Welcome back my bloody readers!  We survived the Mayan death watch
but now even more frightening are the bills left over from the holidays.  
To get over the real frights, here are some books to take your mind off of
things.  We have books about, a bunch of murderers trapped in a house
being stalked like victims, demons living among us to protect their own, a
sexy succubi convinced to do the right thing, a war vet getting a job too
good to be true and to finish up corrupt business against Satan for souls
of a small town.  So enjoy reading!
                                                                                                  D.W. Jones


Excluded by C.M. Humphries                                                
 As a contributor for Blood Moon Rising in the past,
Humphries has come out with his own full length novel.  As I
received the complimentary copy for review, I loved the cover
art which conveyed the horror waiting in the pages inside.  As
far as the pages inside, it tells a tale of there is always some-
one better than what you think you are.
 The story tells the tale of six strangers kidnaped and
brought to the infamous Douglass house where horrible things
occurred.  It centers on Adam Coy, self proclaimed murderer
who just finished killing a family and growing a conscience
before ending up in the house.  As they find out more about each other to find out
why they are there, Adam finds he is not the only one with killer tendencies.
 Now, strange things are happening and people start becoming missing.  The
house reveals things that only confirm the horrible history they all know.  Now
Adam and the rest of the group try to find clues in the house to who is behind this
and how they will escape to survive.  Is it the house, one of them or something
more sinister beyond anything anyone can imagine?
 Humphries starts off quickly and offers plenty of excitement and horror that
keeps you turning the pages to find out what comes next.  He makes his
characters horrible people but somehow Humphries distinguishes these character
to have you continue to hate some of them will routing for others.  There is
definitely enough gore in it to please any horror fan but it’s the horror that comes
from the characters that is really frightening.
 I recommend this book for an exciting read and a good start for the new year.  It
can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Wild Child Publishing.


Pazuzu’s Girl by Rachel Coles                                                
 As I received this book, I was looking forward to a good
book by the description given to me.  But I saw the cover and it
looked okay but didn’t quite match the description.  This is a
perfect case of don’t judge a book by its cover.  Someone told
me that myths were some of the first horror stories.  They were
right and this book doesn’t disappoint.
 The story begins with Morpho, a teenager just moving to a
new town and have trouble adjusting to this new life.  She looks
different and in high school that enough to make you an outcast.
On top of that, her father is the demon of plague and his ex
wife killed your mother and now is looking for you.
 Now the ex-wife Lahmatsu is strong enough to wreak havoc on mankind all to get
at Pazuzu and Morpho and will destroy anything in her path.  Now Pazuzu must
protect his daughter and find help from the gods that banished him from a mistake
he made.  With his longtime friend Lugal and a little luck, he might survive the
wrath of his ex wife and save his daughter.
 Rachel Coles tells a great story that is full of action, suspense and enough gore
that the demons can dish out.  She brings the supernatural to the real world and
makes a believer of you with consequences the apply to the real world.  Her
characters are full of deep back story, both human and gods manages to have the
gods and demons look very human.  The story is constantly great throughout the
book but the final pages lead to a fantastic and action packed ending.
 I recommend reading this book for the mythological horror and some indept
characters and action.  You can get this book at journalstone.com or amazon.com.


