Nordic Nightmares: The Best of Nordic Horror

 Nordic Nightmares: The Best of Nordic Horror edited by Margret Helgadottir

Nordic Nightmares cover

Editor Margrét Helgadóttir

I was really excited to find this anthology, Nordic Nightmares: The Best of Nordic Horror, for a couple of reasons. I’m not really familiar with Nordic literature, especially Nordic horror, so learning more about a region’s culture, beliefs and fears through their popular literature is appealing to me. Plus, I recently visited Norway, Sweeden, and Denmark, three of the seven countries featured in this anthology. While visiting Sweeden, we took a “ghost” tour in Stockholm, which was fascinating and ended up in a crypt. We didn’t really learn too much about ghosts, but we did learn more about their beliefs about death, disease, and murder and how there was a darker side to Stockholm. When we were in Norway, we also visited a troll museum, where we learned a lot about the kinds of folk beliefs and legends that are an integral part of Norwegian culture and history. It was fascinating to see how these mythological creatures were all impacted by the geography, culture and history of these countries. While there weren’t any stories about many of the mythological creatures or legends, there seemed to be some themes and anxieties running through many of the stories in this collection. Overall, I enjoyed the collection, and there were several entertaining stories. I especially liked the stories from Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, The Faroe Islands, Norway, and Sweeden. The Finnish stories to start the collection were ok, but I felt like they were much shorter and somewhat more experimental than the others, which had more of a horror feel. That is, these Finish stories did not seem scary or terrifying like many horror stories. Nevertheless, many of these stories had more of a feeling of dread, like there was something horrible awaiting, whether it was an impending disaster, guilt, or some other kind of lurking evil or problem that was gradually making its way to the characters. Some of the other stories deal with pandemics, deadly diseases, and large-scale disasters that help to hasten the collapse of society (“Angela’s Artworks”, “The Storm”, “You See Me, Don’t You”, and “A Pretty Parcel for a Pretty Price”). I couldn’t help but think about how the COVID lockdowns and the threat of future pandemics may have impacted these countries and their orderly societies. After visiting some of these countries, I was so impressed with how orderly and well-maintained they are. Countries like Sweeden, Denmark, and Norway all thrive on a social safety net that provides education, insurance, and other benefits for its citizens. I’m not sure whether people who are willing to give more for a well-functioning society help to create these feeling of orderliness and care, or whether those benefits that people pay for help to create this kind of feeling of safety and community within a country; whatever the cause, it’s apparent that these countries are clean and its citizens are friendly and welcoming. While everything was much more expensive, I can see how this contributes to a more supportive and well-functioning society. Yet it also seems like from some of these stories, there’s some underlying cultural anxiety about the collapse of society or their safety nets, and how problems or sudden emergencies can suddenly disrupt society and sow confusion and chaos. While these stories might not represent the kinds of personal horror found in more popular American horror novels, it captures the kind of dread and impending doom that are found in large scale disaster and apocalyptic stories.

Other stories had a bit of folk horror to them, especially those from Greenland, “The Qivitttoq” and “The Tupilak”. Both stories featured Innuit legends or folklore. “The Qivittoq” is a tale about a family friend that disappeared, but it is based on the qivittoq, a person who abandons society only to become something else. Similarly, “The Tupilak” deals with witchcraft and terrifying creature lurking nearby. There’s a great, slow-burn story from Sweeden, “Echo”, that was one of my favorites in the collection. It’s more of a folk horror story about the mysterious disappearance of a friend from years before, and the kinds of resentments that carry over from high school to young adulthood. I really enjoyed this story, especially the mountainous setting, as it added to the eerie, mysterious mood of the story. “The Shape of Stones”, a story from Iceland, uses diary entries to document an archeology student who is trying to find a mysterious ruin stone and is plagued with nightmares and other frightening experiences while trying to locate and excavate the stone. I also really enjoyed “Neither Heaven Nor Hell”, one of the Danish stories involving the narrator’s father’s mysterious disappearance into the neighboring bog and its decaying landscape. This story really captured the kind of decadence and decay of the bog and its relationship to the home. It reminded me of other stories about decay and degradation like “Fall of the House of Usher.” This story also featured some unique twists that ultimately surprised me. It was one of the standout stories from this collection. Other standout stories included “Smoke and Shadows” from Norway, which was seemed to be a story about the nature of evil and how it can be difficult to escape its lingering effects. “Hit and Run” from Sweeden was also a thrilling story about a single mother who is going through a divorce. This story was great not only for the pace and sense of dread and guilt, but also because the main character is both sympathetic and problematic, and I loved how the author, Markus Sköld, created this complex, frustrating character. There are some other really good stories throughout this collection, and it's worth reading some of them. I also loved that it seemed to present a different side of horror, revealing what other cultures and countries experience and value. Recommended! Many thanks to Solaris Books and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy.

