Vampyrnomicon BOOK TWO OF THE VAMPIRE HUNTERS TRILOGY by Scott M. Baker Review

By Scott M. Baker
Pill Hill Press
ISBN:978-1617060526
Review by: Rob Walter
Review posted 07/28/2011

Vampyrnomicon is the second of The Vampire Hunters Trilogy from Scott M. Baker published by Pill Hill Press.

Drake Mathews and Alison Monroe are back for the second book in the trilogy. As I said in my review of the first book (The Vampire Hunters, Pill Hill Press, 2010), this is not a book about Twilight Vampires as these vampires are evil, nasty and destructive. Drake and Alison continue their crusade to eliminate the vampire nest in Washington D.C with varying degrees of success. They discover that there is a book called the Vampyrnomicon that contains information that will give them the ability to eliminate vampires once and for all or, if it falls into vampire hands, establish world control by the vampires. The vampires have gotten nastier and tougher to kill, but Jimmy Delmarco , an ex-engineering student who is the newest addition to the team, is also improving the weapons the hunters use.

The action is not as prominent in this as the author has spent time developing the characters giving them more depth and not falling into the one dimensional trap many authors have with vampire stories.

I really enjoyed reading this book and following along with the Hunters on their quest. I am looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy.

I strongly recommend the series for anyone who enjoys good stories that are action packed. Of course it helps if the reader likes dark vampires, but these books would be enjoyable for anyone.

Revolution City by Darren James Review

By Darren James
Panic Press
ISBN:978-4467945517
Review by: Chris Bartholomew
Review posted 07/19/2011

This story is written in beautifully descriptive language. First person POV's are not my favorite but when the story is written with such vivid scenes, it hooks me from the start.

This is a story about an out of body experience. The death of the body of the person this one came from is so well told that I want to know more, bringing me through the experience feeling like I was there. The writer is able to pull you in and keep you there so this is like a shared experience.

'If I was not really there, then was I moving through the world, or was the world moving through me?' This quote from the book says a lot. Was this happening, was this not happening, what would be next?

By chapter three we are following a Hudson J Shirow. The book goes into a different POV and I'm able to follow it better, the great writing continues throughout the book. The writer keeps you wondering throughout the book... is this an awakening or a death. Are the experiences real in some future world, or just the mind?

The only thing I didn't care for are the single quote marks for dialogue. Though the story flows well, I am used to double quote marks and the single is a distraction. Other than that, this is a great read and to me it's a mixture of Suspense, Literary, and Science Fiction.

Alienology – Tales From The Void Edited by T. Patrick Rooney and D.G. Sutter Review

Edited by T. Patrick Rooney and D.G. Sutter
Library of Horror Press
ISBN:978-1461169529
Review by: Ronnie Tucker
Review posted 07/04/2011

Alienology – Tales From The Void is an anthology of 28 Sci-Fi/horror short stories ranging in length from just a couple of pages to a couple of dozen pages for a couple of stories.

The book starts with a short poem which is an ode to the movie Alien then it's off and running with the first short, Devil's Hole. From Devil's Hole through to, and including, The Conservators (which is roughly the half way mark in the book) the stories are all good stuff with equal amounts of alien and gore. I particularly liked Devil's Hole (which is 100% Lovecraftian in nature, and my favourite out of the whole book), Space Freaks, Fuck You ET (good action, but lame ending), Blind Encounter (good Matrix-style idea, but, again, the ending was a bit lacklustre), Salt And Copper (which, like several other shorts, shows how many Sci-Fi authors are terrified of human-eating aliens), Midnight In A Small Town (good 80's B-movie idea, but let down with a saw-it-coming slushy ending), It Came From Outer Space (reminded me of Silent Hill for some reason, and has a nice sick ending), Jacob's Bad Day (another nice idea with a sick ending), Heavenward (one of the better shorts in the last half of the book), and The Fruits Of Incubation was pretty sick too.

The only down side with Alienology is that, in my opinion, it seems that the editors have put all the good stuff in the first half with all the mediocre stuff in the last half so, for me anyway, the last half of the book is a bit of a drag. The majority of the stories all tried to have a twist ending which remind me of either The Twilight Zone, or Outer Limits (no bad thing), but, for reasons unknown, a couple of the shorts just seemed to end. Almost as though the author left it unfinished. Very odd.

All in all though the first 150+ pages were very enjoyable with some nice ideas and kudos to those authors who went for the sicko ending. They're always my favorite.

The Vampire Hunters by Scott M. Baker Review

by Scott M. Baker
Pill Hill Press
ISBN:978-1617060519
Review by: Rob Walter
Review posted 07/01/2011

The Vampire Hunters is the first book in a trilogy by author Scott M. Baker. The other two books of the trilogy will be Vampyrnomicon and Dominion.

The story begins jumping straight into action with Drake Matthews already hunting and fighting the first of many vampires. Of course there is also a sexy young female sidekick, Alison Monroe. But this isn’t your average run of the mill vampire story. There are no twinkling vampires or fancy dance scenes or gauzy lovemaking bouts. The vampires of this story are evil nasty creatures that torture and kill as much for entertainment as for food. They have been around for centuries and are experienced in hiding.

