Genre: Horror
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Publication Date: 6th October 2015
Pages: 202
MY REVIEW:
I received an advance copy of Blood and Rain by Glenn Rolfe from Netgalley in exchange for an
honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Samhain.
Earlier this year I read two novellas from Glenn Rolfe, Abram’s Bridge (you can read my review here) and Boom Town (you can read
this review here). I enjoyed them both but you could see that Glenn was just
starting out on his writing journey with these books. I knew this fella had
talent so I was eager to see if he had moved on any with Blood and Rain.
Simple answer? Yes. Longer answer? This lad has a long
future ahead of him I think.
Joe Fischer is the Sherriff in Gilson Creek in Maine. In
1997 he dealt with a series of deaths that were attributed to attacks by a
mountain lion. Joe knew different. He should have dealt with the situation then,
but didn’t.
Seven years later, the beast is back. It only attacks
when there is a full moon. It couldn’t be the same beast. Could it?
Joe and his deputies must prepare themselves for the next
full moon coming. This time it’s personal. Especially when his daughter Sonya
is at risk.
Now there is no secret that this book is about a
werewolf. It’s on the front cover so I’m not giving anything away. Werewolf
stories are ones that generally don’t float my boat. I have only read a few
that have held my interest through to the end. Blood and Rain is one of them. This is how you write a story about
a subject that has been done to death in my opinion and make it fresh and fun
and enjoyable. Oh and scary.
Characters in this one? Joe Fischer, the Sherriff. A
strong, upstanding man in town. He seems to have the respect of his staff and
the townsfolk. The kind of Sherriff you want to have. His daughter Sonya is a
typical teenager with a boyfriend. She wants to have fun all the time but seems
pretty responsible at the same time. Stan Springs is the old Sherriff. He has
some secrets. He used to be respected but now everyone hates him. Including me.
Rightly so. He’s not very nice now at all. In fact, he might be pure evil. Nick,
Wes and Joel. Three friends who run a paper that has been trying “break” a
story for years about the “Full Moon Beast” in the town. Sort of just doing
their job but pretty vile at the same time.
Mixed in with this lot you have all of the normal small town
folk. The town drunk, the café owner Mel, a mix and match of all the normal
people you would expect in a town like this. All of the deputies seem to be
excellent at following their Sherriff and excellent at their jobs. They do work
together very well. This is a sign of just how good Joe Fischer is at his job.
The characters in this story are all very well written.
They are all believable and seem like real humans. You could picture some of
the people from your own home town in their places. They all work. You like the
goodies and hate the baddies. Just how it should be.
The plot? Pretty simple. It centres on Sherriff Joe
Fischer and his band of deputies as they first try and discover the cause of
some grisly murders. Once the cause is established, and Joe has admitted to the
secrets he has been keeping to himself for years, they can get on with a plan
of action to stop more bloodshed. Things don’t always go to plan though
and……well I’m not saying anymore.
What we have here is a story right out of the 80’s horror
film genre. It took me back. It read as something that would have been perfect
in that age on the big screen. It has all the perfect elements for me for a
horror story using one of the oldest forms of evil beast the world has known.
What it also has though is a huge human element to the story. Joe Fischer has
obvious regrets about what happened years previous. He knows what he did wrong
but can’t admit to it because people just wouldn’t believe him. Well most
wouldn’t. He has also hid the secret from his daughter. How can he bring
himself to reveal what he knows without feeling a fool? Well, the way Glenn
Rolfe has written this story, he does it very effectively.
In the real world we all know werewolves don’t exist.
Don’t we? Well this story had me convinced they do. It wasn’t “sensationalised”
it was straight to the point writing that was fun and enjoyable. It was one
hundred miles an hour from start to finish. Very little time to catch your
breath in between scenes. It also had a few other things that make books like
this even more enjoyable for me. It had “scream” moments. Times when you are
reading a section and you are screaming at the character in the book to either
do one thing or not do another. Plenty of “Nooooooooo!!” shouts.
As I said above, with Glenn’s earlier work you could see
he was just starting out. The stories were good but could have been more
polished. With Blood and Rain there
has been a huge leap forward in his writing. It’s much improved, more polished,
and much more mature. I knew when I read him a few months ago this boy had a
talent for writing. He has just proved to me that if he keeps going at this
pace then his books will just keep getting better and better. Glenn Rolfe could
be a force to be reckoned with in a few years’ time. You heard it here first!
To summarise: a werewolf story with a certain human
element to the story, showing that we all have flaws. Some are just more costly
than others. If you want a book with blood and guts that is one hundred miles
an hour from start to finish and will leave you breathless at times, then this
is the one for you.
General rating:
★★★★★ for the book and the leap of improvement in the writing.
Horror rating:
★★★★ scary stuff.
If you would like to help support Confessions of a
Reviewer then please consider using the links below to buy Blood and Rain or any other books from Glenn or indeed anything at
all from Amazon. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many
people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.
Thanks.
Book Synopsis:
The light of a full moon reveals many secrets.
Gilson Creek, Maine. A safe, rural community. Summer is
here. School is out and the warm waters of Emerson Lake await. But one man’s
terrible secret will unleash a nightmare straight off the silver screen.
Under the full moon, a night of terror and death
re-awakens horrors long sleeping.
Sheriff Joe Fischer, a man fighting for the safety of his
daughter, his sanity and his community, must confront the sins of his past. Can
Sheriff Fischer set Gilson Creek free from the beast hiding in its shadows, or
will a small town die under a curse it can’t even comprehend?
One night can—and will—change everything.
"With slashing claws and blood-soaked fur, Glenn
Rolfe's novel will have you howling in terror and delight. A welcome addition
to the werewolf mythos and proof that we're in the presence of a rising star in
the genre. Highly recommended!"
Ronald Malfi (author of December Park) on Blood and
Rain
Glenn Rolfe is an author, singer, songwriter and all
around fun loving guy from the haunted woods of New England. He has studied
Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University, and continues his
education in the world of horror by devouring the novels of Stephen King and
Richard Laymon. He and his wife, Meghan, have three children, Ruby, Ramona, and
Axl. He is grateful to be loved despite his weirdness.
He is the author the novellas, Abram's Bridge, Boom Town,
and the forthcoming, Things We Fear (March, 2016), the short fiction
collection, Slush, and the novels, The Haunted Halls, and this October's, Blood
and Rain.
His first novella collection, Where Nightmares Begin,
will be released in March, 2016.
He is hard at work on many more. Stay tuned!
And
for more about Glenn, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
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