News: AntipodeanSF #126

AntipodeanSF #126 is available for your perusal and enjoyment on the web.

This month's issue features ten fantastic pieces of fiction that won't take you hours to read -- but may involve you in a few hours of afterthought:

• The Two Of Us Are Dying by Mark Farrugia
• Manipulations by Kurt Kurchmeier
• Escape by Jillian Moffatt
• The Hanged Man by Richard Ridyard
• Living, Simply by Shaun A. Saunders
• The Home Team by Greg Wickenhofer
• The Dunny by John Craig
• The Lion, The Owl & The Cardinal by PS Cottier
• Burn Me by Adrian Gibb
• The Tale of Hakuin & The Mirror by James C. Clar

And while you're visiting AntiSF, why not take a look at Jan Napier's Going Critical where she sniffs suspiciously at snuff and rediscovers Jonathan Swift in Swiftly. Meanwhile, Nuke lets Richard Morgan break all the rules of fantasy and finds out that no matter what, The Steel Remains...

Antipodean SF can be found at the usual home on the web www.antisf.com

Source: "Nuke" - Editor, AntipodeanSF

News: Ballarat Ghost Tour

Eerie Tours have recently commenced a new Ballarat Ghost Tour.

For more information, visit www.eerietours.com.au

Source: Nathaniel Buchanan & Suzanne McRae

News: Terra Incognita Australian Speculative Fiction

The latest venture from Coeur de Lion publishing is Terra Incognita Australian Speculative Fiction, a monthly podcast featuring the best Australian speculative fiction read by the authors who created it. Each show is podcast no later than the 15th of the month.

The first edition features Paul Haines’ 2007 Ditmar winning novella "The Devil in Mr Pussy" and a review of Kim Westwood’s new book The Daughters of Moab.

Next month’s podcast will feature Adam Browne, Cat Sparks will read for the January podcast, and Robert Hood for February. You can listen online (and subscribe to the RSS) at http://www.tisf.com.au/ or download the podcast direct to your itunes library by clicking through on http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=297447334


Source: Coeur De Lion

Film Review: Onechanbara

Onechanbara [aka Chanbara Beauty] (Japan-2008; dir. Yôhei Fukuda)

Reviewed by Robert Hood

Onechanbara: The Movie is the sort of film that potentially raises many questions, not the least of which is "Why is that cute Japanese chick wearing a bikini, a feather boa and cowboy accessories when she's wandering a post-apocalyptic world killing infection-spreading zombies?"

However, it's also the sort of flick that quickly renders such questions irrelevant, because, you know, the answer is obvious. She's wearing such basically impractical gear because it looks cool and sexy. As we should know if we're educated cinema aficionados, looking cool and sexy is, in this sort of game-inspired filmic context, what it's all about. It allows for posturing.

Onechanbara gets stuck into classic head-busting zombie action straight away, then introduces in rapid succession the über-zombie that is bound to be big trouble, the sexy chick from a magical bloodline who slashes the walking dead with her sword's flaming blade, the attractive, morally compromised, embittered younger sister (wearing her school uniform) and the equally attractive, psychologically damaged woman with ample cleavage, leather trousers and coat. This latter wields a formidable shotgun that blows zombies apart with bloodsplattery aesthetic violence and never runs out of ammunition. Pretty well five minutes in, we've got all the essentials, can rest easy in knowing not to expect a Romeroesque metaphor-driven zombie apocalypse here, and so settle back to enjoy the deliberate dissonance created by the contrast between beauty in motion and gore-drenched zombie nastiness.

On the beauty side, the film's main focus, Eri Otoguro playing Aya the cowgirl, wields her katana and her physical attributes with an air of vague self-consciousness that only occasionally slips into awkwardness. She's no Aya Ueto (Azumi), Yumiko Shaku (The Princess Blade) or Michelle Yeoh -- having been chosen with more regard for cuteness and her ability to wear the gear than acting ability or martial art expertise -- but she's generally fine in a role where the SFX cover a multitude of sins. The rest of the time she does an impersonation of Clint Eastwood (albeit Clint Eastwood wearing a bikini, high-heeled boots and feather boa) -- unsmiling and grim, tormented by past tragedies and consumed by a desire for revenge. Naturally, she postures beautifully.

