Tag: horror

  • Book Review: The Stone Serpent

    Book Review: The Stone Serpent

    Color headshot of the author, Nicholas Kaufman. I recently had the pleasure of reading Nicholas Kaufmann’s newest horror novel, “The Stone Serpent.” This sequel to Kaufmann’s 2021 novel “The Hungry Earth” takes place a year after the events of the first book and follows the main character, Dr. Laura Powell, as she tries to re-establish some semblance of normalcy in her life. The story’s premise (which you can read over on Goodreads) was a lot of fun, and the fast pace kept me engaged from start to finish.Image of the book cover for the horror novel, The Hungry Earth. Illustration of a human skull in tones of blue, grey, and black. Thin-stalked, brown mushrooms are growing out of the eye sockets of the skull.

    Kaufmann does love his research. In all his novels, he adds a sense of authenticity by including numerous (and often terrifying) scientific details. The science was one of the things I enjoyed so much in his vampires-on-a-submarine horror novel, “100 Fathoms Below.100 Fathoms BelowAs with his other books, “The Stone Serpent” is packed with interesting and accurate scientific facts and descriptions. That said, the science sometimes felt wedged into scenes without good reason. Often, descriptions felt included just for the sake of serving up a creepy or interesting fact. More than once, I wondered why a small-town medical examiner would know about so many facts unrelated to medicine. Nevertheless, all those not-necessarily-needed scientific facts were so interesting (and morbid) that I enjoyed their inclusion regardless. 

    The main character, Dr. Laura Powell, is a woman I could easily root for–smart, self-confident, capable, and caring. Booker, her boyfriend, is equally likable if a bit passive. His role in the story was mostly to offer emotional support for Laura and to tell her to be careful. There were a few moments when I wanted him to step up and step in, saying, “No, sorry. I can’t let you do this crazy thing because I care about you. It would be irresponsible to let you do such this incredibly dangerous and poorly thought-out thing.” But, this is a somewhat campy horror novel we’re talking about, and characters acting illogically is part of the genre.

    As Laura navigates her way through a new crisis, she grapples with a prickly new police Chief, Elana Morales. The chief’s cold affectation and constant micromanaging makes her highly unlikable. Once Kaufmann shared her backstory, though, I started rooting for her as hard as I was rooting for Laura. 

    A general issue I had with this book was with Kaufmann’s heavy use of exposition as a writing technique. While some explanations helped establish setting or provided context, the abundant exposition did occasionally detract from the immediacy of the action. I wanted to be told less and shown more. A related issue was with the use of dialogue to explain things. There was a lot of “as you know, Bob” conversations throughout this story. 

    There were two subplots to this story competing for the readers’ attention. One involved the cutting-edge pharmaceutical company, Thurmond Biotech. The other was a plot involving a fringe religious community (the details of which reminded me strongly of Warren Jeff’s extreme sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). Of the two competing plots, this was the one that got the most time on the page, yet I found it to be distracting from the main premise of the novel. The characters dominating the religious plot line were, in my opinion, clichéd and two-dimensional. I would have liked more development of the dodgy biotech company and its involvement in the creation of the main threat of the novel: killer snakes! 

    Ah, the snakes. I won’t say too much about them lest I spoil the horror of them. Let me simply say that if you are naturally squeamish about snakes, this book will have you crawling out of your skin (haha, pun intended). 

    The final confrontation between the main characters and the snakes was intense and well-written, and the resolution felt earned. As a reader, I felt fully sated. Overall, I would definitely recommend “The Stone Serpent” to fans of just-for-fun, campy horror novels with some cool science packed into the terror.

  • Book Review: 100 Fathoms Below

    Book Review: 100 Fathoms Below

    100 Fathoms Below by Steven L. Kent


    I bought the kindle version of 100 Fathoms Below after one of the authors (Nicholas Kaufmann) pitched it to me at a convention as “Vampires on a Submarine.” Sold! If there’s any type of monster on a sub, it’s a movie I’ll watch or a book I’ll read.

    The authors did a tremendous amount of research with regard to military protocol and life aboard a US navy sub. Their attention to detail was excellent. If you enjoy stories that immerse you in military life, you will enjoy this book for that aspect alone.

    Submarines didn’t launch on a single order; they launched with a dialogue. The submarine corps choreographed its procedures to the last detail. It was the officer of the deck who began the dialogue.

    ‘Bridge rigged for dive,’ Penwarden reported. ‘Last man down.’

    I now know so much more about both the physical layout of submarines and the day to day coordinated effort of living in one and operating it. Doctors rarely enjoy medical thrillers because the authors get the details wrong. Lawyers shy away from reading legal thrillers for similar reasons. Put 100 Fathoms Below into the hands a naval vet and he’ll be hard-pressed to find fault with this story. The authors were determined to get all the details right. I think they succeeded.

