Tag: Horror

Book Review: Mexican Gothic

Erin Penn

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Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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IN DEVELOPMENT AS A HULU ORIGINAL LIMITED SERIES PRODUCED BY KELLY RIPA AND MARK CONSUELOS • WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD •  NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.   
 
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
 
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. 
 
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

 

MY REVIEW

All the classic tropes of the Gothic genre, all tied up into a piñata to be hit and spun with a Latino flavor until destroyed to reveal a treat-filled ending for those who love this type of horror. Set in the mid-1900s, the story centers on Noemi – a happy modern city-bred debutant – who must face an ancient house in the county to visit her newly wed cousin.

An unsettled quiet covers the community sunk beside the mountain-top manor, buildings and people left behind after the silver mines closed and finding themselves unable to relocate. Within the manor, Noemi discovers her cousin may be recovering from a fever illness, according to those that reside there, or her cousin may be been driven mad from the family secrets her groom had hid until marriage. And the longer Noemi stays, the more secrets she discovers about what happened to her cousin, the town, and the family. The question is how many secrets can Noemi discover before she knows too much to be allowed to leave.

Gothic glory-ness – Rich in the Mexican mountains and culture. Deep in the fame and faded fortunes of the failed sliver mines, Machismo culture of the mid-1900s strongly portrayed by the men and internalized by all the women in the book. And a house- oh, the house! Dark, dreadful.

I did find the beginning slow – but the final quarter of the book is worth the slow build. A typical pattern for gothic horror stories. The machismo grated on my nerves, but is appropriate to the time setting and culture.

I read this for my speculative fiction book club. They continue to push me into reads I didn’t know existed but expand my world. Call out to Maven of the Eventide and the rest of my group!

Writing Exercise: Tension Arrows

Erin Penn

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

After a read, I had the following feedback for an author:

Are you trying for thriller or horror vibe? I think the scare factor / tenseness needs to be ramped up a notch. This can be done by increasing the urgency (thriller leaning) or the uneasiness (horror). At the moment, the tenseness is steady throughout the book – might be helpful to work on building some up-and-down into the manuscript.

Tension needed to be ratcheted up within the story, but not all at once, and certainly not without some relief now and again. The roller-coaster ride needed to be put into play. In this particular case, a slow build was needed to start, but getting faster with time … taking a break now and again … then slam readers as they relax.

The tool I suggested to help visual this ride is place an arrow beside each build of tension, making sure to have at least one arrow per chapter. Adding more arrows as the manuscript progresses (3 or 4 per chapter by the end). Make a flat line or down arrow for each “break” from building tension.

WRITING EXERCISE: Write a tension-building scene. Add tension arrows once done.

My Attempt

The gun meant nothing. To him. To me. As it sat waiting between us.

Off to the side, the clock ticked, ticked, ticked. One of the old analog clocks of a bygone era, like the gun.

Peace. The world was at peace. Both of us could feel the calming emissions working their way through the layers of concrete between us and the city outside, but the scents blown up from the subway vents and billowing out of the skyscraper doorways had been replaced by mildew and dust in this time-forgotten subbasement.

We had left our cells at the entrance, before making our way down here. No tracking, no emissions.

Just us.

And a nothing gun.

He twitched. I moved faster.

The explosion pounded my chest, and I dropped the heavy metal object when the hot residual sprayed back.

(words 138, first published 11/22/2022)

Book Review (SERIES): The Gray Widow Trilogy

Erin Penn

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The Gray Widow’s Trilogy by Dan Jolley

  1. Gray Widow’s Walk
  2. Gray Widow’s Web
  3. Gray Widow’s War

Note: Strong horror elements to this superhero series. The heroes fight true Monsters.

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for GRAY WIDOW’S WALK

“The only thing in this world you can truly control is yourself.”

Janey Sinclair’s ability to teleport has always been a mystery to her. She tried for years to ignore it, but when tragedy shatters her life, Janey’s anger consumes her. She hones her fighting skills, steals a prototype suit of military body armor, and takes to the streets of Atlanta, venting her rage as the masked vigilante dubbed “the Gray Widow” by the press.

But Janey’s power, and her willingness to use it, plunges her into a conflict on a much grander scale than she had anticipated. Soon she encounters Simon Grove, a bloodthirsty runaway with a shapeshifting ability gone horribly wrong, Garrison Vessler, an ex-FBI agent and current private defense contractor, who holds some of the answers Janey’s been searching for, and Tim Kapoor, the first person in years with a chance of breaking through Janey’s emotional shell-if she’ll let him.

But as Janey’s vigilantism gains worldwide attention, and her showdown with Simon Grove draws ever closer, the reason for her augmented abilities-hers and all the others like her-begins to reveal itself. Because, high above the Earth, other eyes are watching. And they have far-reaching plans…

MY REVIEW for GRAY WIDOW’S WALK

Gray Widow’s Walk is a superhero prose story written by Dan Jolley (co-creator of DC Comic’s Firestorm – so he knows supes). While this book includes the Gray Widow’s origin, it isn’t just an origin story. And while this is mostly a superhero story, it also includes romance, thriller, and horror elements. Well-developed characters are presented; the large-ish cast introduced one at a time in a clear and easy-to-follow manner.

Mr. Jolley knows how to write a novel by the numbers with solid action, great rise and fall of emotions, the tense of true crime and horror, the laughter of developing friendships, and a tight story. Solid “A” work here.

