Greaveburn

            Greaveburn: A Penny Dreadful Review

            A death on page two is a good start for a horror novel. Greaveburn, by Craig Hallam, grabs the reader and dives right in. I barely came up for air and tea whilst immersed in Mr. Hallam’s rich, gothic world.

            The city of Greaveburn stands alone in an abandoned world. The Archduke Choler has usurped the throne, and Lady Abrasia, the rightful heir, lives as a hermit in the vast palace in order to stave off assassins. Meanwhile, a scientist named Professor Loosestrife creates disturbing mechanisms in a subterranean lab. With a name like “Loosestrife,” how can he be anything but a villain?

            Mr. Hallam tells this gothic tale with a twist of humor in a series of short, cinematic scenes. It is packed with action and intrigue. The characters who turn out to be the heroes are not all the characters one would expect. I can’t even tell you who, or I might spoil the story!

            I adore Mr. Hallam’s vivid description. He has a brilliant way of evoking the spookiest locales. From the first word, the city of Greaveburn rises, decrepit and dark, in the reader’s mind, full of dim alcoves that could conceal anything.

            Greaveburn is awfully short for the amount of plot and the number of characters it contains. On one hand, it can be devoured in the course of one sleepless night, but on the other hand, I feel like the reader misses some bits of story. It feels like it isn’t long enough to properly explore this strange city.

            I give Greaveburn four gears out of five. On the whole, it is quite satisfying. I highly recommend it. 

            Here’s the link to it on Amazon.com.  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=greaveburn+

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather

Berlintoxication

Berlintoxication: A Penny Dreadful Review

            The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. The road to Hell also makes an excellent story. This story is called Berlintoxication and was penned by the talented Stephanie Laimer-Read.

            Bank clerk Walter Busch is an ordinary sort of man. He works hard and loves his fiancé Charlotte. Walter can also read minds and senses the feelings of those around him. Walter does not much care for his unusual ability, so when a well-respected businessman offers to buy it from him and use it for the common good, Walter agrees.

            Gustav Springer is a well-respected businessman. He sees disorder, chaos, and decay in the society around him and wants to create a New Berlin where unpleasant things don’t happen. With this goal in mind, he creates a group called the BWG (the letters stand for long German words which I will not attempt to spell). Mr. Springer intends to use unusual abilities to create order and justice, to help people, and to improve society. This does not go as planned. It seems his borrowed abilities are too powerful for him to control…

One does not see Germany star in Steampunk literature very often, and I must say that the location is fascinating and refreshing. I might call portions of this book revolutionary, or at the very least quite punk. The messages of freedom and critical thought come across quite clearly, but one is not bludgeoned with them.

The characters the reader is introduced to at the start of the book seem real and believable. I adore Walter and his sublime ordinariness. I like the way that the villain does not set out to be bad. Yet in the latter parts of the book, the same care and detail is not paid to the revolutionaries the reader meets. They seem almost like they are meant to be symbols rather than characters. There is nothing wrong with a symbol, but I dislike reading stories about them.
            As for the story, some pieces seem too coincidental, perhaps a bit mad. It isn’t as I would have written it, but it is quite fun to read. I recommend this novel for those who wonder where the “Punk” part of “Steampunk” has gone. Here it is, dancing through the streets with circus performers and a clockwork bear.

I give Berlintoxication four gears out of five. I find it interesting and entertaining. I must thank Let’s Rock Publishing for lending me this excellent work of fiction. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I hope you will, too.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather