I’ve just got back from a week away. Had a lovely time with family relaxing in the sun. Brought back something a little unpleasant, but life’s not always sunshine.
Anyway, In that week, I had plenty of time to read, and here’s a round-up of the five novels I read in that time. (In truth, I started one before arrival, and finished one after the return, but the bulk of each was read while abroad.)
False Prophet – Dave Jeffery
I’ve read a number of Dave Jeffery’s wroks over recent years, and once again, I’m astounded at the variety of sub-genres in which he’s able to create compelling naratives. In the Quiet Apocalypse series he created a nightmarish distopian world and creatured heartbreaking worlds within in. Frostbite shows he can do more fun creature features. His Beatrice Beecham books are great examples of YA mystery/horror (The Devil Device was the one I read and loved) and his short fiction is powerful, often drawing on pschological elements.
This time, we’re in slightly different territory again. The cover makes it look like A B-movie, but we actually have a disturbing psychological horror mystery. This starts with something like The Dead Zone, with our protagonist Ray able to see visions of the very near future, tragedies which he is powerless to stop. He’s had these since a childhood accident, but the novel really starts when these visions shift from seeing near disasters to something more bizarre, more gruesome, and something which is directly addressing him. This means we get an original take on the story of a person having premonitions.
The structure gives us a slightly distorted timeline, beginning in a police cell, with Ray being questioned, and then taking up back to how we got to that point. Not only that, we also have multiple viewpoint characters as the story unfolds. We have Ray’s wife, and a trio of work colleagues. This allows Jeffery to create a mystery, as there’s a killer on the loose, but right until the finale we’re not sure to what extent Ray’s disturbing visions are linked to this, and exactly which of those people he’s close to is at risk. There’s some well crafted misdirection in here.
Mental health is clearly something Jeffery is very passionate about, and it’s a major them here, handled, as I have come to trust with Jeffery, with sensitivity.
Overall a very satisfying read. Strong characters, and a great premise which the structure aids. Also, I absolutely love the cover art on this one.
Of Curses and Kings – Steven Moore
Okay, I was stepping out of my comfort zone with this one, opting to take an archaeological action adventure on my travels with me. The main reason being that it was set in the same country in which I was visiting. I, however, was being a complete philistine, and remained on the beach rather than visiting any of the fabulous sites which were accessible to me. But enough of my ignorance. I don’t read much in this genre, but this very much felt in similar vein to a Lee Child novel. This one isn’t the first featuring the main protagonist, Hiram Kane, but it was perfectly easy to pick up and engage with the characters. Past events are alluded to, but not essential knowledge for following the novel.
The plot – Kane has a new job with the British Museum, and his fast task is returning the Rosetta Stone to Alexandria. When it goes missing, he’s forces to put his life and the lives of those he loves at risk in order to get it back.
Throughout, we have multiple perspectives from both those responsible for stealing the stone, and form those hoping to get it back. For me, this slowed the story down a little too much. We all knew it was going to be stolen, so it takes a little too long to get there. We also know our band of heroes are going to get it back, so again, the chapters in which they’re deliberating felt a bit of a waste. The page count could definitely have been trimmed a little.
When the action comes, the pace picks up, and it’s entertaining. There’re fights, gunplay, traps and chases. It’s an easy read, and I’m sure a lot of people will have an absolutely great time with it.
One minor gripe, I did get a little tired of reading about terrorists and the threat of terrorism.
The House of Last Resort – Christopher Golden
This is only my second Golden read, after reading All Hallows last year. The pace of this one is a little slower – taking place over a number of weeks rather than in a single night like All Hallows. It’s also a horror played out largely in fine weather, which always makes an interesting change. It tells of Tommy and Kate, tempted to Sicily by cheap property and the promise of a better quality of life. Tommy has family on the island too, with his paternal grandparents being life-long residents of the town. But questions remain about their history. Why did Tommy’s father refuse to visit his parents again after a falling out with his grandfather?
In many ways it’s a traditional haunted house story, with this particular house revealing its secret rather early – there’s a chapel within a hidden part of the house, and as what that was used for is revealed, it does create plenty of opportunity for the ghosts of the past to strike.
Some of the early scares are a little too few and far apart, but it makes up for it in a frantic second half as we learn the meaning of that title, The House of Last Resort. There’re also catacombs beneath the village which make another great part of the setting.
The main characters, Tommy and Kate, are a touch frustrating at times, but otherwise, it’s a very enjoyable read, with a great setting and an unsettling tone.
The Secret lives of the Dead – Tim Lebbon
It was really interesting to read this so soon after hearing Tim speaking about it at EdgeLit. I’ve read a number of his previous novels, and when he spoke about wanting to do something different here, that’s more than apparent. The recent eco-horror which he did so well (particularly Eden, I bloody loved that) is put aside for a story of absolute brutal bastardry. If you want a story with a great villain, this is it. Lem’s narrative is so crucial to the story and drives a lot of the narrative, but that wouldn’t work alone, so enter Jodi, her boyfriend BB and his friend Matt. At first, we’re led to believe that the trio are planning a spot of harmless burglary at an abandoned manor house. That’s until it turns out that Jodi was actually looking for some kind of ancient relic, and then this chap Lemi turns up and Jodi declares he’s the man who killed her father.
From this point forth, I was hooked. We get a fragmented narrative that takes us from past to present, showing more about how Jodi and her father got mixed up with Lemi. But we also get Lemi’s family backstory, too, and the curse that drives him on to do so many despicable deeds. This supernatural element is fascinating, and all the more interesting with a revelation at the end of the novel that twists it further.
There’s a strong theme of bonds in the novel, whether that’s friendship with Matt and BB, romantic with BB and Matt, or with family and obligation with Jodi’s and Lemi’s past. This Be the Verse by Philip Larkin springs to mind. And characters make terrible decisions in this book, but for complex and understandable reasons. We’re not talking running upstairs instead of out of the front door, but what are either incredible selfish, or logical from a certain point of view, but deeply dangerous when the full circumstances are known. These are flawed characters with complex motivations and morals and all the more compelling to read about as result.
A great read. Tim Lebbon remains as dependable as ever.
The Baby Sitter Lives – Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones loves a final girl. The baby sitter is so often thrown into this position, when it’s coupled with that aspect of responsibility, so you’re not just trying to keep yourself alive, but the kids you’re paid to care for, too. This is no slasher, though, but a haunted house story.
It tells the tale of Charlotte, a teen who’s babysitting 6-year-old twins Ronald and Desi for the first time. But no sooner have the parents left than the two kids disappear from their bedrooms… only to miraculously reappear downstairs later. It introduces up to some of the strangeness of this house and its impossible places. And if that’s not weird enough, Ronnie then tells us that it’s the Grey Mother who tells him about these strange passages.
Is this linked to the history of the house, and the deaths of two children and suicide of their mother? Of course it is!
I loved the two thirds of this, but then found it stalled a little towards the end. Charlotte gets herself in a bit of a situation, and it feels, for a short period of time, just a touch too repetitive. It does pick u again for the finale, and I was relatively pleased with the outcome.
A lot of people find Stephen Graham Jones’s work a little hard to get into. I think his style is rather unique, and I think it deliberately has an off-beat rhythm. I’ve liked most of what I’ve read of his (especially Mongrels) and don’t really understand some of the criticism that comes his way. This was another satisfying read, and I’ll definitely be reading more of his work. He’s way too prolific to keep up with everything, but The Buffalo Hunter Hunter sounds great, as does Killer on the Road!