BOOK REVIEW/ "The Cut" by C.J. Dotson

By Matt Spaulding

The Cut by C.J. Dotson is the story of Sadie Miles, who with her young daughter, is escaping an abusive relationship. Having no money and barely any opportunities, Sadie takes a job as a housekeeper for the historic L’Arpin Hotel. With having no current place to live, they also take a room in the hotel. The plot picks up speed the first night as Sadie realizes that strange and terrifying things happen at L’Arpin Hotel. Yet no one seems to notice, or do they?

I’m not going to bury the lead here, I have mixed feelings about this book. It begins very intriguing and intense. The mystery of L’Arpin starts in a way that pulled me in quickly and made me want to know more. Sadie starts out as a character I really was rooting for. Her background as a woman running from a situation that’s dangerous for her, her toddler and her unborn child, she’s someone relatable. Unfortunately she is someone that almost everyone knows in real life.

The problem I personally found as a reader was that Sadie quickly becomes unfairly unbearable (which I hate saying). The signature elements in her character development became repetitive. Some examples of this is that she distrusts everyone, she is overly sure everyone is hiding something from her, is lying and/or pretty much judging her. This is noted with most of her interactions throughout the book. I had to step out of this character that I was struggling to relate to in order to discover that everything noted is actually very true-to-life when it comes to some real people in similar situations. I lost that as I read, in the same way as loosing the forest for the trees.

Parents in horror stories are naturally insufferable. It’s a thought I had multiple times reading this book, and it made me think back on the horror genre in general that feature children. It makes the parents in the story less complex. They fall into the trope where they have just one goal. An understandable goal - to save their kid. True to the genre, it also makes them do some admittedly dumb stuff. In this book, Sadies does all sorts of things that aren’t well thought out, simply because she thinks that maybe something could put her child in danger. This happens before she even really has any concrete proof!

On a lighter note without my critique on kids in horror, the mystery of L’Arpin Hotel offers a pleasant source of fascination. First, Sadie sees someone drowning in a pool that isn’t really there. Then, there are mysterious creatures that appear (not a spoiler, I think it’s pretty obvious from the cove that this an interesting creature feature). To top it all off, the other staff at the hotel seem to surprisingly not know anything. Or rather, the staff seem to not want to acknowledge anything. This awkward mystery is really what carried most of the novel for me.

I’m left constantly considering the big reveal at the end of this book. A reveal that has lasted way past the last page. I’m still not entirely sure what the creatures are or where they even came from. There’s a hint of an explanation, but only just enough to keep me on the edge for more. I like how it teeters on the Lovecraftian “unknowable horror” thing, assuming so.

All in all, I found The Cut tense and mysterious in some places despite being tedious and repetitive in others.

BOOK REVIEW/ "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones

By Matt Spaulding

In his most recent novel, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones has crafted a chilling vampire story only he could tell. Set in the old west in the Blackfeet Nation, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a deeply American tale of Native American culture and pride, and its struggle to survive the encroachment of white settlers.

Jones has become one of my favorite horror authors in the last few years because of his ability to weave captivating narratives full of bone-chilling horror. And, Jones, a Blackfeet Native himself, also brings his culture into all of his work, which is a welcoming thing in the horror genre, which is, historically, painfully white. I’ve said a whole lot over the years that, as a straight, cis-het, white male, I know the story of people like me so well it’s boring. People like me is all I have ever seen in art and it’s so uninteresting to me at this point. Jones’ characters and their views of the world are so interesting and enriching and, dare I say, educational.

This is no less true in this book. Set mostly in the years between roughly 1862 and 1912 (with wrap-arounds at the beginning and end set in 2013), The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is the story of Good Stab, a Blackfeet who, in a tussle with white soldiers, encounters a vampire and ultimately becomes one himself. Good Stab, in the year 1912, comes to the church of Arthur Beaucarne, a Lutheran preacher Good Stab calls “Three Persons” after the Holy Trinity, to “confess” to him, to tell the story of his life. Through Good Stab, we get an incredible, beautifully written, often sad tale of a man desperate to maintain his identity despite what he has become.

Ultimately, that is what the story is about, identity. Good Stab wants to stay Blackfeet, Pikuni in his native language, but he also wants to try to save his people from settlers. We follow the story of Good Stab as he struggles not just with being a vampire, but with a world that is becoming more and more the property of white settlers and less the world of the Native People. Drawing attention to Native culture and its place in the modern world is something Jones has done so well in other novels of his like Mongrels and The Only Good Indians, but the historical nature of this novel really elevates it to another level.

In Good Stab and the vampire that created him, The Cat Man, Jones has also created a type of vampire entirely his own, introducing powers and weaknesses never before seen in vampire lore to great effect. He creates a whole new breed of monster, one that is incredibly cinematic and sparks the imagination. That’s really all I can say without giving it away.

As for Arthur Beaucarne, the second lead character, he is mostly uninteresting, that is until we learn why Good Stab has chosen to tell his story to this specific preacher. It’s an amazing twist. For most of the novel, Beaucarne is the vessel through which we experience Good Stab’s story and little else. Not that he’s a bad character, just a rather plain one. But when the twist comes, suddenly the entire story takes another turn. It’s pretty brilliant on Jone's’ part.

My only complaint with the novel, and it’s a small one, is that I reached a point where I felt like it was too long. The length of a book is a criticism I typically hate, be it to say “it’s too long” or “it’s too short.” But, unfortunately, I have to say it here. And it’s made worse because I honestly don’t know what I would take out of the story to change that. But, around 75% through, I started to feel myself going “I can’t believe there’s so much left.” I didn’t even not enjoy the final 25%. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it could have been a bit shorter. In the end, though, that didn’t change the fact that I found the book incredible.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a vampire story for the ages and deserves to sit up there with Dracula and Interview With The Vampire as a defining novel of the vampire genre.

BOOK REVIEW/ "The Haunting of Room 904"

By Matt Spaulding

The Haunting of Room 904 is a tale of generational trauma that is focused on one room in one hotel. It’s an interesting look at how the sins of the past still affect the world decades and decades later.

Olivia Becente is a paranormal investigator with a gift for seeing spirits, a gift that previously belonged to her sister, Naiche. But, a few years back, Naiche died by suicide in the notorious Room 904, a room in which deaths happen every five years. Always a woman. Always in 904. Whether that woman was checked into 904 or not. Spooky, right?

