The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter - Book Review

 

'Ellie Briar is the first non-witch to be born into her family for generations. The Briar family of witches run the town of Silverton, caring for its inhabitants with their skills and magic. In the usual scheme of things, they would be burnt for their sorcery, but the church has given them dispensation in return for their protection of the borders of the Darklands, where the much feared Leech Lords hold sway.

'Ellie is being trained as a steward, administering for the town, and warding off the insistent interest of the church. When her grandmother dies suddenly, Ellie's cousin Audra rises to the position of Briar Witch, propelling Ellie into her new role. As she navigates fresh challenges, an unexpected new ability to see and speak to the dead leads her to uncover sinister family secrets, stories of burnings, lost grimoires and evil spells. Reeling from one revelation to the next, she seeks answers from the long dead and is forced to decide who to trust, as a devastating plot threatens to destroy everything the Briar witches have sacrificed so much to build.'

Having discovered Angela Slatter's Sourdough universe a few years ago (well into its existence) I quickly fell in love with the setting. Slatter has created some of my favourite dark fantasy novels of the last few years, and as such I was excited to dive back into that setting with her latest novel, The Briar Book of the Dead.

The story takes readers to the town of Silverton, where a family of witches, the Briars, watch over the town and help those that live there, despite their kind being hated by the church. The main reason why the Briars are allowed to continue existing is that Silverton is close to the border with the Darklands, an evil place inhabited by the evil Leechlords, and the Briars keep the border protected. Ellie Briar is one of the granddaughters of the two head witches of the family, but was born without any magic, something that sets her apart from the other women in her family. Because of her lack of magic Ellie struggles to be taken seriously, and is sometimes looked down on. However, when her grandmother dies, Ellie finds herself thrust into a new position, one that leads her to discover some shocking secrets of her family that have been carefully buried.

Compared to the last two books from Slatter, All the Murmuring Bones and The Path of Thorns, The Briar Book of the Dead felt like a much slower burn of a read. At least towards the beginning of the book. Things start kind of slowly, and it takes a good way into the main bulk of the book before the plot begins in full. However, this doesn't mean that the start of the book is bad by any means, as readers get to spend a lot of time with Ellie, seeing what her life if like, her relationships, and the town of Silverton itself. It helps to build this small corner of this world, and adds to the overall richness of the narrative, even if it does feel a bit like you're waiting around for things to start to begin with. 

Once things begin in earnest, however, the book becomes very hard to put down. By that point you've become quite invested in Ellie and her story, and as such when the main plot ramps up you find yourself unable to stop reading. You've come to really care for Ellie and want to see her come out okay by the end. This is one of the things that I love about Slatter's books, she's able to writer incredibly engaging and realistic female protagonists that you keep wanting to read more of. 

But, this is a book set within the Sourdough universe, and so despite the wonderful protagonist it's a book filled with dark subject matter, some that might test readers at times, especially when dealing with topics like miscarriage, suicide, and psychosis. Slatter doesn't shy away from making her world a cruel one, but never revels in that cruelty like some writers. Instead, it makes for a layered reading experience that will mean different things to different readers.

Overall, I had a wonderful time with The Briar Book of the Dead, and much like the other books in this world I'd happily recommend it to fans of the genre. 

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Nobody's Angel by Jack Clark - Book Review

 

'Eddie Miles is one of a dying breed: a Windy City hack who knows every street and back alley of his beloved city and takes its recent descent into violence personally. But what can one driver do about a killer targeting streetwalkers or another terrorizing cabbies? Precious little - until the night he witnesses one of them in action...'

There tends to be three types of crime stories, those that follow cops, those that follow private detectives, and those that showcase amateur sleuths, which can cover anything from priests, to writers, or even gardeners who keep finding dead bodies. Eddie Miles, the protagonist of Nobody's Angel would have to fit into the third category, yet feels very far removed from most of those kinds of stories. Eddie is less a man out to solve a murder because he's got that crime busting itch, and more a man trapped in a terrible situation.

Nobody's Angel follows Eddie, a Chicago cab driver who hates what's happening to the city he loves. There are parts of the city where gentrification has changed it to a place he doesn't even recognise anymore, and others where cab drivers just can't go anymore due to fear of violence. He's feeling lost in his home city, and a couple of recent murder sprees does little to help. Having one killer stalking the streets would be bad enough, but Chicago is dealing with two; one who targets sex workers, and another that's killing cab drivers.

Despite the dangers, Eddie continues his work as a driver, and then one night when he stops down a back alley to pee he discovers the near dead, mutilated form of a sex worker, the latest victim of one of the killers. This draws Eddie into a world he was trying to avoid; but when his old friend and mentor, another cabbie, becomes the latest murder victim of the cabbie killer Eddie becomes determined to try to find some answers.

