The Crow's Caw

LAMBS by Michael Louis Calvillo / DarkFuse Publications (eBook available now / hardcover May 2012) / 270 pages / eBook and Signed Limited Edition Hardcover

When I was lucky enough to have Jassen of The Crow’s Caw hand me DEATH AND DESIRE IN THE AGE OF WOMEN for a review last year, I knew within a couple of pages that I was beginning a story by an amazing talent that would one day be a household name within the independent/underground horror writing community. And when Jassen hit me up last month with LAMBS, the newest release by Michael Louis Calvillo, I of course grabbed the opportunity for an advanced read of what would no doubt be another great piece of work. But, fellow Caw readers, it is with a very, very heavy heart and solemn mind that I write these words, for this great author has left our world entirely too soon. I did not know Michael personally though I shared an exchange with him and that exchange alone was more than enough to tell me that he was a great, great guy with a huge heart. I feel honored to be among those enlightened by his writing and my hope is that in his memory you will pick up something by Michael and allow yourself to be entertained by the unique stories he created. One of a kind… and he will be dearly missed.

As I’ve stated in the past, stories of possession tend to find their way to the top of my reading queue and I can quite easily say that LAMBS should find its way to the top of yours. The first few pages provide just enough to hook you but hold back in a way that makes the reader feel unsure, yet intrigued, as to where the story could possibly be headed. We begin with Arthur, a troubled teen who lost his parents early in life and has since been bounced around from home to home within the foster care system. When he finally lands someplace reasonably comfortable – an excellent school, friends (his best is Connor, a good kid born to a bad mother) and a potential hottie of a girlfriend (Melanie, a beauty destined for great things) – it isn’t long at all before things start to take a drastic turn for the worst. You see every few years, Arthur is visited by three ghosts. And every few years, people around him die. Violently. Hallucinations of death and blood fill the days preceding this mayhem and Arthur must make an incredibly difficult decision: stay and be happy yet risk the lives around him or run and continue to trudge through life as he has been, withdrawn and afraid.

LAMBS has quite a few “shockers” throughout so I don’t want to throw in any accidental spoilers but I would like to point out that this book has, in my opinion, all the elements of a great horror story. Very well developed characters keep the reader intrigued; a semblance of potential happiness within an otherwise dark and afflicted main character inspires a feeling of hope; and underneath it all lies a society interspersed with families, seemingly affluent families, deeply rooted in Satan’s ways. Can one teenage boy turn this world upside down? Or will he die at the hands of those blinded by the devil’s system?

By opening this book you are throwing yourself into a masterful tale etched from the mind of the late Michael Louis Calvillo. Very few authors are churning out such clever, unique and addicting stories and if you missed DEATH AND DESIRE IN THE AGE OF WOMEN, do yourself a favor and read LAMBS. You will not be disappointed.

- Jordan Norton

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KILLING GHOST by Christopher Ransom (2012 Cemetery Dance Publications / 400 pp / trade hardcover & signed limited edition hardcover)

James Hastings makes his living as a double for a world famous rapper named Ghost. After a few years of making appearances and being a part of Ghost’s stage show, he returns home to his old mansion in Los Angeles, where his wife Stacey has been busy restoring it. One day she is run over in an alley behind their home and dies. James goes into a period of grieving until he meets an attractive new neighbor who has just moved in down the block. He and Annette are both now single, and a relationship quickly develops.

But Annette begins to have blackouts and starts saying weird things. And when she begins to say the same things Stacey used to say—and starts dressing like her—James wonders if his late wife has taken control of his new girlfriend, or if she is some kind of schizophrenic.

When they leave L.A. to return to Annette’s old home (located in an isolated, nearly-abandoned housing development), James runs into a mysterious hooded figure as well as a local cop named Rick Butterfield, who turns out to have some major issues of his own.

While KILLING GHOST is being promoted as a new-kind of ghost story, it’s actually a tale of multiple possession, and while I’m a big fan of the subgenre, at times I had a hard time following which character was controlled by whom, and found myself thumbing back to figure things out. Some of the flashback scenes of Frank and Stacey as teenagers are well done, as is the novel’s set-up. But Ransom’s study of a man facing an identity crisis in the face of a loved one’s death—despite a few creepy scenes—left me wanting.

