Locke & Key: Volume 5: Clockworks

by Joe Hill (story) and Gabriel Rodriguez (art), 159 pages

Discovery of yet another key lets Tyler and Kinsey (and the reader) at last see the origins of the keys and some of the history of the house and the family, but will it be enough to help them--especially when the enemy is so much closer than they realize?

Ah ha!  So that's how the jar got in the wall and the soul got in the well house.  Also, ack!  The Omega key isn't as safe as it once was and now I think things are going to get very hairy very quickly.  This supernatural horror series succeeds at sucking the reader in and holding her anxious attention.  I want the next (last?!) book!

"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson

146 pages

Merricat and her sister Constance live in Blackwood family mansion with their ailing uncle Julian. Constance and Julian never leave the property, while Merricat only goes into town once a week to get food and other necessities. The townspeople fear and mock them because their entire family was murdered years ago and Constance is widely believed to be the killer though she wasn't convicted. The little family has reached an uneasy peace by isolating themselves in their home, but the arrival of a long-lost cousin threatens to disrupt their world. 

I loved this creepy classic. Jackson has mastered the art of using subtle psychological elements to create something that's much more disturbing than a simple gory horror story. Merricat is an unreliable but fascinating narrator, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what was really going on. 

"Fear (Gone #5)" by Michael Grant

509 pages

It's been a year since everyone over the age of fourteen disappeared from Perdido Beach, California. The kids left behind have been through a lot: constant hunger, a vicious plague, and of course ongoing struggle for power. For a while, though, things have seemed almost calm. Sam and his crew are living by the lake, while his twin/enemy Cain and his entourage live near the sea. The mutants and the regular kids have reached an uneasy peace. Of course, things can never stay stable for long in the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). Suddenly, it seems that the dome imprisoning the kids is slowly turning black. And when the lights go out for good, it's going to get worse than ever before for the kids of the FAYZ. There will be no way to grow food, avoid danger, or keep the mysterious, evil Darkness from finally closing in.

This series just keeps getting weirder and weirder. As with the other books, I got annoyed with all the jumping around and bizarre-for-the-sake-of-bizarreness stuff. Also, I think all the books are way too long. There are plenty of little detours in the plot that could be cut out for the sake of clarity and brevity.  However, I like Sam, Astrid, and the others enough to care about what happens to them, and I am intrigued enough by all the craziness that I want to find out what happens in general.

"Monster Island (Zombies #1)" by David Wellington

282 pages

Only one month has passed since the virus broke out and zombie masses took over most of the developed world. Survivors have gathered in a few remote parts of the world. All that's keeping UN weapons inspector Dekalb going is his daughter, Sarah. They found  temporary refuge in Somalia, but now he's forced to go on a dangerous mission in order to secure his daughter's safety. He's sent across the ocean to New York City, where he and a group of schoolgirls-turned-soldiers must find desperately needed medicine. But something unusual is happening in New York. A doctor figured out how to retain his human intelligence after death, so now there's a smart zombie out there. And though there's only one of him, he might be the one who ruins the whole mission. 

This is a very well-done book. The premise sort of makes sense (which is good enough for a zombie novel, in my opinion) and is unique enough to stand out among all the typical stories of the undead that have become popular lately. I like the way the author made me think about what makes us human without being cliche or preachy. There's quite a bit of action but it's not super-gory, so it's one I'll recommend for people who don't like to hear all the blood-soaked details. It's definitely far-out (we're talking mummies coming back to life and immortal evil), but I thought it all fit together well rather than just being randomly thrown in. Monster Island is definitely going on my must-read zombie list. 

"This Is Not a Test" by Courtney Summers

323 pages

The world is ending, but for Sloane Price, life has been over for a while. After her beloved sister left her alone with their abusive father, life wasn't exactly rosy. So when the dead start walking and civilization falls apart, Sloane accepts it as she has accepted all of her problems and waits for the dead to break through the barriers to reach her and the five other students holed up in what used to be their high school. Unlike Sloane, the other students actually want to live, and the only question is how far they will go to stay breathing. Before long, things start falling apart inside the school as much as outside and Sloane is forced to re-examine her decision to give up and let the others fend for themselves. 

