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The Gathering by C.J. Tudor

"Seems to me that devils really do walk among us. . . only they're not vampyr."

C.J. Tudor's The Gathering isn't just 'meh', it's the absolute worst kind of 'meh'; a 'meh' that thinks it has something truly interesting to add to its genre. The painfully smug moral superiority in which these pages are soaked is so damn boring that it drains every single ounce of promise this admittedly exciting premise ever had.

Seriously, what could've—should've—been an atmospheric mix of Mare of Easttown (I immediately cast Kate Winslet at Det. Atkins) & Midnight Mass (the interactions between human and 'vampyr' should've been terrifying) quickly proved itself to be a tone-deaf sludge of True Detective: Season Four (whose only saving graces were Jodie Foster and those quickly abandoned The Thing vibes, early on) & the worst parts of early True Blood (I don't think subtlety is in Tudor's repertoire). I was really looking forward to this one, too. What a bummer.

Humans were like a plague. They infected everywhere.

3/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #book review #the gathering #c.j. tudor #new books #horror books #vampire books #vampires #book reviews #2024 books #books #reading #fiction #readers of tumblr #horror fiction #horror

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mylifeinfiction · 4 days

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The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

"Your most treasured depravity is child's play beside the experiences we offer."

Oh. Hell. Yes. Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart is one lean, mean, nightmare machine of a horror novel. This is a story about hunger; about the lurid longing for visceral gratification heretofore unknown. It's a story about the destructive depths to which one is driven in search of such deviant ecstasies.

There's sex... there's violence... and there are the Cenobites... whose glorious grotesqueries bookend this short novel with such splendidly wicked deeds that even without the murderously mean happenings in between, this would still qualify as a bona fide masterpiece of classic horror fiction. Barker's language is so vivid and precise throughout—and his storytelling so maliciously wicked—that you can feel Frank's eyes watching you while reading; you can feel the breath of the Engineer down your neck as you make your way through the betrayals and butchering that unfold on these pages. The Hellbound Heart lives up every ounce of the hellish hype. Never has the sound of bells been so utterly spine-chilling.

9/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #horror books #the hellbound heart #clive barker #book review #book reviews #horror fiction #horror #books #reading #fiction #readers of tumblr #classic horror #classic books #cenobite #pinhead #hellraiser

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mylifeinfiction · 5 days

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Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman

"But hope, like heroes, can prove hard to kill."

Marvel 1602 —Neil Gaiman's singular take on Marvel's legendary collection of superheroes—deftly delivers a story that subverts what readers know about these characters by transplanting them from present-day America to 1602 England. This process allows Gaiman to tap into the core of these characters—celebrating the universality of their core values and the timelessness of their most resonant themes—while telling an urgent, exciting and fresh story of persecution, rebellion and selfless heroism; the exact type of story we've come to expect from our Marvel heroes.

I enjoyed this one, but didn't love it. These versions of these characters are interesting, but never so much so that I was blown away. And while a lot of this has to do with the artwork and character design, most of it has to do with there just being too many characters involved for the story at hand. I had similar issues with Kurt Busiek's Marvels *, but they're more glaring in this story, and made a lot of the second act feel far too sluggish.

7/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

*But to a much lesser extent than here, thanks to our perspective being on the outside looking in.

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mylifeinfiction · 6 days

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Marvels by Kurt Busiek

It isn't going to be them that adapts to us. The world is different now. The rules have changed. Forever.

Marvelous. Kurt Busiek's Marvels is an immensely fresh take on the Marvel superhero that explores the fascination and fear of these characters by looking at them through the lens of Phil Sheldon, a New York City photojournalist documenting their exploits over the years. This 'new' perspective forces the reader to see these heroes in a different light, and allows writer Kurt Busiek and artist Alex Ross to deliver the familiar in a unique manner that only ever heightens the themes at the core of these characters and their world.

Ross' artwork is simply jaw-dropping, capturing the feel of American masters such as Norman Rockwell and Edward Hopper while beautifully celebrating the classic designs of these beloved Marvel characters. And Busiek's writing is a triumph, somehow giving each of the featured superheroes enough to satisfy the reader without ever taking away from the core story; the everyday people who are affected by these Marvels.

9/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

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mylifeinfiction · 6 days

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City in Ruins by Don Winslow

How I fought, he thinks, what I gave for this. . . Nothing. This dust.

