This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 31, 2018.

Heart-Shaped Box

By Joe Hill – William Morrow – March 25, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

This extremely entertaining ghost story involves an aging heavy metal musician (I basically pictured him as Danzig with a beard) haunted by the ghost of a dead groupie's stepfather. Simple yet effective, this initial premise develops additional layers over the course of the story.

This was my first Joe Hill book, and I was curious to see how his work compares to that of Stephen King, his father. Their styles are decidedly similar. Most of the story takes place in the kind of rural locales favored by King, but Hill emphasizes the South as opposed to Maine. Hill also excels at characterization, one of his father's strengths. But he also avoids some of King's weaknesses. Stephen King characters often tend to have a catchphrase or tic that inevitably wears out its welcome, but that's not present here. Hill also sticks the landing, and ending the story is something that his father has struggled with. While it'd be doing Hill a disservice to compare him to his father too much—especially since he's carved out his own successful career without relying on the King name—if you like King's work you'll probably like Hill's.

I was especially impressed by the characterization and the pacing of this book. Hill starts off with some fairly stock characters in a rockstar and associated hangers-on, but all of them are humanized and made real as the story progresses. The pace is also breakneck. Events in the story built at such a speed that it seemed like I was reaching the climax at only the one-third point. I had to check and make sure this book wasn't a collection of novellas instead of a full novel.

This was a very satisfying read and something I can wholeheartedly recommend to horror fans.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 23, 2013.

The Kingdom of Shadows

By K. W. Jeter – Editions Herodiade – June 8, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

I started this book hoping for a decent horror tale, but it turned out to be quite a struggle to get through. Set mainly in Germany during World War II, half of the plot deals with a Nazi doctor's deranged and homicidal investigation into the Lazarene—a Romani-like Christian sect believed to possess the secret to immortality—and (the less interesting) half deals with an actress of Lazarene heritage.

Despite heartbreaking circumstances (forced to act as Joseph Goebbels' mistress, having her child torn away from her), actress Marte is presented as more or less a flat, passive cipher. Concentration camp internee Pavli shows a bit more initiative, but he too is more or less a reactive character until the climax. The plot is as weak as the characters. Events happen and then the book stops. Marte's child is hinted as having some greater importance, but he doesn't really.

Throughout the book Jeter demonstrates technical competence, but I can't remember the last time I read a story this uninteresting and unengaging. It's not poorly written, just tedious and bland. It sparked almost no emotion or surprise in me whatsoever. It was only my dislike of leaving books unfinished that kept me from abandoning it partway. This is the second book I've read by Jeter and assuredly the last.

★★☆☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on January 28, 2013.

The Yellow Wall-Paper

By Charlotte Perkins Gilman – Rockwell & Churchill Press – 1892

Review by Robin Marx

This story is frequently mentioned in connection with weird and Gothic fiction, with H.P. Lovecraft himself praising it in his Supernatural Horror in Literature essay. I'm glad I got around to reading it, as it's surprisingly effective despite its brief length.

The premise isn't shockingly new (and probably wasn't even in 1892): a young couple vacation in a creepy old house, and madness ensues. The vehicle for the insanity is novel, however, as the anxiety-ridden protagonist finds herself becoming more and more obsessed and disturbed by the elaborately patterned, torn, and stained wallpaper decorating her sickroom.

Lovecraft aside, most of the commentary on this story has to do with its feminism. Readers get the sense that the protagonist isn't very well-served by her doctor husband's dismissive paternalism, and her condition is likely exacerbated by—if not completely due to—her subservient role and lack of agency. This is communicated effectively and subtly; the protagonist seems largely unconcerned by the restrictions imposed on her by her husband, while the author is clearly critical of that treatment.

While the feminist subtext is interesting (especially given when this story was released), one shouldn't overlook that it's also a really good spooky story. The atmosphere is very claustrophobic and tense, and the descriptions of the wallpaper are intriguing. The truth of what's going on is left mostly ambiguous, but concluding that the protagonist has been driven insane (by the Patriarchy!) and should therefore be distrusted is probably the least interesting interpretation.

By all means, read this as an early example of feminist literature, but don't forget that it's a nice bit of Gothic horror!

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on June 23, 2016.

Remember Why You Fear Me: The Best Dark Fiction of Robert Shearman

By Robert Shearman – ChiZine Publications – November 1, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

Like most short fiction collections, this book is a mixed bag. The best stories (e.g, “George Clooney's Mustache”) are quite good, but the book is dragged down by a number of competently-written but uninspired stories. Making matters worse, most of these are concentrated in the second half of the book. The ebook edition includes a few stories not found in the print version, but all of these could have been cut without being particularly missed. Another slight disappointment was that the stories were mostly dark fantasy with a level of creepiness on par with Neil Gaiman, rather than the truly unsettling early Barkeresque horror suggested by the book's ridiculously badass title and cover artwork. Overall I enjoyed the book, and will keep an eye out for Shearman's work in the future, but it didn't live up to the cover.

★★★☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 10, 2020.