I like zombie books and apocalyptic fiction, as you've probably noticed if you've known me for very long, and this is one of the best that I've read recently. Yes, it's sort of predictable. When you've got some kids together in one building and some zombies outside, it's no shocker when things start going a little "Lord of the Flies." Still, it feels different than other stories with similar plots, more thoughtful and literary. I like the writing style--I'm not sure how to describe it other than to say that Summers definitely knows how to create a melancholy atmosphere and it fits the story perfectly. There's plenty of action, too, to move the story along. I feel like a lot of teen authors feel like they have to have a happy (or at least somewhat happy) ending and I like that Summers didn't do that here because it wouldn't have fit. I think it has a satisfying conclusion--it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but there's closure. Definitely a must-read for those who like end-of-the-world stories.

"Shadows (Ashes #2)" by Ilsa Bick

528 pages

Even before the Electomagnetic Pulses began turning young people into zombies, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the tumor in her head. Then she met and fell in love with Tom, only to lose him. Now, in this second book of the Ashes trilogy, she has reached the settlement of Rule and believes she’s finally found a place where she can be safe while the rest of the world falls apart. Unfortunately, she is horribly wrong. It turns out that not everyone in Rule wants to offer sanctuary from the Spared, and in fact some have it out for Alex specifically. And there are secrets among the group—secrets that could destroy everything. With things in Rule so precarious and the Outside filled with the Changed, Alex has nowhere to turn.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ashes, the first book in the trilogy, but I was mostly disappointed with this one. I felt like it was much more random and unstructured, like the author didn’t have much of a plan and just made it up as she went along. I had trouble following all the different characters’ perspectives and all their wandering. Still, when the action picked up in the second part of the book and the two main storylines finally came together, I did enjoy it more. I’m hoping that this middle book is just a weak link and that the third book in the trilogy finishes strong. 

Morning Glories: Volume 1: For a Better Future

by Nick Spencer (words), Joe Eisma (art), Rodin Esquejo (covers), Alex Sollazzo (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters), and Tim Daniel (design), 288 pages

Six gifted sixteen-year-olds make the cut to get into the very exclusive Morning Glories Academy, only to find, once inside, that the curriculum could kill them--if the teachers don't get them first.

I don't know what's going on here!  The school is baaaad news, both for the students and their families on the outside.  There's some nununununess harking back at least to the Spanish Inquisition, some weird spinning physics experiment in the attic, a murderous ghost (?) with free rein over truants, and a lot of scary, faithful-to-the-mission (whatever it is) faculty members.  The set-up draws you in and the kids are an interesting mix of well-behaved youngsters and potentially bad seeds, with the most interesting wild card so far being the self-serving rich boy (if this were D&D, he'd be chaotic neutral, I think).  We don't know much about most of them yet, though, so we'll have to wait to see how they do or don't come together as a team (if they survive--unbrainwashed--long enough to get that far).

Artwise, the largely soft, pastel-hued interior art seems an ok fit for the school's cheerful veneer, as are the covers (with the exception of blonde Casey's weird skirt and legs on the front cover--they just don't look right to me at all).  I do wonder at the decision to relay all the swearing (and there's a good deal of it) with the traditional smattering of let-your-imagination-fill-in-the-blanks symbols, yet there's no hesitation to show things like the faces of unfortunate individuals having their eyeballs pushed out of their sockets from behind by intrusive semi-ghostly fingers (this happens at least twice and it isn't pretty either time).  Personally, I'd rather the gory violence be off-panel or merely strongly suggested and the text offer up the colorful metaphors without the squiggles and dollar signs, but that's just me.  I'm squeamish about things grisly and unbothered by foul language as long as it belongs, which it mostly does here.

I can't decide if I want to read more or not.  Some bits really bother me, others intrigue me, and I can't tell which will win out in the end.  Hrmmmmmmm.

