Easy Death

Easy Death by Daniel Boyd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The week before Christmas, two men hijack an armored car and go on the run. Can they evade the cops long enough to get the money to their employer?

Easy Death is a quick, suspenseful read. This tale of cops and robbers has a lot of twists and turns, made even more serpentine by Daniel Boyd's use of shifting viewpoints. The action shifts between several groups of characters and I got turned around a couple times.

One thing I really liked was that Boyd went out of his way to show that none of the criminals were all bad. Eddie and Walter cared about each other. I also liked the interplay between Ranger Callie and Officer Drapp. Even Brother Sweetie had more to him than I originally thought.

The repeated Christmas carol thing wore on me, though, just like in real life. I also thought the transitions were a little jarring in places. Other than that, Easy Death was a fun read and a worthy addition to the Hard Case Crime Series. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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"Superman melds with Doctor Death = Steelhearts Powers in this epic battle for Earth"

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Steelheart, Steelheart, does whatever a Steelheart can... look out here comes the Steelheart! - That's just not working as a jingle"

What a breath of fresh air this novel is. I can't tell you how tiring it is to read/watch superheroes with their special powers, idealised by millions for their abilities and cocky attitudes. Move over Marvel and DC, it's time for the people to take control. In Steelheart it's a role reversal for those 'gifted' individuals, they are hated! This isn't Marvel or DC where the heroes win the day. The heroes are tyrants and prey on humanity. Very dark, very grimdark for a superhero jaunt. Lovely stuff!

Where have these gifted individuals come from? Well no one truly knows. Some say a meteorite caused normal human beings to become empowered with special abilities. Others suggest that governments have been dabbling with creating 'super soldiers' (mutation, nano technology, creating a extra chromosome etc) for many generations and finally lost control of their subjects. Whatever happened, sections of society have become the property of these so called 'Epics' - countries and states have been annexed and are now under the control of one or several Epics.

Newcago (formerly Chicago - cunning that) is now under the control of Steelheart (what a bastard he is!), a super Epic who has the same abilities as Superman, but with one difference, he can change any inanimate object to steel. That's exactly what has happened to Newcago, it's now a city of steel. His powers won't work on living objects, lucky really. Under his command are hundreds of other Epics, including; Conflux, Nightwielder and Bigpantsman - ok made that last one up. Some have rather interesting abilities, as well as weaknesses - I won't spoil them for you.

The Reckoners are humanities answer to the Epics, they fight and kill them to rid themselves of their blight. Technology and science combine to conflict those maniacal beings. Prof[essor] is the leader of the resistance group - "alright son" - Cody is a confused American from deep south, who seems to think he is Scottish - "hey there lass" - Megan is a miserable, but apparently gorgeous woman who is handy with a gun. Abraham is a French-Canadian and a sort of philosophical gun-wielding member - " yes mademoiselle" - oh look confused English and French. The main hero, David, is someone who studies the Epics, especially Steelheart, who killed his father when the Epic decided to take Chicago by force - "I'm NOT a nerd!" - he always cries out.

Is it a good read? Yes and no. The dialogue is terrible, but the story is excellent. In fact I'd go so far to say this is one of the freshest ideas I've come across in many years. As for the dialogue, well if you can put the continual cliché pet names past you (son, lass, lad) then you're on to a winner. When I say continual, I mean in nearly every sentence. The conversations between characters seemed really false and even forced - like the author isn't use to small talk or struggles to write believable dialogue. Something I feel that has held this book back from being a five star read. It's fine to be a fan of any author, but blindness towards critical opinions is always a concern when it comes to fanboys/girls. It's so glaringly obvious it's like having a fork shoved in your eye. Take Marvel for example, if I said the majority of the films stories are terrible and only held up by the special effects and nostalgia towards those characters, then I'd most likely be trolled. That is a example of BAD story telling but very reliant on the canon and characters selling those films. I digress as per usual. Steelheart does pick up pace and ambition in the final third of the book, so really the criticisms above relate to the first two thirds of the novel.

Anyway back to Steelheart, Brandon Sanderson, this is the first of your novels I've read and it certainly won't be my last. Thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this story, but feel much more work is needed on the dialogue to make it more believable. Characters were terribly cliché and, at times, just dull - perhaps this is a problem with YA fiction in general; reality has to be hamstrung by allowing younger readers to read this material. Who knows. I don't.


