Book: “When We Join Jesus In Hell” (2012)
Author: Lee Thompson
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 9.5 out of 10
 
The ability to get under a reader’s skin and make him or her feel horribly uncomfortable is a talent not many horror authors posses. Lee Thompson accomplishes just that with When We Join Jesus In Hell. Although his ability to cause uneasiness is impressive, the narrative’s power lies in the fact that its combination of gritty emotional devastation and gorgeous writing forces the reader to stay glued to the pages regardless of how gruesome …

Book: “Dead of Winter” (2012)
Author: Brian Moreland
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 8 out of 10
Available here for purchase 
Vampires, demons, zombies and psychotic killers abound, but there are other types of monsters that show up once in a while in horror fiction and are even more interesting than the aforementioned tropes. The wendigo, an evil spirit that rides the cold, harsh winds during winters in the far North, has been a staple in horror for a long time for two main reasons: its ties to the legends of the Algonquian people and …

Beyond The Door (2011)
Author: Jeffrey Thomas
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
Available from Dark Fuse
My Rating: 8.5 out of 10
 
Changing the way narratives are delivered can be a dangerous exercise for an author. The practice takes readers away from their comfort zone and leaves them guessing while they become familiar with the new style. However, Jeffrey Thomas’ combination of talent and imagination allows the author to pull it off brilliantly in Beyond the Door. The book could arguably be considered a collection of short stories, but Thomas puts all the tales …

Book: “Pestilence” (2011)
Author: Gary Towner
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 4 out of 10
 
It’s easy to find bad novels. Good ones are a little harder to come by. Finally, a novel that’s both good and bad is a bizarre occurrence in literature. However, they do exist, and Gary Towner’s “Pestilence” is a perfect example of this strange duplicity.
“Pestilence” is a story about the horror that can come from the fatal combination of scientific experimentation and military unscrupulousness. The story begins as World War II is coming to a close. A Colonel who …

Book: “Into Hell” (2011)
Author: William Ollie
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10
 
There are few things as horrible as war, and in William Ollie’s “Into Hell,” the reader takes a trip into the heart of conflict and then witnesses the destruction that can come when soldiers have problems dealing with war’s bleak aftermath. With a fast delivery and a direct prose that doesn’t shy away from the touchy subjects at hand, “Into Hell” is a action-packed tale that serves as a poignant critique of war by showing …

Book: “Mangled Meat” (2011)
Author: Edward Lee
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 8.5 out of 10
 
Edward Lee writes horror for people who are not afraid to be scared, disgusted and very tense. In “Mangled Meat,” a collection of tales from Deadite Press, the master of hardcore horror is on top of his game with three stories that read more like novellas and which can only be described as gut-wrenching, nerve-frying, top-notch horror.
The collection kicks off with “The Decortication Technician,” a great mixture of psychological tension, science fiction and journal that builds to a …

Book: “D.O.A. Extreme Horror Anthology” (2011)
Edited by: David C. Hayes and Jack Burton
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Large anthologies usually have a hard time maintaining the same quality throughout. However, when it comes to the 28 tales in Blood Bound Books’ “D.O.A. Extreme Horror Anthology,” the fast-paced prose is always there and the gore, sex and violence are almost always unrelenting and intense. While not all the stories are winners, many of them are superb horror short stories that deserve a read. Here are some of the highlights:
- …

Book: “Highways to Hell” (2011)
Author: Bryan Smith
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 6 out of 10
“Highways to Hell” is the first comprehensive collection on Bryan Smith’s short fiction. According to the author, it might also be the last, at least for a long time. When you’re done reading it, that knowledge might start to bother you a bit: the collection is solid, entertaining and a true testament to Smith’s creativity and knack for weird horror.
The compilation starts off with “Living Dead Bitch,” a celebration of friendship that reads like a zombie story …

Book: “Speak of the Dead: Exploring George A. Romero’s Original Dead Trilogy” (2011)
Author: Chris Wade
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 6 out of 10
Whether you like fast-moving zombies or prefer the lethargic, black and white undead of yore, one thing needs to be clear: the genre that you love so much would probably not be what it is today without the marvelous contributions of George A. Romero. In “Speak of the Dead: Exploring George A. Romero’s Original Dead Trilogy,” author Chris Wade examines the director’s vision and contributions to …

Book: “Fangboy” (2011)
Author: Jeff Strand
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Jeff Strand is a truly creative writer with a penchant for strange stories. In “Fangboy,” his latest release with Delirium Books, the author takes the reader on a wild ride that’s simply unlike anything else in current fiction and that’s right up there with the best of the year when it comes to uniqueness and sheer entertainment value.
 FFangboy” tells the story of Nathan Pepper, a boy who is born with a mouth full of monstrously sharp teeth. From the …

