Weird Wild West

The Weird Wild West: A Penny Dreadful Review

            I love a bit of magic and weirdness in my frontier towns. Last December, eSpec Books released an anthology that delivers that in spades. The Weird Wild West, edited by Misty Massey, Emily Lavin Leverett, and Margaret St. Graw, contains many, many great tales of odd goings on.

            There are a great many stories in this anthology, so you will not leave disappointed, no matter what you’re looking for. Aliens, vengeful ghosts, shapeshifters, mad science, and necromancy run rampant across the weird wests of the authors’ imaginations.

            If I had to pick a favorite, it would be a toss up between “Blood Tellings,” by Wendy Wagner, and “Frank and Earnest,” by Tonia Brown. The first is the tale of a boy mature beyond his years. He speaks with the spirits of the dead. The local sheriff needs his help solving a murder in a house haunted by a malicious entity. The ending is beautiful. The second story involves the worst outlaws in the west and a kitten who defeats a mad scientist.

            The variety in this anthology is fantastic. I highly recommend The Weird Wild West for bite-sized adventures in a frontier that isn’t quite ordinary. I rate it four gears out of five.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Absinthe & Arsenic

Absinthe & Arsenic: A Penny Dreadful Review

            On a dark and stormy night, I picked up a fantastic anthology of short stories by horror writer Raven Dane. On that dark and stormy night, I did not sleep. Part of that was Ms. Dane’s mastery of the eerie and gothic, and part of that was the fact that I simply enjoyed the book too much to put it down. I highly recommend Absinthe & Arsenic from Telos publishing.

            There is some glorious horror in this book. The stories will stick with you. I will never look at fog in the same way after reading “Annie By Gaslight.” The title image comes from the surreal “A Taste Of Almonds,” wherein absinthe fuels a descent into murder and madness.

            Not every story is doom and gloom. “An Inspector Falls” is a bit of silliness involving a theory, a bloody death, and a cat. Many stories have happy resolutions. “The Chill” has a sweet ending that will make you weep, and is one of the most evocative in tone and texture.

            Each story leaves a vivid impression on the psyche. The reader can see the eerie marsh ghosts; can taste the desperation in the stifling air of the zombie-besieged farmstead. I truly love Raven Dane’s vivid settings.

            I give this sampler of gothic nibbles four gears out of five. Well-executed, spooky, and captivating, it is perfect for that time when you don’t want to pick up a new novel, but you do want to read some good horror. Best of all, the anti-hero of one of Raven Dane’s novel series, Cyrus Darian, appears in several of these stories! He is always a joy to read about. I definitely recommend that you scare up a copy of Absinthe & Arsenic for your collection.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Cyrus Darian And The Ghastly Horde

Cyrus Darian And The Ghastly Horde: A Penny Dreadful Review

            It is certainly a bother to return from a holiday to find problems waiting on one’s doorstep. The necromancer and alchemist Cyrus Darian arrives home after a well-deserved vacation to discover an army of ghosts awaiting him. And he can’t make them leave.

            Cyrus Darian and the Ghastly Horde is the sequel to Raven Dane’s gripping masterpiece Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron. The plot is just as fascinating and twisted as the plot in the previous book. The reader is treated to lots of familiar faces (well, as much as the face of a shapeshifter can be called familiar), and a lot of new people appear as well. There are occult mechanisms, international travel, government conspiracies, revenge, sex, love, airships, and plenty of the callous, selfish Cyrus Darian himself. There’s also a breathtaking submarine in this book, as well as strong ladies who know their minds.

            Raven Dane creates excellent characters. No one is simple, and no one acts without several reasons. Her prose is vivid, putting the reader smack dab in the middle of the action, whether it’s an airship battle or a seduction.

            Unfortunately, parts of this book seem as if they’ve been written in a rush. Words are not as carefully chosen. This is a bit disappointing from an author I’ve come to adore.

            I give Cyrus Darian and the Ghastly Horde three and a half gears out of five. I highly recommend plunging into the adventures of this fascinating anti-hero. I am left with only one question. Where’s the next book?

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather