Walk the Sky by Robert Swartwood and David B. Silva

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• Published April 2013 (RMS Press ebook edition)
• Finished reading it on January 17, 2022
• unreviewed

The Walking by Bentley Little

• Purchase it here
• Published November 2000 (Signet paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on July 5, 2002
• One of the things that I've discovered about Bentley Little's books are that he seems to have a hard time ending them. The story goes from start to about 90% in an enthralling read that pulls you along. And you enjoy every second of it. And then the ending comes along and all momentum is lost. Sure, it ends fine and makes sense; it just feels that the enthralling pull has kicked you off the train and you're left to walk the remaining mile to the final station. THE WALKING involves Miles Huerdeen who wants to find out why his father started walking once he died. The mystery gets more complex when he discovers that his father is not the only person to die but continue walking. This was another great book by Little and this time the ending wasn't quite as remote as in previous times. This time it was a little convenient but still thrilling. So instead of having to walk that final mile to the last station, we were dragged by train on one of those handcarts. Whatever the cause of the "bad ending" inflection, I hope that Little works his way through it and discovers those great endings because I really love reading the other 90%.

The Walls of the Castle by Tom Piccirilli

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• Published July 2018 (Crossroad Press ebook edition)
• Finished reading it on December 5, 2022
• unreviewed

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

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• Published September 1998 (Simon & Schuster paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on April 13, 2006
• This is a weird, eccentric, and very off-base type of novel. At the same time though it is extremely gripping and engrossing. The story is about Frank who lives on an island, has had something horrible happen in his past, sacrifices wasps in order to predict the future, kills his family members for odd but understandable reasons, wishes his insane brother who burns dogs and escaped from an asylum would make it home, and names everything based on the campaigns he launches. The novel kind of sounds like it is all over the place but it really does tie together nicely. I constantly found myself wanting desperately to know what was going to happen next or to have Frank reveal a little more about his past. He accurately calls things as they really are, a sort of bluntness that could be considered humorous. All things which makes this a great book and one highly recommended. You'll need to be ready for some very dark scenes and a tone that doesn't lighten up much at all.

Watchers by Dean Koontz

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• Published April 1988 (paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on August 12, 1997
• I've heard once that out of all the novels which Koontz has written, this is his favorite. I don't know if it is true or not, but it definitely was well written and is an engrossing story. I enjoyed it very much and being a dog lover, it touched me a little bit more than usual. There is a nice mix of science and, for lack of a better word, humanity which end up fighting against each other. Additionally science shows that it can create humanity while humanity can reciprocate with a lack of feeling. It's obvious that a lot of thought went into this novel and appropriately it pushes the readers to think also. Think about the potential which society has and what we might accomplish. Don't get me wrong; this isn't an analytical book. It is a fun novel that is exciting and thrilling to read. It just contains more than most.

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

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• Published September 2018 (Quirk Books hardcover edition)
• Finished reading it on March 13, 2022
• unreviewed

Weaveworld by Clive Barker

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• Published October 1988 (Pocket Books paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on October 1, 1991
• unreviewed

Webcam by J.A. Konrath

• Purchase it here
• Published April 2016 (J.A. Konrath ebook edition)
• Finished reading it on June 19, 2024
• unreviewed

Wet Work by Philip Nutman

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• Published June 1993 (paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on March 21, 2000
• This is an excellent book that kept me thrilled the entire way. I could barely put it down as I whipped through it in just two days. The premise is taken straight out of Night of the Living Dead, a comet cuts close enough to Earth to cause havoc by allowing the dead to revive and eat the living. In fact, a short story version of WET WORK first appeared in the anthology BOOK OF THE DEAD. But the book involves much more than zombies eating flesh. The characters are so realistic that you can recognize any of them as neighbors, friends and family. And they pull you in to their lives, sharing their problems, making you cheer them on while they try to solve their problems. Of course, not all the problems are solved easily; the zombies have to have someone to eat. However you will still find the book riveting and not something to be missed. I know that I need to hunt down more of Nutman's books and enjoy them. Oh yeah, an extra bonus for comic book fans is that many of the characters are named after well known comic book writers and artists. It doesn't detract or add to the story itself but it is fun to find out some comic book favorites are "in" the story.