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The Songs of Billy Bragg

A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics by Billy Bragg
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

More than a book of lyrics, A Lover Sings gives fans of Billy Bragg a "behind the music" look at the creation of his songs.

Bragg made a name for himself in the UK in the early 80s as a folk/punk-styled political voice for the left through strident message songs on the one hand and on-the-sleeve personal story songs that touched upon young folks in and out of love.

In the intro to the book, Bragg explains his roots and influences. Considering the punk sensibilities of his early work, it's surprising to hear that songwriters like Paul Simon had an impact on him and that the Motown sound was a favorite of his youth. I guess I shouldn't be surprised after listening for years to lines in his songs like "Remember the sadness In Florence Ballard's eyes" and references to Holland, Dozier, Holland in a song like "Levi Stubbs' Tears".

The Clash seemed a more likely source of inspiration and certainly they helped to form Bragg's ideas and sound, and yet, so too did the enthusiastic energy of the British music hall tradition contribute to his one-man-and-a-guitar performances: Billy Bragg on the South Bank Show

Bragg's brand of socialism is well summed up in his song "Between the Wars":

I was a miner, I was a docker
I was a railway man between the wars
I raised a family in times of austerity
With sweat at the foundry between the wars

I paid the union and as times got harder
I looked to the government to help the working man
But they brought prosperity down at the armoury
We're arming for peace, me boys between the wars

I kept the faith and I kept voting
Not for the iron fist but for the helping hand
For theirs is a land with a wall around it
And mine is a faith in my fellow man

Theirs is a land of hope and glory
Mine is the green field and the factory floor
Theirs are the skies all dark with bombers
And mine is the peace we knew between the wars

Call up the craftsmen, bring me the draftsmen
Build me a path from cradle to grave
And I'll give my consent to any government
That does not deny a man a living wage

Go find the young men never to fight again
Bring up the banners from the days gone by
Sweet moderation, heart of this nation
Desert us not, we are between the wars

Reading of his struggle and the evolution his ideals underwent has always been interesting to me. He's like a version of Phil Ochs, but one who kept the faith and fought on despite overwhelming defeats and an ever-growing conservative movement in his home country.

I doubt I could've become so enamored with the man's music if it had been only politically-minded. I need the human element in my music, the personal struggle and all the emotional baggage that comes with it. Luckily, Bragg provided that in spades. Relationship woes were a constant source of material for his lyrics, especially in the early days.

Shirley,
It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this new room
Shirley,
You're my reason to get out of bed before noon
Shirley,
You know when we sat out on the fire escape talking
Shirley,
What did you say about running before we were walking

Sometimes when we're as close as this
It's like we're in a dream
How can you lie there and think of England
When you don't even know who's in the team

Shirley,
Your sexual politics have left me all of a muddle
Shirley,
We are joined in the ideological cuddle

I'm celebrating my love for you
With a pint of beer and a new tattoo
And if you haven't noticed yet
I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet

Politics and pregnancy
Are debated as we empty our glasses
And how I love those evening classes

Shirley,
You really know how to make a young man angry
Shirley,
Can we get through the night without mentioning family

The people from your church agree
It's not much of a career
Trying the handles of parked cars
Whoops, there goes another year
Whoops, there goes another pint of beer

Here we are in our summer years
Living on ice cream and chocolate kisses
Would the leaves fall from the trees
If I was your old man and you were my missus

Shirley,
Give my greetings to the new brunette

The times they were a' changin' and Bragg changed with them. He kept faith with his ideals, but his life-view had to change when fatherhood came knocking. This is most in evidence upon his mid '90s William Bloke album which explores his new role as caregiver while still coming to grips with his political leanings. It's a very reflective album on the whole and second in pop accessibility only to Accident Waiting to Happen.

One detraction from the A Lover Sings reading experience was that I was given a reader's copy poorly formatted for Kindle. The type was extremely small and hard to read. I believe they just scanned the proofs and made digital files directly from them. But that's a mark against the publisher, not the book or its author. If you know you're giving a reader's copy to a reviewer, why would you give them something that's going to negatively impact their reading experience? That's the sound of somebody dropping the ball right there.

But aside from that, this was a nice behind the scenes look into the writing process of one of my favorite songwriters. Any fan rabid looking for a more intimate knowledge of Bragg should grab themselves a copy. Non-fans and new initiates should listen to some of his music first.

