REVIEW: Thomas S Flowers - The Incredible Zilch Von Whitstein

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Shadow Work Publishing

Publication Date: 13^th May 2016

Pages: 44

MY REVIEW:

A copy of The Incredible Zilch Von Whitstein was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Thomas S Flowers in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Shadow Work Publishing.

Last year I read the first two books in the Subdue Series by Thomas S Flowers. In my opinion, they are two of the finest books I have read in years. It is a series that is exceptional in so many different ways. In case you missed them, there are links to the reviews at the bottom of this one.

The Incredible Zilch Von Whitstein intrigued me purely because it looked totally different to that series so I was very interested to pick it up and give it a go.

This is what I thought.

Zilch is boring. He would be the first to admit that. He leads a boring existence in a boring world with a boring job and a boring house and even a boring car. Zilch likes boring however. It suits him just fine.

His boring life is about to be completely turned upside down after a visit to the doctor’s office. He wasn’t expecting this change to his normal mundane existence.

Discovering a new lease of life, Zilch starts to try things he wouldn’t normally. Why does that clown speak to him though? Why does he think nasty thoughts now? This is incredible.

GUEST POST: Confessions of my Past, Present and Future #34 - Feind Gottes

Confessions of my Past, Present and Future

by

Feind Gottes

The Past

One night many years ago my mother (she was probably drunk) let my father (he was definitely drunk) have some fun and voila, nine-ish months later out popped a legend! Oh, not that far into the past? My bad. You’re here about these little amazing things called books.

My love of reading came fairly early without me even knowing it because it started with comic books. I didn’t have many but I read them over and over again. On top of that my mother was (and still is) an avid reader of multiple genres so she was always reading something. She never once told me I should read this or that, she just set an example by always having a book in her hand. By the time I was seven or eight years old, I finally followed that example and read my first book, Little Arliss by Fred Gipson. It was basically a short story related to the classic Old Yeller but I remember feeling like I had accomplished something. My love of reading was born and I began devouring book after book.

REVIEW: Robert E. Dunn - Motorman

Genre: Horror / Sci-Fi

Publisher: Necro Publications

Publication Date: 15^th May 2016

Pages: 105

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Motorman by Robert E. Dunn was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author via Hook of a Book, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Necro Publications.

This is one of those occasions where I get a chance at reviewing a new book coming out after connecting with the author on Facebook and Twitter and discovering he is one of the good guys. Robert E Dunn and I connected a few months ago and I have to say it has been a pleasure getting to know him. We did the cover reveal for Motorman a couple of months back, and what a cover it is.

This of course brings in the normal disclaimer that just because we connect on social media, this does not gain any favours from me when it comes to reviewing.

This is my first experience of reading Mr Dunn. This is what I thought.

Johnny Burris is a mechanic. A very good one by all accounts. After his latest job goes wrong due to a murder in which he was involved, he is on the run.

He ends up hiding out in a small town where no one knows him. He manages to get a job as a mechanic again. He tries to keep himself to himself but cannot help but be charmed by two sisters. Their daddy is a strange type of doctor that notices Johnny’s good hands and wants him to take over his work when he is gone. Work not on cars, but creating monsters from severely injured humans.

Johnny has a choice to make. Put his hands to good use or start running again.

REVIEW: Angela Marsons - Play Dead (D.I. Kim Stone #4)

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 20^th May 2016

Pages: 366

MY REVIEW:

I received an advance copy of Play Dead (D.I. Kim Stone #4) by Angela Marsons from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Bookouture.

Every April, you can be guaranteed that I will down tools and all books I am currently reading and pick up the new John Connolly instalment of Charlie Parker. I never thought a series of books would captivate me enough for that to happen again, but nowadays every time I get the nod that there is a new Angela Marsons book on the go, I just have to get it. Book four in the wonderful Kim Stone series is just out. I downed everything else and went straight for it. I couldn’t wait. This series is just fantastic.

Although it is book four, you can read them all as stand-alone books. Yes, you do get to know some of the characters as the series progresses but they are all individual stories so I urge you to pick them all up. You can read my previous reviews on the blog and links are provided at the bottom for you.

So, book four. Any good?

Kim Stone and her team are in between their many cases. They are sent to a top secret research facility called Westerley. It’s a body farm, using bodies in experiments to help with details on decomposition in varying conditions.

