Shades of Blood and Shadow, Angelyne Hawkes’ latest collection, brings together 13 tales from different eras, three of them appearing in print for the first time.
Each of the stories is set in an interesting time in history, from in ancient South America to Chernobyl after the nuclear blast to past and present day Scotland. The stories read like the premises of bloody fairy tales that range from love-fueled deception and a crossover of worlds during all hallows eve in “Samhain” to “The Relic: Father Santiago’s Bone,” my favorite because of how the usual premise can break out and do what you expected it to do but didn’t think the author would go for it but are extremely glad that she has, where a witch burned at the stake during the Inquisition casts a curse that echoes through the centuries.
One of the best tales in the book is “The Woeful Tale of Fiona MacLean,” which is about two lovers separated by death and time and, amidst all the usual tragedy and romance, also contains what I believe would be an accurate reaction to being haunted by a good looking ghost with a penchant for doing domestic chores (Saying “Thank you” instead of “Gaaah!” and calling an exorcist).
Angelyne fits her writing style to the story at hand, moving from brooding and emotional in a romantic story to a fast-paced chase scene in the next. The stories in Shades of Blood and Shadow read like fairy tales. It’s easy to get sucked into them, but a lot of the time, the tale ends too quickly, making you wish that, much like in a fairy tale, you could turn the page and the story would continue.
The book feels very much like a Bauhaus song: filled with dark recesses that draw you in, then leave you wanting.
This year’s nominees in each category are:
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL
Audrey’s Door by Sarah Langan (Harper)
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry (St. Martin’s Griffin)
Quarantined by Joe McKinney (Lachesis Publishing)
Cursed by Jeremy Shipp (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A FIRST NOVEL
Breathers by S. G. Browne (Broadway Books)
Solomon’s Grave by Daniel G. Keohane (Dragon Moon Press)
Damnable by Hank Schwaeble (Jove)
The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay (Henry Holt)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN LONG FICTION
Dreaming Robot Monster by Mort Castle (Mighty Unclean)
The Hunger of Empty Vessels by Scott Edelman (Bad Moon Books)
The Lucid Dreaming by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books)
Doc Good’s Traveling Show by Gene O’Neill (Bad Moon Books)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SHORT FICTION
“Keeping Watch” by Nate Kenyon (Monstrous: 20 Tales of Giant Creature Terror)
“The Crossing of Aldo Ray” by Weston Ochse (The Dead That Walk)
“In the Porches of My Ears” by Norman Prentiss (Postscripts #18)
“The Night Nurse” by Harry Shannon (Horror Drive-in)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN FICTION COLLECTION
Martyrs and Monsters by Robert Dunbar (Dark Hart Press)
Got to Kill Them All and Other Stories by Dennis Etchison (Cemetery Dance)
A Taste of Tenderloin by Gene O’Neill (Apex Book Company)
In the Closet, Under the Bed by Lee Thomas (Dark Scribe Press)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN ANTHOLOGY (EDITING)
He is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson edited by Christopher Conlon (Gauntlet Press)
Lovecraft Unbound edited by Ellen Datlow (Dark Horse Books)
Poe edited by Ellen Datlow (Solaris)
Midnight Walk edited by Lisa Morton (Darkhouse Publishing)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION
Writers Workshop of Horror by Michael Knost (Woodland Press)
Cinema Knife Fight by L. L. Soares and Michael Arruda (Fearzone)
The Stephen King Illustrated Companion by Bev Vincent (Fall River Press)
Stephen King: The Non-fiction by Rocky Wood and Justin Brook (Cemetery Dance)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN POETRY COLLECTION
Double Visions by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions)
North Left of Earth by Bruce Boston (Sam’s Dot)
Barfodder by Rain Graves (Cemetery Dance)
Chimeric Machines by Lucy A. Snyder (Creative Guy Publishing)
And nobody knows it more than Australian millionaire Karl Rabeder, who gave away most of the wealth he worked so hard for because “it made him miserable.”