    The horror story aspect of the story? Interesting, to be sure. Who doesn’t love a good vampire story, and this one has the added bonus of happening in the inky blackness of the deep ocean, crammed inside a claustrophobic tube of groaning, creaking metal. But for all that, I struggled to feel any real dread or horror as I read this book. There were definitely several “omg, that is deeply unsettling” moments. The torpedo tubes, people. That’s all I’ll say. But, most of the time I felt somewhat emotionally detached from the story. Could be I’m emotionally dead inside, but the rising tension didn’t have me biting my fingernails. The horrific acts (the attacks, the killings, etc) were mostly handled “off the page.” I like to see, hear, feel, smell the moment when a monster attacks. Nothing too overtly gory, but more than what I was given in this story.

    Bodine’s blood–that was what he smelled, the source of the sweet, enticing scent. Stubic hadn’t been hungry all day. Just the thought of eating had sickened him. But now, suddenly, he was hungry. So very hungry.

    He reached for Bodine quickly, faster than he ever thought he could move.

    That’s all you get, folks. The rest of the attack is left to our imagination. While I fully understand that nothing can scare us more than the things we can imagine, there are times when I don’t want things left up to my imagination. I want the author to walk me through the horror of an event–like a vampire’s first kill.

    Another problem I had was that it wasn’t entirely clear who the main character was versus all the secondary characters. If you read the blurb for the book posted on Amazon or over on Goodreads, it hints at this lack of protagonist identity. Not that there wasn’t a main character. There was, but numerous secondary characters took up as much time and space and emotional weight on the page as did the protagonist. As a result, my attention felt too equally divided across too many characters. I couldn’t get deeply, emotionally invested in any of them.

    100 Fathoms Below is definitely plot-driven, not character driven, but you know what? That’s okay. It’s a well written, fast-paced military thriller as much as it is a horror story. And really, don’t you want to know how one survives being trapped on a submarine, in total darkness with a vampire hunting you inside and the Russians hunting you outside? I’ll give you a hint. It doesn’t involve stakes, crosses, or holy water.

    I’m more than comfortable recommending 100 Fathoms Below as a fun, quick horror read.

    As always, thanks for stopping by and happy writing to you.

    View all my reviews

  • Boskone – New England’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention (part 1)

    Boskone – New England’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention (part 1)

    Boskone56 Pocket Program CoverI discovered Boskone just last year. Talk about arriving late to the party, but better late than never.

    My graduate program was wrapping up in less than a year, and I didn’t want my growth as a writer to stagnate. Since I had (have) ambitions of breaking into the publishing industry as an author of excellent stories, attending a science fiction and fantasy (SFF) convention seemed a smart idea.

    Without question, I achieved my primary goal of listening to a bunch of panel discussions that imparted heaps of tips, tricks, and sound reminders. But, once the panels were over and the “social” stuff started up, I felt like an awkward outsider. You can read about my (mis)adventures here. Even hiding in a corner, though, I observed the real benefit of attending Boskone. Community.

     

    FOR THE CREATIVES OF THIS WORLD, COMMUNITY IS KEY

    I’m a creative writer, but my beloved is a visual artist, as is my mother, and I’m friends with a voice actor and a musician. Trying to make it, professionally, in any art-related field is not for the faint of heart. It can wear you down if you’re not careful. That’s why finding and joining supportive communities is essential. For me–an aspiring author of fantasy, science fiction, and horror fiction–Boskone is one of the best, most supportive communities in New England.

    Therefore, despite a vicious head-cold that struck me hard on Thursday, I spent this past weekend in Boston attending the 56th annual Boskone convention (Boskone 56 for short). Thank Thor for modern medicine. Dosed to the max with DayQuil, RobitussenDM, and NyQuil, I had a great time.

    The panels were excellent, the panelists entertaining and insightful. This year, however, I focused on meeting and chatting with the other writers, readers, and gamers. And authors, agents, and editors. That last group doesn’t love being stalked by aspiring authors, so I courted them purposefully but respectfully.

    Here’s how the Boskone 56 experience went for me. This is the first in a three part post. Yeah, there was that much going on at Bostkone this year, and I only saw a fraction of it all. 

     

    FRIDAY – DAY 1 OF THE FUN

    Westin Waterfront BostonBeloved and I opted to get a room in the convention hotel this year rather than commute each day. Good call. If I can, I’ll be staying at the hotel again next year. Taking an elevator up to my room at the end of the day made the evening activities far more enjoyable (although I still wasn’t pulling super late nights because of my cold).

    [Quick tip to anyone who attends next year and stays at the hotel: request a room on the lowest floor possible. Sure, the 12th floor gave us a beautiful view of the Boston skyline, but the hot water didn’t seem to get up to us very well, and lukewarm showers aren’t a thing I enjoy.]

     

    PANEL #1: EDITING YOUR MANUSCRIPT FOR SUBMISSION

    Joshua Bilmes and Auston HabershawThe first panel discussion I attended was Editing Your Manuscript for Submission. I took copious notes as author/editor Auston Habershaw and Joshua Bilmes, president of Jabberwocky Literary Agency, discussed the value of writing groups, how to know when it’s time to stop editing and start submitting, and the importance of brevity in one’s writing.

