REVIEW: Wasps in the Ice Cream by Tim McGregor

The summer of 1987 would be a summer like no other for Mark Prewitt. The long hazy days, the warmer weather, the hours spent doing a whole lot of nothing with friends, the of learning the dark arts with his witch-like girlfriend - seems kinda normal in a way, well, except for that last part...

George Farrow, one of the infamous Farrow girls is Wednesday Adams sans supernatural spooks. Her mystic lies in the veil of smoke and mirrors which clouds the townsfolk's perception of the family. They're weird outcasts, witches, recluses who stay behind closed doors, closed off to the town at large. When Mark tries to break normal in an attempt to cross over to their world, he gets more than he bargained for - a love interest and a glimpse at redemption for his own wicked ways. 

WASPS IN THE ICE CREAM by Tim McGregor is a coming of age story first and foremost with horror themes at the peripheral. The story is one made of heart and heartache with lead character Mark, embarking on a journey to right some of his wrongs. School yard bullying, growing up, and finding oneself are key cogs in the story - all of which made me love/hate/love the characters.  

The wasps (yes there's actually wasps in the ice cream 'parlor' Mark works at (one of his summer jobs)) play a pivotal role in proceedings. Their presence, at first somewhat comedic and light-hearted makes a whole lot more sense as the story progresses, with the fierce, ice cream craving creatures acting as a barometer.

WASPS IN THE ICE CREAM is one of those novels you don't want to end. The characters read so 'real' that each of their trials and tribulations is felt long after the last page is turned. 

Many thanks to Raw Dog Screaming Press for providing a review copy of this book! This did not influence my review in any way. 

Pick Up A Pulp [SPACEWAYS #1]: OF ALIEN BONDAGE by John Cleve

Spaceways; the infamous 1980's series of over sexualised space exploration initially published by the highly collectable publisher, Playboy Paperbacks (Spaceways #1 through to #9), and later by Berkley (Spaceways #10 through to #19) mostly written by Andrew J. Offutt writing as John Cleve (there's a handful of coauthors sprinkled throughout), is known for it's great cover art and distinct 'adult' narrative. This sub series of Pick Up A Pulp will focus on the series of books published in chronological order.

OF ALIEN BONDAGE - the first foray into galactic sex trafficking introduces Captain Jonuta of the spaceship Coronet, as he, and his crew of sexpots suffering from Stockholm syndrome traverse the stars in search of new and exotic cattle to feed the many 'Procurer's' planet-side greed for wealth and near unquenchable lust for firm, pliable bodies. 

A routine stop on the 'protected' plant of Aglaya (protected planets are those which are considered 'non-tech', or are inhabited by beings of lower intelligent lifeform), pays dividends thanks to crew members Srith and Arel kidnapping the short of stature, but buxom Janja, a pale skinned and fair haired anomaly (at least to the planets frequented by Jonuta and crew) who would fetch a high sum on the open market. However, Arel's mistake in vaporising Janja's 'lifemate' planet-side would later prove costly...

You wouldn't think this rapey/porno inspired galactic romp would have much depth, however that's far from the case. Sure, John Cleve's sexualised space opera isn't exactly high end literature but it does have a decent 'woman scorned / revenge' theme complimented by a strong, independent character in Janja who, despite her wanton ways (this is something she steadily discovers throughout the book), is a character with a fair amount of depth and personality; not just a sexpot or plaything as advertised in the early phase of the story. 

Captain Jonuta, for his part, suffers from a bipolar disorder of sorts. It feels like the author wanted him to be a bad guy (he is a sex trafficker on a galactic scale after all) but then flips the script with attempts to make him more hero (like when he realises attempting to rape Janja isn't a nice thing to do - she should want him on her own terms (he's sure she will eventually), and then later realising that selling her to a couple of sadistic types wasn't in Janja's best interest (you think?), so he really should attempt to rescue her)), nevertheless the change in direction for Jonuta was fun to read, especially knowing that Janja was plotting his downfall should he actually end up 'rescuing her'. 

OF ALIEN BONDAGE gets the Spaceways series off to a good start. You can see that the books in the series will have returning characters and planets visited time and again. The first book in the series does a good job at world building both in characters and locales. I'm excited to see how the dynamic plays out between Janja and Captain Jonuta in later installments.

