by Jonathan Maberry

Griffin (imprint, St. Martin’s Press)

Fictional action hero, Joe Ledger barely has time to change his socks before the DMS is faced with a new threat from morally corrupt madmen. Maberry brings back the tough guy with issues for a second round in The Dragon Factory.

Complete with new diseases, clones, super soldiers, and a Nazi legacy, The Dragon Factory kicks the action into high gear. This time Ledger and his team face multiple threats and they have no clue how bad things are going to get. But that’s the way they roll. Even with the powerful super computer, MindReader, the DMS normally doesn’t know the full extent of the terrorist plot until it’s nearly D-day.

The Dragon Factory doesn’t go as heavy into the science this time, but the martial arts and weaponry info still coats the book like foam on a cappuccino. If you compiled all the weaponry and special equipment listed in this books it would read like the inventory of Area 51. That Ledger always seems to have just the right equipment he needs, or pulls of the perfect move to kill the bad guys in the nick of time, can be a little hard to believe at times. Maberry handles the situation with the ease of a pro. He explains weapons and equipment by giving Mr. Church (head of the DMS) a convenient “friend in the industry”. And considering Ledger’s considerate training and the deadliness of the warrior side of his personality it’s natural he’d be able to land an accurate karate chop to the bad guy’s throat.

The varying levels of Ledger’s personality (the warrior, the cop, and the guy just trying to survive the day with some humanity intact) and their struggle for control, is one of the things that makes the character feel real. In this book Maberry gives Ledger an office romance to contend with, which in his line of work can be as deadly as the Ebola Virus. Ledger wants to think that it’s only sex with Major Grace Courtland, the second-in-command at the DMS warehouse headquarters. Except he’s feeling stuff he hasn’t felt since his teenage love. His friend and shrink’s advice is to go with it, enjoy the good things in life for once. The problem is their job puts Grace in constant danger, her life is at risk with every mission.

It doesn’t assure our hero that she’s safe when Mr. Church’s friends from his mysterious past start showing up dead. If the DMS can’t keep them safe, how can they protect Grace when she has to come face-to-face with the killers?

But the DMS has an ally this time, one inside the bad guy’s organization. And their little bird is singing the song of racial genocide. Greed competes with the mandate of the Third Reich in this new race against time. One organization uses genetics to create an army for the highest bidder. The other is looking to pave the way for the rise of the Aryan race.

Maberry knows how to play on the emotions of his readers and The Dragon Factory is great example of his abilities. It’s a sequel worth reading. If you weren’t hooked on the adventures of Joe Ledger after reading Patient Zero, you will be with this one.

Have you read The Dragon Factory yet? What did you think of it?

by Gregory Lamberson

Medallion Press

I’ll begin by telling you how impressed I was with Medallion’s production of this trade paperback. The covers – both front and back – are stunning. Before even cracking open the book, the action starts with Tommy Castillo’s and James Tampa’s cover design. It’s nice to see a publisher put that much care into how a book looks. You don’t that these days from the New York big boys.

Right off the bat by examining the cover you know you’re in for a no-holds barred werewolf novel. And The Frenzy Way does not disappoint.

Vampires and zombies have taken over the book shelves and the minds of readers, so a lycanthrope novel that actually delivers a serious bite of entertainment is a delicious change of pace. Lamberson delivers a quick read that burrows into your brain like a silver bullet. Filled with Native American and European lore, you can tell he’s done his research but doesn’t bog the reader down with details as the body count rises.

In The Frenzy Way werewolves try to live in peace with humans, staying under the radar, until a member of the pack goes rogue. The NYPD thinks they have a copycat on their hands, so in comes hero cop, Captain Anthony Mace; the man who put away the city’s last serial killer with a werewolf complex. Except this time all the evidence is pointing to the real thing. Eyewitness accounts describe a beast leaving the scene of each crime. And the killer is taunting Mace, getting bolder with each crime. The clues are mounting, pointing at werewolves and an Inquisition dagger used to slay the beasts. But the investigation is going in circles.

