Scars of The Heart by Bob Van Laerhoven; Around the World Trip Into Loss, Grief, Love, and Terror

 Scars of The Heart: Short Stories by Bob Van Laerhoven; Around the World Trip Into Loss, Grief, Love, and Terror

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Bob Van Laerhoven knows how to take an around the world trip through different countries right into the dark and damaged hearts and minds of the people who live within those countries. Alejandro’s Lie focused on the aftermath of a dictator’s reign in a fictional Latin American country and the effect on its people, particularly a man who was just released from prison and has PTSD. 

His follow up, Shadow of the Mole is a dual narrative set in WWI France involving a psychiatrist's obsession with an amnesiac patient and the patient’s manuscript which might be a novel or his memories of being cursed by a Romany couple. 

With his anthology, Scars of the Heart: Short Stories, Van Laerhoven does what he does best: peer into the tormented minds and heavy hearts of people in different interesting locations. It is less an around the world trip than it is an “around the human psyche” trip.

The best stories in this anthology are: 

“The Abomination”- In Syria, the narrator is part of a terrorist cell called the Shabah. As he languishes in a Doctors Without Borders facility with an amputated arm, he thinks about his life and what he did to get to that point. 

The Narrator is written to be a truly delusional and angry man. He sees himself as a wrestler or a superhero that he calls The Abomination. His fantasies about fictional heroes and villains, toxic masculine attitude, and confidence in his virility fill his mind with delusions. 

While in the hospital, he is faced with the reality of his actions. It is a reality of broken and injured people, dead bodies, friends and family members violently taken away from their loved ones, a country torn apart by war and hatred, and his own damaged body. His missing arm is a testament to the lives that he took.

Unfortunately, reality comes too late for The Narrator. His violent fantasies are all that he lives for and even when someone reaches out in kindness and compassion, all he knows is rage. All he can feel is anger and toxic pride. The only way that he can act is to commit destruction towards others and ultimately himself.

“Scars of the Heart”- In Belgium, a photojournalist is captivated by Jean-Claude, an octogenarian who tells his life story of being a soldier in Algiers. Jean-Claude recalls his colleague Bisserund who participated in a mission that ended in betrayal. 

Most of the story is a character study of Jean-Claude and his memories of Bisserund. He recalls details about his appearance, personality, and their experiences. It shows that in stressful times, particularly war, friendships develop. Sometimes the people that we encountered during those times are more vivid to us than our own family members. 

The twist in the end offers some interesting reinterpretations of the narrative, particularly Jean-Claude’s voice. It forces the Reader to reflect on what we were told about Jean-Claude and Bisserund. How much of it was real and how much did Jean-Claude make up? How much were his actual memories or how he wanted those memories to be? What about his confession? Why did he feel the need to tell the Photojournalist? Was there a connection between him and Bisserund like Jean-Claude hinted? Were guilt, remorse, illness, or fear of getting caught the reasons behind his end? 

In the end, we are given so much but at the same time not enough. This leaves us to investigate Jean-Claude’s story in our own minds and make our own interpretations about what we were told and what was revealed.

“The Bogeyman and Regina The Street Wench”-In Liberia, a reporter nicknamed the Bogeyman is covering the war torn city of Monrovia. He takes shelter with a nun, Sister Sponza, who is trying to escape with the children in her care. One of them is Regina, a girl who has lost her leg and seems to see right through the Bogeyman.

This story shows how stressful times can make strange friendships. The Bogeyman, Regina, and Sister Sponza are thrown together during violent circumstances. They come to depend on one another to survive. A cynical reporter, a selfless nun, and a former child soldier would have very little need to be together, but now here they are. 

This is also a time of sacrifice and asking questions of oneself and others. Some people rise to the occasion while others do not. Sister Sponza asks a question of The Bogeyman which leaves him to question his motives, the corners that he cut in the past, his earlier plagiarism, and his own egocentric desires to make something of himself. 

The Bogeyman has to examine himself to see whether he has the courage and fortitude to do what Sister Sponza asks or whether this will be the latest in his catalog of disappointments.  

“Abducted and Raped by Aliens”-In New York, failed author, Penman reflects on his ongoing rivalry with Stanislas Nakowski, a fellow writer who has an active sex life and writes about UFOs and alien abductions.

This story has one of the most memorable narrative voices with Penman’s third person point of view. His strange speech patterns like repeating the phrase “looky-looky” or non sequiturs like “this wet and slimy cold invading my nostrils is the swamp-stench of animal sex, eternal sex, war sex” portray him as someone who potentially shows signs of ADHD, or some neurological disorder. 

Penman's thought process could be someone who has difficulties processing information either from birth or trauma. It is also worth noting that he is addicted to cocaine and that may play into his mindset. His thoughts could just as easily be reflective of a mind that is slowly losing connections to reality.  

Stanislas himself is a memorable foil to Penman’s narration. He not only believes and writes about UFOs but he seems obsessed with them, almost aroused by them. A witness's story of an abduction is often interrupted by Stanislas’ lewd commentary and his interest in the witness’ sex life. 

