L.T. Vargus

At one time, many years ago, I was a child. A child who was not afraid of clowns. I remember seeing Ringling Brother's Circus in Madison Square Garden when I was 16 years old. Clowns did not scare me one bit. Then in my late twenties I read a Stephen King book titled "IT". As with many of his other works, it took the ordinary, in this case clowns, and made them the objects of pure unadulterated terror. American Horror Story Season 4 I skipped although I have enjoyed the other seasons. When I show more had the opportunity to read an advance review copy of Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus's latest work, The Clowns, I took it. I have really enjoyed their work. I can say with 100% certainty if they write a sequel to The Clowns, I would probably have to make good friends with Valium to read it. The Clowns terrified me. Thanks guys for hitting any spots Stephen King missed. I did not think it was possible to ratchet up the dislike and fear of clowns but McBain and Vargus have done it. Yes there is wonderful dialogue, spots of tension breaking humor and action, clown action, clown on people action, clown with weapons on people action. It took me longer than usual to read and review this book because it really did a wonderful job terrifying me. Pat yourselves on the back, you one upped Stephen King. show less

15 year old Jake is searching for meaning, control, and a role-model in his life. He doesn't have much to choose from. In his rambling, slang-filled journal entries he considers how he's always been a victim and begins to learn from his sociopathic older cousin, Nick, how to be "less of a pussy." As he's drawn into Nick's criminal enterprise, he learns confidence but also loses empathy. Jake's a pretty smart kid. It's interesting how he goes from a profanity-laden rant to philosophic musings show more in the space of a paragraph. The author has really captured the stream-of-consciousness, nearly conversational way of speaking and thinking of this lower-class teenager. Jake's a character study and an exploration on socio-economics and personal growth, but this isn't your average coming-of-age tale. I wouldn't recommend it for teen readers for fear they'd over-identify with Jake and emulate his behavior. The story builds with suspense, and a maternal reader really begins to fear for the protagonist. A fake-out near the end is almost too much, but it's reigned back in satisfactorily. Overall, this is not my usual genre, but I enjoyed the peek into a different kind of story. show less

This is a promising series.Fade to Black takes psychological horror to a new level. Equal turns terrifying and mystical, brain-teasing and strange, this book makes you feel smart. It takes some deep looks at the human psyche, quantum physics, and mysticism all while scaring the heck out of you. I would happily recommend this to my friends.

So, Bled White...Oh my God! This was one of the greatest friggin books I've ever read! Seriously, I'm not just gushing. Totally cerebral, scary, and show more amazing, this story needs to get finished so I can read the rest! I called my older brother last night at 9:30 in the evening to tell him to read this series! That is a HUGE thing for me. I read 2-3 books per day , usually, and this book took me 2 days to finish! I had to keep putting it down to contemplate.... It's like this was written about me, which threw me off when he, the main character, would talk about his "dangly bits" , as I have none... All in all, a book bound to become a classic, if you liked book 1: Fade To Black , you will LOVE book 2! All of that is great, BUT.... If you are anything like me, you should probably wait until the series is finished, because it will eat your mind and curse you to wonder..... What happens next?????

Wow! Book 3 totally blew me away...It was actually worth the wait. "Red on the Inside" is a metaphysical mindfreak that had me pondering my existence for hours after I put the book down. I recommend re-reading Fade to Black and Bled White first, unless you have really good retention, so you don't get lost in book 3. Grobnagger and Glenn have many "astral adventures" in this continuation of the series. There's murder and mayhem, resurrections, bloody gore, and existentialism. Everything I liked about the series, so far, multiplied! The ending was a complete surprise. Absolutely worth every penny you pay for it. Love, love, love it! show less

“He's just not that into you if he is a sociopath.”
― Coco J. Ginger

My best friend in college was a Dead Head. You know, Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, tie-dye, cool music, and dope. Lots and lots of dope.

My friend was way into acid. Not me, I couldn't give up control like that, and besides, someone had to drive, right? And grass just made me sick at my stomach, so no pain. However, my friend told me about her “trips.” It was “trippy” listening to her, to say the least. show more

“Why,” you ask, “are getting into this? Is this a book about the Grateful Dead and acid trips?”

Well, no, not exactly. But this powerful, horrifying book took me to a place in my mind that must be very like those acid trips. Weird, lost, surreal . . . and deeply, deeply moved by the experience.

Through the journal of a 15-year-old, we take a weird journey through what it means to be 15, powerless and alone. How easy it is to be swayed, to be taught by a 24-year-old sociopath who happens to be your cousin, that “There ain't no magic power that makes right and wrong have real meanin' is all.”

It is so easy, when you are a beta, to fall sway to the alpha, especially when the school bullies become involved. To stare down that dark path, the one that leads to “Isn't that the natural urge here? To find a way to grind the sadistic kid's head into the ground so he can see what it feels like?”

This book moved me, pained me, in so many ways. It brought up memories best forgotten, pain, heartbreak. But mostly, it opened me up with the wisdom and compassion shown by the author. Many issues were touched on. The aforementioned bullying, of course. But also expectations, loss, grief, and how easy is is to turn an inherently good person to the dark.

Looking back on my review, it seems that I didn't like the book. That couldn't be further from the truth. This book touched me, inspired me, and drew me in like nothing else I have read in a very long time. I highly recommend it for what it represented to me. A walk into the dark. And a view of the light at the end of the forest.

This book was provided to me by the author in return for a realistic review. All opinions are my own and are not predicated on receipt of the book by the author. show less