That’s what I was expecting when I went into this book. Unfortunately, I wasn’t greeted with as much horror as I felt I was promised. Though there are certainly horror elements like ghosts and cults and, of course, the curse of the titular room. But this is much less horrific than I was expecting. Instead, this is more of a mystery. What’s going on with the room? Why? How is it tied to the historical Sand Creek Massacre? Why is this random bitchy, vindictive journalist trying to take down our protagonist?

This isn’t to say that the story is bad. It’s just not at all what I was expecting. And maybe it’s because my horror sensibilities are so hardened, but I did find the spooky elements lacking. This may be for someone who is horror-curious rather than die-hards like myself.

I also, unfortunately, did not connect to any of these characters, so I found it hard to care what happened to them. This has nothing to do with the way they are written, I just found them all to be not to my taste. Which is a hard thing to write about now that I’m here trying to do it, because it’s not something concrete. I can just as easily see other people liking them a lot.

But that doesn’t mean Wurth is a bad writer. Indeed, her descriptions are vivid and her mystery was compelling. And, as a fan of horror, I’m a big fan of any writer that’s bringing diversity into the genre. Wurth includes Native American elements that I was super into. I’ve said many times in the past that, as a cis-het white male, I’m SO tired of stories about people exactly like me. I know that story inside and out. There are so many more stories out there that are worth telling, and Wurth is bringing that to the table.

Ultimately, Room 904 fell flat for me. It’s difficult for me to articulate exactly why it did, though, because everything that didn’t work for me is so subjective. As I said before, the horror wasn’t there for me. The characters were not interesting to me. But if you’re not a super horror fan but appreciate it fine, or if you’re horror-curious, then this book is a great launch pad.

BOOK REVIEW + INTERVIEW / Burn to Shine (A Joe Ledger & RTI Novel) by Jonathan Maberry

Matt and Jenny were joined again by one of Atomic Geekdom’s favorite authors Jonathan Maberry to discuss his March 4th, 2025 release of his 4th book to the Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International series - BURN TO SHINE (14th Ledger novel).

Join the conversation in the comments and on social media.

For a recap of our previous coverage of Cave 13 visit our AG Book Club post of the 3rd in the series: Cave 13.

For audio, please check out the Atomic Geekdom Podcast to listen in.

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Burn To Shine by Jonathan Maberry

Release Date: 03/04/2025

Published by St.Martin’s Press/ Macmillan

By Matt Spaulding

** POTIENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD FOR JOE LEDGER AND ROGUE TEAM INTERNATIONAL Series **

With the latest installment in the Joe Ledger series, Jonathan Maberry has once again crafted a tense, scary, action-packed tale that, this time, really makes the reader take a hard look at the state of the real world as well.

While new readers to Joe Ledger will be able to read, understand and appreciate this novel, it’s also the one in the series that most rewards people who have been with this series from the beginning, and even readers of Maberry’s other, non-Ledger novels including the Pine Deep trilogy that began Maberry’s career. Even I, a Maberry super fan, didn’t catch all the references to other works. It will be fun to reread this some day and try again to catch every little detail.

Detail is the word with Maberry as a writer, and his attention to everything really pays off in this book. The book is peppered with flashbacks to events that lead up to the main plot, but the flashbacks aren’t in chronological order. Maberry has expertly laid them out in a manner that reveals information that is only important to know right then, as it relates to what our characters are finding out in “real time” in the main plot, or to give the reader a hint at what’s next. This means that something that happened “six months ago” can be revealed before something that happened “two years ago” because it’s more important to “right now.” It’s incredibly smart and clever and really helps keep the mystery alive. Especially to someone like me, a “mark” who is not necessarily trying to figure things out in advance, happy to go where the story takes me as it unfolds.

At the heart of Maberry’s writing, though, are his characters. Nothing that unfolds in any of his books would be tense or exciting or scary without being deeply connected to his characters. And that’s especially true here. The title of the book, Burn to Shine, is a reference to an earlier novel, Code Zero, and relates to one of the most dangerous villains in the series, so I knew right from the jump there was plenty of reason to be worried about my favorite heroes. Not that there isn’t always in these books (Joe Ledger and Co. have been through some horrible things along the way), but knowing the origin of the title of the book added to that feeling of unease. And, through the character work on the villains in this story, Maberry builds that feeling of unease pretty much right to the very end. I honestly found myself, close to the end of the novel, wondering just how on Earth everyone was going to escape the various awful situations they all found themselves in, terrified that someone (or someones) wouldn’t escape.

Conspicuously mostly absent from this novel is Mr. Church, the enigmatic leader of Rogue Team International. Church typically has a prominent role in these books, but he takes somewhat of a backseat. However, right in the last few paragraphs something major happens with Church that will leave anyone who reads it ready for the next book, Red Empire, which Maberry has said is mostly about Church and his origin, to be here now instead of next year.

One other thing this novel does really well is address the all-too-real problems of misinformation, conspiracies and radical militia groups. There were parts of the book I found myself getting uncomfortable just from how real it all was. Though this novel is not explicitly political (none of Maberry’s works are), it does address problems that exist in the real world that affect everyone, regardless of their political leanings, that could, sadly, be construed as political. But, misinformation, something that really drives the plot, is something that can come from anywhere and affect anyone, and is undoubtedly being used in real life to nefarious ends, just like in the book.

Burn To Shine is a novel that will make longtime fans of the Joe Ledger books and the rest of Maberry’s works very happy. But it is also a book that can serve very well as a primer for anyone who may read it without ever having read a Jonathan Maberry novel before, and open doors for them they didn’t know were there.

Book Review: "I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom" By Jason Pargin

By Matt Spaulding

Abbot thinks he is picking up just another ride-share customer when he pulls into a quick-stop parking lot. Instead, he meets Ether, a mysterious woman who has a large, sealed black box she has been hired to transport clear across the country to Washington D.C. in just a few days in time for the Fourth of July. Soon, the two become the subject of multiple conspiracy theories and a cross-country chase.

I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom is the first definitive novel about the modern internet age. Pargin has crafted a narrative about all the issues facing our country today: isolation, mental health, radicalization and the rapid spread of misinformation. He perfectly captures the way that a small misunderstanding and a lack of information can balloon into insane conspiracy when fed through the internet hive mind.

One of the intriguing things in this novel is how the character we start the book with, Abbott, changes throughout. When we meet him, he’s riddled with anxiety and has lots of social issues and problems with his dad. We think he’s a lovable loser. But, the more we get to know him, the more we learn that might not be the case.

