Weekly Reader: Bound by P.L. Sullivan; Brilliant Concept and Strong Female Lead (or Leads) Make Up For The At Times Confusing Plot

Weekly Reader: Bound by P.L. Sullivan; Brilliant Concept and Strong Female Lead (or Leads) Make Up For The At Times Confusing Plot

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: One thing that I will say about Bound by P.L. Sullivan is that its concept is incredibly intriguing and original. It involves a woman from a seemingly violent race who has another personality surgically attached to her and she is required to commit violence in the name of another world. It's a strange concept but science fiction allows us to imagine the impossible and Bound excels at that.

In a world of Polis, Adin Rayne is a Keld. That basically means in her home world with it's rigidity, laws, and preference for nonviolent conflict, Adin is well an outlier to say the least. The Keld are held under suspicion because they appear to have violent and sociopathic tendencies. In fact, Adin, as a nursery school child, was responsible for the death of one of her caregivers. The authorities have the bright idea to channel those violent tendencies and have her serve in their military peacekeeper organization. Her violent tendencies are even further curbed by her being mentally  bound to another girl at the point of death named Shennan. Shennan is supposed to calm Adin's more violent nature into something more diplomatic. 

Decades later, Adin and Shennan are sent to investigate a strange disorder called The Mad or Rills. Rills spread from planet to planet afflicting people with insanity. Insanity becomes a contagion and anyone could be affected. It's a tough assignment, one that causes a lot of problems for Adin/Shennan and their colleagues, friends, and family. It is a very painful disorder in which glyphs appear on the victim's face and they act in a violent thoughtless manner.

This is one of those science fiction novels with an incredibly confusing plot. Sometimes it's hard to tell who is fighting who, who all the players are, and what side they are on. It's one of those books were you expect a traitor because everyone is pretty much suspect. Unfortunately, unlike Centricity which is well written enough to make the Reader go back and decipher what they missed, the density of Bound's plot doesn't leave enough interest to do that. The revelation of the Rills' origin is someone hard to follow as well whether they are organic or man made and act according to their own survival instincts or someone else's orders.

However what the plot lacks in coherence, it makes up for a very baffling and intriguing concept, particularly within the characters of Adin and Shennan. The bound is sort of like having Dissociative Identity Disorder except the other personality is surgically inserted inside the body. However, the bound goes one step further. When one woman sleeps or is shut down, the other takes over. They are able to communicate telepathically even when one is asleep and the other awake. They share each other's thoughts, memories, and know one another's associates, friends, and lovers. What is particularly impressive is that when one personality is ascendant, the body changes appearance to reflect which one is in charge. So they can go from short androgynous dark haired Adin to tall sexy blond Shennan within a conversation.

What is most fascinating with this concept of binding is that we see how this affects  both Adin and Shennan. The bound brings out their most positive and negative attributes. Adin is the more action gung ho fighter. When it comes time to investigate trouble on a planet, guns ablazing, she's your woman. She has a strategic military thought process and doesn't mind using it by leaving a few bodies in her wake. 

Shennan is the diplomat. She is the one called on to negotiate with planetary leaders and speak to superior officers in the calm rational manner that Adin lacks. Shennan is the talker and Adin is the doer.

There are times when their morals and values flip flop. Shennan's cold nature and determination to meet an assignment to the finish sometimes clashes with Adin's concerns about the living element and what the cost is to all involved.

Shennan and Adin's dichotomy is expertly explores in terms of their relationships. Adin is more reserved and had an on again/off again lover. Shennan however is more sexually adventurous and has had male and female lovers. Some of the more moving chapters occur between Adin and Shennan and Shennan's former lovers, including Cale, a man with whom she broke his heart when they were in the Academy, and Lyssa, a woman who Shennan considers her greatest love.

