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Unable to make Status Update on Tablet. Going well! Notes on HGW for individual stories I have read to date.

Unable to make Status Updates on Tablet. Excellent read!

I have read nearly a third of the book thus far, and the stories have ranged from very good to outstanding. This collection is surprisingly well-written, creative, thought-provoking, and very entertaining. This is a Buddy Read on Splatterpunk Horror Book Club, so no specifics. I fully expect a 5 Star Read. This collection is well rated in reviews I have perused.

OUR RECENT UNPLEASANTNESS Stephen Graham Jones is a lengthy entry in the anthology unless it just seemed like it. I read for an hour and a half. Jones'works from what I have read, do not resonate with me. This tale is pure science fiction IMO but it certainly maintains an emphasis on Christmas and the solstice. The story is well written and the plot fantastic. Not one of my favorites. 2.75 Stars.

Refer to Group Read Discussion Thread Splatterpunk. Fantastic effort from Triana and truly impressed. Plan to finish tomorrow night. 5 Stars a given.It is quite easy to see how this powerful work swatted the other contenders for best book off the table. I loved i! Kim is breaking all the boundaries and it is so natural for her it is frightening.

Full Brutal is the most riveting read I have encountered in a good while. Triana's prose, his use of first person narrative to include Kim reflecting on her actions, her emotions, plans, and goals. I can open the book and step into Kim's world with surprising ease. The writing style is fluent with perfect pacing and tone, the pages peppered with intelligent clinically accurate prose. I love the book.

This portion of the narrative captures the keen intelligence and manipulative skills of a malignant sociopath hellbent on an innocent target's proverbial total destruction and removal from the chess-
board. Kim had been looking through a sniper's rifle metaphorically speaking and had the teacher in the crosshairs. Abruptly she changes priorities to be closer to the action. Puppeteers can get bored easily.

I like the compulsively readable story and particularly the steady but unhurried pace of revealing Kim White's transformation from major depression with suicidal and self-mutilating fantasies to a narcissistic manipulative sociopath. The metamorphosis is slowed down sufficiently for the reader to manifest the apprehehension one would feel for the innocent victims. Thus far the story has been simply flawless.

LAST DRINKS AT BONDI BEACH by Garth Nix teleports the reader to a crowded beach in bright, sunny Sydney, Australia at noon on Christmas Day. Christians were gathered in the thousands to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But our story is very far from the Lord. It has more to do with Russian Lit and verdelaks. An old woman has travelled far to reunite with her only living sister.Her daughter must find her.3 Stars

DRY AND READY by Glen Hirshberg takes the reader to Northwestern Washington State to witness the macabre ending to a Jewish family's dedication to honoring a dead man's Hanukah tradition. The surviving spouse, daughter, and granddaughter travel to a man made garden of bizarre sculpted renditions of animals and wildlife. The story is a slow burn but maintains a threatening atmosphere throughout. Rated 3 Stars

The ambience and the underlying tone has gone dark in the narrative and finally Cassidy has brought it....the raw horror. Jess confronts the terrible reality of her predicament where no solution seems like a viable one. Very close to the end at this juncture and am less disappointed overall already.

Status Update would not upload last night. Refer also to Buddy Read Discussion Thread Splatterpunk Horror Book Club. I am currently vested in the plot and want to see how the story ends so to speak. It has been a pattern recently that I seem to be reading books that need to "wear on me" to motivate me to make it to the finish line. The characters are both symphathetic so I will stick with this fantasy till the end.

I am becoming acclimated to the characters and the plot. I enjoyed the addition of the FBI Agent and the character of Cookie, Jess's mother in a retirement home. The boy "grows" on you. Thoughts translating into reality is not a new idea for psychic kids in paranormal fiction. Fears becoming real is some creative retooling. The writing is good, the editing clean, but the storyline remains a lightweight.

THE BLESSING OF THE WATERS by Nick Mamatas is set in Greece. A convict escapes from prison to appeal to his brother in law Father Gus not to stop the annual Blessing of the Waters. He maintained swimming for the cross kept the balance between continued peace and the evil in the waters prevailing. Is the convict delusional or does the fate of man rest on Father Gus's decision? Supernatural horror. 3.5 Stars.

The Mawkin Field by Terry Dowling is a lengthy contribution. It takes us to beautiful Australia. The crux of this horror story is familiar to all of us but it is an intriguing retooling. If you were an unattached guy alone on a work assignment and while driving and enjoying the scenery, saw a battered old white refrigerator standing alone in an open field, would you go right over to find it is still working?