What Makes You Die by Tom Piccirilli

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• Published March 2013 (Apex Publications eBook and paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on November 28, 2013
• This book isn't a typical Piccirilli novel. There's no pulp fiction or crime noir that occurs. There's no supernatural elements (though this is debatable). And there's no horror, at least in the vampires, monsters, ghouls sense of the word. Considering though that Piccirilli has said in interviews that he finds more true horror in real life, this novel has tons. The protagonist, Tommy Pic, wakes up in a mental hospital. Pic is a screenwriter with some success but not much. He also is haunted by the ghosts of his father, a girl who went missing when he was ten and a Komodo dragon. While Pic seems to be barely holding it together, he is also an old hat when it comes to dealing with a mental hospital. Waking up inside of one is not a new thing. At least not since after failing in Los Angeles and moving back home to live in his mom's basement. The story then follows Pic as he determines which ghosts to exorcise and which to accept. Initially I was a bit disappointed with the book. The story seemed disjointed and scattered. There were pieces to the story that I wasn't understanding and didn't seem to fit. However, the second half of the book aligned those disjointed pieces together until I realized that they were never quite as disconnected as I thought. It was more like real life in that there was no gun fights or car chases or other hard edges. Instead relationships reached a plateau before changing. Lives evolved in steps, not jumps. And offbeat storylines matched life where not everything makes sense. I should also point out the obvious that the book seems semi-autobiographical at times. Tommy Pic the character vs. Tom Piccirilli the author. Both are writers. However, that is pretty much it. According to IMDB, Piccirilli hasn't reach the same level of quasi-fame that the character has. And while the two might have similar ghosts to exorcise, that's what a writer always does: puts part of himself into the story. The naming did make it a tad more difficult to get connected at the start of the novel. While I do believe that new readers should start with something else by Piccirilli, regular readers or fans shouldn't miss this one.

When the Wind Blows by James Patterson

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• Published 1998 (hardcover edition)
• Finished reading it on December 28, 2002
• This novel wasn't quite what I expected it to be. I've only read one other novel by Patterson, KISS THE GIRLS, and it was a pretty straightforward murder mystery type novel. Nothing too fantastic or amazing. This one wasn't. The story follows Kit Harrison, an FBI agent allegedly on vacation but really working on a case which he was kicked off; Frances O'Neill, a veterinarian in a small remote-ish village in Colorado, and Max, a flying girl. Yes, a flying girl. Aside from the fantastical beginning, the story follows a relatively simple model that has been seen many times before: man and woman start out opposing each other, they start working for a common goal of fighting an evil organization, man and woman fall in love while simultaneously rescuing those kept down by the ones in power. Nothing really new except for the flying girl which for the first 50 pages I kept waiting for her to turn into a dream. It was kind of disconcerting from my expectations. Once I got past that though the rest of the book was an enjoyable read. Again, nothing too new and innovative but still a good read.

When Darkness Loves Us by Elizabeth Engstrom

• Purchase it here
• Published December 2019 (Valancourt Books audiobook edition)
• Finished reading it on September 2, 2024
• unreviewed

When the Wind Blows by John Saul

• Purchase it here
• Published August 1981 (Dell paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on July 1, 1984
• unreviewed

Where the Devil Waits by Wesley Southard and Mark Steensland

• Purchase it here
• Published May 2021 (Cemetery Gates Media ebook edition)
• Finished reading it on October 13, 2023
• unreviewed

Whipping Boy by John Byrne

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• Published January 1992 (Dell paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on January 15, 1995
• unreviewed

Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath

• Purchase it here
• Published February 2013 (Amazon Digital Services ebook edition)
• Finished reading it on January 25, 2019
• Book 1 of Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series
  I kind of went all-in on Konrath before really reading anything beyond his short stories. While I currently have fourteen of his novels already purchased and on my To Be Read list, this is really the first one I read. Yes, technically I did read AFRAID but he wrote that as Jack Kilborn, his not-so-secret pen name. Kilborn is supposed to author the scarier novels while Konrath writes everything else. Or at least that's how I understand it. Anyway, WHISKEY SOUR is a great start to what is obviously a fun yet at-times gruesome series. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels is a Chicago police detective with a limited personal life and a serious bout of insomnia. She's dedicated to her job and not just because she has been assigned a major case on "The Gingerbread Man" killer. And while her partner, the F.B.I., and others are trying to help, Jack won't be able to rest until the case is solved. After reading this book, I understand why Konrath and Jeff Strand are so often compared and grouped together. Humor is used extensively through the book to lighten some of the graphic and intense scenes. I've seen multiple reviews talking about how funny the book is; while I enjoyed the humor, it wasn't THAT funny. Which is also fine. I really enjoyed the mystery and suspense and graphic nature of the book. To be honest, the death scenes will stick with me longer than the bad but funny puns. I did find myself wishing that Konrath hadn't made the F.B.I. so inept. They are there to add some humor but not too much more. Hopefully the same agents will be present in future books but will be accurate in their profile. Or at least helpful instead of window dressing. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the Jack Daniels series.

A Whisper of Southern Lights by Tim Lebbon

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• Published 2008 (Necessary Evil Press paperback signed, numbered and limited to 450 copies edition)
• Finished reading it on May 10, 2011
• unreviewed

Whispers by Dean R. Koontz

• Purchase it here
• Published April 1981 (Berkley Books paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on April 30, 1984
• unreviewed

White and Other Tales of Ruin by Tim Lebbon

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• Published December 2002 (Night Shade Books paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on May 16, 2007
• This book is a collection of six novellas, all by Lebbon. The stories are each centered around the disintegration of society and the sources of hope which people find. "White" and "From Bad Flesh" both exist in the same continuity, a world where the devastation is called the Ruin. Hence the title of the book. All of the stories are excellent, extremely well told. The chaos and horror of "Hell" and "Mannequin Man and the Plastic Bitch" was a bit much and could be considered overdone, but at the same time Clive Barker has described worse. I think they stand out because the other stories aren't quite as severe. If all the stories had been equally intense, I wouldn't have noticed.

  "White" - A group of people are stuck in a house by never-ending snow and something out in the snow.

  "From Bad Flesh" - A man hunts for a cure to a deadly virus while trying to keep his morality.

  "Hell" - While trying to escape his feelings and depression over losing his daughter, a father finds his daughter.

  "The First Law" - Five survivors of a boat crash land on an island that epitomizes Darwin's law.

  "The Origin of Truth" - A family tries to escape the end of the world but discovers the knowledge of humanity.

  "Mannequin Man and the Plastic Bitch" - Two artificial beings seek out love.

White House Horrors edited by Martin H. Greenberg

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• 16 short stories by such authors as Max Allan Collins, Edward Lee, Peter Crowther, Tom Piccirilli and Robert Randisi
• Published August 2004 (iBooks paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on January 19, 2006
• I was kind of disappointed by this collection of short stories. None of them were that scary nor overly interesting. I think that had more to do with many of the stories being historical in nature. They weren't history stories but ghost stories focused on historical characters, like President Harry S. Truman or President William Henry Harrison. I've never been big on history though and these stories were close enough to disinterest me from really enjoying them. I was still able to find some favorites but this isn't a book that I would highly recommend.

  "Healing The Body Politic" by Brian Hodge - The President is ready to sacrifice himself for the good of the nation.

  "Scandal" by Jill M. Morgan - A reporter for a Washington D.C. rag finds a super big story.

  "The President's Mind" by Robert J. Randisi - Zombies, voodoo and a precursor to super spy James Bond. All wrapped up with President Lincoln.

  "Jack Be Quick" by Graham Masterton - More zombies. This time involving President Kennedy. I wonder if it means anything that the only historical stories that I liked both involved zombies.