Body and Blood: Catholic Horror in America

 Body and Blood: Catholic Horror in America by Matthew J. Cressler, Jack Lee Downey, Kathleen Holscher, and Michael Paquier

Body and Blood book cover

Is there any other kind of horror more terrifying than Catholic horror? Maybe not for those who were raised in other Christian denominations or other faiths, but as someone who attended Catholic school throughout elementary and high school and who served as an altar boy, I find Catholic horror, especially supernatural Catholic horror to be some of the most frightening and soul-searching kinds of horror around. I’ve always loved The Exorcist, and Body and Blood: Catholic Horror in America provides me with more reasons and ideas as to why this powerful film (and novel), which is allegedly based on a true story, remains one of the most frightening films of all time. Yet, the authors of this book, all academics, also explore how the film remains ultimately a Catholic recruiting tool, as it presents a message about good triumphing over evil and how good Catholics, even those who remain skeptical in an increasingly secular world, can return to the faith and possibly even make the ultimate sacrifice to help out someone else in need. Like Eleanor Johnson’s Scream With Me, a reevaluation of classic American horror films through a post-Dobbs feminist lens, Body and Blood invites readers and horror aficionados to reexamine some of these classic films and consider the implications of the events in our current times.

I really enjoyed Body and Blood especially since it allowed me to reconsider and reevaluate the meaning, symbolism, and themes in some of my all-time favorite horror movies. Furthermore, the authors also highlighted some other movies (and books) that I’ve been able to include on my to watch (and to read) list. However, what I enjoyed most about this book was their approach to contextualizing the horrors from these films socially, historically, and stylistically. Each chapter focuses on different elements of Catholic horror which include themes like demons and possession, haunted spaces, death, bodies, tradition, rites, and burial, and pain, martyrdom, and suffering. Each chapter also includes an interlude that focuses on the history, events, and figures who all have influenced these themes, symbols, and approaches to portraying Catholicism in films and novels. One of the elements I found most interesting about each chapter was the reminders about how Catholics were frequently suspected of evil or backwards, traditional practices, sometimes facing severe social ostracism, violence, and even death for their practices. While Catholics notably also participated in later persecutions during the European witch hunts of later medieval times, the book serves as a reminder of how frequently these elements of Catholicism were often portrayed as the other, a complex and arcane religion that bordered on superstitious and was often the subject of derision and fear mongering. Nevertheless, the authors remind readers how Catholic horror aligns well with many gothic elements to create some of the most well-regarded horror in literature and film, whether it’s the Monk, Dracula, or more recent entries like The Exorcist, The Nun, or The Conjuring films that feature demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. The authors explore the varieties of these stories, and how their settings, characters, and events all incorporate elements of Catholic horror, and how these themes have evolved from one of critiquing a religious group to one that seeks to potentially represent social and cultural fears and anxieties playing out in current society. In the early chapter that focuses on how the Catholic practice and interest in corpses and dead bodies are often displayed after death, the authors examine how this is often portrayed in films, where they spend some time examining Psycho, with Norman’s interest in taxidermy and how his mother’s corpse might reflect a Catholic belief. It was an interesting chapter to read about the practices in Catholicism that I grew up with without questioning too much, especially with practices like veneration of the body parts of saints or seeing the preserved bodies of other religious figures. The authors also discuss how zombie films that show the living dead walking among us might also represent some of the Catholic fears and anxieties, especially around the apocalypse and the end of the world. It was also fascinating to read the last chapter which details the Catholic idea of physical suffering, punishment, and pain, and how The Passion of the Christ is actually more of a horror film than anything else. Again, having grown up with the image of suffering and gruesome deaths of martyrs, it’s not something I really questioned until I began to meet others who were not raised Catholic. On a recent trip to Europe, I had to explain to my family about some of the more gruesome artwork representing the lives of saints in museums and cathedrals. I also recently rewatched Ken Russell’s The Devils, which is also featured throughout the book, and seeing some of the body horror and torture that is apparent in this film made me rethink the ideas of suffering and brutality that appear to be so much of certain brands of Catholicism.

Body and Blood is a fascinating book, especially for fans of horror who may have attended Catholic school. The authors, all scholars of literature or religion, present novel interpretations of horror, both older and modern, to allow readers and viewers to reconsider the influence of religion, especially Catholic religion, on horror. I found their interpretations and ideas fascinating and intriguing, allowing me to consider some of my favorite films and stories in a new light. Many thanks to NYU Press and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy. Highly recommended! 

