The Four Horsemen Edited by Jessy Marie Roberts Review

Edited by Jessy Marie Roberts
Pill Hill Press
ISBN: 978-0984261031
Review done by Rob Walter
Review Posted: 5/12/2010



The Four Horsemen An Anthology of Conquest, War, Death & Famine is the newest anthology from Pill Hill Press edited by Jessy Marie Roberts. It is a collection of 25 short stories that is not your average anthology in that it is broken into sections that represent the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse; War, Famine, Conquest and Death. Even the introduction, by Camille Alexa, is different in that it is a short story vice a narrative.

I first began reading the anthology thinking this was going to be a horror collection, but was pleasantly surprised when I found there were other genres in the mix. The themes of the stories cover all time periods and situations that relate to each horseman’s’ “theme” section. They range from future invaders from space to near term end of the world to World War II to the long-past Viking lore. One of the best stories is Savage Planet by Alethea Kontis which is science fiction / horror about a couple in a rocket that are drawn to a planet by an emergency beacon and the results of their investigation. Many of these short stories while complete leave you wanting more.

Overall I was impressed with this collection and I heartily recommend it.

The following is a list of the short story authors included in the anthology: Marie Croke, Matthew S. Dent, John H. Dromey, Megan R. Engelhardt, Laura Eno, L.E. Erickson, Jamie Eyberg, Nye Joell Hardy, Christopher Heath, Kat Heckenbach, Carla Joinson, Alethea Kontis, Will Morton, AR Norris, Jacob Henry Orloff, Marshall Payne, Alva J. Roberts, Jessy Marie Roberts, Scott M. Sandridge, Jonathan Shipley, Scott Taylor, Jason Toupence, Bill Ward and Kelli A. Wilkins.

Bigfoot War by Eric S. Brown Review

Eric S. Brown
Coscom Entertainment
ISBN: 978-1926712437
Review Posted: 5/11/2010



Jeff has always watched his younger brother Scott while his father was occupied with other things; then came the terrible day that a drastic event would take Scott and Jeff's father away from him. A creature of enormous size, hairy and only thought to be a legend.

That was twenty years ago. Now Jeff has come back to Babble Creek, the place that had called him crazy so long ago. He came back to take care of this creature that took his father, his brother. Jeff enlists the help of a local coach named Tom to destroy this creature.

Is the creature real or will Babble Creek once again label Jeff as crazy?

Eric S. Brown has once again woven a tale of Horror, intrigue and a non-stop thriller questioning our beliefs in this legend. We fall in love with the character of Jeff, marvel at the characters of Babble Creek and wonder what will happen next.

Bigfoot War is one of Brown's finest works. Know normally for his tales of zombies, he shows us not only can he write about something that does not involve the undead walking, but something that grabs at the meat of your being, shakes you until you have no choice but to finish this fine piece of work.

PayPhone by Brandon Ford Review

Brandon Ford
Artic Wolf Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9841233-2-2
Review Posted: 4/4/2010



Jake was down on his luck. He lived in a run downed apartment, had no job and had Susan who constantly told him what to do, yet at times enjoyed her company.

His addiction was the only thing that kept him strong. His addiction was killing; the weapon of choice, a pay phone which drew his victims to his inner most demons, up to his apartment where he killed them. Sometimes his wants were overshadowed by the fear of the women and he would loose them to the streets.

One day, he calls the phone and a woman answers. He sees her across his apartment. She is not like the others. She is like Susan; her name, Chelsea, a wannabe actress. She talks to him and he invites her up, she refuses, but the thought of her doesn't leave his mind and strangely enough hers either.

Could that call give Jake the ultimate feed to his addiction or will Chelsea go away and leave Jake finding someone else to feed his needs.

Pay Phone by Brandon Ford is a spine-chilling story that sucks the reader in and traps them, but they don't want to get out. A pleasant, yet disturbing reading experience, one feels that you are living every moment of Jake's terror. His thoughts become your own as you walk down his path of terror. Ford takes what horror and suspense can be, mixes a bit of thriller action into it and you have yourself a priceless book.

Just make sure if you want to answer a Pay Phone, you may want to rethink that.

Napoleon Concerto By Mark Mellon Review

Mark Mellon
WhoooDoo Mysteries/TrebleHeart Books
ISBN: 9781936127085
Review Posted: 3/02/2010
Review done by Rob Walter


Alternate History is an area of fiction that is fraught with traps and pitfalls and many fail to do it well. The cover of Mark Mellon’s newest novel of alternate history from WhoooDoo Mysteries, a division of Treble Heart Books, features an illustration of Napoleon astride a white horse done in the style of the Napoleonic Period demonstrating a very good example of the genre. You don’t have to be a history major to enjoy the narrative of this story.

The story is an alternate version of history that is quite a good mix of actual characters from history mixed with fictional characters. Characters from history include Robert Fulton, Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine to name but a few. The historical characters are accurate in detail and personality, but massaged quite nicely into the story of how history could have been. The fictional characters are written just as accurately to people of the period and show not only the outward visible person, but also the internal dialogues of why they are how they are.

It is quite obvious that the author, Mark Mellon, has taken his time to make the details of his story accurate. From the engineering and science of the day, to the scenery of the locales, to the intricacies of the royal courts of France and England as well as the battle scenes all come together in detail to propel and draw the reader into the story.