One of the things that sets Nobody's Angel aside from most crime stories is that for the most part it feels like the crime solving takes a back seat, and instead we spend much of the book driving around the city with Eddie, picking up fares and hearing stories. The book has a big quote on the front from Quentin Tarantino calling it his 'favourite novel this year', and it's clear to see why it'd appeal to him. The stories that Eddie tells, the way he goes into what kind of people make for good fares, who tips and who doesn't, and his musings about the changing nature of Chicago feel very Tarantino-esque. It feels relaxed, conversational, and whilst not everything is an important part of the mystery, or helps to solve it, it all helps to build the world we're inhabiting and the people who are part of it.

Part of the reason a lot of the book feels so real, so effortlessly crafted, is that Jack Clark knows this world. An actual cab driver from Chicago, this is the world that Clark knows, he's putting a lot of his own experiences onto the page and it absolutely bleeds through into the work and makes for a very grounded, very real kind of mystery story that a lot of writers in the genre never manage to create. I also love the fact that Clark self published 500 copies of Nobody's Angel and sold them to people riding in his cab for $5 a copy before he got picked up by a publisher; that's the kind of person who has a passion for what they're doing and won't take no for an answer.

Nobody's Angel is a short read, barely more than two hundred pages in all, but it's one that's thoroughly enjoyable. Clark clearly knows this world, and has a passion for his home city that makes its way onto the page. Whether you're into the book for the mystery story, or just want to lose yourself into a side of Chicago that never really gets shown, this book will steer you right. 

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher - Book Review

 

'The follow-up to T. Kingfisher’s bestselling gothic novella, What Moves the Dead. Retired soldier Alex Easton returns in a horrifying new adventure.

'After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favour to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.

'In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home... or in their dreams.'

T. Kingfisher is one of those authors who when I see their name on a book I pick it up without even reading what the book is about. I've found their writing to be incredibly intricate and unsettling, and they've created some of my favourite horror novels of the last few years. When I began reading What Feasts At Night I was a bit surprised, as it was a sequel to their previous book, What Moves the Dead. Having not really been used to Kingfisher making follow-ups, and with that book having felt like a definitive ending I was surprised to see a sequel to it; but it was absolutely a pleasant surprise.

Alex Easton, the lead character from the previous volume, returns for another creepy tale, as they return to their homeland following the disturbing events at the House of Usher. Having decided that some down time is much needed, they, along with a group of side characters that we met previously, head to a remote hunting lodge in the woods for some rest and relaxation. However, when the group arrive the lodge is found in a state of disarray, and the caretaker dead. 

Much like the first book, the setting of What Feasts at Night is a big part of the story, and almost a character unto itself. Kingfisher crafts some truly creepy and vividly imagined places for Alex and the other characters, including Miss Potter, Angus, and Hob, find themselves in. Even when nothing much is really happening the settings worm their way under your skin and put you ill at ease, and Kingfisher is perhaps at her best when taking an ordinary location and making it into something horrific.

Kingfisher takes some elements from folklore for the book, and manages to create a truly unsettling adversary for Alex to deal with in the form of the moroi, a ghostly, frightening woman who can come in the night and sucks your breath away from you when you're sleeping. The fact that Alex is so against believing this at the start of the book, considering what they went through in the first one, is a bit surprising, but I guess an infectious fungus is a bit of a jump away from a ghostly woman from legend, but eventually the group have to face the lurking horrors and bring it to a stop. 

But, the book isn't just horror all the time, and there's some genuine moments of humour and joy to be found scattered throughout, especially when it comes to Alex interacting with the other characters. Alex and Angus make for a great double act, and Miss Potter injects some sublime moments that make it clear why these characters were chosen to make a return alongside Alex.

Whilst What Feasts at Night is only a short book it's a very good one. Kingfisher knows how best to use the relatively short page count and really packs things with character moments, story, and sublime atmosphere. The biggest problem with the book being so short is that it's over a lot quicker than you'd want, and if you're like me you'll probably end up reading the entire thing in a single sitting. However, with both of the entries in the series so far being shorter books it hopefully means that we won't have to wait long for the next one. 

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Carrie (1976) – Limited Edition 4K UHD Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Stephen King is often cited as the biggest selling horror writer alive, and whilst that title may have been misplaced (it’s actually R.L. Stine) he’s by far the most adapted. There have been more film and television shows made from King’s work than perhaps any other living writer, and now Arrow Video are offering fans of the horror genre a chance to experience the very first Stephen King adaptation in never before seen 4K Ultra HD glory as Carrie gets a fantastic new home release.

Adapted from the novel of the same name, Carrie tells the story of a young girl who has been living with trauma for most of her life. She lives with her single mother, a fierce Christian who preaches about the sins of the world, and who abuses Carrie (Sissy Spacek) to the point where the girl finds herself locked in a small cupboard, forced to pay whenever her mother deems her to have done something ‘sinful’.

Unfortunately, her school life isn’t much different, and she has no friends, and the popular girls treat her like dirt. Things become worse for her as the film begins, with what has now become an infamous scene, in which Carrie has her first period whilst in the locker-room showers. As Carrie panics, going through something she’s not been prepared for, the other girls laugh at her, throw sanitary products at her, and abuse her in her moment of terror.

This begins a series of events that will see Carrie learning that she has psychic powers, and ends in tragedy as revenge and petty hate ruins multiple lives in what’s become one of the most defining coming of age stories and revenge tales ever crafted. And despite the age of the film, one that’s very much steeped in its 1970s setting, much of it still feels very relevant, and anyone who has been on the receiving end of school bullying will immediately recognise what Carrie is going through.

It’s been said that in horror stories there are only victims and monsters, and Carrie is one of those cases where that can be said of everyone in the story. Carrie herself is very much a victim; it’s clear from the very first moments of the film, even before the famous shower scene. Carrie is seen being abused in her first seconds on screen. She’s a victim through and through, and even when she’s trying not to be, when she’s trusting in some actual good people and taking a risk, it’s all ruined for her as she’s made a victim in the worst, most public way possible. And she’s also the monster of the film. She causes death and destruction on a scale that even scaled back for the film still results in hundreds dead. She’s one of the more unusual figures in a horror film, as she’s both our protagonist, the person we’re rooting for, and the monster at the end of the story.

And Spacek plays this dual role wonderfully. Much of the film has her as a meek, shy girl who seems to want to just curl up into herself and remain unseen by all around her because she’s used to any interaction ending in pain. But when the time comes for her to get her revenge she becomes a terrifying figure, with a look on her face that’s genuinely chilling. With just a change of expression and body language Spacek goes from victim to monster in a second. It’s not hard to see why she was nominated for a Oscar for her performance here, and why the film became such a success.

Her bullies, played chiefly by Nancy Allen and John Travolta, are more monster than victim, spending much of the film as figures that you can’t help but hate. Allen is the typical girl bully, managing to perfectly capture the kind of teen that most of us will have known at some point or other. She’s cruel, manipulative, and uses her popularity and beauty as weapons in her arsenal. Whilst Travolta plays a cruel character, an abusive and cruel boyfriend, there’s still a sense that he’s a follower to Allen’s Chris, ready to go along with her plans to hurt other people without hesitation. And you’re right to hate them throughout the film, but come the end the punishment for their crimes feels harsh, as their actions not only result in them being punished, but cause the deaths of others. They’re forced to watch as people are brutally killed, the weight of their actions brought down upon them, a punishment worse than their crimes.

The film is often held up as a revenge story, but perfectly illustrates why revenge is often empty, and causes more harm than good. The scene in which Carrie sees the whole school laughing at her is filmed in such a way that it’s not clear whether it’s just in her mind, and that most people might actually be shocked and appalled by what happened to her. And once she’s gotten her brutal and bloody revenge she returns home, saddened, simply wanting to be held by her mother. Carrie is less a story about revenge being good and cathartic, but more of a warning about how it simply destroys everyone involved. And because of these themes it’s clear why this film is still so well respected and relevant almost five decades later.

The new 4K restoration of the film on this release looks absolutely fantastic, and crisp and clear as never before. Details that before would have simply been lost in background noise are now sharp on the screen, and there are times when it feels like discovering the film all over again as you take in all of the content that the film has to offer. The new release also comes with a host of special features, including an audio commentary from some experts on Stephen King who are clearly big fans of the film, and whose discussion has an infectious energy to it that will make you smile more than once.

Along with this are a series of interviews with members of the cast and crew collected from previous releases that total more time than the film itself, and offer some delightful insights into the making of the movie. Outside of the disc there’s also a 40 page bound book with writing on the film, a poster, and a series of postcards.

For the very first Stephen King adaptation, of one of the writer’s early books, Carrie is still one of the best examples of King’s work put to screen. It helped to make the career of director Brian De Palma, and launched a number of small actors into big roles that would follow. And it’s just a damn good film that will likely remain popular for a long, long time to come.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Quentin by Tarantino - Graphic Novel Review

 

'Take a dive into the brain of master auteur, Quentin Tarantino, writer and director of multiple award-winning films such as Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. In this sensational graphic novel, the author imagines an interview with Tarantino himself, revealing the history of his ostentatious career and illuminating insights into the icon's life.

'In a first-person account, Amazing Améziane leads us through the life story of this iconic auteur, from his humble beginnings as a video shop clerk, to his rise through iconic indie blockbusters, all the way to global superstar. Discover the influences, opinions, and history of one of the world’s most acclaimed filmmakers, unmistakable in his style and talent.'

Growing up in the 90's, entering my 'adulthood' in the early 2000's, Quentin Tarantino was one of those names that I feel film fans of my generation couldn't avoid hearing. I had a friend who was very much into the work of Tarantino, and his enthusiasm of him definitely helped to put the writer/director onto my radar too. We were also the perfect age that when Kill Bill hit the cinemas we were there to watch it, having a blast at how ridiculous and fun it was. 