Get on the Bus for Mr. Graham Jones's Wild Ride: Off the Reservation

 Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones

Off the Reservation book cover

Author Stephen Graham Jones

I don’t often recommend reading the acknowledgements first, but in the case of Stephen Graham Jones’s ambitious and wildly imaginative follow up to The Only Good Indians it might provide some context in understanding this surreal road-trip and possession horror novel that not only confronts many of the myths and stereotypes surrounding Indians, but he also offers insights and the inspirations that influenced this sequel to The Only Good Indians. Beyond textual evidence, Graham Jones also offers insight into his writing process, which informs this multi-layered novel that inhabits the perspectives of several complex characters who shift and evolve throughout the course of the novel and road trip. As Graham Jones notes “Put me in a group, at a dinner, a reception, and I usually hunch my shoulders and hide, stay quiet, always snaking looks at the door. Put me at the keyboard, though, and I come alive.” He discusses how part of the novel was written in an Applebee’s while he was on the road, and another chapter was written in the back of a car, where he risked motion sickness to put his vision on paper (or computer). He also thanks (sarcastically) a passenger who sat in front of him during a flight who pushed the seat back and nearly caused an ocular migraine while Graham Jones was continuing to work on this novel. It’s a fascinating look at the writing process for one of the most inventive and distinct voices in horror today, and it helped me better understand some of the events and significance of the characters and the action throughout the novel. Plus, he also offers sine background about the chapter “He Stood Dying”, which is pretty much a chapter about Nate going to the bathroom. It’s a fascinating chapter that left me wondering more about why so much of the chapter was dedicated to this process; it serves an important function later on in the story, which I don’t want to spoil, and the acknowledgement also reveals some of the motivation behind this focus. So depending on whether a reader wants to try to navigate this complex, surreal story on their own to attempt to make meaning, or whether they would prefer to hear from the author about motivations and meaning, it might help. I found myself both engaged and perplexed by Graham Jones’s unique style that features both truly gross and graphic horror as well as long, complex, stream-of-consciousness sentences that extend for several lines and capture details of the surrounding environment, the characters’ thoughts and feelings, and sometimes the author’s own interjections. One example from the pee chapter starts “He was a stoic Indian, though, didn’t even show it, excerpt maybe in how fast his fingertips kept galloping over the laminated table of the Sundancer’s abbreviated booth of a dining table, Mooch laying down solitaire cards across from him, his overfilled blader a stretched-tight drum skin picking up every single one of those thunderous impacts of varnished paper meeting laminated tabletop.” I found myself re-reading sections to better grasp what was happening, and I was constantly reminded of Toni Morrison’s famous retort to Oprah about the need to re-read “That, my dear, is called reading.” Off the Reservation has something for everyone, whether it is graphic and gross body horror, symbolic metaphors to counter the stereotypes and racism that Indians experience and to challenge the myths of America’s westward expansion, and the distinct voice of literary horror’s most inventive stylist. However, this is probably not a book for everyone, but it is a rewarding book if readers are willing to re-read and work to make meaning of the depth of Graham Jones’s surreal and metaphorical vision.

Off the Reservation is much different from The Only Good Indians even though it features some of the same characters. Where The Only Good Indians also featured multiple characters, whose stories were told in different sections, Off the Reservation also features multiple distinct characters whose stories intersect as they are all taking part on a road trip mission in an old Sundancer Camper RV to travel from Montana to Carlisle, Pa., site of the notorious Carlisle Indian School, whose founder, Richard Henry Pratt, explained the mission of the school to “Kill the Indian, save the man”, and as it’s been found out, the school often took this motto literally with over 200 marked and unmarked graves found around the school grounds. The Only Good Indians felt a lot like It to me as there were several friends who experienced a kind of trauma when they were younger that eventually came to haunt them. Off the Reservation feels like something else entirely. At first, I thought that with the road trip in the RV, there where hints of Doctor Sleep’s True Knot, but a kind of inverse to Crow Daddy, since these Indians were all attempting to repatriate the bones of a boy who died at the Carlisle Indian School, not take the lifeforce from younger kids. However, Off the Reservation also reminded me of Sherman Alexie’s excellent short story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” where the trip becomes more than just travelling, but it functions as a way to reconnect with indigenous culture and heritage while also confronting stereotypes and racism. Maybe I’m just looking too much into these similarities since these were not books that Graham Jones mentioned in the acknowledgement section, but I loved the way the road trip played out. Beyond these literary connections, Off the Reservation’s horror is what really sets it apart from other books. I also loved The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, and that book also included some graphic details, but it was framed as a kind of vampire novel, whereas Off the Reservation features a demonic spirit that ends up possessing members of the trip and causing extreme instances of body horror. Other characters, notably Christiana/Christian, experience their own violence and body horror, with a brutal attack at a rest stop that leaves them without a tongue, which is eventually replaced by a synthetic tongue that is attached by magnets, which Christiana/Christian keeps in a hollowed-out bible to help with finding their voice. This might be my favorite character in the book, and they are definitely one of the more symbolic characters, who loses their voice to a kind of settler violence, and struggles to communicate throughout the rest of the book. Although one could argue that it’s the other characters and us who struggle to understand them, and that Christiana/Christian have developed their own language despite the efforts of others to try to silence them or replace their voice with a synthetic facsimile kept in a Christian box. There’s many of these kinds of symbolic incidents throughout the novel, whether it is characters questioning the cleanliness of blankets and refusing to use them or even the voice of Russell Means showing up to talk through the body of Nurse Seine (I also loved Graham Jones’s aside “It was the same clipped-but-controlled delivery from the 1989 Senate hearings that he always showed class, to try to foment what might need fomenting. Eighteen minutes of prepared remarks: restrained but angry, persuasive but demanding, eloquent but in that reservation accent, AIMing (my emphasis) for the bullseye and hitting it line after line- a hero if there ever was one.”). Although Nurse Seine has her own motivations for bringing Nate out to the Carlisle Indian School, I felt bad for everything that she experiences throughout the novel. She’s repeatedly punished through the possession, and it reminded me a lot of the Evil Dead movies where there is horror, gore, but also a bit of surreal slapstick and over-the-top body horror. Graham Jones definitely puts her through the wringer throughout this book.

