Mark Matthews (4)

This is a serious as shit, no holds barred, urban horror story. It was difficult to read at times and I've read a lot of horror books. Trust me on this.

Being an addiction counselor, Mark Matthews knows what he is talking about when it comes to drug addictions. There are scenes here where characters are using drugs and the things they do-the things they put their bodies through- they're hard to stomach. Really hard.

When these scenes involve children, it's even worse. Somehow though, he reels show more the reader in-and with no soft promises that everything is going to be okay- either. Everything is definitely NOT okay. In fact, there is one scene from this story that I will never forget and even now, (I read this some months back before it was released), it sends chills up my spine.

It sounds like a brutal book, and it was, but in a way, I still found hope in it. Maybe just in the fact that someone noticed Lilly or thought about Lilly and her life. Or maybe I have to feel that way, so I don't have to admit that lives like this actually exist.

Highly recommended for fans of urban horror! show less

It is so hard to describe this book. From the cover, you would assume it's just about werewolves but you would be only half right.
Kori grew up witnessing her father's struggle with mental illness including seeing her father taken away to a psychiatric hospital where he later disappeared. Kori, now grown up, decides to trespass at the hospital where her father was treated to try to find some solace and peace. Northville Psychiatric Hospital is now abandoned but something unhuman lurks in the show more tunnels beneath the hospital.
At first glance, this is a horror novel but if you dig a bit deeper, you find that it is also an examination of mental illness. The way people who have mental illness are treated, and how it might feel and affect someone who does have a mental illness.
A book is all the more enjoyable when there is a deeper meaning to be found. I found the Afterword by the author to be poignant and informative in turns. Mental illness is so misunderstood by so many people. The correlation between bipolar episodes and folklore combined with biological biology was interesting. I have read about this possible connection before. People also criticize those who stop taking medicine. The author address a possible reason why people might stop taking it. The Hobgoblin of Little Minds turned out to be one of my favourite reads for 2021. show less

This was the twisted little tale I was expecting and I wasn’t disappointed. Mark Matthews is the editor and a contributor to the addiction horror anthology Garden of Fiends where I first ran into his work and was impressed with the anthology as a whole.

Keagan, a young boy who recently lost his father violently, has some interesting ideas about the power of the Communion wafer. What started off as a simple fascination with the wafer and it’s transmutative properties turns into a rough show more plan to raise his father from his final rest. If you’re squeamish about dead human flesh, this will make you squirm!

Meanwhile, young Faith has recently come of an age with her first menstrual cycle. She volunteers in the cemetery looking over all the graves of aborted fetuses and such. Seems like a droll task for a young lady, doesn’t it? I think it’s totally logical that she gets stuck on the idea of all these baby fetus angels and that obviously gets carried over to her monthly egg loss. If you’re squeamish about menstruation, then this will make you squirm.

Eventually, Keagan and Faith get together and what they birth upon the world is more than a little terrifying! Cue evil laughter! Throughout this entire tale I kept imagining the smell. Yep. The smell! Keagan as a little bit of rotting human flesh and Faith has her stored period. Ugh! I can’t recall where this story takes place but I hope it was a low humidity place to keep things as dry (and scent-free) as possible.

All told, it’s a fun twisted little story for your commute or lunch break. I will never look at Communion wafers the same again. 5/5 stars.



I received a free copy of this book.

The Narration: Rick Gregory gave a very good performance on this narration. He has a great voice for young Keagan and blossoming Faith. All his character voices were distinct and he did well with the various emotions in this story. There were no recording issues. 5/5 stars. show less

4.5/5 stars!

Heartbreaking, haunting and memorable, these LULLABIES FOR SUFFERING will stay with you for a long, long time.

Here we have a collection of 6 novellas, all of them from authors I've read before, so I was eager to start listening when my request to Audiobook Boom was approved.

Kealan Patrick Burke's SOMETIMES THEY SEE ME: When the lives of two addicts collide and interrupt suicide attempts, you know the story won't end well. Stories of addiction rarely do.

Caroline Kepnes' MONSTERS: show more This novella features Ms. Kepnes' excellent writing style and despite the addictions on display within, I couldn't help but come away from this tale with a feeling of (misplaced?) hope for the last two standing.

Mark Matthews' LIZARD went off the rails almost from the get-go. All I can say is I felt so sorry for almost every character in this story. I have been reading Mark's work for many years now, because he writes about addiction from a place that he really knows. I think his experiences make his work that much more powerful and poignant.

John F.D. Taff's THE MELTING POINT OF MEAT talks about a different kind of addiction, but that doesn't make his story any less difficult to read.

Gabino Iglesias' BEYOND THE REEF was my favorite tale in this collection because it was just so damn different from the others. Not only is this an addiction tale, but it also has a distinct Lovecraftian feel to it that I just adored.

Mercedes Yardley's LOVE IS A CREMATORIUM broke my damn heart. First with its depiction of family "love" between a father and daughter, but also a dark study of that crazy love that happens to some of us in high school. What would one teen do for another to help them escape a terrible home life situation? Was that the right thing to do? Of all the dark tales here, this is the one that made me cry. Neither of these kids started out with bad intentions-she left because of her dad, and he left because he loved her. What happens to them? You'll have to read this and see, but be sure to have some tissues nearby.

The narrator, Linda Jones, is one with which I was not familiar prior to listening to this collection. She's terrific and brought these tales home with humanity and care.

Overall, this is an incredible collection of stories from authors that are currently the best in the business as far as I'm concerned. Some names are bigger than others, some are more famous than others, but every one of them can write the hell out of a story and that's exactly what they do here.

HIGHLY recommended!

Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2UnNWwf

*Thank you to Audiobook Boom for the audio version of this book which I freely chose to review.* show less