     Q: How do you get the right distance from a manuscript so you can see it again?

    Autson: Put it away for months and start working on something else. Short fiction can act as a great palette cleanser.

    Q: Who do you give your revised manuscripts to?

    Auston: Beta readers, my agent. Writing groups are okay, but you have to be careful with them. They risk getting stale, becoming an echo chamber without anyone in the group realizing it. Author Tim Powers once told me, ‘You should be the worst person in your writing group.’

    Q: [To Joshua Bilmes] What are you most likely to tell Auston not to do when reading and editing one of his manuscripts?

    Joshua: If you start a book in a particular style, with a particular voice, you’ve made a promise to the readers that needs to be fulfilled. You can’t change course mid-way through. The readers will get whiplash. They’ll feel betrayed. 

    Q: When is a manuscript “good enough” to start querying?

    Auston: Get it to a place where the big stuff all lines up. Plot stuff, style, voice. Then go through and do line edits. Then give it to beta readers you trust. Work in suggestions as you will. Then, you’re ready.

    Joshua: It’s “done” when I ask for it from him in “Track Changes” mode. But, it’s still not done because an editor will buy it and will want more changes. 

    Q: [To Joshua Bilmes] What do you look for? What should writers avoid?

    Joshua: Overwriting. You have to watch the adjectives. Cut it to the bone. And watch your descriptions of facial expressions. Every author seems to have a certain facial expression that they use over and over again. The dialogue tag said is like water. It’s unobtrusive and essential. Any substitutes are overused. Grin, laugh, nod, shrug, sigh. It slows everything down. It distracts.

    Q: Tips for learning voice?

    Auston: Read poetry! Anything by Langston Hughes. 

    “Don’t use thirteen words when ten will do.” – Joshua Bilmes.

    “You should be the worst person in your writing group.” – Auston Habershaw. [meaning the least-skilled writer.]

    You better believe I was taking notes! 

    Writing Goals

     

    KAFFEEKLATSCH #1: MARSHALL RYAN MARESCA

    At 6 pm I headed to the galleria to catch my first Kaffeeklatsch of the weekend, hosted by fantasy author Marshall Ryan Maresca.

    Turns out, it was his very first time hosting one, and when he saw me approaching the table, he must have thought, uh-oh. Here comes that woman I caught staring at me multiple times from the far side of the lobby last year. Creep alert.

    Me and Marshall MarescaTo prove myself a non-creep, I made a point of shaking his hand and introducing myself instead of just staring. A couple of other aspiring writers joined us as well as one established author: S. L. Huang. The fifty-minute session flew by as the group discussed the process by which his books (all twelve of them) came into existence, the struggles of balancing writing with raising children, and our various writing habits.

    And then it was time to grab some dinner before the next Friday night activity began.

     

    BROAD UNIVERSE: A COMMUNITY FOR WOMEN WRITERS

    At 9 pm, we headed to a multi-author reading session hosted by Broad Universe, an international, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women writers and editors of SFF, horror, and other speculative genres.

    Juliana Spink MillsAmong the talented women who read from published works and works-in-progress were Elaine Isaac, Juliana Spink Mills, and Joanna Weston, among others. Joanna Weston Dianna Sanchez gave away a copy of the 2017 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide, an SFF short fiction anthology aimed for middle-grade readers. My hand went up so fast it broke the sound barrier! I’m happy to report that my middle-grader told me over breakfast yesterday morning that they’re two stories in and enjoying it.

     

    THE BOSKONE ART SHOW IS NOT TO BE MISSED!

    At 10 pm, Beloved and I headed back down to the Galleria to stroll the art exhibit. This portion of Boskone is where visual artists, illustrators, sculptors, and crafters display their best work. While all of the art at Boskone was exceptional, one vendor’s creations blew my mind!!

    Kimberly Leach, of Kimberly’s Creations. She makes paper mache fantasy creations. I know, I know. You’re thinking, paper mache? Really?

    Oh, folks. You have no idea. The photos I took (and I took many) fail to do these pieces of art justice. For Freya’s sake, please click the link and explore her website. I’m seriously going to tweet these at Cressida Cowell (wrote the How to Train Your Dragon series that spawned the movies).

     

    Dragon 1

    Image 1 of 6

    Photograph of a paper mache dragon created and displayed by Kimblerly Leach at Boskone 56

    Paper Mache, people. And when I asked how she stumbled upon this epic talent, her answer? I was looking for something to do with my granddaughter. As if it was no big deal, these crafty masterpieces. She’s a genius. Genius!! 

    By 10:30 pm I couldn’t breathe through my nose anymore and was starting to drag, so Beloved and I called it a day. All hail the powers of NyQuil.  

    In my next post, I’ll share summaries of all the panel discussions, kaffeeklatsches, and author readings I attended, starting with: Are Villains Necessary? Spoiler alert: they very much are! 

    Are you thinking about attending Boskone next year? What do you most want to know about the convention?