Don Winslow saved the best for last. The final book in the Danny Ryan Trilogy (and the final book of his 33-year writing career) City in Ruins is a masterful conclusion that finds Danny Ryan on the Las Vegas strip, building an empire and trying to stay legit while maneuvering the minefield of Vegas business-politics. While the first two each had their issues— City on Fire only suffers from an open end, but City of Dreams suffers from an open end, uneven tone and time wasted on recapping events)— City in Ruins is damn-near perfection, delivering an electrifying, thematically affecting crime epic.

Old joke, "This Irish guy walks past a bar. . ." That's it, that's the joke.

Capturing the vibes of Martin Scorsese's Casino while telling an original, hard-as-nails tale of survival in the hellscape that is Las Vegas, Winslow touches upon a little bit of everything, here. Whether we find ourselves in boardrooms of Las Vegas, the courtrooms of Providence or clandestine meetups anywhere in between, he balances the characters and genres so effortlessly and economically that we can't help but keep reading.

This is all that really matters, Danny thinks. These people, this life we've built together. This good life.

Winslow juggles these characters (new and old) and their individual plot lines so expertly that every moment hits home exactly as he intends, allowing him to wrap up this story of power, revenge and family in a way that's as thematically poignant as it is downright satisfying. He even nails the recapping, this time around, inserting it into moments that find Danny Ryan at his most reflective and discontent. So yeah, City in Ruins is indeed the perfect ending to the Danny Ryan Trilogy, but with its focus on legacy, it's also a pitch-perfect ending to Winslow's career.

Danny Ryan is home.

9/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #book review #city in ruins #don winslow #crime books #new books #thriller books #2024 books #crime fiction #books #reading #fiction #book reviews #readers of tumblr

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mylifeinfiction · 11 days

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Harleen by Stjepan Šejić

He smiles... and I make the worst mistake of my life... I smile back.

As fascinating an origin story as it is a compelling, thematically complex study of mental illness, Stjepan Šejić's Harleen shows us the 'meet cute' behind the twisted relationship between Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime, The Joker, and Dr. Harleen Quinzel. It's heavy on the psychiatric, favoring conversations and inner monologue over any substantial action; a choice that works beautifully in showing how inevitable Dr. Quinzel's transformation into Harley Quinn really was. However, the moments of action we do get, throughout, are delivered in a satisfyingly graphic manner that effectively displays the erratic, manipulative psychology of these characters.

I really enjoyed getting a more nuanced look into Harley Quinn, a character I'm mostly familiar with through animated series (where she's little more than a caricature of 'mad love') and films (where's she's so far gone, there's really no trace of Dr. Quinzel left). Šejić's smart writing and gorgeous artwork elevate this character to something more interesting, more consequential, than a secondary villain while also giving further insight into the psyches of several other Batman villains, in the process.

9/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

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mylifeinfiction · 11 days

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Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson

You rarely get answers to questions that you don't ask.

Well, damn...

Lost Man's Lane is a whopper of a coming-of-age story. The nostalgia that fills these pages is overwhelming, and the wisdom with which it allows this book to explore the harsh truths of entering adulthood is as effectively specific as it is undeniably universal. Pairing this coming-of-age tale with a supernatural mystery allows Scott Carson (pen name of Michael Koryta) to ingeniously analyze the fluid line between fact and fiction without ever diminishing the book's overarching coming-of-age themes; family, friendship, responsibility, home and identity.

Fiction or fact is actually up to the reader. The right novel at the right time might tell a deeper truth than a biography.

Carson's prose is effortlessly readable, putting us straight into the shoes of our main character, Marshall Miller. I love a good, small-town coming-of-age story to begin with, but having been only three years younger than Marshall, in 1999, made the nostalgia hit home significantly harder, and created a staggeringly immersive reading experience. Add onto that a cast of immensely likable characters and a high-concept, wholly unpredictable supernatural murder mystery? I found it extremely hard to step away from this book, even for food or sleep.

A lot of the most important things occur to you too late.

Seriously, Carson has created something truly special with Lost Man's Lane . While this is primarily a coming-of-age story, the supernatural thriller elements are so effectively and economically delivered that the change of atmosphere is only ever jarring in ways intended, filling the pages with an unbearably suspenseful dread that strikes with a venomous bite.

