Pisces51 > Recent Status Updates

Plan to finish tonight. It is an imaginative blend of a fictional tale born of an old but true tragedy.

Incredibly the storyline and razor sharp extreme horror scenes get better as the book progresses. This is an explosive, addictive action yarn with.likable characters and despicable sociopaths to loathe. What else would you want in work of horror that feels like it is just what you felt like reading!

Going into the second quarter of Slashvivor! was an exciting surprise because the "plot thickened" and it morphed into a significantly more interesting storyline. And the extreme horror? Oh, yeah! I did not dislike the first quarter but it led me to make false assumptions. This is a Book Read for March 2026 Splatterpunk Horror Book Club. Please also refer to the Discussion Thread.

This CHRISTMAS AND OTHER HORRORS: A WINTER SOLSTICE ANTHOLOGY by Ellen Datlow is overall outstanding as I am treading through the snow through the final pages. Please also refer to the Discussion Thread for this February Group Read Selection for HGW Horror Book Club. There are several superlative entries. I am partial to the Samantha Khaw contribution Cold and to be fair many others.

I am really enjoying the drama of the three young people trying to outwit the sadistic murderers, and yes it would be plural if they are right about their assumptions. This is an entertaining selection from Laymon's catalog in my opinion. I enjoy his shots of humor injected into the narrative. Plan to finish Body Rides tomorrow. Also refer to the knowledgable discussions taking place on Discussion Thread.

Didn't make much progress today due to being wiped out from a procedure, still sleeping and dizzy. Anyway. I really liked 28 year old Neal at the beginning more than now. I might have gotten carried away at 18 but NEVER at let's say 28. But Alan will tell you there's always female mammary glands and testosterone driven good guys and some really bad guys as well. I am getting antsy for different kinds of action!

Reached the halfway mark and our sight seeing couple get stuck on the very top of the roller coaster when there is a power outage. The couple were getting to know each other better when the lights burst on and the roller coaster resumed its vertical dive. The story.has maintained my interest..I like the paranormal element.

Buddy Read for Splatterpunk. Enjoying the read and think the group picked an interesting selection from Laymon's numerous novels to choose. I like the protagonist albeit the 28-year-old "heart in the right place" young man is a bit immature for his age. The paranormal twist makes for some interesting twists and turns in the narrative.

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.