Space Log #1:

Characters of note: 

• Captain Jonuta and crew (Kenowa (aka Kenny), second in command and Jonuta's main 'love' interest, Sweetface - the Jarp hermaphrodite, Srith, Arel - now deceased) 
• Janja and acquaintances (Whitey - of planet Aglaya, (rescues Janja from unsavory characters on planet Resh))
• Talicuan (Procurer who purchased Janja from Jonuta and sold her to Sicuan)  
• Sicuan and Chulucan (sadistic socialites who bought Janja on Resh)
• Captain Corundum (space pirate and Jonuta's arch nemesis)

Planets of note:

• Aglaya - Janja's homeplanet where she was kidnapped by Jonuta's crew
• Resh - homeplanet to Sicuan and Chulucan. The planet where Jonuta sold Janja
• Franji - meeting place of Corundum and Janja

Characters on the Cover art: 

• Captain Jonuta
• Janja

Next book in the series:

• Spaceways 2: Corundum's Woman 

REVIEW: Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung

This collection of short stories by Bora Chung (translated by Anton Hur) isn't confined within the bounds of a single genre; CURSED BUNNY takes core horror elements and spreads them to the far reaches of fiction to provide the reader with a unique and deep experience.

THE HEAD, and THE EMBODIMENT immediately conjure images of Japanese body horror akin to Junji Ito's manga masterpieces where the scariest part of the story isn't what lurks behind closed doors or waits patiently in the depths of dark alleyways, but rather what's bubbling beneath the surface, ready to breakout and consume us from within (or consume our waste to make a doubleganger which will ultimately replace us, as it were...). Both are equally as good as one another and were perfect stories to set the tone of the collection. 

CURSED BUNNY takes the reader down a slightly different path, where curses are sewn into the fabric of items gifted to unsuspecting souls. The result is a decent horror read which is just as much about character emotion as it is genuine scares. THE FROZEN FINGER, on the other hand (no pun intended) is pure horror written in a way which leaves the reader questioning the narrator's reliability and grips on their own reality - I really liked this one.

SNARE reads like a folktale and focuses on greed and abuse. There's a literary undertone which is thought provoking yet the writing is such that the story flows nicely without you having to sit an contemplate the actions of the characters too much if you don't want to. SNARE was another favorite of mine. 

I'm being deliberately vague about each the content of each story as I feel this collection is best experienced 'cold'. 

Now, onto the most life-like story of them of all, and perhaps the most scariest due to its plausibility; GOODBYE, MY LOVE reads like a script written for the Black Mirror TV series. Robots, companionship, artificial intelligence, humanoids...yeah, you know where this is going...

SCARS takes a little someone from Conan and a little something from Gladiator, and a little something from folklore (specifically the horror-kind) and mashes it all together to make a meaty broth of fantasy with a protagonist who, whilst mostly beast is genuinely the most 'human' character in the story. I would love to see SCARS written and fleshed out as a full fledged novel someday (it is the longest story in the collection but I could've read another 100 pages of this easily). 

HOME SWEET HOME is the requisite ghost story, yet it doesn't read like a ghost story, with the characters and their all too real world problems taking centre stage. The chills in this one spine tingle at the end. Where the collection pivots is with RULER OF THE WIND AND SANDS which took me back to one of the stories in The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike. The fantasy element is high here but again, the theme of CURSED BUNNY shines through with pure character driven storytelling at the forefront. 

REUNION rounds out the collection by adding another ghost story, which, whilst still enjoyable didn't hit the same highs as HOME SWEET HOME. This time round, the story focuses on a relationship bound by a ghost in a park square - it's an interesting take which works well, yet there's nothing scary which jumps off the page, but them again, I don't think that's the purpose; do I dare say this one is semi-romance? REUNION adds that last piece of the puzzle to a diverse and enjoyable collection of short stories. 

If I were to rank my top five favorites from CURSED BUNNY, it'd go something like this:

1. THE HEAD

2. GOODBYE, MY LOVE

3. THE EMBODIMENT

4. SCARS 

5. HOME SWEET HOME

Many thanks to Scibe for providing a review copy of this book! This did not influence my review in any way.

Horror For Your Head! Upcoming Horror Reads

Today I thought I'd take a look at a handful of horror books on the horizon that I can't wait to delve into. Whilst some of these might already be published around the world, in the land of Oz where I live, they're yet to hit the shelves (of course you could always just watch KILLER TOMATOES if you've not experienced it). These books didn't feature in my earlier post about some of my most anticipated reads for the new year so go check out that post if you're after even more awesome reads for 2023! 