The Deep

By Nick Cutter – Gallery Books – January 13, 2015

Review by Robin Marx

The blurb plugs this book as “The Abyss meets The Shining,” which isn’t a lie, but there’s a lot of John Carpenter’s The Thing in here and a big Clive Barker streak as well.

This book has a simple but immediately appealing premise. The world is being swept by an Alzheimer’s-like disease, and a potential cure has been located at the bottom of the ocean. Top scientists begin researching a mysterious cure-all substance dubbed “ambrosia” at a hastily-assembled research station at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. Initial results are promising, but after a cryptic message from below, communications between the station and its tender ship are disrupted. Hoping to reopen the lines of communication with Clayton, one of the genius scientists below, his younger brother Luke is flown in and ferried down to the station by Alice, an experienced Naval officer. Horror inevitably ensues.

While I found the premise extremely engaging, the first half of the book was more than a little frustrating. There are regular flashbacks and dream sequences that take the reader back to Luke’s past, including his abusive childhood and the traumatic disappearance of Luke’s young son. The length and frequency of these flashbacks irked me, as the undersea setting was so creepy and atmospheric. It seemed like every time something interesting happened down below, the reader gets dragged up to the surface and into the past. Happily, everything pays off at the very end.

This book is pretty gory and nasty (a perk for me, but not for all readers), but it makes excellent use of a fascinating setting. Highly recommended to horror fans, especially those fascinated by the deep sea.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 6, 2022.

My Best Friend's Exorcism

By Grady Hendrix – Quirk Books – May 17, 2016

Review by Robin Marx

Set in the 80s during the height of the Satanic Panic, this briskly-paced horror story focuses on the intense friendship between two high school girls: Abby and Gretchen. Abby comes from a poor family and is self-conscious about her poor complexion. Gretchen is more confident and affluent, but feels incredibly stifled by her religious, Republican parents.

Early chapters take their time, showing how the pair met and walking the reader through some key moments in their friendship. Things rapidly escalate after they, along with other friends Margaret and Glee, have a sleepover at Margaret's cottage. After some skinny-dipping, the teens have a disappointing experiment with LSD, after which Gretchen disappears overnight. Abby finds her the next morning naked and alone in the woods, clearly agitated but with little memory of the previous night's events.

After the sleepover, Abby notices marked changes in her friend. She complains of phantom groping, refuses to bathe or change her clothes, and grows distant and uncommunicative. Despite being rebuffed by her friend and ignored or treated with hostile skepticism by adult authority figures, Abby embarks on a desperate and dangerous mission to save her best friend.

Much like the author's previous novel Horrorstör, there are touches of humor throughout the book, including graphic inserts of newspaper clippings and advertisements. Like the humor, the 80s setting is used to good effect. Sensational journalism had put Satanic conspiracies and demon worship at the forefront of Americans' minds, making that decade a natural home for this novel. Hendrix indulges in some references to the pop culture of the era, including naming all the chapters after pop songs, but wisely doesn't go too overboard with the nostalgia-baiting.

Despite some of the lighter touches, this becomes a nicely creepy story when Gretchen's possession is in full swing. The book never really erupts into a bloodbath, much of the demonic influence is more subtle and manipulative, but Abby's isolation and her fear for her best friend are communicated very effectively.

There's a great risk of “love conquers all” plots becoming cheesy or corny, but this is a good story about the power of friendship. It acknowledges the ups and downs and occasional limits of friendships, but also the strength and staying power of some rare relationships. While the titular exorcism was well done and much more unique than seen in these kind of stories, it was the denouement that I found most satisfying.

Highly recommended for horror fans (especially if you can remember the 80s) and maybe even those who read spooky YA books. And go hug a friend.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 5, 2019.

The Ballad of Black Tom

By Victor LaValle – Tordotcom – February 16, 2016

Review by Robin Marx

This novella is a companion piece to H. P. Lovecraft's “The Horror at Red Hook.” While the original story focused on a New York detective named Malone and his investigation of the rich, aging occultist Robert Suydam, this book introduces a new character named Charles Thomas Tester to the mix. “The Horror at Red Hook” is one of the more racist Lovecraft stories—full of “swarthy” types of various ethnicities up to no good—and Victor LaValle counters this by centering the African American perspective. The result is sort of an inversion of the original tale, elevating racism as one of the multiple horrors in the story and turning the original protagonist into one of the villains.

The writing was generally fine, but the story was a bit sleight. “The Horror at Red Hook” isn't particularly interesting as Lovecraftian source material, so it's a little baffling why it was chosen as a story. The above-average racism is basically the only element recommending it for use in a progressive reaction to Lovecraft. And while Cthulhu doesn't play a role in “The Horror at Red Hook,” he's been shoe-horned in here. His inclusion seems more like fan-service, or something especially blatant to clue in those unfamiliar with Lovecraft's work of the connection. It just seemed a little extraneous to me.

“The Ballad of Black Tom” interweaves interestingly with “The Horror at Red Hook,” providing a more intimate view of events elided in the original story, but it's also lacks subtlety in places. The racist abuse faced by Charles Tester is horrific, but it also felt that the story lacked the page count to handle his descent into villainy in a realistic manner. I see it singled out for praise in other reviews, but the “Every time I was around them, they acted like I was a monster. So I said goddamnit, I’ll be the worst monster you ever saw!” line is so cheesy and on-the-nose.