Ransom’s a fine writer, and I’d like to see more of his work. But those seeking a “different” kind of ghost story need to go no further than the 1984 classic from T.M. Wright, A MANHATTAN GHOST STORY.

-Nick Cato

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WITHOUT PURPOSE, WITHOUT PITY by Brian Hodge / Delirium Books (June 2012 for hardcover, eBook available now) / 204 pages / Signed Limited Edition Hardcover and eBook

Las Vegas is no longer a hotspot. It’s a vast desert, and closed off from the rest of the world by a vortex. The vortex has swallowed many souls, and remains mysterious throughout the story. In addition, water has to be rationed, and is in severe danger of running out. This sets the stage for an apocalyptic thriller of sorts.

Darius Thurman is a former heavyweight boxing contender, whose only loss came due to unfortunate circumstances. He left on his mountain bike to do some training, and should have returned in a couple of hours. A week later he arrived back at Nolan’s Gym on foot, and has some major changes in his appearance. You meet his trainer/father figure, Isaak Nolan, but the story is told through the words of the narrator.

The narrator, who was a commentator for boxing events and personally close to Isaak Nolan, watched Darius rise through the ranks. We are witness their struggles first hand as they grapple with loyalty, honesty, sacrifice, and the not so good traits some humans display in their quest for power.

Hodge shows us the ins and outs of boxing life; the pressure of climbing one’s way to the top and the difficulty of falling from the top. On many levels this story is about warrior spirit and indomitable spirit. Once a fighter, always a fighter. As the story progresses, Darius displays his fighting spirit when he is placed in some very challenging positions.

The reader is introduced to a variety of characters. All of the characters in this tale are not only excellent, but believable. Each of the characters has a struggle to deal with which adds to the overall depth of the story.

Brian Hodge creates a story with a great cast of characters and thrusts us into an incredibly dire atmosphere. This novella is a real page turner. An absolute must read.

 - Jassen Bailey

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THE MEN UPSTAIRS by Tim Waggoner / Delirium Books (February 2012) / 204 pp / Limited Edition Hardcover and eBook

A middle-aged divorced man notices a younger woman sitting on the floor, crying, in a movie theater lobby. He reaches out to her and learns some friends she had been traveling with “weren’t good to her,” so she’s now alone. He invites her to his home where he feeds and clothes her…and they eventually fall for each other.

When Richard comes home from work a few days later, a van with the words SONS OF BABEL is parked in front of his apartment building. The slogan under the logo is even stranger: “Because Sometimes Entropy Needs a Little Helper.” Richard meets the 3 men who own the van and learn they’re temporarily moving into the apartment directly above his. He also finds Liana cowering in his bedroom closet. Her only words are, “They’ve found me.”

Richard’s new neighbors begin to blast odd music all hours of the night and make other loud noises to the point he can’t take it. He is puzzled when he decides to peek in their fire escape window and sees an unfurnished apartment and the 3 men slamming their faces onto the floor.

Richard and Liana’s sex life also becomes increasingly strange, and he soon finds out the Sons of Babel…and Liana…aren’t quite what they seem to be.

Tim Waggoner’s horror novels perfectly walk the line between horror and bizarre, this latest novella being no exception. We’re quickly drawn to Richard’s middle-age fling, which becomes a genuine love affair of the most macabre, complete with Waggoner’s trademark over-the-top scenarios and even a happy (although dark) conclusion.

This is top-notch horror fiction from one of the genre’s most demented minds.

- Nick Cato

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HOUSE OF QUIET MADNESS by Mikita Brottman / Ravenous Shadows (February 2012) / eBook

House of Quiet Madness is about Windfall Lodge, a rest clinic, where women come (or are sent) to find peace from their various mental issues. It is a strange place, with rigid rules and questionable doctors, but most fall into its rhythm with ease.

Most women who come to the clinic have common problems. They are depressed, obsessive, stressed past their breaking point. They’ve tried medication and therapy, to no avail. They are tired of their lives. Really, what they need is a good rest. Their husbands all need a good rest from them, as well.

Of course, something is off at Windfall Lodge.