Although I’ve written a good amount about this book, I haven’t even really addressed the plot of the book, and it’s a little challenging since this book starts out with Nate and his friend Sebby looking to burglarize a kind of lake vacation home, only to end up in a car accident. Prior to the accident, Nate sees what he thinks are tiny deer that may have been recording the burglary, which he later witnesses on a videotape of the film War Party, which apparently is a real film that takes place on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. I also loved how this locally made film ends up playing a kind of surreal role where Nate struggles to understand the truth of history and the fictions of the myths that many believe. The film plays on a loop throughout their road trip, and Nate witnesses changes in the film, whether it’s Sebby’s sudden appearance in the film or seeing the moments before the accident that heavily damaged Nate’s skull and sent Sebby into a coma. While recuperating in the hospital, Nate’s nurse, Nurse Seine, ends up helping him with his recovery, and eventually encouraging him to join the road trip to Carlisle and eventually join the Dakota pipeline protests on their way back to Montana (I think). The story shifts from Nate and Sebby’s antics to start the novel, to Nate’s difficult recovery, and eventually the long journey out to Carlisle, and while the group of Indians in the Sundancer RV cover many miles in their journey, most of the action takes place within the RV, with some occasional rest stops and when they eventually reach their destination of Carlisle. I can’t really give more details about this incredible book without really spoiling too much of it; however, the story shifts to a possession story, which apparently Graham Jones was learning the rules of with his grad seminar on possession stories (which I would have loved to take- this sounds like an amazing course; hopefully he at least releases the syllabus). I’m still trying to make sense of the book and many of the wild events that took place after they reach Carlisle, but if readers appreciate unique stories that take common tropes and reinvent them, then they will most likely appreciate this inventive and original book. It is a challenging read, mostly because of Graham Jones’s unique style, with his long, complex sentences and stream-of-consciousness narration of multiple characters who are in the RV. It’s a rewarding read for those who want to venture Off the Reservation and challenge themselves, but it may not be for everyone. Much like he did with The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Graham Jones experiments with form and style, taking horror staples like the vampire or demons who look for a human host to create a unique and original story that reinvents monsters and challenges stereotypes and historical myths. Graham Jones has created a wild road trip that I didn’t want to end, but I really enjoyed the ride. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Saga Press and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of this amazing book! 

Red Roots Volume One: An Inventive, Genre Blending Comic

 Red Roots Volume One by Lorenzo De Felici

Red Roots book cover

Author and artist Lorenzo De Felici

Many thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of the wild and inventive comic Red Roots by Lorenzo De Felici. This volume collects issues 1-5, world building a mysterious other dimension where a high school biology teacher and a professional killer end up meeting through a giant warrior creature named Grit. The story starts off alternating between the two characters, Dante (or Dan), the professional killer out for vengeance, and Katie, a high school teacher who makes an unsettling discovery in her home, leading her to question her sanity. Their stories converge in a strange, new world where the red roots bring new recruits to join the battle-inflicted world. We gradually learn more about the world, the seemingly endless battles, and the various creatures that inhabit this world as Dan and Katie learn more through their interactions with other creatures, including Grit. The artwork is stellar in this collection, moving from a realistic style to a fantasy world populated by inventive creature designs. At times, the story is a little hard to follow since the transitions from one world to the next are sudden, but we learn more about how Katie and Dan ended up in the land of the Red Roots and how they might be afforded an opportunity to leave. The story ends suddenly without any resolution, so I’m hopefully that future issues will examine more about how Dan and Katie navigate this strange world, managing threats from the enemy combatants as well as creatures within the town who seem suspicious or jealous of their position as humans. I really enjoyed how the artwork and story synthesizes several genres to create a unique tale that can appeal to sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and action/adventure enthusiasts. I’m looking forward to learning more about the world of Red Roots in subsequent issues. Recommended!

Exploring the World of Stephen King: The Art and Craft of Stephen King by Guy Astic and Frank Lafond

 The Art and Craft of Stephen King: The Story Behind Every Novel, Novella, and Short Story by Guy Astic and Frank Lafond

The Art and Craft of Stephen King cover

Author and researcher Guy Astic

Author and researcher Frank Lafond

Credit due to Guy Astic and Frank Lafond, authors of the massive, encyclopedic entry into Stephen King’s universe titled The Art and Craft of Stephen King: The Story Behind Every Novel, Novella, and Short Story, for providing fans with a wonderful reference to all of King’s work, and in some cases, making intertextual connections to allow readers to see references to characters, places and events that frequently occur from Derry to Castle Rock. Astic and Lafond have covered nearly all of the bases in King’s writing and filmography, providing the background to the stories, novels, and novellas, while also noting literary allusions and influences that King incorporated in his writing. Each chapter of the book closely examines one book, with some chapters focused on short story collections, examining themes within the collections, while also noting how the stories may relate to other novels that arrived later in King’s career. I especially loved the sidebars “For King Addicts”, where the authors provide some deeper level knowledge for King fans, whether it’s personal connections and history from King related to a specific book, or what was happening in King’s life at the time of the writing of the book. It’s fascinating to learn some of these hidden tidbits about some of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. Each chapter also has a section that focuses on the screen adaptation of the book, allowing fans to learn more about how these novels were adapted for the big screen and helped to further cement King’s status as the modern master of horror. While I loved learning more about the writing behind these books, I think learning about the film adaptations was also fascinating—especially as they note how King’s bankability took a hit in the 80s after the success of Carrie. I actually didn’t realize that George Romero initially wanted to adapt The Stand, but due to budget constraints and the lengthy book, it was never adapted to the big screen, yet has had 2 television miniseries adaptations. Similarly, there have been about 10 films adapted in various forms from Night Shift, although there are nearly that many sequels to Children of the Corn. This chapter examined the variability in adapting King’s work for the screen, especially as King has often not been involved in the screenwriting process for many of these films. He infamously ended up directing Maximum Overdrive based on the Night Shift story “Trucks”. I remember loving Maximum Overdrive when I was like 10, and reading about the production of the film made me want to watch it again. The section on this book also made me want to check out some of the lesser-known adaptations from the 90s like The Mangler and Sometimes They Come Back. This book also has one of the most recent King adaptations, The Long Walk, which was first published under King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman. In fact, the Bachman books are also included in this collection—even Rage, which has been taken out of print. Astic and Lafond have left no Castle Rock unturned in their examination and exploration of King’s work.