The Walking Dead: A Continuing Story of Survival Horror: Book One

by Robert Kirkman (original story concept, writing, letters), Tony Moore (pencils, inks, gray tones for Chapter 1), Charlie Adlard (pencils, inks for Chapter 2), and Cliff Rathburn (gray tones for Chapter 2, gray tone assists for Chapter 1), 297 pages

Small town cop Rick gets shot on the job, falls into a coma, and wakes up in an eerily quiet hospital.  It doesn't take him too long to figure out why, as one rotting corpse after another slowly lurches after him, hungry for his flesh.  Desperate to find his wife and son, Rick heads toward Atlanta, hoping they've gone there ahead of him and are safe under the protection of the authorities in the big city.  But the zombie plague is neither isolated nor contained, the authorities are nowhere to be found, and Rick soon realizes that if anyone's going to survive, they'll have to make it happen themselves.

I am not a horror fan and normally have no interest in stories involving icky things like zombies (Heather, you are braver than I!  hee!).  But I've heard so much about this series that I figured I'd be a pretty poor comics lover if I didn't give it a shot.  And now I can see why it's so popular.  Yes, there are gross, ravenous zombies around most corners and, yes, things look pretty dire for the lucky (?) humans momentarily still alive, but what keeps me interested (and has me putting Book Two on hold) is the book's focus on character over shock value.  The individuals who make up the evolving ensemble cast have their own personalities and complicated relationships.  Even the most likable and capable characters have weaknesses and the potential for instability.  I like that level of realism and find watching them deal with the stress of their precarious situation surprisingly engaging.  The story offers an intriguing psychological / sociological study and makes me wonder what I and my friends and family would do if we suddenly found ourselves in the same boat (I don't imagine I'd fair too well in a zombie apocalypse, sadly....).

The gore-minimizing black-and-white art's a nice fit (though I prefer Moore's style over Adlard's) and I give the writing in this series credit for making me voluntarily consume a zombie story that's not parody (Shaun of the Dead = *squee*).   It surprises me that I actually (sorta) look forward to seeing what happens to these poor folks next.

I think the popular television adaptation will remain untested by me for now, though, as I don't need to see all that blood and guts in full color or "live" action....  :-P

"172 Hours on the Moon" by Johan Harstad

335 pages

It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now, as part of a revolutionary new space project, NASA is sending three teenagers along with a regular crew. The teens will be picked by an international lottery available to anyone between the ages of 14 and 18. The three astonished winners each have their own reasons for wanting to go. Mia from Norway wants to use the fame the trip brings to put her band in the spotlight. Antoine from France needs something big to make him forget about his ex-girlfriend. Midori from Japan thinks it's the perfect opportunity to escape her life of poverty and cultural restraint. The teens and the crew, however, are in for a terrible surprise when they arrive on the moon. Something sinister is waiting for them...and in the deep vacuum of outer space, thousands of miles from home, no one is coming to save them.

I couldn't put this book down--I read it in one day. It starts a bit slowly, but that all the info from the first part is necessary or the second half wouldn't have made sense. Then, about halfway through, the action starts and doesn't stop for the rest of the story. It creeped me out like nothing I've read in quite a while. The ending was awesome, but I would have liked more details about how it all went down. Overall, this is a fun, fast-paced thriller that should please anyone who likes stuff like "The Twilight Zone."

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites

by Evan Dorkin (story) and Jill Thompson (art), 180 pages

A group of neighborhood dogs (and one cat) find their lazy days hanging out in each other's yards disturbed by one supernatural mystery after another.  A haunted dog house is easy enough to handle with the help of a Wise Dog; but as the situation gets progressively darker and more deadly, the gang realizes they'll have to learn some magic, themselves, if they want to survive long enough to save their neighborhood.

At first glance this may look like it's for kids, but don't be fooled.  Cute, quirky talking animals solving often supernatural crime?  Sure.  However, the forces they're up against include evil witches, involuntary werewolves, zombie roadkill, graveyard golems, and, just to keep things real, serial animal-torturers.  Creative and dark and funny and sad, this.  I hope there's another one soon, because I want to know what's behind the upsurge in dark magic as much as the endearing principals do.

