Tag Archives: Paranormal

The Space Between by Alexandra Sokoloff

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Synopsis:
A girl fears that her dreams of a brutal school shooting may come true, and an outcast dwarf and the most popular boy in school seem to hold the key.

Review:
Alexandra Sokoloff is the Lois Duncan of the new milennium. I love her brand of paranormal thrillers, which feel fresh and familiar at the same time. Her heroines are intriguing, with many hidden depths, and Anna in The Space Between is no exception. I tore through this novella, which reminded me of both Donnie Darko and Dream a Little Dream, two movies I seriously love. The book is only $2.99 for Kindle and worth a whole lot more.

Big Machine by Victor LaValle

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Synopsis:
A brokedown junkie, ex-cultist and mass murder survivor gets a mysterious invitation to become an Unlikely Scholar investigating odd phenomena across America.

Review:
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Big Machine rocked my world. Stylistically, it’s a mash-up of Haruki Murakami and Stephen King, with a bit of Ralph Ellison for good measure.

When junkie Ricky Rice becomes an Unlikely Scholar under way mysterious circumstances, he finds himself scouring newspapers for stories that give evidence to The Voice. His journey grows ever more wild, and as he travels across the country from Vermont to northern California on the trail of the Voice and something more human and more ominous, he reflects back on the journey that got him to this point. His childhood in a cult, his years as a junkie and petty criminal, and his efforts to stay on the straight and narrow become more than just a life story. It’s a Pilgrim’s Progress founded on doubt–but a doubt that might be stronger than the faith of some.

LaValle has a lot to say about American fanaticism of all stripes. The social commentary here is fascinating, specific, and outrageously funny. Ricky Rice will become one of my favorite characters for the unique voice LaValle gives him, at once guileless and sneaky, wise and foolish, a street smart risk taker who has survived way too much.

The story is wild beyond imagining, with horror elements that don’t hold back. LaValle is not genre-slumming here. He genuinely wants to freak us out.

I was fortunate enough to hear LaValle read a large chunk of the opening of this book, and I was hooked. Definitely planning to read more of his work.

Spirit Gate by Kate Elliott (Crossroads, Book 1)

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Synopsis:
A democracy known for peaceful governance by reeves riding giant eagles falls into chaos and possible civil war when the reeves of the north stop responding and a military captain fleeing his murderous brother lands right in the middle of it; meanwhile, a slave sells an eerie, ghost-like girl into prostitution in order to free his sister, who, as a temple prostitute called a Devouring girl, has a few tricks up her sleeve as well as a personal stake in the larger story.

Review:
I hate synopsizing epic stories like this. I’m always more attracted to these books by reading a chapter excerpt. I really enjoyed Spirit Gate, which had a richly realized world and truly compelling characters. Kate Elliott has come up with systems of governance and theologies that fuel the story in really dramatic ways.

The characters really pulled me in. All of them have shades and nuances, not to mention personalities. I especially loved Mai, a market girl from an oppressed land who has learned to hide her emotions. She’s a skilled negotiator with a surprisingly soft heart, wise to many of the ways of the world but an innocent in many others. The other women were quite fascinating, too, and none of them felt like stereotypes, even Zubaidit, who could’ve been just a sexbomb.

I’ve already started Book 2 and am already stoked to see the surprising return of the first character who pulled me in. This is going to be good!

Everwild by Neal Shusterman (Skinjacker Trilogy)

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Synopsis:
Allie the Outcast, the Chocolate Ogre, the McGill, and Mary Queen of Snots meet up with Jackin’ Jill and Zach the Ripper and discover that there’s a lot more to Everlost than just limbo after death.

Review:
In Everwild, Neal Shusterman deepens the mythology he created in Everlost, adding new characters and concepts with tremendous panache.

Allie the Outcast has discovered the power to leap into the bodies of the still living, and when she joins forces with a small group of fellow skinjackers, she hones her powers and makes new discoveries about the rules of Everlost. Meanwhile, Nick, now the Chocolate Ogre, is building an army to take on Mary Hightower, the Queen of Snots, whose stranglehold over the children of Everlost is preventing them from reaching their just reward. Suffice it to say that Shusterman always sends the plot in an unexpected direction, keeping me turning pages to the very end. I’m in desperate anticipation of Everfound, the trilogy’s finale, coming out later this year, and plan to seek out the rest of Shusterman’s books.

