5 Reasons You Should Not Overlook Mike Duke's "Ashley's Tale" Trilogy... Number 4 Is A Game Changer!

5 Reasons You Should Not Overlook Mike Duke's "Ashley's Tale" Trilogy...

5 Mike Duke is brutal and his trilogy continues to get darker as the author tightens the twists. "The Initiation" follows the events of "Ashley's Tale" and "Making Jake" and proves that Duke is a master of escalating action and terror. Yes, this series is meant to be read in order so be sure to start with book one.


4 Mike Duke has set the bar for the ol' cat and mouse, hunter vs. hunted, or any other analogy that a reader may call this sub-genre. This series is a master-class in psychological-suspense with intense character growth under extreme situations to distract from the depravity. Or does it add to the depravity? At times it is hard to tell.

3 The series is addictive and will sink its hooks into readers. "Ashley's Tale" is impossible not to read in one sitting as Duke introduces Ashley's abduction. "Making Jake" effectively travels back and lets the skeleton's out of Ashley's abductor's closet."The Initiation" jumps ahead of "Ashley's Tale" by a couple years and completes the cycle of abuse as Ashley comes to terms with who she was and who she is now.

2 "The Initiation", unlike some trilogies not to be named here, does not sell out the first two parts of the story in order to reveal an ending. Duke remains consistent and thought-provoking throughout and really nails the ending. Readers will want more, yet feel strangely satisfied at the end of this turbulent ride.

1 Mike Duke writes without gimmicks. He tells a fascinating story and this series is proof that he is capable of instilling terror with a simple display of character actions. There is no room for fluff and Duke is not capable of pulling his punches. He likes to make his readers sweat, so be sure to bring a                                         towel.

Start the journey with Ashley's Tale, here.
Continue the story with Making Jake, here.
Finish the ride with The Initiation, here.

-Cory Cline

5 Reasons You Should Not Overlook Jack Bantry's The Lucky Ones Died First...No. 2 will blow your mind!

5 Reasons You Should Not Overlook Jack Bantry's The Lucky Ones Died First...

5 Jack Bantry knows his Splatterpunk so it's no surprise to find that he is as capable of writing it as those he publishes in his well-loved homage to the genre, The Splatterpunk Zine. Bantry does not hide his love for the cheesy sex and gore-soaked horrors of the splatterpunk heyday and readers will feel like they have settled in with an old friend.

4 Bigfoot! Before you try arguing that Bigfoot is boring, I can assure that this beast is not typical of the common Bigfoot "found" in the wild. Bantry's Squatch won't be seen hiding behind trees or strolling across a meadow in search of cover. This Bigfoot has a taste for blood and is not shy so there is plenty of photo ops for the budding cryptozoologist in the seconds before they get torn limb from limb... or worse. There is a reason for the title, after all.

3 Deadite Press. For those who may not be familiar, Deadite Press is the home of some of the best hardcore horror available. Brian Keene, Wrath James White, Robert Devereaux, and Monica J. O'Rourke are just a handful of the great authors found under the Deadite imprint so buy with confidence because Bantry belongs here.

2 Nazi Bigfoot hunter! The only thing keeping the people of Hambleton alive! Some will thank him, some won't. It kind of depends on what the Squatch did to them. 

1 Bantry does not mess around. He jumps into the action and uses short chapters to his advantage to keep the addictive pace. His passion for the genre bleeds through his writing and readers will take note. Be prepared to read this in one sitting.

Buy The Lucky Ones Died First here...

-Cory Cline

 

Ray Garton- The Folks

Ray Garton is a master of adding fresh blood to a cliched horror theme. Want vampires? How about "Live Girls". Werewolves? "Ravenous". End of the world, zombie things? Frankenstorm. Strange family of freaks living in a mansion looking for a chosen leader? "The Folks". Garton's novella, "The Folks", is one of those books that always got away from me. It was originally published by Cemetery Dance back in 2001 as a limited edition hardcover and I've never had any luck finding an affordable copy. I've found the sequel at decent prices, but who wants to read the sequel first? Sometimes fans just have to wait to read something by one of their favorite authors, and in this case, it was well worth the wait. 

Andy is a young outcast who lives with his grandmother. He prefers the isolation and doesn't want to deal with the religious zealots in town who constantly remind him of his scarred face every time they look at him in horror. After a steamy and... strange encounter at a local graveyard on Halloween with Amanda- the beautiful daughter of the head of the Bollinger family, he is "seduced" into giving her a ride home to meet the folks.

