Sunday, December 19, 2010

Horns by Joel Hill

We will never see another Stephen King in our lifetime.
But in a world lacking in quality horror, his son is doing an admirable job of writing good, easy and enjoyable to read horror.
I'm only 1/3 of the way through Horns, but it is an excellent read.  It flows.  it rarely hangs up.  It is engaging.  And while not a "page turner" because it is not a mystery or thriller "who done it", though there are mysteries, and I look forward to getting to the end.  But the enjoyment, unlike with a straight mystery, is not the end alone, but the trip, and it is one fun trip.
I may even consider picking up his Locke and Key graphic novel series (funny thing I haven't yet- I am an avid comic book reader).
Horns is proving to be an admirable follow up to Heart Shape Box, though the horror is more subtle.
I'll get back for a full review when I am done.

No more zombies, please!

I am sick of Zombies  I am a member of several forums that allow horror authors to plug their own books, and I swear, 90% of them begin with the words "The has come to an end" or "Armageddon has come" or "The age of mankind is over" or something in this vein, quickly followed by the word zombie.  I know, I know, these things work in cycles.  Zombie movies have been rampant the past five years.  The Walking Dead has exploded on AMC to critical acclaim.  People love Brian Keene's books (I've read a couple and found them fun), but how many end of the world zombie books can the market stand.  I don't want to sound arrogant because I've sold about 8 books, but it seems like everyone thinks that writing zombies is the way to go.  To me, it seems like the easy way out.  Not that writing anything is easy, but zombie stories seem to be the simple way to write a horror book.  There is a very real dearth of intelligent horror as everyone tries to force their way into some of these narrow niches.  No more zombies.  No more vampire romances.  I want to see the return of horror that makes you think.  That makes you ask "what the hell did I just read?".  That scares you with something other than shambling corpses.  I am so inundated with "Read my zombie story" that I no longer want to read any zombie stories.  Give me monsters.  Give me ghosts.  give me devils and demons.  Give me the horrible side of humanity.  But please, stop with the zombies.
The shark bas been jumped, and I am done.

As Seen On Craig's List

New flash fiction, "As Seen on Craig's List" up at feedbooks.  .  Well, not technically flash fiction because it is more than 1,000 words, but it is less than 2,000, so I'll squeeze it into the category.  Still won't take you more than a couple of minutes to enjoy.
Search for Brad C DMD at feedbooks, and while you're at it, you can check out On the Curb if you haven't already.
Or you can visit my writing section at Goodreads if you prefer.

Previews of Pandora's Children Book 2: Too Young To Die Available

Previews of 2 of the short stories included in Pandora's Children Book 2: Too Young To Die now available at Feedbooks.com, Smashwords.com and Scribd.  Enjoy the first halves of "Higher" and a "Little Snack".  Mature audiences only!  Preview for the "Roadside Memorial", as well as the completed Book 2 will be available within the week.  So take a sneak peek and enjoy!

Four Corners

New semi flash fiction piece up at Feedbooks (search for Brad C DMD)
Called "Four Corners", inspired by something I once heard 12 or 13 years ago while I lived in New Orleans.  Don't know if it is true, but you never know.  It's free, so enjoy.  Only about 2,000 words

On the Curb

Click here to read a new as-as-yet unpublished short story at feedbooks.  Not very long.  Not flash fiction, per se, but less than 5000 words.  Enjoy and comment

Welcome to the Chair

Finding a good horror novel is as difficult as finding a good horror movie; most of what is out there is simply crap. What do we have when it comes to the horror genre? Steven King and his son Joe Hill, Peter Straub and Dean Koontz. Anne Rice is gone, having found Jesus (though it is said she recently lost him, and will possibly exhume Lestat from his literary grave). And Clive Barker hasn’t published a new adult novel in years (still waiting for the Scarlet Gospels and the return of Harry D’Amour).
If you’ve exhausted these author’s works and have no interest in vampire soap operas (which seem to dominate the horror shelves these days) or mindless zombie bloodfests, there’s little left to explore.
I want to add another voice to the genre, and if you’re willing to step into the twisting hallways of the mind of a thirty-something year old dentist, I can assure you that you won’t leave unchanged.