The haunting power of any ghost relies not on entrances into our world but on almighty absences from it.

Despite the plotting not always going in the direction I was hoping it would, it always goes in the direction the characters take it, staying true to them and their world. And the supernatural elements, while occasionally unclear, also fit the world of the book, and the thematic resonance that lies within them hits like a truck in the final act, giving Marshall and those around him closure that's as honest as it is complete.

"Nobody is promised a second chance at getting home safe. You will learn that."

9.5/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #book review #lost man's lane #scott carson #coming of age books #new books #horror books #supernatural books #mystery books #book reviews #fiction #readers of tumblr #books #reading #mystery

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mylifeinfiction · 17 days

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Trillium by Jeff Lemire

ALL THE SHADOWS HAVE STARS IN THEM...

This really had me hooked because of its science-fiction/philosophical aspects. Unfortunately, those ultimately take backseat to the romantic aspect, which—also unfortunately—didn't quite resonate with me. These characters never seem to connect on any level other than those forced by the plotting, making their actions seem artificial.

But the concept, storytelling mechanics and philosophical ideas are still more than enough reason to read this one. Plus, the artwork throughout is probably the strongest of Lemire's artwork I've come across, so far. Some of these covers and panels are beautifully ambitious, and inventively visualize the book's themes.

6.5/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #graphic novel review #jeff lemire #trillium #book review #comic book review #comic books #graphic novels #science fiction #sci-fi #comics #books #reading #fiction #book reviews #readers of tumblr #hoopla

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mylifeinfiction · 17 days

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Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

"Thought the house ate you." "Not yet."

This was a light one for me. The entire Italy chunk is effectively creepy and filled with just enough malevolent dread to save itself from some of the more groan-inducing, cliché family drama tropes. Some of those early, eerie moments really got to me, but the characters and thematic elements throughout just weren't interesting enough for the ludicrously overdramatic family nonsense to take up the real estate it does in a <300-page horror story.

Then, once it moves to New York, the pacing stumbles severely and almost ruins the book as a whole, making me mostly give up caring about anything that happened to our main character. Thankfully, though, we're given a deliciously wicked climax, and things wrap up in such a delightfully dark manner that it makes up for the tedious nature of the Pace family and those New York scenes.

Ultimately, those early moments and that climax saved this one, satisfying enough to leave me mostly happy with my reading experience.

6.5/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #diavola #book review #jennifer thorne #horror books #new books #horror fiction #horror #2024 books #book reviews #reviews #books #reading #fiction #readers of tumblr

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mylifeinfiction · 19 days

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Basketful of Heads by Joe Hill

Heads will roll...

I had a whole lot of fun with this one. First off, it was absolutely nothing like I thought it was going to be, having only seen the cover art and Joe Hill's name attached. Secondly, the artwork is fantastic, setting a great mood for the darkly comedic nature of the story. Joe Hill's writing also nails the mix of genres, with an unpredictable plot and some really great dialogue and awesome kills. A lot of this, both in terms of the art and the writing, felt super reminiscent of a great mix between '80s crime films like Blood Simple, barebones small-town horror à la The Fog, and early-'90s black comedies like, say, Death Becomes Her. I really dug that.

How 'bout we get Kathryn Newton and Christopher Landon to team up again for an adaptation? Hell, get Vince Vaughn in there as one of the heads, too... have it be a full-blown Freaky reunion!

9/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

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mylifeinfiction · 20 days

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The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones

Scars proved you lived.

I admittedly have a pretty serious love/hate relationship with Jade Daniels. Her papers throughout My Heart Is a Chainsaw really tested my patience, and her immaturity throughout the events of that book seemed a bit too much. But the person she begins to grow into by the end of Chainsaw and throughout the events of the all-around masterpiece that is the middle book of this trilogy, Don't Fear the Reaper , is so interesting and complete that I couldn't help but fall in love with Jade Daniels and every blood-soaked thing for which she stands.

"...the cool thing about trilogies is you get to use every last part of the buffalo."