As I said above, posture is vital. Moments of physical stillness flow into sequences of exaggerated movement. Aya's blade sweeps through the air leaving a magical fire trail, slices zombie flesh and continues its trajectory as blood splatters the camera lens, then is held raised in samurai fashion, forming a momentary tableau like a defining frame from a graphic novel. Onechanbara has a live-action manga style to it, though in fact it is based on a series of video games. The video game background should be fairly obvious from the small group of characters, the linear plotline that moves from one fight sequence to another, the journey to the source of the Evil, and the final confrontation with the Big Bad (as Western cousin Buffy the Vampire Slayer would put it). But these characteristics are as common in action films, fantasy books and manga as they are in VGs, so there's really no point in quibbling over absent narrative complexities.

Not that I felt inclined to quibble while watching the film. It was fun. It was visually interesting. It had just enough of a dramatic undercurrent to keep the less viscerally stimulated part of my brain distracted while the rest of it hummed along to the visual music of zombies, hot chicks, supernatural swordplay, artistically splattered blood, frequent action, posture-driven angst and low-budget style. I got what I expected, plus, perhaps, a bit more. I was content.

News: Imagine a Better ABC – Call for Ideas and Suggestions

Well resourced - a sanctuary for quality, diversity and Australian content - a partner in the education revolution - a reliable source of news and current affairs. Make it real by sending a submission to the Federal Government Review.

The CPSU (Community and Public Sector Union) is seeking feedback from arts professionals and the wider community on the Government's inquiry into the future direction of ABC & SBS.

The Government is calling for ideas and suggestions on ways the ABC and SBS could be improved. High quality public broadcasting is important to all Australians and content creators; don't miss this opportunity for AHWA members to have a voice in shaping mainstream media.

Submissions can be made via the website.

Source: CPSU (Community and Public Sector Union)

News: Managing Legal Risks in a Digital Environment

The interactive media landscape is diverse and constantly evolving, so it is easy for businesses and practitioners to be a little hazy on legalities.

To make the grey areas a little more black and white AIMIA Victoria proudly presents a session on how to manage the legal risks relating to your digital media business practice.

The event includes presentations from Charles Power and Marilyn Awad from the legal firm Holding Redlich, who will explore topics such as managing human resources, user generated content, trade practices issues and defamation in cyberspace. Also speaking will be Simon O’Day from eServices, who will cover privacy and spam issues and also give the client’s perspective on the legal issues that companies face in the digital environment. Debra Allanson from ish Media, producer of Girl Friday, will share her insights on legal problems from the creator’s side and IP issues including digital rights management.

After the presentations, speakers will investigate a fictional case study, and provide an opportunity for questions from the floor.

The event is free, so please join AIMA for a glass of wine and to get your head around the legalities that affect your business practice.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Wednesday the 26th November
Cost: Free

Location:
Sensis Theatrette
Level 3, QV Centre
Cnr Swanston and Lonsdale St
Melbourne City

For detailed directions, or to Register via RSVP email (required), visit the website.

Source: Australian Interactive Media Association

News: 2009 Bluecat Screenplay Contest

The 2009 BLUECAT SCREENPLAY COMPETITION is now open for submission of feature length screenplays!

• Winner receives $10,000
• Four finalists receive $1500
• Every writer who submits to BlueCat receives a written script analysis of their screenplay

Entry fee $50

EARLY BIRD SCRIPT ANALYSIS:
EARLY DEADLINE: December 1, 2008

• Screenplays submitted by Dec 1 will receive their analysis by Jan 5

SUBMIT YOUR SCREENPLAY

REGISTER HERE: www.bluecatscreenplay.com/workshop

Source: Bluecat Screenplay Contest

NAMELESS 7. Stephen Dedman.

Where to look for innocence? Not in this part of town, surely, where even the youngest children were taught to steal as soon as they could walk, assuming they'd survived what was done to them before that.

Ignorance, yes; if ignorance was water, this place would have been a bottomless lake...though a murky one, shot through with blood and slime and poisons. If you think these people don't know right from wrong - then wrong one of them, and see what they do. Even the most stupid knew when they were hurting other people; having grown immune to guilt wasn't the same thing as innocence. Leah remembered what the Trashwife had told her, when she'd asked why she was living among all that garbage: "No-one around here makes anything but shit; no-one has anything to give or sell that they didn't steal, except themselves, and most times the only part of that that anyone's willing to pay for is a cunt or an asshole. Or a mouth, but mouths lie. But hell, it's the only game in town, and once you've been here, the stink lingers on you, it's not easy to find somewhere else to go where they won't know that stink for what it is."