Whilst my 'devotion' to Tarantino may have dipped somewhat over the years (having still not watched a couple of his movies) I've always tried to watch what I can when given the opportunity. But in my current life I don't get as much time for films as I'd like, and often the only time I make to watch movies is when I've been asked to review them. Books are where I find most of my time going. As such, when I was given the opportunity to read one of the more unique sounding biographies about Tarantino I knew that I didn't want to miss out on that chance.

Quentin by Tarantino is unlike any other graphic novel that I've ever read. Whilst most of my comic reading tends to be in the traditional capes and tights genre I'm not adverse to more indie books, but even with that I'm not sure I've ever seen one structured this way before. Presented as an interview with Tarantino across different points of his life, writer and artist Amazing Améziane 'chats' with Tarantino, sometimes presenting his words as a talking head in the space where he's being interviewed, and other times filling the page with images from across his life and career.

The opening pages of the book makes it clear that this isn't your average graphic novel. Beginning with a recreation of the iconic Claremont and Miller Wolverine #1 cover, but with Tarantino in his place, the first scene then takes us to a weird back alley bar where QT tries to tempt his visitor with a bottle of booze that has a living snake inside. He launches into a speech about world building, on gaining the trust of the audience, all wrapped up in iconic Tarantino weirdness. It sets the tone well for what is to come with the rest of the book.

From here we go back to the beginning, to QT's early years of him growing up with his mother and step father, presented as newspaper strip style comics, akin to things like Calvin and Hobbes, which is completely different to everything else in the book yet works perfectly for reinforcing the part of Tarantino's life we're currently reading about. Style shifts as we move into his teenage years, things getting messier and less stylised as he moves away from childhood. But, Quentin has yet to discover who he is, so the style isn't fully formed yet, just as he isn't a fully formed adult. 

It's as he's talking about making his first movie, a project that would be lost in a fire, that a style begins to solidify, and once things move on to him selling the script for True Romance, and he enters the world of filmmaking for real, that the style of the book finally settles onto something that we'll see from here on out. It's a very clever technique from Amazing Améziane, one that doesn't even really register when reading through the book the first time, but becomes so much clearer when looking back on it. Yes, there are some further refinements to come, some further tweaks to the look of the book, but this is pretty much it from here on out, as Quentin Tarantino has finally found his feet as the man we all know him to be. 

Much of the book is dedicated to Tarantino's career, and very little time is given over to his personal life. Could this be because the people coming to read about one of the worlds most famous directors are more interested in his work than his personal life? Possibly. It could also be possible that for the most part he didn't have much of a personal life. The book very much presents Tarantino as a man lost in his work, who gave himself fully over to writing, directing, or even just experiencing movies. It's clear from the mans work that he knows film well, and the idea of him just spending his time watching old movies when not making his own doesn't feel too far removed from reality. 

And that love of stories and film is very much felt throughout Quentin by Tarantino, as the book is filled with small stories, tangents, and asides that help to flesh out the world around the director. You might think that you're only going to be learning about Quentin Tarantino when you pick up this book, but you'll also come away knowing a little bit more about people like Danny Trejo, Robert Rodrigues, and John Travolta, along with films like The Virgin Springs and Inglorious Bastards, a film for which QT would take an inspiration for a title (though with some spelling mistakes thrown in).

Quentin by Tarantino is a biography, but unlike any other biography you've read before. It goes into the life and work of one of the worlds most popular filmmakers in a way that keeps the entire thing feeling fun and entertaining, and the quality never dips once. The book looks fantastic, and Amazing Améziane has done a fantastic job at presenting things in a wonderfully imaginative and engaging way visually. But, he's also managed to nail it in the writing too. It really does feel like the reader is talking directly to Tarantino here, and his manner of speech is captured perfectly. I don't know if this is because Amazing Améziane actually sat down with QT and got a ton of dialogue from him, or if he's just able to replicate it, either way, this new book is perfect for Tarantino fans, and something you're not going to want to miss out on. 

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison - Book Review

 

'A cynical twentysomething must confront her unconventional family’s dark secrets in this fiery, irreverent horror novel from the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle. Nobody has a “normal” family, but Vesper Wright’s is truly...something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back—mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return. But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep.

'Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper’s beloved cousin Rosie. It’s to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn’t be the first time Vesper’s been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? Doesn’t matter. Something inside her insists she go to the wedding. Even if it means returning to the toxic environment she escaped. Even if it means reuniting with her mother, Constance, a former horror film star and forever ice queen.

'When Vesper’s homecoming exhumes a terrifying secret, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s beliefs and her own crisis of faith in this deliciously sinister novel that explores the way family ties can bind us as we struggle to find our place in the world.'

Rachel Harrison is quickly becoming a name to keep an eye on. Thanks to her work on Cackle and Such Sharp Teeth it's clear that she is a wonderful new voice in the world of feminist horror, and her third book is no exception to this. 

Black Sheep follows Vesper, a woman in her twenties who fled from her deeply religious cult upbringing as soon as she turned eighteen. Moving to the big city, she's been stuck working a crappy waitressing job that she hates, dealing with shitty customers, and an atmosphere that is slowly wearing her down (don't make her do the birthday song anymore please). However, when she receives an invitation to a wedding back home it makes her think that perhaps she might be able to return, to face her family, and deal with some of the ghosts of her past. 

With Vesper's cousin Rose marrying Vesper's ex on the family farm things are perhaps too tempting for her to pass up, and Vesper heads home for the first time in years. Unfortunately, she soon discovers the toxic world she left behind still exists, and has been waiting for her. Whether it's her former horror films star mother, Constance, or the rest of her family, she struggles to find much in her former life to like. However, soon secrets begin to emerge, secrets that could change things for Vesper forever.

Can you ever really go home again? Black Sheep asks that question in a delightfully engrossing and subtly creepy way, and its use of slowly unfolding mystery and character study makes for a deeply engrossing read that you'll find hard to put down.

Vesper herself is a prime example of the kind of great protagonists that Harrison is great at writing. She's delightfully complex, and often something of a messy person that I think a lot of readers will find things to identify with. She's not perfect, she's got failings, and she feels brutally honest in a lot of ways, and that honesty will draw people to her story. No matter how horrific, or even bizarre, things get things feel grounded in large part due to Vesper, and readers connection to her will have you reading longer than you intended, devouring the book as quickly as you can.

Unfortunately, Black Sheep is also the kind of book where I can't say too much about it for fear of accidentally giving away too much or spoiling things. It's a book that you're going to have to pick up and try out yourself if you want to learn more. What I can say though, is that the things that have made Harrison's other novels a success can be found here, and that there are some delightfully dark and cinematic moments that leap off the page and will stick with you long after you've put the book down.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone Vol 1 - Graphic Novel Review

 

'He is CONAN THE BARBARIAN - THE GREATEST WARRIOR OF ALL TIME and he's back in this all-new fantasy graphic novel, heralding a new era of savage, sword-slashing, brooding action, in search of high adventure and blood-soaked battle! BY CROM!

'Often copied, but never bettered, this is the welcome return of the first and mightiest hero ever to stride and slash his way across the world. Featuring an action-packed script written by Jim Zub that would make Robert E. Howard proud, and Buscema-inspired dynamic artwork by Roberto De La Torre! Together these two titans of the comic world have breathed new life into one of the most recognizable characters in fiction and in doing so, have unleashed a fantastic new era!

'On the eve of his first major battle, young Conan of Cimmeria pictures a life beyond the borders of his homeland and yearns for a life of adventure undreamt of in his small village. Visions of future allies and unspeakable evils he will eventually encounter throughout his fabled life fill his mind, as he makes the choice to take his first fateful step into the Hyborian Age in search of blood-soaked glory.'

I grew up with the character of Conan in my life, thanks in part to the two Arnold Schwarzenegger movies that I had access to as a kid (way before they were appropriate), and the wonderfully fun animated series Conan the Adventurer. I had Conan toys, I watched the show and films, but I never encountered any of the books or the comics, and even to this day I was yet to pick up a Conan comic. Luckily for me, Titan Comics had recently taken over the licence from Marvel, and had started a whole new series; with the first four issue being collected together into a brand new graphic novel.

Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone Vol 1 begins with a brief history lesson, for those who might be unfamiliar with, or only have a passing knowledge of. This introduction to the character is short, and fairly basic, but it doesn't try to do too much or muddy the waters. We find out who Conan is, what his people are like, and what has driven him to leave his homelands and see the rest of the world, things that will prove to all be important points in the story that is to come.

As the story begins in earnest, we find Conan in a small settlement on the side of the road, a waystation for travellers, adventurers, and those out to discover themselves. He's just been through an adventure with a group of warriors, and come to blows with one of the group having disagreed with them on a moral stance. We instantly see that despite being a barbarian warrior Conan is a decent man, one driven by a sense of honour and a drive to do some good in the world. This comes into play shortly after when a woman comes riding into the place under a dark sky, shouting a warning for them all to flee as an army of the dead is on its way.

Due to the woman, Brissa, is a Pict, and as such is met with doubt and suspicion; but the army of the dead is hot on her heels and soon overwhelms the warriors and residents of the waypoint. During the chaos of the combat Conan and Brissa end up fighting side by side, and the two of them come to an alliance, knowing that they will need each other's help to survive. Following the attack, Conan and Brissa set out to discover the sinister origin of the undead scourge that's sweeping across the landscape; a scourge that has also found its way to Conan's homeland.