Stephen Graham Jones's The Angel of Indian Lake isn't quite the all-around horror masterpiece that Reaper is, but it is a wholly worthy final chapter in The Indian Lake Trilogy, or: The Savage History of Proofrock, Idaho. Throughout the trilogy, we've seen Jade Daniels go from immature, delusional slasher fantasist, to begrudgingly badass final girl, to hesitant horror historian. Best to call it the The Violent Coming-of-Age of a Reluctantly Willing Final Girl. It's an authentically compelling character arc that relishes the romance of the final girl without ever shying away from the traumatic weight of the role and the cyclical nature of violence throughout the history America.

She's right. In the rock/paper/scissors of horror, chainsaw always wins. Cops and guns don't work against slashers, trucks and fire are big fat fails, but a chainsaw? If you've got a chainsaw, you're pretty damn golden.

The Angel of Indian Lake ties the trilogy together so beautifully, so viciously, that even its flaws are fascinating. SGJ makes the risky decision to close out Jade's story by throwing us headfirst into her mind, writing Angel in an (often stream-of-conscious) first-person narrative. Jade's mind is a chaotic, damaged landscape that can often create pacing issues due to her unfocused, rambling narration, but it also gives us a deeper look into the root of these horrific events, bringing the many disjointed storylines together in a brutally bloody, emotionally exhausting and thematically cathartic manner.

And the plotting itself is even more risky, bringing together every last piece of this epic horror saga in a batshit crazy onslaught of slaughter. But thankfully, SGJ's vision is complete, and he conducts these exceedingly insane displays of slasher carnage in a way that only ever enriches the overarching themes; and more than makes up for the lulls between. The climactic massacre is so dam wild, and I loved every bizarre, messy minute of it. Jade and those she loves are seriously put through the wringer, here, but it all comes together for such a fitting, bittersweet ending that brings Jade to exactly where she needs to be.

Despite those pacing issues and some moments of feeling completely lost among all those players and plot-points, SGJ sticks the landing, delivering a third installment that does indeed "mash that pedal to the floor until it gets stuck", and thankfully never loses traction.

It's supposed to mean Proofrock's slasher days are over.

8/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #book review #the angel of indian lake #stephen graham jones #the indian lake trilogy #jade daniels #book reviews #horror books #new books #horror literature #horror fiction #slasher books #2024 books #horror trilogy #horror #books #reading #fiction #readers of tumblr

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mylifeinfiction · 26 days

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Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller

"A heartbeat can tell you a lot."

I don't know how I've gone this long in life without reading this one. Miller's storytelling is a force; he has such a thorough understanding the character and all of the inner conflict that makes Matt Murdoch and Daredevil so interesting. It was great seeing the inspiration behind some of the Netflix show. Kingpin is a beast, here, showing off everything that makes him so daunting a villain. I didn't love Foggy or Karen, two characters that the show made me like a whole lot. I didn't love how disconnected the threads of the storyline feel, in general, especially in the later issues. And I really didn't love how involved Cap becomes in the final issue. But Mazzucchelli's artwork makes up for a lot of that.

It's entirely understandable why this arc has become so iconic, though; not only because of its inspiration on the show, but because of his handling of the man under the mask, in general. I look forward to getting Miller's The Man Without Fear arc in, soon.

"And I—I have shown him... that a man without hope is a man without fear."

7/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

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mylifeinfiction · 27 days

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The Manitou by Graham Masterton

"For as long as there are dark nights and inexplicable fears, the Great Old One will always be there."

I really dug the procedural mechanics of the plotting, and the mix of Native American lore and body horror works wonders in creating an enjoyably horrifying piece of pulpy '70s horror. It reads like a low-budget horror film, putting us face-to-face with grotesque displays of body horror, sending us down endless rundown, poorly lit, hallways suspiciously devoid of people and sticking us in room after room that feel impossibly large, filled with dark corners and their monstrous mysteries.

It does suffer from some minor pacing/exposition issues late in the second act, and the final solution—while creatively appropriate—feels a bit too suddenly realized/unearned, but for the type of quick horror book this is, Masterton really delivers the graphic goods.

8/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #book review #graham masterton #the manitou #horror books #book reviews #bookblr #bookish #pulp fiction #books #reading #fiction #readers of tumblr #old books #70s books #body horror #native american horror

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mylifeinfiction · 29 days

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Roadwork by Richard Bachman

Things stopped.

Honestly, I don’t entirely get all the hate for this one. Sure there’s A LOT of filler, but at its best it’s every bit as good something like Apt Pupil . And really, that's probably what this story should've been, a part of one of King's novella collections. However, even as it is—with its bloated plotting and leisurely pace—it's still not the boring train-wreck I was expecting from what I've read about it online.

