the time of writing this, I’ll be shutting down the writing for the rest of 2021, other than posting some reviews, but otherwise – here’s what I’m immediately working on.

• Mastodon. I mean this is a given haha! Preorders are already open. This will be available in ebook, paperback and hardcover.
• Books 2 and 3 in the Empyrean Saga. Books 2 and 3 are ‘done.’ I’m working on 4 and 5 and want to make sure continuity lines up so that everything makes sense and there are no odd story issues. I’m still on the fence about whether I’ll release books 2 and 3 together, individually in different months or if I’ll actually just release books 2-5 all at one time so people can blast through this series.
• 456 Blatchford Drive. A novel I’ve been working on for some time, I’ve finally made some plotting progress and will be working on finishing this off in January and February. If all goes to plan, I would expect this to arrive in the summer. We’ll see. At one point I was thinking of doing this as an extremely limited release, as in 10 hardcovers and 20 paperbacks total. Still like the intrigue of that.
• Cathedral of the Skinned. The second book in the Sermons of Sorrow series, this would be the sequel to Piece of Me, but not a direct sequel. It would pick up roughly 500 years after the events of book one, but would be heavily influenced by it. I like dark fantasy/horror mashups and this one had some struggles. But now things are flowing and I’m ready to get this completed.
• Untitled Novel. I have an untitled novel that I’ve finished working on. At the moment, I’m not wanting to reveal the title, or the synopsis, but let’s just say, it’s super dark, bleak and takes place in the woods in the snow. Lol. You’re welcome. I actually hope to have this one out next year as well.
• Wagon Buddy 3 – I teased this a little bit, but I have been casually working on cobbling together the parts to a third Wagon Buddy story. I’m not going to share too much, but if you’ve followed Scott’s journey up to this point – there are still things left unexplored. If anything, this would arrive in 2023.
• Anthology story – this one’s a fun one and set in somebody else’s world. Four of us have come together to have a blast and write these stories and I’m sure hoping this works out and see’s the light of day.

There we go. Phew. That’s a lot eh? In the past, I’d also share what my top albums etc of the year were, but this year I listened to very few albums as I was focused on writing and re-listening to the same album or songs on repeat, that I can’t really suggest even a top ten!

I’ll close here. To anyone who has read this Year in Review this far – thank you. I hope 2022 fills you with happiness, joy and we begin to see some solid light at the end of the Covid tunnel.

Until we meet again,

Steve

Title: Night of the Grizzlies

Author: Jack Olsen

Release date: February 1st, 1969

Jack Olsen was a leading crime fiction and non-fiction writer in his time. His name alone was enough to garner interest in a story some may not care about otherwise, and back in 1969, when he wrote ‘Night of the Grizzlies’ it drew national attention on the incident that had occurred back in the summer of 1967.

I bring that up, to say – thankfully, thankfully – this book didn’t sway people enough to have them head out into the woods to try and kill each and every bear. Bears themselves are already dealing with over-hunting issues, as well as population crowding as humans continue to push into and build on their lands.

While this book hasn’t aged well, especially when you consider how poorly the reports were taken into consideration by the authorities and Rangers, but also with how humans acted around the bears. Sure, it was a different time, but it’s frustrating to read an account regarding people heading into the wilderness so poorly prepared.

What I liked: The book follows the escalation over the summer as bears become humanized and programmed to come to the same place each day, so that they can scavenge on garbage being thrown into the forest from a Chalet. The humans crowd around and watch the spectacle and not surprisingly, one night, two women are brutally attacked while they camp.

I did enjoy the re-telling of the night in question. While things leading up to the events were dumbfounding and completely neglectful that these bears were first groomed to come eat for the tourists, Olsen does a great job of keeping things fairly even and stable, limiting anything that reads like embellishment or over-dramatization.

What I didn’t like: Taking into the book’s year of publication is key with this release. There is a lot of ‘extra’ stuff at the beginning and throughout. Long descriptions of the mountains and weather and each character has a detailed background which only appears to be necessary for a few of them. As an example – it’s pertinent to know someone has outdoor medical training. It’s not if someone grew up somewhere else, went to school and never went hiking. It would’ve been easy enough to say – this character, though, had no previous wilderness experience.

