Fast-paced and entertaining this book is not flawless, but overall the enjoyment I got reading the story far outpaced any minor complaints I had with the story in general. If you like dark suspense and action I would think you would find the story worth the time to read. It's got horror-ish elements but reminds me far more of Koontz style than say, King.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by McKinney. This collection includes:
Introduction by David Moody
Resurrecting Mindy
Dating in Dead World
Bug Out or Hunker Down
Bury My Heart at Marvin Gardens
Zombies and Their Haunts
The Day the Music Died
Survivors
Suburbia of the Dead
The Crossing
Paradise of the Living Dead
Jimmy Finder
Bugging Out
Ethical Solution
Swallowed
Sabbatical in the Ohio Methlands
Two-and-a-Half Graves
Starvation Army
State of the Union
Author’s Notes

Many of these stories were entertaining, but I would have to say that among my favorites were Survivors, Paradise of the Living Dead, and State of the Union. I have read several other books by Mr. McKinney and here and there have found some of his other short stories in collections and have enjoyed them. My favorite part was actually the Author's Note. I find it interesting to find out what motivates the writer and discover how the stories began. The Dead World Preferred Chronology was also handy since I found out that I am several books behind in the series. Would I recommend this? I would absolutely recommend this to my friends and family that enjoy zombie tales.

Book Review: Mister October Volume One, An Anthology in Memory of Rick Hautala

Contents:
Feeders and Eaters by Neil Gaiman
Under the Pylon by Graham Joyce
A Guy Walks into a Bar by Matthew Costello
Hell Hath Enlarged Herself by Michael Marshall Smith
Figures in the Rain by Chet Williamson
As You Have Made Us by Elizabeth Massie
Thoughtful Breath by Peter Crowther
Never Back Again by Matti Hautala
A Girl, Sitting by Mark Morris
Blood Brothers by Richard Chizmar
Little Brothers- Portfolio by Stephen R. Bissette
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back by Joe R. Lansdale
Craving by Yvonne Navarro
Ixchel's Tears Jose R. Nieto
Life During Death Duane Swierczynski
After the Elephant Ballet by Gary A. Braunbeck
Overnight Guest by Craig Shaw Gardner
Springfield Repeater by Jack M. Haringa
Conjurer- Book 1: The Grieve by Tom Piccirilli
The Year the Music Died by F. Paul Wilson
Property Condemned - A Story of Pine Deep by Jonathan Maberry
Playing the Huddys by John M. McIlveen
Crashing Down by Weston Ochse

What an amazing tribute to Rick Hautala, an author who passed away unexpectedly last year. 100% of the proceeds from this and its companion volume go to Mr. Hautala's family. I was fortunate in that I was able to get this set for reviewing purposes but given the quality of work in these volumes I will be purchasing additional sets so that I can send them to friends. My condolences to the Hautala family on their loss. Mr. Hautala's work has always been something I personally enjoyed over the years and show more his loss means that there is one less excellent storyteller to bring enjoyment to others.

Christopher Golden's introduction to the series is a touching tribute to his friend and colleague. The contributors to these volumes are some of the brightest lights in fantastic literature and the stories included are among some of the best I have read.

There is not a single one that I did not enjoy but some struck home with a sense of poignancy that resonated long after. Peter Crowther's, Thoughtful Breaths, is just lovely and feels so personal to me. That being said, I recommend this volume of tales highly and thank all the artists involved for a wonderful tribute to a talented man who will be missed by the readers as well as his peers. show less

A very nice edition to add to a collection. As someone who has read King from his earliest works I was pleased to see that great effort and research was involved in producing this volume. I would recommend it for any new addition to his audience as well as to established collectors. I also loved the correlation between his general works and his works in the Dark Tower series. It is handy to be able to look that stuff up when you remember you've heard that characters name before...

I really enjoyed this story much more than I thought I might at first. Told from the viewpoint of a socially awkward college age male it did not seem like it was going to appeal to me. However, it wasn't long before I was deeply involved in the story and the themes of good versus evil and much deeper philosophical questions that pervade this tale. Overall, I would give it an extra half star if possible because I was not able to put it down and ran my kindle out of juice trying to get it finished in one go. Even though I had figured out the killer long before the end I felt compelled to finish the tale to find out more about these characters and the eventual fall out from the situation.

This is a fine collection of recommendations of works by women authors. I truly enjoyed this. My only complaint would be that I have quite a few titles added to my wishlist! Now to track them all down...