He also had prior history of sexual assault in Kosovo when he and Penman’s paths crossed before. He is fueled by his sexual experiences and many of them either had violence during or afterwards. Stanislas equates sex, violence, and aliens in some crazed fantasy life.

With Penman and Stanislas we are experiencing two men whose minds are traumatized and fractured from earlier events. Both are completely unstable, unhealthy, and are bound to lives of further alienation, frustrations, violence, rage, and death.

“Lilies of The Valley”-In a WWII concentration camp, a Romany girl cares for her brother and ensures their survival by having sex with the guards. 

The Narrator is a resourceful young woman who is brought down to the most basic survival instincts and she knows it too. She was once a talented dancer and her brother an accomplished violinist but none of that matters now in the camps. 

She only uses her talents to be granted favors such as extra food or to live another day. Her morality and self-respect have long ago disappeared and now she is numb and unfeeling to what the guards do to her. The Nazis took everything that was precious to her leaving a broken shell.

Just when the Narrator thinks that she is devoid of all feelings beyond living for the next day, she is given a final tragedy, one that fills her heart and mind with rage. She uses her beauty and mind to engage in a one on one battle against one of the guards and others.

The Narrator becomes a blade of revenge and uses it against those who hurt her. As though she were the human embodiment of karma, she commits an act of vengeance that is equal to the cruelty that was inflicted upon her. 

“The Left-Handed Path of Tantra”-In 1970’s Antwerp, Johnny Di Machio had plenty of nightmares, particularly about a time when he was sexually assaulted as a boy. 

Johnny tries to live a normal life in Antwerp selling books and dating women, but he is completely haunted by these nightmares. His past eats away at him making him unable to function in the present. He has tried many means to overcome his trauma: sex, drugs, travel, meditation, seeking advice from psychologists and gurus. 

Johnny comes close to becoming romantically involved but he freezes upon intimacy. The nightmares and memories won’t leave. Johnny is an adult whose mind is frozen inside his bitter abused violent childhood. 

When Johnny is finally confronted with his memories, he has to evaluate his character: what happened, what he did, what he didn’t do, who was the perpetrator, and who was the real victim in the past. He is confronted with the truth and only when he has the truth can he actually begin to come to terms with himself and finally heal.

Weekly Reader: The Protrectress by Ayura Ayira; Erotic Power Play Between Demigoddess and Mortal Is Sultry, Sexy, and Surprisingly Sweet

 

Weekly Reader: The Protrectress by Ayura Ayira; Erotic Power Play Between Demigoddess and Mortal Is Sultry, Sexy, and Surprisingly Sweet

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Erotic Fiction often consists of sexual power play between two or several parties. It often is a one on one battle in which the characters use their most basic weapons of their body and sexuality to score against their rival turned lover. Their attraction towards each other is delayed until the end when the struggle is over and the lovers are separated or move their relationship from the sexual to the emotional.

The Protectress by Ayura Ayira is one such example. It's an erotic novel which is actually a power play between a demigoddess and a mortal man that is sultry and sexy, but ends up being surprisingly sweet.

Tilelli, the Protectress of the Golden Kingdoms, is at war against invading armies that would turn her beloved kingdom into a dystopia. She is a leader and inspiration for her people and is destined to lead them to a new future. If she is removed, all is lost. During a strategic attack when she and her army claim victory only to find themselves retaliated by their cunning enemies, Tilelli is left unguarded and unarmied. Left alone, she is rescued by Bashir, a seemingly loyal stranger. It turns out Bashir is hardly a convenient knight-errant in the right place at the right time. In fact, Bashir is an opportunist who seizes a golden opportunity for himself when he makes the Protectress his prisoner and tries to make her his sex slave.

Tilelli is a woman of great strength and power, one whom Bashir severely underestimates. He is of the limited opinion that being a woman and royalty that she will be easy to break. He clearly does not know her. Bashir may have pined for and grown obsessed with her, but he will have a difficult time getting her to submit. She is clearly the dominant presence in the story despite her captivity. 

Bashir puts Tilelli on edge. He alternates between being charming and being brutal. He has long lusted after Tilelli and until she practically fell into his vicinity. He uses his masculinity to bring her down to his level. But what turns her on is not sexuality, but his humanity.

As expected with erotic fiction, the sex scenes are plentiful and passionate. The characters' sexualities are used as weapons against each other. Each scene is like a small battle or challenge between them where one is a victor only to be the loser next time. It is a passionate dance with no clear winner except each other.

Normally, I am not a fan of erotic fiction where one character kidnaps another and forces them into bondage sexual situation (I mean how consensual can it be if one of the parties is forced into it?) However, in this situation because the two characters are equals in temperament and control one, is not wholly dominating over the other. It's more of a competition between two strong minded individuals trying to bring each other down and then find that they enjoy the conflict and becoming worthy opponents rather than sexually charged enemies on opposite sides.

Surprisingly, this spicy novel has some sweetness when Tilelli and Bashir join forces. Their sexual biplay transmogrifies into a real partnership. They no longer seek to dominate one another. Instead, they bring the best in each other.