Everlost by Neal Shusterman (The Skinjacker Trilogy)

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Synopsis:
Two teens find themselves in a limbo world between life and death.

Review:
I first read about Everlost on It’s All About Books and was totally intrigued by Suey’s rave review.

Nick and Allie were victims of a fatal car accident, but instead of making it to the bright white light they were bumped into Everlost. They learn quickly that they have to keep moving or else they will sink through the ground all the way to the center of the earth. There are certain spots where they can walk, and some objects and buildings that have also passed through. And only kids live in Everlost–adults never get lost on the way. Mary Hightower seems to run the show, and everyone fears the McGill.

I really liked how Shusterman subverted expectations and gave us characters who don’t fit the neat little molds you so often find in genre YA. Allie in particular is a different kind of heroine and I was particularly taken by how Shusterman develops her character. I’ve got high hopes for the rest of the series.

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

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Synopsis:
Kaylee is a bean sidhe, a soul screamer who thinks she can save lives–until she discovers that some souls–like a talented pop star–are beyond saving because they’ve made a deal with the Netherworld.

Review:
My Soul To Save is a quirky read with an interesting concept, albeit one that never quite came together for me. I had difficulty grasping the worldview behind the notion of soul screamers and grim reapers (all attractive teens, of course), and so it was hard for me to connect with the story. I sometimes couldn’t tell whether a particular action was good or bad, and that moral ambiguity just didn’t sit well with me.

Then again, I probably spend more time than the average person contemplating theology, so if you’re not plagued by that particular blessing/curse, then you’ll probably really enjoy My Soul to Save. It’s a solid YA suspense thriller with all the elements you want. And you can enter to win one of three free copies by leaving a comment here!

Many thanks to Harlequin Teen for the review copy.

Inamorata by Joseph Gangemi

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Synopsis:
While investigating paranormal reports for Scientific American in the 1920s, a grad student falls in love with a woman claiming to be a spirit medium.

Review:
I picked up Inamorata at a recent swap meet I hosted for my babysitting coop. How could I pass it up? Set in the 1920s, featuring spirit mediums that may be faking, and the dust jacket alluded to a shady gynecologist and a passionate love affair. And it’s based on true events!

The book more than delivered, and I highly enjoyed every minute of it. I was a teeny bit disappointed by the ending, which I felt was overly ambiguous, but I’ll be keeping it around to reread. Glad I found this little gem!

The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff

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Synopsis:
Reeling from a betrayal by her fiance, a psychologist finds herself fascinated by Duke University’s research into the paranormal from the early 20th century, and decides to replicate one such experiment that ended in tragedy and closed down the department for good.

Review:
I’m so glad Superfast Toddler took a loooooong nap today because I don’t think I could’ve taken another night trying to read The Unseen in a dark bedroom with only a tiny booklight. I finished in the bright June sunshine and I’m still creeped out.

Duke University really did have a department dedicated to investigating the paranormal, though the Folger Experiment of Sokoloff’s book is fictional. Laurel, the main character, starts delving into the recently released files from the experiments, and when she draws a connection between the the closing of the department, the death of its head, and her Duke alumna uncle’s catatonia, she devises an experiment that will take place in a so-called haunted house.

Sokoloff is unquestionably influenced by Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, though her story is a true original. I was thoroughly sucked in by her storytelling and characterizations. I love a good ghost story, and The Unseen is top notch.

Button, Button by Richard Matheson

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Synopsis:
A collection of short stories by a preeminent contributor to “The Twilight Zone.”

Review:
Button, Button is an uneven bit of business, purporting to highlight the very best of Richard Matheson’s “Uncanny Stories.” Some are good, one is spectacular, but others have not aged well.

