Overcast by T. Reilly

Overcast by T. Reilly is a unique collection with a bird's eye view of human nature. Spanning multiple genres and covering a wide range of places, people, and times, this is a book that is not to be missed.

This collection of short stories by T. Reilly, pays homage to a multitude of different genres such as sci fi, horror, dark fantasy, dark fiction and contemporary. You will travel through a surreal forest, meet creatures of the night, come across an obsessive compulsive hit man. You'll time travel, go skateboarding, attend an odd funeral and meet an aging super hero. T. Reilly leaves no stone, I mean, genre, unturned.

I really enjoyed Overcast! It shows that Reilly has not only a gift at writing horror, but writing in general! The stories were very detailed and had depth. Each story was told with a glint of humanity in each. Though all of the stories are very different, the book flowed fairly smoothly, as Reilly jumped from one topic to another. You quickly realize, just because the last story was contemporary, you have no idea what the next story will bring.

However, there were a few stories that I had a some slight issues with which altered my rating from 5 to 4. I didn't understand the point of the aging superhero story. I will leave it at that as to remain spoiler free, but I just didn't get it. Secondly, “Voodoo Apple”. This story was insistently repetitive. The apple “biting” and “chewing” was WAY overdone. We definitely get that it was obnoxious. It didn't need to be to the point where the story almost loses itself in it.

Overcast, for the most part, is full of compelling stories, each one different than the last. I loved being kept on my toes! No story was the same as the one before, or the one after. The wide range of characterizations and plots covering almost every genre, makes this a book that will have something for everyone!

Ad Nauseam Vol. 2

Michael Gingold jets us back to the past once again with Ad Naseam II, a deep dive into Gingold's personal and extremely extensive collection of horror movie newsprint notices from the 1990's and 2000's. If you loved his 80's collection, then you are in for a frightful treat with this nostalgic follow up.

In Ad Nauseam II, Michael Gingold shows off his impressive collection of more than 500 ads for the big-budget films we all know and love, to the ones that we still haven't heard of. From the early 90's gothic horror, to the rise of the slasher franchise once again in the mid 90's, to the found footage films that are still going strong today, to the Americanization of a ton of Asian horror hits. Gingold doesn't miss a thing! All of this plus, the unforgettable critic quotes of the time and fantastically fun facts about films releases, this book rivals it's predecessor in all avenues.

To me, the horror genre was fairly slow in the early 90's. We were given big-budget classics such as Interview with A Vampire and Dracula, but to my recollection, most releases were in the B category for me. Until, December 26^th, that fateful day, when the epic movie 'Scream' was released, and we were finally back on the horror track. Originally meant to be a bit of a parody by Wes Craven on horror films, he put in a enough scares and gore to make this a legit horror film and horror franchise, spawning 3 sequels, a TV show on MTV, and a possible 5^th film in the works. Needless to say, the slasher films were back in business with 'I Know What You Did Last Summer” and countless versions of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, all well chronicled in Gingold's vault of cinematic preview horror. He also chronicles the rise of Asian remakes such as 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge', both turning into lucrative franchises in their own right. Last but certainly not least, is the 'found footage' films that all started with that legendary school project-'The Blair Witch Project'. Leaving audiences to wonder if the horrific acts that they had just witnessed were real or fake. This died down until 'Paranormal Activity' hit theaters in September 2009, and we have been barraged by cheesy but creepy found footage films ever since. I also need to give a shout out to putting in Rob Zombie's attempts at writing and directing horror, starting with 'House of 1000 Corpses', the sequel- 'Devil's Rejects', 'Lords of Salem', '31', '3 from Hell', and of course his two Halloween remakes- the only two movies he directed that didn't- in my opinion-suck. Sorry Rob, stick to music.