With the Bound, Sullivan raises some interesting themes and questions about the nature of violence. In some ways, the book is similar to A Clockwork Orange in that if someone is brutally forced to give up their violent nature then does that make it right? Adin and Shennan are not a whole person. They are two halves of one person unable to function without each other. In their insistence in using Shennan to end Adin's violence, the Polis prove to care very little about the cost on these two women or their emotional and psychological states. They also seem to have little regard for what their orders mean to the other planets and their citizens. Their authoritarian nature ends up being colder, more violent, and more sociopathic than anything that Adin would have thought of on her own.

Bound is sometimes hard to follow but its concept and characterization are incredible. Anyone who reads to it will be Bound to have an intriguing thoughtful suspenseful time.

New Book Alert: Enigma (Road to the Breaking Book 2) by Christopher Bennett; Brilliant Pre-Civil War Era Novel Explores the Real Cost of Slavery

 

New Book Alert: Enigma (Road to the Breaking Book 2) by Christopher Bennett; Brilliant Pre-Civil War Era Novel Explores the Real Cost of Slavery

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Among the myths that the Southern states held in keeping slavery is "The Good Slave Owner Myth", that as long as the slave owner is good to their slaves, never has them whipped, separated, or sold, and had them educated and converted to Christianity, then they weren't doing anything wrong. Unfortunately, that myth was so strong that many Southern apologists, Confederate fan boys and girls, and devotees of the Southern "Lost Cause" (in other words racists with a Civil War grudge) still cling to that myth.

What they fail to acknowledge is that the institution of slavery itself was wrong. If one participated in the transfer, ownership, and purchase of human beings, then their so-called goodness had already been compromised. Their treatment of their slaves was nothing more than mere hypocrisy. That the phrase "good slave owner" is as much a contradiction in terms as the phrase "good Nazi." 

Enigma, the second book in Christopher Bennett's Road to the Breaking historical fiction series about the days before the American Civil War, tackles the "Good Slave Owner" Myth head on. It shows us a protagonist who has seen first hand the horrors of slavery and has returned to his family antebellum plantation home with no intention of repeating them.

In 1860,Mexican-American War veteran Captain Nathan Chambers returns to his childhood Greenbriar County, Virginia home, to take over the run of the plantation after the death of his father. Nathan isn't alone either. He brought six of his best and most loyal soldiers and obtained a completely different outlook on life.

Because of events in the previous book, Road to the Breaking, Nathan has formed a deep fire forged friendship with his fellow soldiers, a band of brothers if you will. Nathan has also experienced firsthand the horrors of slavery and he is no longer the ambivalent boy who left Virginia. Instead, he sees fellow human beings that are dehumanized by that deplorable institution. When he returns home, he has no intention of repeating the institution on a farm that is now his. He is not content to be a good slaver owner. Instead he wants to be a good man and to that, he wants to end the institution of slavery.

Nathan instead wants to free all of the slaves. However, Virginia laws states that that can't happen. However, if laws can't be broken, then they can always be bent. The slave laws say nothing about indentured servitude. So Nathan cleverly decides to change the status of his slaves to indentured servants. They will work on the plantation for a period of seven years for pay. Then at the end of that period will have the option to either leave or become regular paid workers.

During that time, the ex slaves will be given a small tract of land in which they will cultivate for themselves, become literate, be permitted to speak and question their treatment, and have legal marriages. Even Christian sermons will reflect this new outlook, no longer emphasizing white's domination over other races. Instead, the sermons reflect equality and humanity.

The reactions from the people on the plantation vary. Some are excited and supportive. Many former slaves are skeptical and a few are contemplating escape or a violent revolution. The white employees are incensed that they can't kick around the black employees any longer. An overseer is fired when he is caught venting his rage and assaulting a female slave. The neighbors are horrified and offended. It is going to be an uphill battle to implement these changes, that's for sure.

Enigma is filled with memorable characters. Nathan is a terrific lead character who has not only realized the error of his ways. He not only talks the talk in realizing how evil slavery is but he walks the walk in doing everything that he can to get rid of it. He is a leader who leads by example and that makes him someone who is worth following.