“For a long time I believed that more wealth and luxury automatically meant more happiness,” he said. “I come from a very poor family where the rules were to work more to achieve more material things, and I applied this for many years,” said Mr Rabeder.
Everyone says that money can’t buy happiness, but a lot of us think that it’s all bunk spread by the wealthy so that those with less won’t feel so bad (or conversely, one spread by the not wealthy so they won’t feel so bad about those with more). We have to hear it from a rich guy who’s given away everything for us to realize that first, there may be some truth to the saying, and second, there are still people in this consumer-driven world who don’t want to be rich, even if they’re already wealthy.
Since selling his belongings, Mr Rabeder said he felt “free, the opposite of heavy”.
In the end, what really matters are the things money can’t buy. But this, like a lot of things in life, boils down to personal choice.
“I do not have the right to give any other person advice. I was just listening to the voice of my heart and soul.”
Read the whole article.
Have been making more food at home lately, and from scratch, even if most the “food” consists of drinks and dessert.
Here’s a picture of my attempt at hot chocolate from tablea, with frothed milk mixed in. Nothing like a cup of hot cocoa to warm yourself on a cold day. But if the last few days are anything to go by, it’s more summer weather than anything else.
Gerry Alanguilan’s Wasted can now be read online! In its entirety! If there was any local comic book that encapsulated the angsty, isolated feeling of the 90’s, this is it. Deeply personal, affecting and tragic, it is a simple story of what happens when love goes wrong.
I love, love, love this comic book. Reading it as a teenager made me realize I am not alone. It also made me want a gun, but that’s not the point.
Read the whole thing here.
I’ve been craving Pad Thai for weeks now, going around the metro trying whatever Pad Thai I can get my hands on, all of them being failures (I tried one high end one, one mid-level and one cheap one, all crappy). I usually head to Soms or Chariya when I want a Thai fix but they’re both out of my way, which is why my friends have had to put up with my Pad Thai yearnings on all my social message status (statuses?).
To stop me from talking about Pad Thai already, folks have been suggesting places where I can satisfy my craving. The one most mentioned that fits my criteria of conveiniently located and affordabe was Jatujak. So when I found myself in Megamall one day, I seized the opportunity to see if I could fulfill my Pad Thai craving.
I don’t know why I’ve never eaten here. Probably because Thai food is something that has to be shared to be enjoyed, and I’m either usually alone or with folks who aren’t too keen on the cuisine. The trip was unplanned, so I don’t have pictures.
Since I was alone, I only got to order two things: Pad Thai (Php185 for shrimp, Php175 for chicken)and Thai Iced Tea (Php78).
The Thai Iced Tea came in a glass so tall its straw was forever threatening to Fall in. A good problem to have, I think. The drink was served cold (dapat lang!) and was refreshing, though the milk seemed already blended in instead of poured separately. The mix might be a bit too milky for some (I could taste a hint of evaporated milk) but since I’m quite fond of milk, I didn’t mind it too much.
Then came the Pad Thai. First of all, it was served hot. As in I could still see some steam rising. A good sign. Also, I could smell it as the waiter put it on my table. A wonderful aroma. Of all the convieniently located Pad Thai I have tried, this one came the closest to satisfying my craving. Sweet, with a sour undertone, a mix of textures; crunchy, meaty and full. It wasn’t as flavorful as I would have wanted but that was easily solved by the addition of more Pad Thai sauce (I’m probably being a barbarian about it. Oh well.).
The staff, by the way, was extremely helpful and courteous. I was there during off hours and everyone was on their toes, smiling, attending to the needs of the customers who dropped by, whether they were ordering one dish or five.
I plan to go back, by the way. I still have the rest of the menu to explore, and the Thai Iced Coffee to try.
Just by the title alone, you know that Seductions is going to be filled with good looking peopke and lots of, um, action of a certain sort.
