Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand’s Wolf Hunt has been described to me as a horror comedy. Well, I don’t like horror comedies. With me it’s either or. Therefore, my first instinct was to pass over Jeff Strand’s Offering. But then I remembered having enjoyed reading Strand’s “Blisters” and decided to give this a chance. Within minutes I was hooked. Its comedic elements are delicate and well placed witticisms owned by the characters themselves; fortunately, the plot itself is kept free of parody or show more satire. From start to end, the protagonists, a duo of charming thugs, crank out a cornucopia of taunting remarks towards each other and their supernatural antagonist who skillfully returns the favor with character fitting ripostes of the macabre kind that are no less funny. For all of this, the author doesn’t forget to inject the plot with just the right amount of deadly seriousness. After all, our thuggish yet lovable heroes have to make it their business to hunt a werewolf whose razor-sharp claws and quips are equally vicious.Summa summarum, this is a solid hands-on werewolf story sans over the top fantasy elements that so often plague the genre; its noir-style dry humor only adds to it. show less

Oh good Lord, where to start?

If you have a particular taste (I avoid the snarky remarks of others who may say "or lack thereof") a new book by Jeff Strand is always reason to celebrate. For the time you wander around in Jeff's world you can be sure that you will repeatedly (l) laugh at something so inappropriate and twisted that you cannot tell anyone what you were laughing at (2) wince at something so awful and well described that it comes very close to causing actual pain (3) stop and show more think about a profound moment hidden in thick humorous satire (4) be amazed at how good a writer Strand is while at the same time wonder how someone so funny could also be so twisted. If you like the irreverent humor of David Sidaris but also enjoy horror, if you don't take yourself or literary conventions very seriously, and if you want to read an author that really pushes the edge of good taste (or more like jumps squealing with glee over that precipice) then you need to give Strand a try. show less

DRACULAS is a fantastic antidote to drippy, dreamy vampire romances. This is vampires as they should be: relentless, terrifying, bloodthirsty monsters. Vampires are on the loose and multiplying fast in an isolated rural hospital. A small band of characters caught in the chaos must fight for survival, because help probably isn't coming. This is classic, old-school man vs. monster horror. Great action, gruesome humor (including intestine jokes), beheadings, disembowelings, MacGyver-worthy show more tactics, massive firepower, love requited, desperate last stands -- it is a fun read from start to finish.

The characters are sufficiently fleshed out for you to care about their fates. You'll want to root for the heroes, and hiss the villains. But don't mistake this for some deep psychological character portrait. Get with the program--it's draculas on the loose!

Joe Konrath (writing as Jack Kilborn) and his co-authors Blake Crouch, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson obviously had fun putting this gorefest together. That is evident in the bonus material, which includes the email traffic among the four authors as they co-wrote the book over several months, DVD-style deleted scenes and alternate endings, as well as samples of their other work: novel excerpts and complete short stories.

DRACULAS is a big, bloody bucket of fun! show less

This is a very disturbing and bittersweet morality tale of horror where a young boy discovers a monster in the woods and befriends him. Through 55 years, the book blurs the relationship with the creature as the reader slowly discovers the real monster. Very well written with characters the reader will both love and hate. Extremely well done climax. Amidst all the suspense, gore and horror I truly felt sorry for both the creature and the man. He truly screwed up his life and it does make one show more wonder if one would have done very much different under those circumstances. Great horror on many levels. Well done, Mr. Strand! show less