Book Review (Audio Book): The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

Title: The Sword of Kaigen (A Theonite War Story)

Author/Publisher: M.L. Wang

Narrator: Andrew Tell

Length: 24 Hours, 24 Minutes

Publication Date/Year: 2020

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Over the past dozen years or so, the term self-published has transformed from a negative connotation to the term “independently published,” which is almost a badge of honor. With that shift in nomenclature, books that writers set out to publish outside of traditional paths have gained wider recognition, acclaim, and respect. Which brings me to The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story by M.L. Wang.

I’d seen this book generate a lot of good response over the last couple of years and finally decided to use one of my audible credits to read/consume this novel. I tried not to read too much about the plot details when skimming over reviews from folks whose opinion I trust aside from the generalities…a Japanese-influenced military fantasy/family saga which takes place on the Kusanagi peninsula. And full transparency, I recently watched the incredible FX mini-series Shōgun and I was blown away. I was looking for something with a similar flavor/influence. 

First, a little bit about the world-building while the novel is Eastern Asian influenced, it most definitely is not traditional. This world has telecommunications, airplanes, high-rise building, and modern technology. The language is Japanese, but the world is not Earth, it is called Duna. The people of the Kaigenese Empire very much live near the water and as such, the magic is water/ice based and is depicted as extremely powerful. Case in point, an ice sword conjured by a powerful manipulator of the magic can rival the sharpest metal sword. The rival empire, the Ranganese, utilizes a fire-based magic.

Very high marks for the world building because Want makes her world feel like a character. But a character we only know a little bit about. The world in this novel is fascinating on so many levels, I haven’t read too many fantasy novels where spells sit alongside airplanes and telecommunication infrastructure. Well, sure, quite a few Urban Fantasy novels, but not very many Epic Fantasy novels. Want wraps all these seemingly disparate elements together masterfully.

From a character perspective Wang focuses her story on the Matsuda family, eldest son 14-year old Mamoru and his mother Misaki. Told from their points of view, Wang evokes a world of strict rules with regard to class, gender, and age. In Mamoru, we see a young man coming of age, on the cusp of manhood, trying to be as good a fighter like his legendary father and uncle. Mamoru still has a lot to learn about combat and the world at large. But he, like many teenagers transitioning to adulthood, begins to question the history he’s been fed over the years. As a citizen of the Kaigenese Empire, he is told to believe everything the Emperor disseminates to the populace. But Mamoru has questions about the Ranganese enemies, he is more open to what they might be and how powerful they truly are.  Mamoru is desperate to prove himself to his father and his uncle and himself, as well. Mamoru has been training to be a Sword of Kaigen, a great defender of the Kusanagi peninsula. Mamoru is a well-drawn, believable character.

Misaki was betrothed to Mamoru’s father Takeru when she was 19 in an arranged marriage, uniting two prominent families. As such, Misaki was forced to leave her life behind and it turns out, she had quite a robust life before becoming wife to Takeru. She had an identity, she had friends, she felt she had a purpose with those friends as a crime-fighter. Misaki also has the power to control blood, which she can use to heal herself or others and increase her strength. But that life, once she’s married to Takeru, is all gone and her only purpose was to essentially be a baby-making machine for the Matsuda line. As much as I liked Mamoru and felt him to initially be the protagonist, I felt much more drawn to Misaki the more I got to know her. Wang played a deft hand with both of these characters.

Wang gives readers chapters from her POV from her early life before being married all the way to being married and a mother. This provides a fascinating and ultimately enthralling view into one character’s major lifespan. A great deal is given over to being a mother, not something you’d typically see in an epic fantasy novel.

When war arrives on the doorstep of the Matsuda family, the novel takes a turn as the tension gets even higher. A good portion of the novel is dedicated to the major conflict and the fallout. This major conflict takes place with a great deal of narrative in the rearview mirror, but there's a lot ahead as well. That's my fancy way of saying I can't recall exactly how closely to the middle it takes place, maybe the arrival of war takes up the middle third of the novel?