The Protectress is a novel that has plenty of heat and spice but just a small amount of sugar to make not only the sex sell but the characters as well.

New Book Alert: Flirt: A Novel of Lust Love and Murder by Ric Bohy; Alluring Beguiling Heroine Steals The Show in Modern Hard Boiled Noir

 

New Book Alert: Flirt: A Novel of Lust Love and Murder by Ric Bohy; Alluring Beguiling Heroine Steals The Show in Modern Hard Boiled Noir

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: By far the most interesting character in Flirt: A Novel of Lust, Love, and Murder, Ric Bohy's mystery thriller is Mary Bliss. Flirt is similar to a modern hard boiled detective noir combined with a psychosexual thriller. These types of genres often need a strong feminine presence and Mary is that presence.

Mary catches the eye of Jimmy Noze, a former reporter and current investigator, in the Train and Tunnel club in a suburb in northern Detroit. While getting to know Mary, Derek "Viking" Sloane, a possessive former admirer, gets rough with her. Jimmy points a gun at him to lay off. Jimmy and Mary then develop a connection that could become a potential romance. Unfortunately, they are pursued by a couple of stalkers. One is Sloane himself, a spoiled rich brat who believes that he can own anybody and that includes the woman who got away. The other stalker is Haymus Geasley, a punk Neo Nazi. Geasley is determined to seek violent revenge against Jimmy and intends to kidnap Mary and make her his captive.

Mary is a beguiling alluring heroine, practically a call back to the sexy femme fatales of old Classic Hollywood films, characters played by the likes of Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Lana Turner, Veronica Lake, and Rita Hayworth. The type of woman who can entrap a man with just a smoldering glance or a flip of her hair. 

A woman who could either be working with or against the hero, but will certainly give him a wild time while he figures her out. From Mary's first appearance, she attracts the men around her without actually becoming physically intimate with them.

Mary was raised by her grandmother, Ruby who coached her to be different from her prostitute mother who abandoned her. Mary is taught to use her slender body, ample breasts, and flowing red hair to entice men's voyeuristic urges, but to never give into them sexually. For example, she inspires LaPierre, a cosmetologist to create a line of beauty products based on her particular scent. She is the type to be a muse or a model, an unattainable standard of beauty but never a lover. 

Even what would be considered a flaw in her appearance works to Mary's advantage. She was born with a deformed leg but has a prosthesis that looks completely natural next to her skin. The limp that forms because of her leg gives her a recognizable stride like a runway model.

Sometimes, as the plot of a detective noir novel continues, we may peer into that beautiful facade of this archetype and see a vulnerable fragile soul inside. Perhaps she even has a surprisingly moral center that has either been compromised or has remained despite the years of survival in a harsh world. This is certainly true of Mary.

Even though she is seen as an object of men's desires, she is able to maintain control in most of her relationships. She is willing to fight off those that get too physically violent. When Sloane and then Geasley kidnap Mary, she is frightened but uses sharp wit and cunning to outsmart them. 

While she didn't have a higher education, Mary is extremely observant, has some brilliant initial ideas that she persuades others to pursue (such as the beauty product line), and understands the way other people think. These advantages allow Jimmy to accept her as his partner. 

Besides being brilliant, Mary is a very moral person. She has strict etiquette standards such as referring to men by "Mr. (Last name)" and insists that they refer to her as "Miss Bliss." She also will not tolerate swearing.

Mary will not concede to demands for sex and will leave relationships if they turn out to be abusive. Despite being raised to be an object of beauty and desire, she is independent and strong enough to live alone rather than stay in a relationship that isn't working out. In fact, Mary spent more time alone than she did with male companions. She may entice some but she won't bind herself to them.

Because of the many layers of Mary's character, she far outshines the male characters in Flirt. Sloane sees her as an object, something that his wealth can buy and own. She is nothing to him but a statue, a trophy, and status symbol.

Geasley sees her as a means to fill his dark violent desires. He doesn't want to own her. He wants to destroy her. He has fantasies of physically hurting Mary before killing her as a means to emotionally scar Jimmy but also because he dehumanizes her.

Even the good men in Mary's life don't see all of her. LaPierre is a good friend and Mary is genuinely worried about him when he goes missing. But he too has his own image of Mary. He sees her as a muse, one that he can only admire from afar but is the inspiration for his great work, the cosmetics line. He however doesn't mind spying on her to catch her in provocative positions. His affection may be from afar and not as physical as Sloane and Geasley, but he still can be creepy.

Jimmy is mostly a decent enough guy, but at times he has issues with Mary. He becomes obsessed with her and even though he concedes to their chaste platonic relationship, he still fantasizes about having her. Because of her appearance, he has preconceived notions about her such as her sexual experiences and assumes that she isn't as smart as she appears.

However, Jimmy realizes his assumed views are wrong and is able to see Mary as a person and not just a beautiful woman. The fact that he calls her "partner" reveals that he sees her in an equal position that others do not, someone to walk side by side not in front of or behind him. It is only after they get through their adventure together and understands each other's past that Mary and Jimmy get through the friendship and partnership to become a romantic couple.

