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Eight Cylinders
Sebastian “Seb” McAlister has run out of luck in Vegas. Cornered by a trigger-happy gang and shot through the stomach, he makes a desperate escape in his supercharged Hellcat. Fate guides Seb safely out of Sin City and into the desert, but as his wheels fade into the horizon, he fades into darkness.
He awakes among a tiny community in the middle of nowhere. A mountain range circles the hodgepodge of shacks like prison walls looming high. And the warden that resides in those mountains is big, ugly, and deadly—a creature straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare.
If Seb hopes to escape that wayward way station, he’ll need enough cunning to outwit a force beyond comprehension… and a fast car. With a little luck and a ragtag group of would-be monster mashers racing alongside him, Seb just might have a shot of making it through the mountains alive.
He awakes among a tiny community in the middle of nowhere. A mountain range circles the hodgepodge of shacks like prison walls looming high. And the warden that resides in those mountains is big, ugly, and deadly—a creature straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare.
If Seb hopes to escape that wayward way station, he’ll need enough cunning to outwit a force beyond comprehension… and a fast car. With a little luck and a ragtag group of would-be monster mashers racing alongside him, Seb just might have a shot of making it through the mountains alive.
124 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 13, 2020
7 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Jason Parent
50 books690 followersIn his head, Jason Parent lives in many places, but in the real world, he calls New England his home. The region offers an abundance of settings for his writing and many wonderful places in which to write them. He currently resides in Southeastern Massachusetts with his cuddly corgi named Calypso.
In a prior life, Jason spent most of his time in front of a judge . . . as a civil litigator. When he finally tired of Latin phrases no one knew how to pronounce and explaining to people that real lawsuits are not started, tried and finalized within the 60-minute timeframe they see on TV (it's harassing the witness; no one throws vicious woodland creatures at them), he traded in his cheap suits for flip flops and designer stubble. The flops got repossessed the next day, and he's back in the legal field . . . sorta. But that's another story.
When he's not working, Jason likes to kayak, catch a movie, travel any place that will let him enter, and play just about any sport (except that ball tied to the pole thing where you basically just whack the ball until it twists into a knot or takes somebody's head off - he misses the appeal). And read and write, of course. He does that too sometimes.
Please visit the author on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJasonP..., on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AuthorJasParent, or at his website, http://authorjasonparent.com/, for information regarding upcoming events or releases, or if you have any questions or comments for him.
In a prior life, Jason spent most of his time in front of a judge . . . as a civil litigator. When he finally tired of Latin phrases no one knew how to pronounce and explaining to people that real lawsuits are not started, tried and finalized within the 60-minute timeframe they see on TV (it's harassing the witness; no one throws vicious woodland creatures at them), he traded in his cheap suits for flip flops and designer stubble. The flops got repossessed the next day, and he's back in the legal field . . . sorta. But that's another story.
When he's not working, Jason likes to kayak, catch a movie, travel any place that will let him enter, and play just about any sport (except that ball tied to the pole thing where you basically just whack the ball until it twists into a knot or takes somebody's head off - he misses the appeal). And read and write, of course. He does that too sometimes.
Please visit the author on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJasonP..., on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AuthorJasParent, or at his website, http://authorjasonparent.com/, for information regarding upcoming events or releases, or if you have any questions or comments for him.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 5, 2022
Seb manages to get away from a shootout with other gangsters. He follows the directions of a glass eye (!) and ends up in a parallel world dominated by a monster. Where is he and what about that mountain area of madness he's stranded in? Interesting horror meets road movie meets Lovecraft here. The story was quite intriguing and parts and had some uncanny moments. Very good pulp horror solidly running on eight cylinders. The Dodge Hellcat is a bit exaggerated but an entertaining novel with reference to Cthulhu and Mad Max. Recommended!
January 8, 2021
Not what I expected, to be honest.
This story begins with a shootout, where Seb McAlister is hunched behind a car with his best friend, holding the magic 8-ball* fake eye of a gangster. I know, I know, how predictable.
It became very clear from the first page that this story is going to be action fueled – not really what this horror fan was in the mood for – but since it was Crystal Lake Publishing behind it, I was going to push through. Seb gets shot in the stomach and flees Vegas, heading into the desert.
When he wakes up, he is with a small community of…I guess the best description here would be to call them ‘individuals’ rather than ‘weirdos’. Surrounded by mountains and in the kind of heat which would make any normal man reconsider their opinion of Hell, he soon finds out he is trapped. There is a Lovecraftian monster in them there hills, boy, who’s anthem is ‘Feed my Frankenstein’ by Alice Cooper. Okay, if I lost you there, I am referring to the lyrics:
“And then I'm gonna eat ya!”
Yip, once you’ve entered, you can never leave. Like a Turkish prison or The Hotel California.
I’m going to stop there for a moment. When I reached that part of the story, my hope totally deflated. I told myself:
“Mort, if this thing is gonna end like the TV show LOST, this book is getting one star!”
Honestly, that’s where I thought we were heading. Since I didn’t give it one star, you can relax and read on.
Well, due to circumstances, which I’m not going to discuss, they have to make a break for it. And then this story transforms to the last part of the MAD MAX II movie.
Again, I don’t dismiss action, but I really wanted some horror. And while it was really exciting and action filled, I was beginning to dread this story was going to end like that movie. Deflated, yet again. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I tend to be on the cynical side.
So, I told myself:
“Mort, if this thing is gonna end like the movie MAD MAX II, this book is getting one star!”
Relax, I didn’t give it one star, remember?
And then we got to the end, and it knocked me on my ass – this author blew it out of the water.
Superb! Loved everything about that ending!
(4 STARS)
* Just a quick thought I want to share: Are there really people out there who still believes in it? Because I’m seeing a fortune out there! Here are a few ideas I want to throw at you:
- The magic exercise ball:
Get up off your ass right now!
Drop and give me twenty!
Run it off!
-The magic curse ball:
How the f**k should I know?
Don’t be a b*tch!
Kick that c*nt square in the c**k!
-The magic empathy ball:
They don’t deserve you.
It is not your fault.
Don’t let their bad energy bring you down.
-The magic slang ball:
Ain’t no way, bro.
Puh-lease!
Getcha ass on up in there, a’ight!
-The magic politician ball:
It wasn’t me.
I didn’t know.
Let me get back to you on that.
The possibilities are endless! To invest, simply go to www.mortneedsmoneytoretiresomeday.com
*Originally reviewed at IndieMuse
* https://www.myindiemuse.com/author/mo...
This story begins with a shootout, where Seb McAlister is hunched behind a car with his best friend, holding the magic 8-ball* fake eye of a gangster. I know, I know, how predictable.
It became very clear from the first page that this story is going to be action fueled – not really what this horror fan was in the mood for – but since it was Crystal Lake Publishing behind it, I was going to push through. Seb gets shot in the stomach and flees Vegas, heading into the desert.
When he wakes up, he is with a small community of…I guess the best description here would be to call them ‘individuals’ rather than ‘weirdos’. Surrounded by mountains and in the kind of heat which would make any normal man reconsider their opinion of Hell, he soon finds out he is trapped. There is a Lovecraftian monster in them there hills, boy, who’s anthem is ‘Feed my Frankenstein’ by Alice Cooper. Okay, if I lost you there, I am referring to the lyrics:
“And then I'm gonna eat ya!”
Yip, once you’ve entered, you can never leave. Like a Turkish prison or The Hotel California.
I’m going to stop there for a moment. When I reached that part of the story, my hope totally deflated. I told myself:
“Mort, if this thing is gonna end like the TV show LOST, this book is getting one star!”