Whilst I've not had much experience with Conan comics, this story is very much the kind of fantasy story that feels at home in any fantasy setting. Warriors brought together by a common foe, a deadly, magical enemy that is set to destroy everything, and a journey into danger in order to discover answers. Because of this there's a sense of familiarity and comfort to the book for me, where even though I've not read a Conan comic before it ends up feeling natural to do so. I'm no worried about the world its set in, in keeping track of everything, or even caring about if other stuff came before this that I need to know about. The book instead flows quite naturally and almost leisurely, with me happy to go along on the journey to see where it leads.

It's clear that Jim Zub, the author of the series, knows his fantasy well, and the book very much has a kind of timeless quality, and this story feels like it could have been written decades ago. The book has the feel of those old 70's sword and sorcery tales you can find in battered paperbacks with amazing painted art on the cover. 

The art also kind of reflects this, with a style that you could have found in a comic from decades past. Artist Roberto De La Torre and colourists Dean White and Jose Villarrubia give the book an older feel. The art is nicely detailed, with attention paid to things like characters and important action, but with blank, empty backgrounds employed a lot, which sometimes leads the page to look like it has art spilling out of panels as there can at times be no borders to the art, with the action spilling out into the spaces between panels. The colours that are used also have a more muted look than you'd expect to find in modern books, almost looking hand coloured rather than digital art. This all comes together to create a book that I could believe was first printed in the 80's. 

In many ways it feels like Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone Vol 1 is the perfect first step into this world. It's a universe full of rich history and deep lore, but it ignores much of that (or at least uses it subtly enough that it's not overwhelming) that anyone unfamiliar with the setting can read this first volume with relative ease. Fans of the fantasy genre will feel right at home here, and whilst I can't talk for long time Conan fans I can at least say that it was an enjoyable experience throughout, and one that I'd happily recommend to others. 

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Inside - Limited Edition Blu-ray Review

 

Having recently experienced my first film in the French New Extremity with 2003's High Tension, I was interested in seeing other films in the genre. With Second Sight's new Limited Edition release of Inside, I was excited to dive into this dark and grizzly tale.

Often featured on lists of 'most extreme' horror films, I'd heard of Inside for a while, but knew relatively little about it other than how people felt after watching it. Upon learning about the main premise of the film, I could see how this scenario is ripe for a frightening tale, and how the movie could get under your skin.

The film opens on tragedy, and sets the stage for more to come. Before the credits have even begun we witness one of the worst scenarios that people may ever have to live with, as pregnant Sarah (Alysson Paradis) sits wounded and bloody in her crashed car, her husband dead beside her. A young family has been ripped to pieces before it's even had a chance; yet this is perhaps one of the least awful things that happens in the film, and with the movie opening this way it's making it clear to the audience that what's coming is going to be a lot darker still.

Jumping forward in time a short while, we meet up with Sarah on Christmas Eve as she readies to have her baby. Now heavily pregnant, ready to be taken into hospital and induced if the baby doesn't come naturally, she walks through her meetings with hospital staff almost a zombie. Still reeling from the loss of her husband, she's facing the future as a single mother, forced by tragedy to go into what should be a wonderful stage of her life wounded and alone. Though she is alone in that sense, she has the support of her mother and co-workers, and we see some of them trying their best to help her through this time.

Sarah returns to her remote home, ready to spend Christmas Eve alone until her boss can take her into the hospital the next morning. When she's awoken by a woman banging frantically on her door, however, her night takes a sinister turn. The woman reveals to Sarah, who refuses to let her in, that she knows she's alone, that her husband is dead, and even calls her by name. Sure that she's in danger, Sarah begins a fight to protect both herself, and the life of her unborn child.

Inside is not for the feint of heart, and might be one of the bloodiest, most brutal, and downright nasty films that I've ever seen. The movie is filled with a sense of dread and unease from the very beginning. Sarah is presented as a woman deeply in mourning, of having almost given up on life. There's the sense that if it weren't for the baby that she is expecting she may have even given up completely. But that's not to say the baby is even really presented as anything hopeful for her. Early on in the film Sarah has a nightmare where she's choking, coughing up a stream of breast milk before the ghastly form of her baby rips out of her mouth like a scene from Alien.

The beginning of the film makes you wonder if Sarah even really wants this child or not. She seems to treat her pregnancy as an inconvenience, something that she hates, and shows no excitement towards holding her child in her arms. There's a moment where she is attempting to knit for the baby, but her work is broken and full of holes. This feels like both a representation for her life in that moment, broken and missing pieces since the loss of her husband, but also shows a lack of wanting to make it right from her too. She's not undone the knitting and started afresh, nor has she repaired the holes. Instead, she's left them there, moving on even though the entire project has become a failure.

Even when La Femme (Béatrice Dalle ), the films antagonist, arrives on the scene and begins threatening Sarah it's not completely clear if Sarah is being motivated to save her child, or simply just to save herself. Sarah's motherhood feels quite removed from her throughout the film, and the disconnect of seeing a heavily pregnant person on screen who isn't putting her pregnancy and baby first with joy is an unusual enough a sight to feel off.