"Flesh and Bone (Benny Imura #3)" by Jonathan Maberry

448 pages

Benny, Nix, Chong, and Lilah have healed physically, but they're still mentally recovering from the horrific events they suffered at the end of Dust and Decay.  They've lost loved ones and seen human beings do terrible things that forever changed the way they look at the world. Now Benny and his friends are on their own, headed east through the Rot and Ruin in search of the plane they saw flying in that direction months ago. And things get only more dangerous as they go. It appears that the zombies are changing. Some are faster and even seem smarter than any seen before. Has the plague mutated, or is a more sinister force behind this development?  Before the group can figure it out, they come across a strange religious cult with a so-called holy mission of killing people to send them into the sacred Darkness. Benny and the others have gotten out of scrapes before, but this takes it to a whole other level. 

I can't get enough of the Benny Imura series. It has non-stop action, but there's a lot of depth to the stories as well. You really get to know and love the characters. They grow up a lot in this installment, and I like that--it bugs me when characters stay the same throughout a book and especially a series. There are a few moments that are a bit cheesy, but for the most part the characters, their emotions, and their reactions feel incredibly real. Flesh and Bone, like the previous titles in the series, not only entertains but also provides a lot of food for thought about standing up for what's right and having hope when all seems lost. Oh, and as a final thought, I have to mention that I LOVE the unexpected appearance of a crazy-cool character from one of Maberry's other series. I literally cheered when I figured out who he is (yes, I am that nerdy). I can hardly wait to see where the rest of this series goes.

Lunatic Cafe

by Laurell K Hamilton
369 pages

Anita Blake is now dating a Richard the Werewolf.  Along the way she gets involved in solving a string of unsolved werewolf disappearances.  She faces plenty of danger along the way, but she gives as good as she gets.  Things get a little tricky with Jean-Claude, which leads to an interesting arrangement between him and Anita.  Overall, these novels are beginning to fall into a groove as far as plot goes.  However, the romantic elements are beginning to get very complex.


I still like Anita, and I still find her funny.  I'm interested to see how her love life will play out.

"Red, White, and Blood (Nathaniel Cade #3)" by Christopher Farnsworth

383 pages

Nathaniel Cade, the President's Vampire, is facing the worst threat he's ever come across in his more than 150 years of serving American presidents. It's the one foe he has never been able to completely destroy...the Boogeyman. Yes, the Boogeyman. But not this is no hiding-under-the-bed children's myth; the horrific creature that calls itself the Boogeyman is real, and he comes straight from hell, resurrected in different bodies over and over by his faithful followers throughout the ages. He's been responsible for dozens of villains throughout history, including Charles Manson and Ted Bundy. Now he's back, just in time for the 2012 presidential election. For Cade and his young handler, Zach, the stakes have never been higher. They must protect the president on the campaign trail and stop the Boogeyman once and for all.

Okay, I know the plot sounds way out there. And it is. But I think it's done really well, and it's probably my favorite Nathaniel Cade novel to date (and I enjoyed the other ones, so that's saying something). I like that Farnsworth takes the Boogeyman--something that is traditionally silly and not taken seriously, at least by adults--and makes it truly fearful and disturbing. As usual, Cade is intriguingly mysterious (a vampire who is religious?) and goofy Zach provides some comic relief. However, he grows up a bit in this book, which is good to see. The action is nonstop and flows nicely, and there's a great cliffhanger at the end. This book is really bizarre, but it's a must-read if you like that kind of thing.

"Z" by Michael Thomas Ford

288 pages


It's been fifteen years since the zombie plague broke out, killing thousands of people before the preventative vaccine was developed. Josh was just a baby then, so he has no memory of real zombies. For him, they only exist in his video games. And Josh is really, really good at killing zombies in video games. So good, in fact, that he's recruited by an elite group of gamers who play in real life (IRL) with simulated living dead robots. He hasn't been playing for long, though, when things start to get dangerous. There's something sinister going on behind the scenes, and Josh has gotten himself mixed up in something worse than he could have imagined. 


