(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

 

Hey, hey!

So, it’s been making the rounds on Instagram and Twitter recently, where people have been posting their favourite books or their fav book stack.

I decided to have a go at this, and trust me – it was hard. I spent the last few weeks really curating my list and making some rules for my choices.

So, if you’re curious – first, here’s my rules.

1. Only one book by each author. Of course, a behemoth like King has delivered A LOT of books I adore, and really Andrew Pyper would make up my top ten all on his own, so to really push the pedal – only one book from each.
2. The book had to have a sentimental or specific reason as to why I was choosing it. Which helped whittle some of the books down.

That’s it. Lame yeah? 🙂

Ok, without further wait – my list. And this is in no particular order!

The Guardians – Andrew Pyper

 

Released in 2011, I just got around to reading it last month and it was a spectacularly moving piece. A coming-of-age, Canadian haunted house story, this left me stunned. I’ll be sharing more and more about this book in my upcoming PYPER-MAY-NIA celebration, but for now, just know that this has left an imprint on me for now and forever.

 

Those Who Came Before – J.H. Moncrieff

Released in 2019 through Flametree Press, ‘Those Who Came Before’ was an emotionally driven piece that focused on racism, bigotry and a mystery within a park. It was a phenomenal piece of writing from one of the best out there. Reading this left me emotionally drained and at times I had to really fight back the tears about the treatment of some of the people. J.H. held nothing back and I think the most insane aspect to this whole thing is that the book features a review quote from me on it!

 

Creature – Hunter Shea

Another release through Flametree, this one arrived in September of 2018 and introduced me to a side of Hunter Shea’s writing I’d not seen before. I’d read a number of his cryptozoology style books before, but this was heart-felt, character driven and even through ‘something’ was out there, it was a slow-burn horror. My Grandma Marshall had multiple sclerosis, so reading how this woman was affected and her struggle, while with a different affliction, really spoke to me. This was an amazing book.

 

Odd Man Out – James Newman

You want to read a psychological horror story filled with so many moments of dread and regret? ‘Odd Man Out’ was unflinching in its delivery and I made the horrible mistake of reading this on a flight back to Edmonton. I was at our remote Peace River clinic and had a 90 minute flight home. Figured, hey, I can knock this out in the airport and on the flight back. What a mistake. As we landed, I was just finishing it and started to read the afterword and wow, just wow. What a book. This came out in 2016, but still keeps finding new readers to ruin.

 

WOOM – Duncan Ralston

This may be an odd choice, but this one really delivers some devastating back story and psychological terrors. Ralston created a man that the readers can connect with, while at the same time feel repulsed by. Interestingly, as the story progresses and things unfold, it makes perfect sense but just leaves you crushed. This one also came out in 2016, but should be on every horror readers TBR.

 

Lisey’s Story – Stephen King

This one is a love it or hate it King read, but for me, this is the perfect Stephen King release. I remember hearing and reading about King being struck by a van while out for a walk and it shook me, it really did. When he survived, people were obviously elated, but at that time, I wasn’t fully following all of his latest releases. When I found out ‘Lisey’s Story’ was his imaginations take on if he’d died, I was stunned. I read this in two different airports and flights and I really should know better than to read while flying.

 

The Spirit – Thomas Page

I love a great Bigfoot book (see Creature above) and ‘The Spirit’ doesn’t fail to deliver in that regard. What I really loved about this book was the character that we get to see develop, both in the man tracking the creature, but also the creature itself. This one has been re-released by Valancourt in the Paperbacks From Hell series curated by Grady Hendrix, which is fantastic as it allows more people to access such a great book.

 

Remains – Andrew Cull

Perhaps the single, greatest look at grief and loss I’ve ever read, I’m still beyond humbled that I was able to Beta read this while Andrew was working on it. The book came out in late 2019 and I was so sad to see it not make it very far in the Stoker conversation. This book will make you want to rip out the pages and use them as tissue. Just brutal, bleak and corrosive to the soul.

 

The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss

The book that saved me as a reader.

Released in 2008, ‘The Name of the Wind’ quickly pushed Rothfuss into the ‘best author on the planet’ category and while he delivered big time with book two and two point five in the Kingkiller Chronicles, we all patiently wait for book three.

But for me, I was at a point in my reading life where nothing caught my attention and I wasn’t reading for months on end. Then one day, at the gym I was training at in 2013, my friend John Wesley suggested this book and Kvothe didn’t fail. Loved it and here I am, a reading machine.