Widow by Rob Bliss

• Purchase it here
• Published November 2019 (Necro Publications ebook edition)
• Finished reading it on June 7, 2020
• I was happy to win a copy of this eBook in a drawing by Necro Publications. As such, I really wanted to like it. Necro Publications puts out good books and as a sign of my appreciation for winning in the drawing, I wanted to help promote a good book by them. Unfortunately I can't do that with this book. The story: after Joan's husband dies, she has to move with her son Joey to a house they can afford. They find themselves being attacked in the house by a giant pig so they run away and find a new house. Where they again are attacked and again move. Repeat that one more time until they find someone who can help them stop moving. I could probably try better to sell the book but I couldn't really find a story. There are the events that happen to some decent enough characters but the story was more of a rambling. I did not see any purpose except to run and survive. I wasn't really involved enough in their lives to care if they lived or not. Decisions were being made that didn't make much sense. And events happened that didn't make much sense. At one point military men arrive in helicopters at Joan's house for no real reason. She chases them away with a rifle but we never see the military men again. It made no sense to me why they were even in the story. The book did a kind of backwards retelling of The Three Little Pigs. Rather than a wolf destroying a house of straw, then wood, then brick, WIDOW gives us a pig that destroys a house of brick, then wood, then straw. A wolf even makes an appearance near the end of the book. I'm not sure if that was the point of the story or it was just an Easter Egg to discover. I thought at one point there was an understory about humanity being too civilized and that has led to its downfall, people are better away and by themselves. If that was the case, I couldn't find enough evidence in that understory, plus the ending does not ring true since Joan only survives because she got help from someone else. By the end of the book, I still didn't really care about the characters and was mostly trying to satisfy my curiosity about how the book would end.

Widow's Point by Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar

• Purchase it here
• Published February 2018 (Cemetery Dance Publications ebook edition)
• Finished reading it on December 15, 2024
• unreviewed

Wielding a Red Sword by Piers Anthony

• Purchase it here
• Published December 1987 (Del Rey paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on June 30, 1990
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (01): I edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published December 1986 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on December 15, 1989
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (02): II: Aces High edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published April 1987 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on April 15, 1990
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (03): III: Jokers Wild edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published October 1987 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on October 15, 1990
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (04): IV: Aces Abroad edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published February 1988 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on February 15, 1991
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (05): V: Down and Dirty edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published November 1988 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on November 15, 1991
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (06): VI: Ace in the Hole edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published January 1989 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on January 15, 1992
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (07): VII: Dead Man's Hand edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published July 1990 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on July 15, 1993
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (08): VIII: One-Eyed Jacks edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published January 1991 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on January 15, 1994
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (09): IX: Jokertown Shuffle edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published September 1991 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on September 15, 1994
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (10): X: Double Solitaire edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published April 1992 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on April 15, 1995
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (11): XI: Dealer's Choice edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published October 1992 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on July 15, 1995
• unreviewed

Wild Cards (12): XII: Turn of the Cards by Victor Milan and George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published January 1993 (Bantam paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on October 15, 1995
• unreviewed

Wild Cards - Book 1 of a New Cycle: Card Sharks edited by George R. R. Martin

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• Published March 1993 (paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on November 13, 1995
• This is actually the first book at a new publisher; there was another 12 novels released by another publisher. This is a pretty good Wild Cards novel. Just in case you've never read a Wild Cards novel, they are science fiction based on the earth where a virus was released back in the '50s. This virus killed 90% of the people infected, 9% of the people got a Joker (deformity with or without some sort of super-power) and 1% got an Ace (a super-power of some sort). This novel focuses on a search for a conspiracy against Jokers, a group that wants to eliminate all Jokers. Rather than several stories that are loosely or not related, this novel follows the recent pattern of a single plot tied together by several inter-related short stories. The novel includes several of my favorite characters: Croyd "Sleeper" Crenson and Jay "Poppinjay" Ackroyd. Several new characters are also introduced and add to the universe nicely. Of course, the story makes more sense by knowing some of the background from the previous novels, but they are not necessary. Especially with the ending which left me saying "Oh fuck" to myself.

