...the Soul of Wit

Enjoy my new short reviews! 

The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott

Jamie gets unwittingly involved with a group of extremely freaky, otherworldly clowns who give him the choice to either join the Pilo Family Circus, a grotesque alternate world, or die. Jaime does not die, but the more he becomes JJ, his cruel and savage clown-alter-ego, the harder it becomes for him to return to be his own self. Gradually he will come to see the truth that more than any of the other grotesque creatures inhabiting this gruesome circus, JJ/Jaime is his own worst enemy. And he needs to be defeated.
This was one of the books recommended by E. Lorn on his YouTube channel and unfortunately it just didn't do it for me. The characters are simplified to the very bone and the story was so disjointed that I often had the feeling I just missed a big chunk of what's going on. I reckon that that can be a very effective stylistic device, especially in the case of a protagonist divided into himself and his alter-ego, but not for me, not this time. I have to add that I am not really into clown horror, neither am I into clown fun - I see them as people who simply try to make a living and I don't have any feelings for them one way or another. So if you like or hate clowns, go ahead, I am sure this is easily up many people's alleys!  

The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn

There is something about Ahlborn's writing, some honesty, that grabs me and doesn't let go. It is not always perfect writing; sometimes I get riled up and frustrated and sometimes I skip pages because of too detailed descriptions. Her deep psychological analyses touch me so much I can't face them; innocence so pure, evil so endless, it annoys me. But I come back for more every time. After having read Within These Walls (which, by the way, is my favorite novel of hers so far) I came back for The Devil Crept In and that one too, has left me in a quandary.
The book is thematically divided into three parts. The first and -unnecessarily- longest part introduces the reader to little Stevie who leads an unhappy life and whose cousin, his only friend, has gone missing. This first part is the perfect embodiment of my frustration with Ahlborn's writing - way too much time describing Stevie's inner world and feelings. And hey, I am all for character building and understanding them! But The Devil Crept In takes it so far that at some point it turns into drama. On top of that comes Stevie's disability because of which he isn't able to express himself accurately. So added to the frustration of too long descriptions are the scenes where Stevie is misunderstood or belittled for this inability, which really depressed me. The second part seems to be an out of the blue, independent story of a young woman who unknowingly makes a deal with some kind of supernatural evil entity. Third and best part is the resolution and the part that puzzles me most in this book. How can a book start off so falteringly and end so wonderfully? Ania Ahlborn shows how!

The Chill by Scott Carson

The Chill is one of the more recent releases in this list and it was one of the books I was really looking forward to. The premise is exciting: In order to supply Manhattan with water, a little village further north in the state has been drowned to build a dam, the Chillwaukee Reservoir, in the early 20th century. Jumping back to today, weird, supernatural things start happening during the inspection of the long neglected dam and the reader is soon confronted with an ancient prophecy, rising dark waters and waaaaay too much info-dump on the construction of dams - after the very readable first third, Carson (pen name of thriller author Michael Koryta) dives nose down into the unexciting world of dams. Although the idea behind this book was super promising and the characters were quite likeable, at least in the beginning, it honestly was also a little disappointing.

Night Shoot by David Sodergren

A group of amateur film makers set off to shoot a slasher movie in an old and creepy mansion that belongs to the director's even older and creepier uncle. They are allowed there on one condition, though: they only have one day to shoot and have to leave before nightfall. Of course things turn out differently than planned and a literally massive and gigantic family secret is uncovered during the forbidden night shoot.

Night Shoot surely has much to offer: proper writing, truly shocking moments as well as utterly entertaining ones, even a little criticism of the exploitative film industry... But at the end of the day, it is a B-movie in book form; very silly, very gory, irrational and offensive splatter fun - that is what Night Shoot is. Nothing more, nothing less, as simple as that.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Not as simple is a title that sounds very similar, but has little to do with B-movies: I'm talking about Marisha Pessl's Night Film. The complex story that rather borders on crime focuses on Scott McGrath, an investigative journalist who pursues the truth behind an apparent suicide. The deceased is Ashley Cordova, daughter of the legendary horror film maker and recluse, Stanislaus Cordova. Is it a suicide or is there a murderous cult involved? What happened to Ashley in her early childhood? What's the deal with the charismatic maniac Stanislaus, anyway? And who are the strangers who enter McGrath's life to help him solve the case? Is everything as it appears to be? Questions, questions, questions... Night Film is a hotchpotch of newspaper and magazine excerpts, personal journal entries, letters, email exchanges and documents revolving around the big mystery that is Ashley Cordova's death. Best of luck solving it!