Lou's Pages: July 2023

Monday 31 July 2023

Review: Mister Lullaby

Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I rarely find a horror author who manages to write more than one book that creeped me out and made me hesitate in the dark. But J H Markert has executed it repeatedly, and Mister Lullaby is no exception.

The story is written around the Tunnel in a small town in Nebraska. It's an old train tunnel that had been abandoned for years, and it is the stuff of myth and legend for disappearances, accidents, dismemberment and deaths. Not to mention the strange colourful creatures, plants and shells that are often found around the area, and no one has any idea where they come from.

Gideon comes back from war, sent home due to an injury. Beth is the deputy sheriff of their home town and is obsessed with the violence that surrounds the tunnel. Simon is seen as a simple man, who lives out in the woods on his own. And Teddy is a killer who is taking his instructions about killing comatose patients from a shell. And they all arrived in the small town, to the tunnel at the same time, but why?

This is a brilliantly written, atmospheric, creepy book, one that wraps all the myths about the things that prey on sleeping people, with characters so deeply flawed that they may not be able to solve the problem. The good guys are good, but the bad guys are truly evil, and you have no idea what they are going to do next. A must-read if you like to be scared!

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Saturday 29 July 2023

Review: A War to End All

A War to End All by Michael R. Fletcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you are a fan of the Manifest Delusions books, then you shall not be disappointed with the third instalment of the story. Prepare for it to reach a crescendo of madness and delusion that will leave you fascinated, horrified, yet yearning for more.

The book picks up where The Mirror’s Truth finished, with the aftermath of a fight and many people dead. Morgen, the godling who wants nothing more than a pure, perfect, clean world, is on his crusade to take all the city-states, make the people worship him and admass the power to become a true god. Nacht, Morgen's Mirror, has other ideas and begins to walk to the beat of his drum, countering his Mirrors plans where he can. And Konig, creator of Morgen, wants nothing more than to pull down his creation and take the power of faith for himself.

This book is so beautifully written, and while I say beautifully, I do mean horrifically. It is Grimdark at its very best, with descriptions that leave you disgusted while also bringing the filth and gory insane world into sharp focus. A must-read (but only if you have read the other books) so I guess I am saying you need to read all of them.

Chop chop, get to it!

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