King writes even the most minor characters as if they’re real, living and breathing people, and gives them all phenomenal dialogue that's unsurprisingly natural and immensely readable. The opening scene is magnificent because of this—as are several others with Sal and his goons. And the character work done on Barton George Dawes throughout makes for an empathetic spiral into madness, building up to a satisfyingly over-the-top climax that, despite ending too abruptly for my liking, is effectively—and beautifully—written.

"Roll it," he said aloud, and everything began to move.

6.5/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #book review #roadwork #stephen king #richard bachman #thriller books #action books #book reviews #book quotes #books #reading #fiction #readers of tumblr #bookblr #bookish #book blog #books and reading

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mylifeinfiction · 1 month

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The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias

Being in the presence of monsters is okay as long as you don't think too much about what they're capable of. The scarier thing is when you realize what you're capable of yourself.

Gabino Iglesias' The Devil Takes You Home is a nightmarish odyssey through the cartel underworld and one man's monstrous grief. The book's title page call it 'a barrio noir'; an identifier that's spot-on, as Iglesias drags us through this vicious world, forcing us to endure the depths of hell as he vividly brings these grimy environs to disgustingly unforgiving life. The earthly violence is fueled by occult ideologies, making each act of brutality all the more disturbing, all the more shocking... all the more hopeless.

The Devil Takes You Home is far from a happy book; a creatively vile trek into desperation, the suspect roads down which it takes us only ever leading to the most unpredictably jarring corners of the most heinous recesses of the human soul. It's a deftly written piece of pitch-black fiction that's compulsively readable, nauseatingly violent, and so utterly bleak. In other words... it's a must-read.

"You know, because sometimes God is your copilot, but it's the Devil who takes you home."

8.5/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

#booklr #horror books #the devil takes you home #gabino iglesias #book review #crime books #horror fiction #horror literature #book reviews #reviews #readers of tumblr #new books #fiction #reading #books #2022 books

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mylifeinfiction · 1 month

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Murder Road by Simone St. James

If you see her, you'll be the next one found at the side of the road.

I really like when the supernatural element of a supernatural thriller is actually supernatural. Looking back, I was a bit too harsh with my rating* of The Sun Down Motel, as that really is the best of the now three books I've read by Simone St. James. Murder Road is definitely a close second, though, as it has the wildly readable prose and great atmosphere of Sun Down with almost none of the major issues I had with The Book of Cold Cases.

Plus, unlike Cold Cases, this was a breeze of a read. Paired with that effective atmosphere and St. James' straight-forward prose, the pacing of her storytelling made for a thrilling, occasionally creepy (but never as creepy as those early haunted motel scenes in Sun Down), and wholly enjoyable reading experience. The 'twists' didn't even bother me this time around. This won't be the 'Best Book of 2024'. Hell, it's not even the best book I've read in March. But it is a fun and effective supernatural thriller that's especially guaranteed to be a massive hit with its core demographic. And that's exactly what I needed it to be.

7/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

*I've got it at a 6, when really it was more like a 7 or 7.5. I will not be updating it at this time.

#booklr #book review #new books #murder road #simone st. james #book reviews #supernatural books #thriller books #library book #2024 #2024 books #books #reading #fiction #horror books #readers of tumblr #goodreads #book recommendations #book recs

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mylifeinfiction · 1 month

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The Nice House on the Lake by James Tynion IV

"How do you think the world will end?"

Wow. This was so damn good. An extremely high-concept with fantastic philosophical ideas, unpredictable plotting and characters that fueled both. Sure, there may have been a few too many characters—especially seeing as I likely couldn't tell you the difference between The Accountant and The Consultant without having to revisit the book. But Walter is so wonderfully nuanced and eerily intriguing, and the work in general on his relationships with the characters and their place in this story is so cleverly constructed. The mechanics of the world-building and the handling of the mystery of it all never disappoints, fully taking advantage of all of their possibilities. And the art is all so beautifully done, matching the mood throughout so effectively. But it's never better than when we spend time with the true Walter. That character design is pure, nightmarish perfection... just so damn good. There's not much more that I want to say that won't spoil the fun, so I'm gonna leave it at that.

9/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

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