 

The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein

Perhaps one of the most emotionally devastating books I’ve ever read, my former boss, Graham suggested I give this a go. The timing was, of course, horrible. Our dog, OJ, had recently suffered a traumatic spinal injury which left him paralyzed for several months and even to this day, he has hind end issues. A story told through the eyes of a dog can only end one way, and boy when I got there, wow. Allergy city for hours.

Released in 2008, this has recently been turned into a major motion picture, but one I personally don’t believe I’ll watch, instead letting how this book affected me to stay that way.

 

Last Days – Adam Nevill

I’m admittedly late to the Nevill game. I’ve watched ‘The Ritual’ which I loved, but haven’t read it yet, and have read his two short story compilations that have three stories each and they were stunning. But ‘Last Days.’ This book was amazing. Nevill created creatures that may very well be the most evil things to ever dance across the paper and it’ll be a long time before I get the images out of my head that he described.

 

Tamer Animals – Justin M. Woodward

Released on day one of 2019, Woodward’s ‘Tamer Animals’ was a new voice in the coming-of-age, urban legend world and one that he completely crushed. The story is captivating and by the time we get to the ending, we’re left exhausted, repulsed and clamoring for more. Luckily, ‘Rotten Little Things’ delivered with a new story in the same world and I’m excited to see what else is in the works from this universe.

 

The Forgotten Island – David Sodergren

What Sodergren created here on this island was a stunning achievement and when you realize this was his first release – you’ll shake your head about how talented he is. Released in 2018, Sodergren gave us characters to root for, hate and most importantly – a reason to avoid islands in the middle of nowhere. Strikingly, the creatures he conjured were amazing and will make you second guess any strange movements in the shadows.

 

The Neverending Story – Michael Ende

Originally published in 1979, Ende’s classic book has an interesting history. Ende’s father was Edgar Ende, a German surrealist painter whose work is said to have inspired Michael Ende and his imagination and when you look at some of his father’s works and then think of some of the scenes – it really does make sense.

Michael Ende, himself, hated the movie that was released based on his book. The main crux was that the movie was only based on the first half of the book. For fans of the movie though, the book can be an odd beast, as the second half is very different in tone and story to the first half.

I personally, love the entire book and it has moments of extreme light and extreme darkness.

If you’ve followed along with any of my posts etc, you’ll know that this book blessed us with the name of our son, Auryn, named after the amulet.

I highly recommend you give it a read and for me, the movie still holds up to this day.

 

The Ocean At the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman

Gaiman has such a sublime writing style and when he comes up with an idea, it’s as though he is writing it directly in your head. ‘The Ocean…’ was such a fantastic tale, a story that grabbed me and pulled me along and just filled that spot you need filled from time to time.

 

A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness

One of the most devastating books I’ve ever read, this story kicks you down both in it’s arrival into the world, but also in the story within the pages. I loved the book, loved the movie and it’s hard to say anything that hasn’t been already said about this piece.

 

The Road – Cormac McCarthy

Maybe the bleakest book ever written, McCarthy crafted a gem here that sucks you in and leaves you bleeding to death. This book was awful in the best way possible. I’ve not read it in a number of years and see my paperback copy staring at me all the time. It may be time to dive back in and see how traumatized I’ll be once again.

 

 

There we go! Those are my top reads, and while I may have forgotten one or two, these are the ones that have truly wormed their way into my brain.

Have you taken the time to have a think as to what your favorite books of all-time are?

If not, have at it and please let me know what your’s are!

Title: Wounds: Six Stories From the Border of Hell

Author: Nathan Ballingrud

Release date: April 9th, 2019

 

Well then.

After having just sprinted through Mr. Ballingrud’s debut collection ‘North American Lake Monsters,’ I knew I needed to jump into this one ASAP and now that I’ve finished it, it’s going to take some time to recover. Much like the first time I read Volume One of ‘Books of Blood’ by Clive Barker (I still need to read Volume Two!), I was left speechless and at awe at what just exploded forth from the pages.

What I liked: All of it! All of it! Alright, but seriously. This thing opened up with ‘The Atlas of Hell’ which threw us into the swaps in New Orleans and finished with ‘The Butcher’s Table’ which is one I’m going to have to return to and re-read. In between we get a stunning story in ‘The Diabolist’ which was far more emotional than I’d expected. ‘Maw’ piggy-backed off of that story, but then we fall into the apex of the book with ‘The Visible Filth.’ All of these stories were dark, grimy and make you feel like you need a shower.

