Here's a recommendation for a great new horror novel, THE DEVIL'S WOODS by Brian Moreland

THE DEVIL'S WOODS
by Brian Moreland
Published by Samhain Publishing

"This is indeed prime, grade-A horror writing." - Scott Baker, Shattered Ravings

For those of you into horror novels, you will definitely want to check out this new book that came out this week.  It is THE DEVIL'S WOODS by Brian Moreland.  My buddy Scott, who runs the Shattered Ravings Blog, gave this book a great review last month.  You can read his review HERE.  Here is the book's plot synopsis from it's Amazon.com page:

 Deep within the Canadian wilderness, people have been disappearing for over a century. There is a place the locals call “the Devil’s Woods,” but to speak of it will only bring the devil to your door. It is a place so evil that even animals avoid it.
  When their father’s expedition team goes missing, Kyle Elkheart and his brother and sister return to the abandoned Cree Indian reservation where they were born. Kyle can see ghosts that haunt the woods surrounding the village—and they seem to be trying to warn him.  The search for their father will lead Kyle and his siblings to the dark heart of the legendary forest, where their mission will quickly become a fight for survival.


 My buddy Scott has been telling me about Mr. Moreland's novels for some time now.  I trust his judgment completely, as we seem to have the same taste in anything and everything horror related. So if he says this book is a great read, then I believe it, even if I haven't read it myself yet.  Between my full time job, a wife and twin 7 year old boys, and running this blog, I just don't seem to find the time to read like I used to, but I am going to try to find, no, make time to read some of Mr. Moreland's books this coming year.  In fact, I think I will just go ahead and make that one of my New Year's resolutions!

  If you are a fan of horror novels, check out THE DEVIL'S WOODS or any of Mr. Moreland's other great novels. 

CLICK HERE to purchase THE DEVIL'S WOODS

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of author Brian Moreland for info on some of his other novels

Horror author spotlight: Brian Moreland

  While I don't have all my pics yet from my trip to the Texas Frightmare Weekend, I do have a pic I got of me with the great horror writer, Brian Moreland.   Brian has written a couple of great horror novels, with more on the way this year!  The two available now are DEAD OF WINTER (which was reviewed on this website here) and SHADOWS IN THE MIST.   Here is a description of each book from the Samhain Publishing website:

DEAD OF WINTER
  At a fort deep in the Ontario wilderness in 1870, a ghastly predator is attacking colonists and spreading a gruesome plague—his victims turn into ravenous cannibals with an unending hunger for human flesh. Inspector Tom Hatcher has faced a madman before, when he tracked down Montreal’s infamous Cannery Cannibal. But can even he stop the slaughter this time?
  In Montreal exorcist Father Xavier visits an asylum where the Cannery Cannibal is imprisoned. But the killer who murdered thirteen women is more than just a madman who craves human meat. He is possessed by a shape-shifting demon. Inspector Hatcher and Father Xavier must unravel a mystery that has spanned centuries and confront a predator that has turned the frozen woods into a killing ground where evil has come to feed.

SHADOWS IN THE MIST

  During World War II, Germany’s Hürtgen Forest was a killing field. But there was something worse than the enemy in the mist. An ancient power was waiting to prey upon those who opposed the Third Reich.
  Jack Chambers survived the war, but even after all these years, he still has nightmares about Hürtgen—and the unholy horrors he battled there. Now he is determined to reveal the truth behind his platoon’s massacre and entrusts the task to his grandson, Sean. But Sean’s quest sets him in a deadly race against those who wish to bury the truth forever—and those who plan to use it to unleash hell on Earth.


Also, check out Brian Moreland's upcoming titles.....