Where, then? She tucked the stone back into her pocket and walked towards the towers of the city. She knew there were places where she might be admitted even though they knew her for what she'd been, places people could hide while they tried to let the impurities seep out of their bodies, if not their souls: some were filled with predators, and others would protect her even as they quietly condemned her... but they had waiting lists longer than she expected to live. She walked to the nearest hospital, knowing that she would not be turned away, but found no babies there: maternity and paediatrics, she was informed warily, were dealt with in other hospitals.

She began walking west towards the children's hospital, though she doubted she'd be allowed close to the infants, there or anywhere else: she wasn't good enough at lying to hide what she'd become.

A CAT bus - free transport around the city, including both the adult and children's hospitals - stopped nearby, and she scrambled on board, taking a seat behind a mother and child. The baby smiled at her, and she tried to smile back, wondering how she was supposed to wrap the stone in innocence, as the Trashwife had suggested.

Giving it to a living child, however young, seemed pointless; even if the child kept it, unaware of its meaning, the child would eventually grow up. A dead child, on the other hand...

Leah withdrew the stone from her pocket and held it up so the baby could see it.


(Stephen Dedman)

GUN CROWS 3

Nathan's family had been, literally, dirt poor when he was a boy. Sod-busters living on the Comanche Ranges they'd only ever had just enough food, only ever had the barest of bare essentials. Under a multiplicity of threats, they'd had neither guns nor bullets. But they'd had rocks. Rocks aplenty.

Nathan 'Barrage' Burrage had walked into town, straight up the middle of the street, and storm clouds had seemed to sweep in with him, appearing to pace him up Community's main thoroughfare. There was no thunder, there was no lightning up there, just black and grey cloud, hovering high above the solitary man in dirt farmer's clothing and a worn out old straw hat. He stopped in laceless boots about midway through the town. And, mighty peculiar, those storm clouds stopped with him. There he stood in a lake of shadow. Outside that shadow the afternoon was as sunny as ever, inside it was after six, up in those clouds it was somewhere past midnight. Those clouds moved, but it was a slow roiling, like a cat bunching its muscles, claws set, readying to spring. The clouds did not drift on, as if they were anchored by the man in the street far below.

All the Big C gunfighters really noticed was some hick, fool enough to stand in the street unheeled. Today of all days. And the peckerwood was staring up at the sky.

Five of the Big C crew slowly converged on Burrage from five different directions. They sauntered in, grinning like wolves watching dinner.

But 'Barrage' just kept looking up into those slow, dark clouds.

The guns stopped a good shooting distance away, every quick hand already on or poised over revolver butts. They'd done this before. Turn up to a Big C dust-up with no iron and you get riddled with too many holes to count.

"Hey, Johnnie Bumpkin," one jeered. "You lookin' fer rain, farmer, all you's gunna get is blood ta day."

And Nathan kept his eyes on the dark clouds.

One gunman muttered an aside to another. "He don't look like no Crow."

The other replied in a louder voice. "More like a scarecrow."

"And you know," said a third, "how we loves ta use crow scares fer target practice."

Low, mean laughter.

And the rural scarecrow kept his eyes on the dark clouds.

"He gunna have so many perforatins in him," said another, "they won't be able ta find his a-hole." Several of the gunmen thought this funny.

And Nathan stepped back a little, cocked his head, and continued looking up there.

The gun wolves surrounding him looked up in unison then, as well...

And five large pillars of rock hammered into the ground, a monolithic tombstone for each killer they drove into the earth.

No time to even yell, one of the five did get a reflex shot off, but it was smothered by the tons of rock that slammed into the quaking street.

The street and the dust settled. Five plinths of rock standing over thirty feet in height where five gunmen had stood seconds before.

It was said that mortal enemies of the Burrage family never had to be buried afterwards. This was a cryptic statement to those who had not seen any of the Burrage clan in action. Old man Burrage would say - "We ain't so much dirt poor as rock rich."

Nathan looked about at the rough circle of granite markers around him. He rotated his slightly cricked neck, walked between two of the larger rocks, and left the town.

The dark clouds went with him.

Afternoon sun fully restored to the town, the leader of the Big C plague eventually sent a dozen men on horseback out after the silent stranger.

They caught up with him a mile from the town.

But it hailed stones from a clear sky, and those men never came back.

Nor did they require burial.