The story is well written and has many twists along with accurate details that not only make it plausible, but a thoughtful study. What if Napoleon was not defeated at Waterloo? How would the world be different today? These and other questions jumped into my mind as I read the story.

Overall this is an excellent book and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good read. Alternate history done well.

And Now the Nightmare Begins: THE HORROR ZINE Edited By Jeani Rector Review

Edited By Jeani Rector
BearManor Fiction
ISBN: 978-1593933562
Review Posted: 02/05/2010

Review by Robert Walter

And Now the Nightmare Begins: THE HORROR ZINE is the first anthology of some of the best contributors to the online Horror Zine edited by Jeani Rector and published by Bear Manor Media, a publisher know for their non-fiction books on early Hollywood and 1950’s to 1980’s Television Shows. The Horror Zine is an online publication for authors, artists and poets to publish and share their darker sides. Ms. Rector is not only the editor of the anthology, but is a contributor as well with two stories.

The authors of the remaining short stories are: Lawrence Barker, Jason D. Brawn, David Byron, Ramsey Campbell, Chris Castle, Simon Clark, Connor De Bruler, Trevor Denyer, Alan Draven, Terry Grimwood, Kyle Hemmings, Christina Hoag, David W. Landrum, Rick McQuiston, Bryan Medof, B.A. Sans, Brian J. Smith, Anna Taborska, E.J. Tett and Debra Young.

The Artists are: Ignacio Bernacer Alpera, Luis Diaz, Ryan Doan, Mike Kerins, Tom Mattel, Liza Phoenix, Joe Roger, Muhammad Azri Sazali, Justin Stauffer.

The poets are: Dennis Bagwell, Kate Bernadette Benedict, Gary William Crawford, Norbert Hirschhorn, Jean Jones, Joe R. Lansdale, Juan Perez, D.L. Pesavento, Stephanie Smith, Sylvia Tanaka, Scott Urban and Bruce M. Whealton.

The cover art of the front cover by Ryan Doan is disturbing which is the perfect fit for this anthology and sets the bar for the remaining artwork that appears throughout the anthology. There really are some creatively and artistically dark minds out there which complement the stories as well as the poetry.

The collection of short stories, poetry and artwork is a veritable treasure trove of dark repulsive story telling by truly creative writers and artists. Every item brings a piece of real life into the dark world of horror fiction. This “familiarity” from real life makes the horror that much more visceral to the reader. The collection literally spans the full spectrum of horror from cockroaches, rats, mineshafts and dead lovers. There is definitely something here for everyone. While some of the names are not as well known as others, I have a feeling we will be hearing them more often in the future.

Overall this first collection is well put together and comes off very well. I strongly recommend it to any horror lover out there.

The Occult Files of Albert Taylor by Derek Muk Review

By Derek Muk
Impact Books
ISBN: 978-1449541958
Review Posted: 01/25/2010

The Occult Files of Albert Taylor by Derek Muk brings the character of Albert Taylor who is an anthropology professor that investigates paranormal activity and cases that all supernatural activities. Known for his magazine, The Occult Files, people track him down for help in cases no one else would believe. His cases involve researching Jack the Ripper, Bigfoot and so much more.

Muk Brings each of the 11 stories into separate cases; yes 11 different cases involving Taylor and some supernatural creature or event. What is special about this book is that Muk allows the reader to be able to look inside the characters, feel there struggles with their beliefs on whether or not certain things exist.

This book has come out at a time when paranormal movies and books are bringing back the unknown. The characters breathe life into the detective type story that thrills any reader. The search, the finding, the research all explained in detail with these stories. One could never quite get their fill of Albert Taylor.

Is there one thing bad about this book? Yes. It ends too short. Reading these stories makes a person want more, turning to the last page of the last story makes the reader feel hungry. Perhaps one day we can hope to see more of Albert Taylor in future stories or perhaps a television series.

The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror Edited By Jessy Marie Roberts Review

Edited By Jessy Marie Roberts
Pill Hill Press
ISBN: 978-0984261024
Review Posted: 01/02/2010
Review done by Rob Walter


The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror is the newest anthology from Pill Hill Press edited by Jessy Marie Roberts and the cover design is by Alva J. Roberts. The collection contains 27 short stories by the following authors: Patrick Rutigliano, Jameson T. Caine, Lucas Pederson, Laura Eno, Sam Battrick, Stephen D. Rogers, John McCuaig, Jessica A. Weiss, Jacob Henry Orloff, Christopher Jacobsmeyer, Kelly M. Hudson, Michelle Bredeson, Miles Boothe, Allen Wise, Alva J. Roberts, Anthony Giangregorio, Anne Maclachlan, C.A. Verstraete, Joel Arnold, Mike Chinn, Kassi Shimek, D. Nathan Hilliard, Scott Harper, Bill Ward, Rachelle Reese and Flora Winters.

It is a very unique and intriguing idea bringing the sea together with horror for a series of short stories. I have always loved the sea so this collection really caught my attention. The first story of the collection, The Revel, gets this great read underway with a monster race and what they are doing with abducted sailors. Other ideas that really pop out at you involve people, sharks, people-sharks, alien invasion and cruise ships of horror. One of my favorite stories of the collection is a very short story about a German Airman shot down in the English Channel during WWII called Wellenkrieg. He is tortured by the waves.

I really enjoyed this collection. I strongly recommend you go out and buy a copy today. It is horror at its best mixed with the sea.