Mikita Brottman constructs a quiet sense of dread while relating the circumstances of her characters’ lives. The reader experiences a slow build of paranoia, unsure where their apprehension should focus until the end.

The book opens with the story of Danielle, an amnesiac and the only woman at the clinic whose problem is apparent at first glance, but much of the text concerns Ruth, a middle-aged vicar’s wife whose longstanding depression finally cripples her when her only daughter leaves home. Brottman is to be applauded for both showcasing Ruth’s ordinariness and making her sympathetic enough to carry the weight of the story. She finds a balance where the reader can accept Ruth would commit to an extended stay in a rest clinic and that she would continue to ignore signs which would send most people fleeing, without ever upsetting the idea that this is an average woman. We can accept her actions as in keeping with the passivity she has exhibited throughout life, underlined by the manipulations of Windfall’s staff.

I enjoyed this book. It is readable, and its characters are well-depicted, if largely unremarkable. Brottman layers delicate anxiety through the narrative, building to a final crescendo. This book could stray into the dull, and indeed, little happens that truly surprised me, and yet, I remained alert as I learned the commonplace backstories, and these women passed their leisure-filled days in this strange retreat, oblivious to the eroding of their will. I am impressed by Brottman’s skill to bring just the right amount of instability to the reader’s subconscious. Although I had a good grip on what would likely happen, and maintained little attachment to the characters, I had an emotional reaction to this book. Thinking on it still inspires a touch of anxiety.

There are, however, several distracting subplots. Although they perhaps have their uses in propelling character motivations, and do resolve in a largely complete manner, in the end they feel like unnecessary tangents, and where the storylines intersect is reliant on a remarkable series of coincidences. I find Ruth’s brother-in-law Oliver an odd fit for the narrative—he is an interesting character, but his role in the main plot doesn’t quite fit. Most of the experiences surrounding Oliver and Ruth’s daughter, Anne, work almost purely as a way to distract Anne from her mother’s extended absence. Indeed, Anne’s one unusual trait appears to exist only to place her in the right spot for the final climax. Overall the piece feels somewhat contrived. These points leave me somewhat dissatisfied and feeling poorly manipulated. Fiction is all about manipulating the reader, their emotions and intellect, but the end payoff must justify the means.

That said, my reservations were mostly in hindsight, and none of the book’s faults were bothersome while I was reading this subtle but remarkably swift read. Brottman expects the reader to draw their own conclusions, a quality I favor. If you want a book in the tradition of The Stepford Wives, with minimal gore, but one which will leave you with a definite sense of unease, House of Quiet Madness might be right for you.

- K.E. Bergdoll

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THE HAUNTED MANSION PROJECT – YEAR ONE by Rain Graves / Damnation Books (March 2012) / 196 pages / Trade Paperback and eBook

I’m a sucker for a good ghost story. I’ve had a lifelong fascination with the occult and the paranormal. I formed a ghost hunting group when I was in the third grade, the Monster Club, and my friends and I rode our bikes all over our little farming community seeking out abandoned houses and graveyards in our quest to dance with the corporeally challenged. But that was just the start of it. In 1983 I formed the Nightstalkers of Indiana and we have been investigating the paranormal now for just shy of thirty years. I know a thing or two about hunting ghosts. I also know a thing or two about writing about them.

Let’s get right down to the meat of it — The Haunted Mansion Project is a fascinating read. Hell, Rain Graves introduction is worth the price of admission alone.

So, what is the Haunted Mansion Project? Simple, in the fall of 2010, the lovely and talented Rain Graves hosted a group of horror writers and paranormal investigators in an honest to goodness haunted mansion for four days. Part writer’s workshop / part ghost hunting 101, this rag-tag group of novelists, poets, and ghostbreakers came together in the beautiful isolated location and had, by all accounts, the time of their lives.

The book itself is divided into three parts, each equally captivating. I was especially taken with Part One, The Findings, an investigation narrative chronicled by Nichole Boscia of GhostGirls. This was one thorough investigation, well managed by a seasoned team of professionals and the account is bloody brilliant, guaranteed to kindle your interest and desire to visit the place for yourself.