Lorelei: Sects of the City by Steven A. Roman                                
 This is officially the first horror graphic novel that I have
reviewed for BMR.  It is coming from the Star Warp Concepts,
the people that brought you Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora
Zweibeck.  I didn’t know what to expect but knew it was for
mature audiences.  I was not disappointed.
 The story begins with our heroine Lorelei (a succubus)
trying to live her life when she comes across three men trying
to rob and older man and intervenes.  In the process of her
rescue she is injured and find the older gentlemen took her to
his home.  The older gentlemen is Professor Emil Agincourt
who is protecting an ancient grimoire which is a spell book.  He
was protecting it from the high priestess, Rebecca Travers, who wants it to raise
her master.  Lorelei doesn’t want to get involved but when Rebecca kidnaps the
professor’s granddaughter, she has second thoughts.  But will it be in time and will
Lorelei be strong enough to prevent hell on earth?
 Steven Roman does a great job with this story as he takes you on a fun ride with
plenty of action and a little comedy.  And even though it is in graphic novel form,
he still manages to fit plenty of horror in.  The characters are sharp and have a
snarky wit about them that makes it fun to read.  The artwork is done by Eliseu
Gouveia, Steve Geiger and Neil Vokes and it is tastefully done despite the mature
nature of the subject matter, succubus and demons.
 I recommend this graphic novel for those who want a fun ride with plenty of
horror and seeing it in addition to the text.  You can get this novel at
starwarpconcepts.com.


Devil’s Island by C.M. Saunders                                                
  When this book was sent to me, I looked at the title and
thought that it seemed familiar, like I read it before.  So I was a
little disappointed and thought it might not live up to the title.  
But I read the blurb in the back and there was a little hope.  
Then reading it, I knew that it was going to be a story like no
other.
 The story starts with introducing you to Davon Rice, a
veteran looking to get something good in his life after serving
his country.  While looking for a job, he answers an ad that gets
an immediately response.  Within a couple of days Davon gets
the job but his instincts kick in saying something is not right.  
He is brought to an island, dropped off alone at a former research facility and
given a manual for his job duties.  
 Now he is alone on the island he can’t get off of and not given any information
about his workplace.  Upon investigating, he finds things that smell of experiments
with animals or something worse.  Now Davon feels he is being watched and
stalked by some unknown entity.  Davon now goes on the offensive and fighting a
new war, a war for his life
 Saunders tells a story that starts slow but it builds the storyline and the action
one notch at a time until it reaches the final pages which has a great little twist that
is reminiscent of The Outer Limits or the Twilight Zone.  Despite the limited
characters, he fleshes them out, especially Davon to make them feel real and
could be your next door neighbor.  The writing is best when Saunders makes you
feel the claustrophobia his main character feels.  
 I recommend this book for a quick read and a story that slowly feeds you until
you get to the final pages and well worth the wait.  You can get this book at www.
rainstormpress.com.


Jalagee by Noah Copley
    After finishing the first book by Noah Copley, Late Season,
I was given this sequel promising more action and horror than
he put in the first book.  Jalagee definitely lived up to that and
is a great sequel.  
   The story picks up soon after the events of the first book
where the town of Jalagee and its people are recovering from
the major disaster.  People are burying their dead and the
military came in to contain the event and find out exactly what
happened.  The military are calling it a terrorist act but they
know different along with the residents of Jalagee.  
   Meanwhile Divine Power is looking to resume business and keep their role in
what happened quiet.  They also have much more darker secrets like trying to
control Satan and they are having trouble containing him.  When things get out of
hand, the residents of Jalagee are caught in the middle once again.  Can they
stop the end of the world with a little help from the outside or will there be real hell
on earth.
   Copley does a great job following up Late Season with a story that adds to the
action and horror.  He brings back many of the characters from the prequel and
adds new characters seamlessly that brings a new depth to the continuation of the
story.  One of the things I like about what Copley does with this book is his
commentary on small town life dealing with big corporations coming in, taking over
things and sometimes doing irreparable damage (like fracking).  He ups the ante
with the horror elements in this book and keeps you on edge throughout.
   I recommend this book for the great writing, wonderful storytelling and down to
earth characters.  I do suggest that you read Late Season before this book to get
the full enjoyment of the book.  You can pick up this book from amazon.com.

                   
Are you a writer with
a newly published
book?  

Want to have it
reviewed and get it
out there for others
to read?  

Contact us and we will be glad to review it
and if good, help do a little promoting on our
website.  Send us a message at
dwjones@bloodmoonrisingmagazine .com