Whilst there, a body turns up that is not one of the customers. Kim and her team just happen to be on scene so there is no time like the present for them to add another to the list.

This case will bring up secrets from the past. Secrets that many people wish to keep to themselves. If they hadn’t, the case may have been a lot easier for Kim Stone.

REVIEW: Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason - Mayan Blue

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Sinister Grin Press

Publication Date: 25^th May 2016

Pages: 278

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Mayan Blue, by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason, was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, Sinister Grin Press, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

I do enjoy getting ARCS from Sinister Grin Press. This one has been on my radar from before it was even written. Michelle and Melissa are twin sisters also known as The Sisters of Slaughter and I have been friends with them in the social media world for over a year now. I have been eagerly awaiting this, their first novel, with baited breath. Two girls who are an absolute pleasure to know, I have read a couple of short stories of theirs and couldn’t wait for this to come out.

So was the wait worth it?

Professor Lipton is searching through caves in a remote part of Georgia. He really believes that he can find a secret. A secret that will prove his theory that the Mayan’s made it this far north. Maybe the secret he is after should stay hidden.

Wes, Alissa, Kelly, Dennis and Tyler are on their way to meet up with Professor Lipton. They all have their own reasons for going on this expedition. Some legitimate and some foolish. Regardless of their reasons, like Professor Lipton, they may regret even having an interest in the Georgian Mayan’s.

INTERVIEW: The Sisters of Slaughter - Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason

It finally gives me the greatest of pleasure to welcome you to Confessions of a Reviewer’s first interview with The Sisters of Slaughter, Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason.

I have watched these girls develop over this past couple of years and it has been a pleasure to get to know them and follow their writing careers so far, up to this point, the eve of their very first novel release!

This interview should give you a little insight into the lives these girls lead, their writing, their influences, their general lives and of course, the new novel, Mayan Blue.

Tomorrow night, 25^th, on Confessions, I will be sharing my review of Mayan Blue with you all. It is the actual launch date and I will also provide you with all the links you need to support the girls and go buy it.

I know it’s only Tuesday but treat yourself, order something in, grab a couple of cold ones, sit back…….and enjoy!

REVIEW: Duncan P Bradshaw - Prime Directive

Genre: Horror

Publisher: The Sinister Horror Company

Publication Date: 30^th May 2016

Pages: 154

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Prime Directive was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author Duncan P Bradshaw in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by the Sinister Horror Company.

Duncan P Bradshaw is a name that many of us have become familiar with over this past year or so as being one third of the wonderful Sinister Horror Company. He is, however, a wonderful writer in his own rite. I actually came to know his writing before I knew he had anything to do with SHC. I have read his previous two books, Class Three and Those Who Survive. You can find links to those reviews at the end of this review. His stuff is always that little bit different. He doesn’t follow the sheep. He always has his own unique style in his writing.

Prime Directive was a little added bonus I wasn’t expecting to get to read. Was it a bonus worth getting?

It’s 2021. The Venturer is on Mars. It’s crew, made up of Dana, Charles, Mei, Sabina, Nikolai and Sanjay, are on a mission to discover evidence of past life on Mars. Apart from Mei, none of them have discovered anything of any great importance.

After venturing to one of the great craters on the planet to try and find something interesting, Dana is contacted by someone or something. She has no idea what it is, where it has come from or more importantly, what it wants.

She discovers it is a probe sent from…..somewhere. She should have left it where it was. This probe is more powerful than anyone could have expected. Can anyone survive its Prime Directive?

GUEST POST: Confessions of my Past, Present and Future #33 - Stuart Keane

Confessions of my Past, Present and Future

by

Stuart Keane

The Past

Writing has been an interest of mine for decades, one that has slowly developed and matured over time, ever since my seven-year-old brain took the seed and planted it, storing it for a later date. I started reading young, and there are many catalysts responsible for my journey into the creative landscape of writing, but there's only one book that spoke to me, one book that I have read several times throughout the years and thought, 'man, it still has that oomph.' The book responsible? Before we get to that, first, a little background.

Fact is I've always loved to read, and if I weren't writing for a living, I would spend every spare waking moment reading books. As a child, I picked up anything I could get my hands on. Whether it’s the insanely popular Mr Men collection, Puddle Lane, Spot the Dog pop-up books, or Dr Seuss, my reading education started young and simple. It was only a matter of time until the interest piqued, and I began reading on a more fluent basis.