Once La Femme enters Sarah's home, the film becomes a more traditional killer style narrative. La Femme wants the baby, and she's going to gut Sarah in order to get it. This begins a cat and mouse scenario where a bloody and wounded Sarah has to find a way to escape from her home and the woman, whilst others who come to the house are picked off one by one. The amount of other characters that arrive, steadily filling the house with victims for La Femme, does feel a bit excessive, and some of them seem to only be there in order for more blood and gore to be thrown around. Three cops turning up along with a guy they've arrested, doesn't really add anything more than a single cop would; other than a chance for more brutal killings.

And brutality is the main thing on the menu here. The violence in Inside is brutal and bloody, with an eye for making the audience uncomfortable. And whilst there are some fans of horror who love that, who say the bloodier the better, I myself see no inherent horror in blood and gore, and can often find it off putting. Gore is an easy go to, a quick and cheap way of getting under the audiences skin. And the over use of it in Inside feels somewhat disappointing. The film had some interesting ideas, and was ripe for a thought provoking character study, but most of the film had a blood covered Sarah hiding in her bathroom as others were killed, or fighting off La Femme in almost sadistic fashion. It honestly left me feeling kind of uninterested in large portions of the film, as characters rolling around in blood was much less interesting that Sarah as a character.

But, this is a film that's brought up in terms of the more brutal, gory, and uncomfortable horror films you can find, and for that it absolutely delivers. There are parts of the film that are downright disgusting, and others that left me wincing as what I saw on screen made my stomach turn and the hairs on my neck stand up. I'm also very much aware that I'm both someone who is unable to have a child, and doesn't want one, so the horror of Sarah's situation likely hits different to me than someone who can have kids, or already has them. And I'd certainly never want someone to watch this film whilst actually pregnant.

The new Limited Edition release comes with a lot of extra features, including two audio commentaries; one by Anna Bogutskaya, with another by Elena Lazic. Both of these go into the film in depth, discussing the movies themes, how it was made, and the impact that it had on French cinema and horror at the time. If you're interested in film these commentaries are well worth a listen, and I found them perhaps more interesting than the film itself at times. There are also a series of new interviews made just for this release, featuring the cowriters and directors, the lead actress, producer, cinematographer, and stunt coordinator, all of whom go into different aspects of the films production. There is also a small documentary piece by Jenn Adams to round out the disc. The set also comes with a slipcase featuring new artwork, a 70 page book filled with essays by film experts, and a series of collectors art cards. 

For fans of extreme horror Inside is probably a film you're already familiar with, but even if you are this new set offers enough extras and new features to be worthy of consideration. For those who have never seen it before, but have maybe heard whispers and want to test their mettle against the horrors that the film contains there's never been a better time to pick up a copy.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Missing Bunny by Holly Webb - Book Review

 

'Can Annie find her missing bunny before it’s caught by the neighbourhood fox? A gentle and heart-warming animal story from worldwide bestseller Holly Webb. Annie is really excited about her new pet rabbits and can’t wait to welcome them into the amazing new home her dad has built for them.

'But when Annie is in a rush to get to school the next morning, she doesn’t check that the door to the hutch is shut properly, and one of the rabbits, Humbug, escapes. Can Annie find Humbug in time to save her from the neighbourhood fox …?'

Getting to review children's books is great, even though I don't have a child of my own to read them to. Getting to see how children's literature has evolved since I was a kid, the kinds of stories they have on offer, the things that these stories are teaching them always has me coming away with a smile on my face. As someone who has rabbits running through my house The Missing Bunny was a book that interested me immediately. I was looking forward to seeing what Holly Webb would be teaching young readers about rabbits; and I was so happy with the results.

The Missing Bunny tells the story of Annie, a young girl who desperately wants a pet rabbit of her own. When the book begins her parents have finally told her that she can have a rabbit, but she still doesn't have one as they need to make sure that the house is ready for their new friend. And this is where I found my first thing with the book that made me super happy, it understood that the way people have been taught to keep rabbits is wrong, and that a lot more work is needed. The book even says that rabbits don't belong in small hutches; something more people should be aware of.

So, Annie and her parents prepare a space for the rabbits in the garage, where they can be kept warm and safe, away from the outdoors. A house of them is built so that at night they've got somewhere to sleep. And a special run is built for them in the garden so that they can play outside safely. Even before we've seen our first rabbit the book is teaching children better rabbit care than I was shown at that age.

Once they're ready, the family go to find a bunny, and come back with two. Again, another good lesson that the book is teaching; that you should never have a lone rabbit. Annie gets two, a black and white bunny called Humbug, and a ginger one named Toffee. Toffee and Humbug come come, and settle into their new life. Annie brings them food, plays with them, snuggles them, and when her dad is home from work they get to free roam on their lawn. Everything is going well for them.

However, when Annie is in a rush one morning and accidentally leaves their house door open Humbug begins to explore, and slips out into the garage; and then out to the wider world. Realising her precious rabbit is missing, Annie sets out to try and find her and bring her home. 