The Folks are an eclectic group of freaks who do much more than just keep it in the family and Andy will find that some secrets should never be known. Garton pulls back the curtains on sideshow creations that would make Tod Browning blush and unleashes a full house of freaks with plenty of tricks up their sleeves. Imagine if V.C. Andrews went to a carnival and smoked meth with Rob Zombie and it's possible to guess where this story is going. 

This graphic and perverse Gothic-thriller will give fans of Splatter-punk and Bizarro fiction plenty of bloodthirsty weirdness they crave. Garton has created colorful characters with unique desires and his words lead the reader through the dark hallways of this fun-house frenzy. Ray Garton amps up the sex and the gore while maintaining a slick pace that never feels boring and fans of Garton's previous work will not be disappointed.

Pick up a copy of "The Folks", here.

Check out Ray Gartons impressive selection of work, here.

Stirring The Sheets by Chad Lutzke- Bloodshot Books

Grief can make a man do things that he normally wouldn't consider. They say it's vital to move on and complete the stages of grief after the loss of a loved one but we never really move on, do we?  We just get used to a life without that person in it anymore as we learn to cherish the memories that time hasn't stolen from us.

In, "Stirring The Sheets", Chad Lutzke introduces us to Emmit, a widowed mortuary cosmetologist who misses his wife dearly. He is thankful for his job, it not only keeps his mind off the loss of his wife but offers a sense of purpose that retirement would not.  He has allowed his grief to turn into a shrine to worship his memories at he can't let go. He's become comfortable living with those memories.

I like Emmit. He's a guy who takes pride in his work, is polite to the widow who makes him brownies, and wants to kick the ass of his dipshit neighbor even though he knows he isn't as young as he once was. He loved his wife, misses her and thinks about her daily- he hasn't changed the sheets on his bed since she left him and he can't stop thinking about the young lady who looks exactly like his wife did when she was in her thirties. The only problem is that she is dead.

Chad Lutzke has once again crafted a compelling, relatable, heart-breaking tale of lost love and the strange things we do to cope with that loss. Lutzke effortlessly engages the reader into feeling the repercussions of grief and the meltdown of common sense that follows is a heartbreaking journey through the dark hallways of a grief-stricken mind.

Lutzke has proven he is a master at macabre, realistic horror. "Of Foster Homes and Flies" and "Wallflower" are tragic masterpieces of dark fiction and I think "Stirring the Sheets" may just be his best yet. Lutzke owns his style- much like Jack Ketchum, Joe Lansdale, and James Newman imprint their brand of horror onto their readers and there is nothing better than watching a good author evolve into a great one.

Go ahead, allow Lutzke the opportunity to tuck you in for the night... No guarantees how good you'll sleep through the night.

-Cory Cline

Pick up a copy of "Stirring The Sheets", here.

Check out Chad Lutzke's other work, here.

Mike Duke- Low- Stitched Smile Publications

As an ancient evil descends on Pleasant Grove, Mark Adams and Chad Bigleby are pushed to the limits of their morals. Each man backed into a corner, forced to face the sins of their past, present, and future as the city they live in becomes a playground for Hell’s finest.

 Mark is a cop fed up with everything; his wife, his job, the lack of justice that seems to spread into every crevice of his existence. He has a lot going through his mind and has some tough decisions to make about the moral path he finds himself on. Chad is a lawyer, stuck in a situation that could find him losing his license. Lawyers don’t make the law, they defend it, and he must now make decisions that may morally bankrupt his soul.  

The sinister Mr. Phailees & Phobos are well depicted as the evil in this unique good vs. evil story and are as addicting as any guilty pleasure. Everything from their dialogue, to the subtle descriptions that the author uses to build the characters as the shining beacon of suffering they are meant to be keeps the reader turning the page wondering what they will do next.

Mike Duke has created a strong cast of unique characters with emotional baggage, secret motives, and haunted pasts to expose to his version of hell. How low will they go? Read and find out. You may find yourself asking the very same question. Low is really fun, twisted, and dark with well planned and executed action and chase sequences through a hell that only Mike Duke can create. Low makes the readers think about their own sins and dark past and brings up questions about forgiveness and revenge, and throws in some twisted humour to add to this perfect recipe for a hell of a good time! 

-Cory Cline

Get your own copy of Low, here!