Wild Cards - Book 2 of a New Cycle: Marked Cards edited by George R. R. Martin

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• Published March 1994 (paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on August 17, 1996
• For a description of the Wild Cards world, please see the start of the review for Book 1. This continues the world and focuses on the conspiracy that was uncovered in the last novel. It touches on many of the effects to individuals when Gregg Hartmann goes public with the information. It is very enjoyable and thought provoking. It's amazing that so much happens in a little more than 400 pages. I also liked how we were able to see the effects of a course of action, meaning that Hartmann would go to the newspapers and the story following that would follow from the events sparked by the newspapers. Pretty nicely done. Favorite parts included finding out more about Bagabond, now Suzanne Menotti; the reappearance, although short, of the jumpers; and the changes to Dr. Finn's life. Plus the entire Feeding Frenzy chapter is awesome!!

Wild Cards - Book 3 of a New Cycle: Black Trump edited by George R. R. Martin

• Purchase it here
• Published August 1995 (paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on July 15, 1999
• Rather than repeat a description of the Wild Cards world, please see the start of the review for Book 1. This novel is the next and final chapter in the Wild Cards series. I'm not sure exactly why it is that it is not continuing but my best guess would have to be a lack of interest, thus a lack of sales. While entertaining and fun, this novel doesn't do as well as others. The focus is a synthesized drug which will kill anyone and everyone infected with the Wild Card virus; it's a purist's method of removing the hated group. Although a perfect method for numerous comparisons to real-life hate crimes, there wasn't as much thinking necessary in this book since it turned out to be mostly action filled. A disappointment really. Then the worst part is at the end when the city of Jerusalem is infected, people are dying and then a vaccine is introduced and suddenly everyone no longer has to worry about the virus. Excuse me, I may not be a doctor but if you are infected with a virus that completely changes your DNA and guarantees to kill you and then you are infected with a lesser strain that does the same thing, it won't matter. You will die anyway! To top it off, they could have avoided this nonsense completely by having a radical group nuke the city to prevent further infection, which they had already planned to do but stopped once they found out that a vaccine was being circulated to the already infected city. In the past, the series had no problem killing large groups of people to fit the story (hell, the wild card virus kills 90% of the people it infects) and no they wimped out in order to save the city. And it was in the final chapter when it wouldn't have made a difference except to the reality that they were trying to keep. If you've read the previous novels, go ahead and read this one also; otherwise don't bother.

The Wildman by Rick Hautala

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• Published October 2012 (Full Moon Press hardcover signed, numbered and limited to 500 copies edition)
• Finished reading it on January 7, 2014
• For some reason I started this novel thinking it was going to be about some crazy hermit-type guy running around the mountains and tormenting a group of people. I have no idea why I thought that but I was very definitely wrong. Instead the novel is about a group of friends trying to relive the past and realizing it is not that easy. Jeff Cameron is living a pretty normal if semi-problematic life when he is invited by a childhood friend to a reunion party of sorts. After thirty-five years, Jeff and some friends from the same tent are going back to visit the island that was home to their summer camp. Not all the memories are good ones though; when they were kids one of their friends drowned at the island. Now the five of them are reunited on the island. A reunion that brings up more than just memories. On the surface, the story is pretty straight forward and semi-common: a bunch of friends are isolated in a remote location and become hunted by someone or something. Underneath that though is a lot more. The true story is about friendships: good, bad and old. It is about memories, distorted and real and how they can affect your life in the present. And it is about death and rebirth, finding that strength to not just carry on but to prevail. However, if you want to simply read the book and thrill in the suspense of what happens, you can do that too. It is not a long book so you'll likely zip through it faster than you expect. Either way there's a lot to experience and enjoy in this concise book.

A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons

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• Published January 2003 (HarperTorch paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on December 21, 2003
• In case you weren't aware of it, this book is a sequel to Simmons' SUMMER OF NIGHT. While not as scary, this novel is not one to be missed. The story picks up forty-one years later as Dale Stewart moves back into town, trying to find peace and remember the events of that summer in 1960. Do we the readers have to have read the previous book before reading this one? No, but it does help, not that I'm a good example since I don't remember many of the details from the first book. Anyway, the characterizations here are rich and wonderful. And rather than an avert, in-your-face kind of horror this book slowly unveils the creepy things and scares you in subtle ways. Considering that portions of the story are told by the ghost of Duane McBride, the scares would have to sneak up on you. Oh, I also absolutely love the last chapter of the book. It was a fabulous way to end the novel and complete the circle of the two books.