When Anne O’Donnell arrives on a dock in France in 1789 with no memory of her past, she allows herself to be renamed Marguerite and taken in as governess for Mellian, the petulant daughter of the rich merchant, Donatien Marais. But the chateau holds many secrets, some of them deadly.

A genre-defying collection of short stories by Korean author Bora Chung. Blurring the lines between magical realism, horror, and science-fiction, Chung uses elements of the fantastic and surreal to address the very real horrors and cruelties of patriarchy and capitalism in modern society.

Summer 1987: Mark Prewitt's only priority is to avoid his dad's new wife and waste time with his friends, but idle nights are the devil's handiwork. When his friends decide to pull a cruel prank on the reclusive and strange Farrow sisters, Mark regrets caving in to peer pressure.

Wanting to make amends, Mark is drawn into the mysterious world of the Farrow girls, finding a kindred spirit in the middle sister, George. She is unlike anyone he's ever known; a practicing witch who uses folk magic to protect her family. They bond over books, loneliness, and homemade spells. She even invites Mark to join a séance to contact her dead sister, who died under mysterious circumstances.

Keeping their relationship secret, Mark learns that living a double life in a town this small is impossible. When the secret is exposed, and his friends plot to punish the witch sisters for stealing one of their own, Mark is forced to choose between these two worlds.

UFOs! Bigfoot! Communists! 

The government has swiftly dealt with many a crisis... But can it survive the diabolical 

ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES? 

After a series of bizarre and increasingly horrific attacks from pulpy, red, seeded fruit, Mason Dixon finds himself leading a "crack" team of specialists to save the planet. But will they be quick enough to save everyone? To save you? 

You can't run!

You can't swim!

There's nowhere to hide! 

THE KILLER TOMATOES ARE EVERYWHERE!

REVIEW: The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike

Despite having a beat-up paperback edition of THE MIDNIGHT CLUB (published 1994) sitting on my shelf for years, I never had the inclination to read it until after I finished watching the Netflix series (which I loved btw). Naturally I had high hopes that the book would deliver in spades, given that's the way these things generally go, right? I mean, the book is almost always better than the screen adaptation... So, how was it?

Well, different. A lot different. 

The characters (only 5 in the book) live in Rotterham House, a hospice for young people. Just like the TV series, each are terminal and are engaging and deep characters with their own unique story to tell. The sad feels from the TV series is prominent here too - as is the main theme; storytelling - which, just like the TV series, is a real highlight, only this time, Ilonka's midnight stories are retellings of a former life, one which involves some of the other characters. This added a fantasy element to the narrative which provided a nice distraction from the generally somber tone of the book. 

The horror element is distinctly lacking; The cult, the ghosts, the horror stories told by the characters in the TV series aren't here, and that's ok, the book is a different story and is equally as enjoyable. 

THE MIDNIGHT CLUB reads more as a heartfelt teen drama, a character study resilience and the power of imagination. The horror, as mentioned earlier, isn't in the creepy crawlies or bumps in the night, rather, this is real world horror and it's damn right scary. 

Pick Up A Pulp [89]: CONQUEST OF THE AMAZON by John Russell Fearn

For starters, this is not the book you’d think it is. The cover art says ‘sword and sorcery’, the blurb on the back of the book says ‘sci-fi Martian invasion’, the inside is actually all about a fearless hero tasked with saving the world from an extension level event…an event which happened to be caused by said hero; the Golden Amazon herself! 

The year is 2030-something and mankind has advanced to the stars. After conquering Mars, establishing a colony on the Moon, and mastering space travel, life is pretty good for us Earth dwellers until, the Sun starts to lose it’s power; dark spots on the surface spell doom for the entire planet and there’s only one person who can save humanity! Only, she’s not planet-side and isn’t in the good books of the collective world government… 

Nevertheless, the genetically enhanced super being who is the Golden Amazon is made for heroism and won’t let anyone stand in her way of saving Earth, even if it means destroying other planets in the process, and brutally blowing apart sea monsters from the deep (just look at that cover!)! 

Yeah – this is pretty farfetched but a hell of a lot of fun to read. 

With these types of books you're not looking for deep and meaningful storytelling or high end literature, no, you want junk food for the mind and CONQUEST OF THE AMAZON delivers in spades. 

Despite the super hero/semi villain character, being at the helm of her seventh story, CONQUEST OF THE AMAZON is very accessible to new readers (of which I am one), so if you come across this in a secondhand bookstore, I wouldn't hesitate in picking it up.