While I enjoyed this massive 650 page book, I think it would work better as a physical book. I am grateful to Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers and NetGalley for sharing an advanced digital copy of this wonderful book with me, but as other reviewers have mentioned, the digital formatting was not ideal for a book like this. I think the various photos, promotional materials, and other King ephemera would be better enjoyed in clear photos in a physical copy of the book. The scanned images were a little blurry, and whether it was the scanning or formatting of the digital files, the smaller type of the pages were harder to read than other digital books. Nevertheless, this book has proven to be one of the Needful Things for King’s number one fans. I’ll be on the lookout (or maybe the Overlook) for a physical copy at my local bookstore, allowing me to get lost in King’s mythical and malevolent worlds, whether it’s the sewars of Derry or the dome of Chester’s Mill. This is an amazing reference for King’s world. Highly recommended!  

Examining the Horrors of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence in Incarnate by Alma Katsu

Incarnate by Alma Katsu

Incarnate book cover

Author Alma Katsu

Alma Katsu’s Incarnate is a fascinating and thrilling update to the gothic horror classic The Portrait of Dorian Gray. I’d actually argue that Katsu’s Incarnate is a more adventurous and relevant story that not only examines the age-old desire for beauty and youth, but rather frames these themes in our world that, as Katsu explains in her afterward, “can…not tell the difference between real and fake, it would seem much of the population no longer cares.” Her main character, Dorothy, is a complicated woman whose own trauma and bullying pushed her to the fringes of society and uses social media more as a lurker than someone truly engaged in making meaningful connections, even if they are virtual. An opportunity to work a video creator, Tomas Delgado, allows Dorothy to gain entry level access to cutting edge technology in social media before she graduates college. Katsu’s characterization of Dorothy allows us to both empathize with her and root for her as she seems to obtain a dream internship working with one of the hottest video producers, even if it requires leaving school early and moving to LA on her own away from her family in NJ. As Dorothy develops strong work ethic, spending many nights at the studio perfecting video effects for her favorite signer, Catrina Villeneuve, she’s able to demonstrate her technological prowess to Tomas, proving that she’s a capable and talented member of Tomas’s developing team, even if it sets up rivalries between other members of Tomas’s team. However, Dorothy’s late nights aren’t all spent on Tomas’s projects. She’s also been developing her own avatar, Isabella, who she decides to create social media accounts for. Despite being a digital creation that was developed through her work with the singer Catrina Villeneuve, people can’t (or aren’t willing to) recognize that Isabella is not real. In fact, Isabella’s girl-next-door looks and emptiness seem to appeal to a broad swath of social media users, and she eventually becomes a phenomenon. Maybe because there’s this air of mystery about her, but people want to know more about this woman and where she came from. Even Tomas and others in the studio have questions about Isabella, but because Dorothy used Catrina’s images and videos and Tomas’s equipment and property to create this viral sensation, she’s not willing to disclose her origins. In fact, she secretly seems to revel in the comments, attention and notifications she’s receiving as Isabella since this was never something she experienced as Dorothy. Dorothy also begins to receive strange messages that seemingly offer her a chance to have Isabella become more and more popular, dominating the digital realm. However, as Dorothy eventually learns, these kinds of deals with “trolls” often come with some compensation. Even though she doesn’t sign and contract and her agreement is through messaging, Dorothy’s troll extracts quite the toll, even if the cost doesn’t immediately reach Dorothy.

Before becoming a novelist, Katsu worked in the world of intelligence, becoming one of the first social media researchers, often trying to learn more about how social media impacted behaviors, beliefs, and the flow of information. Similarly, Incarnate takes readers behind the scenes to learn more about how social media and our willingness to accept whatever we see can boost profiles, whether they are real or not. In her afterword, Katsu also shares a thought about social media that I’ve been thinking about ever since I finished the book: “Here’s the last lesson of tech forecasting: Every technology has two sides, and those two sides are not Good and Bad. They’re Offensive and Defensive. You can use a new technology to improve your lot in life or to further your goals, but you can also use it to take down your enemies, to obfuscate or deceive.” It’s a powerful lesson that the technology isn’t really good or bad, but rather it’s how we decide to use it. While Dorothy initially uses it to attain the kind of popularity and attention that evaded her (or she shunned) IRL, we see how she learns to use social media as not just a tool, but also a weapon. At one point, Isabella is invited to a weekend getaway with other influencers who remind her to act as if there’s always a camera filming her; although she forgets this reminder, she learns how others may use social media to take down competitors. In fact, we begin to see how Isabella and Dorothy both change from desiring attention and likes to feeling threatened and cornered by competition. In many ways, Dorothy reminded me of Maris from Katsu’s last novel Fiend, where we see someone who is bound by her status, yet finds ways to manipulate and maneuver, often with some supernatural help, and advance in a world that previously denied them status. Alma Katsu’s Incarnate is an exciting, page-turning ride where I felt my emotions swaying from sympathy to disgust and dismay. I really appreciated the complexity of Dorothy and the transformation that occurs with her as she gains more status and visibility through Isabella. Some of the other characters, especially the other influencers, were a little more underdeveloped, and I would have liked to learn more about them. I also loved the mention of a character named Graham Jones, a “British technocrat bankrolling Tomas’s studio,” and wished there was more about this aptly named individually. Some of the plot points, which I won’t give away to spoil the ending, move rather rapidly towards the latter half of the book. Nevertheless, Katsu’s writing kept my attention and kept me turning pages. Incarnate is a fascinating book, and a great way to use horror to examine the implications of social media and artificial intelligence, especially our willingness to accept whatever we see online as real. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for sharing an advance copy of this wonderful book!

 

Unexplained Events and Eerie Tales from MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within

 MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within: The Graphic Stories by MrBallen with artwork by Andrea Mutti

MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within cover

Podcaster MrBallen

Artist Andrea Mutti

Many thanks to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within: The Graphic Stories. MrBallen, a popular true crime podcaster and influencer, has collected some of his favorite, most haunting unexplained mysteries and commissioned his creative team to retell these chilling stories in graphic novel form. Although MrBallen has selected the tales for this anthology, he acknowledges the team including his sister, Evan Allen, who writes and edits, along with co-selecting the stories, and Robert Venditti, who revises the podcast scripts into graphic novel formats, as integral to the creation of this collection. In addition, Andrea Mutti contributes through his excellent artwork to capture some of the terrifying and uncanny elements of these stories.

The stories in this collection take place around the world and through different times in the 19^th and 20th centuries. Some of the stories, like the Dyatlov Pass Incident (“Dead Mountain”) and the Magdelena Solis story (“The Cave”) may be familiar, if not infamous, for some readers. Other stories like “The Red Ghost”, “Ape Canyon”, and “Her Face” were familiar to me, but had elements of the uncanny, the unexplained, or happenstance that created ironic twists that helped intrigue me with its events. I appreciated how this collection provides a map and locations for each of the events to indicate where these stories took place. Although not all of the stories were included in this sample, it provided me with enough to pique my interest in these tales of the unexplained. Like MrBallen, I’m also a fan of these kinds of mysteries and unexplained phenomena. MrBallen provides brief commentary at the beginning and end of each story, and most of the stories are told through his 3^rd person narration that observes and describes what happens to those involved in the story. He provides some explanations about the events at the end of some of the stories, but others like “Dead Mountain” and “Ape Canyon” remain somewhat unresolved and mysterious, leaving readers wanting to know more about what exactly happened and what the possible explanations are for these events. Others like “The Cave” and “The Red Ghost” have mostly rational explanations for the events that occurred or at least have some kind of resolution where justice was served. Nevertheless, “The Red Ghost” was particularly haunting and strange as we are never really given an explanation as to why the red ghost initially appeared or what exactly happened to Elizabeth. It was a strange and perplexing tale that’s left me wanting to know more. Thankfully, the team working with MrBallen provides a useful further reading list at the end of the collection to learn more about each of these events.

This was a fun, quick read that has some intriguing investigative tales. The simple narration and commentary in each of the panels helps to focus on the mysterious nature of these events, and pairs well with Mutti’s stark, evocative illustrations and artwork, creating a creepy and uncanny atmosphere, great for the Halloween season. I was also excited to learn that there are other MrBallen graphic novels available that detail other mysteries and unexplained events, so I’ll look forward to checking those out. Recommended!

The Spine of the Land a Truly Graphic Novel

 The Spine of the Land by Jason Krawcyzk with artwork by A. Shay Hahn

The Spine of the Land cover

Author Jason Krawcyzk

Many thank to Dead Sky Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to preview The Spine of the Land, a historical hicksploitation graphic novel by Jason Krawcyzk with artwork by A. Shay Hahn. I was drawn to this graphic novel by the amazing cover art by Andrew Barr, which shows some kind of giant monster man feasting on flesh above a group of masked men roving among a hill of skulls. The description of the novel as “3:10 to Yuma meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre” also grabbed my attention since it seemed like such an odd pairing. The story is simple and escalates quickly but takes some unexpected pivots and twists along the way. Louisiana is expanding the railroad line through the state, but the project encounters a frightening roadblock: a band of cannibals in the undeveloped backwoods of Louisiana, delaying the project and costing the railroad companies and the state money. The forces attempting to protect the workers have captured one of the cannibals in a bear trap and want to bring him back to his home settlement. However, the governor wants to also offer the cannibals money to move out of the railroad’s way and allow construction on the line to continue. The governor and others involved with the railroad’s construction hire a kindly sheriff along with a crew of other outcasts to escort the cannibal, in a cage, through the backwoods and bayous of Louisiana. Without giving too much away, the story takes some surprising turns as the crew realizes that this might not have been the mission they initially signed up for. This is a quick read, that moves along propulsively as the mission begins and the group of ragtag lawmen move throughout the creepy and ominous backwoods of Louisiana. I really enjoyed the story, as it offers an interesting historical take on the kind of hicksploitation films from the 70s and 80s that can be so disturbing. While the description references Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I was also thinking a little bit about Bone Tomahawk when I read this, as there are some brutal kills throughout this story as the marauding mass of man-eaters attempt to defend their home against encroaching eminent domain. Regardless, any horror fan will get their fill of brutal blood and guts with this edition that really puts the graphic in graphic novel. Recommended!