This tale was vaguely reminiscent of the Castaneda series on shamanism that was popular in the 1970’s. The conversion of
Non-believer’s to believers being the core of the tale. As with anything that proselytizes, I quickly found my attention wandering and before I knew it I had let a month pass before I picked it back up. I finished it, however, I may not be the right audience for this book. Whatever the deep seated reasons are, I wouldn’t recommend this for the general, or casual reader. That being said I would guess that there would be an audience for this book it is just a matter of finding that niche.

The Undying Apathy of Imogen Shroud
By Ben White

Fast paced, funny, and at times completely horrific. I found myself staying up all night to finish this little gem. Imogen, wrapped in a deep depression after a failed romance, slogs through life just trying to meet her mother's demand that she leave the house once a week. Being seventeen and tortured by the attentions of her hero worshipping younger brother, Imogen finds herself forced to endure the company of the undersized eleven year old Zack on a trek across town to a comic con. Once there, all hell breaks loose as an unnatural disaster hits and the dead rise!

Mr. White has created some truly engaging characters and another type of zombie! One of my favorite lines has to do with these are not Romero’s zombies and is it ever true! I found myself alternating between being horrified and tense for Imogen, and laughing out loud at some of the survivors and situations she meets on her quest to remain alive. While many of the standard tropes are used in the story the spin they undergo is hilarious. There are so many more story points I’d like to bring up, but I don't want to spoil this experience for other readers. I will just say that I hadn’t enjoyed so much merriment reading in a very long time.

Isn’t it nice to find a new work and author to follow? I plan on reading as much of Mr. White’s work as I can lay my hands on.

Imagine witnessing a horrible death. Now, imagine being a party to that death in a small town where everyone knows everyone else and no secret is safe. Seventeen year old Aaron has experienced his share of tragedy in his life and while attending high school and working part-time as a grocery bagger he tries to go on with his life while watching things fall apart around him as a consequence of one night of joy riding.

That brief synopses does not do justice to this beautifully written tale. While it may be a bit dark, this is an insightful examination of the nature of guilt and consequences of action/inaction and the very real monsters this can create.

I cannot say enough about the language of the book. Some passages resonate with me still and Aaron is not the only one haunted by the choices made in this tale. Included in this novel for Kindle was a teaser for his next novel…it is already placed high on my wish list as I hope to continue following Mr. Polson’s works

A marvelously written historical novel, A Kingdom’s Cost is set during the reign of Edward I of England and his final wars in Scotland. Set after the death of William Wallace in the battle for Scottish independence the novel follows young James Douglas, heir to Sir William Douglas, le Hardi, the first noble supporter of Wallace in the campaign for Scotland’s war for freedom. As a result of his father’s support of Wallace young James come back to Scotland from his school in Paris to find himself landless and his only clear way back to his birthright is through his support of Robert de Bruce, and the continuing struggle for Scotland’s right to self rule.
I found myself wrapped up in this novel and despite some minor editing errors here and there was soon deeply involved in this story of the Black Douglas and his life and early times. I really enjoyed the story and thought the characters were very well drawn. The story of the Bruce’s personal tragedies while attempting to gain the throne were touchingly rendered as he struggled to balance his many personal losses with the good of the kingdom.
Overall, it was one of the more enjoyable reading experiences I’ve had lately and I will definitely be looking out for more of this authors works!

Shreve, as usual, drew me in again with her tale of double murders a century apart in New Hampshire. When a photojournalist Jean is sent to research the older murders at a remote island lighthouse she is accompanied by her husband, daughter, brother-in-law and his girlfriend. The interpersonal relationships in this tale seem to parallel each other in many aspects and while I would not say it caused white knuckle tension I do say that Shreve is an artist at getting you so involved with the characters its imperative you know the outcome of the tensions among the present day characters.

While it started off a bit slow for me, by the end I was so thoroughly involved in the tale I wanted another hundred pages or so. Shreve's tale of forbidden love and its consequences was so touchingly rendered I found myself nearly weeping through portions of it. Shreve managed to make me experience many different emotions throughout this novel from outrage to distress to empathy she played my heartstrings like the maestro she is.

What an incredible story! The language of this book kept me enthralled and so many images and impressions are burned permanently into my brain. I haven't read anything in years that actually made me stop reading to visualize the scene. The sound of the Santa Anas rushing through the California Hills, a white kimono under a full moon, the smell of bougainvillea when its in bloom. I thought this was a beautifully written novel.

Excellent tale by Feist. I enjoyed this from page 1 and actually tried to read the last part slower so the book wouldn't be over. A wonderfully horrific dark fantasy set in upper state New York. It was full of mythical beings and the humans were also portrayed well.

