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Wednesday reviews round-up for 2nd December
Posted by Paul Raven on December 2nd, 2009 at 14:20
Good grief… Christmas is so close, I can almost smell the mince pies already. And here’s me trying to keep on top of my work and move house 250 miles north within the space of the next week… never let it be said I don’t challenge myself, eh? Anyway, enough about me, let’s talk about books – PS books, more specifically, and what people have been saying about them. Let’s see…
At The Guardian, Eric Brown is unstinting in his praise for Darkness, Darkness by our very own Peter Crowther:
Much recent zombie fiction is merely an excuse for a gore fest, and though there’s gore aplenty in this short novel, it’s balanced by astute characterisation and a keenly observant eye for the details of smalltown America.
[...]
Crowther never loses sight of the fact that it’s the characters that matter, and in Rick, Geoff, Melanie and Johnny he’s created a flawed quartet the reader comes to care about. From its quiet start to its gripping finale, Darkness, Darkness is a riveting read.
Next up, Andrew Monge of Horror Drive-in experiences a wash of memory and feeling from Rick Hautala‘s Reunion:
“If I only knew then what I know now…”
This oft-used statement is the basis of Rick Hautala’s long novella, Reunion. It’s a phrase I imagine almost everyone has had roll around inside their heads at some point in their lives. Hindsight has a way of beating people up, making them wish they could go back and alter their decisions in an attempt to right a wrong.
Such is the case for John Stone, a man who is haunted by his past as he makes a trip back home for his forty-year high school reunion. As John gets closer and closer to his destination he begins to wonder if he’s doing the right thing – not only because he feels as if he hasn’t accomplished enough in his life, but also because the trip is continually fraught with problems along the way. The only thing that keeps John from turning around and heading back home is a promise he made to himself, one that he intends to see through to its conclusion.
[...]
Reunion is an entertaining novella that is likely to continue affecting readers once they’ve finished the story – not only because they’re trying to wrap their heads around Hautala’s passionate tale, but also because Reunion is likely to remind people of their own “if only” scenarios. Reunion is one of those rare gems that makes you *feel*, and for that reason alone I think it’s worth tracking down.
Next, the piratically-named Steven H Silver praises Beth Bernobich‘s Ars Memoriae at SF Site:
Despite being part of an on-going cycle of stories, Ars Memoriae does not require familiarity with the earlier-penned works for the reader to either enjoy, or understand the world through which Dee moves. For all her ability to bring in events and characters that aren’t germane to the overall plot, Bernobich manages to stay focused on her own story instead of presenting a sort of guided tour of the world she has created.
Ars Memoriae delivers a satisfying mystery in a complex and well-thought out world. Bernobich provides enough hints about this culture to leave the reader wanting to learn more about it while neatly tying up the mystery at the story’s core. Relationships, and characters, change, providing fodder for further exploration of both the world and the characters Bernobich has introduced.
And finally, Nick Cato of the Horror Fiction Review takes a wild weird ride in T M Wright‘s Blue Canoe:
Blue Canoe is a trippy, head-scratching excursion into a life that’s either on the verge of Alzheimers, afraid of what waits on the other side, or is somehow penning this memoir FROM the other side (and it may eventually come to light that Wright is telling this from all three sides—only time will tell). Wright’s writing is as sharp and witty as ever, this time sprinkled with more humor than usual. Few writers can make you truly care for their characters; Wright’s ability to create characters who may or may not be real, who may or may not be ghosts, and STILL have the reader believe in them is an amazing accomplishment on its own. But placed in a story this deep and challenging, its pure genius. I read this in two sittings and didn’t want it to end. Highly recommended.
That’s your lot for this week… and it’s high time I started filling cardboard boxes with my own book collection!
As always, click on the cover art to be taken directly to the catalogue page for the book in question, or just pop over to the PS webstore to have a browse.
Have you read a PS Publishing title recently? If so, let us know so we can link you back from here!