Carnies

by Martin Livings

The small south-west Australian town of Tillbrook has a secret, one that has been kept for over a hundred years; the Dervish Carnival, which has been there for a century, is run by people who are neither human nor animal, but live in the woods and howl at night. But when David Hampden, a journalist on the downward slope of his career, visits the town with his younger brother, unemployed photographer Paul, that secret is threatened. When Paul is seduced unknowing into their world, David will get him back, whatever the cost. And the cost may be both their lives… and possibly even more.

Carnies is a contemporary Australian supernatural thriller by debut novellist Martin Livings, and is described by the author as "an old fashioned horror novel, harkening back to the days when scary books were fun." Containing equal helpings of horror, action and humour, Carnies is a sideshow haunted house of a novel, with dark twists and turns, sudden drops, surprises, shocks and delights.

So roll up, come to the carnival. You'll never be the same again... if you survive!

Genres: Horror, Werewolves, Fantasy, Shapeshifters

322 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

About the author

Martin Livings (born 1970) is an Australian author of horror, fantasy and science fiction. He has been writing short stories since 1990 and has been nominated for both the Ditmar Award and Aurealis Award. He resides in Perth, Western Australia.

His short fiction has appeared in the award-winning anthology Daikaiju! (Agog! Press), as well as in Borderlands, Agog! Terrific Tales (Agog! Press) and Eidolon, among many others. His work has been listed in the Year’s Best Horror and Fantasy Recommended Reading, and reprinted in Year’s Best Australian SF and Fantasy Volume 2 (MirrorDanse Books, 2006), Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror, 2006 Edition (Brimstone Press, 2006), and The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 (Ticonderoga Publications).

His first novel, Carnies, was published by Lothian Books in Australia in June 2006. Carnies was nominated for an Aurealis Award and won the 2007 Tin Duck Award for Best Novel by a Western Australian. His collection of short stories, Living With the Dead, was released in 2012 by Dark Prints Press, and an original story from the collection, “Birthday Suit”, won the Australian Shadows award for Best Short Fiction that year.

Both Carnies and Living With the Dead are available now through Amazon, along with his techno-thriller novel Skinsongs, horror novel An Ill Wind, his followup collection of short stories, Light Falling From A Long Dead Star, and the novellas Rope and The Final Twist. His newest release, the horror novel The Obituary, is now also on Amazon.

https://amazon.com/author/martinlivings

Reviews

[Daniel Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carnies by Martin Livings was one of my 'pay it forward' sales, in that I always ALWAYS buy a book by a small press writer I know if I see it in a brick and mortar store. That store was Borders...so I guess the sale wasn't enough to keep the boat afloat.

So Carnies. A bit of history.

The book is a Ditmar and Aurealis award nominee and the winner of a Tin Duck award (a quite prestigious award for writers in Western Australia). The book has also been optioned to be made into a feature film.

So, going into the this novel, I was expecting big things. But werewolves? WEREWOLVES? After vamps and zombies, werewolves get the cliched bronze medal. But does Livings take the subgenre into completely new territory? No...but read on.

In the town of Tillbrook, there is a carnival that has stood on the sight for a century. The locals can't remember why they still go and spend their hard earned cash...it's just become a tradition. But some people in the town know all about the secret the carnival holds and will stoop to any lengths to see it gone.

Step in David, a reporter past his prime who is now relegated to write the fluff articles for the newspapers weekend supplement. Tipped off that there might be a meatier story (and there certainly is!) behind the carnival facade, he sets off for Tillbrook with dreams of exposing it and reigniting his journalism career. Along for the ride is Paul, his younger brother. Paul's life is dovetailing. Permanently unemployed and with a busted ankle he suffered in a FLT accident, Paul goes with his brother for a few days away from his crappy life and to make a few dollars. He's a dab hand with a camera.

And that's all I'm going to give you for now really. Oh, and there's werewolves. LOTS of werewolves.

I mentioned that nothing remarkable is done with the werewolves. They aren't in space. They aren't fighting bigfoot. They aren't telekinetic werewolves that have formed a cult to stop a government conspiracy to raise Cthulu.

The traditional werewolf story here is actually quite refreshing. Livings dispenses with far-fetched notions to make the novel stand out, and instead, concentrates on writing a damn good story that doesn't need to try too hard to win over the reader. This, my friends, is what makes it stand out.

Livings comfortably spins his yarn. This is one of the most welcoming books I have read in a long, long time. The book comes across as clever without being smug about it and funny without resorting to jokes or bizarreness for the sake of it. The voice here is just so...effortless! You sink right in and the pace belts along, but with enough depth and thought to give the pages a bit more personality compared to other horror thrillers.