Raw stone was all that marked their grave.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpyGspPiNm0

Review: Classic Tales of Horror Volumes 1 and 2

Classic tales are a god-send for smaller publishers. Most of the tales are royalty-free, enabling the publisher to compile a collection that costs them quite little (hence helping to start and expand the company for future projects). UK’s Bloody Books has taken this route with its ‘Classic Tales of Horror‘ series, of which there are currently two volumes.

What I loved most about these collections is that there are genuinely classic tales in here, many of which I have not read for some time. These tales have been latched on to by other forms of media and quite distorted (let’s face it, most of them are trashed), so it was great to see the story and hence its vision/version as it was originally produced. There are also rather obscure stories from well-known authors, which adds to the reading pleasure, because you are sharing in a good find. This is definitely a treasure-trove of classic horror.

I won’t review the stories, because as classics they’ve undergone enough dissection. But I will note that Volume 1 contains fifteen stories, including Poe’s good-old ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, Mary Shelley’s ‘Transformation’, Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Markheim’, Leonid Andreyev’s ‘Silence’, Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Withered Arm’, and Ambrose Bierce’s ‘The Man and the Snake’.

Volume 2 of the collection contains fourteen stories. Quite a few authors are repeated from the first volume, which is partly a downside (really, there are so many authors in the ‘classic’ range to choose from, there could have been more digging-in-the-crates). The works in this volume include Bram Stoker’s ‘The Judge’s House’, George Eliot’s ‘The Lifted Veil’, Sheridan Le Fanu’s ‘Schalken the Painter’, E Nesbit’s ‘Man-size in Marble’, H P Lovecraft’s ‘The Picture in the House’, and two of my favourites, Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The Body-Snatcher’ and W.W. Jacob’s ‘The Monkey’s Paw’.

The stories that are sourced are brilliant. However, what I did find lacking in these collections was the absence of additional notes, or any notes, for that matter, to accompany the stories. There are no editorials, no introductions, and so on. Since these stories are basically free to publish, what I would have loved to have seen was that the editors put in additional work to increase the collection’s depth. We know what’s happened to these ‘classic’ writers – why not bios, or interesting titbits from their lives, or perhaps stories about how the short fiction in the collection was conceived by the writers?

Nevertheless, these collections are a great read, and a perfect addition to the library of anyone who is getting into the horror genre, or who wants to brush up on their history. And you should be able to get both instalments at a nice price, which is always a good incentive.

Review: Read by Dawn volume 3

Bloody Books have grabbed my attention with two quality novel releases (Joseph D’Lacey’s ‘Meat’ and Bill Hussey’s ‘Through A Glass, Darkly’), the feat even more admirable since both these authors are first-time novelists. I was, therefore, excited to delve into the imprint’s other publishing avenue – collections, in particular ‘Read by Dawn 3’.

As the title suggests, the series is in its third year (initially kicked off by Ramsey Campbell). That is a great accomplishment for a horror collection, and my hat’s off in that respect.

However, ‘Read by Dawn 3’ just didn’t work for me. Don’t get me wrong, the majority of the stories are of a sound quality, and better than many collections out there, but they seem to be missing something – depth, or that special clincher, that ‘Ah!’ that leaves the story lingering on the mind.

Some works that did grab my attention were (to list a few):

‘Dead Frogs’ by Josh Reynolds is a quick, somewhat socially-relevant (in extremities) tale that sees a Department of Natural Resources worker follow a trail of dead animals to something rather nasty lurking in oily water.

‘What Will Happen When You Are Gone?’ by Jeffory Jacobson presents the ideal piece of property that is of course too good to be true. I enjoyed the use of a pet haven gone astray – the pace was tight and the mood dark, but I thought the story could have continued for longer to really leave an unsettling feeling (I wanted more spectral animals!).

‘In the Cinema Tree with Orbiting Hands’ by Kek-W is a bizarre look at a man who crawls into the bole of a tree to live and eventually die, with a brief glimmer of the strange fantasy-laden world he uncovers.

‘Windchimes’ by Paul Kane is a rather touching look at the pain of losing a child at an early age, and the resulting horror as to how different people cope with similar encounters in the future. This was perhaps my favourite piece in the collection, though I felt the ending was a little rushed.

Regardless, for readers just delving into what horror fiction can offer, I would thoroughly recommend this collection. However, for those who have read a little more, it is hard to get past the recurring themes that often seem quite stale these days. There is so much in this collection related to family drama and abuse – spousal abuse, child abuse, failed relationships and the inability to cope with rejection – that at times it feels like the writer is simply whinging, or glorifying such horrors without the final nail that makes the themes abhorrent in our society.