THE GIRL FROM THE BLOOD COVEN
  In this short story prelude to The Witching House, the year is 1972. Sheriff Travis Keagan is enjoying a beer at the local roadhouse when a blood-soaked girl enters the bar. Terrified and trembling, Abigail Blackwood claims her entire family was massacred at the nearby hippy commune in the woods. But when Sheriff Keagan and his deputies investigate the Blevins House, they discover there’s more to Abigail’s story than she’s told them. Much more.
(Available this July as a FREE e-book)

THE WITCHING HOUSE
  In 1972, twenty-five people were brutally murdered in one of the bloodiest massacres in Texas history. The mystery of who committed the killings remains unsolved.
  Forty years later, Sarah Donovan is dating an exciting man, Dean Stratton. Sarah’s scared of just about everything—heights, tight places, the dark—but today she must confront all her fears, as she joins Dean and another couple on an exploring adventure. The old abandoned Blevins House, the scene of the gruesome massacre, is rumored to be haunted.
  The two couples are about to discover the mysterious house has been waiting all these years, craving fresh prey. And down in the cellar they will encounter a monstrous creature that hungers for more than just human flesh.     
(Available this August)          


If you are a fan of horror novels, check out these books by Brian Moreland.  If you want a little taste of his writing style, you can get THE GIRL FROM THE BLOOD COVEN as a FREE e-book coming this July! 

CLICK HERE to visit the Samhain Publishing website
CLICK HERE to visit Brian Moreland's official website
CLICK HERE to read Brian Moreland's bio and purchase his books (paperback and e-books)

 

Book Review: VAMPYRNOMICON by Scott M. Baker

-------------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------------------

 

Note from Zombie Hayes: My contributing writer, M. Scott Baker, is an author himself, so I pass on most any horror novel I get to him for review. I thought it was great when I approached him back in June about reviewing a book by an author named...Scott M. Baker! HA!   That book was THE VAMPIRE HUNTERS.  This review is for author Scott M. Baker's second book in his Vampire Hunters trilogy, VAMPYRNOMICON.  So, just to clear up any confusion, the author of this book did not write his own review, and my contributing writer is not the author of this book. Confusing enough for ya? HA! On to the review....

   

VAMPYRNOMICON

by Scott M. Baker

I love to find those rare genre series that keep me wanting more, even long after the final sentence has been read. I am, of course, referring to book series in this aspect...not movies. Author Scott M. Baker gave me one of these series with the first book in his Vampire Hunters trilogy, titled with the same name. This review is for the second book in the series, titled VAMPYRNOMICON (to read my review of the first book, click here).
Here is the plot synopsis for VAMPYRNOMICON, courtesy of the book cover:

Hunters and vampires seek The Vampyrnomicon, a book that could destroy the vampires...or mankind! Within the vaults of the Smithsonian Institute lies the key to find The Vampyrnomicon, the Book of the Undead that contains the history and secrets of the vampires. According to legend, whoever possesses the book can establish a vampire nation on earth - or destroy the undead once and for all. With an opportunity to end the war against the undead so close, Drake Matthews is determined to find the book. But the vampires also want the book. When Master Chiang Shih and her coven of the most powerful and dangerous vampires arrive in Washington to claim the book as their own, the hunters find themselves facing their most deadly enemy yet. With the stakes so high, so is the ferocity of the struggle...

First, the good.

Baker once again weaves an interesting tale of vampires in modern day America. And, just as before, his bloodsuckers are just as ruthless as last time, unrelenting in their pursuit of blood and total human domination. This time however, the stakes are even greater (no pun intended).

Baker's prose is easy to read, which makes the action tighter and faster paced. I especially enjoy the battle descriptions and find myself grinning from time to time as I marvel at their uniqueness. Likewise the characters, both old and new, are well imagined and come to life easily in the reader's mind. The vamps, while not exceedingly full of depth, pose striking figures with their brutality and lack of compassion.

All in all, Baker has created a believable and likable world, in which darkness borders on overtaking all that is good.

But now for the bad.

For all of Bakers good ideas, there are a few that are extremely recycled and some that I think are owned pretty well by other series. For example, the concept of the Daywalker, not to mention the term itself, appears in the book. My immediate thought was "Hey...that's from BLADE.". Granted, it's not a copyrighted term or concept...but it's pretty obvious that the other series made it predominant in the minds of genre fans.