Flirt offers a female protagonist that has many layers: beautiful, alluring, honest, polite, savvy, and kind. Someone who is more than someone to be seen. She is someone to be heard, accepted, and understood.

New Book Alert: SexyQuad Chronicles: The Life and Times of A Salacious Quadriplegic by Luke Stewart; Funny Salacious Autobiography About Disability, Sex, Love, and Regret

New Book Alert: SexyQuad Chronicles: The Life and Times of A Salacious Quadriplegic by Luke Stewart; Funny Salacious Autobiography About Disability, Sex, Love, and Regret

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Warning: This review speaks openly and frankly about sexuality.

Read at your own discretion.

When it comes to autobiographies about disabilities, they often fall in two categories. The first is meant to be inspirational. The author even was born with disability or acquires one. They struggle with daily activities, other's taunts, and their own limitations. They also have a big goal like climbing Mt. Everest, starting their own business, publishing their scientific theories and winning the Nobel, or even just inspiring other people with their stories. The point of these type of books are meant to move people and to marvel about how the protagonist triumphed over adversity. "If they can do it, then I can do it too," is what they might think.

The second type is less inspirational and more realistic. They often focus on the day to day struggles and the simple pleasures. The tone is less uplifting and can be sardonic, honest, and sometimes even funny. The goals when they are present can be minor but no less important. Sometimes it involves getting into a relationship, graduating college, or simply just getting through a day without struggling. In some ways those too can be inspirational. "Life can be difficult, but it can be good too," is what a Reader might think.

Luke Stewart's autobiography, SexyQuad Chronicles The Life and Times of A Salacious Quadriplegic is the second type of book. It involves Stewart, who became quadriplegic after a vehicular accident. While he goes through the tasks of living and working alongside caregivers, going to college, and finding work. He had one specific goal in mind. The same goal that many men have, disabled or not: to have plenty of sex. The book isn't just about Stewart's disabilities. It's a sharp funny book about his relationships with women, his frequent sex life, and the lessons that he learned along the way.

In 1989, while in high school, Stewart returned from a burger diner when he and a friend got involved in in a car accident. The accident left Stewart quadriplegic. Retaining the sharp sardonic humor in describing one of the biggest turning points of his life, Stewart reported apropos of nothing that he never finished eating his burger. In 2015, he finally returned to the diner and found "the food wasn't that great."

While Stewart describes some very traumatic moments, he does so in a realistic way that is matter of fact. He describes suffering paralysis in all four limbs and a broken neck. He also wrote about his various hospital stays and surgeries many of which caused more pain and discomfort. 

He also describes the impact that the accident had on his sexual organs. Being an at the time teenage boy, he was concerned about his constant erecetions and what they ahem revealed. "My little guy is a grower not a shower and of average size," Stewart said.

Sex is a continuous theme in this book. Stewart describes his many love affairs and relationships in a way that is very upfront and sordid but not misogynistic or abusive. Stewart was involved with many women and makes no secret about that. 

He writes that he was aware of the difficulties of maintaining a relationship with someone in his condition. He had limited physical mobility and required assistance for daily activities. The women that he was with could inundate him with questions or overcompensate by doing too much for him, acting more like caregivers than lovers. Of course, many observers could possibly make the pair uncomfortable with stares and condescending admiration. "I get it, I'm different," Stewart said sarcastically.

As with many straight guys, when Stewart began the dating scene, he wasn't concerned about having long term relationships as he was concerned about getting some. He thought of something to say that would ease concerns as well as serve as a pick up line for any prospects. He explained that he could feel his whole body but he couldn''t move much. When the potential date asks whether he can feel anything, Stewart then said that "(He) was incomplete, but felt touch. The pleasure is wonderful but the pain unbearable." Then he added, that he's lucky he can still has sex. 

Stewart candidly admits that he was a player but he rationaled, "In my shoes-that somebody has to put on for me- you do what you have to do. People could think what they liked but I had needs and tried to fill them as much as possible."

Stewart's relationships were exercises in differing personalities, disagreements, issues with commitment, and their insecurities and his own ego. One relationship ended because she "wanted to be wanted" and fell in love with a woman. Another couldn't balance her emotional needs with his physical ones. A married woman returned to her husband.

He met two different women on Craigslist. The sexual chemistry fizzled out on one before she decided that they should just remain friends. He hooked up with another even though he didn't "fancy her." 

By far the two most complicated troubling relationships cost Stewart a lot more than the loss of a sexual good time or potential girlfriend. As an instructor in a Psychology for Disability course, he had an affair with a student. Despite the concerns about violating campus rules, the affair ended quickly and he emerged unscathed for now.

 Unfortunately, the ramifications were felt later after he met another woman and told her about his former lovers including the student. After they broke up, she reported his student affair to the campus costing him his job.

 Each bad relationship carried with it a lesson to be learned and a means for Stewart to understand how he felt about other people and himself. After he lost his job, Stewart evaluated his past behavior. What kept him from being a completely reprehensible person was that he regretted that he was with so many women and quickly discarded them. That he was as much to blame for the end of the relationships as they were.