Crazy Little Thing Called Scientology

Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion by Janet Reitman
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I lived in Hollywood for a few years I would see Scientology buildings around town and I would wonder what went on inside. It was all very secretive. It still is, but due to books like this and, even more so, the internet the veil has been lifted. Which has left me wondering, if the incredible allegations are made against the Church of Scientology are true, why would humans allow others to do such things to them?

I read this in part to learn more about L. Ron Hubbard. I guess I could've just Wiki-ed him, but this book provided much more info. He reminds me of a Teddy Roosevelt character type. A brash go-getter, who could boast some impressive deeds. But where Teddy turned his wild energies and imagination toward public service, Hubbard turned his towards science fiction writing. That in and of itself isn't a bad thing, unless you let your imagination carry you away. Hubbard's mad desire for macho-man adventure so infused his ego as to warp his stories into tall tales of personal achievement that he himself started to believe. Again, that's no big deal, until you start getting others to believe you, others who then follow you and give you all their money.

When Hubbard passed on, the Church passed into even more controlling, determined, single-minded hands, the hands of David Miscavige, a diminutive, sickly youth who grew into a pint-sized dictator. Miscavige credits Hubbard's teachings for curing him of his youthful ailments and frailty. Such miracles will tend to instill an unbreakable devotion in a youthful, impressionable mind. If you isolate that mind early enough, it will forever believe the legend. It will progress no further, learn nothing new, for it has seen the light. If that mind belongs to a raging A-type personality, it will attempt to shove that light down others' throats.

Anywho, that's enough of that nonsense. I won't detail the entire history. That's what books like this are for.

Many reviews have called Inside Scientology boring. Granted, it is quite textbooky, but I feel like those people were looking for something more People-magazine-salacious with cover-to-cover celebrity stories. That's not what you get here. Famous names are dropped. Whole parts of the books are devoted to the topic of celebrities within Scientology, but this is more history than anything. Having said that, there's plenty on Tom Cruise, as you'd expect.

All the while I was reading, I kept in mind that this is one book and one person's take on the topic, so I'm willing to reserve complete judgement. However, Reitman sources a lot of people, mostly Church "defectors", who spent years, even decades within the organization. There are so many of them that it makes you doubt that they're all lying ax-grinders.

Though mostly negative, Inside Scientology does include a few positives in the Church's favor, such as the charity work they've done during natural disasters. Reitman interviews a Scientologist teenager who grew up in the organization and remains there, and the girl comes off as one of the most well-adjusted people in the whole book. And taking into account that it is such a large, many faceted organization spanning the globe with different divisions, departments, whatever you want to call them, so surely one individual's experience will differ from another. No doubt some have derived positives from their association with the Church of Scientology. There, that's my charitable act for the day.

A Laymon Kind of Night

Mark Allan Gunnells
Sideshow Press
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Nancy

Summary

A Laymon Kind of Night is a three story collection:

"Van People" – When father-to-be David sells his beloved Mustang to buy a mini-van, he begins to change.

"The Snoop" – A compulsively nosy neighbor decides to check out the house next door while the owner is away.

"A Laymon Kind of Night" – Tina is having a rough night. After working the late shift, she must trek home through a hostile urban landscape.

My Review

Though this is Mark Gunnells’ first published book, I had the pleasure of reading one of his earlier short stories when I received a signed copy of Tangle from him on PaperbackSwap.

Since then, I explored more of his writing on various high-quality e-zines that are now defunct. If those stories have been resurrected and compiled in an anthology already, someone please let me know!

I really enjoy his style and how he incorporates regular people and ordinary situations, lulling the reader into thinking all is well, and then creating a horrifying twist that manages to be unsettling and sometimes humorous.

This collection of three stories is short, fun, and perfect to read on the bus, on the beach, on the toilet, or anytime you need a quick horror fix.

A Laymon Kind of Night is about a woman who closes up shop late and on her way home has several creepy encounters that become increasingly more terrifying than the last, a deliberate nod to Laymon’s “women-in-peril” stories.

The Snoop is about a man who gains pleasure from snooping through other people’s things. An opportunity presents itself when his neighbor asks him to feed his dog while he’s away on vacation. To say more would ruin the fun.

Van People is a story of a solid friendship between three long-time neighbors, Travis (a single gay man), David (a father-to-be), and Keith (a divorced man). The dialogue is clever and reveals details about the men’s lives, their loves, and their work. When David decides to sell his Mustang for a Dodge minivan to accommodate his growing family, his friends notice he’s changed.