As well, on the factual side – this book wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for so much incompetence and mishandling leading up to the events. And those aspects, are so incredibly frustrating to read and to know they directly caused loss of life.

Why you should buy this: If you like outdoor/wilderness non-fiction reads, this book is solid and definitely goes through the how’s and why’s of these events happening through the pen of a masterful writer. It may not be a read you’ll want to check out if you’re a seasoned outdoors lover, as you’ll become hugely frustrated.

For those looking for a gripping back-woods story, this one will do the trick.

3/5

Title: Cannibal Vengeance

Author: Carl John Lee

Release date: December 11, 2021

Ahhh, everyone’s favorite recluse, ole Uncle Carl has returned and this time he’s decided to share a former screenplay of his that involves a subject I really love – the Amazon.

Over the years, I’ve watched a number of ‘lost in the jungle’ movies and read a number of books, and one thing that’ll never change and that’ll always draw me in – the Amazon (and the jungle) are untamable, unhospitable worlds, where if the Indigenous tribes don’t get you, any number of animals will. And if you manage to stay clear of all of that – the lack of most people’s abilities to find water and food will ultimately get you.

The cult classic ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ surely kicked off this fascination – I may be completely wrong, but personally for me, it did – and it is in that vein that Carl John Lee brings us back to 1978.

What I liked: The story starts off focusing on a Christian Missionary group trying to locate the Sharayomo tribe, to bring them bibles and teach them about their faith. Things go sideways immediately and thus leads us into the crux or meat of the story (pun intended).

The story follows Dick and his much younger wife, Mona, who are preparing to spend Christmas with Dick’s grown daughters, Joanna and Emily. Dick has fled to the darkest corners of the Amazon, living in a fortified mansion, as he continues to lead a life off the books. Joanna is joined by her horrible boyfriend, Teddy, while Emily is joined by her husband, Rod.

Carl John Lee has created a really engaging group of characters here and it speaks to his ability and mastery of prose that he can make these people come alive so quickly and efficiently. Case in point – Rod. Here’s his character description loosely – from California, tanned, dark mustache, dark curly hair, muscular, currently a surgeon, but a former porn star, known for his mighty uh… surgical tool. You immediately picture someone in your mind, and for me this guy sounded like the spitting image of Tom Selleck (although I can’t speak on Magnum PI’s surgical tool!).

The action here is fast and furious and Lee does a great job of even adding a few splashes of humor – light and dark. To use Rod as an example again (and how great is that name!), we get to a point where he is trying to swing like a pendulum out of a window to knock loose a beam. While doing this he chuckles, because his porn nickname was ‘The Pendulum’ due to the way a part of his anatomy moved while he walked.

The ending of this is fantastic and speaks to the nature of these stories – where you hope and root for someone to survive, no matter the horror and damage they see and incur. In fact, there’s a line at the end of a chapter, close to the end of the book that says – ‘The last to live.’ Damn, that would’ve made for a fantastic title to this novel.

What I didn’t like: There are trigger warnings a plenty in this one, but the one that I think gets focused on most (I mean other than the horrific gore and violence) is the relationship abuse. This occurs between Teddy and Joanna and while it works well to really build up Joanna’s character arc, it takes some time before things get ‘sorted.’ I personally wished it would’ve happened sooner!

Why you should buy this: Look, I’m going to shoot straight here. I love Carl John Lee’s books and he’s a fantastic writer (and artist – he actually did the cover for my novel Incarnate) but I think he’s criminally overlooked. If this was a release by a bigger, more known name, I suspect this would be a best seller and one we’d see all over Instagram. I wish I had more clout or power to beg people to go buy this, but I’m a realist.

This book has everything fans of dark fiction want – tension, dread, great characters, survive-at-all-costs plot and some of the most brutal decapitations and death’s you’ll ever read.

This was outstanding and I hope one that really does launch Carl John Lee into becoming a ‘must-read’ author by so many more people.

5/5

Title: The Best of Intentions

Author: Joshua MacMillan

Release date: July 21st, 2021

Thanks to Joshua for reaching out and sending me a copy of his debut to read.

As someone who loves, loves, loves reading, I go into each book super excited and absolutely expecting to love each and every story I come across. But, as we all know, that is impossible and never the case.