I’m a fan of books told with parallel narratives, whether those narratives take place in different time lines of from different points of view. My favorite instance of this, at least with parallel character narratives might in Scott Lynch’s Red Seas Under Red Skies but I think M.L. Wang topped that here in The Sword of Kaigen. There comes an instant (and this isn’t too much of a spoiler, I think) when Mimoru’s storyline intersects with that of his mother, Misaki and it was a genuine “a-ha” moment for me.

I have to give kudos to narrator Andrew Tell. At first, I wasn’t exactly connecting with his performance, if I’m being honest. I felt some of the pauses were a little off. Soon enough, I was hooked and realized what a masterful job he did. He portrayed each character distinctly, and helped to build tension through his pacing and voice.

The Sword of Kaigen is a very powerful Epic Fantasy novel, a familial saga, a novel of war. Epic in its magic, epic in its scope even though it focuses primarily on one nation of a world, and most definitely epic in scope of the family. Not just one of the best “self/independently” published novels I’ve ever read, but a top single-volume fantasy novel I’ve ever read.

Book Review: Blood Country (The Raven #2) by Jonathan Janz

Title: Blood Country (The Raven Book 2)

Author: Jonathan Janz

Publisher: Flame Tree Press

Page Count: 288 Pages

Publication Date/Year: 2022

Genre: Horror

I’ve been making my way through Jonathan Janz’s backlist over the last couple of years. About a year ago (June 2022), I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Raven, his take on the post-apocalyptic story, but with a very potent horror lacing throughout the story. Blood Country is the second novel in the series and the focus, as the title implies, is vampires.

Briefly, in the world of The Raven, a group of rogue scientists released a virus that transformed humanity into creatures out of our nightmares: werewolves, trolls, cannibals (the strength of the people they eat is added to their own), witches, and vampires. Dez McClane is a rarity, he was unaffected by the virus so he is a man without any added abilities. Since the first novel, he’s been searching for the woman he loves. The conclusion of that novel provided him with a direction to head: Blood Country, the land of the vampires. With the woman he saved (Iris), Dez sets out to find his girlfriend Susan and to hopefully right a wrong.

Reading The Raven is a must before diving into Blood Country as the two novels very much feel like two episodes of a larger story, and the story Janz is telling in these novels is an absolute blast. He puts us in Dez’s head, which allows Dez’s fears and doubts to be felt quite effectively. Before the events of the series, Dez lost his family and has blamed himself so his self-blame is only increased with the loss of Susan.

Dez, Iris and their other allies (Michael, a man who can control fire as a result of the changes to the world, a young boy named Levi, and a couple of other allies I won’t spoil) head to the heart of Blood Country, a high school which serves as the seat of power for the vampires, particularly the Vampire Queen. Once they arrive at the high school, the action gets more intense and the emotional twists and turns become more sharp.

The story is very brisk and works somewhat cinematically. I was able to visualize a lot of the action Janz was relaying the novel and felt myself turning the pages rather quickly as a result. In the relatively short space of the story (under 300 pages), Janz crafts a story that is equal parts breakneck plot and character. After having read a small sampling (4 novels at this point) of Janz’s work, I’ve found my reading sensibilities really sync up with the stories he writes. When I was younger, one of my favorite RPGs was Gamma World. I think what appealed to me about that game is something Janz nails so well, even if Gamma World leans more towards fantasy-based monsters and Janz is firmly planted in horror.  The mix of “our world” and something fantastical and horrific is what both these things capture so well. Ultimately, Blood Country was just pure fun for me because I love an over-the-top apocalyptic tale, especially when there are monsters and/or mutants of some kind.

After two novels in The Raven series, I was very pleased to learn there will be at least one more novel. The conclusion most certainly left a very clear path where these characters need go and I cannot wait to catch up with Dez and his crew. The world and characters seem rather fertile for more stories and the length of the two novels so far lend themselves nicely to an episodic, long-form story that could lead to more than just one additional novel.

