STROWG by John F Leonard @johnfleonard #RBRT

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: When you're manservant to a diabolical entity...

I read John F Leonard's The Bledbrooke Works some years back and thought it was great, so my interest was piqued once more by another story set in the same place.  Strowg is a novella that fits perfectly into its size, in that it doesn't need any more detail or backstory.

Charles Hennessey is Strowg's devoted factotum, and has been for many years ... Strowg himself is some form of vampiric creature, though the word 'vampire' is never used, but basically Charles's job is to find 'sustenance' for his master, who has now shed the human exterior and embrace his inner monster  In exchange for his service, Strowg promises him eternal life.  A slow drip, by passing on his own blood.  

Despite the subject matter this is fairly low key horror, and it even has a subtle, darkly humorous thread running through it.  This works really well, and Mr Leonard exhibits some suitably neat turns of phrase that added so much to this story.  It's good, I recommend!

MISTS AND MEGALITHS by Catherine McCarthy @serialsemantic

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I read the final story, Carreg Samson, in a horror anthology and thought it was excellent, so wanted to read more.

In a Nutshell: low-key horror/supernatural stories set in Wales

I read this over a period of two days, and was most impressed.  Catherine McCarthy's love of her country and the spiritual attachment she feels to its past are so evident, all the way through; I haven't been to Wales for many years, and it made me want to go back there.

In every collection such there will be those you love, those you like, and those that don't quite hit the spot for you, but there is not one weak story in Mists and Megaliths.  One of the aspects I loved was that I didn't guess how any of them were going to end.  Not one - and the writing itself made me fall into the story, each time.  My favourites were:

MÃRA - about a husband and wife who purchase a 'spirit box' before moving into a new house, not knowing what they are living with... in the notes for the story (there are notes for each one, a feature I liked very much, as it made them mean so much more), we learn that this is semi-autobiographical.  It's a real shocker.

RETRIBUTION - about a certain darkness that falls over a village and its church, and what Ewan Jenkins does to remedy this.

COBLYNAU - an old man with dementia, sitting by a window in a residential care home, wonders when the Coblynau, the mythical goblin-like creatures that haunt mines and quarries, will arrive for him.  I loved this one partly because it made me think of visiting my mother in the care home in which she lived for around six years before she died (Alzheimer's), and how we would see her struggle to find the words she wanted to say.  Also, it reminded me of sewing her name tapes into her clothes!

CARREG SAMSON - I was pleased to find this one at the end, and enjoyed reading it again.  Carreg Samson is a huge, ancient stone that has watched the movements of man over millennia, and knows that another period of darkness is coming soon...

If you're a fan of the darkly mystical and folklore (or is it more than just folklore?), you will love these stories.  Well done, Catherine McCarthy - a fine collection!

DIABOLICA BRITANNIA by various authors @serialsemantic @john_f_leonard @kabauthor #RBRT

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: through Twitter, though it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member; thus, I am reviewing it for Rosie's blog, too.

In a Nutshell: Anthology of horror short stories by various authors, proceeds to go to the NHS's Covid-19 research.  

I'm delighted to see that this anthology, for such a good cause, is still doing well on Amazon.  At just £2.99 or $3.77 (or equivalent, depending on where you are), everyone should purchase a copy!

Keith Baird, whose project this is and who published the book, has brought together a fine group of horror authors to bring you a selection of stories, all very different, that covers the wide range of the horror genre as a whole, so there's something for everyone. As with any such collection, some stand out more than others, though of course this is largely a matter of personal taste.

My favourites are the first and last:

Carreg Samson by Catherine McCarthy
About an ancient stone, all that it has seen over millennia, and the dark 'It' that counters man's greed and destruction of the earth.  Loved every word.

Call The Name by Adam L. G. Nevill 
Another story about the destruction of the earth by man, set forty years in the future; it's a long one, a fine way to end the anthology; fabulous.

Others that stood out for me:

The Secret of Westport Fell by Beverley Lee
A superbly atmospheric story set in the 19th century, about a young woman who, failing to find a husband, goes to live in the back of a dark, misty beyond to tend her ailing aunt.  

We Plough The Fields and Scatter by Stephanie Ellis
Eerie, sinister traditions in a remote village that doesn't want anyone to leave...

Linger by John F Leonard
A man is bequeathed a mansion by his father, who he has never met, and discovers it might be more of a curse than a gift.  What lurks behind that hidden door?

Even if the purpose of its publication didn't make it a 'must buy', it's worth getting for these five stories alone.  😈 😱

CONGEAL by John F Leonard @john_f_leonard

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I bought it when it came out, as I love this genre and very much liked this author's last book.  Then it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member, so I am reviewing it for Rosie too :)

In a Nutshell: Post apocalyptic/horror novella - nasty slimy stuff that covers the world!

Another fine novella that fits perfectly into the limited space - I do appreciate writers who understand how to use the shorter format so well.

Amelia had a happy life with a man she loved, but then the Clag arrived; now she's stuck in a deserted city with a guy she can't stand, as the nasty slimy stuff from the deep bowels of the earth rises up to swamp the world....

Having just read two post apocalyptic novels that centred round human relationships and practical survival, Congeal underlined to me how many subsections this genre has; this one is far into the 'horror' end.  Amongst its many strengths, I liked the short, sharp prose style, so appropriate for the horror and despair of Amelia's situation, though not without dry humour.  I also enjoyed that those in the group with whom she found herself trying to survive—a standard in all PA stories—were not all of the likeable, resourceful, charismatic variety, as is so often the case; Pete, Maurice, Yvonne and the others were types she would have avoided like the plague (pun intended) in real life.