Another character who stands out is Evelyn Hanson, a young woman who Nathan's mother has set up with her mother, for them to go courting. Evelyn has been raised, almost brainwashed, to act like a typical Southern lady to the point that she doesn't know her own mind. When she first encounters Nathan, she parrots all of the talking points about slavery that her mother told her to say without thinking about them. Then when she is finally challenged and put on the spot, she reveals herself to be an intelligent and opinionated young woman who unfortunately has had to keep her thoughts to herself. Unfortunately, that conditioning has resulted in Evelyn carrying a lot of anxiety and insecurity. Her mental questions of "Who am I?" are repeated so often that she seems to hover towards an identity crisis or mental breakdown.

Supporting characters stand out in this book particularly Nathan's men and the slaves turned indentured servants. Nathan's fellow soldiers are an extremely loyal team to the point that when Nathan asks if they want to stay working with him, they all agree, citing having no family to return to, large families that wouldn't miss them, and living too far from their former homes. They are also well writtn individuals who stand out on their own right from Stan, the friendly giant Russian who is good with children, to Billy, the quiet tracker who spends this days out in the woods to familiarize himself with his surroundings, to Tom, Nathan's second in command who has a fine organizational and technological mind that enables the plantation workers to come up with innovative ways in which slavery will no longer be necessary.

The indentured servants are well written as well, particularly how they view Nathan and his new ideas. Not surprisingly not all of them are excited. Some like the fiery Tony remain unconvinced and practice shooting just in case they need it. Others like Phinn, think that Nathan's words are all talk and will believe the change when they see it. Megs raised Nathan since he was a baby and isn't afraid to call him out in public on his behavior as a child and when he oversteps his boundaries as an adult. A particularly memorable character is Rosa who becomes involved romantically with Tony and harbors a painful secret connection to the Chambers family.Through these characters, Bennett explores the painful cost of slavery on one's humanity and self identity.

Of course since Enigma predates the Civil War, there is plenty of foreshadowing about the conflict, some very blunt and obvious. Abraham Lincoln's candidacy is referred to with admiration and contempt. Rumors of succession get louder.

 Some foreshadowing bears many similarities to modern day. One character contemplates how the election of one President could cause so much contention that it would inspire people to commit an insurrection definitely calls to mind a certain modern insurrection on January 6. Good historical fiction allows us to draw those parallels between the old days illustrated in the work and modern day, but most let us do that on our own. They don't come right out and say it. In this instance, subtlety is lost to obviousness.

However, Enigma reveals a world that is on the verge of changing. When that happens, many take long looks at themselves and realize how wrong they were. 

New Book Alert: Is That Your Final Answer? By Phillip D. Gibbons; Witty Satire About Corporate Culture, Modern Romances, and Millionaire Game Shows

 

New Book Alert: Is That Your Final Answer? By Phillip D. Gibbons; Witty Satire About Corporate Culture, Modern Romances, and Millionaire Game Shows

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Phillip D. Gibbons' Is That Your Final Answer? Could be best described as "SoCal Millionaire" in reference to Slumdog Millionaire, the 2008 Academy Award winning film, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Dev Patel and Freida Pinto. Both are about struggling young men who try their luck on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, but that is where the similarities end. The Boyle film is a magical realism story in which Jamal, the protagonist is destined to win the game as the answers to the questions that he is asked on the show appear throughout different points in his lifetime. The magical realism is also matched with realistic depictions of poverty in Mumbai, India and the decisions that each character makes as Jamal's brother, Salim, enters a life of crime and drugs and his girlfriend, Latika is forced to work as a courtesan while Jamal strives to rescue her.