I mentioned in a recent interview that the best gift I received as a child was a library card. This would build the solid foundation for my reading, but let's not forget I was also a young boy; comic books were an integral part of my childhood from the age of three. I was an avid reader of The Beano, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a short-lived magazine from Marvel called It's Wicked (you may remember this Beano clone; Slimer from The Real Ghostbusters – another of my regular reads – was the main character), and this led me to Roald Dahl. The Witches, The Twits, Matilda, Revolting Rhymes, The Enormous Crocodile, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were all firm favourites at the time. These all helped me find the interest to read actual books, ones without pictures. That's when Enid Blyton came along.

REVIEW: Toneye Eyenot - Joshua's Folly: Sacred Blade of Profanity Book 2

Genre: Fantasy Horror

Publisher: J Ellington Ashton Press

Publication Date: 10^th March 2016

Pages: 152

MY REVIEW:

After reading The Scarlett Curse: Sacred Blade of Profanity Book One by Toneye Eyenot, I was pleasantly surprised to get a request to see if I was interested in the latest book in The Sacred Blade of Profanity series, Joshua’s Folly. Mr Eyenot wasn’t aware I had just read Book One so this was a very happy coincidence to get reading the next instalment so soon. As with Book One, this book is published by the wonderful people at J Ellington Ashton Press.

I said in my review of Book One that this is not my normal cup of tea. I did however see some promise in the first book and was eager to see where the story went. Backwards was my first surprise as this is a prequel to book one. It does, however, explain a thing or two that confused me in the earlier part of the story.

You may not want to read this review if you have not read Book One. Although with this being a prequel you could also pretty much ignore that.

ANNOUNCEMENT: BIG WEEK NEXT WEEK!

Just a quick note to let you know about some things happening next week.

It is going to be a big week for reviews. I have no less than four reviews going live of four brand new books, all being released next week, that I think you should really be picking up!

We also have an interview with The Sisters of Slaughter, Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason ahead of the review of their debut novel, Mayan Blue. The interview will be on Tuesday 24^th with the review going up on launch day, the 25^th.

Keep your eyes peeled for the other reviews going live but I will of course share on Facebook and Twitter to keep you all informed.

Also watch out for some more surprise reviews going up on Scream Horror Magazine. The number one Horror Mag!

See ya next week.

Nev.

SHOW-OFF AND TELL #30 - Jason Parent - Unseemly

#30 in the show-offs is another from my good friend and totally awesome, panda loving author, Jason Parent. It’s his latest novella, Unseemly.

It is always an absolute pleasure to get books in the mail from Jason. I am pretty sure I have a signed copy of all of his books now which makes me a very happy bunny.

I don’t know if he sends me them because he likes me or due to the fact my wife seems to be madly in love with him. He is referred to in this house as “the other husband”. If I were him, I would be more than slightly worried about this.

Especially as Jo has his address.

Anyway, this is my copy of Unseemly:

REVIEW: Toneye Eyenot - The Scarlett Curse: Sacred Blade of Profanity Book 1

Genre: Fantasy Horror

Publisher: J Ellington Ashton Press

Publication Date: 9^th June 2015

Pages: 51

MY REVIEW:

In a little break from the norm, I picked up The Scarlett Curse: Sacred Blade of Profanity Book One by Toneye Eyenot, to read for my own pleasure rather than a review submission. This book is published by the wonderful people at J Ellington Ashton Press.

I picked this up for a read of my own for a couple of reasons. I have seen quite a buzz in the social media scene about this man’s writing and also Book Two has just come out so I wanted to have a go at this so I can catch up with the story.

The first surprise I got was the fact that this is a fantasy story and not pure horror. My bad. I automatically thought that it would be horror given the circles Mr Eyenot travels in. Nevertheless, I started it, so I will finish it.

This is what I thought.

Scarlett holds the key to many a person’s end. She currently possesses the Sacred Blade of Profanity. Or does it possess her?

This ancient blade possesses whoever holds it and it commands them to do its bloody deeds. When Scarlett loses control of the blade, young Dera picks it up and is instantly overcome with bloodlust.

Scarlet must now try to rectify things while both of them need to try and outrun Joshua, a man with his own troubles that he believes getting hold of Dera can fix.