Gore hounds will be satisfied, yet the blood and guts are done tastefully, so I don't think that green horror readers will go...greener. The writer doesn't go for graphic deaths or torture, spilling every cringe-worthy detail (unlike some other horror writers. Dan whistles nonchalantly...). It's simply a great all round book.

One last thing: Livings is from Perth, so while the book could kinda be set in America to an untrained eye, this book is about as Australian as a Chiko Roll, only it has both taste and texture. We don't have gangsters...we have bikies. The petrol stations I'm sure are here in town. As a writer living in Australia, I love to see these things. Makes a change from an almost US saturated market of good, quick horror.

Put down your crappy teen romance "horror" book, or the constant turds that are vampires vs werewolves caught in an eternal battle (boooooring!). For a great read of all things tooth and claw, and without the bullshit, I can't recommend Carnies enough. One of those books were you intend to read a chapter or two and find a hundred or so pages have whipped by.

You're going to need a silver-plated bookmark for this one! Cannot wait for the movie. The Howling? Eat your heart out. (Sorry, werewolf pun)

[Frank Errington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy

The Australian horror community is rich with talent. Martin Livings is a Perth-based writer who has had over sixty short stories in a variety of magazines and anthologies. Carnies is his first full-length novel, first published several years ago, it was nominated for both the Aurealis and Ditmar awards. Carnies is now available as an e-book from Cohesion Press.

The story begins with an incident at the Tillbrook Pub where a biker gang has a run-in with three men who walk into the bar. You can't say they weren't warned, as the barmaid tells them, "'You...' she stammered, you shouldn't chase those folk....' She sought the right word for a moment. 'They're not...right.'"

Paul and David Hampden are brothers. David works for a paper, but is no longer a big deal. He's been reduced to puff pieces for the weekend magazine. Paul is currently unemployed, but is actually a pretty good photographer. David offers his brother a job taking pictures at a carnival no one's ever heard of and off they go. What they find is darker than they could ever imagine.

Nothing is unimportant in this story. I really enjoyed the way Martin would take some little tidbit from earlier in the work and then drop in a follow-up with little or no fanfare. As a reader, I like to experience that sense of discovery.

Carnies is a good read and is available now, both in paperback and e-book formats, through Amazon.com.

Recommended.

[Ms. Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Werewolves. I love them. I was eager to read about teeth, claws, and mayhem. I may not have gotten as much as I wanted out of the paranormal end of this read, but I did get a well-rounded story of 2 brothers in search of their own bubble of happiness. Though the brothers differ dramatically, they seemed to be searching for the same thing: acceptance.

I didn't feel the love between them. Their relationship seemed obligatory and habitual, more than anything else.

The story's pacing fluctuated and I felt like things could have been a bit more tense and edge-of-your seat, instead of the talk-it-out, cry-it-out moments that I read.

Still, I found it enjoyable and will check out more of Mr. Living's stories.

Check out www.HorrorAfterDark.com

[Dorothea Pressley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

[Wendy Vitols · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. I genuinely, truly enjoyed this wild ride. My horror tastes tends to be more spectre or occult based, but even I coped with the supporting cast of carnivorous werewolves!
The central conflict between the brothers drives the novel with spectacular fashion towards the ultimate clash. Many readers will relate to the conflict, as well as to the loveless and functional marriage experienced by David - his manner of 'fixing' both may not be a solution for many, thankfully :)
Full of carnage and suspense, the tension built until I reached the point that I was unable to put the novel down. The writing itself felt akin to Stephen Kings writing and the description of the carnival folk and the small town of Tillbrook were riveting.
The cover art was what tipped me into the realm of reading about werewolves and I feel grateful that it did. This is a re-release of a novel previously published and I think it still holds up...it was a great read for me, and yes, I recommend it :)

[Amanda J Spedding · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title alone tells you we’re heading into carnival territory, and I was hoping this was going to be an old-school carnival with all its oddities and ‘freaks’ that had a more… otherworldly feel to it than the almost antiseptic feel of what passes as a carnival today. I wasn’t disappointed.

Carnies follows the story of brothers David and Paul Hampden. David, a journalist in a spiralling career, has gotten wind of a creepy carnival in country Australia that might just revitalise his career. He enlists younger brother Paul, a sometimes photographer, to join him. David and Paul are somewhat estranged; it’s not just the large age gap, but the ultra-religious (read: fire and brimstone) upbringing at their father’s hand after their mother’s disappearance. Both men want to bridge the gap that’s developed between them over the years.

See the rest of the review here: http://amandajspedding.com/2014/08/01...

[Edwina Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this horror novel that largely revolves around an old-fashioned carnival permanently on show outside a small (fictional, I think) Australian country town by Martin Livings.

A journalist follows a story-lead that strange things are happening in the small town, and invites his brother along to take photos to support the feature. Neither of them are prepared for what they encounter, and as the story progressed I realised it's as much a book about family as a horror tale.