Conversely, when we meet Ether, we begin to think that she’s perhaps part of something shady. We aren’t sure at all what she’s about. But, ultimately, she ended up being the best character in the book, in my opinion. Through Ether, Pargin said a lot of things that I’ve known for a long time that I think too many people don’t know but need to hear. Despite a note from Pargin at the end of the novel about how everything in the book is fictional and tries to distance himself personally from the characters, Ether feels most like the character who is expressing his views. I have no way of knowing this, of course, but she’s so authentic it’s the feeling I walked away with.

Another major player is retired FBI agent Key, who can’t leave her job behind. She specialized in online radicalization and tracking terror threats, and the story of Ether and Abbot convinces her there is a major threat to national security. She’s pretty ridiculous, just as unable to accept actual evidence (or lack thereof) as anyone she’s studied on a message board. She’s an example of how even the best of folks can get roped into things under the right circumstances.

The story being told is gripping, mysterious, and hard to put down. And, though Pargin would deny it, it’s an important story, too. Some folks may argue that fiction can’t be important, but I disagree. The power of stories is strong. Fiction allows us to explore other points of view and ideas we may not have considered before. Because of that, I consider I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom to be one of the most important pieces of fiction of our time. Because, even though I can’t give it away, what’s inside the Black Box of Doom isn’t what anyone thinks it is. But what is in the box still has the power to wreck the world, and we all need to figure out how to stop it.

Movie Review/ "Speak No Evil"

By Anthony Caruso

Blumhouse’s 2024 remake of "Speak No Evil" is a chilling, inventive update that redefines the boundaries of psychological horror with its sharp, tension-filled screenplay and incredible performances. This remake is a testament to how a fresh take on a disturbing story can succeed by amplifying its core elements while delivering a new twist on the original's unsettling narrative.

The film’s screenplay, penned by James Watkins, masterfully builds tension from start to finish. The pacing is meticulously crafted, gradually escalating the sense of dread with every scene. The story’s uncomfortable humor is both unsettling and darkly comic, skillfully toeing the line between cringe-worthy and hilariously awkward. This balance adds layers to the narrative, making the horror feel all the more palpable and real as the viewer is drawn deeper into the disturbing events.

The performances in "Speak No Evil" are nothing short of stellar. The cast brings remarkable depth to their roles, transforming what could be a purely disturbing story into a deeply engaging psychological exploration. James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis in particular deliver portrayals that are both nuanced and intensely believable, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats as they watch the increasingly perilous situation unfold before them. The chemistry between the characters is both compelling and eerie, enhancing the film's tension and adding to its emotional impact.

While the third act of this remake doesn’t delve as darkly into despair as the original, it remains effective in its own right. The shift in tone aligns with the film’s unique take on the story, offering a resolution that fits the remake’s overall approach while still delivering a satisfying and unsettling conclusion. This decision to adapt rather than replicate is one of the film’s strengths, showcasing a creative vision that respects the original's lessons about listening to your internal warning instincts while making a distinct statement of its own. 

Bottom line? This remake is a must-watch and is better than it has any right to be. Blumhouse has delivered a film that is as thought-provoking as it is terrifying, ensuring that "Speak No Evil" will be remembered as a standout entry in the horror remake canon. (A feat that is all the more impressive when you take into account the crappy year that Blumhouse has been having up until this point!)

Movie Review/ The Front Room

By Anthony Caruso

When I saw the trailer for The Front Room, I thought it looked like a very self-aware horror-comedy that could be a lot of fun. After all, is there anyone on this planet, regardless of how well they get along with their in-laws, who can't relate to the "mother-in-law from hell" trope? So, I was immediately in after watching the trailer. And it helped that Brandy was set to star after being M.I.A. for years. Unfortunately, The Front Room was not the film that its trailers advertised. It's billed and marketed as a horror movie, but this is absolutely not a horror film. At best, it's a dark comedy. And one that amounts to nothing whatsoever at that! As such, I can see a lot of people getting pissed off with this one. 

On its surface, The Front Room is about Belinda, a newly pregnant woman whose life goes to hell when her elderly mother-in-law, Solange, moves in after her husband dies. Now, the trailers made it seem like Solange was after the baby, possessed by a demon posing as the holy spirit. If that was the case, this would have been a far more interesting and fun movie; not to mention a far more focused one. Unfortunately, at its core, this film is merely about a mother-in-law who is trying to make life as difficult for her stepson and his bride as possible, seemingly for no reason at all. Is it because Belinda is black and Solange is a proud daughter of the United States Confederacy? I think the movie tries to be about racism at times, but more often than not, it’s directionless and doesn't know what it's about. Yes, it appears to be about racism a lot of the time. But at times it's about the body horror that's associated with pregnancy. Other times it's about motherhood. And yet, at other times it's about religion. For much of the movie, it's about the loss of dignity that comes with aging (shown by a lot of scenes involving shit). That's the biggest flaw with this film, it's completely directionless and doesn't know what it wants to be about. As such, feels overstuffed with undercooked ideas, all of which amount to a boring third act that amounts to absolutely nothing. 

The film was not only written by Sam and Max Eggers but directed by them, too. To cinephiles the name "Eggers" will be associated with "Robert Eggers" of The Witch, The Northman, The Lighthouse, and the upcoming Nosferatu fame. I can only imagine his brothers got this gig based on nepotism alone. Direction-wise, they do nothing special and don't seem to have a unique style or even a coherent vision. Their screenplay is badly paced and gets progressively worse as it goes along. In their defense, this movie is based on Susan Hill's story of the same name, so I don't know if the source material is this bad or not. But given the fact that Hill wrote the incredibly scary "The Woman in Black", I find it hard to believe that's the case, and I have to believe that the Eggers brothers botched the material when adapting it for the screen. 

In terms of the cast, it's mainly three people: Brandy as Belinda, Kathryn Hunter as Solange, and Andrew Burnap as Norman, Belinda's husband and Solange's stepson. Burnap is nearly a non-entity in this film. Brandy does the best she can with the material she's given and, honestly, it was so nice to see her starring in a movie again that she could have completely phoned it in and I'd have been happy. It's Kathryn Hunter's transformative performance as Solange that steals the show, however. Not only does she completely disappear into the role, thanks to a phenomenal makeup job, but between her grating accent, her disgusting demeanor, her overbearing nature, and her racist double entendres, Hunter truly makes Solange a despicable character you want to see drop dead, even if, in the end, she's merely a woman and there's nothing supernatural going on whatsoever. 