And because it’s written by Ray Garton, you also know that there’s going to be monsters and lots of fun, well, the kind that’s fun for the reader and not the characters.
The story revolves around Donald Ellis, a high school teacher with latent psychic powers who begins having nightmares, which are triggered by a race of shapeshifting monsters who have begun preying on the local community, starting with people in his life.
The monsters take the form of good-looking people and seduce humans so that they’ll go to bed with them. Once the humans reach climax, they get eaten, and don’t even know it.
The novel, which was published in 1984, is a quick read, with conventions that were far beyond, at the same time very much of its time. What’s interesting is that Garton shows you the monster from the start (so the previous paragraph wasn’t a spoiler).
The Ellis character swings between likeable (he’s a favorite of the students) to creepy (when he gets it on with another, really young, psychic). Garton’s prose is dynamic, continually pushing things forward, yet ending neatly with each chapter so that you can comfortably put the book aside when you have to attend to real life.
The ending was a bit strange for me, but I suspect it’s because times have changed and a similar scenario would have been handled differently now.
This was Garton’s first novel. Not his best, but you can already see the twisted genius that would go on to write Live Girls, etc.
A simple premise spun by expert hands into a good read, the kind you take to the airport, or in my case, to church so that I have something to occupy my mind before service starts. Okay, I didn’t really bring it to church. But it would have been fun if I had.
Reading Seductions made me think of Nine Inch Nails’ “Reptile,” for obvious reasons (Thanks to Erwin Romulo for sending me this souped up version).
Mr. Bones
“Loud and definitely in your face! Dark and twisty lyrics, set to raw and raucous, yet masterful music. Deliciously infectious grooves. Theatrical, with more than a hint of macabre drama. Welcome to Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus’ unique brand of musical madness and merry mayhem!
Do you believe in ghosts/ elementals? If yes, have you seen one (or more)? Can you tell us about it?
Yes I do! I saw an ORB and I shat my pants! Enough said!!
What’s the scariest place you’ve been to? Why was it scary? Did you end up experiencing anything supernatural there? Do you plan to go back?
My place. Why my place? I was playing hide and seek with my little sister. Weird thing was for some reason I had a video camera with me and I decided to record stuff! I caught a ghost. This ghost was following my little sister around, and we only saw this when we played it back. it looked like a figure lit from above with a flashlight. it wasnt scary but it was eerie. we ended up destroying the tape!!! please don’t haunt me, ghost, this is only an interview!!!
What’s the scariest ghost story you’ve heard?
Hmm.. don’t have any… There is a story about how my cousin had a wart on his toe, and how he kept pickin it with his teeth!!!!
How has your supernatural experiences (even if they come in the form of secondhand stories) influenced your work?
The fun of it! Love it! Thats what excites me, and I put that excitement into my work! I use it.. It scares me and that scare factor becomes my muse. The supernatural affects my work a lot. Most of my songs are about the undead. ALL of my songs actually.
What advice would you give someone who comes face to face with a ghost/elemental?
Life’s a grave, you gotta dig it! Ten four!
Luis and I appeared in the Valentine’s edition of What KT Wore, Kate Torralba’s blog on StyleBible.ph, where KT posted about 14 couples and why their relationship work. Best of all, the couples get free Sebastian’s ice cream!
Read part one here.
It’s the year of the metal tiger.
In the Chinese zodiac, “‘Born leader’ is the key word for the Tigers. They are always in the lead and are most likely the ones to cry out “Let’s Go”! Noble and Fearless, Tigers are respected for their courage, even from those working against them.”
Famous tigers include Sir David Attenborough, Agatha Christie, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Marilyn Monroe, Dylan Thomas, H.G. Wells, Stevie Wonder, Natalie Wood and Luis Katigbak (naks!).
Here’s another famous tiger:
Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!
Yvette Tan is a Manila-based horror writer.