A Great Book for Summer Vacation- Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots

 Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots by J. W. Ocker

Don't Go There book cover

Traveler and author J. W. Ocker

Many thanks to Quirk Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of J.W Ocker’s latest entry into eerie-themed tourism Don’t Go There: A Tour of the World’s Most Sinister Spots. I’ve previously read Ocker’s The United States of Cryptids, where he explores each state’s unique creature or cryptid, and Cult Following, where details some of the most notorious cults from recent times, and explores the psychology of those who joint the cults. Don’t Go There is like both books in that Ocker explores areas and locations around the world and dives into the history, events, and culture that have created a sense of fear, dread, and curiosity about some of these spaces. Ocker’s writing is more than just informational in that he provides detailed descriptions and narrative like insight into the events that led to these areas becoming cursed or haunted, adapting the history to something more entertaining and engaging, while also keeping a skeptical perspective on the rational explanations behind the mysteries and unexplained phenomena related to these places.

Ocker organizes the areas into different groups: Fearsome Forests, Wretched Waters, Insane Islands, Deadly Deserts, Risky Ruins, and Spooky Snowscapes, and provides a useful list for further reading. I appreciated this organization as he is able to draw some parallels between the environments or conditions that helped lead to these issues. I really appreciated the fact that he’s writing about some of the places that I’ve always wanted to visit, including Centralia, PA, which I’ve been obsessed with since first reading about it more than 20 years ago. This was one of the places that Ocker has actually visited, so it was interesting to read about his own experiences and observations while visiting this town famous for its underground fire that continues to burn. While Centralia has a natural explanation for its infernal reputation, other places remain the subject of public curiosity because of mysterious events tied to their location. These include places like The Pine Barrens in NJ, Skinwalker Rance in Utah, Mount Shasta in CA, and the Bermuda Triangle. Ocker details the legends, myths, and strange events associated with these places, and often offers rational explanations for the events. Other possibly lesser known places are also of interest including Aokigahara, the Bridgewater Triangle, Isla de las Muñecas, and Dudleytown. I loved learning about these places, and since I’ll probably never be able to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, it’s interesting to read more about it and how the nuclear accident has created interesting conditions for new plants and animals to grow, and fueled urban legends and a new kind of tourism industry in exploring this site. I also recently visited Paris and was disappointed to learn that the catacombs were closed when we visited. Not that my family would join me in exploring this underground necropolis, but Ocker’s reporting and descriptive history provides some further insight into how and why these bones were moved underground and arranged in such a manner. It was also fascinating to learn that groups of individuals were using the catacombs for secret parties until they were eventually busted.

This is a great book for those who are interested in mysterious places. I’m always interested in unexplained phenomena, and Ocker’s book not only provides insightful research into these areas, but also offers rational explanations that allow us to remain skeptical and offer plausible reasons for these irreputable retreats. Although Adam Parata provides great illustrations throughout the book that contribute to its eerie feel, I wish there were some real photographs of these places that were included in the book. Nevertheless, this is a fun and insightful read, especially for getting some travel ideas and possibly ignoring Ocker’s plea to Don’t Go There. Highly recommended!

Grief Eater by Emma Osborne

Grief Eater book cover

Author Emma Osborne

Many thanks to Interstellar Flight Press and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of Emma Osborne’s harrowing and yet sympathetic novella Grief Eater. I was attracted to this book from the description, dark title, and incredible cover artwork from Dante Luiz. Although this book is brief and moves rather quickly through narrator Kristina’s quest to return to the origins of some of her earliest and most enduring trauma’s, I wasn’t prepared for how moving and emotionally wrought this book was. Osborne has accomplished the unique task of creating a bleak and dark apocalyptic survival story that also elicited sympathy and concern for all the violence, hate, and rejection that the main character, Kristina, experienced in her brief life. Told from Kristina’s point of view after she has been infected by a global event that turns the recently dead into red-everywhere- rage-filled undead fiending for a flesh feast. Although we get glimpses of Kristina’s life throughout the chapters, her quest to return home is told in brief simple sentences that contain graphic and gore-filled moments when she either stops for a snack or notes that human decay and detritus that has been strewn throughout her hometown. The interesting twist in Kristina’s perspective is that she not only devours flesh but also gains access to the memories of those she ingests. Although Kristina is undead or at least not alive, these experiences of seeing and feeling the memories of those she eats also causes her to reflect on her own experiences and establishes a strong determination to seek out her own family, not for a reunion, but for revenge. As we learn, Kristina’s life has been filled with hate and rejection, especially from her family. Kristina’s father is always drunk and ready to meet out punishment with his belt, her mother showed mixed feelings of compassion and resentment, and her older brother lived up to the stereotypes of the mean and sadistic elder sibling. Kristina’s homelife is filled with pain, uncertainty, violence, and rejection, which is only intensified when she comes out as queer. Her parents basically kick her out, and she leaves to move in with a trans friend. Although Kristina’s family is hostile and violent to her, she attempts to create a found family and new community on her own. Although she finds some love and connection with friends, she’s continually haunted by feelings of rejection and abandonment, often becoming hypervigilant in her own relationships. Paradoxically, it’s when Kristina becomes infected and undead that she develops a new sense of confidence and purpose, determined to travel across Australia to find and feast on her family. Along the way, we learn more about her experiences, her family’s rejections and her connection with her trans friend Josh, who was always there for her. Throughout her harsh journey across Australia, Kristina encounters many obstacles and soldiers who try to capture and kill the undead, and readers learn more about the past violence that is driving her to meet out her own punishments and justice.