Honestly, that’s where I thought we were heading. Since I didn’t give it one star, you can relax and read on.
Well, due to circumstances, which I’m not going to discuss, they have to make a break for it. And then this story transforms to the last part of the MAD MAX II movie.
Again, I don’t dismiss action, but I really wanted some horror. And while it was really exciting and action filled, I was beginning to dread this story was going to end like that movie. Deflated, yet again. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I tend to be on the cynical side.
So, I told myself:
“Mort, if this thing is gonna end like the movie MAD MAX II, this book is getting one star!”
Relax, I didn’t give it one star, remember?
And then we got to the end, and it knocked me on my ass – this author blew it out of the water.
Superb! Loved everything about that ending!
(4 STARS)
* Just a quick thought I want to share: Are there really people out there who still believes in it? Because I’m seeing a fortune out there! Here are a few ideas I want to throw at you:
- The magic exercise ball:
Get up off your ass right now!
Drop and give me twenty!
Run it off!
-The magic curse ball:
How the f**k should I know?
Don’t be a b*tch!
Kick that c*nt square in the c**k!
-The magic empathy ball:
They don’t deserve you.
It is not your fault.
Don’t let their bad energy bring you down.
-The magic slang ball:
Ain’t no way, bro.
Puh-lease!
Getcha ass on up in there, a’ight!
-The magic politician ball:
It wasn’t me.
I didn’t know.
Let me get back to you on that.
The possibilities are endless! To invest, simply go to www.mortneedsmoneytoretiresomeday.com
*Originally reviewed at IndieMuse
* https://www.myindiemuse.com/author/mo...
May 15, 2025
This was a blast. Just a balls to the wall action extravaganza. Like a combination of Mad Max, Tremors, and The Hills Have Eyes. So the whole premise is that Seb is a criminal on the run after a deal down sour. He ends up in a place he can't remember how he got to and meets a group that are all sorts of damaged, trapped by some colossal creature in the desert. Now this is just over a hundred pages, and the first page of the book already brings you into a gunfight. I'd ballpark that at least 60% of the book has some sort of action happening. So be prepared for a sensory blitz. It could have used a little more character development, but this read exactly like one of those amazing 80s creature features. Plot is over-the-top, the characters are larger than life, the monster is unique and frightening, and there is only one way out of this situation. No logic or reasoning. Just drive. Drive as fast and hard as you can. All cylinders firing. And it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it worked really well. So while this isn't the deepest story, it was written to just be a lot of fun, which it absolutely was.
September 28, 2025
This was a very cool and exciting romping story!
Small backstory:
Sebastian McAlister (Seb) gets into a shootout right outside of Las Vegas with a gang of thugs and Seb ends up getting shot, but he does escape their clutches in his turbo Charger heading into the desert. He passes out at some point from blood loss and when he wakes up he is in a village of sorts with a bunch of people where they are all contained within huge walls.
A man named Earl patched up Seb and Seb finally makes his way around the village as he learns that everyone there never leaves or goes outside the walls because if they do then they will be killed by a creature that roams the desert, so they just stay where they are with no chance of escape. Seb though has other plans as he decides that living within the walls will not be his fate and he wants to get back to his life, so he devises a plan of how to get out of there creature or no creature as he will not go down without a fight!
What is the creature? Why does it roam the desert? How long have the people lived within the walls? Does Seb make it out of the village? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!
Thoughts:
This was a very creative storyline and there is quite a bit of action right away in the first chapter which set the pace for this story. There are quite a few characters in the storyline as well which I will not go into detail on them, but all of them have a story to tell and they just blend in so well within the story that I really liked each one.
The story flows along at a quick pace when Seb finds out about the creature and sets his plan into motion of leaving the village. The story is then driven up a notch as the pace picks up and I found myself having a hard time putting the book down as I wanted to see if Seb was going to be able to complete the mission that he had set for himself. Giving this book four "Creature Action Packed" stars!
Small backstory:
Sebastian McAlister (Seb) gets into a shootout right outside of Las Vegas with a gang of thugs and Seb ends up getting shot, but he does escape their clutches in his turbo Charger heading into the desert. He passes out at some point from blood loss and when he wakes up he is in a village of sorts with a bunch of people where they are all contained within huge walls.
A man named Earl patched up Seb and Seb finally makes his way around the village as he learns that everyone there never leaves or goes outside the walls because if they do then they will be killed by a creature that roams the desert, so they just stay where they are with no chance of escape. Seb though has other plans as he decides that living within the walls will not be his fate and he wants to get back to his life, so he devises a plan of how to get out of there creature or no creature as he will not go down without a fight!
What is the creature? Why does it roam the desert? How long have the people lived within the walls? Does Seb make it out of the village? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!
Thoughts:
This was a very creative storyline and there is quite a bit of action right away in the first chapter which set the pace for this story. There are quite a few characters in the storyline as well which I will not go into detail on them, but all of them have a story to tell and they just blend in so well within the story that I really liked each one.
The story flows along at a quick pace when Seb finds out about the creature and sets his plan into motion of leaving the village. The story is then driven up a notch as the pace picks up and I found myself having a hard time putting the book down as I wanted to see if Seb was going to be able to complete the mission that he had set for himself. Giving this book four "Creature Action Packed" stars!
November 30, 2020
It reminds me of a twilight zone movie!
Eight Cylinders by Jason Parent is a horror novel that reminds me of the Twilight Zone movies. A guy ends up in a gang fight, along with his friend. He makes it out but losing a lot of blood. He is driving fast and letting a stolen Magic 8 ball guide his turns. He wakes up in a crazy place that has no way out without being eaten by monsters! Interesting characters and plot.
Eight Cylinders by Jason Parent is a horror novel that reminds me of the Twilight Zone movies. A guy ends up in a gang fight, along with his friend. He makes it out but losing a lot of blood. He is driving fast and letting a stolen Magic 8 ball guide his turns. He wakes up in a crazy place that has no way out without being eaten by monsters! Interesting characters and plot.
December 22, 2020
3.5/5 stars
A wild ride featuring American muscle cars, some cosmic horror action, tentacles and a magic 8 ball. Hold on tight!
A man named Seb makes his getaway from a robbery gone bad. He's bleeding out and doesn't think he's going to last long. Next thing he knows, he wakes up in a sketchy cabin in the desert, amidst a group of sketchy people, who are telling him he will never leave that place again. They say he's trapped. They say he can't escape. Ever. Are they right? You'll have to read this to find out!
The mash-up of genres in this novella really throws the reader for a loop. You're never quite sure what's going to happen next. In that respect, it was a fun read. Problem is, I found myself not caring much for anyone, and other than Seb, I didn't get a real feel for the other people at all. Perhaps that was for the best, considering?
I liked the entire concept here, there was just something I can't quite put my finger on, that didn't connect with me. It could be just me, and the whole "trying to concentrate during a pandemic" thing, I'd be the first to admit it. It was a quick, fun read nonetheless, and if you're looking for a fast paced good time in a bad-ass Dodge Charger, this is the read for you!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2WDjO02
*I received a paperback ARC from the author in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
A wild ride featuring American muscle cars, some cosmic horror action, tentacles and a magic 8 ball. Hold on tight!
A man named Seb makes his getaway from a robbery gone bad. He's bleeding out and doesn't think he's going to last long. Next thing he knows, he wakes up in a sketchy cabin in the desert, amidst a group of sketchy people, who are telling him he will never leave that place again. They say he's trapped. They say he can't escape. Ever. Are they right? You'll have to read this to find out!
The mash-up of genres in this novella really throws the reader for a loop. You're never quite sure what's going to happen next. In that respect, it was a fun read. Problem is, I found myself not caring much for anyone, and other than Seb, I didn't get a real feel for the other people at all. Perhaps that was for the best, considering?