I know it sounds like I hate this movie, but I truly don't. Granted, it's nothing special, and I don't know if I'd ever stop to watch it again unless literally nothing else was on television. But it's fun for what it is when you get past the fact that its trailers sold you a false bill of goods and that you're not getting a supernatural horror flick. Would I recommend rushing to theaters to see this one? Absolutely not - especially if you don't have A-List or you're not part of some other movie membership club. But on a rainy Sunday afternoon if you see it pop up on TBS and need something to watch, and there's nothing better on television, I think it's worth a viewing. As long as you temper your expectations accordingly, you might enjoy yourself! Especially since there are far worse movies than this one out there, and far worse movies that have been released this year alone!

Movie Review/ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

By Anthony Caruso

"The juice is loose!"

Given how successful the original "Beetlejuice" was, how much of a following it's garnered over the past three decades, and what a Halloween staple the film and the titular character have become, it's incredible to me that it's taken thirty-six years for a sequel to be made! But, we live in incredible times. Now here we are in the year 2024 and Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara have finally all returned for the first official follow-up to the beloved 1988 film. As an enormous fan of the original, my expectations for this movie couldn't have been higher, and I'm extraordinarily happy to report that not only were they met, they were exceeded. "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" was absolutely worth the wait! It's not only a worthy successor to the original film, but it's an amazingly fun film in its own right!

Let me get my one nitpick with this movie out of the way first: it is a busy movie. There is a lot going on here. There are so many subplots that it feels simultaneously overstuffed and undercooked. Given its under two-hour runtime, it's to be expected that not every subplot would feel properly serviced or needed. Indeed, given how fast this film flew by, I wish it had been longer so that every thread introduced here was given the attention it deserved. That said, all of these seemingly disparate threads coalesce beautifully into such a wonderful third-act finale that’s exciting, side-splittingly funny, and incredibly zany that I imagine many, like myself, will walk out of the film extremely forgiving of how stuffed it is.

It's clear that Tim Burton loved making this movie. It's the most Burton movie we've received from the unique filmmaker in years, and his dark humor and morbid sensibilities are on full display here, as is his abundance of creativity. Part of what makes this movie so great, and what makes it feel like such a natural follow-up to the original, is that the majority of effects, sets (which look as though they've been painstakingly recreated), and costumes are done practically when possible. This feels like a movie ripped right out of the eighties, and it's all the better for it! Burton also stayed true to the original film in terms of crafting this story. Picking up in real-time, every original character is exactly where you would expect them to be nearly forty years later. Even Adam and Barbara Maitland, who were so essential to the original movie but are missing here, are referenced and we're given an explanation as to what happened to the lovable ghosts. And, despite Jeffrey Jones not as Charles Deetz due to the actor's personal legal issues, the character is still essential to the plot, and his presence is felt throughout. Of course, the fact that Danny Elfman returns to score the film helps make it feel like a natural extension of the first movie as well. In fact, the man does something I didn't think possible, he makes the iconic "Beetlejuice" theme somehow more epic! The whole score, and the accompanying soundtrack, is a banger though, and it's one I'll be listening to on repeat for a while. The movie does for Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park" what "Beetlejuice" did for Harry Belafonte's "Banana Boat (Day-O)" in one of its best sequences!

Michael Keaton once again dons the black-and-white pinstriped suit as Betelgeuse, the lecherous demon, and he slips right back into the role without missing a beat. He's as disgusting, slick, and fast-talking as ever, and he has even more tricks up his sleeves this time. While some may say it's Batman, I have always argued that Betelgeuse is Keaton's definitive role, and this movie goes a long way to proving my point. The man was born to play the trickster demon, whose backstory we delve into here. And that story is appropriately gruesome. Going into the movie, I was afraid that Burton was going to make the demon more of an antihero this time around, but that's not the case. He's still, without a doubt, a bad guy, even if he can be manipulated into helping the cause of good. That goes a long way toward keeping him so fun and exciting to watch. In addition, Burton shows an incredible amount of self-restraint with the character. Given his enduring popularity, it would have been easy to have him in every scene of this film. But he's used as sparingly here as in the original, which makes him more effective whenever he does pop up. Like "Beetlejuice", "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" left me wanting more of the demon himself, which is the biggest compliment I can give the film.

Keaton's not the only returning cast member though! Winona Ryder is back as Lydia Deetz, who is still living with ample amounts of trauma following her encounter with Betelgeuse as a teenager. She's channeled that trauma into hosting a hit paranormal talk show, while also becoming a highly over-protective parent. Ryder is fantastic, and she gets far more to do with Keaton this time around. Suffice it to say, their repartee is easily the best part of the movie. It's Catherine O'Hara's Delia Deetz who very nearly steals the show though. O'Hara is a comedic treasure, and she absolutely chews the scenery throughout the film’s brisk runtime. It's wonderful we get so much of her this time around, including in the bureaucratic afterlife! I felt it impossible to tear my eyes from her whenever she was on screen, even when she was sharing it with Keaton's over-the-top demon. In the intervening years since the original movie, Delia has made a fortune via her weird, modernist art, and it's only made her more insufferable, which is a boon for audiences watching the movie! I will say, the relationship between Delia and Lydia is one of the most unexpected aspects of this film, and also one of the most heartwarming; the two have come a long way with their relationship since 1988!

The returning cast is joined by Jenna Ortega, who is perfectly cast as Lydia's daughter, Astrid. Justin Theroux plays Lydia's entertainment manager and love interest, Rory, who is just as slimy (in his own way) as the demon that's stalking her. And Willem Dafoe plays the dead B-List actor who’s become a detective in the afterlife, Wolf Jackson. Dafoe's character in particular is so damn fun, and feels inspired by the beloved Beetlejuice cartoon in particular. So does the final new character, Monica Bellucci's soul-sucking witch, Delores, who in life was Betelgeuse's wife. Bellucci has such a presence here! She’s gorgeous with her pale skin, black dress, and stapled body parts, which pull themselves together in a wonderful sequence set to The Bee Gees' "Tragedy", while her powers are demonstrated in a truly intimidating way. Unfortunately, it's her character who gets the short end of the stick in the movie. Indeed, her character and entire subplot could have been lifted out of here completely and the movie would barely have changed. I do wonder whether Burton should have done that and saved her to be the main focus of a potential third movie. Nevertheless, she's memorable with the little she is given to do here. And though he gets no dialogue, and I'm unsure of who plays him, I must shout out the character of Bob, one of Betelgeuse's shrunken-head employees who is sure to become a fan-favorite given his oddly adorable, silent demeanor, and his bigger-than-expected supporting role.