Recommended.

City of Stairs

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Years ago the proud city of Bulikov was conquered. They were defeated when one man found a way to murder their Gods. Bulikov has been oppressed ever since. Knowledge of their past and their Gods is illegal in their home, while any child of Saypur can learn all they wish about Bulikov and it's Gods. Tensions strain even more when a historian from Saypur, Efrem Pangyui, is allowed access to their ancient knowledge in Bulikov itself. Then one day Dr. Pangyui is found murdered and a young woman from Saypur and her "secretary" come to investigate.

City of Stairs is an intense mystery novel slathered with supernatural occurrences. The mere fact that Bulikov had Gods who allowed their followers to perform miracles, that haven't entirely faded since their death, is astonishing. While in some ways the story appears to be a simple whodunit, it quickly escalates into something more meaningful and terrifying.

The primary protagonists Shara and Sigrud sparkled in the story. Shara while being slight of body is a mental powerhouse packed full of experience and capabilities. Sigrud was astonishing in his simplicity. He seemed as though he was simply a hulking guard to Shara, but he proves himself far more valuable.

City of Stairs is a rich tale with strong world building and even stronger storytelling. The mysteries presented were intriguing and kept me guessing right up to the point the truth was revealed.

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Fable: Blood of Heroes

Fable: Blood of Heroes by Jim C. Hines
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Once again nefarious villains have come to threaten Albion and a new crop of heroes have risen to thwart them. After an inn is lit on fire in Brightlodge, four heroes seek to bring those responsible to justice. Another group of four heroes seek to find the answers to mysterious deaths in Grayrock. While on their quests the eight heroes find a more potentially devastating threat that only they can hope to stop.

Fable: Blood of Heroes is a story with average characters, dialogue, and storyline. The characters largely feel like flat variations of better known counterparts in other media. The dialogue and storyline had a young adult feel to it and perhaps that is exactly what the author was going for, but it left me wanting more.

Blood of Heroes is the companion novel to the video game Fable Legends. Unfortunately for me I read this book before Fable Legends was even released and I can't help but feel I was missing some of the substance I would have gained by playing the game as well.

The overall story had some elements that with some tweaking I could envision myself enjoying, but unfortunately I didn't really care for any part of it.

2 out of 5 stars

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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PHANTOM LADY BY CORNELL WOOLRICH

Phantom Lady by Cornell Woolrich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

”Time he thought, is a greater murderer than any man or woman. Time is the murderer that never gets punished.”


Cover of the Centipede Press edition painted by Matt Mahurin

The first chapter is titled: The Hundred and Fiftieth Day Before the Execution. These words usher in a black cloud of impending doom. Color fades and is replaced by the shadowy gray scale of the 1940s noir movies. I can feel my nerve endings start to tingle and the piano wire that holds my skeleton together stretches tight. Cornell Woolrich was already manipulating me before I even had a chance to pour a couple of fingers of bourbon or roll a matchstick between my teeth.

Scott Henderson has a fight with his wife. Not that the evening was going to be pleasant, because he was going to be asking her for a divorce, but he had bought tickets to a nice musical show and had booked a restaurant that had fond memories for both of them. These were plans made with the best of intentions, but the fickleness of fate was vibrating a few strings that would insure that the evening went nothing like he planned.

There were a lot of things he should have done different.


Alan Curtis, who died tragically young, played Scott Henderson in the movie.

The evening with his wife never happens. In fact, after strafing each other with words that leaves hot shrapnel buried deep in his belly, Scott storms out of the apartment and soon finds himself in a bar with a handful of scotch and glass. A woman is there.

”There was something flat about her. The light had gone out; the impact of her personality was soggy, limp. She was just some woman in black, with dark brown hair; something that blocked the background, that was all. Not homely, not pretty, not tall, not small, not chic, not dowdy; not anything at all just plain, just colorless, just a common denominator of all feminine figures everywhere. A cipher. A composite. A Gallup poll.”

She was as memorable as a gray sky except for the hat she was wearing. It was an orange flame of color that draws the eye and somehow elevates her from ordinary to extraordinary.

On a whim he asks the woman in the hat to help him use the tickets. An odd thing to do, but then he works for a living and earned dollars always have more value. He can’t just tear up the tickets to the show.