There is a certain degree of peril to The Missing Bunny, and some younger readers might feel a bit worried for Humbug, especially when night sets in and it starts to get cold. As a bunny parent this part of the book even got me, and I found myself imagining the worry I'd go through if one of my rabbits got loose. Thankfully, things end well, and Humbug gets to come home safely.

The Missing Bunny is a really good read for showing children how much work goes into having a rabbit, how much prep work is needed before you even get one, and how delicate they can be. And, it shows how bad things can get if you're not careful with them. Hopefully it will make kids who want a pet rabbit understand that they're big commitments, and that a lot of care and attention is required. 

The book is filled with illustrations by Antonia Woodward, whose are you can see on the cover. As this is a Little Gems title, the interior art comes in full colour, and is wonderful throughout. Woodward's art is delightful to look at, and their depictions of Toffee and Humbug are too adorable. The rabbits are depicted with a ton of life and character to them, and once Humbug goes missing the illustrations really help to push the relevant feelings in the moment (the drawing of Humbug snuggling into Annie when she found her way home hits perfectly).

The Missing Bunny is a delightful read. It's a book that I can very much see myself recommending to others, especially if I know someone with a young child wanting a pet rabbit. It's a great little read that was a pleasure from start to finish. And my bunnies approved of it too!

Gowron, Kira, Ronan, and Daisy (sadly recently passed away).

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Division: Hunted by Thomas Parrott - Book Review

 

'An Agent turned rogue poses an apocalyptic threat to the Division, unless her former friends can eliminate her first, in this rip-roaring instalment of the Operation Crossroads series. Division agent Maira Kanhai is alive. Maira Kanhai has gone rogue. When Brenda Wells learns that her old recruit’s – and close friend’s – watch has turned red, she refuses to believe it. Yet the agents sent to track Maira down have irrefutable evidence saying otherwise. With the threads holding the Division together fraying under heavy assault, Brenda desperately assembles a specialized Division cell and heads out to learn the truth. In the blistering heat of the American Southwest, they face grave danger at every turn. There they learn that other deadly parties are stalking Maira too, hoping to use her to destroy the Division once and for all.'

The second instalment of Thomas Parrott's The Division series ended on something of a shocking note. Series lead Maira Kanhai appeared to be killed in the final confrontation, but in the final pages of the book we learned that she was in fact still alive, taken prisoner by a mysterious new faction. The third book picks up where that story left off, with the surviving members of Maira's team, and Brenda, the woman who brought her into the Division, learning that she's still alive and trying to bring her home. Unfortunately, Some within the Division believe that Maira has gone rogue, and it becomes a race against time for her team not just to rescue her, but to clear her name too.

Each of the books in this series have told a single, cohesive story, yet manage to feel like they have their own tone and focus, and this book is very much more character driven, with the team having to come together to save one of their own, rather than having to deal with some huge looming threat (though of course there is that too).

Because of this, a good portion of the start of the book is focused on Maira, on both where she is and what she's doing in the present, but also her past. We've gotten a decent idea of who the character is up to now, especially in the first book in the series, but this feels like the first time in a while we've had this deep a dive on the character; and it's done really well. Parrott makes Maira feel like a more conflicted and complex character than would first appear, and for what you'd expect for a character who's essentially an action game star. 

One of the things that surprised me during the focus on her, though it has features in small ways in previous books, is Maira's sexuality. Of course, her being attracted to a woman will cause certain fans of the series to cry in outrage, and I've already seen a review that calls her sexuality 'forced' and decided to use a slur to describe her. This is what happens when something that 'gamers' latch onto in any way includes a minority group or representation. The same week that I'm writing this review I've seen people playing the new Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League complain about a progress flag being in the game; a game where you can play as a canonically bisexual character, and Batman is voiced by his most famous actor who is himself a gay man who based his portrayal of Batman on his own experiences as a gay man. Despite what these people will say, Maira's queerness isn't forced, isn't being done for 'PC points' or any such rubbish, but is simply a realistic inclusion of people from different backgrounds, and it's handled really well.

As with any book in this series The Division: Hunted includes a good deal of action and gunfights, and there are parts of the book that are so well done. Parrott is able to write action with such attention to detail and well crafted descriptions that it feels like you've been dropped right into the middle of things. You don't have any trouble picturing the flying bullets and the explosions, and it almost feels like you're watching an action movie over simply reading the descriptions. Parrott is so good at immersive action that whenever you know an action scene is coming up you can't help but get excited for it.

With The Division being such a popular game series with fans who've put hundreds of hours into them it could be hard to bring that to life in book form in a way that doesn't feel like it's missing out on something, but this book manages to be an almost perfect addition to that universe. It slips into what's come before without disrupting things, and eagle eyed fans will notice connections to the games that are sure to delight. Whether you're someone who loves the franchise, or are simply looking for some cool Tom Clancy inspired reading, this book has you covered.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram