Dear Readers, August was a fun month. I attended a great book signing for The End of the World as We Know It Anthology. This anthology is set in the world of Stephen King’s The Stand. The signing featured 6 authors: Chuck Wendig, Brian Keene, Alma Katsu, Ronald Malfi, Bryan Smith, and Somer Canon. On my trip from Tennessee to Pennsylvania, I did a massive book haul of 21 books. I read 5 books this month out of the 8 on my TBR. I am over halfway through two of the books that I will finish up next month. One of the books is The End of the World as We Know It. I can say it is very good so far. I have 6 stories left to complete. But so far, it is one of the best anthologies I’ve ever read. The 5 books I read and completed for the month, I gave 1 five stars, 1 four stars, and 3 three stars. The only genre I read this month was horror.  The books I’m moving to next month are The End of the World as We Know It and Supergirl: World of Tomorrow by Tom King. Deathbringers by Bryan Smith is the book I did not get to start. It is going into my October book pile, my September book pile is stacked, and I can’t wait to share.

Five Star Reviews:

Ghoul by Brian Keene is a horror novel set in 1984 featuring a group of three friends who meet a ghoul who lives under the graves, eating the corpses. The book is part reminiscing about the time in your life that is filled with wonder and the bond of friendship. The other part is about monsters, one beneath the surface, the Ghoul, and the others are on the surface, masked by society. Ghoul reminded me a lot of Zach Cregger’s film Barbarian. The film is all about the question of who is a monster? Ghoul goes deep and in its answer. The book nailed its 1980s setting. It gave me so many flashbacks, thankfully not about abuse, but about my two best friends growing up. The pace of the book is really fast. If I did not have to work, I might have read this in a day. The book nails the bond of friendship and the power it has. The book has some brutal scenes of gore, but I found them easier to read than the scenes of abuse. The scenes of abuse are harsh at times, but they are all in the service of the story and the characters.

Four Star Reviews:

Killer Chronicles by Somer Canon is a horror story that blends true crime with a fairy tale. The book begins with a tone that resembles a true crime thriller, featuring a lone blogger who investigates the crime of serial killings. However, this novel is not about a serial killer; it is about an ancient entity that can assume various forms and wreak havoc. The creature requires a gift. Once it has the gift or offering, it judges the person. Based on how the observation goes, it either gives the person a gift or it kills them in a way that fits that person’s choices. The creature is a real piece of work. Even when the creature gives a gift, it still tortures the person in many ways. The book has two themes: what makes a person good, and you get what’s coming to you.

Three Star Reviews:

Snow by Ronald Malfi is a horror story taking place on a snowy day. The story is John Carpenter’s The Thing meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The book starts with a delayed flight from Chicago to Iowa. A group of strangers gets a rental car together and attempts to drive. On that drive, they crashed the car in a town that was run by creatures made of snow. The story has a brief setup where the character’s motivation is set up to risk driving in a snowstorm. Todd has promised he will see his son for Christmas. He has been away for a year. Kate will be meeting her soon to be husband. After that, the setup of this book gets intense fast, with the group not knowing what is going on. The group has to flee from creatures that can puppet human bodies. They also have to escape from creatures that can build themselves out of snowflakes. The pace for this book is insane. Once the group enters the town, the tension doesn’t let up. Aliens: The Female War by Steve Perry and Stephani Perry pits two strong female characters, Ellen Ripley and Billie, against the alien queen.

Dragon Tears by Dean Koontz is a rapidly paced horror thriller. The main villain is a superpowered being that can stop time and create beings out of dirt. The plot is what if a superpowered being did not want to help people but rule over them and treat them like pawns. The villain just likes toying with people. He likes watching them run in fear. He makes a game out of it and gives people until dawn to play. The villain has an ego and thinks that no one will ever win this game. The playthings are a mother with a small child, a drunk wino, and a police officer. The imagery is the best part as the victim turns himself into a tall vagabond who turns himself into a series of rats as he leaves. The pace of the story is rapid paced. The story is a thriller in terms of pacing, with horrific moments.

The Map of Lost Places, edited by Sheree Renée Thomas and Lesley Conner, is an anthology about haunted places. The stories, for the most part, are not scary but involve some supernatural element. The stories selected are a mix of metaphysical and narrative storytelling. The Map of Lost Places anthology has some diamonds in the rough. However, most of the stories I encountered felt rough. I have had a lot of reviewers DNF (did not finish) this book. Which is sad because there are some good stories in this collection. This collection also featured a lot of international authors that I would not have read otherwise. I want to thank Netgalley and Apex Book Company for giving me The Map of Lost Places to read and review.