Cue mysterious John Stalk, a police officer from the Native Reserve who could be either ally or obstacle. Mace suspects Stalk knows more than he’s saying. The man shows up at the crime scenes as fast or faster than the cops and he seems to be on the hunt.

Lamberson develops the werewolf mythos with skill, making it intricate enough to be believable without losing the machine-gun action. No matter which direction he turns, Mace faces a new murder or a battle for his life. It’s easy to care for the hardworking cop each time it looks like he might not make it. Those scenes really pack a punch to the reader’s gut.

The end of the book left me wanting more, which is something every reader looks for in a book that keeps you reading even after your eyes are too tired to follow the lines.

According to other fans of the book a sequel is in the works. I’m hoping there is.

Have you read The Frenzy Way? What did you think?

by David Dunwoody

Permuted Press/Gallery Books (a Simon & Schuster imprint)

A zombie apocalypse is nothing new in our current generation of horror books. Dunwoody put a new spin on it by showing his readers how Death himself would feel about his charges roaming free in the world. Personally, I loved it.

There’s the typical staple of characters (military, selfish and damaged civilians, power hungry madmen) but it’s Death and his growing affection for a young girl that give this book real dimension; taking it beyond the tired tropes. Many of us contemplate the true nature of Death, and while Dunwoody has fun playing with the Reaper image archetype, the character’s personality takes on an existentialist twist. Death questions his own existence, his origins, and his purpose. At first he comes across as distanced from the situation, until a zombie attacks him and then the gloves come off. In a land being overrun by the living dead the pale rider quickly becomes the ultimate weapon.

The new player in the battle does not make the madman happy. The adopted child of a mad scientist, the demented little brat looks to carry on his father’s work by enslaving zombies. At the beginning of the outbreak he and several other children were taken in and experimented on. Now several of his adoptive siblings have become his undead servants – with the exception of one sister he has an unhealthy obsession with. The girl also happens to be the one person who touches Death’s heart.

There’s a bit of Resident Evil inspiration in the book with the introduction of Sawbones; a sort of super-zombie. Dunwoody describes the unstoppable beast with finesse and I found myself wishing this book had a few illustrations just so I could get an actual glimpse of this killing machine.

The remainder of the book capitalizes on how human nature takes over the survivors and the rapid collapse of society. The large cast of characters came across realistically enough during their brief scenes, and I enjoyed how Dunwoody either brought their story arcs together in the finale or destroyed them along the way. I hate it when a multi-cast book doesn’t package everything with a neat little bow by the end. You’re left with the feeling of a convoluted plot. Dunwoody is too skilled a storyteller to leave his readers with that impression.

Though I didn’t care for the character as much, there is also an ally for Death among the survivors. A cop who stayed on in the town of Jefferson Harbor to protect the innocent and uphold the law. The man is flawed but with enough Dudley Do-Right in him to create a likeable and believable last vestige of mankind’s humanity.

If you’re a fan of the zombie sub-genre that is sweeping the nation and eating up shelf space, then Empire is just the hunk of literary meat to satisfy your hunger pains. Entertaining and thought-provoking it brings something new to the killing field. But you better get started reading now because he’s just released the sequel, Empire’s End. You can read an interview with David Dunwoody about the book at The ZombiePhiles by clicking here

I’m eager to get my hands on the sequel so I can review it here for you, but if you’ve read it leave me some of your thoughts in the comments below. Have you read Empire? What did you think of it?

by Neil Gaiman

illustrated by Brett Helquist

Harper (imprint, HarperCollins Publishers)

I have children, so I pick up a kids book every so often to share with them. I was surprised and delighted to find this gem. Not only did I find a beautiful hardcover at a fair price, but I was able to share the work of one of my favorite authors with my children.