© 2023 Rob H. Bedford

The Completist: Duncan M. Hamilton's Dragonslayer Trilogy

I’ve decided to resurrect one of my old columns, at least for this particular post. The column in question: The Completist from the sadly closed SFSignal (still available via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine). 

As I said almost a decade ago: I’ve read a lot of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror over the years and my aim with this feature is to examine those SFFH series which have concluded. In short, all books of the series are available to be read in some format, electronic or print, but ideally both. 

In this edition of The Completist, I’m taking a look at Duncan M. Hamilton’s Dragonslayer trilogy. I read and reviewed the first book for SFFWorld back at the end of 2019, this post will incorporate some elements of that review with my thoughts on book 2, Knight of the Silver Circle and book 3, Servant of the Crown as well as the series as a whole.

Hamilton began the series with Dragonslayer focusing on the protagonist of Guillot [Gill], a disgraced knight brought back from anonymity for that “one last fight." Exiled from the main kingdom of Mirabaya to his familial lands of Villerauvais, Gill’s days are occupied with minor squabbles of his demesne, but mostly drinking wine. He is woken from self-pity when an agent of the Prince tells him of a disturbance in the kingdom, small villages are reporting very unsettling things. The Dragons have been gone for hundreds of years…to the point few believe they ever existed. That is until what amounts to a royal dig accidentally wakens the Dragon Alpheratz. 

Much like Dragons being forgotten and thought to be mythical, magic has similarly disappeared and become scorned, and forbidden and those suspected of practicing magic are eliminated. A young woman in Gill’s village – Solène – is suspected of being a witch and is summarily set for execution. That is, until Gill steps in and saves her life. Those two characters provide much of the point of view for the story, but the other primary POV would be that of the woken Dragon, Alpharatz. We get a few views into Alpharatz’s head which provides a more “truthful” context of Dragons' once high place in this world. The Dragon makes for a very interesting character and while he is not evil, Alpharatz is very much an antagonist for this story and to humanity as a whole. 

Gill fits the trope of the grizzled veteran reluctant to return to the fray. Gill’s fears, anger, and self-pity help to give him a realistic bent. His character arc from when he is introduced as a drunk to his waking from that haze is a strength of the novel. Solène follows an equally rewarding character arc, as she comes to realize what her burgeoning powers of magic can mean. Her full background is somewhat of a mystery, but we’re introduced to her as a village loner, but she is far from a country bumpkin. Her smarts show through in how she navigates the treacherous pathways of court and how the world at large views those who wield magic. 

Set as the human antagonist is Prince Bishop Amaury del Richeau, a man who has sidled himself up close to the royalty. Amaury also has a rather dotted history with Gill, the two were combatants in the past and Gill struck a very potent blow on Amaury. 

Dragonslayer lays the foundation for a fairly familiar fantasy world and plays with the most iconic of fantasy creatures in a fun, familiar, and refreshing fashion. The second installment, Knight of the Silver Circle picks up hot on the heels of the first volume. As it turns out, Alpheratz was not the only Dragon in the world, but his appearance has essentially changed the world. Prince Bishop Amaury uses the threat of Dragons as an opportunity to dig his fingers deeper into the power base. He manipulates the new King into shaping laws that fit his needs all while sending people to search for a magical, long-thought mythical cup that will confer Amaury with great, sorcerous powers. Amaury’s hatred for Gill becomes more of a driving force and along with his lust for power, manipulation of the King, and drive to “Make Mirabaya Great Again” fully carve out Amaury as the Big Bad of the trilogy. 

More importantly, it is revealed that Alpheratz was not the only Dragon in the world. We meet a new Dragon, Pharadon, who steps into a point of view role, which makes for a more interesting plotline for the Dragons in the novel and provides insight into the history of the creatures in this world. We also learn that Dragons are able to shape-shift into human form, which allows for the creature to interact with Gill and other humans. 