That "can feel pleasure" line was just that. A line. In thinking that he was doing something courageous by living for just sex and proving that he could have sex despite his disability, he was hurting many including himself. After this understanding, Stewart vowed to become a better person considering love and emotion as well as sexual chemistry. 

SexyQuad Chronicles is a salacious, frank, funny, and very honest book that shows that the greatest triumph that a disabled person, that any person, could make is to be truly honest with themselves. Then they could grow as someone who could be a better friend, lover, and person.

New Book Alert: Hell Spring by Isaac Thorne; Confined and Claustrophobic Horror Involving An Unnaturally Large Flood, A Soul Devouring Demon, and Some Guilt Stricken Souls

 

New Book Alert: Hell Spring by Isaac Thorne; Confined and Claustrophobic Horror Involving An Unnaturally Large Flood, A Soul Devouring Demon, and Some Guilt Stricken Souls

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Last year, I reviewed The Cabin Sessions by Isobel Blackthorn which depicted a small group of people who harbored secret personal guilt as they suffered through a night in which one of their group was predicted to die. I mused about how the group seemed stuck in this bar/nightclub. I theorized that they couldn't leave and were forced to stay because of outside forces. That wasn't the case in that book but it certainly is in Isaac Thorne's Hell Spring.

Hell Spring also has a similar premise of a small group of people all with their dark personal stories stuck in one location during a natural disaster. But this time, the already claustrophobic environment is made even more terrifying because of a sinister supernatural creature who feeds off their guilt and sins.

The opening seems almost Lovecraftian in its execution. A demon lives a parasitic existence on a larger gigantic demon. Other souls and demons also live on the giant, (Satan? The book doesn't really say what the giant is, leaving its identity and actual form ambiguous.) but have no sentinence or knowledge of their existence. The female demon does. In fact, she gets reborn and each time remembers who she is and where she is, almost as a sadistic torture. However, since she has sentinence, she can plot her escape and finally she manages it. 

The female demon escapes into Hollow Creek, Tennessee in 1955. She has to take a form that the humans are comfortable with, so she uses a calendar of a pre-fame Marilyn Monroe for her new look. This makes the second time this year after Lee Matthew Goldberg's Immoral Origins in which a character assumes the form of Monroe to commit villainous deeds. Perhaps, underneath that buxom figure, girlish voice, and sultry comedic style lies a dark soul. That was certainly true for Monroe herself who lived a very public troubled life and died of a barbiturate overdose, possibly suicide, in 1962. So despite her beauty and free spirited personality, Monroe produced trouble for herself, what's to stop one who looks like her from producing trouble for others. She is the unattainable beauty that like a siren that could lure one to possess her. In this case, could lure one to their death and eternal suffering.

Marilyn The Demon(we'll call the demon, Marilyn, for convenience's sake.) hungers for souls to devour, humans who are suffering internally from fear of sin and punishment. She finds them inside Beard's General Store in the form of various humans who have their guilty secrets.

The humans include:

Eli Wynn-a young farmhand. He is an orphan so is under the care of a God-fearing farming couple, the Blalocks, for whom he also works. He is constantly worried when he does things like swearing, drinking alcohol, and especially masturbating. 

Mark MacDonald-pastor of the Hollow Creek Nazarene Church. He is concerned about low attendance and his own dwindling finances. He adds a little more of the church funds into his own pocket and takes money from the general store.

Donna Gilliam-a wife and mother suffering from an abusive marriage. She silences the rants and beatings from her husband, Ted, by killing him. She takes her infant son, Theo, and plans to leave town.

Peter Mayberry-church pianist and closeted gay man. When he was young, his mother resorted to disturbing violent means to curb his sexual tendencies. The memories traumatize him even as an adult. Even though he is involved with Samuel, an African American man, Peter is still filled with guilt over the relationship.

Kathy and Jerry Beard-The mother and son who run the general store where the others gather during a large storm that quickly changes into an immense flood. The arrival of the others and the strange happenings put a strain on the already disagreeing mother and son's relationship to the point of completely fracturing.

What is particularly compelling is how Marilyn controls her human victims before she eats them. Through these people, Marilyn gets into their heads and influences their thoughts. This fills them with guilt and remorse, making them ready for her feeding. The humans are stuck inside a general store with a rapidly growing flood outside and a hungry demon in the form of a sexy movie star inside.

Marilyn transforms herself into whatever form and personality to entice, lure, or shame the humans. They take her inside the store because she assumes the form of a shivering, frightened, terrified victim, so they feel sorry for her.

She becomes a sexy temptress to seduce the men particularly Peter. 

Since he believes that he had sex with a woman and because it's the repressive 1950's when homosexuality is illegal and he had been shamed for it, Peter believes that Marilyn "cured" him. So he becomes the demon's sidekick, by sharing her consciousness and manipulating the others into thinking about their own sins. Peter gets so far gone in his relationship with Marilyn that he begins to think of her as God at first. 