Odd seems like a strange name for a Viking kid, even if it is fitting for the character. Odd is the only offspring of a Viking father and a Scottish mother who was carried away from her lands and people. When Odd’s father dies trying to save horses from the turbulent seas during a return voyage, Odd’s mother has no choice except to find herself a new husband. The widow meets a widower with a bratty group of his own kids. Odd’s stepfather never hesitates to make the crippled boy feel insignificant. No longer willing to put up with the abuse, Odd journeys to his father’s hunting cabin with the intention of living on his own.

It’s not long before a strange fox shows up at the cabin door, and like Lassie leads Odd off to help a bear with its paw stuck in a tree. Being a bear (and a hungry one at that) it went after a beehive looking for honey but in its excitement let go of the second tree trapping it. With a giant eagle watching over his shoulder and the fox eagerly waiting, Odd has a decision to make: stumble away now on his crooked leg, or release the bear and risk becoming a meal. Putting his faith in the bear’s better nature, he helps it. Grateful, the bear lets Odd live. The only problem is, he has no idea how to find his way back to the cabin. The animals help him return. The bear even gives him a ride.

Odd shares his only food with them and soon drifts to sleep. Voices wake him up and he realizes the animals are talking. In a humorous scene that follows, the animals reveal the fox is the god Loki, the bear is Thor, and the eagle is Odin. They explain that during a night of heavy partying Loki was tricked into giving a frost giant Mjollnir, Thor’s hammer. The frost giant turned the three great Norse gods into their animal forms, trapping them forever, while the giant took Freya for his bride.

Deciding this is the adventure he’s been waiting for, Odd convinces them to let him help them. What follows is the amazing journey of a boy who saves three gods from themselves and in the process becomes the man he was meant to be.

Odd and the Frost Giants is a short book that will entertain both children and adults. The superb sketches by Brett Helquist that illustrate the tale are just icing on the cake. Gaiman has created a story parents can pass onto generations with the joy of knowing it will never get old.

by Tim Waggoner

Angry Robot Books

When I saw Dead Streets sitting on the bookstore shelf, I nearly crapped myself. It could have been the McDonald’s Big Mac roiling in my gut, but most likely it was the sheer excitement unbalancing my system at the prospect of joining Waggoner’s zombie P.I., Matt Richter through the monster filled streets of Nekropolis.

I’m going to skip all the background story in this review. If you want to find out how Matt became a zombie and saved the city of monsters from destruction read the first book in the series, Nekropolis. Or get a brief intro from my review of the book here.

Dead Streets begins with life-challenged Private Investigator lending a hand to his sweetie, half-vampire Devona. Fallen out of her Darklord father’s graces, she’s set herself up in the security business using the knowledge learned from protecting her daddy’s precious treasures. Their current job is to protect the lead singer of a popular band. The singer is a banshee who also happens to be part siren. Even in a world of monsters the media, namely a medusa gorgon with cameras surgically replacing her snake heads, pounces on hot victims… er, celebrities of the week. Since Matt is the savior of Nekropolis he’s as hot as it gets. Flattered by the attention but pissed off at being distracted from his job watching the singer, he gives the reporter the brush off with one of his handy little tricks just in time to realize a “fan” is making off with the Banshee’s voice. A blundering, yet successful, effort to retrieve the voice ensues. Matt gets to add another name to his list of enemies; the sexy mercenary for hire, Overkill.

As if it couldn’t get any worse for the decomposing guy, one of Devona’s employees is putting the moves on her. Suddenly finding himself full of uncomfortable emotions, Matt gets jealous, makes a fool of himself, and ends up in an argument with his lovely lady. Being a self-willed zombie has its benefits (not feeling pain, a steady gun hand, or being able to reattach body parts that fall off by accident and on purpose), but it also means Viagra is not an option to help with Erectile Dysfuntion, because your blood is pretty much dust. So Matt, having “lost that loving feeling” is dealing with inadequacy issues.

Not wanting to make matter worse, he heads off for the apartment he shares with Devona, and on the way loses his head. Or rather his body. He’s attacked in an alley and gets a haircut that begins at his neck. Now he’s just a head in a sack, sitting on the dangerous sidewalks of Nekropolis, trying not to get eaten by a pack of imps, or the carnivorous sewer slime. Sending a psychic message to his love, Matt is soon rescued from becoming dinner. It’s all good. His witch doctor can just pull some hoodoo voodoo out of his ass and reattach his head. Except his body has been stolen.