GUEST POST: Confessions of my Past, Present and Future #32 - Matt Hickman

Confessions of my Past, Present and Future

by

Matt Hickman

The Past

I think the reason that most people take to writing is that they all have that creative streak inside of them, frustrated - desperate to be unleashed. It could be one single idea; it could be an entire series of novels, which they have meticulously planned over many years before finally residing to task. Sentencing themselves to endless, torturous hours at a computer screen with endless re-writes and edits. I wish that I could say that writing has always been in my blood. Something that I have nurtured and developed into a fine art over many years but that’s simply not the case. For me, writing is a new process. Despite my English teacher telling me in my final years of school that I had some capability, I chose to ignore his advice, and many years later, here I am, still learning the technical aspects of the craft. Writing is a creative outlet. Constructing the various elements of a story can be an intimidating assignment; however, it can also be very rewarding.

Reading on the other hand, is something that is very much in my blood. From an age as early as I can remember, I have always enjoyed reading books. Whilst many children pursued other pastimes such as football or rugby, I was the geek that sat in the corner of the playground with my nose planted firmly in a book. In primary school, classes often had reading projects involving books. Stig of the Dump by Clive King or The Iron Man by Ted Hughes are two that immediately spring to mind.  Most of the other kids in the class would roll their eyes at the prospect of reading a book and having to pull apart its innards, I would crack my knuckles and prepare to get started. This was the point where my parents noticed that I had a partiality for literature. Not coming from a wealthy enough background to support my love of books, they did the next best thing; they took me to join the local library. I was about eight years old; one of my earliest and fondest memories. Thirty years on and I can still recall the experience with clarity. Talk about a kid in a sweet shop.

REVIEW: John C. Foster - Mister White: A Dark Thriller

Genre: Horror / Thriller

Publisher: Grey Matter Press

Publication Date: 5^th April 2016

Pages: 278

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Mister White: A Dark Thriller, by John C Foster, was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publisher, Grey Matter Press, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

So a week or two ago I read Mister White – The Short Story. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. Shortly after I finished it I was contacted by Anthony Rivera over at Grey Matter Press and asked if I fancied a read of the full novel. How could I refuse this one?

I was filled with a little trepidation though. I had heard all the rants and raves about it but I was concerned that it might not hold up in a novel length story. This is what I thought.

Lewis is on the run. He doesn’t know from what though. He only knows from whom. Someone has mentioned His name and He has Lewis in His sights. Lewis must warn his wife and daughter to disappear. As quickly as they can. He needs to get to them before He does.

Flintlock is gripped by fear. Strange things are happening that no one can explain. Gerard is tasked with protecting his niece and her daughter. He has no idea what from, but knows the strange happenings are connected to them.

Mister White travels fast when someone speaks his name.

CALLING ALL WRITERS: FANCY CONFESSING YOUR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE?

I'm running a bit short on these so this is your chance to get yours published soon!

Notice how I didn’t say authors in the title?

Yes. That’s right. I am after anyone who would like to participate now! Let’s face it, there is a writer inside all of us just begging to get out.

If you have no idea what I am talking about then visit the Past, Present and Future page here.

It is a section full of guest posts where the writer in question talks about books in their, you guessed it, Past, Present and Future.

This has proved to be a very popular feature over this past twelve months on the blog and I want to see if I can spice things up a little bit by giving you, the readers, an opportunity to be included.

What I am after is a guest post where you would talk about your influences, likes and dislikes in the world of books from your earliest memory, right through to the future that none of us know about yet.

If you fancy sharing your life experiences of books with loads of other like-minded people, and maybe help them with suggestions of some of your favourites then please get in touch at confessionsofareviewer@gmail.com

This is still, of course, open to authors as well and I am running a bit short on entries so if any of you lovely lot would like something posted soon, give me a shout!

Thanks.

Nev.

SHOW-OFF AND TELL #29 - Ken Preston - Joe Coffin: Season One

#29 in the Show-Off and Tell is another recent one that sort of came to me out of the blue and I was absolutely delighted that it did.

It’s Joe Coffin: Season One by the wonderful Ken Preston.

I had seen this book all over the internet in the social media world and was intrigued as to how it would work with it being in the style of a TeeVee series. Also after hosting a guest review of it from Mr Kit Power a few months back, I couldn’t wait to give it a go and see what all the hype was about. You can read Kit’s review here by the way. Just in case you missed it.

