The Nightmare Room Review

I discovered Chris Sorensen and his work the way I have many of my new favorite books and authors, through the amazing horror book community on the web and social media. I’m not typically a fan of haunted house books.  I’m not here to bash anything, I simply felt that in order to properly convey how much I LOVED this book, I needed to start off by telling you I don’t have much love for this sub genre. The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen, is simply put, one of the best haunted house novels I’ve ever read.

Sorensen’s novel is the story of husband and wife Pete and Hannah Larson. Family illness has our protagonists moving to Pete’s childhood home to wrap up family affairs, while affording them an opportunity to put their own troubles behind them and start fresh. The Nightmare Room isn’t a long book, coming in at under 300 pages. This works in the books favor as Sorensen quickly ratchets up the tension and doesn’t waste a single word throughout. Transitions from past to present happen frequently, but are never jarring due to the skill of the author. Another major strength of this book is Sorensen’s ability to make you care for Pete and Hannah in the brief time we spend with them. Due to the way he makes you connect to them, you feel what they feel as the story unfolds.  When things get going towards the conclusion, Sorensen expertly knocks it out of the park.  The nature of the haunting in this sub genre is typically what ruins it for me. I usually find the endings cheesy, and I’m happy to say this WASN’T the case in this book.

As I reflect on this book, I believe I’ve found what is very likely my favorite haunted house novel. The characters are great. The story is well written and genuinely spooky. At one point I stopped reading during the night because I couldn’t shake a spine tingling feeling the book gave me.  I don’t say that lightly, it’s the first time that’s happened to me since I read Salem’s Lot as a teen. I had to finish this book in the daylight.  I read this book on my Kindle, but frankly, I enjoyed it so much I’ll be buying a physical copy as well, Sorensen has certainly earned a spot on my shelf.

5/5 mortar rounds for The Nightmare Room, By Chris Sorensen.

Bird Box Review

Have you ever put a book on your TBR shelf meaning to read it, KNOWING you should read it ASAP but for some reason keep putting it off. For reasons unknown, you just kept picking something else up off the shelf. Finally the day comes where you pick the book up and you don’t put it down until you’re finished. That just happened to me with Josh Malerman’s “Bird Box” and I really want to slap myself in the face for waiting so long.

For those who haven’t read the book or watched the movie, Bird Box follows Malorie and her journey through what seems to be the apocalypse. People are going mad and nobody knows why. The only thing anybody knows is those who went mad saw SOMETHING prior to losing their minds.  Malerman goes back and forth through two different time periods(the onset of the event, and 4 years after) effortlessly.  Malorie is a character that you genuinely care for and you find yourself terrified along side her in a world where what is UNSEEN can be much more terrifying than the horrors of the seen world. Malerman crafts a world where the human danger is just as real as “creatures”. This book had me on the edge of my seat, flipping page after page, chapter after chapter.

Bird Box is an exceptional novel. In 2019 I’ve read many amazing books and I’m pleased to say that Bird Box stands amongst the best of them. This an absolute must read. I give my highest recommendation to anyone looking for a good horror novel.  I couldn’t put it down, and I doubt you will either.

5/5 mortar rounds for Bird Box, by Josh Malerman

The Saturday Night Ghost Club Review

Disclosure: The Saturday Night Ghost Club was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Every so often, a book comes along that sticks with the reader.  You blow through the book because it's so good, racing to the conclusion.  You flip that last page and turn to the back cover, finished with the book.  But that book isn't quite finished with you.  You think about how the book made you feel, you think about the characters, you yearn for more.  I'm so excited to sit here and tell you that "The Saturday Night Ghost Club" by Craig Davidson is one such book.

The story primarily follows young Jake Baker, his uncle Calvin, and his two friends Billy and Dove Yellowbird.  It's a coming of age story set in the 80's, following the main characters as they spend their summer investigating local ghosts and legends.  My main exposure to Craig Davidson has actually been through his Nick Cutter horror novels, and so I was completely taken aback by this book.  This is a book that wastes no words. What Davidson does within these pages is pure magic.  He makes you remember what it was like to be this young.  To be out with your friends without a care in the world, risking harm to yourself without even realizing it because you're 12, and what could possibly go wrong when you have your whole life in front of you.  You see Jake get picked on, fall for his first crush, have dangerous encounters.  It all hits close to home, because Davidson has the skill to make you remember when YOU were Jake, and that's why this book works,  It's perfect.  This book isn't all happy magic though.  Davidson, having grown up a fan of horror, and written three terrifying novels himself under a different name, uses his literary skill and those influences to not only make this a magical, heartfelt novel of nostalgia, but to also fill it with touching moments, heartache, and pain to make this novel as real as it gets.