Although she is undead, Kristina has a wealth of memories, and I found it interesting to learn more about her experiences through her undead consciousness rather than through her life. I was also surprised that despite being gory and rather bleak, Osborne also elicited a deep sense of sympathy for Kristina. I’m not sure if all readers will feel the same way, but I was moved by the horror and violence that was inflicted on Kristina, and it made me think about other queer, trans, gay, and nonbinary kids who experience similar rejection, bullying, and hostility from their parents, peers, and communities. Although Osborne has created a kind of apocalyptic event that creates these undead bodies who see red everywhere, most kids in the LQBTQ community just want to be themselves or are looking for support and understanding as they grapple with their sexuality, and many turn their complicated feelings elsewhere, possibly even on themselves. Osborne’s book is a reminder that no matter what, we are all people and we share a sense of humanity, especially at the family level, where kids often look to parents and siblings for support and understanding. Grief Eater is a dark, gory book that is, at times, bleak, but also sympathetic and moving. Recommended! 

 

Journeying to Another Dimension of Sound, Sight, and Mind in The Twilight Zone: Stories from the Fifth Dimension

 The Twilight Zone: Stories from the Fifth Dimension by Dan Watters, Morgan Beem, Tom Scioli, James Stokoe, L. Marlow Francavilla, Francesco Francavilla, and Nate Powell

The Twilight Zone book cover

Many thanks to IDW Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to journey to through a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind, with their entertaining new collection of stories from The Twilight Zone: Stories from the Fifth Dimension by Dan Watters, Morgan Beem, Tom Scioli, James Stokoe, L. Marlow Francavilla, Francesco Francavilla, and Nate Powell. I’m a fan of the original show The Twilight Zone, as well as many of the other iterations. I loved the ironic twists of the episodes and how many of the episodes encourage viewers to think deeply about their own behavior and actions. The stories in this collection feature many of the same kinds of selfish, greedy, and thoughtless characters who experience a kind of cosmic irony, and the authors are able to make the stories unique and different from the episodes. Not all of the stories were great or land with the same kind of impact of the dramatic irony, yet they still managed to resonate with me. The artwork is also good, rendered in black and white, which harkens back to the classic episodes from the 1960s. Furthermore, each story is framed by unique artwork with faceless people, creating a kind of connective transition among the different stories that replaces Rod Serling’s iconic introduction to each episode.

The first story is “Blanks”, is the kind of story that reminds me a little of “Time Enough At Last” and Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death”, where a rich man who is dying is seeking a scientific path to immortality on an exclusive and secluded island. “The World of Your Wildest Dreams” is a story about a group of astronaut explorers who discover a planet with an Earth-like atmosphere populated by creatures who seem to have an interest in Freudian psychoanalysis and are able to manifest the crew’s deepest, repressed memories. This story also featured a great surprise at the end, and the artwork is creative, especially the creatures that inhabit the land. “The Relic” has some of the best artwork in the book, although the story was a little hard to follow. It features two warring groups in a seemingly ancient world that are battling for control and dominance over one another. There are some surprising images that crop up that lead readers to question the setting. The ending was very surprising and also a little humorous. Nevertheless, the story does raise some questions about our own values, beliefs, and practices. “False Bottom” is a story with an unlikeable character whose vacation with his sister and brother-in-law is disrupted when they travel through their houseboat’s false bottom to another world. I liked the modern relevance of this story, and as a story where we see an unlikeable character receive some karma. “False Bottom” is an eerie and unsettling story that can appeal to those who question the bros and those partaking in the maxxing culture. “Silent Warning” is a kind of monster story about a group of scientists who discover a meteor at the bottom of the ocean. It’s emitting sounds, which is odd for a space rock. As a result, they enlist the expertise of Dr. Emily Sorenson, a scientist who studies sonic frequencies underwater. The group of male scientists and crew members seem to discount Dr. Sorenson’s ideas and suggestions, while she grows more attuned to the strange and haunting frequencies emitting from the meteor. I really liked the setting, artwork, and mutant fish that threaten the scientists as they explore the mysterious meteor.

The Twilight Zone: Stories from the Fifth Dimension collection is a nice addition to the Twilight Zone series. The stories are entertaining and contain ironic twists, with some hitting harder than others. The artwork, rendered in black and white, is good and adds to the classic, Twilight Zone feel of these stories. Recommended!