We see remakes like Halloween and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We see new franchises such as 'Scream' and the 'Saw' franchise, as well as hundreds of other fantastic horror films I have yet to see, but are now on my “to be watched” list. However, this might just be the end of Michael Gingold's Ad Naseam work due to technology. When was the last time you looked in the paper for a movie listing or even caught a trailer on TV. Just ask Alexa or Suri for dates and showtimes as well as for watching a trailer of just about any movie you can think of. But, I have to say, you had an amazing run, Michael Gingold. I look forward to your next diary or work. I'm sure it will kick ass!

The Sisters Grimm

The Sisters Grimm is a combo of magic and mystery that would make the actual Grimm brothers squirm with jealousy. An original fairy tale in it's own right, author Menna Van Praag conjures up a world unlike any I have ever heard of, even making our own slightly nerve-wracking. The Devil, 4 girls with otherworldly powers, and a battle royale to the death with half demonic, half human creatures? Count me in!

Once upon a time, the Devil, who desired earthly domination, fathered four girls to help him to corrupt humanity. As children, these four 8 year old girls- Goldie, Lyana, Scarlet, and Bea meet in a dreamworld- a nightscape of a strange, other-worldly land, full of mists and fog, constantly falling leaves and hungry ivy, all lit by an unwavering moon. Here, called Everywhere, the four half-sisters, connected by demonic blood and magic, begin to nurture their elemental powers together. Goldie(Earth) can manipulate plants and give life. Lyana(Water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet(Fire) has electricity at her fingertips. And Bea(Air) can fly. However, they are ripped apart at the age of 13 and separated, never dreaming of Everywhere again and having no memory of each other. Five years later, they begin to be drawn to each other as their 18^th birthday draws near. This is when they need to realize their full potential by returning back to the land of their childhood dreams and Everywhere can only be accessed at 3:33am on the night of a new moon. Though they have their earthly lives to live, they must go back to prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their 18^th birthday, they will subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father's soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will only let them live if they turn dark. Which would be fair, but their father is not giving them the whole story. The girls have 33 days to learn who they truly are and their true powers before they have to fight to save themselves and those they love.

I absolutely adored this novel! It's originality is almost unparalleled in the fantasy genre! Reading this was so refreshing. You might be wondering why I didn't give it a 5, and I'll get to that, but let's talk about all of the true magic that's woven into this story through Van Praag's near perfect prose. It rings of sisterhood, feminism, and female empowerment in a fantastic, positive way. The girls don't hate men, just their Dad, for obvious reasons, and his henchmen sent to kill them. Makes sense.

And let me make this very clear before I go any further- this IS NOT a retelling of a Grimm brothers tale-as much as I love them. Oh no. This is a truly original tale from a mind that I can't wait to see what she comes up with next- spoiler alert, there's a sequel coming!

The world building of Everywhere- the world the girls meet in their dreams, is breathtaking! The imagery the author uses to describe this magical, fantastical world is amazing! Using lush descriptions, you feel as if you are roaming through the dense fog, feeling the moisture caress your face. Brilliant!

Her characterization is absolutely on point. All four girls have their own distinct, separate personalities and are as different in real life as they are in Everywhere with their own unique powers, which slightly transfer over into the real world. All 4 are likable and relatable and are definitely characters that you want to root for-and will have to. But no spoilers here, so I'll let you figure that out on your own!

Now, the issues I had that bounced this novel down to 4. The novel is quite difficult to follow. Not only are you reading from four point's of view- the girls, you are also reading from their father's point of view as well. If that doesn't make it frustrating enough, the timeline shifts from present day-the days leading up to the girl's 18^th birthday, and back to when the girls first meet in Everywhere when they were 8 years old. Also, the girls forget everything they ever learned in Everywhere when they were children, so we have to watch them relearn it again as they are older, which makes the book longer than necessary and tedious to read this particular part.

All in all, The Sisters Grimm is a beautifully written work of dark fantasy that has an atmosphere that will suck you into the story immediately. Unique, and creative ideas are sewn seamlessly, with the many different POV's and timeline jumps doing a bit of unraveling. The pro's however long out way the cons and I definitely recommend this dark, and entertaining page turner.