The second part of the book, The Facts, is a collection of thoughts, ruminations, and journal-like entries by various attendees, while the third part, The Fiction and Poetry, is comprised of an anthology of writings by those who braved the weekend, including Bram Stoker Award Winners Rain Graves, Weston Ochse, and Yvonne Navarro, among others.

The writing is solid, as you would expect from such lauded individuals, especially E.S. Magill’s “Not a Drop to Drink”, which was delightfully atmospheric and captured the essence of the weekend’s theme.

This is a book that I cannot recommend highly enough. There’s a little bit of everything here for you — terrific prose, thrilling recounts of things doing a bit more than just bumping in the night, and an honest and thorough accounting of what a paranormal investigation is all about.

One thing’s for sure, after reading The Haunted Mansion Project I desperately want to join Rainy and the gang for a long weekend somewhere out there where the dearly departed simply aren’t. Departed, I mean.

~Bob Freeman

http://occultdetective.com

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BEHOLD THE CHILD by Harry Shannon / June 2010 / Amazon eBook (free)

When tragedy strikes while Detective Sam Kenzie is trying to rescue a kidnapped girl, he is put on desk duty after being ordered to see a psychiatrist. But after months of boredom and drunkenness, he begins investigating a dead case involving a child killer. However, this pisses off the higher-ups, and he is forced to retire.

He decides to take the job of Sheriff in his hometown, a quiet little place where he could settle in with a minimum of trouble. He becomes friends with Doc Preston, hanging out and playing chess. It’s a quiet life, and Sam and his wife Laura are happy.

Then the phone calls started – creepy calls with nobody saying anything, but the laughter of children could be heard in the background. And then one of the little boys in town, Timmy, is found murdered, surrounded in pig dung. He and Doc Preston suspect the only pig farmer in town, Klaus Wachner, who is also Sam’s landlord.

The two men head to the farm to investigate, but what they find – and what finds them – is a lot more than they bargained for.

Behold the Child is another suspenseful, no-holds-barred story from Harry Shannon. I’ve read quite a bit of his work, and this is one of my favorites. Behold the Child draws you in from the very beginning, and keeps you riveted until the end. The story has one of the best twist endings I’ve read.

If you haven’t read Harry Shannon’s work before, this novella is a great place to start. And for his fans, you will love Behold the Child as much as his other stories.

- Sheri White

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DEADBEAT by Guy N. Smith / Redrum Horror (March 2012) / 242 pages / Trade Paperback

A great story of possession is absolutely one of my most favorite things to consume (and I do try to consume regularly). I will always consider The Omen to be among the greatest of all films and Willliam Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist to be one of the best novels I’ve ever read. A truly scary story is one that at least a small piece of you thinks might just be possible and with all the religious opinions, zealots and extremists running around these days, the devil definitely hits close to home for many.

DEADBEAT by Guy N. Smith explores an interesting angle on this topic. Music is the avenue in which the devil chooses to reach and overwhelm his followers, a band called Necromancer providing the soundtrack. Through their addictive, hypnotic rhythms and chants, listeners are at once spellbound and shortly thereafter driven to kill, all at the promise of a new world, a world which does not include authority or any semblance of order. Anarchy will reign supreme.

England-born Eddie Bannon and New Yorker Stephanie Insel are the story’s main characters, both sixteen years old and completely susceptible to the devil’s hand. Upon a chance meeting through their parents and an eventual trip to Ellis Island, they realize their special bond, a bond of evil created by their love for and devotion to the Necromancers. But while Stephanie chooses to let it completely overtake her life, Eddie fights it all the way. And as the music spreads across the world, the killing begins and the two find themselves in the middle of a very dark and sinister plan, one which demands the lives of many for one: the life of Satan’s newborn son.

I initially found the premise of DEADBEAT to be somewhat clever. The musician in me certainly enjoyed the idea of Satan’s message delivered through a band’s music but I just wasn’t thoroughly captivated by the follow through. Unfortunately, the characters were a tad on the forgettable side, and except for Eddie and Stephanie I had to remind myself throughout the book who was who. I neither liked or disliked anyone which detached me from the story and although the end definitely paid off, I struggled with envisioning the landscape; it just didn’t materialize for me. All in all, this is a decent read that I would encourage reading solely for its originality.

