ok, so about this new poirot's that i just read...:P
ok, so about this new poirot's that i just read...:P
"Over analysis is like the oil of the Match-Cut machine." KK2.0
Quoting lovejuice (view post)
ok, so about this new poirot's that i just read...:P
What about it.
:P
I suppose it's a good place to post this review...
"Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire"
by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Gothic horror is a genre which lately seems to be dominated by Tim Burton movies. His quirky, twisted dark-fantasy fairy tales have become the tape by which everything else in this style is measured - plus, there’s the fact that no one seems to be making these movies anymore, aside from Burton. But to experience true gothic horror, one has to turn to literature. And with “Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire” - the latest work from “Hellboy” creator Mike Mignola and established novelist Christopher Golden - it’s nice to see that good gothic horror can still be found in the “New Releases” section of your local bookstore.
Told episodically, “Baltimore” chronicles events which affect Henry Baltimore, a young soldier whose life is exposed to unspeakable darkness on the battlefield. After being shot in the leg and left for dead, Baltimore sees strange creature flying in the sky, who then descend and begin to devour the remains of his fallen comrades. When one approaches him, he slashes its face with his combat knife, and this event ends up changing the world forever, as it becomes the reason for the great plague of Europe, and the catalyst event for the meeting of a few men in a small pub whose lives have also been touched by darkness.
Each man in the pub brings their own story of death and decay which helps to illuminate this world which Golden and Mignola have created. Similar to the overall concept which H. P. Lovecraft pushed in nearly all of his works, one of the main ideas in “Baltimore” is that of a world beyond our world, which exists simultaneously and symbiotically alongside our own. This is the world where vampires, werewolves, demons and ghouls reside, and occasionally our paths cross, resulting in folklore and old wives tales. Granted, it’s a very different approach to the topic from that of Lovecraft, but the general idea is the same. And it’s not all that unexpected, really, since Lovecraft has obviously been a huge influence on both Mignola’s artwork and storytelling as evidenced in his “Hellboy” comics (and even the movie).
The stories told by the men in the pub are all quite chilling, and effectively creepy. It would be very wrong to spoil any of the surprises in store within the book by going into great detail about each of the tales, but suffice to say they involve some frightening creatures and situations. Demonic marionettes and giant lake monsters are among some of the horrors to be found within the pages of “Baltimore”.
But while the monsters are great, it’s the overall atmosphere of the story which is so captivating. Anyone who has seen the gothic horror films of Italian director Mario Bava will find something instantly recognizable. Descriptions of locales and characters are reminiscent of the striking imagery of such Bava classics as Black Sunday, while also having their own atmospheric qualities more suiting Mignola’s style. And while Mignola’s drawings are small and often quite simple - perhaps showing the shingles of a house, or a stylized crucifix - they really add to the feeling one gets from the book. I know that one complaint people often have with books with illustrations is that they take away the reader’s ability to imagine characters and objects the way they want to imagine them - but this is not the case here. The drawings are not greatly detailed, and even the drawings of monsters are done by showing the monster deep in shadows, so that not much of it is revealed. It’s simply enough to tease your imagination, and make the images seem even more grotesque in your mind.
One of the most impressive things (for me at least) is that Mignola and Golden managed to take the concept of vampires and make it fresh, original, and most importantly frightening again. It’s been too long since vampires scared me last - the romanticizing of these creatures never really made sense to me. It was interesting the first couple of times I read or saw vampires portrayed as sexual beings with incredible powers of seduction, but that that image became their billboard puzzled me. They’ve always been monsters to me, and with “Baltimore”, we have a return to the monstrous interpretation of the undead.