What I didn’t like: Not much, really. If I had to nit pick, I’d maybe say ‘Maw’ didn’t connect with me all that much, but the story itself was fun. I think just being sandwiched into between ‘The Diabolist’ and ‘The Visible Filth’ worked against it.

Why you should buy it: ‘Wounds’ really is a stunning collection, filled with cinematic story telling and lush descriptions of some of the vilest acts out there. I couldn’t help but smile at just how brutal Ballingrud was going in some places and while I still haven’t watched the movie based off of ‘The Visible Filth’ I’ll be trying to find some time to fit it in here. Ballingrud really does deserve to be highlighted as an author to move up your TBR immediately and now I’ll wait excitedly for whatever his next project will be!

5/5

Title: Go Fish

Author: Ian Rogers

Release Date: April 15, 2020

 

Ian Rogers has been a Canadian author that is frequently recommended to me and while I still have his release ‘Every House is Haunted’ to read, when Tor announced this novella release as a Tor.com Original, I was excited to snag it and read it asap. At a brisk 50 pages this was an easy one sitting read and I think I finished it in around a half hour, which for anyone looking for a slump buster or a distraction from a slow spot on a long read, this fits the bill perfectly.

What I liked: The story is straight forward enough – a trio of paranormal investigators arrive at a seemingly abandoned warehouse in Toronto to determine what was behind a horrendous murder. It’s from that simple premise that Rogers created an entire world in a very small page count. This should easily appeal to fans of The X-Files, Fringe or even the BPRD series. The trio have great banter and even though you’ve just met them, you feel like you know each character almost immediately.

The ‘reason’ for the murder is fantastic and I loved the description that Rogers delivered to us readers.

What I didn’t like: For a book this short and sweet, there’s not a lot of meat to pick over, but if I had to really find something, I’d say I wished there was a touch more at the ending, maybe a group debriefing or something to give us a sense of what is next for the trio.

Why you should buy it: You actually don’t have to if you’re budget strapped right now. You can read the book for free on Tor’s website. If you’re like me, and struggle to read like that or have the time to sit at your computer and read, the ebook is only 99 cents.

This was a really fun time. Rogers created a fully formed world with characters that you could see and touch in only 50 pages and the ‘battle’ or ‘fight’ that occurs as the climactic moment was action packed. This would be a great introduction to Rogers’ work, but for fans of his already, I suspect this will be a great addition to his bibliography. Now, I just hope we get more of this group and if there are already stories featuring this trio, please somebody, let me know – I want to dive in to those stories immediately!

5/5

Title: North American Lake Monsters

Author: Nathan Ballingrud

Release date: June 28, 2013

I’m absolutely late to the Ballingrud party and after seeing the praise heaped on his last collection Wounds, I knew I needed to dive in and start my journey into his fiction.

I love to have a short story collection on the go almost all of the time, reading one story each night after finishing my longer reads and this one fit the bill perfectly. Even more intriguing was the announcement that HULU was adapting the collection into a series titled ‘Monsterland.’

What I liked: this collection ran the gamut of subject matter and I found some of them immediately pulled me in, while a few were a bit more of a slow burn. The two stand out stories for me were easily ‘The Crevasse’ co-written with Mr. Bailey and ‘North American Lake Monsters.’ In ‘The Crevasse’ we follow along on an expedition in Antarctica when something goes horrifically wrong. It is during these actions that one of the characters discovers that maybe there is more under the ice than we believe. Truly amazing. The title story was a unique look at the re-infiltration of a man into his family after being in prison. A discovery by his daughter causes some amazing ripples through the familiar unit. I loved every sentence in this.

What I didn’t like: For me personally, some of the stories didn’t have any sense of closure, or the ending just went off in such an odd tangent that I was left perplexed. The easiest example of this was in the story ‘S S.’ This was an ‘American History-X’ style look at a high school kid walking a thin line of morals versus acceptance. The ending was something so unpredictable and head shaking I was left confused. Some people make like how this plays out in the stories, but I felt a bit let down with a number of them.

Why you should buy it: Ballingrud writes at an elevated level that is still highly accessible. Where I struggle at times with Ligotti’s literary approach, Ballingrud took that and made it readable for every horror fan, which was great. It’s something not a lot of people want to discuss, but at times horror fans can be intimidated by some authors purely because they are worried they don’t want to feel dumb or don’t believe they are smart enough to ‘get it.’ No worries here – dive in and have fun. And of course – with so much variance there is definitely something for everyone.

