Review - Ty Schwamberger's The Fields

Ty Schwamberger’s The Fields starts out with an introduction by Jonathan Mayberry, laying out the ground rules for zombie stories, those rules being that … there are no rules. Save maybe one, that zombie stories tell us more about ourselves than about the shambling undead on our heels.

This was a wise choice, as, from the beginning, it’s clear that this isn’t the zombie story we’re expecting. It’s hard to say what exactly we’re expecting, but Schwamberger knows, and he exploits this knowledge, teasing the reader with one zombie cliché after another: the strange light from the sky, the backyard full of bodies, the zombie bite that may or may not have been a dream. The Fields makes explicit the subtext in any good zombie story: that the beasts reflect our own deepest fears of our time.

Billy, the protagonist, fears losing the family farm. He fears not living up to his father’s expectations, at the same time fearing filling the old man’s shoes too well. Abraham, a mysterious visitor, shows up at just the right time to capitalize on Billy’s failing crops … for a price, of course. Abraham is easily the creepiest part of this book. His uncanny sneakiness, his sinister laugh, and a hint of mind-reading put me at unease from his first appearance. Abraham insists he is there to help – Schwamberger has expertly crafted a character just creepy enough to set your teeth on edge, but not creepy enough for the main character to be justified in turning down his promises of assistance.

The setting is inherently spooky, too. Maybe it’s just me. I’m a sucker for rural settings. Add in a creaky old barn, some primitive farm implements, and a protagonist in worn overalls, and you’ve got my attention. Schwamberger sets the scene for us well.

Unfortunately, while the story and the characters in The Fields were fine, the prose itself was a major distraction. A worse offense is that every few pages, Schwamberger seems to hit on a turn of phrase he likes, and repeats it to the extent that I wondered if I’d forgotten to turn the page. Sometimes repetition can form a pattern to drill in the importance of a scene. Here, it just gets boring. Couple this with the repetitive descriptions of Abraham and Billy’s father, add in a dash of over-long and unrealistic dialogue, and I think this promising concept would have been better suited to a short story. Overall I found this to be a great idea, with dynamic characters, that fails in the execution.

Posted by HorrorFix contributor Sugar Shock.

Review - Hellraiser #6

"Oh Kirsty, what have you done?" Thats a very good question as you start to read this issue. To be honest I hadn't read any of this book yet and because of this issue I got the back issues and caught up in a matter of hours. These comics are actually a very compelling read.

This issue shows you exactly how far Kirsty has been pushed and how far she is willing to go for her sweet revenge. The thing I really like about this series and this issue is that it conveys what real sorrow does to people and what it makes them want to do to be released from it.

The really interesting thing is somehow the authors made me feel like she is somehow still winning by losing...or in fact maybe shes not losing at all. Good read and the art grows on you, I know it did me.

Review - The Uninvited App (iPad)

I admit it. I scoffed at the iPad when it was first introduced. I thought it was nothing more than an oversized iPod touch and I was going to be damned if I was going to lay out that kind a money for an oversized iPod. Let's fast forward to me putting my foot right into my mouth so far that my big toe just gave a thumb's up to my proctologist. I love my iPad and over the course of the year it has all but practically replaced my laptop. Among the actual "productive" apps I have, I have a slew of horror themed apps and games to satiate my thirst for macabre. Add in a full library of books and even a horror trivia app and the iPad becomes a "love horror, will travel" device for me. The Uninvited is the first horror anthology magazine for the iPad and when the office here at HorrorFix heard about we couldn't wait to get our little bloodstained hands on it.

I have always been a fan of horror anthology books, magazines and comics. Tales from the Crypt, Eerie, Shock Suspense Stories and Heavy Metal comprised the bulk of my high school study hall reading materials (reprints, gents... I'm old, but I'm not fartin dust yet). I've always loved the idea of being able to explore a wealth of different worlds and styles all within the same binding. So, I ditched second hour home-ec, fired up my favorite contraband smoke under the bleachers and bathed in the electronic glow of Apple's little wonder for my first foray into the digital horror anthology arena.

I have to give The Uninvited kudos for its look and its attention to aesthetics. The Uninvited is a nice looking app and a very graphic centric app for something intended to be read. It is the look of The Uninvited that effortlessly leads you into its electronic pages and lets you settle comfortably within its binary dust jacket. The stories within The Uninvited are every bit as polished as its exterior, and although you might not recognize some of the names, that doesn't detract from its quality.

The Uninvited brings us five horror stories in this, its first issue, two of which are comic book stories. The comic stories, in fact, might be enough of a drawcard to get The Uninvited its audience, but it is its middle addition, The Most Beautiful Girl, that is truly its standout piece. Anthologies, as much as I enjoy them, often make it difficult to let a store or idea linger. Dealing with short stories or episodic tales, by the time the ball gets rolling, its time for it to come to an abrupt halt, making most anthologies a mixed bag for many. If The Uninvited suffers from anything, it is the format itself. The Most Beautiful Girl feels the most complete of the yarns that the app spins and its author (Mark MacKenzie) probably has the firmest grasp of the short story template. The Devil's Eggs (the first of the two comic pieces) should also be mentioned in its accomplished illustrative style and Lovecraftian storytelling.

With more ups than downs, The Uninvited is a nice addition to the App Store and I'm anxious to see what the next installment brings us.

Review - Gore #2

Gore #2 by GG Studios. Written by Alex Crippa. Drawn by Emilio Laiso. $2.99.

First off, the girl on the cover of issue two is the "evil" version of Cinderella. Like I said in issue one, the art is worth getting this title alone.

With that being said, I am glad I was right. In this issue the story seems to come together better. Less "setting the stage" and more telling a story, and it is getting better.