Is "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" as perfect as the iconic original? No, but it nearly is. I would rank it a smidge beneath that film, but only just. Regardless, I cannot wait to watch the two back-to-back for many years to come in what's sure to be a wonderfully fun double-feature. "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" is not just a legacy sequel done right, but one of the best legacy sequels in years. It leans hard into nostalgia and engages in just the right amount of fan service without overdoing it. At the same time, it carves out its own identity and is a wonderful stand-alone movie on its own. And though a sequel to the original movie, it pays a lot of respect to the animated cartoon and Broadway show as well, which fans of the entire franchise are sure to enjoy! Don't walk, but rush to see this film on the biggest screen possible. I guarantee you that there is no better way to kick off Spooky Season this year. I, for one, look forward to seeing it on the big screen at least one more time before we're able to summon it at home whenever we want by speaking the title aloud three times.

MOVIE REVIEW/ AfrAID

By Anthony Caruso

Wow! Blumhouse has had quite the streak this year! Three films released in 2024 - Night Swim, Imaginary, and now AfrAId - and all three have been complete duds. It's a shame considering the fact that Blumhouse used to be a huge powerhouse in the horror space. Now, however, when their company logo pops up, I always end up giving an involuntary shudder and expecting the worst. 

The basic premise of AfrAId is promising enough: a family is chosen to test a new smart home AI called AIA, which ends up become self-aware and dangerously begins to interfere with and manipulate their lives. While it's definitely not an “original” idea, it's normally a solid enough idea that it usually spawns entertaining films. Not AfrAId, however. Despite the kernels of an interesting story about the dangers of artificial intelligence that are buried within Chris Weitz's muddled screenplay, and despite some interesting setup, AfrAId never takes off or lives up to the promise of its premise's potential. Especially not when it comes to its story, its characters, or its direction. Indeed, Chris Weitz - who also directed this film - ends up delivering to audiences what amounts to a Lifetime Original Movie. He tries to nicely gift wrap the dangers of AI in a story about a struggling, if loving, family. Not only does it look cheap, as though it has the budget of a made-for-TV movie, but it's also just boring on top of being bad. There never appear to be any real stakes, nor do you care enough about the film's characters to actually give a damn about what happens to them!

The cast of this movie is trying their best, and is actually quite charming, but they're never quite able to elevate the material they're given. They are unable to deliver memorable enough performances where I could say that the acting was good at the very least. That's a shame, because avid filmgoers will know that this cast is comprised of very good actors! John Chu has really come into his own over the past few years, demonstrating that he's more than just a go-to for stoner comedies but is somebody that’s actually capable of delivering true dramatics. Katherine Waterston is underrated and undervalued in a lot of ways, mainly due to the material she's been given in recent years like the bland Harry Potter spinoff films, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Unfortunately, the two, who play husband and wife here, have next to zero chemistry, and their characters seem intent on making the dumbest decisions possible at every turn. Meanwhile, after a star-making leading man performance in Late Night With the Devil, it was absolutely jarring to see David Datsmalchian in such a one-note supporting role as one of the supposed creators of the villainous AI. Speaking of AIA, though, the strongest performer in this film is actually Havana Rose Liu who not only voices her to perfection, but plays Melody - the flirty and mysterious "advance employee" at the tech company that invented her.

Between the cast, which seems to be simultaneously bored with the material while trying their best, and Weitz's uninspired direction and a story, AfrAId is a movie that is made of a bunch of disparate, jarring components that never coalesces into a coherent or satisfying whole. It's also a movie that, at an extremely short eighty-four minutes including credits, feels far longer than it actually is. And while the ending is interesting, and will leave you with a squeamish feeling in the pit of your stomach due to its real world implications, it's not earned at any point over the course of the entire film leading up to it.

In a lot of ways, this was Blumhouse trying to remake their very successful film, "M3GAN", while discarding everything that made that movie work - including its iconic AI doll - and doubling down and expanding upon its flaws. And though "AfrAId" isn't the worst film of the year - it's no "Borderlands", "The Crow", "Madame Web", or even "Night Swim" - it comes pretty damn close to being it. There's nothing salvageable about this movie, and it's not even interesting or fun enough in a "so bad it's good" type of way; it's just bad and boring, which is an even worse sin. Even for fellow A-List members, I wouldn't recommend rushing to see this one, nor would I recommend watching this one when it hits streaming. It's just not worth your time, and is merely another swing and a miss for a once great horror production company.

BOOK REVIEW + INTERVIEW / The Dragon in Winter (A Kagen the Damned Novel) by Jonathan Maberry

Matt and Jenny were joined again by one of Atomic Geekdom’s favorite authors Jonathan Maberry to discuss his August 20th, 2024 release of his 3rd book and conclusion to the Kagen the Damn novels - The Dragon in Winter . Watch/Listen to our interview to get an inside look and some exciting news released!

Join the conversation in the comments and on social media.

For a recap of our previous coverage of Kagen the Damned visit our AG Book Club post of the second book in the series: BOOK REVIEW + INTERVIEW / Son of the Poison Rose by Jonathan Maberry.

For audio, please check out the Atomic Geekdom Podcast to listen in.

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The Dragon in Winter by Jonathan Maberry

Release Date: 08/20/2024

Published by St.Martin’s Press/ Macmillan

By Matt Spaulding

** POTIENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD FOR KAGEN THE DAMNED Series **

With The Dragon in Winter, Jonathan Maberry has delivered another action-packed, character-driven fantasy and an excellent finale to his Kagen The Damned trilogy. The novel presents the end to the story that began in Kagen The Damned while also opening up a whole universe of potential to see these characters again and explore the return of magic to their world.

Like with all of Maberry’s novel, The Dragon In Winter, despite being over five hundred pages long, moves along at a clip that fans of fantasy may find refreshing and those readers who are fantasy curious are sure to appreciate. This comes from Maberry’s ability to deliver vital information about characters as the action take place rather than stopping for slow info dumps.

In this novel, we find Kagen and his allies working frantically to find a way to battle the Witch King and his armies that will give them the same advantage of magic that the Witch King has. This sends Kagen off to gather armies as well as hunt down magical artifacts, his brothers Jeklan and Faulker to the far north to rescue a dragon, and brings Tuke and Filia into positions of leadership in the army being raised. Meanwhile, the Witch King is seeking to turn himself into a demigod and bring the great god Hastur into the world in a material form so that he may reign supreme for all time.

The novel also keeps us abreast of what is happening with other characters like Mother Frey, Ryssa, and the twins, all of whom have had smaller but important plot lines in this saga. But where, in another author’s hands, some of these stories and characters may feel superfluous, Maberry deftly weaves them all together in a way where each and every one is vital to the outcome of the overall story and you never feel like you’d rather be spending time with another character any time the focus is on any individual.