The plot of "Z" is unique but ultimately predictable. Also, there are several significant holes in the story and I wish the characters were more developed. When I let go of those things, though, I enjoyed the book. There's plenty of zombie mayhem and a good message that makes a point without being preachy or cheesy. Though it's considered young adult, it's written at a lower level than most teen books. I'll be recommending this one to my tween zombie fans. 

American Vampire: Volume 1

by Scott Snyder and Stephen King (story) and Rafael Albuquerque (art), 193 pages

Skinner Sweet's a vampire, but he's not a sparkly pretty boy or a brooding aristocrat--he's a murdering bandit on America's frontier who happens to get turned on his way to trial.  Flash forward a few decades to the roaring twenties as Pearl Jones, an aspiring young actress, finds herself on the menu at an elite Hollywood party after ignoring the warning of her scruffy, obnoxious new neighbor.  As the narrative weaves back and forth in history we see how these stories converge and part and then slash their way forward.

I like the idea of making vampires scary again, but this is a little gruesome and hokey for my taste and not quite as original as it seems to think it is if you break it down.  The art's ok but I am not a fan of all-out horror and this is definitely more than just tinged.  I don't know if I'll read the next one or not.  If you're a Stephen King fan, you'll probably like this, though (I failed to notice his name on it till I sat down to read it--so observant, am I).  Skinner is an interesting amoral anti-hero / mentor and it's nice to see a female character take physical and emotional charge of her own situation (though she still manages to be a damsel in distress, which is less cool).  Not my cup of tea, this, but your more-monstrous-than-moody vampire mileage may vary.

"World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War" by Max Brooks

342 pages

World War Z came incredibly close to eradicating the human race. Here, for the first time, the stories of the survivors and the fighters have been collected. From a six-year-old girl to a mentally handicapped woman to the leaders in the highest levels of the military, voices are shared. Everyone in the world--rich and poor, young and old--was fighting on the same side, and miraculously humanity prevailed. These stories offer a glimpse to how the zombie war was won...and what we lost along the way. 

This is one of my favorite zombie books, and I enjoyed it just as much when I read it for the second time. I think my favorite thing about it is the variety of perspectives. It imagines what a zombie apocalypse would be like for different people in different situations all over the world, which is fascinating. It seems like Brooks did his homework because it really reads like a collection of interviews from a variety of sources. Definitely a must-read for fans of zombie lit and horror in general. 

The Unwritten: Volume 4: Leviathan

by Mike Carey (story), Peter Gross (art), and Yuko Shimizu (cover and incidental art), 136 pages

Tom, Lizzie, and Savoy arrive in New England searching for clues to the "source" of story-bound magic so Tom can start to figure out how to control it instead of just being at its whim and crossing his fingers. While he inadvertently gets pulled into the story of Moby Dick, Lizzie and the increasingly sun-averse Savoy get caught up in one of the Cabal's webs.

Oh no, Savoy's looking a little green around the gills! But I worry less after seeing Lizzie's practical but undisturbed reaction. As long as somebody brings him his meals and he stays out of direct sunlight, maybe he'll be ok (as will the jugulars of those around him). Stupid Ambrosio, biting people without their permission.

I do love the way this series draws on literary allusions and philosophical theories as a basis for its magic. All the whale business this time around was rather fun (Tom meets up with some interesting personages in the belly of one). And the continuation of the story of Pauly, former acquaintance of Tom's father, in the form of a deranged rabbit now exiled to a scary staircase land with a bunch of other (somewhat familiar) talking animals is weird and disturbing and a bit cool (I do hope he gets his comeuppance, the selfish thing).

"The Dragon Factory" (Joe Ledger #2) by Jonathan Maberry

486 pages

In "Patient Zero," Joe Ledger and the Department of Military Sciences (DMS) saved the world from a plot to unleash a zombie virus upon the United States. Now Ledger and his colleagues are back, and this time they're up against two competing groups of genetic scientists. The first group is mixing genetic material to make dangerous mercenary armies. The second has an even more evil purpose: to use modern technology to fulfill the Nazi mission of wiping all non-white groups from the face of the earth. The clock is ticking, and the stakes have never been higher.