The collection’s editor is also the curator of the ‘Dead by Dawn’ movie festival, and part of me can’t help but think this has influenced the story selection. Many of the stories feel like they belong on the silver screen. You can see them happening. However, in terms of the story of the page, many lack the descriptive depth needed for such a transition – you see it happening, but your emotions are not swayed, and you don’t care.

That said, I think Bloody Books have put in a great effort to keep horror fiction alive and kicking, and I will read future volumes with interest.

Snapshot reviews

PROM NIGHT (2008)
A bunch of high school teens celebrating their prom are dispatched one-by-one by a crazed teacher in this suspense-less remake of the 1980s hit. A lack of mystery, bland repetitive deaths and clichéd characters make this more of a chore than it’s worth.
Rating: One star

APRIL FOOL’S DAY (2008)
Bored 20-something socialites find themselves the target of a revenge-driven killer when an April Fool’s Day prank goes wrong in this boring straight-to-DVD remake. With a derivate slasher plot, lack of chemistry between characters and another ``twist ending’’ this begs the question, why?
Rating: two stars

HOUSE OF THE DEAD: FUNNY VERSION (2008)
Uwe Boll reaches new lows by poking fun at his filmmaking record in his ``funny’’ cut of this woeful zombie game adaptation complete with poxy voice overs, b-roll footage and thought bubbles. Sadly, acknowledging a film is bad and throwing some wacky post production flashes to the footage doesn’t make it any better.
Rating: One star

IGOR (2008)
An assistant attempts to prove his worth as an evil scientist by creating a living monster in this family friendly animated flick. Despite the Burtonesque set design, this is really just a kid’s flick with some gothic dressing.
Rating: Two stars

XXX HOLIC (2007)
XXX Holic is a mediocre young adult series in which a mysterious Japanese shop keeper grants wishes to desperate customers at a terrible price. While the episodic horror elements work well, a heavy handed moral message and unrelenting childish quips suggest this series is unsure just which demographic it is trying to reach.
Rating: Two stars

HANCOCK (2008)
A jaded superhero is befriended by a publicist who gives him an image makeover in this problematic action film. While the story tries hard to reinvent the superhero myth, it ends up shooting itself in the foot with a series of complicated twists that detract from the story and play against character.
Rating: Two stars

THE EYE (2008)
Alba plays a cornea transplant patient who sees horrific visions of the future in this by-the-numbers US remake of the Pang brothers’ classic. The ghosts are creepy, and Alba shows she’s more than just a pretty face, but most horror fans will be able to unravel the mystery well before the mid-point of the film.
Rating: Three stars.

AFTER (2006, Madman)
A group of thrill seekers set out to explore the abandoned underground of Moscow’s more infamous historic ties only to uncover a supernatural presence that forces them to face their greatest fears in this low budget thrill fest. While the production value is low there are some good scares to be had by those prepared to stick with it. A young cast of unknowns does well with the material, creating an atmospheric Jacob’s Ladder style movie that blurs the line between reality and fantasy.
Rating: three stars

NAMELESS 6. Nathan Burrage.

Leah frowned at the rune-stone in her hand. It throbbed against her skin, a ripple in the surface tension of reality. How could such a thing possibly exist? And why couldn't she summon the cynicism to dismiss it? A needle slid beneath her imagination... long arms, like tentacles, grasped at her. Leah inhaled terror. Its icy roots threaded through her bowels.

She tore her gaze away and met the fierce compassion in the Trashwife's eyes. "You don't deserve this," Leah murmured. A knot of emotion drew tight at the back of her throat. The Trashwife had been the only one to catch her when she fell. Bringing this stone, this corruption, to her was the worst form of ingratitude.

"Answer me." The Trashwife took a step closer, her face filled with such desperate need it had become a pale, oval mirror to Leah's past.

"Infancy...I guess." Leah shrugged. "You can't corrupt something that doesn't comprehend the world."

"Exactly." The Trashwife sagged against a worn chair oozing pieces of upholstery. The intensity that had possessed her leached away. All that remained was an elderly woman, crooked from the burden of so many woes, her eyes red and watering. After tending to so many broken and wounded, it was inevitable the Trashwife would become a casualty. Perhaps that was the point.

"You must wrap the stone in innocence." The Trashwife dropped her voice. "It's the only way they can't find it. A counter-balance. Otherwise it's just a matter of time."

Leah pursed her lips. "I'll hide it somewhere, but that's it. This isn't my problem."