The other thing that is accomplished in this novel in surprising ways is the complete subversion of several things you thought you knew before. The history of the Silver Empire is not what it seemed, and neither are several characters. If you’re someone who is good at piecing clues together, it’s all there and maybe you’ll figure it out, but if you’re like me and go for the ride without much thought, there are some big surprises in store.

Ending a journey that spans multiple novels is always difficult, because readers get into their head how they think it should end or how it might end, so there’s a risk they will be dissatisfied with the actual end. But I found The Dragon In Winter to be a great example of wrapping up everything in an exciting, meaningful and satisfying way for not only the story, but the characters I have grown to know and enjoy spending time with.

BOOK REVIEW: Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen

Sacrificial Animals

By Kailee Pedersen

Published by: Macmillan Publishers

Publication date: August 20, 2024

“Sacrificial Animals” is a tale that sells itself as a horror novel based in Chinese mythology. And, to a certain extent, it is. With those elements entering into the novel late in the game (about 80% through) that it’s hard for me to say that is what this novel is about.

The story focuses on the Morrow family: patriarch Carlyle, eldest son Joshua and younger son Nick. They live on an expansive property called Stag’s Crossing. Carlyle is an angry, bitter, racist man who, after losing his wife and unborn child, starts abusing his sons emotionally and physically. Joshua, the favorite son, gets less of this treatment than Nick.

Eventually, Joshua meets and falls in love with a Chinese-American woman named Emilia and is then disowned by his father, leaving Nick to withstand his father’s moods alone. Nick also eventually leaves Stag’s Crossing and Carlyle behind for several decades. On his supposed death bed, Carlyle seeks to reconcile with his sons, who reluctantly return.

That’s the basic plot of the novel. It thrives more as a family drama about abuse than it as a horror novel. It takes the term “slow burn” to a whole new level. However, if that’s what you’re looking for, then this will be right up your alley.

Adding to the slow burn element is the format. Chapter alternate between “then” and “now”. One chapter will tell events that happened in the past. Followed by the chapters that tell what is happening in the present. Sometimes, though, I found myself forgetting if I was “then” or “now”, which led to a slightly confusing reading experience.

The language of this book is beautiful. Pedersen has a talent for rich, vivid, poetic description. Language lovers will relish in every bit of it. And while I do love rich and vivid descriptions and occasional jaunts into poetic prose, I often found the language too flowery. I longed for some modern, up-to-date, concise langue and storytelling rather than something that languished in the words. It probably could have helped speed up the pace of the novel, as well.

Throughout the novel, mostly in the “then” chapters, there are references to foxes and things that Nick and Carlyle have done both to kits and full grown adults (killed them, trapped them, that sort of thing). It all seems very metaphorical for most of the novel and I found myself wondering it’s intent until I hit that final part of the novel.

I wanted to like Sacrificial Animals. I’ve been seeking out horror that is written in different perspectives. I’m interested in horror that reflects cultures other than the one I’m most familiar with. I also don’t shy away from family drama. There’s a lot of potential for fantastic character work and development in a story like this. Unfortunately, this novel wasn’t able to hit that mark for me.

That said, like with all things, someone else may have a very different experience. As I mentioned earlier, if you are someone who really loves to sit with beautiful prose, then this may be a perfect fit for you. Making this book a great book club choice to expand on the conversation.

FOUR EYES REVIEW + INTERVIEW / "The Stardust Grail" by Yume Kitasei

Welcome back to another “Four Eyes” review. We take this moment to share 2 opinions on a single geek topic.

Below both Matt and Zahra will each dive into what they thought about Yume Kitasei’s new novel Stardust Grail. And check out Matt’s one-on-one with the author!

Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on social media using #foureyesreview

For audio, please check out the Atomic Geekdom Podcast to listen in.

INTEVIEW / The Stardust Grail - Yume Kitasei

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

Release Date: 06/11/2024

Published by St.Martin’s Press/ Macmillan (Flatiron Books)

FROM MATT SPAULDING

I won’t bury the lead: I haven’t had this much fun with sci-fi in a while.

When it comes to sci-fi, I mostly consume it via movies and TV. I’m a huge Star Trek fan and a Star Wars fan to a lesser extent. I love my sci-fi mixed with horror à la The X-Files and The Twilight Zone. I also get a kick out of Rick and Morty, Back to the Future, and a bunch of other sci-fi films and TV shows. But, when it comes to reading, my consumption of the genre is mostly limited to novels set in the world of Star Trek and the military/horror/sci-fi Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry.

Looking at my taste, however, it’s not surprising I enjoyed The Stardust Grail as much as I did. It’s not just a sci-fi novel. If I had to best describe this book, it’s Star Trek meets Star Wars meets the Indiana Jones franchise meets Ocean’s Eleven. This book has it all: action, adventure, space travel, alien species, and heists.

The story centers on Maya Hoshimoto, a young woman who group up on a human colony on a distant planet who was once the greatest thief in the galaxy. Maya has given up crime to move to Earth and study at university. But when her former partner, Auncle, a member of the alien species called the Frenro, shows up at Earth to enlist Maya’s help in getting back The Grail, a lost Frenro artifact that can save the species from extinction, Maya is pulled back in for one last job.

But wait! There’s more! The Frenro were once responsible for the building of the Intergalactic Web, a series of portals that makes space travel possible. Turns out, The Grail also helps them build those portals. And something is destroying the portals, threatening to cut humanity off from the rest of the galaxy. So, not only has Auncle asked Maya to help find The Grail, so has the Earth military, who want to keep the Grail themselves.

Besides the action and adventure, I really appreciated the depiction of Maya and Auncle’s friendship. The Frenro are one of the most alien extraterrestrial species I have seen depicted in a while. They aren’t humanoid. They have a very different society and culture than humans. One of the things I found interesting was the cross-species relationship, which was close and loving, but also difficult because of the differences.

The pace of the book is almost non-stop. Kitasei takes just the right amount of time to slow down for character moments to build the reader’s connection to the characters and their relationships to each other, but is quick to get back to the action. There are plenty of twists and surprises along the way as well, meaning the book never feels predictable.

While I am on the subject of twists and surprises, there is just one near the end that I didn’t like. It was a real “wait, what? Really?” moment. The good news is, it didn’t even put a dent in my overall enjoyment of the book. Neither did the very ending, which was very abrupt. I got to the last sentence and felt like there would be more, but there I was at the end. It threw me for a second.