Marilyn also uses other tricks in her arsenal to feed on her victims, such as using her sexy form to entice Eli to masturbate then turning into Mrs. Blalock to embarrass him for doing so. She also takes other forms and she and Peter keep whispering guilt inside the victim's brains, getting them to continuously think about their deeds.

 As the characters feel shame and guilt for the things that they did, and Marilyn and Peter keep reminding them, Marilyn eats their souls. At first the victim feels the guilt and blame lifted from them. They feel lighter but then as Marilyn continues to feed on them, they feel intense choking pain. The guilt leaves their bodies, looking like red steam that smells like sulfur. The victim becomes smaller and weaker until there is nothing left.

One of the more nightmarish things that happens is the loss of space and time that occurs inside the general store. No one is sure how long they are there: hours, days, or even years. Day and night aren't shown because rain and floodwaters cover the view of the world outside. With the exception of Peter, no one shows signs of visible advancing age. Even Baby Theo remains in his infancy held and fed by his mother.

Even the Reader is confused by how long Marilyn and her victims are inside. There are chapters taking place outside the store, but because of all that is going on inside, it is uncertain whether the external chapters are in the present, flashbacks, or flash forwards. This absence of time puts the characters and Readers off kilter. It also suggests that Marilyn is alone for an extended period of time with the victims and their guilty feelings and shame. She may have been feeding on them for years, even decades.

Shame. That is actually troubling them and the true secret weapon in Marilyn's assault. Shame and having the fear of sin and God's punishment put into them. They are made to feel guilty and judged by religious standards that look at everything that they do is a sin. Eli is shamed for doing something that biologically people, especially men, do all the time. Jerry and Kathy feel anguish, even though family fights are quite common and are means to let off tension.

 Peter is made to feel guilty for being gay, a sexuality that he was born with and being judged when he is in a loving consentual adult relationship. 

Even Mark and Donna's larger crimes are not looked through the lens, of pure right or wrong, innocence or guilt, the black or white that they are led to believe. Donna is a woman in the 1950's who is unable to divorce an abusive husband. She protects her child and defends herself the only way that she can in a time period with limited resources and means to protect them. 

Mark is a thief absolutely, but the book also explains the reasons behind it. Despite being considered a pillar of the community, he is below the poverty line and has dwindling attendance in his church. He is beginning to wonder if his flock is forgetting about their shepherd. He acts out of thoughtlessness and desperation. To his credit, he is guilty about his actions even before he gets to the store and legitimately becomes the moral center of the group. He is also the first to recognize Marilyn for what she really is.

The shame and guilt that comes with generations of thoughts of religious sin are what fuels Marilyn. That is also what weakens her victims. In their concerns about whether they are worthy of Heaven, instead they create their own Hell.

Lit List Short Reviews; Alternative Ulster Noir: NI Crime Stories Inspired by NI Music Edited by Simon Maltman; The Official Black Book Game Guidance: How I Bedded an Extensive Number of Women and How You Can Too by A Kingzman's Depiction; The Official Black Book Black Index by A Kingzman's Depiction

 Lit List Short Reviews; Alternative Ulster Noir: NI Crime Stories Inspired by NI Music Edited by Simon Maltman; 

 The Official Black Book Game Guidance: How I Bedded an Extensive Number of Women and How You Can Too by A Kingzman's Depiction; The Official Black Book Black Index by A Kingzman's Depiction

Alternative Ulster Noir: NI Crime Stories Inspired By NI Music Edited by Simon Maltman

Alternative Ulster Noir is an all too brief anthology of crime stories set in Northern Ireland. The book is short, only 78 pages with 7 short stories. So each story has only a few pages to create a tense suspenseful dark mood. The wonder is that the authors do this so well.

The common theme is that each story is inspired by a song or a musical work by Northern Irish musicians and songwriters. The effort combines the talents of Ulster's literary and music talents.

The best stories are: 

Astral Weeks by Colin Bateman Inspired by "Astral Weeks" by Van Morrison

There's something kind of weird when a thriller uses a real life person in their story. Even weirder is when it's a modern story and said person is alive, well, and as far as we know is not affiliated with any crime whatsoever. 

The real life celebrity featured in Bateman's "Astral Weeks" is Van Morrison*. The Irish rock singer is being stalked by a painter named Cecil McCartney AKA King Om. Om claimed that he inspired Morrison's work  "Astral Weeks.". Morrison is getting tired of Om hounding him so he hires his manager/the story's narrator to "take care of the problem."

The story takes great pains to show both Morrison and Om as eccentric egocentric artists off in their own worlds where nothing exists except themselves and their art. When egos like that clash, there's bound to be more than just raised emotions. The Narrator is clearly caught in the middle wanting to please Morrison as his boss but becoming drawn to Om's version of the events.

What is particularly memorable about this story are the descriptions of astral projection. Astral projection is a process in which the spirit floats outside of the body and can go anywhere: around town, to another world, through time, outer space, anywhere.

As a longtime astral projectionist myself, the descriptions are vivid and reveal much about the soul of the person experiencing it. Om paints the astral projection visions that the traveler experiences. His painting of Morrison is dripping with irony and reveals much about what is in the souls of many artists.

