Blockade Billy: something different from Stephen King

Blockade Billy
by Stephen King
Scribner, May 201o
ISBN: 978-1-4516-0821-2
Hardcover
132 pages
Suspense/Horror

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Fans of Stephen King know he’s passionate about music and baseball. In his little hardcover, Blockade Billy, King has written such an authentic feeling baseball story I went looking to see if such a character (or a composite of such characters) actually existed. I knew the story was fiction, yet there I was foolishly researching old-time baseball. That should tell you a lot about the story.

How can you be a baseball fan and not like the tale of  Blockade Billy? Narrated to Mr. King by an old man who was there, the reader gets to meet Billy Blakely, perhaps the greatest player who ever lived. Yet today’s generation has never heard of him. It’s as if the game tried to erase his very existence. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s enough of a hook to keep me reading to the shocking end of the story. And what an end it is. King does not disappoint.

Blockade Billy contains a second story entitled Morality. The questions asked here are  “What would you do if a person you look up to offers you a lot of money to do something you know is morally wrong?” and “How would the amoral choice effect you?”

I thought this second story was more horrifying than Blockade Billy, simply because it made me uncomfortable, where the first didn’t. The end will disappoint many people; a subtle, maybe even simple ending that will anger those used to being spoon fed, I found it to be realistic and therefore more disturbing than a larger than life finish would have been.

A great read for a slow Sunday afternoon.



Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye


Fifth Sun: The Awakening

Fifth Sun: The Awakening
Hilary McLean
Iuniverse, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-595-47871-2
Trade paperback
330 pages
Dark Fantasy

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“Fifth Sun: The Awakening uses the Mayan [2012, end of time] prophecy as a backdrop because it is a classic story of Light and Dark, Chaos and Creation. Humanity enjoys stories with heroes and villains, action and adventure. It is fun to imagine that all of life is in the hands of a reluctant hero who chooses hope over despair in the face of overwhelming odds; a parable for each of us in our life’s journey.”
—Hilary McLean

Sarah Riggs arrived in the tourist town of Jasper, Alberta as a teenager with no memories of her past. In time she built a family there: her husband, Hal, who works as a warden for Jasper National Park; her children, 3 year-old Alex and 5 year-old Andy (Andromeda) and their comfortable home in the lovely mountain town. But Sarah’s past has caught up with her, and it doesn’t care that she’s forgotten who she is.

When her children begin to show strong psychic abilities, “he of many names” begins to appear before them all in dreams that are not dreams. He knows Sarah is his opposite: he’s Chaos and she’s Creation; he has the power to end the world, she has the power to remake it. Old legends say that there have been 4 previous suns where the world was remade. It is told that in the final battle for the last or 5th sun, should Chaos prevail, then the world will end forever. With his opponent unaware of her tremendous powers, Chaos finally sees an end to thousands of years of similar conflict.

Weaving a tale with several story lines, Hilary McLean convincingly follows the terrifying awakening of Sarah as guardian of the world and all its powers. In one scene Sarah accidentally flattens Mexico city and kills millions of people. This incident falls under the mantle of  “remaking of the world,” and leaves you wondering if there’s much difference between Chaos and Creation. McLean also sets up the beginning of world chaos as “Mr. Silver” (guess who) manages to take control of a secret branch of CSIS, Canada’s version of the FBI and CIA. First order of business? The destruction of Cold Lake, Alberta: Canada’s largest air force base.

The Awakening sees Sarah split off from her two children—her husband separated from them all. As each of them moves toward reunion, they must face unbelievable dangers, events, people and things; find out who they are and what their role in this nightmare is; and they must above all avoid the dreams that are not dreams… If they are to stay alive.