Cinderella is one brutal bitch in this comic, and that is being nice. She calls rats to eat a girl alive after she had cut off the head of her boyfriend and cut off her feet. Definitely not the Cinderella I remember.

The author is getting in his stride and doing a good job at developing the characters in this second installment. If he keeps this up, but the time the series is over he will have a pretty unique story.

The artist once again shines in the title, bringing the "evil" storybook characters to life. The action and panel structure is really thought out and makes the story flow much better than in the first issue.

Seeing as how I really liked the art style of this book, I'm glad that the story has caught up to the art. That is not to say it is still the best thing I have read, but it is getting better.

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originally posted by contributor AnOriginalDick

Review - My Work Is Not Yet Done by Thomas Ligotti

I first heard about the works of Thomas Ligotti after picking up the graphic novel of The Nightmare Factory, based upon his short fiction. So utterly unnerved was I by The Nightmare Factory Volume 1, that I made a mental note to try one of Ligotti’s books, without pictures. My Work is Not Yet Done appealed to me, with its creepy cover. Said cover consists of a white background, with a man in a black suit holding a gun by his side, standing above his own reflection at his feet.

I hate to give away too much plot detail, because I think that spoils it for you, the reader. So, I will do what I always do with reviews, and supply only a bare bones description.
What surprised me about My Work is Not Yet Done, is that it is composed of three stories. Nowhere on the cover or the back flap does it mention that there are other stories, apart from My Work is Not Yet Done, the first novella. My major critique of this collection is simply that I had no idea it was a collection when I ordered it. Furthermore, the first novella is 138 pages, while the other two stories are much shorter; I have a Special Plan for This World is 23 pages, and The Nightmare Network is a mere 12 pages.

All of the stories concern office related horror, but The Nightmare Network doesn’t quite seem to fit with My Work is Not Yet Done, and I Have a Special Plan For This World. The Nightmare Network seems more like science fiction than horror, and it hops into the future (I think). I Have a Special Plan For This World is about a tense office that has recently moved into a seedy neighborhood that goes by the foreboding nickname of “Murder Town”. I could lie to you good people, and say that I think these two shorter stories add to the collection, but I don’t. My Work is Not Yet Done is such a powerful tale, that to tack on two stories afterwards merely seems like an attempt to fill out the book. I get it, it might be hard to sell a novella that’s only 138 pages, but the other two stories seem more like an after thought, than an essential part of the book.

All nit picking about the set up of the book aside, My Work is Not Yet Done is one of my new favorite novellas. It deals with an employee that gets fired, who plans to go back to his office, and exact a little revenge with some bullets. However, something happens to him before hand that shifts the narrative into the realm of the supernatural. My Work is Not Yet Done is profoundly nihilistic, and has a bite to it I haven’t been able to find in more popular horror fare.

Ligotti’s style is engaging, and leaves you ill at ease, with just a few short sentences dispersed. So rarely do you find a horror tale with a unique style these days, so when I found such in My Work is Not Yet Done, I smiled and added it to the very top of my bookshelf.

If you want a tale of working in an office, and all the frustration involved therein, spliced with a revenge and supernatural fiction tale, look no further than My Work is Not Yet Done. But make sure you keep the light on; things will be getting quite dark.

Spooky Sean is a guest contributor to Horror Fix. To read more of Sean's review be sure to follow him at http://www.spookysean.com

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest by Vertigo/DC Comics. Written by Scott Snyder. Drawn by Sean Murphy. $2.99. Five Issue Limited Series.

Once again Scott Snyder brings a new twist to his new world that is inhabited by his brand of vampire. Still set in the 1940's, this story focuses on Cash McCogan, the former sheriff of Las Vegas and Felicia Book, the daughter of the Jim Book the sheriff that brought Skinner Sweet down when he was alive.

You find out that Felicia was effected by Jim Books blood and isn't a vampire but has some of the abilities that they do. She has been trying to cure herself of the blood that courses through her.

The Vassals of the Morning Star find a botanist that may have found a cure for Vampirism and want them to go get the guy.

Again Scott Snyder brings a very detailed and interesting storyline that delves deeper into the world he is creating with the influence of vampires.

New to the book is Sean Murphy as the artist. Just off a limited series involving John Constantine, he is definitatly an addition to the art team of the book, even to the point that if he tookl over the book as the artist not many would complain. This limited series is a definite read if you want to get even deeper into the world of Scott Snyder or just simply like a really good vampire comic.

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originally posted by contributor AnOriginalDick

Review - 30 Days of Night, Again 1&2

30 Days of Night Night, by IDW. Written by Joe R Lansdale. Drawn by Sam Keith. $3.99.

The biggest thing I noticed while reading these two issues is the lack of script. The story is almost non-existing in the first issue and the second one seems to spend most of it's time trying to tell the reader what should have been in issue one.

Maybe they are just trying to rely on the unique art style that Sam Keith is known for, but it really doesn't carry the book. Sam Keith has always been a "I love his style" or "I hate his style" comic artist. In this book, yes his art does fit the type of story here, but the story itself lacks to bring anything but the stereo-typical vampire art out of him.

I have always liked the concept of 30 days of Night, vampires going to Alaska because of the long nights, but the vampires in this story look like hillbilly punk rockers that follow a crazy bitch that makes them lick the blood they need off the floor. Not to mention the story starts off with Nazi's firing a tomb into a iceberg.....ahhhh when in doubt about whether or not your story is good, bring in Nazi's that has to make it sell.

I'm sure the whole limited series story will explain most of the confusion, or maybe in the series before this one it explained it. But in a rough world of getting readers to pick up your comic, this one relies heavily on the fact you have already read all that has gone before. That is a problem if you want new readers to pick it up.

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originally posted by contributor AnOriginalDick