Death Sentences

by Matthew Warner, Deena Warner (Illustrator)

Genres: Horror

116 pages, Trade paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

When critic Feo Amante gave Matthew Warner’s first novel, The Organ Donor (2003), a five-star review and labeled it a “straight-on modern classic of horror,” the praise went straight to Warner’s head. He wrote several more things, such as the novel Eyes Everywhere (2006), which Publishers Weekly described as “disturbing … compelling and insightful,” and a radio play and stage play premiered by theaters in central Virginia.

His opinion column, “Author’s Notes,” ran for five years on the Horror World website and consisted of a blend of commentary, autobiography, and tutorials about the writing craft. Guide Dog Books collected a portion of those columns into its debut non-fiction title, Horror Isn’t a 4-Letter Word: Essays on Writing & Appreciating the Genre (2008).

Blood Born (2011), is an apocalyptic monster novel set in the Washington, DC, area where he grew up. His first urban fantasy novel, The Seventh Equinox (2013), is set in a fictitious city inspired by his current home of Staunton, Virginia. Dominoes in Time (2015) collects sixteen years of horror and science fiction stories.

Other works include screenplays for Darkstone Entertainment and the novelization of their film Plan 9 (2016). His most recent novel, Empire of the Goddess (2018), depicts a nightmare version of modern America. Yes, one even worse than the actual America.

Warner lives with his wife, the artist Deena Warner, and sons, Owen and Thomas. In 2007, they opened a print and website design business, Deena Warner Design, serving the publishing industry. He’s a member of the Horror Writers Association and an enthusiastic practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

“One of the bright stars of today’s constellation of speculative dreamers.” — Keith Minnion

Reviews

[Thad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small but excellent collection of stories. The first story, Middle Passage, is one of the best I've read in quite a while. It's set aboard a slave ship and should be required reading. I also enjoyed The Forgiving Type, which was creepy as hell.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, I have to tell you, readers, when it came to the rating of this book I was torn. From the moment I put the book down up to the minute I sat down to write this review I felt like I was missing something. I knew there was a problem with the book, but I just could not pin down exactly what it was. I found the answer after several hours of vigorously sunning myself near the pool with pretty umbrella drinks and lots and lots of suntan lotion.

Each story in and of itself was good. The pace in each is comfortable and laid back. While in no rush to deliver the goods, none of them felt slow and dragged out. Warner moves from one story to the next with ease and finesse. That easy-going speed and skill might have helped the atmosphere, but again, it was not very poignant. Does this fact distract or take away from the stories? No, but it doesn't help them any either.

All five stories are character driven, personal and passionate. Here is where you see Warner, both at his best and worst. Dealing with issues such as slavery (“Middle Passage”), religion (“Angel’s Wings”), divorce (“A Second Chance” & “The Cave’) and adultery (The Forgiving Type”), all whisper of revenge. The characters that carry the story are brilliantly formed. Realistic and three-dimensional, you understand their anger, their loss, and their betrayal. If only I could have been allowed to accompany them on their journey rather than watch, they would have rocked my casba.

This collection is good, no doubt about it, but see that's the problem. After I read The Organ Donor, I expected fireworks, pizzazz, and intense thrills. This collection lacked that. That doesn't mean the collection is bad, because it isn't, it's just not as powerful as I was hoping it would be. Each story captures a spooky tone and presents an interesting plot, yet each falls short of involvement. I never once felt a part of the story; it was always a guy telling me a story, instead of a storyteller making me pay attention.

Warner’s style of writing is tight and developed, but lack’s courage. Granted, three are reprints, but two are original. Had he taken a few chances and risk, this collection would have been great, five-star worthy. I will say he is spreading his wings, branching out, and showing his abilities to write, but he needs to back-up his tremendous talent with some gumption. It’s just like Cruise said, sometimes you just have to say What The F*ck!!

On a final note, lets all give a round of applause to Mr. Warner for his beautiful cover. (Claps) Mr. Warner grabs a 1/2 star right off the bat simply because of the stunning cover on this collection, which almost makes up for the painful travesty that was the original artwork for The Organ Donor. (We shall speak no more of said cover, ever.)

My rating? I would have given it a 3 ½ , but because of such a beautiful cover, I’ll give it a 4. Normally I’d tell you not to break a sweat over it, but it IS a limited edition and if you don’t want to miss out, you better preorder it now.



-As reviewed for Horror-Web.com

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slim, limited edition volume includes five dark-fantasy stories and is introduced by Gary A. Braunbeck. Warner's enthusiasm for his work shows through-out, and though the stories are a little rough in spots they're all engaging page-turners. "The Cave" is especially well-done, as is the last story in the book, ""The Forgiving Type."