Before we view into my thoughts on Dead Man's Song I would like to say a few words about Jonathan Maberry. If you read the notes within the book Maberry is akin to or better than King, and I would warmly agree with this. What Stephen King is able to do so successfully is create small town America and give to the reader some really memorable characters. There is Jack Torrance and his lovable yet strange son Danny, former home loving nurse Annie Wilkes and her obsession with writer Paul Sheldon (she's his no. 1 fan and we all know where that will lead!)The Green Mile which is part fantasy and part horror exploring the relationship between prison guard Paul Edgecomb and new prisoner John Coffey and of course not forgetting that cute mouse Mr Jingles!.....but hold on I hear you say this is a review about Dead Man's Song by Jonathan Maberry...and what a memorable and fantastic story it is. This is the second part of a trilogy, my review for Ghost Road Blues can be read here http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/527248980 the final part being Bad Moon Rising. So Dead Man's Song continues the story of Pine Deep, a fictional rural Pennsylvania town that becomes plagued by an evil force thought previously killed 30 years before. What a wonderful cast of characters we have; Malcolm Crow reformed drinker, ex cop and now out to fight the evil fast invading his town, his lovely partner Val (whose Dad Henry was murdered by the evil Karl Ruger at the end of Ghost Road Blues)...there is one very memorable love scene between Crow and Val when Crow gets all sentimental with the love potions and candles....really well written and described by the author over some 8 pages. Two-Truck Eddie (who gets a sexual high from his god worship) is such a mixed up evil predator who believes that God is sending him messages to destroy the beast in the form of young Iron Mike Sweeney. Iron Mike Sweeney, a true 14 year old hero who narrowly escaped death at the hands of Two-Truck Eddie (Ghost Road Blues) and is at the mercy of his butchering evil step father Vic Wingate. Crow comes to the rescue of Iron Mike and offers the youngster a job at the "Crows Nest" where he is determined to teach him the art of self defence..I'm hoping that Iron Mike will teach Vic Wingate his own,very painful, lesson in the final part of the trilogy. Terry "Wolfman" wolfe...the mayor, eloquent speaker but manically depressed, he keeps seeing visions of his dead sister Mandy and believes she wants him to commit suicide. Vic Wingate the ultimate thug who is laying the seeds of destruction and groundwork for the return of Karl Ruger and ultimately the very evil Ubel Griswold. The significance of Griswold and his master plan for the inhabitants of Pine Deep is now made known (but I will not spoil the story by disclosing!)And through all of this carnage walks Oren Morse, The Bone Man singing softly, playing the blues and watching over the unfolding drama. A great cast of characters once again makes the second installment of the Pine Deep trilogy a must read for all true horror fans, it's a journey that will leave you with some great memories and along the way you will meet some great friends and stare the devil in the face!!!
Everyone, at some time in their lives, should have the pleasure of reading a good zombie novel. Unfortunately there are many poorly written examples of this genre (refer to my review of "Night of the Nazi Zombies" http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/254866557 ) It is therefore most enjoyable to read and review "The Rising" by horror supremo Brian Keene. Zombie books, to be fully appreciated, must contain certain essential ingredients; first and foremost we have a world in meltdown and a population devastated by the surprisingly well name Y2K virus turning ordinary upstanding citizens into demented, bloodthirsty, murdering, stinking!... blobs of leaking, reeking flesh!! (I'm enjoying this reivew :) Our hero Jim Thurmond is travelling to New Jersey in the hope of finding his son Danny who he believes is still alive. As he journeys we are introduced to a host of characters just doing their best to survive in a world of chaos and bloody murder....Frankie a prostitute, Jason and his dad Delmas, Worm a retarded youth, Martin the preacher man still believing that God will always shine a positive light and that his will..will always be done. If we add to the mix a renegade group of mercenary soldiers, led by the thoroughly evil Colonel Schow looting, pillaging and raping their way from city to city...then we have a sure fire winning recipe horror feast. In one memorable scene Col Schow takes a traitor aloft in a helicopter, attaches a bungee to his ankles throwing him mercilessly to the flesh ripping zombies below, and as he falls to earth and bounces skyward, in true horror fashion, he is ripped to pieces and consumed with relish (and I don't mean the sauce)....nice! The Rising is a great fun read that never takes itself too seriously, the zombies being the real stars...in the words of zombie leader UB "Your kind must learn that your time is over. You are food. Meat. Transport. Nothing more. Your time here is over"...so join UB and his evil smelling pals for a tour de force horror fest of ginormous, bloodthirsty portions...if you dare..................
I've never read anything quite like this before, in fact I am stunned by what I see as one of the most amazing horror...come fantasy...come friendship..come relationship stories I have ever read. Toby Floren is bullied at school and his whole world changes when he meets a monster in the woods near his home, a monster that becomes his best pal and life long friend. Let's face it what would life be without true friendship and we follow Toby from his young innocent years to the twilight of his life. In that time we laugh with him, we get to know (and love) his monster friend Owen, and we see Toby confronting his life situations and how (with the help of Owen) he deals with all the issues that challenge him. It makes for fantastic reading at times brutal, at times funny but always entertaining and from the heart...well done Mr Strand a truly great accomplishment and one I will remember for a very long time...
It is always a pleasant surprise to discover a horror story that really gives good meaning to what horror writing is all about. Ghost Road Blues at it's heart is the struggle of good and evil in the quaint little setting of Pine Deep, a quiet little Pennsylvania town now enjoying the good times but hiding a secret long past but not long dead. Into this idyllic setting roars the psychopathic Karl Ruger and his accomplish Boyd set on destruction and heading for a showdown with reformed alcoholic and all time good guy Malcolm Crow....if you add to this a list of characters tow-truck Eddie, iron Mike Sweeney and the despicable Vic Wignate then you have all the ingredients for a cracking read. The style of writing and the tautness of prose really makes Ghost Road Blues rattle along..."There was a scent of blood on the dark winds, and the promise of much, much more; a perfume of destruction and pain carried to every part of the town, even to the darkest and most remote of places. The secret seemed to sink into the rich earth of the town, seeking out those who craved that aroma."......and the lovely theme running through this thrilling read..."Evil..it don't never die" the bluesman said and looked left and right before adding "Evil don't die, it just waits" I loved the "blues" theme that permeated the writing and the mysterious Bone Man who saved the life of Crow some 30 years ago....."Hells a-coming and we all gotta learn to play the blues"...so what are you waiting for grab your guitar and join the show...fantastic :)
