Last Days by Adam Neville

I’m usually skeptical when I see mysterious blood cults, but I decided to give Last Days a shot in spite of the warning going off in my head. The first few chapters did nothing to allay my fears. Kyle, a filmmaker from the UK, is offered a documentary assignment about a cult called The Temple of the Last Days. Originating in England, the cult found their way to the burning desert of Arizona only to come to a hideous and violent end. Run by the typical charismatic Jim Jones clone, Sister Katherine supposedly ordered her followers to slaughter her ritual-style in order to be somehow resurrected. A weak beginning that never gains any momentum.

From the start of the assignment, strange things begin to happen. Mysterious figures appear on film. There are references to Charles Manson in a chapter title and a recounting of the Tate murders later. Strange symbols and hints of magic. Mysterious sects known as the Saints of Filth and Blood Friends.  What isn’t in here to be honest? 

By the end, we have our protagonist gripping a Gloch and blasting away at evil all the while shooting it for posterity with his camera. He even lights a cigarette in the end! Monsters everywhere, demonic children, receptacles for souls, ancient bloodlines from France, a sinister CEO with an ulterior motive… wow. I just felt like I was being bombarded with every horror cliché out there concerning cults, possession, reincarnation, and heroes with guns.  A lot of action with very little substance.

Laszlo Krasznahorkai and Max Neumann Animalinside

Laszlo Krasznahorkai and Max Neumann's Animalinside is the fourteenth installment of the Cahiers Series, a series of short, intellectual pamphlets published originally by Sylph Editions in conjunction with the American University of Paris. Translated from the Hungarian, Animalinside is the first piece written specifically for the project.

Animalinside is essentially fourteen sections, each one page in length, of Krasznahorkai's text. The text is paired with a single frame of what described to me as Neumann's enigmatic and disturbing artwork.The art becomes more dark and aggressive as the book progresses and creates a growing sense of unease from which the reader cannot escape.

Krasznahorkai wrote largely in response to Neumann's artwork and the text mirrors the haunting images. The words tear themselves off the page as Krasznahorkai describes metaphorical animal trapped within each of us. Instead of the uplifting story of taming the savage within however, the animal inside is gnawing at its host and quickly becoming the master.

Angry, frantic, savage, and bold. This book was a challenge for me because as a blind person, I cannot see the pictures. My partner and I sat with this one and worked it through together. He described each image. We read and discussed the passages. It was a joint effort that left us both breathless.

The Book of Cthulhu 2

This is a stunning collection of Lovecraft inspired tales all centered around the infamous Cthulhu myth. The stories in this collection vary greatly in theme, tone, and atmosphere, but all pay homage to the great master of storytelling and world-building.

Some, like Neil Gaiman's addition "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar," make direct reference to Lovecraft and his mythos. Others, such as "Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea" by Caitlin R. Kiernan allude to the mysteries of the master with just as much skill and craft. William Browning Spencer's "The Ocean and All Its Devices" gives us the possible origins of such creatures in his heartbreaking tale of loss. Kim Newman even gives us Lovecraft noir in her excellent story "The Big Fish." There are two dozen stories here from some of the biggest names in horror. Laird Barron, Neil Gaiman, Jonathon Wood, W. H. Pugmire, and more serve up a fantastic selection of monsters. There are very few weak moments in this one and worth every slithery scale! The only catch-- you must be a Lovecraft fan. Without that, many of the stories will be a little too odd as they rely on an understanding of the original story.

The Spirit of Poe anthology

This collection was designed as a fundraiser for the Poe House in Baltimore. Underfunded and in trouble, all proceeds went to help keep the house up and running. Other than supporting a great cause, there's not much to get excited about here.

I'm not sure what the editors wanted with this one. Did they want stories in the Gothic style of Poe himself? If so, that goal really falls short. Most of the stories here don't even come close to capturing the elements of Gothic literature. Some tried, but the effort felt forced. It seemed as if some of the authors weren't even sure who Poe was let alone having ever cracked one of his books open!

There were a few that worked. My personal favorite was "Peanut Butter and Jelly" by Pam Hawley. "Gum for the Soul" by Jackson Creed was a unique look at those dark places in the human soul. Two of Poe's stories were here, including my favorite "The Fall of the House of Usher."

I was disappointed. After months of waiting on this release, I just got another horror anthology. Nothing Gothic, very little creepy, very flat.

Walter Greatshell Terminal Island

Walter Greatshell

Terminal Island

Greatshell's Terminal Island is a bizarre trip through madness, reality, hallucination, and the uncertain space between those two things. As a young boy, Henry is yanked away from his life on Catalina Island off the coast of California. He and his mother become transients and never put down any roots. All grown up, Henry returns to the island to sort out the confusion of his past. What ensues is far from a comforting family reunion.

This is an intriguing novel that keeps you guessing but not lost in chaos. Read carefully because the narrative jumps back and forth in time. Henry's past and present are carefully woven together and help create a growing sense of of unbalanced distress as the novel progresses. Dark, evil dreams of death and monsters hint at Lovecraft in a few places.Through the first two-thirds of the book, Greatshell skillfully walks the tightrope of reality and unreality quite well.

There are two major weakness of this novel however. First are the occult rituals. They just felt cheap. When in doubt, let's throw in some mumbling rituals. The ending was also weak. It just kept going and going and never hit that intense peak of fear I was expecting. It was an entertaining if not entirely compelling read.