I liked the entire concept here, there was just something I can't quite put my finger on, that didn't connect with me. It could be just me, and the whole "trying to concentrate during a pandemic" thing, I'd be the first to admit it. It was a quick, fun read nonetheless, and if you're looking for a fast paced good time in a bad-ass Dodge Charger, this is the read for you!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2WDjO02
*I received a paperback ARC from the author in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
December 9, 2020
What a wild ride!
I love how this one starts straight in with the action, simmers down a bit in the middle, then ramps up into an epic finale.
The story follows Seb, who finds himself in a strange place without knowing how he got there. The rag tag band are mostly good people, but they're all stuck because something is penning them in. But Seb has no intention of sticking around ...
One of the things I both love and loathe about horror novellas is the places it takes your mind to. You very rarely get any decent in-depth explanations, so you have to think about what's going on yourself. This one left me with a lot of questions, but there was enough detail to flesh out a really interesting story so I've quite enjoying drawing my own conclusions and creating my own back story (I'd totally be down for a book that told it for me, though).
What we're given is a snippet of the world as experienced by Seb, and it's plenty to whet the appetite. He's got a life to get back to but he's here, getting to know an odd assortment of people and learning about the danger that lurks in the wings.
Rev Heads will get a kick out of the details but I mostly just enjoyed the action of it - it felt more like an action movie than a horror story to me. Zero complaints about that on my end! If you're into cars and the like, you should have even more fun.
Some may find it a little slow in the middle, but personally I enjoyed the lull, and the opportunity to get to know the other characters.
A fun, wild ride that will definitely leave you wanting more. I'll be looking into more books by this author for sure.
I love how this one starts straight in with the action, simmers down a bit in the middle, then ramps up into an epic finale.
The story follows Seb, who finds himself in a strange place without knowing how he got there. The rag tag band are mostly good people, but they're all stuck because something is penning them in. But Seb has no intention of sticking around ...
One of the things I both love and loathe about horror novellas is the places it takes your mind to. You very rarely get any decent in-depth explanations, so you have to think about what's going on yourself. This one left me with a lot of questions, but there was enough detail to flesh out a really interesting story so I've quite enjoying drawing my own conclusions and creating my own back story (I'd totally be down for a book that told it for me, though).
What we're given is a snippet of the world as experienced by Seb, and it's plenty to whet the appetite. He's got a life to get back to but he's here, getting to know an odd assortment of people and learning about the danger that lurks in the wings.
Rev Heads will get a kick out of the details but I mostly just enjoyed the action of it - it felt more like an action movie than a horror story to me. Zero complaints about that on my end! If you're into cars and the like, you should have even more fun.
Some may find it a little slow in the middle, but personally I enjoyed the lull, and the opportunity to get to know the other characters.
A fun, wild ride that will definitely leave you wanting more. I'll be looking into more books by this author for sure.
December 12, 2020
Crime, cars and Cthulhu....what's not to like.
7/10
7/10
October 27, 2020
Bleeding to death after a gangland shootout and guided by a Magic 8-Ball, gunman Seb drives his Dodge Charger into the Nevada desert and promptly passes out, sure that he won't reawaken. But, wake up he does, in a hot metal shack and surrounded by strangers who swear to him that leaving this small depression of land in the mountains is impossible. Seb promptly proves them right as his attempted escape is foiled by a massive, tentacled creature dwelling in the system of caves ringing this small, makeshift camp. Seb may be trapped, but he's got a girl to get back home to, and he isn't the type to avoid doing something just because a stranger tells him he can't.
Jason Parent's Eight Cylinders is a high-octane, Lovecraftian romp. Imagine H.P. Lovecraft's The Fast & The Furious or Mad Max: Mountains of Madness, and you've got a solid idea of what this breezy novella is all about -- T & A (um, that is, tentacles and automobiles; get your head out of the gutter!), full-speed ahead!
Eight Cylinders is a fun, lightweight read, and Parent knows exactly what this story is meant to be. It's not a highfalutin examination of this delicate mortal coil and the unspeakable, indescribable horrors of what lurks beyond. Instead, it's a straight-forward actioneer filled with guns, cars, and tentacles! And, to be sure, there is most certainly plenty of death in the race to the finish...
The plot itself is summer blockbuster thin, but it is nicely shaded with a welcome bit of existential crises. The characters aren't incredibly defined, aside from Seb, but we get to know them well enough in the brief time we have with them. Parent gives us just enough of a reason to root for Seb and his new crew of wheelmen and -women while massive, sucker-filled octopus arms careen through the sky to slam down on the unsuspecting, à la Junji Ito's "Smashed."
Like some of the best horror, the hows and whys of it all are largely left unexplained, but Parent gives us enough clues along the way to fill in the blanks for ourselves without getting bogged down in unnecessary details or dull info-dumps to detract from the gear-head mayhem we're supposed to be focused on. Eight Cylinders is a pedal to the metal blast, one that doesn't just wear its influences on its sleeves but proudly plasters their stickers all over the rear bumper, trunk, and back windows. It's a helluva ride, but just make sure you're buckled in tight!
Jason Parent's Eight Cylinders is a high-octane, Lovecraftian romp. Imagine H.P. Lovecraft's The Fast & The Furious or Mad Max: Mountains of Madness, and you've got a solid idea of what this breezy novella is all about -- T & A (um, that is, tentacles and automobiles; get your head out of the gutter!), full-speed ahead!
Eight Cylinders is a fun, lightweight read, and Parent knows exactly what this story is meant to be. It's not a highfalutin examination of this delicate mortal coil and the unspeakable, indescribable horrors of what lurks beyond. Instead, it's a straight-forward actioneer filled with guns, cars, and tentacles! And, to be sure, there is most certainly plenty of death in the race to the finish...
The plot itself is summer blockbuster thin, but it is nicely shaded with a welcome bit of existential crises. The characters aren't incredibly defined, aside from Seb, but we get to know them well enough in the brief time we have with them. Parent gives us just enough of a reason to root for Seb and his new crew of wheelmen and -women while massive, sucker-filled octopus arms careen through the sky to slam down on the unsuspecting, à la Junji Ito's "Smashed."
Like some of the best horror, the hows and whys of it all are largely left unexplained, but Parent gives us enough clues along the way to fill in the blanks for ourselves without getting bogged down in unnecessary details or dull info-dumps to detract from the gear-head mayhem we're supposed to be focused on. Eight Cylinders is a pedal to the metal blast, one that doesn't just wear its influences on its sleeves but proudly plasters their stickers all over the rear bumper, trunk, and back windows. It's a helluva ride, but just make sure you're buckled in tight!
October 27, 2020
Muscle cars and tentacles. That just about sums up this novella, the latest from genre flexible reliably mediocre talent of Jason Parent. Or maybe that’s too harsh, Parent is one of the few genre authors I can think of who has actually steadily improved with time, but essentially he tends to work at a certain level, above crap and below literary. I’m actually surprised this was a Crystal Lake published book, it’s much more along the lines of Severed Press, known for their wham bam creature features. This story is fast and furious and has a decent guy criminal protagonist named Seb who drives all over it in his beloved octocylindrical beast. It’s his baby, his getaway vehicle, his life preserver, it’s a car that gets him away from the opening scene shootout and into a strange and terrifying dessert outpost in the idle of nowhere. And now it might be the car to get him out of it, if only he can get past all those tentacles. So it’s that kind of story, a high octane action driven story that tries for a Lovecraftian angle, but honestly just brings to mind Tremors. Either way, a creature feature, the creature that Seb and the tough and leathered denizens of the outpost must battle if they ever want to get to the other side of the mountains. A reasonably fun read of a mindless variety, but a mixed bag. Parent really did try to stir a bunch of things in here, his tough action scenes are overdone, especially the opening one, laughably so, the metaphors alone…no, Seb, even if you and your bestie are tight, you are not closer than cojoined twins. But the actual concept is actually quite decent, especially the ending twist. Overall, it’s a high speed adventure and it speeds by so quickly, you really can’t object to too much of it, it’s a B movie that goes wroom wroom…plus whatever sounds the giant tentacles make. Many thanks to the publishers for providing a free copy for review purposes. This is the book's first detailed review with lots of words and all that, so there you go, readers, be informed.