Meanwhile, Solène and Gill have gone their separate ways as she tries to gain a better understanding of her magic because it could be deadly if it goes unchecked. She reunites with an old friend after she leaves Gill the magic cup that provides him with the extra boost he needs when fighting Dragons. She returns to Amaury under the auspices if trying to help him find the cup (while also learning more about magic), but comes to realize what a despot he is. 

Amaury’s daughter, Ysabeau is his most trusted agent and provides additional insight into the villain and another layer of his despicableness. She’s an interesting character and isn’t quite the villain her father is, nor is she heroic, either. I feel like she could support a novel focusing on her exploits following the conclusion of the trilogy. 

A deepening of the characters, more angst around Gill and his guilt and pain around his wife and child’s death add depth to the reluctant hero. A deepening of what Dragons are and their relationship to the world at large was most welcome, too. There was a great big hint towards the end of the novel and I felt a nice bit of resonance with what we saw of Godzilla’s “lair” in Godzilla: King of Monsters. Although books 2 and 3 of this series sat on Mount ToBeRead for a couple of years, I was very, very happy that I had book 3, Servant of the Crown ready to read the minute I finished Knight of the Silver Circle. 

With the cliffhanger-ish ending of Knight of the Silver Circle, Hamilton picks up the events as if he was just turning the page to a new chapter with Servant of the Crown. With the King on the sidelines thanks to Amaury’s misunderstanding of the magic the cup conveys, Amaury is ruling as Regent of the kingdom with the King indisposed. As a result, Amaury is more unhinged. 

In the second book, Gill acquires a squire, a young man named Val and Hamilton shows some of the story from his point of view. He’s an admirable young man who only wants to train at the academy to follow Gil’s path to becoming a knight, or Banneret. We also get to see more of the King in the final volume, though more from Gill’s perspective. Gill, who was burned by the previous King (and father of the current King) has his own misgivings about whomever sits the throne. I enjoyed seeing Gill appreciate the kind of man the King had grown to be through the third installment. 

The emotional weight of the first two volumes comes to a largely satisfying conclusion in Servant of the Crown, even if there are a couple of points of execution that marred it only slightly. Gill’s journey was enjoyable, but I think the most rewarding was following Solène’s character arc through three volumes. I also appreciated that Hamilton is not afraid to kill his darlings, there isn’t as much “plot armor” as one might expect in these three books, not all the characters survive. Especially a few of the supporting characters Hamilton managed to imbue with real heart. 

Dragons are the creatures that most exemplifies the fantasy genre. Many writers have tackled the great winged beasts, shown various shades of what these kinds of creatures could be from monstrous to intelligent and everything in between. Duncan Hamilton follows very closely with perceived tradition of the genre as a whole and the iconic mascot of the genre and adds some spice of his own with the lore and history of the creatures in this world. 

Hamilton tells his story at a great pace that makes the three-hundred page installments for each volume in very consumable volumes. I managed to read the second two books in the series while sitting on the train for two days commuting into New York City, which made those train rides seem to go past rather quickly. Thankfully, those two days were a one time thing.

The Dragonslayer trilogy is a fun, entertaining character-driven story that tackles some interesting themes along the way. It is a throw-back series in some ways. By that I mean it is very much in the classic vein with knights, magic, and Dragons. Where much of fantasy in recent years has trended toward Grimdark and some moral ambiguity with its heroes/protagonists, Hamilton’s story (maybe with the exception of Ysabeau), clearly defines the heroes and villains. I found that somewhat refreshing. This was an extremely entertaining, gripping trilogy that is worth your time. The books are available in trade paperback and audible/audio. With the very consumable length of the first book (and all three, frankly), it is worth your time to give the first book, Dragonslayer your time.