Did not make it to 50% tonight. The storyline beginning to feel like I am in a Dean Koontz novel with secret government projects, covert tails on the good guys, and military defense secrets with experiments that went terribly wrong, X-Files vibe. Jess and "the boy" (main characters) not compelling. Cartoons brought to life, bullets that exclaim bang!!! before reaching a target ripping them apart. Alrighty then.

I read the first quarter and I am not loving it. It seems like a mixture of sci fi and mythology with the wolf. That is my impression not a spoiler. I do not like that kind of mixing it up. The main characters are a young woman 30's and a little boy. The first person POV of Jess tries to be amusing. It is a Buddy Read so I will read it. Disappointed.

Will finish this tomorrow. This last part of the narrative I read was a mixed bag. Billy seems a bit drunk with power.He is distancing himself from friends and loved ones. This is going to be a novel that invoked a whole range of emotions, some not favorable. It may tie together in the end if I am more patient.

Nearly to the end of the non-stop gore and more and Reed has hijacked a taxi cab to chase Malcolm in a stolen black Mercedes. Characters of note in the book have been beaten and raped, murdered, or worse. Less people on the chessboard. It was predictable that this house of chaos named Malcolm would fall when he and Reed faced off. I am looking forward to the showdown between the broken Reed and unstoppable Malcolm.

HIS CASTLE by Alma Katsu takes place in a small Welsh village. A couple from London are relaxing in a local pub when they are advised that revelers may be at their door celebrating the ancient Welsh custom of Mari Lwyd or the grey mare. A pre-Christian Celtic pagan custom? It sounds innocent enough. Trevor and Cate are soon slicing fruit cake for tipsy rude Brits. Somebody should be scared. 5 Stars.

Started the part of the book that fills in backstory on the relationship between Malcom and Reed. In the present our blinded by rage murderer is being sought by the police in high numbers. He seeks out his loony tunes crazy black friend Rick who is not keen on helping but when he relents it is Rick who wants to dress up like a gangsta and take his 9 mm to Natasha's house for a fun thrill kill. They lie in wait.

Billy embraced his role as a vigilante, calls the cops with details, partly to amuse himself. The press and the citizens honor Billy with his own moniker. This part was very entertaining with Billy feeling the after affects of his big "clean up" in Central Park. The landlord hired muscle to destroy the boys' personal belongings. Retribution is beyond the pail (and you need one!) Billy is close to the bad guys now.

Stopped at Part II which delves into the character of Malcolm, our uber savage slaughtering machine in Hugo Boss and platinum canines and incisors. Yes, this is a FAST paced Serial Killer Thriller and it should have been written in crimson printed in Horror font. It is a smart police procedural though, with dashes of humor piped in if you are not still gagging from Malcolm having his way with a lady's heart (smile).

THE ONES HE TAKES by Benjamin Percy is a dark tale of a man named Joel who awakens at nearly noon on Christmas Day in a snow covered Minnesota suburb with nothing to celebrate. No decorations assail him as he descends the stairs, looks over at his and Greta's 6 Month Old long-haired dachshund in her crate. Their son Isaac had not been seen since Christmas Eve last year. Joel is about to find out the truth. 4 Stars.

Billy goes full vigilante justice on the street with no regrets killing the bad guys and enjoying it. Christopher not altogether happy. Diane's feminism brigade went full throttle on a large porn emporium. Lisa stressed and worried over Mona's condition.

Buddy Read on Splatterpunk, see Discussion Thread if member. The manhunt for a monster wearing Armant Suits and platinum tipped incisors is still underway. The two lead Homicide Detectives are finally working together. The sadistic master of overkill is stabbing, slicing off body parts and enjoying organ meat raw. Methodology differs with victimology, patterns are all over the map. Psychology interplay of cops good.

The first selection is by Christopher Golden THE IMPORTANCE OF A TIDY HOME. We follow two hobos in Austria on The Epiphany when the Schnabelperchten visit the village to bring happiness and blessings for the coming year, but only to those who are properly prepared for this new beginning, who have set their houses in order." Homeless Freddy and Bern follow the creatures unafraid. Rated 5 Stars.

Buddy Read on Splatterpunk. Please see Discussion Thread if member. This is a police procedural from WJW, and a bloody one at that. The key emotion is RAGE, and our mad killer dude has a taste for blood, gore, and mutilation, to include internal organs for a healthy snack. Designer canines anybody? Two homicide cops liven up the hunt for a prolific butcherer whose HATE drives him to kill without cooling off.