November 13, 2020
EIGHT CYLINDERS is a shot of pure adrenaline, an enjoyable escapist action movie on the printed page.
If the next Fast And Furious film took place in Hell, EIGHT CYLINDERS could serve as the script.
There's just enough of an introduction to main character Seb McCalister to create a smidgeon of empathy as we travel with him from a parking lot gunfight and a painful gut shot, to a delirious flight from the battleground to an unknown land in the desert near Reno, Nevada. He's a desperate but likable criminal with a fast car, a Magic Eight Ball eyeglass to provide bad advice, and a death wish to survive long enough to see his girl Gemma one last time.
He loses consciousness during his escape and wakes up, patched up and healing, in a strange land surrounded by mountains and guarded by gigantic tentacled creatures straight out of cosmic horror icon H. P. Lovecraft's menagerie.
With a rag tag band of six adults trapped like him, Seb has to lead a fleet of souped-up cars and trucks out of the desert in order to save a young Asian girl under their strange guardianship.
EIGHT CYLINDERS holds the pedal to the metal and doesn't let up for 124 entertaining pages of forgettable fun.
If the next Fast And Furious film took place in Hell, EIGHT CYLINDERS could serve as the script.
There's just enough of an introduction to main character Seb McCalister to create a smidgeon of empathy as we travel with him from a parking lot gunfight and a painful gut shot, to a delirious flight from the battleground to an unknown land in the desert near Reno, Nevada. He's a desperate but likable criminal with a fast car, a Magic Eight Ball eyeglass to provide bad advice, and a death wish to survive long enough to see his girl Gemma one last time.
He loses consciousness during his escape and wakes up, patched up and healing, in a strange land surrounded by mountains and guarded by gigantic tentacled creatures straight out of cosmic horror icon H. P. Lovecraft's menagerie.
With a rag tag band of six adults trapped like him, Seb has to lead a fleet of souped-up cars and trucks out of the desert in order to save a young Asian girl under their strange guardianship.
EIGHT CYLINDERS holds the pedal to the metal and doesn't let up for 124 entertaining pages of forgettable fun.
Read
January 18, 2021Reviewing for Cemetery Dance!
January 21, 2021
** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **
When this book was announced, I was ambivalent about it.
On one hand, I was excited for Jason. He’s an author who has always been very kind and supportive to myself both with writing and reviewing.
On the other hand, I’m not a car guy or a shoot ’em up guy in the least. Fast and the Furious? Not for me. Car shows and engine specs? I’m fine thanks.
Having read ‘The Apocalypse Strain’ by Parent, I knew he’d make this a fun time, but it wasn’t until Joe Hempel, audiobook narrator extraordinaire, posted about it on Facebook that I was at all excited about it. In an odd coincidence, the very next day this book was offered for review on Kendall Reviews, so I snagged it.
What I liked: Holy Hell. I was just going to read maybe the first 10% last night. I ended up reading it in a single, high-octane sitting.
The story opens up with Seb and his accomplice cornered in Vegas and involved in a shootout. Seb is wounded and manages to flee in his muscle car. He wakes up in a strange town in the desert with no memory of how he got there. Odder still, the people that saved his life.
Parent decided to start this novella with the pedal to the metal and somehow he managed to find another gear. When we learn about the odd creature that prevents the inhabitants from leaving this place, it goes even more full throttle and we get a Mad Max level action sequence that was fantastically done.
The creature in this is stunning and the cover art here really captures the feeling of this read. Parent did such a great job of making me read this on the cusp of hyperventilating that when we get to the end and we see where Seb has arrived I was hoping like hell we’d have a line or two saying there’d be a sequel.
What I didn’t like: This is going to sound incredibly lame, but one thing I found was too many names starting with the letter ‘S.’ We don’t get much time to learn who each new character is and I found I was a bit confused at some moments over who was who.
As well, and again, minor – I wanted to learn more about the area and the creature. Probably for the best we don’t but COME ON PARENT, write a second novella!
Why you should buy this: This was a blast. Parent kept the action racing and the book sped along at 200mph. I really found this setting worked spectacularly for the story and loved how this played out.
When a book grabs me and holds me like this and I can’t put it down, that’s an easy five stars for me.
Loved this.
When this book was announced, I was ambivalent about it.
On one hand, I was excited for Jason. He’s an author who has always been very kind and supportive to myself both with writing and reviewing.
On the other hand, I’m not a car guy or a shoot ’em up guy in the least. Fast and the Furious? Not for me. Car shows and engine specs? I’m fine thanks.
Having read ‘The Apocalypse Strain’ by Parent, I knew he’d make this a fun time, but it wasn’t until Joe Hempel, audiobook narrator extraordinaire, posted about it on Facebook that I was at all excited about it. In an odd coincidence, the very next day this book was offered for review on Kendall Reviews, so I snagged it.
What I liked: Holy Hell. I was just going to read maybe the first 10% last night. I ended up reading it in a single, high-octane sitting.
The story opens up with Seb and his accomplice cornered in Vegas and involved in a shootout. Seb is wounded and manages to flee in his muscle car. He wakes up in a strange town in the desert with no memory of how he got there. Odder still, the people that saved his life.
Parent decided to start this novella with the pedal to the metal and somehow he managed to find another gear. When we learn about the odd creature that prevents the inhabitants from leaving this place, it goes even more full throttle and we get a Mad Max level action sequence that was fantastically done.
The creature in this is stunning and the cover art here really captures the feeling of this read. Parent did such a great job of making me read this on the cusp of hyperventilating that when we get to the end and we see where Seb has arrived I was hoping like hell we’d have a line or two saying there’d be a sequel.
What I didn’t like: This is going to sound incredibly lame, but one thing I found was too many names starting with the letter ‘S.’ We don’t get much time to learn who each new character is and I found I was a bit confused at some moments over who was who.
As well, and again, minor – I wanted to learn more about the area and the creature. Probably for the best we don’t but COME ON PARENT, write a second novella!
Why you should buy this: This was a blast. Parent kept the action racing and the book sped along at 200mph. I really found this setting worked spectacularly for the story and loved how this played out.
When a book grabs me and holds me like this and I can’t put it down, that’s an easy five stars for me.
Loved this.
December 20, 2020
Jason Parent delivers a neckbreak story merging horror, action, and neo-noir. This book had the action and aesthetic of a supernatural Mad Max story merged with a deep fog of mystery.
My only complaint is that I wanted more!
Jason's work is riveting and compulsively readable. Check this one out.
My only complaint is that I wanted more!
Jason's work is riveting and compulsively readable. Check this one out.
December 31, 2020
EIGHT CYLINDERS is a high-octane blast of adrenaline, guns, cars, and tentacles!
The story makes no pretenses about it's desire for fast-paced action, dropping you immediately into a gunfight in the opening scene. After losing his best friend to a bullet, Seb barely makes it out of the firefight alive, bleeding profusely as he speeds down the interstate in his Charger. Trusting his directions to a magic eight ball, he eventually passes out and awakes several days later in a barren desert surrounded by mountains on all sides. Seb can't understand why the motley crew living there would want to stay, but, in another near-death experience, he quickly learns that there is something living in the mountains and underground that doesn't want them to leave. Something tentacled and massive on a mind-bending scale.
Being a novella, and judging from the cover, I expected this story to move quickly. And boy does it! I would guess approximately 50% of the book is characters driving fast, shooting guns, and desperately trying to avoid the giant tentacles. It's a lot of fun and the story has a lot of interesting elements, but unfortunately many aren't fleshed out enough and raise more questions than answers (how did they get there, what is this place, where did the monster come from, what's going on with time, who the heck is the young/old scabbed up girl Mary, etc). And then it ends up a twist that, again, is intriguing but perplexing.
If a Lovecraftian/Mad Max mashup sounds good to you (as it did to me), then this is probably for you! I don't for writing that does into the weeds on technical details, and it started to do that a little with the cars and guns. Plus there's SO much more I want to know about this world that the author has created. Maybe there will be a sequel? Either way it's a fun ride and certainly worth the 100 pages and quick hour's read.
The story makes no pretenses about it's desire for fast-paced action, dropping you immediately into a gunfight in the opening scene. After losing his best friend to a bullet, Seb barely makes it out of the firefight alive, bleeding profusely as he speeds down the interstate in his Charger. Trusting his directions to a magic eight ball, he eventually passes out and awakes several days later in a barren desert surrounded by mountains on all sides. Seb can't understand why the motley crew living there would want to stay, but, in another near-death experience, he quickly learns that there is something living in the mountains and underground that doesn't want them to leave. Something tentacled and massive on a mind-bending scale.
Being a novella, and judging from the cover, I expected this story to move quickly. And boy does it! I would guess approximately 50% of the book is characters driving fast, shooting guns, and desperately trying to avoid the giant tentacles. It's a lot of fun and the story has a lot of interesting elements, but unfortunately many aren't fleshed out enough and raise more questions than answers (how did they get there, what is this place, where did the monster come from, what's going on with time, who the heck is the young/old scabbed up girl Mary, etc). And then it ends up a twist that, again, is intriguing but perplexing.
If a Lovecraftian/Mad Max mashup sounds good to you (as it did to me), then this is probably for you! I don't for writing that does into the weeds on technical details, and it started to do that a little with the cars and guns. Plus there's SO much more I want to know about this world that the author has created. Maybe there will be a sequel? Either way it's a fun ride and certainly worth the 100 pages and quick hour's read.
November 30, 2020
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: Lovecraft meets The Twilight Zone in this fast-paced, monster-filled horror story.
This was a lot of fun! I wasn’t sure what to expect from Eight Cylinders, and I definitely got something a little different, but I ended up really enjoying this book. As you might have guessed from the cover, there’s a Lovecraft vibe to the story, but it also has a strong Twilight Zone feel as well, especially the ending.
The story follows a petty criminal named Seb who, after barely making it out of a vicious gunfight alive, finds himself lost in the desert outside of Las Vegas. But he’s not alone. Seb has stumbled upon a group of misfits just like himself, who explain to him that they are stuck in this place, and have been for quite some time. And now that Seb has found his way into their encampment, Seb’s stuck too. Seb doesn’t believe it for a second, and he’s frantic to get back home to his girlfriend Gemma. But when he hops in his Charger and tries to leave, he discovers his new friends are right: there’s something monstrous living in the mountains surrounding them, something gigantic with long, sticky tentacles, and it will do anything to stop them from leaving.
Parent has an “in your face” writing style that actually works pretty well with this length of story, and he doesn’t hold back when it comes to descriptive, graphic violence. Let’s just say there are some scenes where characters are attacked by the tentacled monster and they ain’t pretty! The author seems to revel in blood and guts and puke and, well, you get the idea. The writing itself is pretty rough around the edges, though. I ran across some awkwardly written sentences that definitely needed a little more editing. But while this might have bothered me in a different story, with the breakneck pace of Eight Cylinders, I didn’t have much time to reflect on whether the prose was perfect or not.
With a story this short, you don’t get to know the characters that well, so I didn’t connect with any of them, to be honest, not even Seb. Also Seb isn’t the kind of guy you like anyway. He’s a criminal and he isn’t that nice. He’s obsessed with his car and its “seven hundred horsepower, six-point-two-liter Hemi V-8 engine and Six-hundred-fifty-pound-feet of torque” and he’s sure that the car is his only hope of getting past the tentacle monster in the mountains (and spoiler: he’s right). The other characters seem to exist just so that Seb can try to get away, although there is a tame coyote named Juke that I liked!
What really made the whole thing work for me was the ending, believe it or not. Just like the classic Twilight Zone episodes that I’m so fond of, there is a big twist at the end that puts everything into perspective. I loved the growing sense of dread that the author manages to convey, and that final twist settles over the reader like a blanket of doom. Really, it was the perfect ending. If you’re in the mood for a gritty, high octane, quick read, then Eight Cylinders is a good choice.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
This was a lot of fun! I wasn’t sure what to expect from Eight Cylinders, and I definitely got something a little different, but I ended up really enjoying this book. As you might have guessed from the cover, there’s a Lovecraft vibe to the story, but it also has a strong Twilight Zone feel as well, especially the ending.
The story follows a petty criminal named Seb who, after barely making it out of a vicious gunfight alive, finds himself lost in the desert outside of Las Vegas. But he’s not alone. Seb has stumbled upon a group of misfits just like himself, who explain to him that they are stuck in this place, and have been for quite some time. And now that Seb has found his way into their encampment, Seb’s stuck too. Seb doesn’t believe it for a second, and he’s frantic to get back home to his girlfriend Gemma. But when he hops in his Charger and tries to leave, he discovers his new friends are right: there’s something monstrous living in the mountains surrounding them, something gigantic with long, sticky tentacles, and it will do anything to stop them from leaving.
Parent has an “in your face” writing style that actually works pretty well with this length of story, and he doesn’t hold back when it comes to descriptive, graphic violence. Let’s just say there are some scenes where characters are attacked by the tentacled monster and they ain’t pretty! The author seems to revel in blood and guts and puke and, well, you get the idea. The writing itself is pretty rough around the edges, though. I ran across some awkwardly written sentences that definitely needed a little more editing. But while this might have bothered me in a different story, with the breakneck pace of Eight Cylinders, I didn’t have much time to reflect on whether the prose was perfect or not.
With a story this short, you don’t get to know the characters that well, so I didn’t connect with any of them, to be honest, not even Seb. Also Seb isn’t the kind of guy you like anyway. He’s a criminal and he isn’t that nice. He’s obsessed with his car and its “seven hundred horsepower, six-point-two-liter Hemi V-8 engine and Six-hundred-fifty-pound-feet of torque” and he’s sure that the car is his only hope of getting past the tentacle monster in the mountains (and spoiler: he’s right). The other characters seem to exist just so that Seb can try to get away, although there is a tame coyote named Juke that I liked!
What really made the whole thing work for me was the ending, believe it or not. Just like the classic Twilight Zone episodes that I’m so fond of, there is a big twist at the end that puts everything into perspective. I loved the growing sense of dread that the author manages to convey, and that final twist settles over the reader like a blanket of doom. Really, it was the perfect ending. If you’re in the mood for a gritty, high octane, quick read, then Eight Cylinders is a good choice.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
February 9, 2021
Rating: 7.0/10
Thanks to Fireside Horror and the author for an advance listening copy of Eight Cylinders for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
Eight Cylinders is a Lovecraftian nightmare slapped on Max Max: Fury Road with a Twilight Zone kicker. It is a quick read that packs a punch, and is perfect for a lunch break if you need to get the adrenaline up.
Having read a couple of Parent’s stories, I’ve noticed he has a knack for getting straight to the point and bringing on either the scare factor or taking the reader on a thrill-ride. What is missing is character depth, but honestly, there isn’t much point to get too muddled down with characters across an 82 page novella. Seb is about the limit to development you are going to get, and he is fleshed out enough for you to at least be on his side and want to see him through his predicament.
Like in ‘They Feed’, secondary characters are filler to either help or hinder the protagonist, but offer comic relief, antagonistic tendencies, and sometimes the objective the story is progressing with. While a majority of the characters this go round feel straight out of ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (which btw, F that film and the horse Craven rode in on), what you are really here for is the Lovecraftian beast that seems to be keeping this ragtag group of folks in the mountains.
Parent really kills it when it comes to just-plain-fun reads. They won’t have a ton of lasting value, but I really don’t believe they are supposed to. The one thing they do leave you with is something to recommend to other readers like yourself. And for a few extra bucks, you can listen to Joe Hemple narrate, which is pretty sweet IMO.
Thanks to Fireside Horror and the author for an advance listening copy of Eight Cylinders for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
Eight Cylinders is a Lovecraftian nightmare slapped on Max Max: Fury Road with a Twilight Zone kicker. It is a quick read that packs a punch, and is perfect for a lunch break if you need to get the adrenaline up.
Having read a couple of Parent’s stories, I’ve noticed he has a knack for getting straight to the point and bringing on either the scare factor or taking the reader on a thrill-ride. What is missing is character depth, but honestly, there isn’t much point to get too muddled down with characters across an 82 page novella. Seb is about the limit to development you are going to get, and he is fleshed out enough for you to at least be on his side and want to see him through his predicament.
Like in ‘They Feed’, secondary characters are filler to either help or hinder the protagonist, but offer comic relief, antagonistic tendencies, and sometimes the objective the story is progressing with. While a majority of the characters this go round feel straight out of ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (which btw, F that film and the horse Craven rode in on), what you are really here for is the Lovecraftian beast that seems to be keeping this ragtag group of folks in the mountains.
Parent really kills it when it comes to just-plain-fun reads. They won’t have a ton of lasting value, but I really don’t believe they are supposed to. The one thing they do leave you with is something to recommend to other readers like yourself. And for a few extra bucks, you can listen to Joe Hemple narrate, which is pretty sweet IMO.
March 16, 2021
Too bad Seb didn’t have the magic eight ball before he met with Ling and all hell broke loose. He took his chances in Vegas. If it wasn’t for bad luck, he’d have no luck at all and it will take his Hellcat Charger to survive.
Bloody and fleeing for his life…
I love that Jason Parent adds some humor to his horror and he is not afraid to kill off a character or two or three…His characters are quirky and his scenarios keep me wondering. The minute I think I know how the story will end, he throws in a surprise or two making me say…WTF.
WOW…Eight Cylinders was one wild ride with some of the worst characters being the best. This may be a novella, but it was filled with danger, otherwordly, nail biting, edge of the seat suspense and thrills.
Good job Jason. You had me going. The ending was worth a star itself.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Eight Cylinders by Jason Parent.
See more at fundinmental
Bloody and fleeing for his life…
I love that Jason Parent adds some humor to his horror and he is not afraid to kill off a character or two or three…His characters are quirky and his scenarios keep me wondering. The minute I think I know how the story will end, he throws in a surprise or two making me say…WTF.
WOW…Eight Cylinders was one wild ride with some of the worst characters being the best. This may be a novella, but it was filled with danger, otherwordly, nail biting, edge of the seat suspense and thrills.
Good job Jason. You had me going. The ending was worth a star itself.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Eight Cylinders by Jason Parent.
See more at fundinmental
April 2, 2022
Another of the Crystal Lake Publishing novellas and another rip roaring read. You can definitely tell this story grew out of an idea spawned (no pun intended - okay may be a little one) from the work of Lovecraft (they even make a joke of it in the story) and it just grew from there.
The story is simple (if you read any of the promotional "blurb" you pretty much have the whole story) but you know what its the ride that makes this book fascinating and there is a fun little twist at the end.
I think these sorts of stories a great pallet cleansers, they do not take themselves too seriously, they are just here to cause chaos and have a bit of fun and this book certainly achieves this. Regardless of the genres you like or the styles of subjects I think we all need a read like this from time to time. NO pretence just out to see what happens next
The story is simple (if you read any of the promotional "blurb" you pretty much have the whole story) but you know what its the ride that makes this book fascinating and there is a fun little twist at the end.
I think these sorts of stories a great pallet cleansers, they do not take themselves too seriously, they are just here to cause chaos and have a bit of fun and this book certainly achieves this. Regardless of the genres you like or the styles of subjects I think we all need a read like this from time to time. NO pretence just out to see what happens next
October 23, 2020
Superb thriller. Great characters and a fantastic story combine for a wonderful read.
January 29, 2021
So much fun! Review to come!
November 13, 2020
Eight Cylinders is a novella about a criminal on the outskirts of Las Vegas who, after taking directions from a Magic 8 ball while on the run from enemy gangsters, find himself in a space of desert which seems to not dwell on the planet Earth - but may an adjacent space to it.There he meets a ragtag group of rebels and outcasts, who are stuck in this gateway to Hell. They start to become prey for unseen monsters.
Eight Cylinders is a Mad Max blowout straight from Hell. The action piles on and on, until it reaches a boiling point where an all-or-nothing gambit is their only shot to beat the Devil. A thrill ride from start to finish. It effectively uses Hemminway’s Iceberg Principle to hint at what lurks in the dark, but doesn’t spoon feed every detail to the reader. Leaving the most hideous parts to the reader’s imagination.
Eight Cylinders is a Mad Max blowout straight from Hell. The action piles on and on, until it reaches a boiling point where an all-or-nothing gambit is their only shot to beat the Devil. A thrill ride from start to finish. It effectively uses Hemminway’s Iceberg Principle to hint at what lurks in the dark, but doesn’t spoon feed every detail to the reader. Leaving the most hideous parts to the reader’s imagination.
November 9, 2020
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I live by the rule that 'I'll only read cosmic horror if it was written by someone other than Lovecraft'. Considering this is due for release in 2020, I fancied he was a century too late to have had any hand in the product, so happily snapped this up.
Eight Cylinders is essentially what you get when a novel and an action movie have a baby. It reads like you're watching an action film and, for the most part is incredibly fast-paced, non-stop fun. It's the kind of book that you can just pick up and enjoy a bit of easy escapism.
The basis of the plot is that a career criminal is on the run from a job gone bad, severely wounded, finds himself in an impossible area surrounded by mountains and inhabited by a creature that seems to be made of nothing but crushingly deadly tentacles.
Along with the other luckless inhabitants of this hellscape, Seb does everything he can to escape. Totalling at one-hundred and twenty=four pages, Eight Cylinders is a quick, fun, easy read that, despite the actions scenes near the end being a bit too impossible (shooting a shotgun with both hands whilst hanging out of a car window ... that you're driving, for instance) was a breath of fresh air in my reading schedule.
The author's writing is never slow or dull and I found myself breezing through the pages without ever feeling bogged down or bored. The only thing that kept it from getting full marks was the sheer impossibility of some of the action scenes and the fact that, characters who had been living a pretty lazy lifestyle up until Seb's arrival all instantly turn into action hero candidates.
But, I suppose I am being a little harsh. This is a pure adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride of tentacles and muscle cars. Expecting realism as well is a bit naughty of me ;)
It ended in such a way that I am incredibly interested to see what happens next. The author did a good job of leaving it open-ended so, if ever he chose to come back to this he could easily write a sequel. It's also the kind of open-ending that can just be left hanging there for the reader's mind to imagine what happens next.
I live by the rule that 'I'll only read cosmic horror if it was written by someone other than Lovecraft'. Considering this is due for release in 2020, I fancied he was a century too late to have had any hand in the product, so happily snapped this up.
Eight Cylinders is essentially what you get when a novel and an action movie have a baby. It reads like you're watching an action film and, for the most part is incredibly fast-paced, non-stop fun. It's the kind of book that you can just pick up and enjoy a bit of easy escapism.
The basis of the plot is that a career criminal is on the run from a job gone bad, severely wounded, finds himself in an impossible area surrounded by mountains and inhabited by a creature that seems to be made of nothing but crushingly deadly tentacles.
Along with the other luckless inhabitants of this hellscape, Seb does everything he can to escape. Totalling at one-hundred and twenty=four pages, Eight Cylinders is a quick, fun, easy read that, despite the actions scenes near the end being a bit too impossible (shooting a shotgun with both hands whilst hanging out of a car window ... that you're driving, for instance) was a breath of fresh air in my reading schedule.
The author's writing is never slow or dull and I found myself breezing through the pages without ever feeling bogged down or bored. The only thing that kept it from getting full marks was the sheer impossibility of some of the action scenes and the fact that, characters who had been living a pretty lazy lifestyle up until Seb's arrival all instantly turn into action hero candidates.
But, I suppose I am being a little harsh. This is a pure adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride of tentacles and muscle cars. Expecting realism as well is a bit naughty of me ;)
It ended in such a way that I am incredibly interested to see what happens next. The author did a good job of leaving it open-ended so, if ever he chose to come back to this he could easily write a sequel. It's also the kind of open-ending that can just be left hanging there for the reader's mind to imagine what happens next.
July 8, 2022
I didn't expect Eight Cylinders to be a mashup of Mad Max: Fury Road adventure with a Lovecraftian creature feature but I had a blast! A criminal on the run finds himself in the desert with a group of shady people. It soon becomes clear that they're stuck in a nightmare.
The book is fast-paced with well-described thrilling action sequences so I could easily imagine what's going on. The characters are distinct despite the short amount of time we get with them. I did find that Seb's motivations change quickly within a few sentences, particularly in relation to a child character, so it was hard to believe sometimes. But it didn't affect my enjoyment too much because I had fun watching everything unfold. The ending springs a nasty little surprise that I didn't see coming but feels satisfying. If you love horror, cars, and monsters, this novella is a perfectly entertaining ride!
Thank you to the author for a review copy.
book blog | twitter | instagram
The book is fast-paced with well-described thrilling action sequences so I could easily imagine what's going on. The characters are distinct despite the short amount of time we get with them. I did find that Seb's motivations change quickly within a few sentences, particularly in relation to a child character, so it was hard to believe sometimes. But it didn't affect my enjoyment too much because I had fun watching everything unfold. The ending springs a nasty little surprise that I didn't see coming but feels satisfying. If you love horror, cars, and monsters, this novella is a perfectly entertaining ride!
Thank you to the author for a review copy.
book blog | twitter | instagram
September 27, 2021
When our main character Seb flees for his life from a shoot out he finds himself trapped with a rag tag bunch of survivors in the blazing heat of a strange community, from which there is no escape. He can't remember how he got there but he is determined to get back out. Is this hell? Is it purgatory?
While not my usual type of read, I have previously enjoyed several titles by Jason Parent, and decided to have a go at this one. It feels like an action packed Sci-Fi thriller but there are elements of horror too. Dead people don't necessarily stay that way and a multi tentacled creature that oozes an acid like substance make for a creepy time. While Seb is not exactly a good person I was rooting for his success, with Tracy Chapman stuck in my head "You got a fast car I got a plan to get us out of here"
I received a complimentary copy for review.
While not my usual type of read, I have previously enjoyed several titles by Jason Parent, and decided to have a go at this one. It feels like an action packed Sci-Fi thriller but there are elements of horror too. Dead people don't necessarily stay that way and a multi tentacled creature that oozes an acid like substance make for a creepy time. While Seb is not exactly a good person I was rooting for his success, with Tracy Chapman stuck in my head "You got a fast car I got a plan to get us out of here"
I received a complimentary copy for review.
November 19, 2020
Unsurprisingly awesome coming from Crystal Lake Publishing
I thought this might be too "grindhouse" for me but it ended up being just enough. This book was really crazy, fun, original (seriously!), a bit twisty and well written. I was surprised at how well the characters were fleshed out with this being a novella. It's definitely worth a read! My biggest problem was that the book was too short. I realized it was a novella when I got it, and the story didn't feel rushed at all but I'd really have liked more time with these people and their crazy world. This was the first time I've read anything by Jason Parent, and I'll definitely be reading more!
I thought this might be too "grindhouse" for me but it ended up being just enough. This book was really crazy, fun, original (seriously!), a bit twisty and well written. I was surprised at how well the characters were fleshed out with this being a novella. It's definitely worth a read! My biggest problem was that the book was too short. I realized it was a novella when I got it, and the story didn't feel rushed at all but I'd really have liked more time with these people and their crazy world. This was the first time I've read anything by Jason Parent, and I'll definitely be reading more!
November 6, 2020
Straight out of the 1980's great days of horror. Enjoyed it.
September 8, 2021
What happens when you combine fast cars, Las Vegas gang shootouts, and Lovecraft? You get this weird but fun acerbic romp with Jason Parent! Eight Cylinders is the love child of cosmic horror and Fast and the Furious.
The story opens with Sebastian “Seb” McAlister in the middle of an abandoned department store parking lot shoot out with the local Chinese drug lord questioning the mini Magic 8 ball he'd taken from said drug lord's eye socket. Yes, you read that right. First, someone was using it as a fake eye. Second, Seb took it and pocketed it. Third, he's actually asking it for advice. When his partner in crime is killed and Seb is wounded, he takes off in his stolen SRT Hellcat with no destination except the advice of his mini Magic 8 ball. He passes out from blood loss and wakes up trapped in the mountains of the desert with strange companions and surrounded by a giant tentacle monster that won't let them leave.
Seb is an interesting character. He's a criminal with a conscience and an erstwhile crime noir internal dialogue. He cares about three things: his partner, his girlfriend, and his new boosted hot rod, so let's not give him too much credit, shall we? Admittedly selfish, reckless, and maybe a bit crazy, he's still the perfect anti-hero to band together this merry bunch of weirdos, uniting them under a common cause and possibly leading them to freedom.
Is this sci-fi? Action? Horror? Who knows and who really cares? This novella isn't going to strain your brain. It's meant to be fast and dirty like Saturday nights drifting at the track. It starts with a bang and ends with a movie-style ending—unfinished but satisfying. It's action-adventure storytelling at its best. Lots of guns and fast cars and regular guys turned badass. Don't expect things to make sense because they won't. Don't expect answers that you couldn't get from a Magic 8 ball. Things just are and they don't always fit within the range of what is possible. Eight Cylinders is just an entertaining read that puts the pedal to the metal and rides hell for leather for the hills.