Gibbons' novel is nowhere near as magical, romantic, or sentimental. Instead it goes for laughs or nods of understanding in the circumstances that surround Greg Rafferty. Is That Your Final Answer? is a clever satire about corporate culture, disposable relationships, the lengths that people will go through to get their 15 minutes of fame, and what they do with themselves during the 16th minute.

The novel is set in the early 2000's when Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was the most popular show on American television. Gibbons describes this time in almost idyllic terms such as the NASDAQ is at an all-time high, the Internet providing infinite opportunities, and no wars. It is almost a fairy tale in the way Gibbons describes this long ago and far away time of 22 years ago.

In this seemingly distant time, Greg is an anxious man in his mid-30's who is hanging by a thread at his corporate job because of a deal that is in the process of falling apart. To top it off his girlfriend, Courtney might be pregnant and he is uncertain if he's ready or mature enough to be a father. 

Greg is just coasting along on his life, not really enjoying it. He lives in Southern California but doesn't have time to enjoy the beautiful weather when he is taking a long commute to and from a job he hates. He suspects that his boss and coworker are against him. He also feels choked by his social circle that consists mostly of Courtney's sorority sisters and their hanger on boyfriends. Even when he is removed from his job and he and Courtney break up, there is little relief. He simply goes from one soul sucking job to another and has various short lived flings, but never anything serious. It's enough to make one depressed and suicidal which Greg does.

The only thing that Greg has going for him is an encyclopedia knowledge of trivia. Many co-workers, friends, family, and neighbors stop to ask him questions, hoping to stump him but he outsmarts them all. Since it's 2000, any time he shows such an aptitude for trivia he is inevitably asked if he has ever or wants to be a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Well, Greg eschews popular culture and doesn't watch much television. However, he happens to catch the Regis Philbin hosted game show and decides that he could go on it.

Greg is not always likeable. He can be whiny, self centered, and pretentious. He's incredibly insecure, and anxious. Even though his life is filled by a fairly decent living, he is aware that he is settling. It frightens him that even his settling prospects are disappearing. He feels suffocated in a world of sameness and in which he is unable to stand out from all of the other faceless people who commute every day, drink too much, and hook up at the local bar. His knowledge of trivia is what makes him stand out and be unique.

Greg's participation in Millionaire and in an earlier chapter, Jeopardy are the highlights of the book. There are great details about the process of getting on the shows such as the telephone interviews and the tedious wait for a return answer from the show's representative. Then there is the experience of being on the show itself where the hot lights and the presence of cameras are enough to make one so anxious that the contestant forgets their name let alone the answers to any trivia questions. The process is very revealing as the book shows that the smartest person is not always the one selected. In fact, the one selected usually is the fastest at answering, the one with the most engaging and sparkling personality, and the one who can engage in witty repartee with the host and laugh at their jokes. It's less about intelligence than it is about appearance.

Unlike Slumdog Millionaire which ends on a triumphant note with Jamal winning the game and getting the girl (all to the memorable Bollywood beat of the Academy Award winning Best Original Song, "Jai Ho."), Is That Your Final Answer shows us life after the game show appearance. After the nervousness and excitement has passed, life returns to normal. 

Greg goes back to his boring job and his short lived affairs. His time in Millionaire is reduced to an interesting anecdote. It is only after dating a single mother that Greg realizes that he now has the money, he just needs to make the time to change his life.

Is That Your Final Answer is not only about achieving a goal no matter how miniscule that goal may seem to others. It's about living on another level and changing the life that you have been given instead of settling.

New Book Alert: The Leviathan Trial by Oliver Madison; Suspenseful Clever Mind Twisting Thriller About Breakable Family Ties

 

New Book Alert: The Leviathan Trial by Oliver Madison; Suspenseful Clever Mind Twisting Thriller About Breakable Family Ties

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Oliver Madison's The Leviathan Trial is an odd combination of The Hunger Games, Battle Royale, The Purge, and "The Most Dangerous Game," meets the Hatfields and The McCoys. It involves a sadistic game of life or death, but the participants are children in one very large, rich, multi-talented and incredibly screwed up family.