When I put the book down, I wasn't able to immediately write this review.  I needed to sit and think about what I had just read.  I've seen it said that this may the book that breaks Davidson into the big time, and after reading it, I wholeheartedly agree.  This book is a perfect ride back to your childhood.  From the setting, to the characters and the story, everything just works.  We're almost halfway through the year and I believe I've just read my favorite book of 2019. Pick this book up and I think you'll feel the same way.

5/5 for "The Saturday Night Ghost Club" By Craig Davidson

I've also attached an Interview With Craig Davidson provided to my by Penguin Click here for that

Full Throttle Review

Disclosure: I was provided with an advance copy of Full Throttle by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Let me just start off by saying this.  Joe Hill is a master of his craft.  Much like his father, he has the skill to not only write a massive novel, but to create amazing short stories as well.  The leap in quality from 20th Century Ghosts to Full Throttle is much like the leap from Heart Shaped Box to NOS4A2.  It's that good.

Full Throttle compiles 13 short stories, 2 of which are exclusive to this collection.  The stories range from touching to downright terrifying and everything else in between.  The standout of this collection is "Late Returns".  It's the story of a man who's job puts him in contact with the deceased, all while dealing with losses of his own.  It's a heartfelt tale of coming to terms with losing loved ones.  "Dark Carousel" and "Throttle" are particularly brutal tales.  The former being the better of the two, while the latter is co-written with Stephen King.  Another standout in the collection is "In the Tall Grass", the second story co-written with Hill's father.  This one is absolutely terrifying.  It's also worth noting that this story is being adapted for streaming as a netflix original.  I also really enjoyed "Mums" and "Twittering from the Circus of the Dead".  One thing that all of the stories in the collection share is that Hill is so good, he makes the fantastical seem plausible.

Full Throttle is another Home Run for Joe Hill.  There are a few standout stories, but the entire collection is so good, I'm hard pressed to find one I could do without.  Full Throttle represents a master craftsmen elevating his game to the highest level.  If you're a fan of Joe Hill, you'll love this one.  Those of you who aren't, prepare to fall in love.

5 out of 5 mortar rounds.  A must buy.

NOS4A2 on AMC

So I’ve been watching NOS4A2 in AMC and I’ve got to say I love this television adaption so far. It’s faithful to the book as much as it can be and the cast are doing a great job selling something that should be hard to believe on TV. Are you headed to Christmasland?

Book post!

Got my first Arc in the mail yesterday. Couldn’t be any more excited!

Slade House Review

Slade House, by David Mitchell, is an eerie take on the haunted house genre.  It’s an exceptionally well written book, and while it has a few flaws, I genuinely enjoyed the book, and would recommend to someone searching for a brisk ride through a haunted house.

Every 9 years, Slade house beckons a new guest. Every 9 years, people disappear. The premise is simple enough, and as most stories, it’s been done before. What makes this book stand out, are David Mitchell’s writing chops.  The book is structured like an anthology, With two of the main characters and Slade house being the connection between all of the stories. The stories themselves aren’t even anything spectacular I was never wowed by much of anything in this book. I’ve took some time to think about that statement. How is it that I can tell you that the book doesn’t do anything special, The characters aren’t very memorable, The final few chapters of the book serve primarily to force feed you all the information you didn’t have and bring the book to its conclusion, but still sit here and highly recommend this book?  The answer is simple.  These interwoven stories are just so READABLE. There is something about David Mitchell’s style of writing that just lent itself particularly well towards a short book that moves at a brisk pace.  The premise is interesting enough, and while I do wish the the characters were in the book were easier to feel for, I did enjoy that Mitchell crafted a book where nobody is safe, and any character can die at any time.

When everything is said in done, despite the issues I have with this book, I genuinely enjoyed Mitchell’s take on the haunted house genre. What we are left with, is a book that is greater than the sum of it’s parts. I’d recommend this one to genre fans and also to Mitchell fans, as it does somewhat tie into the bone clocks.

3.5 out of 5 Mortar rounds for Slade House, by David Mitchel