At the time of this post going live, Joe Coffin: Season One is currently free for your Kindle.

This is my copy:

CALLING ALL REVIEWERS. FANCY WORKING AT CONFESSIONS?

This message goes out to all of you reviewers all over the world. It’s a simple one really:

How would you like to review for Confessions of a Reviewer?

Told you it was simple. Confessions has gotten so busy of late that we need help with the amount of books we have coming in now. The to be reviewed pile is constantly growing and I haven’t got time to do them all myself.

What I am looking for is people who can either commit to a long term deal where they would continually pick up books from the submissions pile and read and review. Alternatively, if you cannot commit to something long term, if you are interested in picking something up to review once and a while and feel that Confessions is the place to host it, then give me a shout also.

REVIEW: Ken Preston - Joe Coffin: Season One

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Ken Preston

Publication Date: 31^st Oct 2014

Pages: 470

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Joe Coffin: Season One, was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author Ken Preston, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is self-published.

So, I have heard a lot about this book and about Mr Preston as well. We have been “friends” on Facebook for a while and interact a little but I have never read anything by him. I felt like I was missing out because I see a lot of people talking about this Joe Coffin fella, so felt it was about time I checked him out.

I had Season One on my Kindle but was delighted to recently take delivery of Season One and Season Two from Mr Preston directly.

As ever, everyone knows this does not garner any favours from me in the reviewing game, even if it was stuffed with cash! Which it wasn’t by the way.

Very disappointing.

This is what I thought.

Joe Coffin is part of the Slaughterhouse Mob, a notorious gang, some would say the biggest, most successful, in Birmingham. He has just been released from prison. While he was in there, someone killed his wife and young son. Joe has only one thing on his mind. Revenge.

What Joe doesn’t realise is that the killers aren’t your average gangland killers. They weren’t in it for revenge or indeed any easy to fathom reason.

In fact, they aren’t your average anything. Joe has a battle on his hands that he could never have foreseen. It’s going to get bloody.

GUEST POST: Confessions of my Past, Present and Future #31 - Ken Preston

Confessions of my Past, Present and Future

by

Ken Preston

The Past

As a youngster I lived very much inside my own imagination. I was an only child of two parents who argued a lot, and most days it just seemed preferable to me that I stay in my bedroom and read, or invent imaginative and terrible predicaments for my Action Men to get themselves out of. Many, many years later when I reached the grand old age of forty-eight, I finally found out the reason for all of my parents’ arguments, but that’s a story for another time.

This being back in the days when dinosaurs still ruled the earth and the wheel was little more than an unformed idea in the head of somebody cleverer than myself, there was no Xbox, no internet, no video games and only one television in the house with three channels on it. On some days, when the wind was blowing in the wrong direction we only had two channels.

So, especially during the long school summer holidays I would quite often spend the day exploring our local area. I was lucky, and we lived in an area which seemed uniquely set up to fire my imagination. There were abandoned, crumbling farmhouses to explore, paths to follow alongside gurgling streams of water, a disused quarry, even a couple of caves to nervously enter. Looking back now it was all a health and safety nightmare, obviously.

Add to that the history of witchcraft in the local area, and I was all set up to be a fan of the supernatural and horror from a young age.

When I wasn’t outside I was in my bedroom reading.

And I read pretty much whatever I could get my hands on.

REVIEW: Adam Millard - The Bad Game

Genre: Horror

Publisher: The Sinister Horror Company

Publication Date: 2^nd May 2016

Pages: 236

MY REVIEW:

A copy of The Bad Game, by Adam Millard, was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, The Sinister Horror Company, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

One thing you will know about me is my love and affection for the guys at The Sinister Horror Company, and the work they do. They produce some wonderful books, both in their presentation and how they read. It is very clear that they put every ounce of effort they have into doing the very best they can for any author they publish.

This is highly commendable in today’s world where you hear so many horror stories about how some presses behave.

One thing you won’t know about me is a fact that I am, quite frankly, ashamed of. This is the first time I have read anything by Adam Millard. No need to send the peasants round with the torches and pitchforks. I have put myself through two days of self-flagellation as punishment and I swear it will never happen again. Want to know how I can be so sure of that? Read on!

This hasn’t happened in a while! It’s two for one time!