Father Benedict Lancaster is a very eccentric billionaire/recluse. At 90 years of age he lives the high life. He has homes, cars, thriving businesses, fame, infamy, and a tragic backstory to go with it. At 12 years old, he was the sole survivor of an accident that claimed the lives of his entire family leaving Benedict a very sad but wealthy young boy. (He was the sole heir to the family fortune.)

Upon adulthood, Benedict was a childless confirmed bachelor until abruptly in his 70's, he decided to adopt a child. Ultimately, he adopted 12 children from different countries.

The Lancaster children are raised in very unusual circumstances. They were left largely isolated, educated by a bevy of tutors, teachers, and coaches, until they attended the nearby Preparatory Academy where they are the subject of scrutiny, speculation, and gossip. They are ordered to socialize only with each other and to excel in one specific field.

 Benedict is hardly ever home leaving their care to an array of house servants and each other. He only returns to evaluate their performances and to reward or penalize them if they fall short of his expectations. Okay a wealthy, but distant father who expects his children to become overachievers. Nothing weird about that until they start talking about the Leviathan.

The Leviathan is a mythical creature who is their family spirit. The Lancasters pray to the Leviathan before meals and bedtime and swear total allegiance to this strange creature. Benedict often inspires and even thrives on competition between his children and allows rivalries and cliques to form because that is the way the Leviathan wants it.There are plenty of rumors that the Lancasters children are actually brainwashed members of a cult with Benedict as their leader and those rumors might be right.

The Lancaster children are a bizarre but fascinating bunch. Madison excellently personalized each character and how they interact as a family and as individuals. They are:

Pearl-The oldest at 19 and first to be adopted. She was adopted from New Zealand and is a champion skeet shooter. She is the de facto parent and mother of the group. Some believe that she is the closest thing Benedict has ever had to a wife.

Hiroshi-At 18, he was the first adopted boy. From Japan, he is a wrestling champion and the most physically athletic and strongest of the kids.

Blake-Also 18, he is from Iran and is an academic all-star. A chess champion, Blake has a sardonic attitude and often schemes against his siblings.

Cynthia-17, she is from Brazil and is an accomplished software engineer and computer programmer. She is very quiet and is known to hide her true feelings and keep to herself away from the others.

Allister-Also 17, he was adopted from Uganda. Like Pearl and Hiroshi, he is also an athlete though this time a champion fencer. He has a bad temper and somewhat inflated ego.

Zara-Also 17, she was adopted from India. She is the most star struck and is an accomplished actress, dancer, and model. She can be vain about her appearance and accomplishments describing herself as the Lancaster "family triple threat."

Troy-16, the only one adopted from the United States, he was from a Native American family. He is a culinary expert and gourmet chef. He is usually friendly and even tempered.

Levi-15, adopted from Kenya. He is very verbal as a debate champion and bookworm. He is also the book's Every Kid as he serves as the main third person narrator. Even though he is protective of some of his siblings, he isn't shy about becoming rivals with others particularly Blake and Allister.

Eden-Also 15, she is from Russia. She is a philanthropist and has organized a family foundation and charity that provides aid and assistance to underprivileged children from around the world. She has a reputation as the family do-gooder.

Mauve-13, she was adopted from Cambodia. She is a bright philosophy student but is going through a Goth stage. She is very rebellious and antagonistic towards Benedict and the other sibs.

Sion-Also 13, he was adopted from Puerto Rico. He is a founder of the chemistry club at his school and is very scientific and analytical. He is also a mischievous prankster and a bully, whose bullying sometimes extends to family members.

Helena-7, the youngest of the Lancasters and baby of the family. She was adopted from Norway and is mute. She may be autistic (though she has not been officially diagnosed, Benedict and the others just suspect that she is.) She is a complete mystery to her siblings except for Levi with whom she has developed a deep loving bond.