I haven’t seen a confirmed release date for ‘Monsterland’ so you still have time to read this and discover the source material before it graces our screens. As for me, I’ll be jumping into ‘Wounds’ tonight.

4/5

Book Title: The Guardians

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release date: January 1st, 2011

“There was something wrong about a house people chose not to live in.”

Look, there really is no secret to my adoration of Andrew Pyper and his books. At this point the only two I haven’t read from him were ‘The Guardians’ and ‘Killing Circle.’ Why hadn’t I read them? Two reasons really – 1) Pyper is my grounding author. If I have no Pyper to read, what can I turn to when I’m struggling or in a slump? 2) God forbid, what if the unfortunate happened and for some reason I didn’t like one of them? I know, I know, probably not going to happen, but it’s a worry.

Then life hit. It’s a weird world we’re living in and with COVID-19 creating so much unknown and for many people a loss of enjoyment of normally enjoyable activities, reading has become a solitude for many.

For me – I went two days in a row without reading a book. That’s substantial. So, I decided to abandon my two current reads – and decided to dive into ‘The Guardians.’

I now really regret having waited so long to read this.

What I liked: This may very well be the first coming-of-age thriller/horror story I’ve read from a Canadian author, especially one of this magnitude (does The Troop count?). For me, Pyper is the best writer on the planet for a reason – every single sentence he writes is sublime, but he is always willing and capable of writing the gore-iest, scariest scenes out there. The book takes place in two time periods – Grade 11 in Grimshaw and present day aka 20 years later after the events in the past. We follow Trevor (Trev to his friends) as he returns to Grimshaw after a close high school friend dies. It is through the past and the present that we learn about the secret they kept from all those years ago, and how that secret created ripples through each of their lives until now.

Pyper crafted a gem here. In Canada the writing and pacing of this is akin to the show ‘Corner Gas’ or for the newer crowd ‘Letterkenny.’ This is small town Canada to a T. If you’ve grown up in the middle of nowhere you understand the phrase “Every small town has it’s secrets. Every small town also learns how to forget them.”

We get to see the relationships between the four friends, all members of the local hockey team ‘The Guardians’ and its through this friendship that unspoken things are agreed upon as only childhood closeness can allow.

I absolutely loved the ‘Memory Journal’ aspect that then lead into the present day going’s on. The book is filled with sorrow and despair at how things were and how they are now, but Pyper makes you connect with the characters, feel for them, but also desire to know just what happens.

What I didn’t like: It’s hard to sum up, but what I didn’t like was the main character Trevor and how much he reminded me of myself. Trevor left small town Grimshaw and owned a night club and was a big deal, according to him. He doesn’t want to go back, but he knows he must for his friend and to try and put closure on what happened all those years ago. I did a similar thing. For me, I longed and desired to leave where I grew up as fast as I could and for many, many years, I had my nose raised at those that stayed behind and never left. But who am I to judge? If they are happy, great. It’s their life. It took me many years to let myself let go of my snobbish views. So, reading how Trevor was acting and reacting reminded me a lot of my younger self. Uncomfortably so.

Why you should buy this:  This book is going to stay with me forever, really. The small town setting, the characters, the happenings. It was just a perfect read at a time I needed a perfect read. It was also one of the scariest, nerve rattling books I’ve read in some time. Every time we learned more about the Thurman house and what was going on there, it became creepier and creepier. Pyper did such a stunning job of crafting a heartfelt story that is interconnected by a phenomenal ghost story.

I now only have ‘The Killing Circle’ left to read from Pyper and I’m probably going to jump into that in the next day or two. I’ve tossed aside the notion that I may not enjoy it, because frankly, Pyper is the perfect author voice for this reader. Time and time again he’s answered this horror fans call with a stunning read and he did it once again here.

5/5

 

Title: Rise (The White Wolf #2)

Author: Jackson R. Thomas

Release date: March 18, 2020

Big thanks to Glenn Rolfe & Alien Agenda Publishing for sending me this, but also for their continued kindness in thinking of me when new releases are coming out!

‘The Beast of Brenton Woods’ was my introduction to Thomas and what an absolute blast that book was. I’m a massive werewolf fan and Thomas’ take on the legend was such a fun ride. When he returned with ‘Paradise, Maine,’ I gobbled that one up as well and was really excited to see a return to Coopers Mills.

What I liked: This one picks up six years after the events of book one. We are quickly thrust into the return of the white wolf, although this time, it is an offspring of our beastie from book one. Thomas re-introduces Kathy, the police officer to us as well as adding an assortment of cast members. There is no shortage of death and gore in the second installment and we do get some movement on the back story.

