October, like the smoke of an extinguished candle, has vanished, leaving us with cold, emotionless November. It’s that gunky time of year when, in my corner of the world, the weather can’t decide if it wants to rain or snow.
We got our first official snowfall on the day before Halloween and, in it, I discovered something very cool. The weather was mild leading up to that day, with bugs about in full force; mosquitoes and black flies filling up on my blood to keep them warm over the winter, wasps making a last ditch attempt at finding somewhere warm to nest, and spiders gobbling up the stragglers.
I’m working in the woods a lot these days and October 30th was no exception. Wet, gross snow was falling without any of the grace that makes snow tolerable. I trudged through the trees, surveying which ones would need to come down next and which would make good firewood. As I walked, I noticed threads of spider silk dangling from many of the tree branches. Attached to these threads, as if they’d been strung on, were tiny, perfect snowflakes. It took me a moment to realize I was surrounded by these natural decorations. Everywhere I looked, strands of silk, only a few inches long and strung with snowflakes, dangled and blew in the breeze. It was one of the most magical things I’ve ever come across in nature, like something you’d see in a Disney movie.
Which isn’t a meaningful segue into the books I read last month, but here we are, ready to get down to business. It was a busy month for me in a lot of ways and I had forgotten about many of the books I read right up until I went over them in my reading history (thanks for keeping track, Goodreads). I read some surprisingly great books, and two that were disappointing. So sad, but not all words on pages can please my personal tastes and expectation.
Horrorama by C.V. Hunt (Introduction), A.S. Coomer, Lucas Magnum, Matt Harvey
This is disappointment number one. Not because I expected anything life-changing or super intelligent. In fact, I went for this book because it’s pretty up front about being none of those things. The basic premise behind this anthology is that each of its three entries is inspired by schlocky horror movies, each story readable in approximately the amount of time it would take to watch one of said horror movies.
The first story started off as a neat, if rough-around-the-edged, tale of mysterious goings-on. If there’s a thread to be followed in the story, it’s quickly lost. Maybe there was an effort to tie things together, but this story felt like a six-year-old making up a spooky story on the spot. “This happened, then this happened—oh—and then aliens! Then a monster! And murderers! And fat guys!”
And the first was the only mildly digestible tale of the bunch.
I actively try to enjoy books and movies and make every effort to give things a chance. I could tell early on that this was one of those books I should just put down and move on from, but I held out hope that the next story would redeem the one before.
Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. Werewolves and cults make up the next two stories and, in the interest of not spending excess energy on things I don’t enjoy, I’ll leave it at that.
‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
This is more like it.
I think I mentioned before that I’ve been revisiting some of King’s older work, especially books I read in my younger days. This is one I think I’ll read at least a couple more times before I die, if I have my druthers.
I’ve been on a bit of a vampire kick lately, having read Let the Right One In last month and currently reading Stoker’s classic Dracula. Vampires aren’t something I typically go for in horror, but when they’re done well, they can be fertile soil for some of the best storytelling there is.
If you don’t know, and if you haven’t picked up on it already, ‘Salem’s Lot is King’s vampire book and is almost certainly one of his scariest. It tells the tale of sleepy little Jerusalem’s Lot (‘Salem’s Lot, or the Lot to its residents) and the ancient evil that moves in.
The way King wrote this book is truly masterful. As you read, you’re learning about this little town and its inhabitants, all while, just off in your peripheral vision, vampires are moving in. Then, before you know what’s happening, the vampires take over. It’s insane and terrifying.
I think there’s a remake of the movie coming out (probably by Mike Flanagan, who is making it his mission to remake every classic horror tale out there—and to do it better than the first guy) but I honestly have lost track of all the King re-adaptations and remakes that are on the horizon. I have to confess that I still haven’t seen the original film but after re-reading this book, I’m eager to.
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
Ted Chiang is the genius who wrote the short story that inspired the 2016 film Arrival. If you haven’t seen it, please do yourself a favour and watch it…twice. You’ll probably need to. The film is inspired by a story from his collection Stories of Your Life and Others, which is what I had set out to read. Exhalation was available instead, so I went for it. And I’m glad I did.
I don’t know enough about Chiang to tell whether he is a brilliant thinker or just an incredible storyteller or both. After each of the stories in Exhalation, which is a collection of short stories, Chiang provides a short note talking about where the inspiration for the story came from. In many cases, he credits the concept to some other thinker or genius. Either way, he weaves some incredibly high-concept ideas into touching, imaginative stories that make the reader think about their own life and the world around them.
The stories range from tales of time travel to stories about zookeepers for AI creatures, but they all zero in on philosophical issues, often as they relate to technology.
Fair warning: reading Ted Chiang’s work will make you think.
Agent of Chaos (The X-Files: Origins, #1) by Kami Garcia
If you know me, you probably know I’m a bit of an X-Files nerd. I’ve watched the entire series enough times through to feel slightly ashamed by it. I watch it these days for comfort more than anything, but the show is a huge influence on many of my interests. I can vividly remember watching many of the episodes as they aired, the only thing close to horror I was actually permitted to watch as a kid.