I said it at the top of this review and I’ll repeat it here: this book is a blast. I didn’t want to put it down, even when I knew I had to get some sleep because I had to wake up early for work. Be sure to pick this one up when it comes out.

FROM ZAHRA HUSEIN:

A quest, cool space stuff, and a quirky FMC.

From Star Wars to Star Trek, space is truly one of the coolest unknowns. While The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei is one of the few original space books I’ve read, I love a compelling story in any genre and this is very much that - a compelling story. It reads like a love letter to space travel by creating a unique world with adventurers going forth into the unknown.

“People were willing to hurl themselves into the dark, chasing the desire to be somewhere else.”

This tale is told from the first person perspective of our FMC (Female Main Character) Maya. Maya is a thief turned student. But when a book that catalogs the adventures of the last known explorer to go after an important artifact shows up at her school archives, Maya's ready to take back her former role. This story isn’t about your average space quest. This is a heist involving a ragtag gang of adventurers.

Maya is the perfect character for the progressive Gen Z folks - her priorities include actively fighting xenophobia, rebelling against colonization, and returning artifacts to their origins. However, Maya has a strong moral compass and a weak sense of self preservation which can put her in sticky situations. Auncle is our token alien (a Frenro). Frenros are one of the oldest species, but at some point in time they lost the ability to reproduce and they're worried about becoming extinct. Auncle also happens to be Maya’s closest friend and confidant because they were a duo team of thieves. Wil is the “muscle”. She is stuck in a CNE (Coalition of the Nations of Earth) combat suit due to sustained injuries from a battle but she has left the CNE and taken the suit with her. She's somewhat morally gray as she’s driven by the money offered and this causes tension between her and Maya (who can be morally good to a fault). Med IX is a medical robot who has been jailbroken and can now add to and modify their programming. They spend much of their time searching for more emotions to add to their system. Wil is especially loyal to Med IX, they’re a package deal. Lastly, there is Liam who is more of an honorable mention. Liam is Maya's advisor at school. Maya and Liam are both huge anthropology nerds, but he's always been afraid of space travel so he's more of the book smart to her street smart.

Together these characters go on an intergalactic heist and bring the story to life. Their expedition is interwoven with commentary on academia, classism, and racism but it isn’t heavily bogged down by it. Instead those themes make it relatable and just realistic enough that you can understand the emotional drive without being kept from the escapism a good novel provides.

“The Jersey Shore’s all right, though they’re still dredging all the houses that washed out to sea.”

For a sci-fi book, the world building isn’t too heavy either. Kitasei includes statements throughout the book that continue to paint a bigger picture and for the most part it keeps the reader from questioning how different things work or why some things are a particular way. Rather than spending pages on exposition and describing how every little thing looks, the reader is more immersed in the world and is given context clues that provide insight. (But if you need a more thorough explanation of the various species, there’s an appendix for your convenience.) In addition to mentioning different things that indicate rising sea levels on Earth, there are different gender terms used for each of the alien species, and the author utilizes an intriguing concept of "nodes" to explain deep space travel.

“...the idea that we are as strange to the people we study as they are to us”

The varied gender terms were an extremely interesting part of the world building. It makes sense that other species would have different preferred gender terms. Some use “xe” and “xyr”, others use “ey” and “eir”, and one of the species even used the royal “we”. Likewise, Kitasei’s use of “nodes” was ingenious. Nodes allow people to travel over different distances of space almost like a portal. This method keeps the reader from wondering things about distance and time which are often distracting in stories set in space. Sometimes keeping things simple and easily explained is best.

The author seemed to attempt the same approach with keeping technology simple as well, but I fear she missed the mark on that one. With the way phones have progressed in our lifetimes alone, it's fascinating to consider what types of communication devices we'll be using in the future. In the beginning of the book Maya has a "camera ring" which she controlled with her earlobe and it could project who she's communicating with. She later gets a "box" that is also referred to as a "cube" ; it's described as a "cheaper projector you could order if you didn't have a projection ring". A little while later, someone is "chatting with a virtual projection from a box that was much better quality than the cheap recyclable one". There are also times the ring is used to project other things too. Similarly to a cell phone being used to pull up an image, but it was unclear how exactly it works.

It seems rings are akin to an iPhone and cubes are more like a flip phone (and then you could have a cheap one that was like a burner). It took a bit of flipping pages back and forth to come to these conclusions especially because at first the "cube" is referred to as a "box". This follows the same style of world building as the nodes, but unlike the nodes there are various forms of this type of communication and it causes things to be more complicated for no reason. Moreso, there's actually another form of communicative technology as well in the form of "ocular lenses". It's mentioned that there are feeds on these ocular lenses at one point and the characters get a notification on them. One can assume that they’re connected to some sort of network but they aren't used for any other communication - they're used for things like translating and scanning text. The technology didn’t seem to be important to the plot so it was unnecessary to add layers of complexity there.

Maya’s gift also had a layer of nonessential complexity. Her gift is first presented as an unwanted migraine. It's later explained as a vision. Of course both can be true and I almost wish they discussed that. It would've been interesting to consider it a gift and a curse - like she had to endure the pain of a migraine in order to receive the gift of visions. But for all intents and purposes, Maya doesn't seem to like her migraines (even the vision parts) whereas her Frenro friend Auncle seems to think they're a good thing. There are also moments where the gift comes in dreams. They’re referred to as "dreams of another time". My understanding is that the dreams and migraines are both visions but the dreams happen when she's asleep and the migraines happen when she's awake. It didn't seem like Maya considered the dreams good either though so the ability doesn’t feel like a positive thing to anyone except Auncle. It doesn’t help that the power is unveiled slowly and the reader isn’t given much information about it. I wish there was a better way to incorporate and reveal it because it is both fascinating and crucial to the plot. The author even mentions in their note at the end of the book that she has migraines herself and she references a book that is about migraineurs who can experience hallucinations and distortions of space, time, and body image.

Between the characters, the story, and the world, there is a lot to love about Yume Kitasei’s The Stardust Grail. Overall I really enjoyed the book and I would definitely recommend it to those interested in space, heists, and social commentary.

4.5 stars

Book Review/ "Bury Your Gays" by Chuck Tingle

Bury Your Gays

By Chuck Tingle

Published by: Tor Nightfire

Publication date: July 9, 2024

With his sophomore horror novel, Bury Your Gays, the follow-up to his smash mainstream debut Camp Damascus, Chuck Tingle has hit another home run.

