Book: The Dead That Walk

Genre: Horror

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: The Dead That Walk is a short story book with zombie-esque shorts by authors like Joe Hill, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Kim Newman and many many more wonderful authors.

“What’s this?” you ask, “Julia actually read a book about zombies?  What is the world coming to?”

I know, I know, I actually did read an entire book full of zombie short stories. When I went to Portland, Oregon for my birthday in December, I went to the awesome bookstore – Powells – and looked around for a fantastic book. To be honest, I was looking for The Living Dead, which has several of the same authors, but also includes Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin.  Anyway, I didn’t find that book, so I got The Dead That Walk and found out that a) I loved it and b) it didn’t give me nightmares.  So, maybe I’ve outgrown the whole nightmare part of zombies.

One really cool thing about this collection is that there are so many different types of zombie stories here.  There is a traditional, voodoo zombie story, there’s several brain eating stories, there’s a story which points up how humanity could be affected by the walking dead, without actually showing you any zombies.  Some of these stories are chilling in how much they point to man’s inhumanity to man, while others are actually very touching and sweet.  I think it was an extremely well put-together collection with a story for pretty much anyone.

Also, I’ve come to really enjoy short story collections.  They are nice if you want to take a little break from a full length novel you may be reading, or something to read on your lunch break.  Also, I don’t feel obligated to read them like I do with a short story magazine.  With a magazine, you’re going to get another one in a month or two, so you’d better be done with your current issue by then.  With a book of short stories, you can be leisurely, you can skip stories only to come back to them later.   It doesn’t matter.  There’s no rush.

So, if you like zombies or zombie stories, check out The Dead That Walk. If you buy it from the link I provide here, Amazon will pay me.

- Burn by James Patrick Kelly

- The Living Dead – an anthology featuring Joe Hill, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin and more

- Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry For Your…Brains by Ryan Mecum

- Locke and Key #3 by Joe Hill also – Joe Hill’s novel Horns, which is not out yet, but I guess no one’s perfect.

- The Rookie by Scott Sigler and his novel EarthCore and his other novel Ancestor, which isn’t out yet . Apparently no one coordinated their book releases with my birthday.

- Personal Effects: Dark Art by J.C. Hutchins

- Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

- Odd and the Frost Giants, The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch and The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll’s House by Neil Gaiman

Keep in mind, I haven’t read these books so I’m not reviewing them. I’m just letting you know what I would get me if I were… me.

Anyway, I’m in Portland right now.  So, I’m logging off to have some serious birthday fun.  Thanks for checking out my blog!  You readers o’ mine are the best present I can imagine getting this and every year!  But, if you feel a need to help me out – buy stuff from Amazon by clicking a link from my site. That way I get paid if you buy something! W00t!

Horror
For those friends and family members who like the thrill of fear crawling up their spines when they read:

- Salem’s Lot or The Shining or really anything by Stephen King
Salem’s Lot is a classic vampire novel (they don’t glitter) in which few survive and evil vampires overrun the town of Salem. The Shining is a freaky book that is WAY better than the movie and will send shivers up your spines. It’s a horror must read.

Because I’m such a King fan, I’ll recommend a few other books by him for your friends who love horror:
- It (I’m reading it right now and it’s scaring the crap out of me).
- Duma Key which I reviewed.
- Carrie which is an extremely disturbing story about a telekinetic misfit who kills most of her high school.
- Cujo – a tragic story about a rabid dog, a child and a mother.
Obviously Stephen King has written a ton, so just dive in.

- Edgar Allan Poe: Selected Works
This is a great compilation of Poe works. My favorite is The Masque of the Red Death. Extremely scary.

- Tales of H. P. Lovecraft
H.P. Lovecraft is the king of weird horror. It’s a compilation of H.P. Lovecraft’s short stories. I wouldn’t say his stuff scares me, but it’s pretty creepy.

- Infected by Scott Sigler
I’ve reviewed Infected previously and I still absolutely love it. The sequel is Contagious, which also absolutely rocks. I reviewed that one too. They are awesome books, horrific, extremely bloody and macabre.

- Crescent by Phil Rossi
I haven’t reviewed this one yet, but Crescent is a Sci Fi/Horror novel about a haunted space station which wants to consume every living inhabitant. It’s definitely rated R, so don’t get it for any young folk.

- Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
This is a graphic novel series about the Locke family who, because of the father’s horrific murder, have moved to the family home “Keyhouse”. They think they’ve gotten away from their past, but the ghost haunting the well of Keyhouse proves them wrong in a macabre and bloody scene.

I’ve reviewed the first Locke and Key novel and am in the process of reading the rest of them. Book 2 – Locke & Key: Head Games is a great extension to the story. I can’t wait to read more.

- Pseudopod CDs
No Horror fan’s collection of books would be complete without a subscription to Pseudopod(which is free). Barring that, get them one of the cds of this fantastic podcast of short fiction. I happen to love all three of the podcasts in the Escape Pod/Pseudopod/Pod Castle network, but Pseudopod is what any horror fan needs to accompany them through their journey through short fiction. (I don’t get paid to recommend these guys, I just love them and the short stories they provide really are awesome.)

Book: Locke and Key – Welcome to Lovecraft

Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:  I have always liked comics – but the graphic novel is pretty new to me.  I am a fan of Joe Hill and I bought this novel because of the enjoyment of his previous books.

I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the character development and the realism of the novel. It starts out introducing the characters, then progresses to a life-changing incident that causes the Locke family to move to Keyhouse in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. (A nod to the horror genius HP Lovecraft? I think so.) Anyway, Keyhouse has its own secrets, one upon which Bode, the youngest of the Locke family, stumbles.

Welcome to Lovecraft is the first of the Locke and Key series, and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.  I highly recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy and isn’t too disturbed by graphic violence (think Joe Hill’s Heart Shaped Box or Scott Sigler’s Infected).

Author: Joe Hill

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural, Other…

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: This book of short stories is a fantastic piece of work by Joe Hill. And…(at least in the audio book) there’s a secret story in the back.

I’d say my favorite short that is in this compilation is Best New Horror, a story of a man who edits the volume Best New Horror each year. He gets a submission that quickens his blood, one that he simply must have. However, finding the author of the story proves to be difficult… and what the editor finds is unexpected and horrifying. I love it because of the ending, which I will not spoil, but it’s truly a must read.

My next favorite is an ultra short called Dead-Wood about ghost trees. It’s hard to explain, you’ll just have to read it… you can go to audible.com and hear that one for free – it’s the one that got me excited about buying this book.

Another great story is the last one – the one that is hidden much like a “secret song” that one used to find on CD’s. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but let’s just say it’s about a father and his typewriter.

The last story I will mention here is the one the book is named for, called 20th Century Ghost. About a girl who haunts a classic old theatre called the Rosebud. She was beautiful in life and makes for a lovely, shocking sight to all that see her.

I really recommend this book to anyone who loves ghost stories. As Christopher Golden says in his introduction, they are not all horror stories, but gems from an author who represents promise fulfilled.

Joe’s book was an excellent novel, his characterization was fantastic and I honestly would love to hear/read more of his work.