And so begins Matt Richter’s newest mystery adventure.

A few favorite characters from the first book make appearances in this one; including the crazy demonic cab driver, his living car, and the deadly Silent Jack. But Waggoner also has more fun (and so will you) by introducing a whole monster squad of new baddies. Some are there to help Matt find out why he’s been framed for stealing a Darklord’s powerful toy. While others couldn’t give a damn who set him up because they just want to collect on the bounty placed on his head. We finally get to meet Victor Baron (Frankenstein’s Monster) whose gadgets were discussed in great detail during the first book. He puts Matt back together in time for the authorities to arrest him and send him to Tenebrus, a hellish jail run by a sadistic Egyptian demi-lord. The identity of Nekropolis’ crime syndicate is revealed, the same people who seemed to want Matt dead for good in the first book. And Matt will finally find out the meaning behind the mark Silent Jack gave him as payment for the ass-saving ride back in Nekropolis.

I was happy that Waggoner tied up some of the loose ends from the first book. There are a few left hanging around, along with new ones added to the tangle once Dead Streets finished.

As a reading experience, Dead Streets is like driving a hilly road through the country while someone gives you a Wet Willy in your ear. The ups and downs give your stomach that fluttering feeling of excitement. And despite how his spit and polished gruesome descriptions poked at your brains, you can’t stop giggling.

One thing about Matt Richter is that after following the guy around for a day or two, you have to like the guy. When the last page was turned I wanted to buy him a pint and hear what happened next.

Hopefully, I won’t have to wait too long for another trip to Nekropolis, city of monsters.

Have you read Dead Streets or Nekropolis? What did you think?

If you’re into wise-cracking, gallow’s humor styled Private Investigators with an asshole complex they are trying to live up to whenever an opportunity presents itself, then Matthew Richter is your man. Or technically speaking, your zombie.

Waggoner’s horror-noir detective novel takes place in the titular Nekropolis. A few centuries ago when the heat turned up and wooden stakes could be found under every child’s pillow, the Darkfolk (vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein’s monster, and all the other gruesome, toothsome baddies) packed up coffins and headstones for an alternate dimension. The group was headed by the mysterious and god-like Father Dis, who forged a floated world in a vast darkness complete with a harmless artificial sun to see by. The city is shaped like a pentagram – naturally – and each point of the star is commanded by one of five Darklords.

Devout crimestopper Matthew Richter first found his way to this city of monsters when he and his partner followed a killer through a dimensional portal. A battle apparently ensued, earning Matthew an enemy in the form of the witches’ and warlocks’ Darklord. Both Matt and his partner die while stopping the head witch’s evil plan. For reason’s no one knows, least of all the man himself, Matt is revived as a self-willed zombie – the only one in existence.

With the help of his witch doctor’s preservative spells, Matt makes a new life for himself as a Private Investigator. Shambling around Nekropolis, losing an arm here or having an ear ripped off there, he finds host bodies for displeased spirits and puts bad guys in jail. He’s got pockets full of amusing tricks for every occasion, or he slowly and surely fires off a few rounds of silver, garlic coated, blessed bullets to stop the monsters looking to ruin his day.

It’s business as usual until Devona, daughter of the vampire Darklord, shows up at his door looking for help. She’s in charge of protecting her unloving Daddy’s ancient relics and one has gone missing. If she doesn’t get it back, being cut out of the will is the least of her worries. Her tale of woe touches Matt’s rotting heart (or maybe it’s the skin-tight cat suit she wears, he can’t decide) and he agrees to help. He’s in need of money for preservative spells and she’s from a rich family, so it makes sense.

As the mystery unfolds it gets bigger and bigger with each chapter. And so does the cast of characters.