How To Be Dead By James Murphy Inspired by "How to be Dead" by Snow Patrol

The longest story in this anthology is also the most complex. Dr. Carolyn Harkin, criminal psychologist and crime fiction writer, is interviewing Jade Greene, one half of a notorious criminal pair. Jade has been through a psychological and rehabilitation and rejuvenation program cheekily called "How to be Dead" (because it kills the old self to make way for the new). Carolyn is to interview Jade to determine if she is ready to be released and reenter society.

Using alternating viewpoints, Murphy gets both Carolyn and Jade's perspectives. The effect is that both women have studied each other and how they think and operate. The interview becomes almost a one on one tennis match as Carolyn and Jade ask and answer questions. They tell  each other what they want to hear and then withdraw just enough so they don't let the other in their head.

The outcome is both Carolyn and Jade know each other perfectly and recognize one another's capabilities. Carolyn sees an act that Jade is playing and Jade sees someone who recognizes her act. 

They aren't dissimilar from Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling or Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty. Each woman recognizes an enemy, their polar opposite. Maybe the woman they could have been if circumstances were different: a criminal instead of a crime writer. A doctor who heals broken minds  instead of a troubled soul who takes lives.

Black Dog Sin by Gerard Brennan Inspired by "Black Dog Sin" by James Burnside

"Astral Weeks" isn't the only story that projects into the world of the supernatural. "Black Dog Sin" seems to dip its toes right into the ghost story genre. It amplified the grief of a father mourning the death of his young daughter who haunts his presence literally and figuratively.

The Narrator's daughter Chloe drowned six months ago. An elderly psychic says that he can sense Chloe's presence behind her father. What should be comforting ends up being eerie as the psychic accurately sees the girl's tangled hair and chipped toenails and feels her embarrassment at being seen that way.

"Black Dog Sin" has a taste of the old campfire tales in which someone is haunted by a ghost in their past. In this case, as Chloe's father tries to find the answers he becomes almost driven insane by the voices of his late daughter and wife. Remember this is set in Northern Ireland where the wail of a banshee is connected with the death of someone. The dead are ever talkative here.

In true ghost story fashion, the Narrator has a final confrontation with the ghosts of his past. The twist is somewhat predictable but it shows that sometimes when one's soul and sanity are at stake sometimes it's better not to know.

Trigger Inside by Simon Maltman Inspired by "Trigger Inside" by Therapy? (sic)

What's weirder than inserting a real life still alive celebrity into your crime story? How about inserting yourself into it? That's what Simon Maltman* did in his contribution, "Trigger Inside."

Maltman is a crime writer and tour guide taking tourists to the fictional crime spots in the Belfast Noir tour. Maltman talks about local crime stories like the The Northern Bank Heist and The more recent Belfast Strangler with a theatrical way to captivate the audience but a detachment like he's told it many times before (and probably has).

The story is a very dark comic one as an actual killer makes their way into a tour describing fictional murders. As Maltman prattles on about the locations and movie ties and makes the usual lame jokes, he fails to notice that his group is getting smaller by the minute as each member is taken out in gruesome ways without him noticing.

 It is more than likely something that didn't happen in real life (at least I hope not). It's entirely possible that some sinister characters have taken advantage of these tours. Maybe even a tourist gave off an unexplainable creepy vibe but did not act upon it and inspired Maltman to write this story. Either way, his mixing of fact and fiction and breaking of the fourth wall works surprisingly well. It adds to the overall black comedy aspects to this story.

One of the funniest bits about this story is how Maltman writes himself. It would be tempting to make Maltman, a crime fiction writer, the hero by having him catch the killer. Or if Maltman the Writer was in a really dark nihilistic mood make his fictional counterpart, Maltman The Character, the murderer. But he doesn't do either of these things. 

Instead Maltman good naturedly portrays himself as a naive fool who lives in such a world of fictional crime that he doesn't see real ones happening right in front of him. It's only when murder stares him right in the face that he sees the truth.

*The views that the authors have towards Van Morrison and Simon Maltman are their own and those of their characters. I am only repeating how they are portrayed in the stories. Using real living people in a work can be distracting and difficult for this very reason.

I do not share nor condone their views. I am simply reviewing the stories on an artistic literary level.

The Black Book Game Guidance: How I Bedded an Extensive Number of Women and How You Can Too by A Kingzman's Depiction

I'm going to say this right away. This book is definitely not for me. I'm an asexual Liberal feminist in my mid-40's and I am farthest from The Official Black Book Game Guidance's target audience than could possibly be.

If you are a heterosexual male that's interested in having sex and nothing more, then this is probably the book for you. If you aren't, then read it, if you want to roll your eyes and go "whatever" or ignore it entirely.

The Game Guidance clearly has one intention in mind and on that level it works, I suppose. The author categorizes various women by age, occupation, and marital status to determine their sexual desirability. It's made for people who in the old days would have had subscriptions for Playboy and insisted that they read it for the articles.