The other striking negative for me were the amazing number of grammatical errors. I was astounded with how many there were...there are even more in this book than the first. Many of them were silly editing errors, like the use of 'site' instead of 'sight'. Also, there are several places that have an extra 'the' in sentences and even completely omitted words that make sentences lose their meanings.

Still, with that aside, VAMPYRNOMICON is a fun read and the story is definitely interesting. This book has a bit of a cliffhanger ending, so I'm itching to get my hands on the third and final book of the trilogy. Definitely give this one a look if you want some fast-paced vampire fun!

MSB

 
CLICK HERE to purchase the book on Amazon.com

Book Review: THE VAMPIRE HUNTERS by Scott M. Baker

-------------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------------------

 

Note from Zombie Hayes:  My contributing writer, M. Scott Baker, is an author himself, so I pass on most any horror novel I get to him for review.  I thought it was great when I approached him about reviewing a book by an author named...Scott M. Baker!  HA!  So, just to clear us any confusion, the author of this book did not write his own review, and my contributing writer is not the author of this book. Confusing enough for ya? HA!  On to the review....

 

 

THE VAMPIRE HUNTERS

by Scott M. Baker

 

I guess technically this book should get an 'Awesome' rating simply because of the author's name. I mean, Scott Baker...that just has an awesome ring to it, doesn't it?

But seriously though, I have to be honest: I wasn't looking too forward to reading this book based on its title. I mean, it's simply not catchy or flashy. In short, it's bland. Thankfully, though, author Scott M. Baker's writing and story make up the for the blasé title. 

If you're not familiar with THE VAMPIRE HUNTERS, here is the synopsis courtesy of Amazon.com:

Modern day vampire hunters wage a brutal battle against the undead in the nation's capital. As former Boston cops, Drake Matthews and Alison Monroe thought they had experienced it all... until they found themselves tracking down a serial killer who turned out to be one of the undead. Stopping him cost them their careers and almost their lives. Thanks to an influential and anonymous benefactor, Drake and Alison find a new job ridding the streets of Washington D.C. of the vampiric threat terrorizing the nation's capital. Only this time, Drake and Alison are not facing a single vampire but an entire nest led by Ion Zielenska, one of history's most evil and twisted masters. As the vampires indiscriminately prey on humans, seeing them as nothing more than food to satiate their hunger, they create a wave of violence that threatens to engulf the city. Orchestrating the carnage is Antoinette Varela, the mistress of the nest, whose vendetta against the hunters is personal.

THE VAMPIRE HUNTERS is the first in a trilogy, and I've got to tell you: I can't wait to read the other two books in the series. Baker weaves an intricate world in which his vampire mythos unfolds. While Drake Matthews might be a bit stereotypical for books in this genre, the character of Alison Monroe as his partner is refreshing and new. Both are well fleshed out and give the reader many reasons to care about them. This obviously helps accentuate the immersion into the story.

I especially like Baker's vampires as well. Although they are slightly familiar, with their subtle sense of aristocracy, they are also savage and brutal, a cross between Anne Rice's sophisticated undead and David Wellington's blood-frenzied savages. This gives not a new, but definitely a unique take on the bloodsuckers, casting them in a more feral light. And with the story even going so far as to mention how the female vampires love to drain their victims during oral sex...well, let's just say that's definitely a new one on me.

Baker's writing is smooth and simple, with good prose and flowing descriptions. The action is very tight and kept me on the edge of my seat. My sole complaint about the book is that I found three grammatical errors (one is forgivable but three makes me think the editor was drowsy while going over the manuscript). Otherwise, The Vampire Hunters is a fun and loudly entertaining vision of vampires versus the living. I hope to read and review the other two titles in this series soon (HINT HINT, MR. BAKER). Check this one out for sure!