Book Review: HIDE by Kiersten White

Title: Hide

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Page Count: 256 Pages

Publication Date/Year: 2022

Genre: Horror

We all played Hide and Go Seek when we were kids, right? How many of us played in an amusement park, let alone an abandoned and closed amusement park? Probably very few people were afforded that opportunity. That’s the basic premise of Hide, Kiersten White’s first novel for adults. The added layer is that 14 people are chose to play in the “Olly Olly Oxen Free Hide and Seek Tournament” in an Amusement Park that has been abandoned since the mid-1970s. The winner is promised fame and $50,000. 

Our main sightline into this novel is Mackenzie Black, a young woman who is the lone survivor of her father snapping and killing her family. She’s out of work and essentially homeless, so it is difficult for her to say no. Especially since she has spent most of her life hiding…hiding from the spotlight, hiding in the house when her father murdered the family.

Other participants in the latest game are an “internet celebrity,” a CrossFit instructor, a person hiding from his own cultish family, a street artist, an actress, among others. White does a very good job of providing just enough background for these supporting characters to make them distinct and real.

Each night the contestants go out and hide, with two people always being “found.” How they are found, nobody knows. The “found” contestants simply don’t show up at the check in in the morning. As more of the contestants are found, the remaining contestants begin to form bonds in pairs. This is not something Mack planned on or even wanted when she entered the contest. Her journey as a character provides a great deal of the novel's emotional weight. 

I couldn’t help but find parallels between this novel and one of Stephen King’s early novels written as Richard Bachman, The Long Walk. The Long Walk is a gem of a novel and could be considered one of King’s best. White takes a similar premise and adds in some of her own flavors, particularly around the history of the amusement park and how the contestant pool shrinks every day. There’s some borderline folk-horror elements to the tale, but White grounds the events and characters with enough reality that those elements are just as believable.

I thought she brought Hide to a very satisfying conclusion that could have some room for more stories.

I’ve also got to give a big shout out to the design of this novel, the end papers are wonderful. Anybody who has visited some kind of amusement park knows there’s a map you can get that shows where the rides are. Well, the endpapers in Hide Elwira Pawlikowska are clever in their depiction of “The Amazement Park” where the novel is set.

Hide is a fun, dark, vicious novel I have to recommend.

Book Review: The Bird Eater by Ania Ahlborn / Women in Horror Month

Title: The Bird Eater

Author: Ania Ahlborn

Publisher: 47 North

Page Count: 267 Pages

Publication Date/Year: 2014

Genre: Horror

Over the past few years, I’ve come to be a fan of Ania Ahlborn’s horror novels. Some are flat out horror stories featuring ghosts and demonic children, others feature serial killer families. The latest novel I’ve read by Ania Ahlborn, The Bird Eater, is a novel about a haunting; a haunted place and a haunted person. It also features something that could be classified as an evil presence.

Aaron has had what some may call a challenging life; he didn’t know his mother and the aunt who raised him (and who he thought of as a mother) died when he was young. The opening chapter is from the point of view of Aaron’s aunt/mother figure. She provides minimal details about his mother except that she was unstable and killed herself (which she doesn’t tell Aaron) shortly after Aaron was born. Despite that, Ahlborn paints a fairly nice picture of Aaron’s life growing up in this unique family. That is until his Aunt is killed at the end of that first chapter. Fast forward twenty years, Aaron is fighting addiction and separated from his wife after their son Ryder died in an automobile accident. In other, Aaron is a haunted individual. His therapist suggests he return to the home in Arkansas where his aunt raised him and renovate the house, Holbrook House, which has laid abandoned since he left when he was a teenage twenty years ago.

Aaron re-connects with some of his old high school friends, including his old high school sweetheart Cheri. His departure was rather sudden when he was a teenager, a couple of the friends (Cheri included) thought he was dead. In those twenty years, Holbrook House has become a local legend, thought to be haunted. His old friends have a tough time understanding why Aaron would want to stay there given the house’s history and his history with it.

Aaron isn’t prone to believing in the supernatural. So when a young boy seems to be stalking him, Aaron thinks it is just an annoying teenager. When dead birds continue to pile up on the ramshackle house, Aaron has a tough time explaining that to his friends. The creepy kid gets closer, taunts Aaron, and even vandalizes Aaron’s vehicle.