Winter Moon by Dean R. Koontz

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• Published February 1994 (paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on August 9, 1996
• This is one of the better Koontz books that I've read in a long time. Lately, most of his novels that I've read have followed a definite pattern: woman in peril, guy assists, woman finds inner strength and proves to be stronger than guy, all the while they work together against a corrupt corporation/government agency. Happily the only part of the pattern that carried over was a strong female character. Thus all potential of predicting and second guessing the story was useless. Rather than being entertaining and bland, it turned out to be quite suspenseful. The last hundred or so pages had me jumping at every sound. This is classic Koontz and well worth it.

With A Tangled Skein by Piers Anthony

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• Published October 1986 (Del Rey paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on April 30, 1989
• unreviewed

Wither by J. G. Passarella

• Purchase it here
• Published March 2000 (paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on November 11, 2001
• While not one of the best books that I've read, WITHER was still on the good side. It's a enjoyable read. The story focuses on the events occurring in the small town of Windale, Massachusetts. Three witches are being reincarnated and are wrecking havoc in the process. The story was good and most of the characters were portrayed in enough depth as to be believable. However there were a few things that I didn't like. The story jumped around in time at a few spots; one of the main characters was in class in the middle of the day, it then jumps to someone else at night (no problem yet), and then it jumps back to the first character just getting out of class (problem now). Start Spoiler Warning The other thing was with that you find out the witches come out of this hibernation state once every hundred years and that they need a new body every five hundred years, but why? No valid reason is ever given. It's just a convenient plot device that rings as being unauthentic.End Spoiler Warning Despite those two problems though, I found the book enjoyable and fun. It's probably more appropriate as a movie though and not as a book. Curiously the copy that I have says that it will soon be a "major motion picture from Columbia Pictures" but searches on Internet Movie Database come up blank.

Wither's Legacy by John Passarella

• Purchase it here
• Published October 2004 (Pocket paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on April 8, 2008
• And finally we come to the last of the Wendy Ward novels. At least for now. Not that I'm really wishing for the end of her story. In fact, each book gets better than the last so I actually look forward to Passarella's next one. However I'm hoping that his next book is on new material and not a continuation of Wendy's life. The story this time is still centered around Wither but this time the focus is on the curse she made as she was dying. The curse was to get revenge against Wendy and was answered by a Wendigo. There is the usual cast of characters from the previous novels and Wendy is dealing with the events from the last book, but things unfold as you would expect them. Passarella has created his pattern and the good story that results from it. The book is still one that I would recommend as one of the better books out there. As I mentioned at the start of the paragraph though, I look forward to his next venture reaching outside of Wendy Ward's life.

Wither's Rain by John Passarella

• Purchase it here
• Published February 2003 (Pocket Star paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on April 3, 2008
• This sequel to WITHER surpasses the original by being a better and stronger book. The things that annoyed me with the first are not here. Plus the story seems to have come out of Passarella's head in a much cleaner style. After a brief start on the same night as Wither's death, the bulk of the novel picks up seven months later. The witch Wither has returned and is trying to create a new coven and get her revenge on Wendy Ward. Meanwhile Ward is getting help from a friend and learning more about her powers. There are a few times where events seem a tad too convenient but they are also quickly explained and make sense. As the climax of the novel builds and explodes there are many events which I did not see coming and for which I was glad. The novel didn't try following the normal trend and make an overly easy, happy ending. Overall, I found the novel enjoyable and would really recommend it to anyone who liked the first book. Others I would merely recommend it.