Hilary McLean’s Fifth Sun: The Awakening is an interesting story of cataclysmic times caused by people who are but vessels of earth shattering powers, the humans who try to support them as best they can and the immortal King of Lies. Quite an epic and difficult first novel to write. Which brings me to my criticisms. The opening was too loose for the number of ideas and plot lines being tossed out. I found it confusing and had to reread it before attempting the review. The middle and end of the book moved well, entertained and intrigued. The confusion dropped away as the author hung more meat on the skeletons which make up the book. On the other hand, her commitment to describing Creation and Chaos using endless descriptions of light and darkness, with a showing of elementals such as earth, water, wind and fire, made it difficult to arrive at firm mental pictures of what was going on.

In my opinion, if Hilary McLean set out to keep the reader in the same kind of nail-biting confusion her characters face until all is made clear at the end of the book, then she achieved her goal admirably. If not, she should recognize just how important it is to find the professional editing help you need when self-publishing.


Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye

Mister Slaughter by Robert McCammon

This review contains spoilers.



Mister Slaughter
by Robert McCammon
Subterranean Press, Jan 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59606-276-4
Hardcover
440 pages
Historical Fiction/Crime/Thriller

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Matthew Corbett is back. The quick-witted hero of Speaks The Nightbird and The Queen of Bedlam is now a New York investigator of some renown. He’s also a man marked for death by the elusive, master criminal Professor Fell.

When Matthew Corbett and his mentor, Hudson Greathouse, are assigned by Governor Lord Cornbury to collect Tyranthus Slaughter from the colonial asylum known as Bedlam, they aren’t happy about it. But £5 to escort a killer back to New York is just too much money to turn down.

“Mister” Slaughter, as he prefers to be called, is a man of many faces and a serial killer who makes today’s celluloid villains pale in comparison. When Mister Slaughter offers Greathouse and Corbett a treasure in exchange for his freedom, the men should have bound his mouth and whipped the horses. But Greathouse has a noble thing he wishes to accomplish and no money to do it with. He convinces Corbett to take Mister Slaughter up on his offer. After all, they have no intention of letting the madman go free.

But the two investigators underestimate Mister Slaughter’s ability to plant seeds of evil far in advance and patiently wait for those seeds to grow and bear fruit. Not only do the two men get cheated out of their treasure, Mister Slaughter manages to arm himself, seriously injure Greathouse, incapacitate Corbett and escape.

Rescued from their dire circumstances by Indians, Greathouse finds treatment for his wounds, while Corbett manages to acquire the services of the village outcast as a tracker.

Soon the adversaries are pursuing each other through the wilderness. A portrayal of a deadly serious and horrific game, this part of the book is real entertainment. Particularly, the few settlers who make their homes in the area have the gruesome misfortune of meeting Mister Slaughter, and we, the readers, finally see the fiend revealed. There’s also a night-time battle between the killer, Corbett and his guide, which is especially thrilling.

As the chase moves ever closer to civilization, Corbett, who has a secret he feels makes him responsible for the killer’s escape, experiences a gradual breakdown of his mental and physical abilities. It would seem that Mister Slaughter is unstoppable.

Corbett is poised on the brink of defeat when the two come upon a small village, so he plays his one last card: a name he remembers. In doing so, the young investigator stumbles across a connection between Mister Slaughter and a local business woman. While this puts him back on the killer’s trail, it also brings Corbett into greater conflict with the chilling Professor Fell.

The final meeting of Corbett and Mister Slaughter involves so many disturbing and complicated story lines, one has no choice but to rip through the pages of this unique and gritty thriller in order to find out if the horror being suggested is actually true.

Mister Slaughter is Robert McCammon doing what he does best. His descriptive abilities take us back to a world that is a composite of 30 some years of development in New York City (1700-1730). His characters, always larger than life and ever so quirky, never cease to entertain. And his story is complicated enough that Matthew Corbett can proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot.

I noticed another reviewer complaining about McCammon’s overuse of cliffhangers (based on wordplay) in Mister Slaughter. I say the same thing to this critic as I did to the one who criticized the author’s over-the-top approach to character development in The Wolf’s Hour. It’s good to see a writer having fun and playing with his audience. McCammon’s willingness to play and experiment in his writing happens to be one of the reasons I’m a fan. Good for you, sir. And I hope to see much more from you in the future.


Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2009

Murder in Old Blood by Toni Sweeney

Murder in Old Blood
by Toni V. Sweeney
Double Dragon Publishing
August 24, 2006
ISBN-13: 978-1-55404-374-3
384 pages
Horror/Mystery
Paperback/ebook

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Toni Sweeney’s unique vampire novel begins in the year 1794, when Honoria Neville turns Christopher  Landless into a vampire. Mates for over 600 years, the two hunt the world and then the galaxy, until humans learn to accept their existence. Once outed, vampires live in harmony with the “breathers” for decades, until the massacre at Bethel. From then on, all Undead are imprisoned in concentration camps, and blood is brought to them through transfusions. When one of the vampires imprisoned on planet Albidon-7 is destroyed, the local police are forced to investigate. Thus begins a love affair between lieutenant Kate Dalia and vampire leader Kit Landiss.

What happens when the boundaries between human and nonhuman and good and evil become blurred? The answer is Murder in Old Blood.

The characters in Murder in Old Blood are well developed and Sweeney’s writing simply carries you along. This was a most enjoyable read. Too enjoyable, in fact, to fit the category of horror selected by the author. The book was more of a futuristic and paranormal mystery.

But so what? I think all you vampire lovers who haven’t read Murder in Old Blood are in for a treat. There are so many unusual aspects to the story I hated to write the outline. Even so, I believe you’ll run into enough twists and turns that this little gem will entertain.

Reviewer’s notes: There’s a bit of spice. Not for youngsters. And, as I mentioned, the book just isn’t dark enough to be horror. I also found the concept of moving water as anathema to vampires a bit unbelievable.

Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2009

To Inherit a Murderer (The Ward) by E. J. Reuk

To Inherit a Murderer (Book 1, The Ward)
by E. J. Ruek
Published by smashwords
Thriller
302 pages
eBook

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The Author

E. J. Ruek writes  “contemporary mainstream novels with just a nod of nerve-tingling what-if possibility.”

“In life,” the author says “things are not always as they seem — not on the surface and not underneath. I like that. I like to write about that. Your auntie might not be that nice lady you always thought she was. In fact, she might be nicer. If fact, she might have hidden knowledge that you never dreamed someone like her could harbor, much less use. She has secrets, and those secrets drive the neighbors crazy, because they just “know” that something isn’t quite as “normal” as it should be. …And it isn’t.”

“You just never know. You can never assume. Because, when you do, things happen.”


The Book

Both parents dead, William is to be raised by his mother’s friend Deborah Rheinhart–even though she suspects the twelve-year-old is a murderer.

Injured by the rage-driven boy on his first day at her home, Deborah’s reclusive and very private life is turned upside down. Her hired “chaperones” are forced to turn her beautiful ranch into a prison. Even Deborah’s activities become restricted.

A portrait of high-end ranch life and the “prestigious world” of Grand Prix show jumping, The Ward by E. J. Ruek is also the story of a woman dedicated to understanding and teaching her inherited child, despite how evil he seems to be.  Determined to make William earn companionship and privileges by actions, Deborah puts herself directly in the path of a force so destructive she may very well be the next victim on a growing list of strange deaths and injuries.


The Review

To Inherit a Murderer (Book 1, The Ward) is my first time reading the fiction of E. J. Reuk. I am, however, familiar with the author’s blogging, book reviews and editorials, and I’ve come to expect quality in all. Reuk’s fiction does not disappoint.

Reuk is up there with the best. Crisp, balanced prose. A unique, well-told story. And a protagonist and antagonist the reader won’t be able to get enough of. I’m thrilled The Ward is just the first book in a series.

Will appeal to: thriller buffs, horror fans, those who lean toward the paranormal.

What I didn’t like: the story bogged down a bit during a rather lengthy visit to the world of horse jumping.

Final comment?  The Ward is the reason I keep sifting through the galaxy of small and independent publishers; the novel is unique, and it’s very good.

Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2009