...the Soul of Wit: Short Reviews

Hey friends! Hope you're having a good time in this Euro-summer. Don't forget to read, though, and enjoy the latest short reviews!

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk

For fans of vampires as species!

Marina Yuszczuk's Thirst follows in its first part a vampire woman's story and her voyage from Europe to Argentina, at the same time documenting both places' historical developments. Darkly Gothic in tone, this first section ends on a stunningly exasperating moment – a moment which grabbed and kept my full attention. This was the turning point in which I started being invested in the novel, mainly because I don't enjoy Gothic very much anymore and even less the “aristocrat-vampire” thing.

The second part is set in present-day Argentina and focuses on a young mother who needs to manage co-parenting with her ex as well as taking care of her mother who is gradually dying from a neurological disease. Her inheritance will literally open the doors to a very mysterious tomb, a common denominator in both stories, and invite bloody danger into her life.

As the Gothic parts didn't really grab, but the overall structure of the story is nevertheless quite ingenious, my impression of this book is very favorable. The second part reads breathlessly. As someone who believes in human autonomy and a supporter of the right to die in dignity, I was thrilled to read a character in the shape of the bedridden mother, who tries to determine her own fate by attempting suicide but survives, and is thus treated as if she were mentally ill. This delicate subject was definitely treated with the necessary criticism. The finale was wonderful, the way the two stories come together adorable and heart-warming.

I would read more by Yuszczuk if it were about a motive I personally prefer more. 

Slashertorte: An anthology of Cake Horror ed. by Ben Walker

I'm genuinely surprised to find the perfect anthology in this little book about cake.

Food horror anthologies are a hoot; last year it was Tales from the Crust (Remember? "Hey pizza you're so great, You're so great you fill our plate, Hey Pizza!") and now Sliced Up Press' Slashertorte: An Anthology of Cake Horror, edited by Ben Walker, ups that game. Mud cakes, deadly cupcakes, human body as cake, reading the future from cake crumbs, cake as a dating filter to find the perfect man, outrageous secret ingredients, questioning cake traditions – It's all of it here, my friends! Every way cake can be related to horror is done here; add a big chunk of humor, some grams of grossness, a dash of melancholy, bake a couple of hours at 180C°, and here it is for you to enjoy!

My highlights are:

The Perfect Bite by Tiffany Michelle Brown, in which a food critique finds the perfect cupcake... But it has body horrific side effects!

Black Teeth by Sam Richard, in which a memorial service unconventionally serves cake and unlocks the doors to transcendental thinking!

Legs of the Dead by Liam Hogan in which Frankenstein's Monster discovers his true calling in life as a confectioner and starts a bakery with very lethal pastries!

Eater of Universes by Madison McSweeney in which you are warned to think twice next time a perfect piece of cake in the glass display calls to you, you never know what it may contain!

One Year Anniversary by Red Lagoe in which a sickly, deliciously sweet reunion takes place for an anniversary, so sad...

and finally

Mrs Betty Briggs and the Angel Food Cake from Hell by Kelly Robinson; the winner of this anthology! Who knew Cthulhu can bake too??? I absolutely LOVE it when a story features a group of older women and the Great Old One too, this story had me in stitches!

Grab this anthology now! But beware – just like it happened with the pizza anthology, I bought and ate many perfect slices of cake while reading this book. Constantly reading about a certain food will do that to you. Hey Torte!

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

Following in the footsteps of King's IT, Malfi's Small Town Horror revolves around five childhood friends who reunite in their home town to confront a past mistake that cost one of their friends his life.

Weird things are happening; one of them loses his wife under mysterious circumstances and all suspicions are on him, the other's daughter starts sleepwalking. Are these connected?

In a Spongebob episode titled "Not Normal", our yellow friend is concerned about not fitting in enough and decides to become normal, resulting in him becoming this flat, bland, boring individual and losing all his imperfections which make him enjoyable and fun.

That's exactly how I feel about Ronald Malfi's story, and especially his characters. It's a very standard, very normal horror book. I can't find any fault because it's done so professionally, the writing is wonderful and everything is right, and it will surely sell good, but as harsh as it may sound, it has no soul. A pity. Still, perfectly readable if the predictable (except for one well-done twist) and the standard work for you.

Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib

The hit psychological horror of the year!

Here and there people were gushing about this on goodreads and when I actually found the audiobook on my Storytel membership I decided to give it a try. Very good decision, I finished it in one sitting and I love when that happens.

Single father Todd and his son Anthony are relaxing on the beach when all of a sudden they meet his cruel childhood bully Jack, who, now as an adult, acts very normal, as if they had been the best of friends forever. A dinner leads to Jack spending the night and another night at their place, but Todd can't let go of the past, and to his horror his son seems to get attached to Jack too. Things escalate and take really unexpected, devastating turns which will make you feel confused.

Todd's flashbacks of being bullied are harsh, without being over the top (Looking at you, Heaven by Mieko Kawakami!), done in a way that everyone can relate and find a part of themselves in these characters. It will definitely go right through you. All the more surprising is the course of the story which questions roles and whether or not a person can change, and how the traces of our past can prevail in a number of ways. Very fucked up, in a good way.  

Eleanor by Jason Gurley

Where to start with this book… This title caught my eye a couple of years ago when I had a phase in which I wanted to read as many horror books with a title consisting of a woman’s name as possible, for instance Christine, Carrie, Rebecca, Dolores Claiborne etc. I was working at the Otherland and Caro used to decorate the shop window, so we filled it with these books with women’s names, and Eleanor was one of them. And the synopsis sounded great, so I took one home - only to forget about it for the next few years. Luckily there’s the Mount TBR challenge which is for cases like these.

I’ll be upfront, this is not my favorite book. I thought it’s horror, but it turned out not even horror adjacent; this is about a very young person, a girl whose family tries to cope with loss, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the right audience for it. This girl slips into a sort of dream world in which time can be stopped and she gets some supernatural help for her family. That’s what this is about.

An additional problem is that there are two sets of twins here who are both named Eleanor and Esmeralda, why? Main characters who share a name are a big no-go in any case but then these are twins with the same names and that’s just confusing. Before you ask – they’re a set of grandparents and grandchildren and never live to meet each other, but I still like the leads to be distinct.

That being said, there's this song which the radio channel I listen to at work keeps on playing, and I just like that song, Eleanor by Hot Chip, so I had that playing in my head, so that's nice.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Seasoned rock star Jude and his live-in girlfriend Georgia set out on an adventurous road trip when Jude finds out that the collector's item he bought online, a suit which comes attached with its dead owner's soul, is somehow connected to his ex-girlfriend, Florida and her creepy stepfather. (Don't let those names scare you off, this does not turn into Bret Michael's "Rock of Love" in a shocking twist.)

At this point in time, Joe Hill feels more like Stephen King than Stephen King himself, if that ever makes sense. The chills succeed, the characters are flawed, but they will have your undivided attention, and the story will glue you to the pages.

I felt very much at home reading about these characters, I love the heavy metal background with all its great sides, like a couple meeting at a Trent Reznor show, but also ridiculous moments, like a rock star getting jealous when finding out his live-in groupie has been hanging out with *other* rock stars' roadies as if he had saved his shame for her.

There are some scary scenes too, like how the ghost talks! I finished this in two sittings, totally captivating.