The first thing you have to know about Drake is he is not the “by the book” kind of guy. He was a detective in Boston before learning the undead were real and responsible for a string of serial killings. As a result of his investigation and “final solution” for the perpetrator, he was booted from the police department for excessive force (Does burning down half a city block including a church count?). His partner Alison, a rookie detective during the aforementioned investigation, resigned from the department and followed Drake to Washington DC. Drake is a firm believer in the “scorched earth” method of fighting vampires and in the opening chapter manages to destroy half of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge getting himself and his partner arrested. Again.! Alison saves Drake’s behind on many occasions and is actually the more capable hunter.

The vampires discover that Drake and his merry band are hunting them and vow to take them out.

Scott M. Baker has taken a story that could have been cute vampire pulp and turned it into an action packed thriller with character driven details that draws the reader in. I will be looking forward to the two other books in this trilogy. If nothing else, I am now addicted to this story.

Ashton Memorial (Zombie Trilogy, Book 2) by Robert R. Best Review

by Robert R. Best
Library of the Living Dead Press
ISBN: 978-1453652688
Review by: Terry Morgan
Review posted 06/30/2011

Ashton Memorial, the second book in the zombie trilogy by Robert R. Best, starts with characters from the first book: Park, Angie and Angie's kids, Maylee and Dalton walking away from the now burning Lakewood Memorial hospital. They find the truck, start it and after a discussion, head toward Ashton. It is Ashton where Angie's brother Bobby lives and Park's twin girls Ella and Lori.

However, as the zombie outbreak continues, other horrendous situations are occurring. Ella and Lori's step-dad, Gregory, has bounded and gagged Lori at the zoo he runs, Ashton Memorial Zoo. Ella is in another part of the zoo not sure whether or not her sister or even her mother is alive.
The story intensifies when Angie, Parker and Angie's kids come to the zoo, along with all the walking corpses. It is now survival not just against the walking dead, but against each other and themselves.

The second in Best's zombie trilogy throws a punch. It is in this story we learn more about Parker, about Angie and what each of them will do when being pushed to their last limits. There is not as much action as in the first book, but, there is compassion, heartbreak and certainly a showing of what family really means when it comes down to the last days on Earth. With a striking form, Best does what many zombie authors fail to do, give the characters actual feelings and situations that would seem more realistic in a zombie outbreak if it occurred. And let us not forget the ending of this story is not only drastic, compelling but totally unexpected.

I look forward to the third installment in what I consider one of the best zombie series out there.

Blood War : A Novel by Dylan J. Morgan Review

by Dylan J. Morgan
Pill Hill Press
ISBN:978-1617060755
Review by:Dana Bell
Review posted 06/28/2011

Much like 'Underworld' a war brews between werewolves and vampires, escalating when hybrids, a mixture of the two species begin to appear. The conflict spans over four hundred years, ending with a battle in a village filled with the half breeds and, during the victory celebration, the betraying revelation of the powerful vampire leader.

Unlike many books about the undead and werewolves, more of their kind are not made by biting a human. Instead, there are breeding colonies and married couples who produce offspring, and raise them as well.

The imagery is vivid, drawing the reader a clear picture of the place, and early in the book, the time. However, the constant labeling of where/when the section took place became distracting as the novel progressed.

Fans of gore and the horrific werewolf transformations will love this story. The details are vivid, complete with smells. Yet the 'snapping bones' during the change got tiresome. Since that had already been established, there was no reason to continually remind the reader of the details.

One minor detail in the early section of the book is the question raised about what happened to a little girl during the Black Death. Yes, undoubtedly she died, yet the inclusion of such an image demanded some sort of finish. Instead, the reader is left dangling wondering why the scene had been included at all, unless it was an attempt to convey the feeling of real people during a horrible tragedy. And how, from the viewpoint of the character involved, would he have had such knowledge of her life? And why would he have even cared considering he was chasing his quarry?

All in all, an enjoyable book for vampire and werewolf fanatics and for those who wish to read more stories along the lines of the 'Underworld' trilogy. By the way, the name of the vampire leader is Markus - just like in the films.

Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson Review

by Daniel H. Wilson
Doubleday Publishing
ISBN:978-0385533850
Review posted 06/17/2011


Technology sneaks upon us when we least expect it. In Robopocalypse: A Novel, we learn how robotics and artificial intelligence can actually put the human race on hold. How even the smallest robot created can be damaging to life as we know it.

Through interviews, stories of damaging first person accounts, like a man playing a prank on a senior citizen who has a robot that he loves with dire consequences, military extractions and battles, that the robots and machines have taken on new identities, and all are here to eventually destroy the human race.

With slight of his mighty pen and with the experience he has, Wilson tells a tale of destruction that may not be foreseen because of the obsession with advancement in artificial intelligence. Even though this is a story of fiction, it makes one aware of what can come about if we push the laws of the world. If we create something that are for our own needs, but forget how the creation can develop its own wants.

I was floored when reading this novel. As several novels before, it can tell how the human race with one fleeting idea, can destroy itself. Wilson has the flare to push the envelope and dive into the human reaction, the human soul.

To find out that this book will also be a movie in the future was thrilling to know. What better story than this to put on the screen and allow us to really or should I say hopefully, learn what can happen if we push into an area we are not sure of.