No names, no shared histories between them, what is the point after all they will never see each other again. They go to dinner, catch a cab, go to the show, and part from each other at the end of the evening knowing next to nothing about each other.

He comes home to a house full of detectives and a dead wife.

I can’t think of a better way to put a man in the frame than to strangle his wife with his own necktie. I have around thirty stranglers in my closet. I hadn’t really thought of my ties as weapons, but in a pair of strong hands a tie becomes a very capable murder weapon.

None of it really makes sense to the cops, but the evidence is strong against Scott. His story is hackneyed and unbelievable. He can barely remember the woman or really even that much about the evening. As the cops follow up on his movements that night everyone who is interviewed remembers him, but doesn’t remember the woman.

The woman has become a phantom.

The cops have their case, after all murder investigations are generally just a matter of following the numbers. They have more than enough evidence to put Scott in the electric chair.

This is the ultimate nightmare, right? You know you are innocent, but all the evidence points to you. You start to question your own sanity and start to imagine the possibility that the tie was gripped in your hands, and death for those crucial seconds must have filled your eyes.


Ella Raines plays Carol Richman in the 1944 movie.

Carol Richman, his girlfriend, otherwise known as his motive for murder, doesn’t believe he killed his wife. His best friend John Lombard is asked to come back from South America to help find something, anything to help stay the execution. You might want to take a moment right now and go through your list of friends and acquaintances and think about who would not only stand by you under circumstances such as this, but who would also actually stretch their neck out to help save you. If your list is short or maybe even nonexistent then your list is a match for mine.

As Lombard and Richman track down each of the witnesses and begin to break down their stories the plot starts to feel like script pages from the movie Angel Heart. Witnesses that finally crack are found dead before they can tell their tale to the cops. The clock is ticking and as the days and the hours count down everyone becomes more and more desperate. After all it doesn’t do any good to prove Scott is innocent after the switch has been thrown.



The atmosphere of the novel is one of tension from the beginning to the end. The helpless terror felt by all the characters is palpable. The witnesses are squeezed. The searchers are overwhelmed by the urgency of their task. The dialogue is boiled and boiled again until it hits the reader like lead weights. If you feel safe, Woolrich will make you feel unsafe. If you are level headed and see the world with clear eyes this novel will wrap your heart in paranoia and strap dirty shot glasses over your eyes.

Many of Woolrich’s novels and short stories were turned into films. The Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window was probably the most famous and best adaptation of one of his stories. The famed French director Francois Truffaut also used Woolrich creations for two of his movies. The director Robert Siodmak filmed Phantom Lady for release in 1944. That year was a marquee year for film noir. They didn’t call it film noir in 1944, but Hollywood was starting to discover that Americans would pay to see dark, gritty mysteries. Ten key films were released in 1944 and those films ushered in an avalanche of great noir films.

Murder, My Sweet
Phantom Lady
Laura
Christmas Holiday
Gaslight
Ministry of Fear
The Lodger
The Woman in the WIndow
Experiment Perilous

I read the Centipede Press edition of this book. This edition included an introduction by Barry N. Malzberg. He knew Woolrich for the last year of his life. ”And there the old man sat, poised, rigid, on a red chair in the red lobby of the Sheraton-Russell Hotel.” Woolrich was beyond lonely, with no significant person in his life after his mother died. He even offered his last editor a deal to move in with him and he would leave his estate to him. The editor decided to pass which I wonder if he realized he was giving up a couple of million dollars. Hollywood had been good to Woolrich’s bank account. Malzberg had his wife meet Woolrich. She makes an assessment of Woolrich which sounds right on the money to me. ”He’s a sad old man.” She pauses. “But he’s a cunning sad old man.”


Cornell Woolrich

A biographer considered him the fourth best crime writer of his day behind Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Erle Stanley Gardner. It’s always been hard for me to place numbers next to writer’s names, but I will say that if you like those writers you should be reading Cornell Woolrich as well.

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The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker

The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How can I best describe The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker, well if you imagine the start being at one end of a swimming pool, and the swimming pool is filled with jelly (or jello to some) made from a cocktail of your favourite alcoholic spirits and liqueurs.