- Jordan Norton

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THE BACK OF BEYOND by Alan Peter Ryan / Cemetery Dance Publications (Spring 2012 – forthcoming) / 181 pages / Signed Limited Edition Hardcover

In this collection of four stories, Alan Peter Ryan presents four men, each with his own demon to battle. They are not the usual demonic entities; they are personal demons each must confront.

“Sexual Exploration is a Crime,” cautions a sign in Brazil. But Jerry Crenshaw doesn’t worry about the sign. A lonely man who has never traveled, he is inspired by an acquaintance to go to Brazil and find a girl. Girls are everywhere, and will be your “girlfriend” for as long as you stay. He meets Renata, a beautiful woman who goes with him everywhere. He buys her all sorts of things, showering her with gifts and money. But after a horrible accident, Jerry faces a few truths about himself, and gets an extra lesson when a bag is delivered to him.

In “The Winter’s Tale,” a man lives alone in a little house by a churchyard that is supposed to haunted by goblins. He is suffering from a long, bitterly cold snowstorm, by himself as usual. People avoid him, perhaps due to his proximity to the haunted churchyard, but whatever the reason, he’s very lonely. He decides to brave the cold and snow to visit a family down the road a ways, to bring them food and candles to help them make it through the winter. But what he encounters will make him regret leaving the safety of his home.

A man and his son take a cross-country trip to try and get to know one another before his son goes to Marine boot camp. They are estranged, but hope to become closer during the drive. But things don’t go as planned; the son becomes aloof, while the father desperately tries to connect. They stop at a diner called Janey’s where the father sees another father and son, laughing together as they ate. The man realizes he and his son will never be like that, and bails out on the rest of the trip. Years later he goes back to the same area; he decides to go check out Janey’s. But it’s no longer there, and according to the people who live in the house where Janey’s was, it never existed.

In the final story, “Mountain Man,” Trask is a foreman at a ranch who comes across Hiram Fuller one day in the mountains. Hiram is delirious, filthy and reeking. He tells Trask he ate his horse, and that he may have to eat Trask as well. Trask takes Hiram back to camp, to see if he can nurse Hiram back to health, but comes to regret that decision. What lurks in the mountains that can overtake a man and make him insane enough to eat his horse?

All four of the stories are excellent. The writing is superb with perfect scene descriptions and character portrayals. Although published by Cemetery Dance Publications, this is not a horror collection per se. Rather, these are stories of men caught up in impossible experiences. The Back of Beyond will not scare you, but they will make you think and perhaps even unsettle you.

- Sheri White

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Here’s another first at The Crow’s Caw. Last week I posted our first ever interview. This week we’re going to try to pull off a review, guest post, and giveaway all in the same blog. One lucky winner will receive a personalized/signed copy of Rio Youers new short novel WESTLAKE SOUL from ChiZine Publications. All you have to do in order to enter to win is retweet and/or share this post on any social network your little heart desires and leave a comment in the “comments” section of this post. Winner will be announced in the comments section on Sunday April 1, 2011 at 9pm est.

First things first. Let’s start this post off with Nick Cato’s review of WESTLAKE SOUL, followed by Rio Youers guest blog titled Soul Music. Do not forget to share this and comment for a chance to win a personalized/signed copy of this book!

WESTLAKE SOUL by Rio Youers /  ChiZine Publications (April 2012) / 250 pages / Trade Paperback and eBook)

Westlake (named by his hippie parents) is a handsome, 23 year-old surfing champion with a room full of trophies. He lives in Ontario with his parents, younger sister, and faithful dog, Hub.

While on vacation with his girlfriend Nadia, Westlake hits the surf early one morning and catches a wave that both paralyzes and puts him into a coma. He’s now in a vegetative state (physically and to the world) but inside he’s very much alive. He even gains the ability to astral-project, and uses this new-found “super power” to deal with his crippling situation and at times, to influence the decisions of those around him. He’s also able to mentally communicates with his dog, helping them to grow extremely close.

Youers’ study of this young man’s isolation is gripping, heart-breaking, and one of the most emotionally devastating novels I’ve read since Gary A. Braunbeck’s THE INDIFFERENCE OF HEAVEN (a.k.a. IN SILENT GRAVES). I challenge anyone to keep a dry eye when Westlake’s family–on the eve of his impending death–watch home videos and reminice over how rich of a life Westlake led.

