Thomas Pendleton

Review for The Letter

While Lee Thomas is no newcomer to GLBT-themed horror it's possible you've not heard of him before. If so, this quiet-looking book is your chance to experience a dazzling, sometimes blistering, example of queer horror.

In the Closet, Under the Bed is a collection of fifteen horror tales that range in scope from the horrors of being gay, to the the unique, strange and sometimes erotic horror drawn to an unconventional life. You'll never think of bears the same way again show more after “Down to Sleep”. Thomas tackles shame, the delicate difficulty of pretending to the point of maintaining a “traditional” family and even the hidden complications of gay spousal abuse. And the one story told from a female perspective, “They Would Say She Danced” is perhaps the most poignant despite addressing the intricacies of gay life from an outside point of view.

Absolutely dark, absolutely queer Thomas' collection would collapse without with either the gay or horror aspects. Breathtaking only begins describe this example of what horror, science fiction and fantasy could be, if it could just drag itself out of the closet. Highly recommend. show less

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Take one part mythology, one part Michael Crichton's PREY, and one part Stephen King's DESPERATION - and you'll come up with something that resembles SHIMMER, a toned-down horror story for the young adult crowd.

Winter, Colorado is a quiet town that will soon be drawing a huge tourist ski crowd with the opening of Hawthorn Resort. Emma and her mom have moved to Winter for her mom to become the head chef at the new resort. Justin's family has moved there show more because his father is one of the largest investors in the new place. Betina, Russ, and Kit are life-long residents. Soon, the five of them will come together after a party goes horribly wrong.

Justin's parents have gone out of town, and his father has forbidden him to throw a party. Justin knows that no one will check in on him on a school night, and what better way to make friends in this new town? With a little bit of beer, the cool crowd is mingling with the jocks and the not so cool people. But when the coolest of the cool, Tess, brings out a mysterious box from Justin's father's study, the party loses control.

Tess opens the bizarre box and a weird shimmery cloud flies out. Emma and the others aren't sure what they saw, but before they can figure it out, the cloud is gone. Tess, never a nice person to begin with, begins a strange transformation.

Apparently, what was in the box has entered Tess and has a will of its own. If you've read any of the stories mentioned in the first paragraph, you can start to piece together what happens after the box is opened. Tess starts to infect other people in the town, and Winter becomes a place bent on destruction. It's up to Emma, Justin, Betina, Russ, and Kit to save the town and ultimately themselves.

Now, I read mixed reviews for SHIMMER, but I really enjoyed this one. The chapters were short and the action was fast-paced. There was some gore and violence in the story, but nothing overly graphic that would limit younger readers from maybe giving it a whirl. Aimed at the young adult, the story doesn't have the enhanced plot development and characterization as a book by Crichton or King would have, but for this story it isn't needed. It would probably detract from what the author is trying to convey.

Just be sure you don't pick this up on night when a blizzard is due to hit! show less

Luther's Bend is a quiet, tiny town where very little happens. Despite a rocky marriage and personal trouble, Sheriff Bill Cranston has the responsibility to ensure the safety of the town's citizens. Unfortunately, his world begins to fall apart when little Maggie Louise Mayflower disappears one evening.

As the town organizes a search for the little girl, Cranston realizes too late that Maggie was only being used as bait when a member of the search is taken. Soon a naked stranger named show more Douglas Sykes is taken into custody, and Cranston begins to uncover a truth that is stranger than fiction. Sykes claims to be a creature of sorts that is being hunted by a pack of his kind. The pack will stop at nothing, destroying everything in its path, until their prey is killed. Unless Cranston and his men can stop the pack, the townspeople, including Cranston's own family, are doomed.

The Bottom Line: You'll want to sleep with the lights on after reading this one. This tightly written novella features a nice balance of story and plot that will keep you in suspense until the end. As Book 23 in the Cemetery Dance Novella Series, it also features fantastically realistic and gruesome black and white illustrations by Vincent Chong. "Torn" contains graphic descriptions of violence and is highly recommended for mature fans of horror who enjoy stories with a little twist of sadness.

This review also appears at The Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog: http://minibookbytes.blogspot.com/ show less

Shimmer is a retelling of the Greek myth of Pandora's box. Reed builds upon the myth in creating a cast of characters diverse in their motivations, background, and voices. The divisions are prominent: the school cliques, stratified social classes, animosity between original inhabitants and newcomers. As interesting as the plot is, the language and characters bothered me at times. The boys seem superficial and immature toward Emma in ways that don't fit with the plot. Slang and bursts of show more crude language seemed to be jammed into the dialogue. They come across as forced, superfluous and misused.

Read whether we recommend buying or borrowing this book in the full review at The Reading Tub®. You can add your review, too show less