Yes the Lancasters are super talented, super strong, super brilliant, and super competitive. All of that plus their strange upbringing is a simmering cauldron that explodes into something super terrible.

The explosion occurs after the death of the family patriarch. Upon viewing his video will, the children learn that only one will inherit the family fortune and the title of The Great Leviathan. Who will it be? Well, it will be resolved by the children fighting each other in their locked mansion to the death. The one who is left alive will inherit the lot. Oh yeah and should they refuse, a poisonous gas will spread throughout the mansion killing everyone inside. So it's either 11 die and one lives or they all die. It's not too long before greed and survival instincts kick in and the Lancaster children become a bloodthirsty vicious bunch ready to kill the rest of their family.

The Trial itself is a truly suspenseful section as the children separate first into groups of three to outdo the others then turn on each other. There are some pretty heart stopping moments where some characters try to use physical strength to subdue each other physically while others hide in the shadows, mentally playing the different ends before they make their moves. They are also practiced at using their specific skills as means for attack and self defense.

 This is the type of book where people's real motives and ambitions come out under stress, ambition, and terror. Suddenly, that nice sweet sister of yours with whom you shared secrets will use those secrets as collateral damage before she willingly slashes your throat. Suddenly, that protective big brother who always defended you from bullies will now use that awesome strength and physical prowess to choke the life out of you. It's also the type of book where no one truly comes out clean. Even the seemingly nice characters aren't above scheming and fighting against siblings that they had long term rivalries with but are now seen as obstacles to their survival and fortune. There are even hints that the one who makes it will become as ruthless and power hungry as Dear Old Dad. 

The Leviathan Trial has some pretty clever and gut wrenching twists none of which will be revealed here but they subvert expectations and cause the Reader to rethink what had gone on before. There are some flaws notably the presence of Kitty Choi, a potential love interest for Levi that gets accidentally thrown into the Trial and does very little to advance the plot. She really only serves as the eyes and ears of the Reader to give some much needed exposition and an outsider perspective to this very odd family. If Kitty's presence was part of one of the many plot twists, it may have made sense for her to be there but she is simply a missed opportunity.

Mostly, The Leviathan Trial is a great novel that reveals that some family ties can be broken and shattered.

 

Weekly Reader: 7 Days in Hell: A Halloween Adventure to Wake The Dead by Iseult Murphy; The Literal Vacation from Hell

 

Weekly Reader: 7 Days in Hell: A Halloween Adventure to Wake The Dead by Iseult Murphy; The Literal Vacation from Hell

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Iseult Murphy's horror novel, 7 Days in Hell: A Halloween Adventure to Wake The Dead delivers on its title. It is indeed a vacation from Hell and a very terrifying reading experience.

Dublin twin sisters, Vicki and Irene Murtaugh are on vacation in the country with Irene's dog, Ronnie. They stop at Boss Cottage in the rural isolated village of Basard. They don't question the strange family that owns the cottage and pop in and out of the fog. They don't question the oddly chirpy American family also staying there. It's at night that things start to get….weird.

First the sky seems to become a strange luminous color even at night. Then  there are those strange sounds at night that sound like cheering. Whenever, the twins ask the locals about the nocturnal weirdness, their nonanswer amounts to "none of your business." When they tell a priest where they are staying, his "God be with you," is less polite chatter and more "Get out while you still can." Not to mention their car breaks down and the local mechanic is in no hurry to fix it like they want them to stick around for awhile. 

Then on Halloween night, their curiosity gets the better of them and they observe hundreds of robed and masked figures engage in a terrifying ritual.

This is an unforgettable horror novel because it is nightmarish at times. The ritual that the twins find themselves in includes many horrifying images of cannibalism, infanticide, dismemberment, and feasting on human blood. This is a chapter that is not for the strong of stomach.