First, the good:

“Button, Button” exhibits a flawless “Twilight Zone” concept and execution. Apparently a Cameron Diaz movie based on it is coming soon. Seems like a bad idea to me. The genius of the story demands a smallness not readily translatable to the big screen.

“Dying Room Only” is a quick and dirty thriller with great atmosphere, but a weak ending.

“A Flourish of Strumpets” seems more suited to the talents of Shirley Jackson, with its priggish couple assailed by a gang of prostitutes with the tenacity of door-to-door Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jackson would’ve mined the story’s full Gothic potential. Matheson keeps it clean but I wanted more quirk.

“Pattern for Survival” is a funny little tale about a most successful author. It took me a few reads to get the joke, which is quite subtle but highly rewarding.

The not-so-good:

“Creeping Terror” takes an amusingly sociological look at the spread of Los Angeles. It’s written like a research paper, a gimmick that doesn’t do it for me.

The outstanding:

“Girl of My Dreams” is a noir version of a gothic premise: a young woman who can see how people may die, and her blackmailing boyfriend have a disagreement over a mark. I loved the tone he maintains throughout. This is the one I’d most like to see as a movie.

“Mute” is quite different than the other stories, lacking either a gimmick or a stylized tone. It’s the story of a young man who can’t talk, and the people who are trying to usher him into the world of language. Ferocious and mysterious, this is the story that most sucked me in.

Dreamsongs (Volume 1) by George RR Martin

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Synopsis:
The first of two anthologies featuring short stories by George RR Martin, ranging from fantasy to science fiction to horror to genre hybrids.

Review:
I am one of those readers who had never heard of George RR Martin before encountering A Game of Thrones, book one in his Song of Ice and Fire series. What I did not know is that Martin has had a prolific career as a short story writer, primarily in the genre of science fiction. Dreamsongs Volume 1 includes some of Martin’s most famous stories, as well as some highlights from his early career. The anthology is broken into segments, each with an introduction by Martin describing the publication history for each story as well as offering insight into his creative state of mind while writing. Naturally, his essays touch upon matters of genre and the craft of storytelling, and would be worth reading on their own.

Dreamsongs opens with four stories written when Martin was a very young man, and I found them interesting as artifacts. As stories themselves, the pieces didn’t hit their stride until “With Morning Comes Mistfall,” a tale about a world covered in an all-obscuring mist rumored to hide strange monsters. A scientist is out to disprove the existence of sentient life forms on the planet, and in doing so threatens to destroy the foundation for dreams and poetry.

The rest of the stories certainly show off Martin’s imagination and storytelling skills. “A Song for Lya” explores the intersection of psychic abilities and religious faith. “And Seven Times Never Kill Man” is a horrific look at the underpinnings of genocide. “The Way of Cross and Dragon” explores the development of a heretical branch of Christianity, one that reveres Judas Iscariot as a saint and posits him as a dragon rider who brought a dismembered Christ back from the dead.

I was most taken by two stories in the section in which Martin discusses his transition from science fiction to epic fantasy. “The Ice Dragon” takes a familiar type of story–that of the dragon rider–and adds a twist. The dragon in this story is made of ice, scaled in rime, and breathes a searing arctic chill. “In the Lost Lands” starts out seemingly as a mystical love story, but takes a dark turn towards an ironically tragic ending.

The last section in the book covers what Martin calls his horror hybrids. The first story, “Meathouse Man” was a bit too relentlessly grim for me, and “Remembering Melody” had a gimmick I spotted a mile away (knowing that Martin wrote for “The Twilight Zone” puts me on the lookout).

“Sandkings” deserves its acclaim as one of Martin’s best pieces. It’s a sci-fi/horror reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray, and concerns a man who purchases a sort of ant farm, with the promise that the sandkings will go to war for his entertainment. When they don’t start fighting fast enough, he starves them, and go to war they do–with horrifying repercussions.

The next story, “Nightflyers,” is just as compelling, though not quite as scary. It’s got a little bit of 2001 in it, and reminded me of the movie Event Horizon, which was billed as Hellraiser in space. “Nightflyers” has the same feel, but is a much better story.

A fantastic collection–can’t wait for volume 2!