Rime and again while reading "Carnies", I found myself thinking, "Someone should make this book into a movie."

[mzbeastle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite a nice surprise. First, as it started, I was really excited, because the way the story built was open to SO MANY possibilities that I couldn't stop reading it. Once I figured out what direction it DID take, well, I was a bit disappointed. However, the author did a fine job of taking what COULD have been a mediocre story line and making it something special (and in my somewhat limited exposure to the genre, unique). Nice, crisp writing. Interesting characters. Not a lot of emphasis on the locale, which also surprised me in a good way. Well done!

[Pete Aldin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few shifter books I've not only finished but enjoyed. Authentically Australian without heading down the Yahoo Serious or Dressmaker caricature route OR the jingoistic route. Logical conflict.

And creatures. There's creatures. And they're cool.

A great read, highly recommend.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. I loved the twists and turns. It was very easy to read and moved from scene to scene at an enjoyable pace.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent read. A story hungry journalist and his brother, the photographer, discover an old carnival whose members have hungers of their own. Highly recommended.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story.

[David Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some small towns are friendly while others hold dark secrets. The Australian town of Tillbrook has been home of the Dervish Carnival for over 100 years but several of the townspeople are afraid to visit it. The people who run it aren't human and aren't friendly. The carnival is one of the outback's best kept secrets but that will soon change when journalist David Hampden receives an anonymous letter about the carnival.

David is down on his luck and he sees this carnival as a throwback to a simpler time and a story about it may be his ticket to rebuilding his career. He takes along his brother Paul, an unemployed photographer who has nothing going for him. Both Paul and David are hoping for a lot from this trip but and they get more than they bargained for.

Carnies by Martin Livings is a roller coaster ride, it starts with a slow crawl uphill, it hits that first drop and the wild ride begins. We start with a story about two brothers who have a strained relationship and horrible home lives. From there the story expands, we hear more about their background and get into the mythology and secrets of the carnival. Carnies seems like a simple story in the beginning but gets more complex as it moves along.

Martin makes you care about Paul and David. David is the older more responsible brother and for a major part of his life he had the task of raising his younger brother Paul. They both resent each other but at the same time they love each other. They show this by looking out for each other when things at the carnival go bad.

The thing I liked best about this book was the way it's told. You get lured into a false sense of security thinking that nothing scary is going to happen. Even when they first get to the carnival nothing happens but the tension builds as you see some of the oddities in the freak show and realize that this carnival doesn't rely on special effects. It's almost like reading two books, the first half you get to know the brothers and in the second half you see them go through dramatic changes and watch them try to survive in a battle of good versus evil.

Where the first half of Carnies is dedicated to building tension, the second half is like a blood bath. There are two great battle sequences that are shocking and violent. There are also a couple of death scenes that after a slow start remind you that this is a horror novel. The best part is the characters. I liked how one of the scariest looking creatures in this book isn't really that horrifying. Also I liked how one of the Carnies tries to manipulate everything to her life advantage and just about destroys the carnival in the process. Yet she still comes across as a sympathetic caring person.

Carnies is the perfect horror novel. All of the characters have their good sides and bad sides. In the beginning you think you know who the bad guys are going to be but then you see that all of the characters are shades of grey and they change throughout the story. To me a horror novel only works if it gives you characters that you want to see survive and Carnies does just that.

[Joshua Hair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carnies became my go-to bathroom book for about a week or so, which is why it took me a bit to get through it. Consequently, the fact that I didn't mind taking such long breaks from it tells us that it didn't ever really draw me in the way a good book should. That's not to say it was bad in any way; Mr. Livings did a pretty good job of telling his tale and, overall, I'd recommend it for a certain type of reader. For me, however, it came out a bit bland.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written Australian horror novel about a cult-like group of werewolf tainted carnival people. Scary, chilling, violent (as all horror novels should be), but not superfluously so. The novel is based on a smartly devised plot that pits brother against brother, and is a well-paced and enjoyable read, with an ending that allows scope for a sequel. My Rating 4.5/5.

[Raymond Mathiesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts in the ‘normal’ world, then becomes stranger and stranger. It is very atmospheric, particularly in the first scenes describing the carnival. The love/hate relationship of brothers is depicted well. Madness is also described quite creatively.

[Alanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a unique werewolf story based in Australia, already a refreshing point with me as I feel Europe and North America have been done to death.

[Trent Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt my favourite werewolf story. Highly recommended.

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. Reminded me a lot of Graham Masterton in style.

[Geoff]

Not rating due to being the publisher

[Chuck McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lycanthropes, creepy carnivals, and the Australian bush. What more do you need to run out and grab a copy of this fresh and thrilling take on the werewolf myth? Highly recommended.