And to reach the end you've got to wade through this Olympic sized jelly filled swimming pool, right, so chances are you're going to enjoy a fair portion of it before you get full anyway. There's going to be some enjoyment, mixed in with some fucking hard work, there's going to be intense appreciation of the idea but it's not something you can possibly do in one go, it might take you weeks and you may even decide to eat your way through it, taking even longer. You’ll grow tired, weak even, your arms will ache but you’ll soldier on even though you think it’s just not bloody worth it.

There'll be all kinds of feelings going through your mind, a myriad of emotions, like why the Fuck did I start this massive fucking job now. Jesus fucking wept you will swear several times and hover over diving in again until you desperately need to just get it over with, as if your life depends on it.

So to recap it's going to be hard going, you'll love some of it, you'll get pissed at some of it, you'll feel like taking a break at regular intervals and you might even question your will to finish the job, even your sanity but if you do finish, it will certainly hold some sort of reward and a sense of achievement will prevail.

Anyway apologies for that rubbish but that's how I felt at times, I started this book in November and it’s taken me six weeks to read and I'm fucking glad it's over with. It's unquestionably genius, the writing is imaginative with wonderful prose, it's a great story but it labours horrifically, I loved it while at the same time I hated it and I'll never, ever think to pick it up again, in fact I'm going to cremate this fucker. Now I have a few other Barker tomes awaiting Imajica, Coldheart Canyon and Weaveworld, will I read them anytime soon? Only when I want to wade through jelly again. Nuff said.

A 3.5* rating

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With a Voice That Is Often Still Confused But Is Becoming Ever Louder and Clearer by J.R. Hamantaschen

With a Voice That Is Often Still Confused But Is Becoming Ever Louder and Clearer by J.R. Hamantaschen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With a Voice that is Often Still Confused But is Becoming Ever Louder and Clearer by J.R. Hamantaschen is a bit of a mouthful of a title and I was expecting big things from this book which is probably an unfair way of approaching it. I've seen lots of positive things about With A Voice from friends and also from his first short story anthology You Shall Never Know Security.

My favourite story with a quite apt title was Soon Enough This Will Essentially Be a True Story about a goodreads reviewer who receives a free book from a local author, the author starts hounding for a review and things are turning nasty but I wasn't prepared for this nasty. A bestseller beckons but in bloody unlikely and brutal circumstances, after reading this you'll think twice before leaving a negative review, I guarantee it.

Another favourite was I’m A Good Person, I Mean Well and I Deserve Better , starting off with a pretty normal date between Robin and Bryce at the good old Deer and Fox, rudely interrupted by Bryce overcome with desperation for a trip to the white house to drop some visitors in. Embarrassment doesn't cover it and the clocks ticking, how long will she wait, gotta get off, help. No need to worry though, well, tell a lie, there's every need to worry at what's going down in the dining area. It's all gone mental, there's a strange bloke who's controlling all kinds of monsters and ripping people to shreds, monsters are referred to as minions but these ain't little yellow funny fuckers. These are demons but before and after the carnage is some consuming emotional shenanigans and a little toilet humour. I did enjoy this with the violently weirdish interlude that certainly changes tact.

'He wanted an adjustment to his face, something to scare the shit out of people right before he killed them — wanted his mouth to spread out like the wings of a manta ray, little suckers and teeth embedded into his checks. But he couldn’t will that, for some reason.'

I found With A Voice to be a bit of a mixed bag, for the most part the stories started off walking down Normal Avenue with intriguing characterisation, well written and sometimes delightful prose that deserves to be fully appreciated and absorbed. You're just getting used to what's occurring and thinking where it's going because there's considerable time spent on the setup when quite suddenly we turn off Normal Avenue and abruptly head down Weirdfuckingville Alley. Which is not a negative slant it's just something different to wrap your head around.

Now it's a good job there's an easy to use dictionary on kindle because I'd swear J.R. Hamantaschen is making sweet, sweet love to and then battering his thesaurus with his third leg because at times it was like showing off with I know some big words that you'll never understand kinda writing. Call me thick if you like but if you immediately know without looking what this lot means then congratulations you need a fucking life platitudinous, meretricious, Cognitive dissonance, solipsistic, stentorian, didactic tone and finally, enunciation inchoate. Joking aside do you ignore or interrupt the flow, I interrupted and just thought, why man?

So on the whole we've got some seriously weird, dark fiction that even now I'm still in two minds about, I can appreciate it but I don't think I'll ever truly love it. There's certainly brilliance here, a touch different maybe, the more I think back the more I like it, it just takes some assimilating and some smaller titles would be good.

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