This isn’t the kind of mystery where you will have much of a hope figuring out who is behind it all. The list of suspects is long and they all seem to be scratched off the list (or maybe not) as soon as they make an appearance. You’re going to have to sit back and enjoy the ride like I did. Whether you’re sitting in a sentient and hungry taxi cab driven by a crazy demon with an unhealthy attachment to his car, or plunking your but in Silent Jack’s ghostly stagecoach for the cost of a mark on your hand, it’s a hell of a ride.

Is this a scary book? Not for any die-hard horror fans. Is it a great mystery? Not for die-hard mystery fans. But it is a great – occasionally gruesome – adventure in a world of monsters with a few detours down nostalgia lane.

It’s a quick read and hard to put down. You can’t help wanting to know what’s going to happen to Matt Richter next. If you’ve read Waggoner’s Like Death or Pandora’s Drive, you’re going to love this book. If you’ve read The Dresden Files series and didn’t feel like it had enough humor in it, then Matt Richter is the Jerry Lewis to Harry Dresden’s Dean Martin.

If I had anything bad to say about this book, it would be Waggoner’s brief lapses into detail-laden paragraphs. You quickly get accustomed to them though and barely notice them as you become swept up in the race against time. Another issue would be the huge cast. It seemed at times that a few incidents only occurred to introduce a character because Waggoner was having so much fun creating new monsters. To be completely honest, I didn’t feel all that negative about the sidesteps in the plot. They were kickass monsters. And each new encounter showed me how resourceful the zombie could be when his back was against the wall.

I can’t wait for more Matt Richter novels. It’s the perfect weapon for killing a day. The cure for boredom. Nekropolis slaps all the disgustingly fun aspects of Tim Waggoner’s writing right on the autopsy table, and I came away happy to have spent my money.

Have you read Nekropolis, or another one of Tim Waggoner’s books? What did you think?

When I was a child and my mother read me the Disney version of Peter Pan, I remember thinking there was a good deal wrong with the story. A Boy who’s God knows how old yet never grows up, frolics around with other children that he has basically stolen or found while they were lost and they live on an island marauded by pirates. I was five or so, I probably didn’t use those words but that was the thought. There was nothing innocent beyond the pretty words and Peter Pan was a monster scarier than Capt. Hook. In highschool I read Lord of the Flies, instantly I connected it with Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. Douglas Clegg’s Neverland, was for me a strange experience, disturbing me to find that the Horror story I’d always known lay beneath this fairy tale of the boy who never grew up, was finally written to the page. And in a way the went to the heart of it, when Lord of the Flies could only scratch the surface.

This book I held in my hands was beautiful. The quality of the publication, top-notch, drool-worthy craftsmanship. The writing put the publishing to shame in many ways. There was a time while reading, the main character, a boy named Beau was relating how boring the island (a peninsula really, as he explains it) his family vacations at, is and I was yawning. I believed for a moment, I wasn’t enjoying the book. Shame on me, I put it down for a day, then picked it back up and understood with fresh eyes that I had fallen under the book’s spell. I felt what Beau felt and from that moment on I couldn’t stop; neither could he. The little bastard would lull me with the ordinariness of life in his grandmother’s house – heat, bugs, parents fighting, the elderly passing in and out of lucidity – and then smack me in the face with fresh horror as seen through his child’s eyes. His cousin Sumter is the real Peter Pan, a monster pulling Beau and his sisters away to a rundown shack he calls Neverland, where he lures them with disturbing magic tricks to pray to a god named Lucy. Lucy becomes their Tinkerbell, sprinkling them with dust from the floors and walls of the shack, letting them fly into the sky – for the price of a sacrifice.

Absorbed in their own petty squabbles the parents are the pirates, searching to steal the youth from their children and force them to grow up. Sumter promises to lead them to a place where they never need to grow old or worry about the stupid things adults complain about and the children spiral down from the sky to Neverland where a crocodile named Lucy waits, mouth open, ready to swallow them whole.