Overall I liked this story and thought the confrontation of racism in Lovecraft's work was interesting, but I can't help feel there was a missed opportunity. By all means, confront retrograde elements in Lovecraft's work, but “The Horror at Red Hook” is one of the lesser works in the canon. Deconstructions tend to work best when they target a great piece of art, not one that even die-hard Lovecraft fans are lukewarm on.

★★★☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 6, 2021.

Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction

By Grady Hendrix – Quirk Books – September 19, 2017

Review by Robin Marx

This is a brisk, thoroughly entertaining look at the heyday of straight-to-paperback horror fiction. Grady Hendrix is often snarky about the books and the over-the-top excesses of their plots, but his affection and enthusiasm for the subject material comes across loud and clear. This book also deserves praise for the attention devoted to lurid cover artwork and skilled artists that played such a critical role in moving these books off the shelves. This book is an easy recommendation for any horror fan. It will make you want to scour your local used bookstore.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on November 6, 2021.

The Only Good Indians: A Novel

By Stephen Graham Jones – S&S/Saga Press – July 14, 2020

Review by Robin Marx

Brisk and thoroughly entertaining, this horror novel centers on four Native American men stalked by a vengeful spirit ten years after shooting a pregnant elk.

The pace and narrative are both extremely engaging, but the highlight for me was the characterization. The characters grapple with their ethnic identity, poverty, lifestyle choices, and feelings of obligation to and entrapment by the reservation from which they all originate. Their view of the world vividly comes across through the prose and choice in metaphors.

The only real issue I had was close to the end of the book, where an incredibly tense and bloody sequence is followed by…an extended one-on-one basketball tournament. While I understand what the author was trying to do, it wasn’t very interesting for this non-sports fan and killed much of the momentum built up during the preceding chapter. The book still has a satisfying conclusion, but the basketball stuff felt tedious and extraneous.

Overall, this book was exceptionally well done and I look forward to reading more by the author.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on August 23, 2024.

I Was a Teenage Slasher

By Stephen Graham Jones – S&S/Saga Press – July 16, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Set in 1989, I Was a Teenage Slasher is the first-person confessional of Tolly Driver, a disaffected youth living in the rural town of Lamesa, Texas. While fundamentally a decent person, Tolly has struggled with a sense of rootlessness since the untimely death of his father. Lamesa feels stifling and small, but college and prospects of a life outside of his hometown feel distant and unattainable. His plight goes from bad to worse after crashing a pool party, where his drunken awkwardness is punished with near-fatal hazing at the hands of his classmates. A sudden brush with the supernatural saves Tolly’s life but leaves him fundamentally changed. Tolly undergoes a strange transformation when night falls. A passenger in his own body, he witnesses himself commit horrible murders that he is powerless to stop. Tolly’s only friend Amber begins to suspect that he’s becoming a slasher: not merely a conventional serial killer, but a supernaturally enhanced murderer of the Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees variety. As the death toll rises, Tolly and Amber work together to test his newfound abilities and attempt to prevent future bloodshed.

I Was a Teenage Slasher combines a surprisingly poignant coming of age story with an exploration of the slasher horror subgenre. It avoids becoming too heavy-handed and on-the-nose, but the unwelcome transformation Tolly experiences feels like an allegory for puberty or some manner of gender awakening. The treatment of slasher tropes is likewise fascinating. Tolly does not simply don a mask and embark upon a quest for revenge, instead the slasher quality is transmitted, like vampirism or lycanthropy. In addition to preternatural resilience, in true slasher movie tradition Tolly gains the ability to cover more ground when hidden from his prey’s sight. Even reality starts to bend around him, as if the world is facilitating his inexorable urge to kill. Broken chainsaws roar to life with a single pull of the start cord. Teenagers who know they are being actively stalked irrationally elect to go skinny-dipping by moonlight. I Was a Teenage Slasher leaves the reader with unanswered questions about the supernatural phenomena at the heart of the narrative, but die-hard horror movie fans will find themselves nodding and grinning at how events develop over the course of the book.

Following so close on the heels of The Angel of Indian Lake, readers can’t be blamed for feeling a sense of déjà vu. Many familiar Stephen Graham Jones elements are present and accounted for. Apart from the slasher-centric plot, there’s a painfully realistic presentation of suffocating small-town life. Jones returns to poke at the “Final Girl” trope once again, and there’s even a horror movie-obsessed Native American girl as a supporting character. Lamesa feels like a distinct setting from the Indian Lake Trilogy’s Proofrock, however, and hapless Tolly has a very different voice than the wounded, combative Jade Daniels. While there are touches of the unreliable narrator here and there, I Was a Teenage Slasher is also written in a more plainspoken style, with less of the challenging impressionistic touch of Jones’ earlier works.

While it feels lighter and less intentionally literary than The Only Good Indians and the Indian Lake Trilogy, I Was a Teenage Slasher is a fun summer horror flick in novel form. Existing Jones fans are sure to enjoy the ride, and it also serves as an approachable introduction for newcomers curious about one of the genre’s hottest talents.

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