I’ve long been curious about novel tie-ins to intellectual properties that started off in other mediums. I read my first one, Batman: No Man’s Land, which I absolutely loved, last year. So when I heard about the X-Files origins books, I had to check them out.
There’s nothing brilliant or franchise-shaking in this first instalment of what I assume will be a broader series of books. It tells the tale of seventeen-year-old Fox Mulder investigating his first crime and feeling the first pulls towards a career in criminal behavioural psychology.
This book is 90% fan service. The characters familiar to fans of the show are well written and read like their on-screen personas sound. The book is filled with references that I admit I got a bit of a thrill from any time I recognized one. Beyond that, there really isn’t much to it. The story itself is a mix of procedural crime investigation and kids-on-bikes adventure.
The coolest part for me was reading about the early days of “X”, Mulder’s secret source and occasional protector in the television series. Fun book overall.
The Mysteries by Bill Watterson and John Kascht
Yes. Bill Watterson. The guy responsible for Calvin & Hobbes, which aside from the above mentioned franchise may have been one of the strongest shapers of my thinking and interests. I read all the Calvin & Hobbes I could get my hands on as a kid. When I was twelve and thirteen all I wanted to do was play Calvinball or jump into my own transmogrifier. The comic was, and still is, utterly brilliant.
So when I heard Watterson was putting out a brand new, non-Calvin-and-Hobbes book, my heart rejoiced. I pre-ordered it almost a year ago and eagerly awaited it to show up on my doorstep. And it finally did, a couple of weeks ago. Ten minutes after opening it, I closed the book again, having read the entire thing and taken my time admiring the gloomy, minimalistic illustrations.
My first impression was complete disappointment. This is not the writings of the Bill Watterson who wrote some of my favourite adventures and who waxed philosophical from the mouth of a child and his imaginary tiger. This is the work of a tired, bitter person.
One review I read about this book is that it’s a big joke, a giant middle-finger to the masses, to corporate America, to our constant need to know everything and uncover every dark corner of reality we can get our mitts on. The message within is so blatant and rehashed without any spice whatsoever that it can’t be an honest attempt at whatever it’s pretending to be an attempt at.
I’m disappointed and feel a bit like I wasted my money, but that’s life. Not everything is tailor-made to please me. And I want to believe ol’ Bill (and the other guy) had something brilliant in mind when he (they) came up with this idea.
Sigh.
Noose by Brennan LaFaro
This is the third book I’ve read by LaFaro and I’ve gotta say, I like his style.
Noose is a horror-western and tells the story of Rory Daggett, a young man who was orphaned as a boy by the notorious outlaw Noose Holcomb, seeking out revenge on his parents’ killer. The book starts right in on the bloody action and doesn’t let up.
This is an imaginative novel full of black magic, weird science, and murderous berserkers. It’s short and sweet and a lot of fun.
Dark Tales for Dark Nights by Angella Cormier and Pierre C Arseneault
Writing duo Cormier and Arseneault combine their powers to bring you a collection of six tales featuring strange creatures in the night, vicious bigfoots (bigfeet…?), and Faustian competitions.
Several of these stories feature twists that I don’t want to give away, so I’ll say little here.
I will say that my favourite story of the lot is by far the first one, “Sometimes They Come at Night”, which tells the story of a man haunted by dark creatures who surround his secluded house each night. The story takes its reader down a twisted rabbit hole of terror, and provides a satisfying, clever conclusion.
Wildfire Ridge by Mary Lee Soop
Wildfire Ridge is a middle-grade novel about, you guessed it, a wildfire. It’s an adventure story about thirteen-year-old Ouzel, who finds himself trapped in the midst of a raging wildfire with seemingly no way out. This is a lovely story of heart and learning to do the right thing, delivering a solid message in an entertaining way.
The story behind how I came to read this book is one I enjoy telling. Wildfire Ridge is not a book I would normally gravitate toward. I occasionally read middle-grade fiction, usually if it’s something super unique or, more often, if I know the author. Even in those cases, the story of someone trying to escape a wildfire is not something that would typically grab my interest. So how did it come to be on my bookshelf?
I was working in the store at our campground one day this past summer when a woman came bustling through the door and demanded to know if I was “the author”. I confessed that I was while, inwardly, I was beaming at being sought out for my storytelling.
She proceeded to introduce herself as Mary Lee Soop. She told me she is also an author and that she brought me a copy of her book. Touched, flattered, and delighted to meet a fellow scribe, I insisted on returning the favour and shoved a copy of The Boy in the Canvas into her hands.
I’m very happy the book turned out to be as enjoyable as it was to meet its author. I highly recommend it for young readers. It would make a great first “chapter book” for kids interested in taking the next step in their reading journey.
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And that’s the end of that for another month. What interesting books have you read recently? Any of these? Thoughts? Let me know in the comments, by shooting me an email at chris@authorchristophersweet.com, or by hitting me up on social media. My handles on Facebook and Instagram are @authorchristophersweet and on TikTok, just to be confusing, it’s @christophersweetauthor. I don’t often use Twitter / X, but my handle on there is @thischrissweet if you feel like following me there, on the off chance I have something cool to say in 120 characters or whatever the limit is now.
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