Book: “Cuckoo” (2011)
Author: Richard Wright
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 3.5 out of 10
Greg Summers is a normal man leading an ordinary life: he has a job, a house and a wife. All of that changes the day Greg wakes up and he’s no longer who he thought he was. From then on, Richard Wright’s “Cuckoo” is a tale about a man trying to untangle the deep, violent mysteries that surround his identity. The novel packs plenty of desperation via a main character that finds himself having a new name and facing …

Book: “Dreams the Ragman” (2011)
Author: Greg F. Gifune
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Just like many other kids, Derrick Ricci had a grandpa that would tell him stories. Derrick’s grandfather didn’t tell tales of war or lost loves, but stories about The Ragman, a filthy being that would move around in a horse drawn carriage collecting rags and other discarded items from people’s homes. But the Ragman was not just a hobo-like figure who collected garbage; the older Derrick got, the worse the stories got. Eventually, after his grandfather …

Book: “Z=mc2: Time-Travellin’ Zombies vs. the Garden State” (2011)
Author: Kelly Jameson
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 7 out of 10
Kelly Jameson’s new book, “Z=mc2: Time-Travellin’ Zombies vs. the Garden State” is a truly unfeasible tome in the current literary landscape: a truly original zombie novel. Jameson unabashedly grabs the best elements of zombie and apocalyptic fiction and throws in a very healthy dose of bizarre, funny goodness that includes, but is not limited to, Einstein’s zombie, flying Spam, chainsaw-wielding bikini clad babes, time traveling through a dumpster, a cross-dressing mental patient who …

Book: “It Drinks Blood” (2011)
Author: J.F. Gonzalez
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 6 out of 10
“It Drinks Blood” is an interesting novella from J. F. Gonzalez that brings to the table a unique premise wrapped in solid writing and a lot of creepy suggestions. Nevertheless, horror fans should be aware of the fact that the chills in this book come from what is not said. In the story, Robert, the first person narrator, remembers a period of his life from his current place, a nursing home. What Robert recalls has to do …

Book: “Take the Long Way Home” (2011)
Author: Brian Keene
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10
 
As soon as I started reading John Skipp’s great introduction to the new edition of Brian Keene’s “Take the Long Way Home” that Deadite Press just put out, I knew I was in for a treat. By the time the story came to an end, I realized I had not imagined half of what I would find.
In “Take the Long Way Home,” Keene throws together everything that’s good about post-apocalyptic fiction, i.e. violence, confusion, death, …

Baby’s First Book Of Fucked Up Shit
Author: Robert Devereaux
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
Some writers push the envelope. Others take the envelope, shred it, spit on it, beat it to a pulp and then make love to whatever’s left. Robert Devereaux is at the forefront of the second group. Cerebral, fearless, brutal, gory, poignant and unique, Devereaux’s work is unlike anything else out there and “Baby’s First Book of Seriously Fucked-Up Shit,” his latest release with Deadite Press, holds a position near the top of my list when it comes to …

 
Book: “Shadowed” (2011)
Author: Bill Gauthier
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 6 out of 10
To say that “Shadowed” is a horror novel is misleading. The book is divided into three parts: the first one is a ghostly horror story, the second one is a freaky paranormal romance filled with tension and the third reads like a psychological thriller that’s packed with enough desperation, anger and sadness to keep anyone satisfied.
The books starts with Gina Copeland in her room, catching a shadowy movement in the periphery of her vision. The shadow keeps coming back …

Book: “Twitch” (2011)
Author: Thomas Scopel
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 7 out of 10
I’ll be honest: I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with freak shows. That being said, “Twitch,” Thomas Scopel’s upcoming novella from Suspense Publishing, is interesting enough to hook readers in from the get-go even if they don’t care for freak shows and other oddities.
“Twitch” tells the story of a mute, deformed man with no arms or legs and a white eye that’s part of a travelling freak show and lives in a small cage among scraps …

Book: “Carnal Surgery” (2011)
Author: Edward Lee
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 9 out of 10
Edward Lee is the horror equivalent of John Steinbeck. Don’t believe me? Both writers possess a powerful, undeniable prose, both describe humanity in it’s purest form and both draw from a plethora of interests to create tremendous literature. However, Lee does something that sets him apart from all other authors out there: he takes a scalpel to all of society’s facades and exposes the awful, bloody, smelly mess that lies underneath.
In “Carnal Surgery,” Lee’s latest release from Deadite …

Book: “Bloodrush” (2011)
Author: Bryan Smith
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 7 out of 10
If you’re like me, the current state of vampires in literature probably irks you a bit. The bleak landscape of the undead is full of glittery, soft, pasty bloodsuckers more worried about being in love than satisfying their deathly thirst. If you agree with the preceding words, don’t fret: Bryan Smith is here to save the day with “Bloodrush,” his latest release with Delirium Books.
David Rucker wakes up in a room full of blood and torn bodies. He has …