REVIEW: Hide by Kiersten White

 

Survival horror in an abandoned amusement park? Sign me up!

Leveraging off modern day reality TV, Hide introduces a band of unsuspecting yet all too willing characters to a contest of hide and seek; the person who outlasts everyone in the daily challenges wins a cool 50k. With the game only playable in the super creepy rundown amusement park during daylight, contestants not only have to make themselves unseen but also protect themselves from the heat - not an easy feet in sweltering conditions. 

While there's hints at future fame and stardom by the promotors, the actual premise of the contest and what opportunities it brings beyond prize money is kept deliberately vague - with good reason.

As the contest plays out and the number of contestants dwindle at days end, the horror slowly seeps in. Where are the 'found' contestants? Why is there no fanfare or update from the promoters? The contestants are kept in the dark, left to let their imagination run wild secure in their nightly compound. 

That, is, until bloodshed reaches their 'oacis' and the innocent game turns violent and very real. 

Hide is a lot of fun to read. The characters, far from being fodder for the horror, read 'real' with each bringing a little something to the story; refreshing for survival horror where character depth can sometime play second fiddle to them being little more than bags of blood waiting to be burst. 

The steady build up to a nightmare crescendo is excellent; the omnipresent tension heightens the scare factor and keeps the paging turning at breakneck pace. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Hide and highly recommend it to horror enthusiasts. 

REVIEW: Blue Hotel by Chad Taylor

She sighed. 'And then I was dead.'

I edged up on my elbow. 'What happened?'

'I was murdered.'

Blue Hotel is a crime noir set in New Zealand. The topography of seedy bars, shady businesses and S&M clubs complements the narrative perfectly. Along with the enigma that is the leather-clad tourist in Blanca Null; the plots' epicentre, Blue Hotel's tone is deliciously dark. 

Taking a lone wolf approach to the murder mystery, Blue Hotel's tainted protagonist, newspaper journalist Ray Moody, wades in waters familiar to readers of this genre. His equal parts bad and redeeming qualities shine through as the story progresses with momentary glimpses of humility amongst the horrors of the investigation. 

The story has a traditional private eye quality to it which keeps the pages turning nicely, whilst providing enough backstory to give Moody some strong character depth. His slow recovery from a alcohol infused car accident and the unravelling of his family life provide a welcome side bar to the plot proper.   

If you enjoy reading crime fiction which has a darker tint to it than the norm, then definitely check this one out.

Many thanks to the fine people at Brio Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Want to know more about this title and others from Brio Books? Head over to their website: https://briobooks.com.au/

REVIEW: The Ghost That Ate Us by Daniel Kraus

Like a burn from a deep fryer, this story will stay with you forever. Especially if you've had the pleasure (or pain?) of working in the fast food industry. 

The Ghost That Ate Us is an incredible work of fiction cleverly disguised as fact. Set within a unique backdrop for a horror story, the workers of Burger City #8, a fast food franchise in Iowa tell their torrid tale of murder, violence, and chillies (the slushy/thick shake-like beverages all the workers are addicted to) via series of found footage, survivor interviews, and social media posts chronicling their decent into madness. 

This approach to storytelling works on so many levels, it's easy to forget you're reading a fictional story stylised as non-fiction. I've got to admit I spent way too much time googling Burger City #8, Game of Pricks, Lil' Beefy, and a slew of other references from the footnotes in the hopes of finding more information about the fast food poltergeist and the colourful characters it tormented. 

I wish I read this when I was a pimply faced teen working at Hungry Jacks (Burger King for those reading from the USA), it would've made those graveyard shifts cleaning the broiler and serving the midnight ghouls through drive window all the more interesting. 

Many thanks to Erin and the fine people at Raw Dog Screaming Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Check out more from the publishers website: https://rawdogscreaming.com/

If you want to read more novels by Daniel Kraus, check out the authors website: http://www.danielkraus.com/

REVIEW: Papa Lucy and the Boneman by Jason Fischer

 

"Every Horror walks here..."

Papa Lucy and the Boneman is a literary dark fantasy novel which echoes similar themes prevalent in popular novels such as American Gods by Neil Gaiman and the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, complemented by some iconic visual stimulus akin to Mad Mad to deliver a highly imaginative and immersive experience.  

I won't delve into the depths of the plot as there's so much to take in and I want to avoid spoilers, but I will say, Lanyard's (the protagonist) sojourn across the surreal landscape is never not eventful; from battling horrors unimageable, to facing beings with godlike powers in otherworldly cityscapes, to evolving and dissolving relationships with former mentors, present day captors, and likeminded kinfolk - there's plenty of action and drama to keep the reader on their toes.

The literary stylings make reading Papa Lucy and the Boneman in quick fashion impossible as you're likely to gloss over some pivotal piece of the puzzle. This is a book best savoured; slow and steady certainly wins the race here. 

I can't wait to see where this series heads next!