With ‘The Best of Intentions,’ I went in with a hesitancy, due to the prevalence PTSD looked to be playing in the story line. I find that if not handled well, PTSD can be used the same way as somebody with an amputation or cognitive issue – a crutch that is convenient to make a character lesser than and an easy target. I was also a bit hesitant due to the PTSD narrative being related to the man’s military history. I’m personally not a huge fan of military fiction, so I wasn’t sure how this would all play out.

One thing I have found though, over the course of posting reviews for six years or so now, being Canadian and having not lived and had an American upbringing has definitely created an internal measuring stick when things like guns, guns in the home and guns around kids comes into play. I say all of that with the asterisk that I grew up hunting and for a period of time had both my prohibited and non-prohibited firearm licenses. I currently own two firearms, neither of which are here at my house, and neither of which are functional, fire-ble rifles.

What I liked: The story follows our main character, Corey, his wife Sam and their son Jonathan. Corey is a manager at a security company and lately his nightmares have returned. He says he has PTSD under control, even as he sleeps less, dreams more and starts to drink more frequently.

When, randomly, one day, he finds a note that says ‘TEN DAYS’ and a following note, two days later that reads ‘EIGHT DAYS,’ he grows unhinged and the story unravels even more.

MacMillan does a fantastic job of making you see how tight of a family unit they are and how much Sam cares for and worries about her husband. Corey works hard and when home, tries his best to instill morals and values into his son, getting him to help with chores and be a good kid.

The crux of the story is whether you don’t see the obvious clues and tells as to what is going to happen. I saw it about 25% in, but if you decide to play along and see how far down the crazed well Corey is going to travel, you’ll enjoy a fast-paced read.

What I didn’t like: As I mentioned, the crux of this story revolves around Corey’s descent into his PTSD, drinking and ultimately paranoia over these ‘mysterious’ clues. We see him drink more, clean his guns, leave his guns around the house and not have any issues about it whenever confronted. As well, for a guy who was supposed to be considered super responsible and the manager of where he works, his phone is constantly dead, which would be a major priority for someone to keep charged if they had that level of job responsibility.

Ultimately, none of that worked for me and, unfortunately, I knew how the story was going to end very early into it, which totally eliminated any emotional impact it should’ve had when it finally happened.

Why you should buy this: I think MacMillan does a good job of creating tension and wanting you to root for our characters. I think if you read the synopsis and it does grab you, you’ll have a fun time, if not an obvious time and that’ll be an individual reader response each and every time.

For this reader, it sadly didn’t pull me along like I think the author intended and created a situation where I just couldn’t get the necessary attachment.

2/5

Title: The Saturday Night Ghost Club

Author: Craig Davidson

Release date: August 14th, 2018

One thing I’ve found, through being a voracious reader, reviewing everything I read and getting older, is that a lot of my reviews have been more introspective, more memoir-ish, in that when things connect and it brings me back to a time and place I’ve long forgotten or not visited for many years, I’ll often discuss that in the review, which to some maybe annoying as heck, and others just may enjoy.

Craig Davidson is a few years older than myself, but one thing we share in common, is the growing up in a small town in Canada and having most of our formative years being in the late 80s and early 90s.

This book had me enraptured, squeezed tight with nostalgia and the overwhelming knowledge that something bad had happened and how would its tentacles reach those around this event?

I grew up in Burton, BC, Canada, population maybe 100? I grew up in the time of party lines, three TV channels, NHL games only on Saturday Nights and thinking nothing was bigger than winning the Stanley Cup. When I arrived, my parents lived in a trailer near the beach, across from the Hankins. It wasn’t long until the kind lady across the gravel road became Grandma Hankins, which she remained until she passed away a few years back. Grandma Hankins was my original gateway into the unknown. She always had Weekly World News tabloids laying around and when I’d ask her questions, she’d give me as straight of an answer as she felt necessary. She never teased me about Bat Boy or the Loch Ness Monster or Elvis meeting Bigfoot, instead she answered as though all of that was fact. She was my introduction to Spontaneous Human Combustion, an affliction that still haunts me to this day.

My Grandma Hankins was my own Uncle C, a character that was paramount in this novel.

Now, before I dive deeper into this review, I have to also mention, this story is centered around two friends, Jake and Billy, who along with Jake’s Uncle (and occasionally Billy’s sister Dove and Uncle C’s friend Lex) form a Ghost Searching Club. Nothing official, just a few trips out around the town to seek out things, and discover what people don’t want you to know. God, did this bring me back. I tried desperately a few times to create a similar thing with my few childhood friends. Back at that age, Chad didn’t care about ghosts, he wanted to rip around on his dirt bike or smash bottles. Lorne didn’t care about ghosts, he wanted to play sports or play in the sandpit with our Tonka’s. My younger friend, Tyson didn’t care about ghosts, unless it was a ghost movie that had boobs in it. And my friend Simon wanted to play video games, discuss which girls were getting boobs and try and steal his older brother’s porn.

My own attempts at a Saturday Night Ghost Club continually failed, so like most of my childhood, where I was on my own a lot and created worlds and characters in my own head, I went about it on my own.

What I liked: As I mentioned, the story follows Jake, a neurosurgeon, looking back at a special time in his childhood when he made a true friend, spent time with his Uncle C, and fell in love for the first time.

Now, it may sound crazy to some to say this, but this was the first time I’ve read a proper Craig Davidson book. I first discovered him as Nick Cutter, reading both ‘The Troop’ and ‘The Deep.’ I then read two of his releases (‘The Preserve’ and ‘The Coliseum’) under his Patrick Lestewka pseudonym. Not that the Davidson releases haven’t interested me, it just happened to occur in that order. This book is pristine. The writing is crisp, the pages drip with nostalgia and emotion and there are a few moments in here of genuine fright. While, for some, this may be a book that falls flat as it doesn’t have any of the gore that Cutter/Lestewka reads are known for, this book is simply haunting and made me nervous over what was happening.

I loved the lessons/anecdotal openings to each chapter, where grown up Jake would share something from his current job that related back to that time in his life. It really helped to tie our adult existence into our childhood experiences. Also, the usage of the character, Lex, Uncle C’s best friend, was spot on. A way to gauge each instance and ultimately a barometer that showed the rapid spiral that was happening.

Watching Jake and Billy become friends was such a joy. Early on we learn that Jake often makes friends with new kids, only to have them move on to other kids and ignore or torment him later on. To see Billy be a true friend was so heartwarming. As well, Dove was a great character. That wild child influence who pushed Jake out of his comfort zone, while also acting as that free spirit who was up for anything. She really added to the nostalgia feelings that carried throughout.

Davidson wraps it all up by including an ever present bully, parents who care deeply about their son and want to see him become the most he can be, and the town itself acting as a fluid character, one offering places to explore but darkness around every corner.

What I didn’t like: Frankly, I loved this book and a big part of that is the direct relatability to so many elements in here. I think some may not get that same attachment or association if they’ve not experienced a lot of what’s happened in this book and that may really sway a readers experience with this release.

Why you should buy this: Over the last five years, my life has changed immensely and I’ve begun to discover that books seem to end up at the top of my TBR just when I need it. Oddly, I just recently watched a live interview between Craig and Andrew Pyper and the fact that I discovered both of those writers at the same time, when I bought ‘The Demonologist’ and ‘The Troop’ together all those years ago in Abbotsford, really brought this one around and landed hard in my soul.

I’m now a forty year old father, a husband, no longer an athlete, no longer a university student, no longer in high school, and no longer that lonely kid playing in the forest behind our home, pretending to be searching for ghosts and sasquatch and Chupacabra, scared that I was about to spontaneously combust. You can’t go back in time, but you can try and revisit it in some sense, some fashion that makes you smile, and makes you happy that you had that time, that freedom.

As for this book, it unlocked a lot of those emotions, made me reach over and hug my son, knowing that soon I’ll be having to guide him through those years, when kids can be mean, shadows can be monsters and the future never looked so far away.

My only sorrow with this book, and in turn this review, is that Craig’s not on social media, that I can’t tag him in this review or DM him to say thank you for returning me to those days long since lived. I may reach out and find a way to email him, but until then – just know, this book is precious, this book is beautiful, and if you lived a similar childhood – of seeking out strange things, enjoying the wind in your hair and the clack-clack-clack of baseball cards on your spokes as you rode your bike faster than a race car – this book is one you have to read.

Coming of age brilliance.

5/5

Releasing January 28th, 2022, cover art by Francois Vaillancourt!

SYNOPSIS:

17 years ago, Tyler Barton was born in the Rocky Mountains, while his parents were on a hike.

On that day, his mother disappeared, never to be seen again.

Now, history repeats itself.

On the 17^th anniversary of her disappearance, Tyler’s father is flying home when the plane he’s on disappears – in the same area where his mother was last seen.

Undeterred by officials, Tyler decides to hike into the area in search of his father, hoping to find him alive and bring him back to safety.

But there’s a reason that area is prohibited to enter and even though Tyler doesn’t care, he’ll soon find out that the wilderness can hide some of the deepest, darkest fears known to man.

From the author of ‘Incarnate,’ ‘The Window In the Ground’ and ‘Ritual’ comes a new novel that’ll make you rethink your Summer hiking trip.

Advance Praise;

“An old-school creature thriller told with crisp pacing and kick-ass set pieces, Steve Stred’s Mastodon is a monster-in-the-woods tale with some choice surprises and plenty of rampaging fun.”
– Andrew Pyper, author of The Residence, The Damned and The Demonologist

“Steve Stred’s Mastodon reads like a cross between Gary Paulson’s Hatchet and Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy: a big-hearted adventure yarn with a dark and compelling mystery at its core.”
– Shaun Hamill, author of A Cosmology of Monsters

“Mysterious. Gripping. High-octane. Mastodon is not the typical creature feature.”
– Eddie Generous, author of Rawr and Behemoth Risen

“Mastodon is a jaw-dropping trek into a heart of darkness. Full of emotion, yet rife with grotesque imagery that only Stred can deliver.”
– David Sodergren, author of The Forgotten Island and Maggie’s Grave

“Mastodon is another tour de force from Canada’s master of dread. The journey into a forbidden wilderness cordoned off by the military is reminiscent of Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation, but as bleak, daring, and darkly comic as Harlan Ellison. The pace of the story never relents, its emotional highs are spectacular, and its lows will rip your guts out: a voyage and return epic with the balls-to-the-wall horror shows of S. C. Mendes’s The City thrown in. Stred should be held in the same regard as Straub and King.”
– Joseph Sale, author of Save Game and Gods of the Black Gate

“Mastodon is a compelling read that will leave you blistered and broken as you join a young man’s rescue mission into the Canadian wilderness inhabited by unspeakable horrors. Steve Stred masterfully delivers a story exploring the physical and emotional limits we push through in order to save the people we hold most dear.”
– J. A. Sullivan, horror writer and contributor to Kendall Reviews.

About writing the novel:

In April of 2020, I, like many people in the world, was temporarily laid off from my work place as the beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic restrictions came into place. At the time, here in Edmonton, where I worked was deemed non-essential and for eight weeks I was sent home, before slowly returning to modified hours and eventually full time. I work in the medical field, so I was happy to return to work and be able to see my patients again and help them remain active and pain free.
While I was stressed over not working, at the same time it offered me a rare opportunity to spend more time with my wife, son and our dog. I mentioned almost immediately to my wife that I’d need to figure out a way to keep working on my current WIP’s and she suggested that each day, I still take that hour I normally write at work and do that at home. I was also able to find other open spaces where I wrote and it was during those eight weeks I cranked out the first draft of this book. Draft one sat at a little over 42K words.
As I usually do, I let the novel sit for a month before I opened the file again and worked on draft two. Sadly, this coincided with my father-in-law unexpectedly passing away in June. An incredibly emotional time, which we’re still trying to navigate, I knew I could utilize some of those emotions I was working with and my wife was sharing, to add into Tyler’s journey here.
The cover art on this release is done by the fantastic François Vaillancourt. I’ve long been a fan of his creations and it was one day where I spotted this come across one of his posts that I knew this had been specifically made for this book. It was fate (or Ka, for you constant readers). François was so easy to work with and I can’t thank him enough or recommend him enough.

I know I’ll be taking some flack from folks because of the cover blurb. That’s ok. Andrew played a very prominent role in this novel getting to completion. I’m still blown away that my favorite author knows my name and that he calls me a friend. I attended an online workshop of his which helped to iron out some issues I was having with this book, but also two other novels. His input was amazing. I was hesitant on reaching out to see if he’d offer a blurb if he enjoyed this, but when I mentioned it to my wife, she said I absolutely needed to ask. That I was raving about this book and that I’d kick myself if I didn’t. To think that he read this and enjoyed it AND offered a blurb! Blown away.

I also want to thank Shaun Hamill, Eddie Generous, Joseph Sale, Jennifer Sullivan (TOC BUDDIES!) and David Sodergren for giving this one an early read and offering some kind words. If you’ve not read their works, do fix that!

So, I hope this one brings you some thrills!

Goodreads link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59764101-mastodon

You can preorder it here;

mybook.to/mastodon

or at Amazon US Link;

Title: Come Tumbling Down (Wayward Children #5)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Release date: January 7th, 2020

The 5th book in McGuire’s PHENOMENAL Wayward Children jumps straight into the action and at this point, if you’re reading this review, I’m going to assume you’ve read up until this book. If not – please note, some spoilers are within, but unfortunately that’s necessary when you’re this far into a series.

What I liked: After book four (and 4.5) took a diversion over to discovering Lundy’s back story, book five focuses squarely on Jack and Jill and what happened at the Moors. A door blasts open in the basement of The School for Wayward Children and we find Alexis and Jill, but that body now playing host to Jack. Things have unraveled, Bleak is feared dead and Jack wants to return and seek vengeance on what her sister has done.

The story is told through the narrative of an adventure, we get the group banding together, returning to the Moors and ultimately confronting Jill. McGuire does an amazing job of treating this entry as both a piece of the bigger story, but also an individual dark fairy tale. We get to meet Gideon and Cora discovers the Drowned Gods and ultimately we get a fantastic climax where Jack confronts Jill and the Master is put in his place. Seanan has really crafted some really amazing characters and we even get an emotional moment with Kade and a bridge.

It was great to once again visit the Moors and even though it’s alluded that we’ll never visit there again, I wouldn’t be surprised if we do return at some point in the future.

What I didn’t like: Each character plays a specific role and it was great to see Christopher have his moment connecting with one of the horses that Jack had created. But in this entry, Sumi was incredibly annoying and I didn’t think the character added anything except being a distraction.

Why you should buy this: If you’ve read the first four, you’ll definitely be checking this one out. With a sixth already out and a seventh entry arriving in a month, you have more than enough time to catch up.

If you’ve not read any of these and have stumbled upon this review – go back to the start, be sure, open the first door and welcome to these amazing worlds you’re about to discover.

5/5

Title: Tapping the West: How Alberta’s Craft Beer Industry Bubbled Out of an Economy Gone Flat

Author: Scott Messenger

Release date: May 5th, 2020

I know, I know, this isn’t a horror book or a sci-fi book or something deep and dark with gore and evisceration, but I read throughout a lot of genres and this book came to me in a special kind of way.

You see, way back in August of this year (2021), I was invited to my very first author event. I know! Exciting. It was at the best bookstore here in Edmonton, Daisy Chain Bookstore on 124th Street, and I was over the moon to be asked to participate. There were four of us there, introducing ourselves and reading from our work, and one of those authors just happened to Scott Messenger. I can’t say why, maybe it was us being the two males on the panel, or the telepathic connection that we both shared the same sense of humor, but we clicked and we chatted for most of the night and have stayed connected through Instagram.

This book, typically, would never in a million years interest me based on topic. You see, I don’t drink alcohol. Where I grew up, alcohol took the lives of a number of residents, grabbed others by the throat and had them spiral into addiction and helplessness or simply seemed to act as a force to keep many of my classmates in the small town. Now, don’t get me wrong – I have nothing wrong with drinking for social aspects and enjoyment of taste (I do take great issue with alcohol abuse and drunk driving) but I’m someone who can have a great time without getting drunk.

But, it was Scott’s description and reading of this book that really had it grab a hold of me. It was an interesting idea. He started a blog, One Year of Alberta Beer, and it took off. And from that the history of Craft Beer in the province unfolded and soon Scott had a book on his hands.

What I liked: Funny enough, this book ended up having two things I typically don’t find myself drawn to in books I read or want to read – a lot of information on beer and humor! But, I have to tell you, Scott’s writing is a joy and it worked really well.

The book follows him as he not only visits almost four dozen breweries of Craft Beer around the province, but dives into the history of the brewing. How it came to rise as an alternative to the major brewers and how they used different ingredients to turn their liquid into a chef’s menu, allowing those who enjoy this type of alcohol to have so many varieties to sample.

Throughout, Scott really does a great job of showcasing the struggle that it took to get the industry up and going, and how it took time for them to gain any respect. To push past a “local” tag and grow into a renowned industry. I really enjoyed seeing the major players and how they pushed against the big brewers while also tentatively respecting the other micro breweries that were also entering the scene.

What I didn’t like: In this case, instead of discussing a plot point or character I didn’t care for, as someone who doesn’t drink, I was lost when Scott was discussing flavors and ways of producing the product. I got it and know the basics, but those parts were not for me! Ha!

Why you should buy this: This is a really great look at a significant historical rise in not only the Albertan Craft Beer Industry, but Craft Beer in general. As well, the thoroughness Scott has included, while making it not only readable, but enjoyable and having perfect laugh points, showcases his talent as a writer. This one would make for a perfect read for someone who enjoys underdogs vs major player books, historical fans, beer fans, or even fans of Canadian non-fiction. I will say, it was a very insightful look at how entrepreneurs persevered when everybody around them thought they’d fail.

Outstanding book.

5/5

Title: Coprophilia

Author: Tim Friesenhahn

Release date: November 13, 2021

**Trigger Warnings a Plenty Here!**

Coprophilia – noun – abnormal interest and pleasure in feces and defecation.

**Normally, I’d share the cover as both the featured photo as well as the main cover up top there, but due to the extreme content, I’ve held off and will have it lower.**

Big thanks to Tim for sending a digital copy over to me. From what I understand, Amazon has banned the book, so you can get digital copies on Godless (link at the end as always with my reviews here) and I’m not too sure about physical copies.

Whenever I get a book to review, I approach it with as much fairness as I can. I want to love every single book, but the reality is you can’t. Just last night I DNF’d a book that will undoubtedly be on many people’s year end ‘Best Of’ Lists. That’s ok.

With EXTREME horror (and yes I put this in all-caps. Every horror book has extremity in it, hence the idea of the subgenre’s within) I typically approach it by looking for the ‘why’ and the symbolism.

Case in point – I’ve read Matthew Stokoe’s ‘Cows,’ and was blown away by the symbolism, the despair and the metaphoric look at how the main character was searching for acceptance, hope, love and ultimately control.

All too often in EXTREME horror, the books are written purely to disgust and repulse and fair enough. If that’s the author’s prerogative, more power to them. What it can often do, for me at least, is have the book fall flat. I can’t root for anyone, can’t hope for someone’s survival and can’t understand the ‘why’ when certain things are done or happen. No connection for this reader means no enjoyment, typically.

So it was, that I approached ‘Coprophilia’ by Tim Friesenhahn in the same manor. I personally, have zero trigger issues. I can read whatever and have no reaction, but I understand why other’s do.

The story is repulsive and disgusting, but, much like ‘Cows,’ that aspect is used to cover the reality that this is a story about two people who’ve been abused horrifically. If I had to relate this to any movies, I’d say it had elements of ‘Hostel’ and ‘The Human Centipede’ as well as dipping its toes into the same waters as ‘A Serbian Tale.’

What I liked: The story follows Paige, a man who was abused as a child by one of his father’s girlfriends and has a number of issues that he hasn’t sought professional help over. After falling for a woman and getting quickly married, those issues rear up and he flees, only to be seduced, drugged and captured by Deleyza. You see, Deleyza, this young, gorgeous woman, is out being her own ‘Dexter.’ Seeking out pedophiles and rapists, seducing them and then torturing them, until she decides to kill them. She too has been abused, and it’s through this shared connection that Paige finds himself falling for her, even as he witnesses and is involved in some horrible, horrible acts.

I really enjoyed watching how Paige internally struggled with his outward revulsion to what was happening and just how depraved Deleyza was, with his inward understanding that she was broken, just like him and that maybe together they could make things work.

As the story unfolds, Friesenhahn gives us many twists and turns, and they ultimately push Paige to the absolute limit of what he believes, but also what he can accept. The ending showcases that inner turmoil and with an epilogue added on, I’d say half of that epilogue added to their relationship and showed how they’d connected.

