Brian Hodge (1) (1963–)

A beautiful mix of horror and sci-fi with a nice dose of superstition/anthropology thrown in for good measure. Does one make sacrifices to alien invaders? One does if they are indistinguishable from gods. It is in our nature, I suppose. You won’t just breeze through this one. Or at least you shouldn’t. There is too much depth to this story. Too many moments when you pause and just think about what you just read. While clearly horror, with the usual suspension of disbelief required, at show more its core this is a deeply unsettling and very plausible extinction event scenario. One that may have even already occurred. Yet one so subtle that we might not even realize that we are, in fact, going extinct. I was blown away and most likely will re-read this one in the near future. I have a feeling that I merely scratched the surface. show less

4.5 stars!

WOW! That was my first thought. Let's see if I can elaborate on that.

This story begins with Damien relating his first memories, and what horrible memories they were. Memories of a mother who neglected and mentally abused him. A mother who favored Damien's half brother Cameron over him. A mother that chains her son to the steering wheel and takes off for hours at a time.

After a start like that, the reader is already invested in Damien and is hoping that he will one day gain the show more love and attention that he so deserved as a child. We now join Damien as a grown man, living the calm and sedate life of a grad student and dating a beautiful stripper named Ashleigh. Everything is cool and we're happy for him. Until Cameron shows up after years of no contact whatsoever and wants to have a relationship again.

From there this story heads to different cities...hell, to different WORLDS, provoking and prodding my imagination to no end. Which then brought to mind the questions-Is space infinite? If not, how far does it go? Is there life out there? If so, is it coming here, and if so, in what form? Is it coming at different times throughout the centuries? Can we call it here under the right conditions? If so, how?

Mr. Hodge provokes the reader to ask all of these questions during the course of this tale. I suspect the answers will all be different, depending upon the reader. All I know is that this novella was well written, provocative, interesting and mysterious. I will be thinking about it for some time. I also know that I've been dragging my feet in familiarizing myself with Mr. Hodge's other works. I will rectify that shortly. I highly recommend this novella to fans of dark fiction, science fiction, Lovecraft and/or cosmic horror. show less

Hodge surprised me with this book. Not because of the quality of the book (it was great!) but because he took it in directions I didn't expect. It started off as semi-whimsical or more a comedy of errors. Then at some point it became more heartfelt and real. It was no longer about the chaos that was happening but about the people and how they were changing.

Jamey Sheppard is driving from Los Angeles to Arizona to meet up with his fiancee. While stopped for gas, he gets mistaken for someone show more else by a cop and one thing leads to another and suddenly the cop is dead and Jamey is running for his life. Then just as things settle down a little, Jamey finds himself in another strange situation. I won't say what so the surprise is not ruined but suffice to say he goes through a couple more awkward but logical situations. By the time everything starts tying up and the climax of all the bad stuff comes together, you really feel and care about all the characters. It's more than finding out what happens; it's wanting to see them come out on top. As I said, it was a surprise to me. I thought I knew the general tone of the book after the first fifty pages or so but I didn't. Very highly recommended! show less

Wow! I don't know what other word would best describe how I felt upon finishing this collection from Brian Hodge. I've read a few of his books in the past and have always been satisfied. However, these stories are not only original, they add an entirely new level to Mr. Hodge's already impressive skills.

This collection consists of 3 short stories and one novella. All four of the stories are connected, some more loosely than others. The Misbegotten Mythos is a dark world, indeed. The writing show more was outstanding, as I have come to expect from this author.
A few quotes that stood out to me:

"And I knew that those things we find most beautiful are made more so by the brief span of their lives."

"There are all kinds of tyranny employed around us. Bombs are but the loudest."

This collection is beautifully dark and dense. This meant that I had to take it slow so as to be sure everything sunk in. This was especially true of the last story, the novella "When the Bough Doesn't Break." All I can say about this one is WOW. It's not what I expected, AT ALL. You think the story is going one way...but it's not. Gory, dark and deep with all kinds of levels to it...I know I will be mulling it over for quite a while. There isn't much here to credit to God, in whatever form you see him or her. At least, not on the surface. In that regard, this read will not please everyone.

Overall, I found this to be a thoroughly engrossing read, but not a quick one. To be honest, it may take another read in the future for me to be sure that I "got" everything I was supposed to "get". I will happily look forward to doing so. Recommended for fans of dark fiction!

Mr. Hodge sent me an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it! show less