Afterwards,paranoia filters in as Irene and Vicki don't know who to trust, believing that anyone in the village could have taken part in the ritual and could be sizing up the sisters for their next sacrifice. There is even a point when the twins are separated and reunited that the Reader's suspicions turn towards one of the twins.

7 Days in Hell is quite strong in character as well as terror. Irene and Vicki are the typical good twin/bad twin dichotomy but the two are excellent protagonists in their differences. Vicki is the more action oriented of the two, preferring to run or at least fight. She is quick to guess ulterior motives and is able to use her suspicions to try to get away or stand up to her antagonists.

Irene is the quieter, more spiritual minded of the two. When Sunday comes, she makes sure that she and Vicki attend mass even though they are on vacation. She is more fearful of the ritual and when she and Vicki are separated, she heads for the priest's house to request his help. She has a strong sense of faith and is a deep thinker and these qualities get her through this terrifying week.

7 Days in Hell is a terrific horror adventure akin to Rosemary's Baby, the original Wicker Man, or The Exorcist. It is definitely one hell of a book.

Weekly Reader: Who's There: A Collection of Stories by Dimas Rio; Five Terrifying Unnerving Tales of the Supernatural

 

Weekly Reader: Who's There: A Collection of Stories by Dimas Rio; Five Terrifying Unnerving Tales of the Supernatural

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Dimas Rio's horror anthology,, Who's There: A Collection of Stories weave five tales that are unsettling, unnerving, and utterly terrifying.

This anthology only has five stories and is 165 pages long. Rios clearly favored quality over quantity because each story packs a tremendous punch of terror, suspense, and paranoia

The five stories are: 

"Who's There"- Before his upcoming wedding, Adam, a

prospective groom's jitters go beyond the usual cold feet. There are some Poe-esque qualities to this story as Adam's thoughts get more  and more unhinged. He becomes truly monstrous as the Reader learns just how difficult his relationship with his intended bride is and how far he would go to maintain his single status. 

"At Dusk"- The Narrator is interviewing a local mystery writer who has a terrifying secret. This story seems to come out of the Twilight Zone with its emphasis on a fantasy supernatural theme and its twist ending (which is a little obvious). However, the mystery writer is a memorable character both in his recall of his spooky experience and the killer denouement.

"The Wandering"-Badrun, a security guard follows some mysterious noises inside a high rise and is haunted by mysterious letters detailing a doomed courtship. This book makes much of its setting. The isolation and claustrophobia of the city is revealing throughout this tale. The high rise is filled with the abandonment and isolation of after hours. Badrun is also an interesting protagonist as the mysterious letters stir up memories of his past that he had long buried.

"The Voice Canal"-While preparing a dissertation, Gio, a young man gets strange phone calls from his father. Instead of horror, this story goes for sentiment and heart. Gio is an ambitious but loving young man who is very close to his friends and family. His conversations with his father reveal their close relationship. His father has an uncanny ability to know exactly what troubles his son and knows the right thing to say, not just for supernatural reasons but by being a loving father.

"The Forest Protector"- Told from alternating views between a mother and son, the mother, Alma, has a strange connection to a mysterious creature of legend. While the majority of the stories are set in Rios' native Indonesia, this story makes the most of the setting. The creature with whom Alma is connected is one from Indonesiian folklore, a forest monster who protects some but destroys others. Alma's son, Ralfa reads comic books and possesses an almost encyclopedia knowledge of various local characters like Mahardika, the Forest Protector.

What also makes this story stand out is the alternate points of view. Alma hovers between being fiercely protective of her family and fearing for her own sanity and what monstrous form that she inhabits. Ralfa is torn between his childhood fantasies of superheroes and magical creatures and the reality of poverty and having a troubled mother. This story could almost be a metaphor for a dysfunctional relationship between a mentally ill parent and their worried anxious child.

Who's There is a terrific collection of short stories that will scare the living daylights out of anyone who encounters it.

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.