Tingle has been an internet sensation for around a decade for self-publishing his weird, queer homoerotic stories with titles like Pounded In The Butt By My Own Butt and Bisexually Banged By These Sentient Plastic Easter Eggs Who Eat Me Out From Both Sides While I’m In a Standing Position Which Is a Pretty Cool Move. In 2022, he made his mainstream debut with Camp Damascus, a horror novel about a gay conversion therapy camp. It blew my hair back when I read it. And I’m bald. So when I got the opportunity to review his latest work, Bury Your Gays, I was thrilled.

The novel tells the story of Misha, a jaded Hollywood scriptwriter who is at a high point in his career. A short film he made is nominated for an Oscar, and his TV show, Travelers, is a hit. But when Misha is about to out the two main characters of his show as gay, he’s told he has to kill them “for the algorithm”. Faced with a choice, Misha suddenly becomes stalked/haunted by characters he created, and he, his boyfriend, and his best friend are all in a lot of danger.

Bury Your Gays is gripping from the very first chapter. Tingle creates not only some genuinely scary moments, but a mystery readers will absolutely want to know the answer to. Along the way, he also weaves in Misha’s backstory, emotionally explaining why our protagonist lives his life semi-closeted, and why it means so much to him to out his characters and keep them alive. I do my reading at night, before I go to sleep, and I found myself having trouble putting the book down to be a responsible adult and get enough sleep. It’s been a bit since I read a book I was mad to put down to do other things. I just wanted to burn through it. I had to know what happened next.

The thing I loved the most about the writing in this novel is that Tingle manages to address so many societal issues in one tale so deftly. He addresses not only the way that Hollywood stories treat the LGBTQ+ community but AI, corporate greed, data privacy, creating art for “the algorithm”, and even the phenomenon of people having freakouts on airplanes. Seems like a lot when written out like that, but it never seems anything less than natural and part of the story. A truly remarkable feat.

Bury Your Gays is a shining example of horror holding a mirror up to society and showing the ugly parts. It’s tense, gripping, scary, emotional, and, in the end, triumphant. Definitely put this one on your summer reading list.

INTERVIEW / Zoey is Too Drunk for This Dystopia by Jason Pargin

Matt sits down with author Jason Pargin to discuss his latest book, Zoey is Too Drunk For This Dystopia as well as his other works. They also talk about the power fiction has to comment on very real things and make you think.

For audio, please check out the Atomic Geekdom Podcast to listen in.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JASON PARGIN is the New York Times bestselling author of the John Dies at the End series as well as the award-winning Zoey Ashe novels. He previously published under the pseudonym David Wong. His essays at Cracked.com and other outlets have been enjoyed by tens of millions of readers around the world.

Book Review/ "The Camp" by Nancy Bush

The Camp by Nancy Bush

Published by Kensington Publishing

Release 6/27/23

By Matt Spaulding

When I was looking over the list of books up for review sent to Atomic Geekdom, this phrase jumped right out at me: “Friday the 13th meets Yellowjackets…”. That' was the description given to Nancy Bush’s latest novel, The Camp, and I knew right away I had to read this book.

Set most in a summer camp, Camp Fog Lake (aka “Camp Love Shack” to the counselors), located in the Oregon woods, “The Camp” delivers on its promise of being a lot like the hit series Yellowjackets, and a little less on being like Friday the 13th, but I’ll get to that.

The book’s main characters are a group of women, Brooke, Rona, Wendy and Emma, who, when they were young, went to Camp Fog Lake during its last year of being open. While they were there, mysterious deaths occurred that were ruled a murder/suicide. But the women know some things they aren’t telling.

Here’s where things got a bit muddled up for me. While the aforementioned women are the initial main characters, in the present day of the novel we are greeted with yet another set of main characters, the younger generation: Emma’s younger (but still adult) sister Jamie and Jamie’s daughter Harley, who is set to go to the reopening of Camp Fog Lake.

Jamie and her husband, Cooper, are expecting a baby via a surrogate, Mary Jo, who once lived at Haven Commune, a mysterious religious commune very near Camp Fog Lake. Jamie is uncomfortable with Mary Jo having been in a “cult” and this sets up one of the book’s three main mysteries as she goes looking for answers when she goes to visit Harley on parents’ weekend at camp.

I won’t lie, at this part of the book, too many more side characters began to enter the story. Once Harley is at camp, we meet so many other side characters: camp counselors, camp staff, husbands of women, and members of Haven Commune. On top of that, there is a third plot line that involves murders happening away from the camp that introduces police officers. I don’t think all readers will find this parade of names a problem, but I certainly did. I often found myself unsure of who was who and forgetting relations to other characters.

Ultimately, however, not being able to keep up with all of the characters didn’t stop this book from being a great mystery. Between the mystery of what happened at Camp Fog Lake, the mystery of Haven Commune and the mystery of the murders back in town, there is no shortage of things to keep you wondering right up to the very end.

Speaking of the end. While the description of the book that caught me promised a bit of Friday the 13th, the ‘80s slasher horror really didn’t come into effect until the last fifty pages or so. So, while it was a good riff on that genre, don’t go in expecting it throughout the entire book.

Full of murder and mystery set against the backdrop of summer camp in June, The Camp is a great read for when you’re on the deck, at the beach or anywhere else you might be this summer. Dare I even say…at camp?

"IT": The First Full Trailer

by Matt Spaulding

The first full trailer for new adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel, It, arrived today and it's jammed packed with terror!

Much like in the first teaser, in this trailer we're given a glimpse of the Losers Club: Ben, Beverly, Bill, Eddie, Mike, Stan and Richie as well as Georgie, the catalyst for the Losers' fight against Pennywise. And, of course, Pennywise himself is pretty heavily featured, being the main monster of the movie.

Other story elements introduced in this trailer are Patrick Hockstetter, a bully who falls prey to It, as well as a very quick flash of Henry Bowers and his notorious switch-blade knife. We also get plenty of terror as Pennywise pops out a few times, a very dead Georgie chants "you'll float, too" and flashes of creatures and blood fly across the screen.

And while this trailer is very promising, I still have a few reservations going into this flick. I have read the novel several times, and will probably listen to it all the way through again before the film comes out. It's one of my favorite novels of all time, if not my number one favorite. It is a fantastic horror novel in which very little of the horror comes from the monster. The real horror of It is very deep: it's the horror of losing childhood innocence, of child abuse, of spousal abuse,  of growing old, of racism, of forgetting. It's a novel that affects me deeply on an emotional level and I'm a bit nervous that a lot of the true horror of It will be lost in the jumps scares and blood this trailer promises. But, then again, the true horror of It is pretty hard to convey in a trailer, so it just might be there after all.

Check it out for yourself below and go see It in theaters on September 8th!