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The story opens with Sebastian “Seb” McAlister in the middle of an abandoned department store parking lot shoot out with the local Chinese drug lord questioning the mini Magic 8 ball he'd taken from said drug lord's eye socket. Yes, you read that right. First, someone was using it as a fake eye. Second, Seb took it and pocketed it. Third, he's actually asking it for advice. When his partner in crime is killed and Seb is wounded, he takes off in his stolen SRT Hellcat with no destination except the advice of his mini Magic 8 ball. He passes out from blood loss and wakes up trapped in the mountains of the desert with strange companions and surrounded by a giant tentacle monster that won't let them leave.
Seb is an interesting character. He's a criminal with a conscience and an erstwhile crime noir internal dialogue. He cares about three things: his partner, his girlfriend, and his new boosted hot rod, so let's not give him too much credit, shall we? Admittedly selfish, reckless, and maybe a bit crazy, he's still the perfect anti-hero to band together this merry bunch of weirdos, uniting them under a common cause and possibly leading them to freedom.
Is this sci-fi? Action? Horror? Who knows and who really cares? This novella isn't going to strain your brain. It's meant to be fast and dirty like Saturday nights drifting at the track. It starts with a bang and ends with a movie-style ending—unfinished but satisfying. It's action-adventure storytelling at its best. Lots of guns and fast cars and regular guys turned badass. Don't expect things to make sense because they won't. Don't expect answers that you couldn't get from a Magic 8 ball. Things just are and they don't always fit within the range of what is possible. Eight Cylinders is just an entertaining read that puts the pedal to the metal and rides hell for leather for the hills.
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March 26, 2021
Eight Cylinders is just one of several in the Jason Parent portfolio. Parent has authored books in many genres, including: science fiction, horror, thriller, and speculative fiction, among others. I reviewed another of the author’s books, Apocalypse Strain (a horror/thriller), in 2020 and found it to be quite an interesting read. Eight Cylinders (speculative fiction) is quite different from that book in many ways, though not any less interesting. I have chosen a mini-review format for this book for two reasons: it is a novella (right around 100 pages), and because it is so short almost any pieces of information I will get into spoiler territory; so the less I talk about the book directly, the better.
Sometimes I find it hard to get into novellas, and the reason for that (usually) is due to the fact that there just is not much depth to the story. I enjoy stories with layers, and that is hard to do in 200 pages or less. Most of the novellas I have really enjoyed fall into two categories: they follow a really compelling character and the reader gets to be immersed in the intimate details of the story (see: Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma and Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor), or it is 99% action and the reader is thrown right in and stays along for the ride (see: The Raven by Jonathan Janz). (Interestingly enough, The Murderbot Diaries, which I just finished, end up falling into both categories, which is quite rare). Long story long: Eight Cylinders falls into the latter category. This book floors it right out of the gate, and the story goes from 0 to 100 in 3 seconds flat and does not slow for a second.
If I had to describe this book in 3 words it would be: Cars. Guns. Monsters. All of which are super fun aspects in a story, in my opinion, especially if you intend on taking your readers on a short-term thrill ride. I am not really a car guy, but it is easy to see that Parent is – and that passion really comes through in this book, which, in turn, peaked my interest as a main part of the narrative.
The storyline is also very mysterious and strange. There is a lot of underlying suspense and tension, which I really love because it keeps the story honest. The fact that there is some mystique around the plot lends some balance to what is an otherwise over-the-top action novella. I love the way it ended, too, as it kept with the tone of the book quite well.
Overall, Eight Cylinders was a fun and interesting read. It is a quick-burst, gratuitous-action short film written down in novella form. If that description is of interest to you, a recommend picking this one up
Sometimes I find it hard to get into novellas, and the reason for that (usually) is due to the fact that there just is not much depth to the story. I enjoy stories with layers, and that is hard to do in 200 pages or less. Most of the novellas I have really enjoyed fall into two categories: they follow a really compelling character and the reader gets to be immersed in the intimate details of the story (see: Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma and Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor), or it is 99% action and the reader is thrown right in and stays along for the ride (see: The Raven by Jonathan Janz). (Interestingly enough, The Murderbot Diaries, which I just finished, end up falling into both categories, which is quite rare). Long story long: Eight Cylinders falls into the latter category. This book floors it right out of the gate, and the story goes from 0 to 100 in 3 seconds flat and does not slow for a second.
If I had to describe this book in 3 words it would be: Cars. Guns. Monsters. All of which are super fun aspects in a story, in my opinion, especially if you intend on taking your readers on a short-term thrill ride. I am not really a car guy, but it is easy to see that Parent is – and that passion really comes through in this book, which, in turn, peaked my interest as a main part of the narrative.
The storyline is also very mysterious and strange. There is a lot of underlying suspense and tension, which I really love because it keeps the story honest. The fact that there is some mystique around the plot lends some balance to what is an otherwise over-the-top action novella. I love the way it ended, too, as it kept with the tone of the book quite well.
Overall, Eight Cylinders was a fun and interesting read. It is a quick-burst, gratuitous-action short film written down in novella form. If that description is of interest to you, a recommend picking this one up
November 18, 2020
Eight Cylinders by Jason Parent is out now, and I was able to have the chance to review it from Crystal Lake Publishing. The best stories I have been reading lately come from indie publishers. It is so important right now to explore a publisher like Crystal Lake. Here you can find unique tales that are aligned to your interests!
Seb, a gunman, is now on the run from a gang that for sure wants him dead. During the getaway Seb and his Dodge Charger find themselves somewhere outside of Las Vegas, due to the answers of a Magic 8 Ball. This isn’t your average crime thriller. What lies ahead in this pedal to the metal novella is a combination of Mad Max and something from the mind of H.P Lovecraft. You have some very mysterious characters, other worldly monsters, and lots and lots of ass-kicking. To me, this story reads like an 80’s paperback, in which the main character will hang out of the car window, guns blazing at whatever monster stands in the way.
Eight Cylinders is very cool for a number of reasons. The first being that the main character Seb is African American. In horror literature it is really great to see diversity in the story; Black, Brown, Asian, Hispanic characters all in this novella play a part. The plot wasn’t centered around it, but it adds something to the story when the author writes a character that the reader can see themselves in.
I would recommend this book for fans of fast-paced reads, in both a time sense and story sense. I read this in one sitting and it was a great way to escape reality for a little and go along for a wild ride through a Lovecraftian Las Vegas Hellscape. Doesn’t that sound pleasant? This is a novel where it feels like the music is on full blast, the monsters are at your car door, and you’re going 150 mph through the desert with no intention on stopping.
Thank you to Crystal Lake Publishing for this wonderful read!
Seb, a gunman, is now on the run from a gang that for sure wants him dead. During the getaway Seb and his Dodge Charger find themselves somewhere outside of Las Vegas, due to the answers of a Magic 8 Ball. This isn’t your average crime thriller. What lies ahead in this pedal to the metal novella is a combination of Mad Max and something from the mind of H.P Lovecraft. You have some very mysterious characters, other worldly monsters, and lots and lots of ass-kicking. To me, this story reads like an 80’s paperback, in which the main character will hang out of the car window, guns blazing at whatever monster stands in the way.
Eight Cylinders is very cool for a number of reasons. The first being that the main character Seb is African American. In horror literature it is really great to see diversity in the story; Black, Brown, Asian, Hispanic characters all in this novella play a part. The plot wasn’t centered around it, but it adds something to the story when the author writes a character that the reader can see themselves in.
I would recommend this book for fans of fast-paced reads, in both a time sense and story sense. I read this in one sitting and it was a great way to escape reality for a little and go along for a wild ride through a Lovecraftian Las Vegas Hellscape. Doesn’t that sound pleasant? This is a novel where it feels like the music is on full blast, the monsters are at your car door, and you’re going 150 mph through the desert with no intention on stopping.
Thank you to Crystal Lake Publishing for this wonderful read!
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