"Not your problem?" The Trashwife gave her a resigned smile as she moved to a bookshelf stacked with photo albums. Selecting the volume she wanted, the Trashwife flipped through pages filled with Polaroid snaps before removing one from its plastic sleeve. "Do you remember this?" She flicked the picture at Leah.

The photo landed upside down in Leah's cupped hands. Twisting it around, she saw a face, pale and drawn. Haunted eyes stared back. Lank hair, almost dissolved of colour and cut in a ragged line beneath her ears, framed Leah's misery. Her first day at the Trashwife's clinic. Well into the shakes. About a week after her family kicked her out for stealing from them yet again, unable to bear the pain of what she was becoming. Fiance, career, friends, all a distant memory by that point.

"Find purity." A note of kindness entered the Trashwife's voice. "If not for the rest of us, then for your own sake."

She was numb, dead to everything except for a single, lancing pain from a place deep within. A place that had never healed. The stone in her fist flared in response to her grief. Tendrils of mist coiled around her fingers and sent jolts of electricity down her forearm in a parody of life.

Leah strode out of the grimy, squalid sanctuary, all that had gone wrong in her life crouching on her palm.


(Nathan Burrage)

Review: Sensing Murder Book

The ‘Sensing Murder’ text (20 November 2008, Hodder Moa, Nicola McCloy ed.) is the companion piece to the New Zealand television show of the same name. For anyone who has not watched the show, it takes a team (usually two out of three) of psychics to a location in New Zealand in which they channel their skills to help solve cold cases. The first part of the text explains this procedure well, with information on the psychics and how they were selected, how the readings were conducted, how the crew work on the show, how police react to the resulting information, and so on, capped with ‘frequently asked questions’ that are so guided a five year-old could have asked them, eg. Why do you think Sensing Murder is so popular?

Forgive my scepticism. You see, I just can’t in to such shows because 1) it is a franchise, a spin-off from other countries with the exact same format, just set in New Zealand, and 2) I am a big fan of Spiritualism and I want to believe these people have the best intentions, but the spiritualism movement was ruined by shysters conducting false readings. Even the best psychics were known to have given false readings because it was demanded of them – I don’t believe for a second that someone can immediately nor always channel the spirit they are expected to, and that is what the people on this show do (channel the spirits every time, usually straight away, without fail).

But this is a review of the text, not a personal opinion on the topic. And the text is, for its part, very intriguing. Reading like a typical unsolved or ‘worst’ murders text that plagues the bookshelves, the psychic element gives a twist that others can’t. Ten cases from the television series are documented – each murder or crime is described, followed by the psychics’ attempt to draw out information on the case. There is then a ‘Behind the Scenes’ section on the making of each episode, followed by a section on the results of the information with the police or public, or a strange parting story to accompany the psychic’s work. It is especially interesting to see how some authorities act on the information gathered – either acting on it or disregarding it entirely.

Whether or not I believe the show is genuine, the text highlights some very strange moments as the psychics channel particular spirits. They are able to describe entire scenes that once unfolded, down to the smallest details, some of which were never recorded. They are able to pinpoint the location a body was found amongst overgrown scrub. They are able to identify killers’ identities and even note traits of the spirits’ family members that no police report would usually document. Truth or not, it makes for an interesting read.

Ultimately, details included in the text could possibly further help the admirable point of the television show – to have viewers and now readers that could know anything about the cold cases, no matter how trivial, to finally be prompted to step forward and help with closure. In New Zealand it seems there is no cold case unit, so such mysteries are unfortunately pushed to the bottom of a never-ending pile of paperwork. So if something like ‘Sensing Murder’ can help, so be it.

Book Review: The Keeper

Sarah Langan, 2006, Headline Book Publishing

Everyone in Bedford dreams about Susan Marley, beautiful, disturbed, and living in squalor; terrible dreams, in which the girl reigns down death and destruction upon the town. And when Susan dies suddenly, betrayed by life one final time, terrifying forces are unleashed upon the townsfolk...

I’ve previously raved about Sarah Langan’s 2007 Bram Stoker Award-winning novel, Virus (aka Missing in the US), and I’m going to rave now about Langan’s earlier, debut novel, The Keeper. This is quite simply as brilliant a horror novel as I’ve ever read. Langan is a talented all-rounder, handling plot and characters, tension and scares, with equal aplomb. Her horrors, more often than not, spring from the petty disappointments and dislikes of ordinary, everyday, depressingly recognisable folk, taking on voracious lives of their own as they feed the paranormal elements (and vice-versa) at the heart of the novel. There are no ‘safe’ characters, no happy resolutions – although, trust me, knowing that will in no way lessen the impact of this tale – and no real answers offered until the final few pages of the book, all of which makes for an horrifically bleak and disturbing read. I loved every word of The Keeper; consider me now an unashamed raving fan of Sarah Langan.

Oh, and one last thing:

Bedford, Maine – the setting for The Keeper – is a real town, located near the equally real parish of Corpus Christi, which was the setting for Langan’s Virus. Given that the city of Bangor – which fellow horror novelist Stephen King has based so many of his fictional townships upon – is also located in the state of Maine, I would just like to make it clear to one and all that, should fortune ever favour me with the opportunity to visit the United States of America, under no circumstances will I be going anywhere near that state. Far as I can see, terrible things happen in Maine...

GUN CROWS 2

The Battersbys came out fast through the bat's-wing saloon doors; one up, one down, simultaneously firing their sawn-off coach guns. Four and a half members of the Big C gang, caught a dozen feet away on the boardwalk by the twelve gauge hornet swarms, were blown into the dusty street like dry leaves in an autumn gale.

The other half of the fifth stricken gunman screamed for a little while and bled out on the pine boards.

Smiling at each other, Lyn and Lee broke their smoking twin-bores open and flipped out the hot empties, each one slipping two more shells into the other's shotgun. It was kinda cute.

They went back into the saloon/cathouse. A couple more drinks and they'd consider shouting another four rounds outside.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAy8YnKvHQ4&feature=related

NAMELESS 5. Lyn Battersby.

Leah passed her hand over her cramping stomach. "I don't doubt it. But what is it exactly? And why am I playing kiss chasey with Gumby over it?"

"It's The Junkie's Stone, possibly one of the two greatest runes ever created."

"Junkie's Stone." Leah thought about it, wondered why it was so familiar. "Oh, don't tell me you're about to get all Rowling on my arse."

The Trashwife searched through her pockets, pulled out a monocle and set it into her left eye socket. Picking a bowed copy of Encyclopaedia Britannica off the floor she opened it at random and began to read.

"The Philosopher's Stone emerged in the time-between-times, during the Golden Age lying between the death throes of the Dark Ages and the birth of the Renaissance. It was allied to the elixir of life and was said to aid the transmutation of ordinary materials into gold. It also promised wealth, spiritual renewal and increased longevity. Those who possessed it would enjoy the benefits of all that we as humans hold dear."

"Go on, enlighten me. What does it say about The Junkie's Stone?"

The Trashwife snapped the encyclopaedia shut and scowled down at Leah. "Stupid girl. Who wants to read about death, destruction, pain and torment? Certainly not the sort of imbeciles that buy into this crap." She threw the book on the ground and used it as extra height to reach for a shelf slightly beyond her normal reach. Her fingers scrabbled to gain purchase on a thin, vellum-bound tome.

"I rescued this from the pox-ridden fingers of an old Russian monk. Dreadful fellow, destined for no good. I wonder what came of him. No matter."

She moved the monocle to her right eye and flipped open the book. She flicked through the pages then held it out for Leah to see. "Is this your man?"

With a gasp Leah stepped back. "Yes. But how is this possible? He looks exactly the same."

"Who he is doesn't matter. What he wants, does. And what he wants is the rune of universal evil, The Junkie's Stone."

Leah picked up the darkened stone, rubbed it against her t-shirt and took a closer look at it.

"Why?"

"So he can enslave mankind. As gold and silver and platinum are but shades of The Philosopher's Stone, so smack and coke and heroin are but shades of The Junkie's Stone."

"But, it looks so, well, ordinary."

"See this induction point, the way it's filled with smoke? It's the crucible wherein the essences of the user's desires are distilled ready for ingestion. The six figures on the other side represent the six ages of man which can be enslaved."

"Six ages? I thought there were supposed to be seven ages of man?"

"So the question is: which age can you not enslave? And why?"


(Lyn Battersby)

News: Dymocks Southland Bestselling Horror Titles for October ‘08

Dymocks Southland is a general bookshop in Cheltenham, Victoria, boasting a fairly extensive range of genre stock. Below are listed the top 10 bestselling horror titles for September 2008.

