Deadsville

Deadsville is a horror collection from the minds of T.D. Trask and Dale Elster. After a little poem appetizer, we dig right in to the main course!

The Pit- (Dale Elster) Here we learn the consequences of when you cross the fine line between being a tool and full on douchebaggery. 

Knacker Man- (T.D. Trask) A tale of the beliefs that carry in small towns, go bump in the night and ensure you know when it's time.

What Happened on Black Hill Road- (Dale Elster) Time to believe that legends will come back to get what they were promised in the first place. Comes complete with flamey bits.

Knew It All Along- (T.D. Trask) Psychics, serial killer truck drivers and rivers! Oh my!

Still Water- (Dale Elster) Are you ever really certain you're seeing things correctly? That you're really bringing about a solution and not just another problem?

The Other Redeemer- (T.D. Trask and Dale Elster) Theological discussions and unearthed secrets are often paths to destruction. Or murder. Whichever comes naturally.

Tree Branches in the Water- (T.D. Trask) There are times when you need to act and do whatever you can for family. And then there are times when you should go with your first instinct.

A Job's a Job- (T.D. Trask) Even the Devil has to think of new way to collect souls, but you'd think he would have done this one already.

A Crack in the Window- (Dale Elster) The monsters aren't in the closet, children, they're everywhere. And no stuffed kittens can protect you.

Knock Knock- (T.D. Trask) Sometimes you're so sick, you hallucinate someone at the door. Sometimes you're so sick, you need a hammer to go whack whack whack.

Head Shot- (Dale Elster) Zombies are the products of conspiracy theories. And drugs.

The Children in the Meadow- (T.D. Trask) Family farms are a strange thing. They seem to attract all sorts of interesting things that seem to cloister themselves in one part of the farm. And they know you'll be back because you'll always be back.

Dead Bird Waltz- (Dale Elster) Vampires hunt humans. Humans hunt vampires. Oh to dream of family before the fire.

And our time in Deadsville comes to an end. Hope you enjoyed your stay!

Suicide Station

I was introduced to this book via Kindle Scout. It didn't get picked up via scouting, but it still got published. The snippet on Scout intrigued me, so I picked it up when it got published and got down to reading.

Suicide Station is Jack Wallen's odd little take on death. He's introduced us to Foster Donovan, a comedian with the yips who decides to end it all. He thinks he'll be missed, but if his wife's reaction is any indication, the answer is "uh no," possibly "uh hell no."

Foster winds up in a purgatory like place called Suicide Station. It's where he has to get used to death before he's shipped off to his final, erm, well resting place doesn't sound right and final destination is a film series, so we'll just go with final spot on the map.

After death's minion dumps Foster off in purgatory, he meets Candy. Candy's job is to get him acclimated before the spot on the map thing can happen. Candy likes what she sees and decides to break the rules for the death marked comedian.

After the initial meeting with Candy, Foster meets his roommate David David, pothead extraordinaire. Some dinner, some flirting, some ganja, some speculation and then Foster is back in his life again.

Wait...what? He's living again?

Yep, apparently Foster went and found himself a little loophole and wouldn't you know it? The end comes up the same way, with some minor variations when he returns to the Station.

Going much further than that would spoil things and the odd little journey of Foster Donovan really deserves better than that.

So keep the dead baby jokes to yourself and give the book a try!

The Enemy Held Near

The story is told through multiple viewpoints- the Turner family, Melinda Goshen and Xandra. Through various experiences, they all wind up at the ancestral Turner family home.

Melinda and Xandra are expendable, but the ghosts of the Turner family want Foster to keep Ruthie and their girls in the home. Family must stay together you see.

Not everyone has been able to stay together though. Foster's parents died and he was raised by Uncle Duke. Uncle Duke tries to control things throughout most of the story, but even he can see the family's history can't continue.

Ruthie is focused on escaping the Turner home with her daughters. Due to her past, she might have been seen as easy to control to keep around, but inner strength is enough to conquer most demons.

Maggie is able to see the family ghosts while Heather is just a teenager.

The family's killer history comes to a head, just not in the way anyone really wanted. Prices are paid and now they must remain hidden.

There are so many twists and turns, you really have to read the story in one sitting to make sure you're keeping it all straight. Thankfully the story is so engaging, that's not an issue.

Enjoy!

Z-Minus

So I got a message via Goodreads:

Hi Bazi,

I saw your review of The First Days by Rhiannon Frater on Goodreads and thought you might be interested in a novel I read recently that is in a similar genre.

It's called Z-Minus, by a writer called Perrin Briar. [blah blah blah filler filler filler blah blah blah] 

Thank you for your time.
Dewi

Since I read the message before I drank any coffee, my morning sarcasm kicked in and I thought many things along the lines "Bot spam," but looks like the book was legit, so I picked it up and made some coffee.

The start of the book reads like a disaster movie- blurbs from experts, social media excerpts, etc. After we get past that, we're introduced to Chris.

Chris is pretty oblivious to the start of the zombie apocalypse until he runs into a neighbor who fills him in and gives him a copy of his "bible"- World War Z.

Not only is Chris oblivious to what's going on around him, he shuns the remaining living member of his family because he's not sure if he got infected while he was at home. Chris agrees to take his daughter, Maisie, to her aunt's house. The aunt isn't around, so Chris reasons Maisie needs to be with her grandmother and the best way to do that at the start of an apocalypse is to commit grand theft auto.

Grand theft auto is followed by random road stupidity, revelations and idiots dying zombie.

And then more blurbs.

After reading the book, it took me a really good chunk of time to think about what I was going to say because it was a struggle to finish the book and not say screw it and delete it from my Kindle. Quite frankly, it reads like a B movie script and to know it continues for another two books is pretty #$%@& painful and there's no way in hell I'll be reading them.