But WESTLAKE SOUL is more than a dark tear-jerker: we truly feel the terror and paranoia that come with living a life we have absolutely NO control over. This is a real-life horror story that brings up issues most would rather not consider, but by the end you’ll be glad you did. A few scenes with Westlake’s visiting friend and new therapist are unforgettable.

Do NOT miss this.

- Nick Cato

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Okay, now it’s time for Rio’s guest blog. By the way, if you happen to see Rio at the World Horror Convention this weekend be sure to show him your devil horns \m/.

SOUL MUSIC

Guest Blog for THE CROW’S CAW

By Rio Youers

There’s a time for peace and quiet – on those meandering countryside walks, for instance, at one with your thoughts as the sunlight creeps through the branches and the scent of pine sap fills the air. And first thing in the morning, when you’re waking to a fresh new day and your mind is reluctantly extracting itself from that sluggish-yet-wonderful dream state. At such moments the only sounds you want are birdsong and the faint creak of the earth’s rotation.

Sometimes – and The Tremeloes will back me up on this – silence really is golden. At other times, what you need – what you really need, my friend – is rock and roll.

Driving down the highway, sun blazing, windows open, AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie” making the stereo bleed. Or how about when you’re getting ready for a night on the town? Putting on your gladrags, getting your hair just right. And the stereo in your room (maybe it’s playing Madonna or Pitbull or Cradle of Filth) makes you feel damn near eternal. Don’t you just love when that happens? When the right song hits you at just the right time … it feels like walking on air.

What I’m getting at here (in my roundabout way) is how music, or silence, can resonate with you, and create an incredible energy. I find this happens when I’m writing. Sometimes I need silence to get me through a certain scene, when even the sound of the kettle boiling, or my wife talking on the phone in another room, distracts me. Other times I depend on music. It elevates me. Pushes me forward. And when the song fits the scene, the words flow beautifully. It’s that walking on air feeling again – or writing on air, I suppose.

I reference music often in my writing, and have written three music-themed stories (Sister Free, Soulfinger, and Quoth the Rockstar). There’s definitely a creative link between melody, rhythm, and prose. I love when the words make a drumbeat sound, or when a sentence is enriched with cadence. Prose is like music, in that it has the ability to reach people, and create incredible energy (providing the timing and rhythm is right, of course). I have an iTunes playlist for most of the stories I have written, filled with the music that helped give the story its flavor and character. These playlists vary from mostly classical compositions (The Ghost of Lillian Bliss) to industrial/grunge (The Happy Bird and Other Tales). There are often songs that I would never listen to in my everyday life, but are right for the story … for helping me find the groove. And that, for me, is what it’s all about.

My new novel is called Westlake Soul. It’s about a twenty-three-year-old former surfing champion who develops the mind of a supergenius after an accident puts him into a permanent vegetative state. For a story like this, finding the groove was not just important, it was essential. Sometimes I found it with silence. Mostly, though, I turned to rock and roll.

I have included a portion of that playlist here – not every song I listened to while writing Westlake Soul, but perhaps the ten most popular. It’s a mellow list, for the most part (no Cradle of Filth here), because Westlake Soul is a mellow novel. Some of these songs are mentioned in the book, and are integral to specific scenes. Others, quite simply, helped me find the groove.

1. Little Bird – Eels

2. Landslide – Fleetwood Mac

3. Fallin’ – Alicia Keys

4. Sonata Pathétique – Beethoven

5. She Loves You – The Gaslight Anthem

6. This Woman’s Work – Kate Bush

7. Famous Blue Raincoat – Leonard Cohen

8. My Hero – Foo Fighters

9. Memphis Guitar Soul – Anders Lewen

10. Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living) – Eels

Would Westlake Soul have been the same novel without these songs driving it forward? Somehow, I don’t think so. They gave me a rhythm, and a cadence, that I brought to the characters, and to every scene. And yeah, I know it’s a pretty mellow soundtrack … but it’s still rock and roll to me.

And sometimes, my friend, that’s all you need.