The Witnesses Are Gone by Joel Lane

• Purchase it here
• Published April 2009 (PS Publishing hardcover unjacketed, signed, and limited to 750 copies edition)
• Finished reading it on January 22, 2020
• I think that I might have liked this book more if I had read it all in one sitting. At sixty-four pages, that would be pretty easy to do. I was on the tail-end of a plane ride and got through forty or so pages when we landed. At that point, the mood and atmosphere of the book was disrupted. Losing the mood of the book probably cost it one star for the rating. Either way though, I wasn't a fan of the book. It was too surreal. The story follows Martin Swann during his search for films by little-known French director Jean Rien. Martin had bought a house and one of the boxes left behind had some videotapes. One of those videotapes had a disturbing film by Jean Rien, thereby sparking the interest by Martin. An interest which turns into a pursuit that ends up changing his life completely. For a pursuit that is the basis of the story and the catalyst for change in Martin's life, I did not understand nor believe it. The film as described in the story was very much an artsy French film in black and white with scenes that didn't make sense and people doing weird things for no known reasons. The type of film that I personally never liked. No big deal but as the reader, I needed to believe Martin's obsession with the film; I didn't. It seemed a side aspect of his life. Maybe it was an obsession since he thought he could control it while he couldn't control the other aspects of his life. At the same time, there was nothing stopping him from controlling the other aspects of his life. I don't know. It might just be that the whole book was too vague, too surreal for my tastes. Lane's collection THE LOST DISTRICT AND OTHER STORIES had some of the same aspects: beautifully written, very moody. In this case though, I needed a bit more injected into the story.

Wolf Hunt by Jeff Strand

• Purchase it here
• Published 2010 (Dark Regions Press signed, numbered and limited to 100 copies hardcover edition)
• Finished reading it on June 20, 2016
• unreviewed

The Wolf's Hour by Robert R. McCammon

• Purchase it here
• Published March 1989 (Pocket Books paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on March 1, 1992
• unreviewed

The Woods are Dark by Richard Laymon

• Purchase it here
• Published August 2008 (Cemetery Dance Publications restored and uncut hardcover edition)
• Finished reading it on June 1, 2010
• While not as complex as some of his latter books, THE WOODS ARE DARK is still an extremely strong novel with a rawness to it that makes for excellent reading. I found out afterwards that the edition I read was actually a reissue of Laymon's second horror novel. The only difference that makes is the previously mentioned rawness that permeates the novel. The action starts from the first page and comes at you fast and heavy. Three groups of people are attacked by the cannibalistic forest-dwelling family called the Krulls. For centuries, the local town has provided them waylaid travelers as food and breeding mates. The three groups (hikers, a vacationing family and a local) deal with the attacks differently and try to survive as best they can. This is where Laymon is his best. His characters are reduced to their base core, surviving on instincts and reverting to carnal and violent desires. The book is savage and violent and not something that portrays humans in their best light. But hey, maybe this is the best when you find yourself attacked by cannibalistic humanoid forest dwellers.

The World of Pooh by A.A. Milne

• Purchase it here
• Published October 2010 (Dutton Children's Books hardcover edition)
• Finished reading it on December 18, 2014
• I read this book as part of a nighttime reading to my eight year old daughter. On the one hand it was a good fit because each chapter was no longer than thirteen pages, a perfect length to read as part of bedtime. And then the characters are already well-known thanks to Disney. I will admit this that this aspect made it a bit challenging because I could never quite get the voices of the characters right when reading them aloud. I was only satisfied with my voice for Eyeore. And I think that I failed miserably on Pooh every time. Another thing that I liked was that Disney did a good job of translating the characters to the screen. The cartoons very much matched the book. In fact, several chapters seemed to be a directly converted into the cartoons. It made me feel good that the book was providing a high-quality source and giving me more than what could be found in the cartoons. Now, on the other hand, the book wasn't totally a great fit to be read aloud to a young-ish child. The stories were originally written in 1926 and 1928 and some of the descriptions use older terms. I had to redescribe items several times. Plus there were many moments of more mature humor that were totally lost on my daughter. Often the characters would misspell words (Owl spelled his name as WOL); something that is lost when read out loud and to a child who doesn't immediately recognize a misspelled word. Plus there were several times when important elements to a chapter were left unsaid. As an adult, I knew what was happening, but a child would not. For example, the final chapter where Christopher Robin is going away. My daughter just thought of that as Christopher Robin going to play elsewhere or with different friends or different toys. But as adults, we can read between the lines and realize that Christopher Robin is growing up and moving away from childhood and into adulthood and leaving his imagination behind in the process. A sad fact regardless but a hard truth to convey to someone who still lives in a world of imagination. Overall, I'm glad that I read the stories but I probably won't read them to my second daughter until she's a bit older than eight.

Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror edited by Samantha Kolesnik

• Purchase it here
• 14 short stories
• Published July 2020 (Grindhouse Press paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on August 7, 2023
• I'm not sure if it's me but I read two short story anthologies this year and I didn't really like either of them. I really wanted to like this one too. Kolesnik's TRUE CRIME is an amazing book that I enjoyed. I was hoping for something equally strong. However, when it came down to it, the stories here were mostly just there. Enjoyable but then forgettable. There was only one that I liked enough to consider a favorite and to list below. The others, well, I forgot more of them than I remembered.

  "The Cucuy of Cancun" by V. Castro - A demon living in Cancun enjoys her job but needs a change.

Writer of the Purple Rage by Joe R. Lansdale

• Purchase it here
• Published originally in 1997
• Finished reading it on December 22, 1999
• This is a fun collection of some of Lansdale's short stories. Actually it is a little more than just that since it includes a non-fiction article and a couple of stories that have not been reprinted in years. Additionally one of my favorite things was that there were some story notes included which provide details on how and when each of the stories were created. I enjoy reading about the behind-the-scenes stuff like this. If you are a Lansdale fan, then this collection is a must! And if not, then still give it a try. The stories are all fast reads and all quite entertaining. But for additional mini-reviews, see my favorites here:

  "Steppin' Out, Summer, '68" - I laughed out loud at the stupidity and bad luck befalling the three main characters

  "Bubba Ho-Tep" - Elvis Presley and J.F.K. fight a mummy and find life again

  "Man With Two Lives" - A man changes himself and becomes reborn without regrets

  "The Diaper or The Adventure of The Little Rounder" - A baby becomes a genius and then loses it, all within an afternoon

  "Incident On And Off A Mountain Road" - A simple car accident becomes more complex and then twisted

  "Godzilla's Twelve Step Program" - Godzilla tries to beat his city destroying addiction

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

• Purchase it here
• Published August 2022 (HarperAudio audiobook edition)
• Finished reading it on January 7, 2023
• Shorter review on this one than I would normally do. I was both pleasantly surprised and disappointed with this novel a couple times. First, the description sounded pretty cool. A different approach to the "Groundhog Day" effect of reliving the same day. Going backwards each day instead. However, after about halfway in, the story itself became a bit bland. It lost the edge to me. But then McAllister threw in a twist that I thought was great! A new suspect that I wouldn't have guessed. However, as I approached the end, I began to guess what was going to be the general ending and was once again disappointed. Now after saying the above, this is going to sound contradictory but I did like the book. It was well thought out and played well. And it played fair. There was even a deep moment at one point when the main character shared what was happening to her with someone else (that she was moving backwards through time) and asked what to do; his response was "the same thing as us moving forward through time, take each day as it comes." That struck me as a "woah" moment. Overall, my only real problem was the explanation of why it was happening. I didn't really need an explanation. It's happening; that's sufficient. Bill Murray didn't need a reason why; I didn't either. I would still recommend it.

The Wyrm by Stephen Laws

• Purchase it here
• Published April 2004 (Leisure Books paperback edition)
• Finished reading it on January 30, 2007
• The story for this book contains many of the typical and expected elements of so many horror novels. Small town. Ancient evil woken by modern man. Isolated protagonist who helps save the day. Nasty local recruited by evil force to prepare for the grand arrival. From that perspective, you could easily see and figure out where the story was going. However, it did not take away from any of the enjoyment of the story in my mind. In fact, I burned through reading this book in a can-barely-put-it-down state of mind. It might have been because the characters were easy to see and identify with. Or it might have been the fun of watching evil take over as you knew it would. Whatever it was, the result was the same: pure thrill of enjoyment. There was one point in the middle of the book as the characters discuss the evil and what a wyrm is that I got scared. They kept comparing it to a vampire and while there are similarities to a vampire, the two aren't the same. And even if Laws wanted to morph the legend into a more vampire creature, it wouldn't have fit the story. The mystique and intrigue provided by this creature would have belittled to just another vampire. Fortunately that did not happen and the story continued along its thrilling path.

Send comments or your opinions on these books to mike@kazba.com.

Last modified on December 17, 2023