Neverland operates more on as a psychological horror story than a supernatural one. It plays tricks of its own on the reader’s mind. While the great mystery threading throughout the tale is a tad predictable, it’s hard to care when you’re being swept away to the climax. You’ll be left feeling as if you’ve woken sweaty from a nightmare by the time you close the book for good.

Readers will be thrilled to pour themselves into this book. It is a bit of a departure from the more subtle tones that is usually found in Clegg’s books; scenes of gore capable of shocking hardened horror fans, the sex is slimy and the love is dirty. There are notes of madness so dark you will check the cover to see if you are reading a Clive Barker book. Scenes of limit pushing brutality, you will swear were penned by Ray Garton. The surreal horror of it all would make Bentley Little blush at times. It’s good for your heart if it needs a jumpstart.

I couldn’t put it down. I had to watch helpless as Doomsday came to Watch Point, put my faith in three people; the town babysitter, an old army veteran and the town psychic. There was Mr. Spider and Mrs. Fly to worry about. The child with teeth like knives. Then there was the many souls that Harrow’s misery had devoured. Picking up this book is like buying a ticket for a ride on a roller-coaster. There will be times you want it to stop, let you catch your breath but I encourage you, for your sleep and sanity you need to finish it all of the way through. You won’t regret it.

The book begins by worming its fingers into your chest to get a nice grip on your heart and it’s not long before those fingers twist, making your pulse flutter and you’re wondering if it will ever beat the same again. The story begins working its way into the reader through its characters. It seems a pretty mismatched group of people at first with two things in common; the first is part of the group either possesses psychic powers or is interested in psychic phenomenon, the second becomes apparent as the story unfolds. The traits that tie them together are the very sustenance that Harrow is starving for. If you’ve read any of the previous Harrow novels you’re already feeling a sense of doom before the first chapter of book one ends. You just know nothing healthy is in store for these people. By the time you meet the whole group you know that none of them is without hurt. At this point in time there are also the obvious correlations to the mood and atmosphere of 2001′s Thi13een Ghosts. Except in this case it’s the psychics powering the house instead of the ghosts. If you liked that movie, I guarantee you’ll love The Infinite. If you didn’t like the movie, I still say you’ll be a fan of this book. Where the movie had amusing characters in the form of the kids and especially Matthew Lillard’s Dennis Rafkin, Clegg gives his people dimension beyond cheesy one-liners and madcap antics. The story found in the pages of the book is multi-dimensional as well. But the characters are the ones that bring it home. Ivy, Jack, Quincy Allen, Chet Dillinger, Cali Nytbird, Frost Crane and Jack’s daughter Miranda will make you grow to love and hate them by the end of the book. I’m sure you’ll find out what happens at the end of the book because you won’t be able to put it down. Quite honestly, this is my favourite in the Harrow series of books and it will probably be yours too.

The writing is moody and exciting, the way you would expect a novel with a teenager as a protagonist should be. Jim has trouble dealing with the mystery of his brother’s death, a problem that Harrow amplifies as it haunts him. Typical of a teen boy in emotional turmoil, Jim just wants to fit in at his new school, so when the school’s secret fraternity invites him to be initiated, he accepts with a note of caution. He finds out that the fraternity, complete with occult over-tones a la the Skull and Crossbones of lore, had ties to his brother and may be able to provide him some answers. The brother-mystery is more of a plot device than a mystery. It gives Jim a motivation for delving deeper into Harrow’s past to find its secrets. It also goes a long way to rounding out the character. After all, troubled teens are troubled for a reason and psychic phenomenon is often boosted by negative emotions, the very kind Harrow loves to lick from people’s marrow.

The pacing of the story is very much like the ocean before, during and after a squall. Things seem a little choppy, there’s a very brief calm, all Hell breaks loose as the waves of horror crash into you from out of nowhere and then you’re left with a ton of debris in your wake as you drift in the aftermath. For me the ending was satisfying. I enjoy a book where the author has the guts to following the convictions of their story to the bitter end. Others will realize this truth in their sadness but one thing is for sure: they will enjoy it. They’ll also think twice about sending their kids to private school.