It stops short of suggesting illegal activity to get some. There is a section on teens but thankfully it's for Teens over 18. There is also a lot of mention of BDSM but the author stresses that a willing partner is necessary and does not condone sexual assault. Sex is on the brain constantly but at least it's willing consensual sex.

There are moments that suggest that the book is more tongue in cheek than intentional. When the author boasts about all of the women he banged and has chapters like "Cougar Catching" and "Gigolo Guidance," this Reader wonders if maybe his sexual prowess is exaggerated or at the very least he is making light of those men who sincerely believe that they are the Gods' gift to women.

The Black Book Game Guidance is a definite bro/dude book made for straight guys to give each other in the locker room, frat house, or bachelor party. It's a limited appeal but for those who it is meant for, they might have a good time. 

The Official Black Book Black Index Vol. 1 by A Kingzman's Depiction

And we return to Bro/Dude Land for another look inside the mind of the sex obsessed straight male with this continuation of The Black Book Game Guidance.

This time the book goes in depth (if such a thing is possible for this sort of topic). This time the Author builds on his previous personal sexual history. He provides examples of previous experiences and rates them accordingly.

Since this is the first volume, there are only two women elaborated upon, KFC and Freaky Greek.

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The dates could just as easily be found in Erotic fiction with plenty of dirty talk, bed jumping and little else. At the end of each chapter are charts that suggest that the Author knows more about his conquests than he is letting on like their zodiac signs and personalities.

 The tongue in cheek nature is present here as in its predecessor. As before, if you are a straight man who just wants sex, read this book. If you aren't, just roll your eyes and smirk, or ignore it entirely.

New Book Alert: The Serpent Queen by Tyler M. Mathis; Odd, Weird, and Shallow Dark Comic Horror About A Serpent Goddess

 New Book Alert: The Serpent Queen by Tyler M. Mathis; Odd, Weird, and Shallow Dark Comic Horror About A Serpent Goddess

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: You know that Tyler M. Mathis' novella, The Serpent Queen, is going to be a fun and interesting ride when you read the dedication, or lack thereof: "This book is dedicated to no one." It's a darkly comic touch in a book that is brimming with them. (Sure hope Mathis' friends and family weren't too hurt by that. I mean, rude.)

The Serpent Queen is similar to a Tales from the Crypt comic or episode, a dark, weird, and erotic horror novella that involves a serpent goddess wrapping herself around a married couple.

Jenn and Jeff are married but not exactly faithful to each other. They have an open marriage and have had multiple affairs. When they aren't sleeping with other people, they are fantasizing about them. In Jenn's case, she fantasizes about men and women. However, the Smiling Swingers have reached the age where partying and open affairs are not as fun anymore. So they are leaving Chicago to New York City to have one last hurrah before they settle into comfortable middle age. So they do what any hot blooded sex crazed couple would do: go to a reptile show.

However this reptile show is not your standard program for the public library and the herpetologist, Dr. Natalia Manasa is not your usual snake whisperer. The show starts out innocently enough with her showing non poisonous reptiles and mentioning their origins. Then things get weird when her little pets take vengeance on a heckler by brutally attacking him. Even better, the audience seems to delight in the cruelty so much that they are salivating for the heckler's blood and posting videos of his humiliation on YouTube. Jenn is even more embarrassed that Jeff is one of the followers as though he were hypnotized. When it comes to animal experts, Natalia Manasa is no Steve Irwin.

Things get even weirder when Manasa appears to be attracted to Jeff and Jenn and invites them both to a strange party so she could get to know them better.

This book isn't really deep in characterization. Jeff and Jenn are the prototypical argumentative couple and alternate between annoying and pathetic. Jenn is extremely whiny and Jeff is immature so it's hard to take either of them seriously or care much about what really happens to them beyond the creepy weirdness factor.

Manasa herself is a scene stealer of the highest order. She enchants and seduces both couples and seems to have a whole cult, as well as her beloved serpents, at her beck and call. She is a sexually fascinating character but after a while she starts to wear thin. She lacks the subtle nuances and characterization of other similar seductresses like Lilith in R.E. Wood's Succubus Affair. Her sexual magnetism begins to run into self parody especially at the end when she is confronted and somehow she still seems to get her way, even coming off in a better situation than before.

There are some pretty graphic parts that are the highlight of the book, particularly when Jeff and Jenn go to the party. Manasa knows what the couple's erotic desires are and she provides it in many ways. There are some servants of Manasa's that appear to not only satisfy her needs but to give her guests a good kinky time.

There are plenty of moments that are hallucinatory and terrifying, not surprisingly, involving snakes. Jenn receives a very shocking operation that puts her up close and personal with the cuddly critters. It becomes clear that Manasa is just as cold blooded as her pets with an almost hypnotic way of catching her prey before she feasts on them (and in some cases, that may not be a metaphor.)

The Serpent Queen has a way of drawing the Reader in and fascinating them with the erotica, suspense, and weirdness but after a while the lasting impact feels flat. It's more like a non-lethal snake, gruesome when you look at it but easily forgettable once you walk away from it.