Knuckle Balled by Drew Stepek

     Wait up a minute, you have read the first book in this series, right? Knuckle Supper? I hope you have, because this book is (obviously) a direct sequel. I REALLY want you to read the first one, so consider yourself spoiler warned if you proceed…

     Drew Stepek, how dare you write another book about that nasty, junkie vampire, RJ Reynolds?! I was already dealing with this crusty punk worming his way into my heart, and then you had to go and make it worse. Now I can’t quit RJ even if I wanted to.

     Stepek’s second entry into his Knuckle series is sure as hell no sophomore slump. The action, the violence, the humor, and the HIGHLY inappropriate content are just as spot on as they were in the first book. As I’ve said before, all that stuff is awesome if you can stomach it. Thankfully, I can. But what really keeps me coming back is the heart and humanity in these seemingly unlikeable characters. Knuckle Balled picks up the action after Eldritch (that gothy little drama king) and RJ have avenged Bait by killing her sucky parents (okay, that’s really RJ’s deal) and, at Eldritch’s insistence, have now basically kidnapped Bait’s little sister, tiny Paulina, aka Pinball.

     Now the trio are in hipster-infested Austin, Texas and plotting what the hell to do now. We've learned “vampires” are all over the county, and the home of the South by South West festival is no exception. Just wait until you meet these guys. Let’s say they’re a tad more theatrical than the LA contingent. We do have some reoccurring faces as well; Personally, I was elated that Eldritch featured prominently in this novel. Eldritch is a stereotype of the romantic, dark, intellectual vamps I was raised on, thanks to Anne Rice. He is also excruciatingly funny. I can’t think of many characters that could go toe-to-toe with RJ the way he does. Their dynamic is a large part of what makes this book work so seamlessly. Paulina doesn’t have as much “screen time” as her sister did, but what she gives and represents to Eldritch and RJ speaks volumes. These human kids cure something corrupted and lost in these two.

     Just like Knuckle Supper, I had no clue where this book was going, nor what was in store for me as a reader. I couldn’t have hoped to guess and, really, I’m glad I didn’t try to. Part of the fun of these novels is simply strapping in for the ride and letting the story take you away. Vampires in Stepek’s world live funky, unpredictable lives. His characters go to seedy and harrowing places. Yet, Drew always gives you plenty of humor and gore to keep it all from getting too emotionally draining.

     Like it's predecessor, this book opens with a note about the Children of the Night organization. They do incredible work for kids who need help dealing with trials most of us cannot imagine living through. Also like it's predecessor, proceeds from this book will benefit Children of the Night. A brutal horror writer with a conscience and heart, Mr. Stepek has my loyalty. More importantly than that, his characters have my allegiance! I don’t know if RJ is ever going to get the monkey off his back for good, but I’m sticking with him till the end.

---

Drew Stepek (@knucklesupper)

Knuckle Balled will be available from Amazon on November 23, 2017

Knuckle Supper is currently available from Amazon (hardcover or paperback)

Knuckle Supper: Ultimate Gutter Fix (kindle edition) will be available from Amazon on November 23, 2017

 

---

Why Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House is Still Terrifying

“I am disappearing inch by inch into this house, I am going apart a little bit at a time because all this noise is breaking me; why are the others frightened?”

When it was published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House brought new style and substance to the haunted house genre, making it more cerebral, more psychological. In doing so, Jackson created one of the creepiest haunted house stories on the market that still inspires that chill-down-your-spine feeling.

The story follows a group of people investigating the paranormal activity reported at Hill House. Led by Dr. John Montague, a supernatural researcher, the group embark on a retreat for the summer at Hill House with plans to report their findings. As the group dives deeper into the house, strange things begin to happen that set everyone, especially narrator, Eleanor Vance, on edge.

The remarkable thing about The Haunting of Hill House is that the ghosts never make a visible appearance. They are an invisible force throughout the book, always in the corner of your eye. Paranormal activity manifests itself with doors suddenly being open when you swear it was closed moments before or violent knocking in the early hours of the morning. In fact, the ghosts and paranormal activity kind of take a backseat to the characters in the novel, focusing on Eleanor’s relationship with everyone in the house.

By choosing to focus on the characters instead of the ghosts, Hill House is much scarier than your typical ghost story. As everything begins to unravel and you start to realize the madness the house can produce, that proves to be infinitely scarier than any ghostly vision. It’s by setting up a character that you root for and want to succeed and witnessing their spiral into madness and obsession that makes Hill House a tense, frightening ghost story.

Hill House is the kind of book that makes you feel anxious about whether you are truly home alone. It’s the kind of book that encourages your house to start settling, creating all kinds of creaks and groans that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. That is why The Haunting of Hill House is so successful to this day and continues to make an appearance on top horror novel lists. It instills that fear that a simple house could disrupt whatever sanity you cling to.

~ Kat

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

Lovecraft Country | Author: Matt Ruff | Published: February 16, 2016

In a story filled with monsters, creepy cults, and other things that go bump in the night, Lovecraft Country’s focus on Jim Crow-era America elicits the most fear and tension.

Set in the 1950s, Lovecraft Country explores the many facets of being a black American during the reign of Jim Crow — a name that actually sounds very cultish and creepy. With an overarching plot that is divided up into separate chapters for each character, the book tells the story of a group of people trying to get by while being squashed down by laws affecting their race and other sinister forces at work.

Atticus, a young man who researches travel destinations for his uncle’s book, The Safe Negro Travel Guide, is pulled into a malevolent plot when his father, Montrose, goes missing. Atticus goes on a road trip to find his missing father and along for the ride are his uncle, George, and their friend, Leticia Dandridge. According to the map, they are heading straight into Lovecraft country.

As the name suggest, there are a lot of Lovecraftian elements in this book. From mysterious cults to otherworldly monsters and haunted houses, the book draws a lot from the acclaimed horror author. However, it doesn’t ignore Lovecraft’s own racism or idealize the author in any way. Matt Ruff took the bits he wanted, creating a tale that is creepy and nerve-wracking while also telling a great story about family and what makes people family.

After finishing the book, I was tempted to start over again because I couldn’t put the characters away just yet. All the characters are three dimensional and feel human. The villains aren’t the stereotype you usually get when authors try to utilize Lovecraftian style. Each main character gets their own chance to shine in their own chapter with most of the chapters hitting it out of the park. Some chapters are slower than the others which can drag the novel down a bit but it usually picks up in the next chapter.

Even though most of the creepy monster business isn’t very scary (aside from the haunted house chapter and yes, there is a creepy doll), the true horror lies in the racism exhibited by skeezy officers, detectives, and the wealthy members of the cult, Sons of Adam. There is a particular story that made me shiver about a researcher for the guide getting stuck in a strict Jim Crow county that will stick with me for some time.

Overall, I would highly recommend Lovecraft Country for anyone looking for a book that delivers a different kind of fear with characters that are smart and three dimensional and villains that aren’t cartoon caricatures. Lovecraft Country paints a truthful, un-idealized view of America during a dark period in its history and that is scarier than any of the creatures in the book.

~ Kat