Maberry delivers another exciting thriller with this one. It took me a little longer to get into it than "Patient Zero," but I'm not sure if that's because of the story itself or because I've been particularly ADHD lately (Oh, is that something shiny over there?!? No? Okay, where was I?). Nevertheless, once I got about a third of the way through I couldn't put it down. Joe Ledger is a really interesting character. There's almost a Wild-West feel to his personal moral code. He has strong convictions and he'll fight to the death for them. This particular story is not only thrilling but also quite thought-provoking. The Nazi psycho-scientists demonstrate how dangerous a few extremists can be when they come into some power and money, and they show how racism and prejudice are hazardous for everyone. It's like the Martin Luther King Jr quote "None of us is free until all of us are free" but in reverse: None of us are safe when there are crazies who want to eliminate certain groups of people. Not to mention the fact that these plans are just plain evil. This story also got me thinking about the idea that history repeats itself. The value of understanding what's happened in the past is that it helps us learn from our ancestors' mistakes and prevent atrocities from happening again, if possible. It's not fun to think about, but it's good to be aware of the bad things that people have done to each other in order to stop them from reoccurring. And if you can be entertained at the same time, as with this novel, then all the better.

"Zombies: The Recent Dead" edited by Paula Guran

473 pages

This massive volume contains zombie fiction by Neil Gaiman, Max Brooks, Joe R. Lansdale, Kit Reed, and many more. There's a ton of variety among the stories, with everything from classic terrifying zombies to humorous spoofs to social commentary. As is the case with almost every short story collection I've read (especially one with stories by different authors), I liked some stories more than others. For the most part, though, I enjoyed the collection. Zombie literature is popular right now, so authors are going to have to be creative to keep it fresh. This collection contains a lot of original ideas that indicate there are still plenty of ways for zombie stories to go before there's nothing left to write about.

The Unwritten: Volume 3: Dead Man's Knock

by Mike Carey (story), Peter Gross (art), and Yuko Shimizu (covers), 152 pages

Lizzie struggles with her own identity issues and Savoy has an unlucky run-in with Tommy Taylor's immortal nemesis, the vampire Ambrosio, as the release date of missing Wilson Taylor's fabled fourteenth Tommy Taylor book draws near. At the center of a complex plot he doesn't understand, Tom believes the only way he'll find any answers is to track down his father and demand a full explanation. But he should know better than to assume he'd get anything like a straight answer from the man who may have written him into this chaotic mess in the first place.

Lizzie and Savoy appear to be the "real world" mirrors of Tommy Taylor's loyal friends Sue and Peter, who are themselves rather Ron and Hermione-like (on purpose), so I can only hope they fair better in the end than most of the unfortunate people caught up in this word-woven web. Poor Lizzie's messed -up background is laid out for the reader as a choose-your-own-adventure chapter. I've never had much patience for those, so I ignored the "go here," "go there" instructions and just read the pages in order, trying to link them together logically in my head, which seemed to work ok. I've grown rather attached to Savoy's comic relief, so Ambrosio and his possessed vessels had better keep their sharp pointy teeth well away from him. But as unpleasant as Wilson's intentionally Voldemort-like "fictional" vampire is, the shadowy cabal of wordsmiths and string-pullers trying to shape the world to their liking is far more frightening.

Tom and friends are off to Nantucket next to "catch a whale." Hee! Being a fan of Moby Dick, I'm looking forward to seeing how Carey ties it in with Tom's metaphysical quest for truth.

This is one series where the lovely dream-like cover illustrations balance out the cartoony Tommy Taylor segments and the main story's more traditional, old-school comic book look. The mix of art styles blends interestingly with the dark violence, reality-bending philosophical examinations of literature, and moments of levity (the latter being rare but, oh, so appreciated!).