 

 

CLICK HERE to purchase the paperback

CLICK HERE to purchase the e-book

CLICK HERE to visit the author's official website

Check out this great list of "40 Classic Books Every Horror Buff Should Read"

The Accredited Online Colleges website has a blog that has lots of goods lists on it, mostly dealing with literature and academics.  Their latest list is a list is one titled "40 Classic Books Every Horror Buff Should Read". 
 
Look through the list and you will find some excellent Horror novels, including those that we all know about such as The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley to ones you probably have never heard about. Check out the list and you will get some excellent ideas for some Summer reading! Do you know of any Horror novels that you feel are essential to the Horror buff to read? If we expanded the list to 50, what books would you add?


Check out the list by clicking HERE

Book Review: THE DEAD PATH by Stephen M. Irwin

------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------

THE DEAD PATH
by Stephen M. Irwin

When Hayes told me he got a book in the mail to review, I asked him if I could do it before he even told me the title. You see, I’m a big-time reader. Hard to believe, I know, since I love movies so much, but it’s true. Heck, I like books so much that I have about 500 of them at home.

I especially like to read books that I know nothing about; that way, I have no preconceived notions about it. So when I got The Dead Path from Hayes, I jumped right into reading it without so much as reading the inside of the jacket. And I’m proud to say the book drew me in so well that I finished it in four days.

If you’re not familiar with The Dead Path, here’s the plot, courtesy of Amazon.com:

Australian author Irwin's impressive debut, a supernatural thriller, evokes a world full of death and spirits to which we are, mercifully, oblivious. Since the night of his wife's death, Nicholas Close has been cursed with second sight to see ghosts re-enacting the final moments before their own often violent deaths. These disconcerting visions drive Nicholas back to his family home in Tallong, Australia, where, instead of finding comfort, he sees the ghost of a childhood playmate replay the murder that almost took Nicholas's life instead. Clues from other local murders and data gleaned from his father's books of occult lore apprise Nicholas of ancient unhallowed traditions still being practiced in the forest near his home--and of malignant powers attempting to reassert a balance that was upset when Nicholas escaped death.

Let me start by saying this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. This is Irwin’s first book, but you would never guess that. He has a unique style of prose that captures each scene in vivid detail and breathes more life into the simplest of scenes. Irwin is truly a master of his craft and does not disappoint.

The story Irwin weaves is dark and filled with raw feeling. His word-weaving conveys so much emotion that I found myself growing cold and withdrawn, like I was the main character Nicholas himself. To illicit a response like this in a veteran reader like myself…wow. I knew this book was a winner.

The true joy of this book for me is that the description above from Amazon does not truly scratch the surface of the story. Irwin has imbedded many different types of stories within the main plot, including mythology, historical fiction, fantasy, horror, and even (slightly, in a skewed sort of way) romance. This cross-genre molding works brilliantly for the story and gives more credibility to his voice.

My favorite aspect of The Dead Path is Irwin’s unique method of description. Whether by simile or metaphor, Irwin is a master of wording and practices his craft frequently within the text. Several times, I found myself wandering back to specific descriptions with a smile on my face, reliving the vivid imagery that the initial read presented. A few choice selections that stuck out to me were:

“Words spilled out of the woman like marbles from a split sack.”

“The aircraft cabin was as dark as a cinema.”

“The bones of a city don’t change. Perhaps its skin grows tight or flaccid as suburbs grow fashionable or become déclassé; crow’s feet spread from pockets – new streets, new arteries into fresh corpulence. But the skeleton of its founding roads, the blood of its river, the skull of the low mountain that looms over it with its thorny crown of television towers like its own blinking Calvary…these things hadn’t changed.”

“The word hung in the air like despair in a dying man’s bedroom.”

The Dead Path is an excellent book all the way around, and one that I will definitely revisit again in the near future. If you’re looking for a nice combination of dread, suspense, and terror, give this one a look. You won’t be disappointed. Now, if we could just get Hollywood to give it a look as well…

CLICK HERE to purchase the book
CLICK HERE to visit the official website of author Stephen M. Irwin