The Red Lodge was a story I had read first many years ago and I still find that it has the same emotional impact on me now that it did originally. That all encompassing sense of dread that pervades the story made me feel claustraphobic at times. Perhaps my favorite previously unread tale in this collection was, The Triumph of Death, with the odious Miss Pendleham. With little inferences to other gothic style tales throughout the story it was amusing to find them and try and identify them. One question though. Was it The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford or a tale by M.R. James that had the bedclothes coming to life and strangling the man in the tale?
Other ones I enjoyed were: Blindman's Buff, Look Up There, Damp Sheets and A Black Solitude.

I enjoyed this book. I felt it presented a side of Drew Carey that wasn't normally accessible to the public. It's interesting to see how some of his life experiences shaped who he was. I even liked his original short prose in the second half of the book. Overall it was a decent reading experience and I still like Drew...quirky and unusual as he is.

Well, this definitely took me longer to read than most books lately. While I enjoyed this dark tale by Yarbro, I couldn't help but feel as if I knew how it was going to turn out. That's not always a bad thing though, sometimes the brilliance lies in the journey. The writing is very good with well drawn characters and a fairly involving plot. My only complaint would be that the ending when it finally came was so abrupt, I felt as if the editor said there was a word limit and held the author to it (possibly, at gunpoint). The story seemed to almost meander along at some points and then BAM! (apologies to Emeril) there was the end.

The Broken Sword (Halcyon #2)
by Joseph Robert Lewis

A highly entertaining steam punk fantasy set in an alternate universe, The Broken Sword, moves quickly and is filled with interesting and engaging characters. Opening the book I soon found myself shivering through an Ice Age winter in Espana, with Don Lorenzo Quesada de Gadir, fencing master who specializes in the Sword of Life technique. Revolutionary and a pacifist, Don Lorenzo, his Incan wife Qhora, and his fencing pupils find themselves in the midst of a dilemma that could mean the end of peace and perhaps even the end of the world! Along with with a rag tag band of plane crash survivors including a whiny Dante Alighieri and a stalwart Shahera Zade, Don Lorenzo and his group face dangers and overcome obstacles in the best questing tradition. While that may sound simply put, any loyal reader of fantasy knows its not the destination, its the journey. In this case the journey is worthwhile when tagging along with this group of characters. I would recommend this if you like fantasy, it was a fast, fun reading experience.

Guardian of Eden
By
Leslie Dubois

A contemporary tragedy, Guardian of Eden, is the tale of Garrett Anthony, 17 years old and burdened with being the sole responsible member of his family. A neglectful mother with a history of substance abuse and relationships with abusive men have taught Garrett not only how to keep himself alive but also to care for his young half-sister Eden.
Over time we witness Garrett’s growth into a young man who is trying to overcome all the childhood neglect and abuse while still caring for the now 11 year old Eden. While Garrett still struggles with issues of anger and fear of abandonment his priority is young Eden and caring for her. In counseling, his mother is apparently reformed and happily married, life is beginning to look good to young Garrett. When he finally begins to relax and notice things and people around him he meets beautiful, young Madison McPhee.
Now things begin to become more complicated as issues of race, class and status are introduced to the mix. You see, Ms. McPhee is not only wealthy and white, she is the daughter of an aspirant to the Presidency. Garrett feels inadequate and the relationship suffers because Madison also has trepidations about introducing the young man she loves
to her father. Eden, fearing the loss of her brother, begins to act out. The repercussions resound throughout the remainder of the novel.
There is a lot to admire in this novel and I would like to thank the author for the complimentary copy to read show more and review. Overall, it was a good reading experience. The characters were well drawn but I thought that so many sub-plots, while it kept things moving, detracted from exploring more detail in other relationships like Madison’s relationship with her father, and the relationship between Holly and Corbin. What could have been lacking that made a man with no prior history of his acts suddenly become a predator? In some ways it felt implied that once he got internationally recognized he became less morally sound. While I wasn’t stunned by the revelation it didn’t feel as genuine as it could have. show less

I found this to be edifying, entertaining, and a great introduction to literary analysis. As a long time reader I found this helpful in understanding symbols in literature.
Being the product of an an era and an educational background that never really examined literature in depth I am eagerly anticipating delving into some of the recommended reading materials
to experience reading on a deeper level.

While this is set in the same area as Keene's previous work, Dark Hollow, it is not strictly a sequel, more a shared universe tale. For me, Mr. Keene is a pretty reliable author. When I pick up one of his books I can usually rely on him to deliver a really great and interesting tale. This time, unfortunately, I was not as thrilled with the product. I like the fact that his settings are generally in semi-rural Pennsylvania or the vicinity, I usually like his characterizations but for me this time I just never made the connection with any of the characters the way I generally do. This said I will continue to buy Mr. Keene's work as often as my budget allows because it's rare that he fails to deliver for me.