The kills are a lot of fun and when a werewolf is involved you know full well carnage will be had.

What I didn’t like: Sadly, I found this one favoured kills over story. With the first book, we knew there was a purpose. The wolf was out there and the town banded together to hunt it down and ultimately attempt to kill it. This one lacked that. It was purely the new wolf wanting revenge and going about killing people. Thomas added in a TV show travel host as a possible plot point, but other than being there to sleep with the women he met, there really wasn’t much point in him being in the book. The ending was incredibly jarring and just came to a halt. We did get an epilogue, but it felt added on and unfortunately didn’t really have much of a purpose other than possibly setting up a third installment. This was true for the character who owned a local store. She appeared to only be used to harbor a third installment. I felt just a big deflation when we didn’t get a big end battle like with book one.

Why you should buy it: If you love werewolf stuff, this one moves along at a break neck pace. We are given some outstanding deaths and it’s always fun to see what is going to happen. I’ll be interested to find out what happens in a third installment (if there is one), but for now, if you loved ‘Brenton…’ you’ll have a fun time with ‘Rise.’

3/5

 

 

It’s here!

What a fun ride this one was.

‘The Boy Whose Room Was Outside’ has officially arrived in ebook, paperback and hardcover format! Featuring gorgeous illustrations/paintings/digital photographs by my friends Sandra & Miranda and also featuring fantastic drawings done by each of ‘The Kids’ this one is a labour of love!

So, what’s it about?

Synopsis;

Imagine how amazing it would be, to go to sleep one night and then wake in a whole new world.

A world filled with animals that could talk and who became your friends?

For young Peter, that’s just what happens.

He wakes in a magical forest and quickly discovers that the animals who live there are just as excited to see him, as he is them.

But something lurks.

Something that doesn’t want Peter to be visiting the forest.

Through the help of his animal friends and a giant, Peter wants to get to the bottom of why this figure doesn’t want the young boy visiting.

A coming-of-age, middle grade/YA story of fantasy, family and courage, ‘The Boy Whose Room Was Outside’ is sure to warm the hearts of new readers and fill the souls of their parents with nostalgia.

How rad does that sound?

This book came about for a few reasons. I have a lot of friends who say – “I want to read something from you, but all your normal stuff sounds too scary!” So, this one is a bridge story – a book that has darkness and thrills but no gore, swearing and no deaths!

I also wanted to write something that inspired my son, nieces and nephews! Hence ‘Steve Stred & The Kids.’ Each of the little folks in my life gave me their favourite animal and an activity which I fit into the story!

So the ebook and paperback haven’t synced yet on Amazon – so here’s the link to the ebook which is and will remain 99 cents!

 

Lastly – a quick note on the paperback and hardcover pricing. The paperback is released through Amazon. Due to the color photos and the gorgeous cover (another stunning Mason McDonald design!) it has made the book a bit more expensive. When we release books through Amazon we get a minimum release cost. That means, that based off of printing, this is the lowest price Amazon can offer it for.

The same holds true for Lulu, where I’ve released the Hardcover. I’ll talk about the Hardcover in a second.

So the paperback is $20 US or $25 CAD. I understand it is a decent chunk of change, but I really did want to keep the pictures and paintings etc in full color! For full disclosure – I’ll make $0.32 off each US paperback and $0.25 off each CAD paperback. This was never really about making money though, this was about releasing something amazing and inspiring to the little ones.

As for the Hardcover – after having numerous issues with the artwork being usable on the Hardcover, I took a different approach. One of the inspirations for a story like this was “The Neverending Story.” I decided to keep a minimum front cover and went gloss black with purely the title. So, when you open the book, page one is the stunning full color artwork.

The Hardcover as well also fell victim to wanting to keep the color images. I probably won’t sell any (ha!) because the Hardcover is $47 and again – full disclosure – I’ll make $0 on each sale.

If you are looking for a gorgeous collectible – link is here;

http://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-stred/the-boy-whose-room-was-outside/hardcover/product-24471989.html

 

Alright – let’s finish this up.

We know the world’s in a poor place. So if you are looking for a distraction, the next chapter of ‘Wound Upon Wound’ is now live!

Getting close to the ending now.

You can read everything here;

https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/wound-upon-wound/

So, that’s it for this week.

I hope you and yours are safe and healthy and here’s hoping life slowly begins to return to a semblance of calm.

Steve.