Werehouse by Ryan Hunter Review

By Ryan Hunter
Panic Press
ISBN: 978-1446612651
Review by: Terry Morgan
Review posted 04/02/2011

Lewis through a suggestion of his friend Spencer, decides to rush a fraternity. But what he didn't know is what the pledges would be asked to do, or what secrets were part of this college group.

Werehouse has its twists and turns throughout the story. The one thing that was lacking was the action wasn't more severe. The center of the story dealt with this fraternity that didn't seem right, something not totally there, but in the same sense the story didn't grab my attention with this idea.

I was a bit disappointed that even with the twists and turns in the story, it was too predictable and lacked the enjoyment of being really surprised. The title was a good one for the story, but overall I felt that this particular theme could have expanded its setting, characters and not left me feeling like I was reading another typical horror story.

DEADication An Anthology dedicated to all things Zombies Review

Panic Press
ISBN: 978-1446621066
Review posted 03/31/2011


Zombies, Zombies and more Zombies, what is a person to do? How's about picking up a new collection of zombie short stories by Panic Press called DEADication An Anthology dedicated to all things Zombies.

I love reading zombie tales and I could not be more thrilled when this collection of new stories came about. It is jam-packed with zombie outbreaks, people killing zombies and even a few stories with a different take on zombies.

One of the stories that stuck out to me was just that, a different take on the zombie tale. Zombie Holiday by Neil E. Leckman is just that. It deals with a family who had a horrible car accident. A year later, like the rest of the dead population, they come back. But this story is not just another walking around undead crunch and munch, it has heart. It shows that just because they are zombies doesn't mean they don't feel hardship or don't have things said about them, even though they live in the same community as others. It is a story worth seeing that in any society, some of the same woes and ridicule occur.

This collection is worth not only a second read, but it is a thrilling experience for any zombie fan. The stories in DEADication fill you with gore, excitement, thought and a good filling that perhaps zombies aren't that bad after all.

Shadows & Light (Volume II) Edited by Alva J. Roberts Review

Edited by Alva J. Roberts
Pill Hill Press
ISBN: 978-1617060038
Review by: Rob Walter
Review posted 03/28/2011


Shadows & Light Volume II, published January 2011 by Pill Hill Press, is the follow on to the critically acclaimed Shadows & Light: Tales of Lost Kingdoms. It is a collection of thirteen fantasy short stories. The following is a list of the stories and their authors:

Choices in the Dark by Ray Tabler
Master Race by Gerald Costlow
The Hand of Fate by David J. West
Azieran: The Secret in the Mist by Christopher Heath
Mania's Children by Gustavo Bondoni
Champion by Marc Sorondo
Night Ambush by Scott Harper & Diane Smith
The Tithe of Hell by Edward McKeown
The King of Sorango by John M. Whalen
Zhea by Gregory L. Norris
Spread Your Wings and Die by Lydia Sharp
Sons of Odin by John Richard Albers
Aquila's Ring by Cat Rambo

If you like dragons, magic, gods and other worlds you will enjoy reading this collection. Choices in the Dark begins the collection with a tale of a Norseman on a quest to retrieve his kidnapped wife from a dark lord. Mania’s Children is about a people trying to survive the Romans from darkness. Aquila’s Ring brings the collection to a close with a cautionary tale that tells of similarities to life.

I enjoyed this collection and recommend it to any fan of the fantasy genre.