***

The victim of a home invasion as a teen, Janey Sinclair concentrated on never being a victim again. Then, one day, she gained the power of teleportation and she decided that no one needed to be a victim anymore if she could help them. The story starts on her first day “on the job”.

Like any job, what sold you on the job during the interviews, and what the job actually entails are two VERY different things. Janey had never met anyone else with powers but that changes, and some people that gain powers like making victims.

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for GRAY WIDOW’S WEB

Janey Sinclair never knew how or why she gained her ability to teleport. She never wanted it, and for years tried her best to ignore it. But when horrible violence shattered her world, she vowed to use her mysterious talent to protect the citizens of Atlanta, in an effort to prevent anyone else from suffering the kind of agony she had. Wearing a suit of stolen military body armor, Janey became known to the public as the Gray Widow.

But now the extraterrestrial source of her “Augmentation” is about to reveal itself, in an event that will profoundly impact Janey’s life and the lives of those closest to her–

Tim Kapoor, who barely survived the assault of twisted, bloodthirsty shapeshifter Simon Grove and still struggles to pull himself together, both physically and mentally.
Nathan Pittman, the teenager who got shot trying to imitate Janey’s vigilante tactics, and has since become obsessed with the Gray Widow.
Sha’dae Wilkerson, Janey’s neighbor and newfound best friend, whose instant chemistry with Janey may have roots that neither of them fully understand.

And Janey’s going to need all the help she can get, because one of the other Augments has her sights set on the Gray Widow. The terrifying abomination known as Aphrodite Lupo is more powerful and lethal than anyone or anything Janey has ever faced. And Aphrodite is determined to recruit Janey to her twisted cause…or take her off the field for good.

Unrelenting ghosts of the past clash with the vicious threats of the future. Janey’s destiny bursts from the shadows into the light in Gray Widow’s Web, leaving the course of humanity itself forever changed.

MY REVIEW for GRAY WIDOW’S WEB

Second in this superhero prose series following the Gray Widow (a teleporter). As with many stories, the superhero prose isn’t ONLY a superhero genre – there are some (very light) romantic elements and a lot of horror story elements. The villains are more monsters than monologue-spewing superpowered beings out to take over the world for its own good – they are grotesques in the traditional meaning – shapeshifters and creatures stuck half-way between. The villains are in pain and want to share the bounty of their horrible existence. It’s up to Gray Widow and her friends to stop them.

The big question is since the villains and the heroes get their powers from the same source … how long until one becomes indistinguishable from the other?

A great book for superhero fans, horror fans, and monster-hunter urban fantasy fans.

Oh my goodness, the ending! So much!

 

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON for GRAY WIDOW’S WAR

When Janey Sinclair vowed to use her teleportation ability to protect the city of Atlanta in the guise of the armored vigilante known as the Gray Widow, she only wanted to spare others the kind of agony she’d long endured herself.

But now Janey and an unlikely group of allies — allies that include the man she’s come to love, as well as a best friend she never expected to gain — have become part of something much, much larger. Something that literally spans the globe.

And reaches beyond it.

The forces behind Janey’s “augmentation” have arrived on Earth, revealing their grand plan to use human DNA as raw material in a vast intergalactic war. If the planet is to survive, Janey Sinclair must unite friends and foes alike…and take the entire human species in a shocking new direction.

MY REVIEW for GRAY WIDOW’S WAR

The conclusion to the Gray Window Trilogy delivers.

The perfect mix of superhero and horror, amazing character development (with several different characters having their own growth stories), and action. The first part of the book is called “The Calm” and the second is called “The Storm” — action isn’t as strong in the first half, but sets up everything so that the Storm doesn’t have to stop, ever.

It’s the character development of so many different characters that takes my breath away. Mr. Jolley (the author) is amazing.

D is for Drowning – Book Review: Into the Drowning Deep

Erin Penn

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Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

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The ocean is home to many myths,

But some are deadly. . .

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

 

MY REVIEW

Read for book club.

Near-future sci-fi fantasy horror. Climate change has impacted the ocean, and the change of environment modifies territories – what is available to hunt, eat. Things which should not come to the surface do so – from the Drowning Deep.

Preachy in the way that only sci-fi can be preachy. Taking a premise and drawing it out into a possible conclusion.

Great things – lots of different characters with different motivations. A unique monster that might be real (the very best option for horror). A reason, which while not quite sane but was still reasonable, to go “into the dark room” – you know, what we normally scream at people for in the horror movies we watch at home. Lots of different types of science, and no one person is an expert in any type – more like the normal science community than most books. Some great quotes. Deaf characters.

Not as great – preachy got a little noticeable. The scientists were a little too uncaring about their chances – a few did go “I know I might die, but this is the only chance and the knowledge is worth it”, but I really think more would do it. Giving that they had the entire world to draw on, I do see the company underwriting the expedition getting enough scientists willing to make the trade between research and safety to fill the ship. Not enough language barriers when dealing with a large scientific contingent – but since it was for an entertainment company, I could see them limiting it to pretty and/or well-spoken scientists who speak their audiences language.

The bad – you know, nothing was really bad. The book was a fun read.

I could put down the book when I needed to (not a horror fan), but it was engrossing when I read it. I marked lots of quotes.

To sum up: Near-future sci-fi fantasy horror – which hits all the ticks for its genres.