Find more books by Mike Duke, here!

Chad Lutzke's Punk Rock Re-Animator & Holes- Double Barrel Horror Vol. 2- Pint Bottle Press

Chad Lutzke has an uncanny ability to mesmerize his readers with his stories. His skill in creating real-world characters and leading them through a beautifully horrific tale is awe inspiring to say the least.

"Of Foster Homes and Flies" and "Wallflower" are two of my favourite books from the past few years and it is a joy to see him cutting loose in these two short stories. Lutzke knows how to create a darkness that blurs the harsh edges of his monsters; allowing readers the opportunity to get closer to the monsters contained within. This time his monsters are hungry for blood.

In his Double Barrel Horror offering from Pint Bottle Press, Lutzke offers two very different stories that allow him to show how hardcore he can get. "Punk Rock Re-Animator" is a first-person account of a virgin concert goer's reluctant trip to a Punk Rock club that takes full advantage of the small print on the back of the concert tickets. The slow build-up is even-paced and steady and leads readers towards an explosive ending that will please even the most fastidious of the Elder Gods in this fun, bloody, Lovecraftian homage.

A nosey neighbour with voyeuristic tendencies watches a local bully get what is coming to him in, "Holes", the second offering from Lutzke in this short collection. Lutzke allows readers to peer through his binoculars in this brilliantly crafted first-person account of a voyeur with questionable morals watching other people with questionable morals doing things to a person with questionable morals. The tension is thick and Lutzke is at his best in this gore-soaked revenge thriller as he snares readers into his web of horrific realism. Don't even get me started on the ending on this one... Just read and enjoy.

Lutzke's ability to create a kinetic atmosphere with realistic characters is evident in these shorter stories just as much as his longer ones. He doesn't force anything and easily engages his readers into a weird bond with his characters. Lutzke is a natural story-teller who can move his stories along at any pace and bloodthirsty readers will be well rewarded with these juicy morsels from an author future generations will be calling a "Master of Horror."

Matt Weber chose wisely in his decision to add Lutzke to the growing roster of Double Barrel Horror authors. With K.Trap Jones, The Sisters of Slaughter, Patrick Freivald and many others, this series is available in two collections or individually by the author so there is no excuse for any reader to be empty handed this Halloween season.
-Cory Cline

Get your copy Here!
Multiply the fun and get the whole collection Here!
Be sure to check out Chad's website Here!

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Book Review- Vortex: A Moffett & Keoph Investigation by Ray Garton

Vortex is one of those books that has consistently avoided my vicarious attempts to read. Originally published as a limited edition hardcover, it quickly became a collectible and all of my attempts to acquire a reasonably priced copy on eBay were always met by some jerk sniping me at the last moment.

Of course, it was only natural that I jump at the chance to read a review copy of the ebook that Ray has now released as his first self-published title. I know... many of you hate ebooks; and there is a special place in my heart for real books too, but until I can throw around money on books like Donald Trump's son at a strip club, I've got to read 'em when I can. To be honest, I would read Ray Garton's work if he hand wrote it on a roll of toilet paper if I had too.

Vortex continues the adventures of Garton's weird detective duo, Karren Moffett and Gavin Keoph who have been hired by the same guy who brought them together in the first place, Martin Burgess. The type of guy who can afford a copy of all of Garton's rare books, and the type who can afford to impress his new girlfriend by hiring these investigators to look into the strange things going on at Mt. Shasta, a spiritual and New Age retreat where something isn't as it should be.

Fans of Garton's Night Life and Beastial will love to see a return of familiar, well-loved characters who jump to life with Garton's high energy and engaging dialogue. Garton moves the story along with his simple mastery of adding all kinds of action, humor, and enough weird science fiction paranormal goodies to make the writers of season ten of The X-Files feel ashamed of themselves.

This is a novelette, so expect to want more when you're done with this one. You don't need to read Night Life or Beastial in order to enjoy Vortex, but, fair warning, you may seek them out when you're done if you happen to be one of the neglected souls who have yet to read either of those classics.

Ray Garton may be one of the architects of Splatter Punk, but he doesn't always make things Splatter. Sometimes he just gives us what we need... Thrills, spills, and smiles. I wish Mr. Garton all the best with his stroll into self-publishing, he just raised the bar... Like a boss.

-Cory Cline

Get your own copy here...

Check out all of Ray Garton's work here. Once you start, you won't stop!