What I didn’t like: There were a number of issues I had and I’ll try my best to remain spoiler free but also constructive. First up – there is a very jarring POV shift shortly after the book starts. The book begins following Deleyza and showcasing her ‘why’ of her depravity. Suddenly, the book switches to 1st person POV from Paige’s perspective (where it remains for the rest of the book until the epilogue), which really threw me off. I’d believed at first it was going to be following Deleyza, so the switch to Paige didn’t feel natural.

Secondly, the coprophilia aspect also just sort of arrives. We never do get much of a back story as to why  Deleyza has this urge. We learn about the first time it happened and the underlying threat she felt by who was doing this act, but there wasn’t a connection between that act and why she fell so hard for this addiction. Unlike in ‘Cows,’ which really showcased the reason, this act didn’t have the depth of symbolism I was hoping it could have. The character being broken down and made to debase themselves with an act lesser than low, of being made to love something that we’re told from a very young age is wrong and disgusting. I think if that could’ve been sorted a bit or expanded upon, we really could’ve seen it used as a device to elevate these two characters from scum to lovers.

Lastly, I felt half of the epilogue was good to close the story off but the other half felt a bit forced. There’s this other element introduced, that hadn’t been discussed once before, it was just there near the house and it almost felt like it was added purely as a potential sequel/follow up piece, which really dampened a lot of the growth we’d seen in these characters.

Why you should buy this: If you’re an EXTREME horror fan and you frequent the Godless sight, you’ll most likely have come across this. If you’re looking for the grossest of the gross, the depravity and sickness of a story that is unhinged and an escape, you’ll most likely really enjoy this.

If you’re a horror fan who likes to dabble in the EXTREME extreme side, I think this one’ll be a miss for you.

It’s a fast read, filled with tension and a number of questions that will make you wanting to find out more. Tim’s done a great job of giving these characters depth when some of the story works to limit how much connection we have with them.

3/5

**** Here is the Godless buy link;

Coprophilia by Timothy Friesenhahn

**** Here is the full cover art uncensored ****

Title: 30 Minutes or Less Part 3

Author: Matthew Vaughn

Release date: November 29th, 2021

Over the last few years, one author I’ve really connected with is Matthew Vaughn. He’s a bit of a social media nomad, sometimes posting, sometimes not, but whenever I see him popping up, we’re always interacting and frequently DMing. It’s grown from a connection to a friendship and I’m always excited to see what he has in store.

As a reader, I’m not one who typically sets my reading direction on EXTREME horror. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a ton of folks who love the gore and violence and the detachment from reality that can come with it, but I’ve never been an overly huge fan of it. Saying that, Vaughn may well be one of my personal favorite extreme horror authors because each of his works always has character depth and emotional aspects. It’s not just gore for gore’s sake or violence without recourse.

One thing I’ve always been vocal about for my own reviews, is that I always will be honest and truthful as to how a book read for me. So, with that in mind – I want to be upfront by stating – this one does not work as a stand alone. You need to read books one and two prior to get the emotional aspects and the depth of Bella’s survival. Because of this, I’m reviewing this book as to how it fits into the series, and rating on Goodreads accordingly.

What I liked: The book picks up directly after the events in book two and we see Bella taken to a new location by the 30 Minutes or Less Killer. Vaughn does a great job of having the police arrive and finding what’s occurred back at Bella’s place, but once Bella is tossed to the basement at the new location and finds another family has been kidnapped and bound, she knows she’s running out of time.

Vaughn goes for broke on this one, with buckets and buckets of blood, tons of slashing, stabbing and carnage. If it wasn’t for the build up of books 1 and 2, this wouldn’t really be all that interesting, but there’s little hints and subtle clues that tie the three together and ultimately give us some foreshadowing about how this one’s going to end.

The finale is fantastic and Vaughn makes sure we get to see everything wrapped up and how those who do survive will never be the same.

What I didn’t like: I alluded to it earlier, but if this was a singular novella released, it wouldn’t have any depth, any character development or any connection between reader and character. Part of it is the reality of it being part 3, but in some aspects it felt a bit rushed through.

Why you should buy this: If you’ve read the first two, you’ll want to see how it finishes. I think, ideally, you’d read books 1-2-3 back to back to back and get the entire story in one sitting and seeing just how much emotion Vaughn can truly stack into an extreme horror book. An ideal ending to a fun, heart-pounding trilogy.

4/5

30 Minutes or Less Part 3 by Matthew Vaughn