While there are startling moments and it contains an atmosphere of the macabre which could be cut with a knife, it wouldn’t be right to say that the book is all-out “terrifying”. It’s a tale of the supernatural with a definite, steady build in suspense, and a certain dramatic tragedy which makes it feel a lot more potent than it would have as a simple monster story. It really is a success on all fronts and I hope more readers decide to pick this one up.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
Dark Harvest - Norman Partridge
Every year, on Halloween night, a pumpkin growing in an evil plot of soil comes to eerie life. Each year, a man is chosen to carve a face and make a body for the pumpkin. After stuffing the hellish Frankenstein-creation with gobs of candy, it is unleashed as a participant in a game called the Run. It's goal: to reach the church in the center of town by midnight. Standing in its way: an army of teenage boys, each one determined to take Sawtooth Jack, or Ol' Hacksaw Face, the October Boy, down with whatever weapon he can. To the victor is promised a year of easy living, all the family's bills get paid, and the guarantee of a bumper crop. But if the October Boy wins, well, the town will have more than hell to contend with.
The above premise sounds absurd, and could easily be the makings for a yuk-a-minute horror spoof, but Norman Partridge takes it and delivers a no-nonsense, punch-to-the-gut. Dark Harvest is chilling, surely one of the most effective books I've read in the genre. I had been meaning to buy and read this for a year or so. I saw it on the shelf at multiple book stores, picked it up a few times, but always put it down. It has a great cover, it is short, and more than a few times the blurbs on the inside mention the name of Joe R. Lansdale in comparison. Come to find, Partridge and Lansdale are buddies, and so, without any further hesitation, I bought it and read it in a matter of hours.
The story practically unfolds in real time. It takes place from the hours of around 7 p.m. until midnight, and it only takes about that long to read. Partridge's terse, concise narrative creates a kind of immediacy I seldom encounter in a book. It actually reads like a well made horror film, and frankly, it's better than almost every horror flick I've seen. The horror genre is one that relies upon the immediacy of the moment. You want that tension, that suspense that quickly builds and is released with gusto. This is a book of literary jump-scares that is truly terrifying and tense.
Partridge employs a second-person, present tense point of view, a POV I don't often come across, and it does wonders for the story. The reader is put right smack-dab in the middle of the action. And what action! What gobsmacking action! The plot is unrelenting, it grabbed me by the throat and pulled me through a series of events and situations of the likes I rarely find in the genre. Through his unique style, Partridge controls the narrative like a film director. He positions the camera and tells you what you are seeing and how it should make you feel. Yes it is a tad manipulative, but it is also effective. He invokes a commonality found in horror fans, and plays upon the knowledge of c genre onventions and familiar settings. I felt more like a participant of the story rather than a passive reader.
Partridge also utilizes fluid transitions between the different characters and scenes. When Peter McCormick, the main character, is let lose for the Run, we slowly pull away from him while he is running down the street, and turn to focus on a car blazing a trail towards the city's outskirts. We then follow the car and transition to a new set of characters and the harrowing situation they soon find themselves in. After this, we follow the car, now being driven by a new driver, back into town and back to Peter. These kinds of transitions are littered throughout the novel, and I've never read anything like them. Pure literary brilliance if you ask me.
By the end of the short novel, I could barely believe the experience. Partridge just does so much right its damn near unbelievable. Some conventions - the good ones - are followed, while others get squashed and kicked to the curb. I found myself utterly despising certain characters, rooting for Peter, and, well, that's all I am going to say because I really don't want to give anything else away. Needless to say, I was rightfully shocked and surprised at a few twists and turns and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent with this book. The finale is one of the freaking coolest things I've ever read; it's bursting with vivid imagery, gritty violence, and a climax to die for. It's simply a damn good book.
I can't freaking wait to read that book.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
From one fan of good horror to another, I think you're going to dig it. I can't wait to talk with someone about some of the cooler scenes.
It's a more visceral horror than most horror fiction I've read. It's more like a really good slasher film than a slowly building spook story.
You're familiar at all with Lansdale, you know what I mean.
It's got a grit, and a bite to it. I can picture a young John Carpenter or Wes Craven totally digging this.
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