A good ending, too—I had no clue about Amelia's fate, even by 95%.  Anyone who has read the author's recent novella The Bledbrooke Works will enjoy the connection between the two, but both are entirely stand alone.  Oh, and one more thing - in the flashbacks to Amelia's pre-apocalypse life, she refers to her mother as 'Mom', several times.  As she is English, living in England, and her story is written by a British author, I questioned this - out of place American English is one of my 'ouches', but apparently it's a Birmingham-Irish thing as well; just making this point in case it's one of your 'ouches', too.

THE BLEDBROOKE WORKS by John F Leonard @john_f_leonard #RBRT

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Long-short story about an old sewage works and the horrors lurking within.


I liked this story a lot—I've read an earlier novel and a shorter story by John F Leonard, and his writing has come on in leaps and bounds; this is a different class.

'Back before the Domesday Book, the little spot known has Bledbrooke had started out smaller than small...During the Middle Ages, it shuddered into a village while no one was looking'  

Bledbrooke is a strange town, in which electricity often fails and phone reception is almost non-existent.  Donald Hobdike is the Manager of Works; on the day in which the story takes place he must go down to the old, abandoned sewage works to fix a problem.  A young ex-con, Mikey, is assigned to help him.  And down they go...

The characterisation of the two men was a joy to read, with astute observations about each others' generation, and their own lives; there are some highly descriptive turns of phrase that I so appreciated.  The chapters alternate been the points of view of Hobdike and Mikey—and another being; the one that lurks beneath.  It was this that took it to another level for me, as the prescence beneath Bledbrooke contemplates its existence over millennia, and the nature of mankind.

'The periods of slumber grew progressively shorter as it acclimatised and located fresh supplies of food.  Millennia or intertia became centuries of torpor and eventually decades of inactivitiy.  With each waking, evolution had shimmied and leapt down new paths, throwing up bewilderingly brittle lifeforms that lasted a celestial instant and were gone.' 

It's darker than dark, sinister and highly readable.  Worth 99p of anyone's money, or it's available on Kindle Unlimited, too.

MR CLASSICAL by Warren Fielding

4 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse, short story

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
 

I read the first novel in the Great Bitten series (Outbreak) and loved it (see below for link).  Mr Classical is the first of a series of long-short stories showcasing some of the individuals the protagonist of Great Bitten, Warren Fielding, meets on his quest to stay alive during a zombie apocalypse in southern England.  It's a really neat idea, showing how different people deal with the catastrophe, not necessarily the heroes of such stories who have all the bright ideas and manage to survive.

Monty is a conservative man who loves classical music and lives in a quiet apartment block alongside elderly, lone and similarly conservative neighbours.  The story starts as the terrible news breaks about what is happening throughout the country; Monty is waiting for his lover, Alec, and his only concern is that they should be together.  Mr Classical has a distinctly amusing side, as Monty comes up against denial about their situation amongst his co-residents, makes ill-advised plans for safety and comes to terms with certain truths about himself.

From 74% you can read the beginning of 'Great Bitten: Outbreak', which I highly recommend.  

I felt Mr Classical could do with a copy-edit and a final proofread to remove grammatical and punctuation errors, and perhaps a final re-draft to tighten it up, but the tale itself is very clever and unusual, sad and amusing in turn, and I am sure it will be enjoyed by all fans of this genre - and it has a nice little twist at the end, as all short stories should have!

GREAT BITTEN: Outbreak by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE 

GREAT BITTEN: Survival by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE

 

GREAT BITTEN: OUTBREAK by Warren Fielding

5 GOLD STARS

Post Apocalyptic, zombies, thriller

Originally posted on Amazon UK HERE on 23 July 2014
On Amazon.com HERE

If you loved 28 Days Later, you MUST read this!

Well! This was the first book I'd ever read about a zombie apocalypse - and I LOVED it! Because it's not about zombies, really - okay, there's a fair bit of gory description, but this is a book about people, about human nature, about how in any microcosm of society (like the group of survivors on the pier), there still rise up the leaders, the sheep, the carers, the power hungry, the practical, the weak, the turncoats, the good and the evil.

I so much liked Warren, the main character (I love intelligent, practical people who don't mince their words), and had a certain affection for his sister Carla, and brother in law Rick. The character of dastardly 'Doughy' Austin was brilliantly portrayed. It's a sharp, funny book, as well as being so tragic. Loads of astute observations, and so many thought provoking aspects - how Warren felt so 'alive' because all he had to concentrate on was survival. What was also so notable was, of course, how quickly society breaks down and how priorities change; I liked the bit where he found a twenty pound note in his pocket and saw it as just a bit of purple toilet paper.

This book really needs a sequel - I was trying to make it end less quickly when I got to 96%, and I so want to know what happens next. Negatives? There are a few editing/proofreading errors, but they're nothing horrendous and don't stop me wanting to give this five stars. The only other negative is that it put my iPad in danger - I couldn't stop reading it, and so had to carry on doing so IN THE BATH - not a sensible thing to do!

MR CLASSICAL by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE 

GREAT BITTEN Book 2: SURVIVAL by Warren Fielding reviewed HERE