1. Twilight Special Edition – Stephanie Meyer
2. Eclipse Special Edition (Twilight #3) – Stephanie Meyer
3. New Moon Special Edition (Twilight #2) – Stephanie Meyer
4. Full Moon Rising (Riley Jensen) – Keri Arthur
5. Tempting Evil (Riley Jensen) – Keri Arthur
6. Dangerous Games (Riley Jensen) – Keri Arthur
7. Black: Australian Dark Culture Issue #2 – ed. Angela Challis
8. The Zombie Survival Guide – Max Brooks
9. Beneath a Darkening Moon – Keri Arthur
10. Beneath a Rising Moon – Keri Arthur

Dymocks Southland also publishes a monthly SF, fantasy and horror newsletter – Dymensions - which can be subscribed to here.

Book Review: Dying to Live

Kim Paffenroth, 2006, Permuted Press

Before we get to the review, some observations on zombie fiction in general...

If you’re a regular visitor to HorrorScope, and a regular reader of my reviews, you may be aware that I’ve been reading a heck of a lot of zombie fiction lately; some drawn from the original Haitian roots, but the overwhelming bulk of it based upon the apocalyptic template laid out in George A. Romero’s ‘Dead’ movies. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Indeed, the Zombie Apocalypse tale has become a distinct and popular (not to mention lucrative) subgenre of the zombie tale.

Like the Alien Invasion SF tale, or the Epic Quest fantasy tale, the Zombie Apocalypse horror tale offers certain standard tropes that are easily recognised and appreciated by readers who enjoy that sort of story. Unfortunately, this relative strength of the ZA tale is also its greatest potential weakness. Allowing the standard tropes of the subgenre to dictate the plot of every ZA tale can render these tales boringly similar, and even the best ZA tales tend to be made up of a sequence of standard set pieces:

a) The dead arise en-masse and slaughter the living, causing human civilization to crumble.
b) An assortment of survivors band together in some moderately defensible location in an effort to keep the zombie menace at bay.
c) Tensions between the survivors rise and wane, as would occur in any closed community.
d) Our protagonists encounter rival groups of survivors, with whom they battle over resources.
e) As a result of the fighting, the zombies bust in and destroy most of the survivors.

As you might expect, the very best ZA tales rise above the same-old by introducing new ingredients to the standard mix, with the easiest and most effective ingredient being fresh characters. The further an author gets away from clichéd character ‘types’, the greater the effect upon the story.

The point I’m making here, in my usual long-winded way, is that a standard Zombie Apocalypse tale is by no means necessarily a poor Zombie Apocalypse tale; the final rating really does depend not only (and obviously) upon the quality of the actual writing, but also upon whether the author bothers to do anything original with the piece.

Take Dying to Live. In this tale our viewpoint protagonist, having survived the initial fall of civilisation, encounters a group of fellow survivors who have erected a barricaded base, and our protagonist is accepted into this community. Much of the remainder of the book follows the continuing development of the community and the personal tales of those within it, interspersed with expeditions into zombie territory. Towards the conclusion of the novel, one such foray goes horribly wrong as our survivors happen upon another survivor group, whose intentions are far from pleasant – but to say more about this would give away too much.

It all sounds extremely standard for a ZA story. However, author Kim Paffenroth raises this tale well above the ordinary by delivering a range of genuinely engaging characters I’ve not previously encountered. Our viewpoint protagonist, for example, is an academic; capable in firearm usage (as so many Americans are), but not an obvious ‘survivor type’. This immediately leads the novel off in refreshingly different directions; less action, more focus upon the human element and The Meaning of It All. Throw in a former-scientist-turned-religious-icon (yes, you read that right) with an almost purely philosophical interest in the zombie apocalypse; the Military Man who is unexpectedly generous, level-headed and competent; the Homemaker with anger issues; the Widower, existing solely for his child; the Teenager who reverts to savagery in order to survive; and then there are the Bad Guys - not the standard troublemakers who suddenly find the pickings of civilisation there for the taking, but truly monstrous folk who would behave no less hideously during Civilised Times. And the author uses each of these and other characters to comprehensively explore how and why human beings deal and develop.

My only major criticism of the novel is that, in having many of the major characters relate their survival experiences via dialogue, much of that information (and there is a great deal of it) comes across as rather bland, where it could have been made more exciting through flashbacks or first-person viewpoints. That aside, Dying to Live is an enjoyable, well-written and engaging piece of fiction. Zombie Apocalypse ’purists’ may find the relative lack of gory action annoying, but then, some people simply don’t like any changes to the formula. Definitely one of the better pieces of zombie fiction I’ve read recently.