Aaron’s sanity begins to slip as he sees the boy more often, he descends into despair over his ruined marriage and dead sone. He questions what is real, self-medicates, and consumes more alcohol. His friends worry about him, but he has a tough time breaking from his cycle of self-destruction. After relatively slow build, and that great foundational first chapter, The Bird Eater draws to a heightened and potent conclusion.

So, let’s get this out of the way, shall we? Anytime a story features a house with a Proper Name, chances are that house is haunted. Those chances go up to 100% when the Named House is central to the Horror story. Holbrook House is no exception, rather, it proves the rule. Looking at Aaron, he is very much an unreliable narrator, especially as he relays his harrowing experiences with the creepy kid and Holbrook House to his friends. His personal demons and haunted presence mirror the haunted nature of Holbrook House Ahlborn walked the line of reality and supernatural quite finely, especially as she pulled Aaron to the conclusion of the novel.

There are quite a few implied connections between characters and elements throughout the story. Clues blatant and subtle that, as a reader, I found enjoyable in the reading experience. In that respect, The Bird Eater was very successful as a conversation between reader and writer. Aaron seems to be the latest (or current) person affected by Holbrook House, there is a deeper history to the house and area that Aaron discovers and hints that Holbrook House isn’t quite done torturing people.

Very creepy with a magnetic narrative that kept me reading, The Bird Eater is another excellent horror tale from the mind of Ania Ahlborn.

Highly Recommended

Book Review: The Winter People (Audio Book) by Jennifer McMahon / Women in Horror Month

Title: The Winter People

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Publisher: Audible

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell & Kathe Mazur

Lenth: 10 hrs and 45 min

Publication Date/Year: 2014

Genre: Horror

Jennifer McMahon is a best-selling writer of suspense novels, some of which easily fall into the horror genre, like this particular novel, The Winter People. I’ve been wanting to give her work a try for a short-while now and have been wavering on which book would be my first from her and decided on this one, the creepy description was intriguing. I’m also a fan of stories told in parallel timelines, which is a feature of this novel.

While both storylines take place in West Hall, Vermont, one timeline is told in 1908, during an uncompromising and difficult winter. Sara Harrison Shea’s* daughter Gertie dies during that winter and unfortunately, Gertie isn’t the first child of Sara and her husband Martin to lose. In denial, Sara puts the full blame for Gertie’s death on her husband Martin. She is driven beyond the bounds of sanity to do anything to see her daughter one more time, she is convinced her daughter hasn’t died.

* I'm always wary of characters with three names like that, who are constantly referred to by their first, middle, and last name. Lots of serial killers go by the three names and characters with three names tend to not be the most...stable?

In the “current timeline” there are additional parallel stories occurring: Ruthie and her kid sister wake up one day and their strict mother Alice has disappeared. Oh, by the way, these folks live in Sara Harrison Shea’s old home. There have been a spate of missing people in the West Hall area, specifically where Ruthie and her family live, and Ruthie is worried her mom might be the latest victim of some cruel and twisted presence. Adding to the creepiness is the dark history surrounding Sara Harrison Shea. She was labeled a witch, and supposedly had a book that could bring the dead back to life. These living dead people have been dubbed, by the local populace, as Winter People.

Adding another layer of parallel story is the arrival of a woman named Katherine, who is mourning the recent loss of her husband as well as the death of her son not so recently. She is drawn to West Hall when she learns her husband made an unannounced visit there just before he died.

McMahon has a great knack for compelling narrative. She switches between the parallel stories in a deliciously powerful manner. What do I mean? We’ve all had that “oh just one more chapter” thought cross our minds when we’re invested in a good book. McMahon is really good at implanting that thought in readers’ heads.

Of course one of the most enjoyable elements of stories told in parallel narratives is trying to figure out how those narratives cease to become parallel and intertwine. McMahon does a great job with this storytelling element as well, and is a complement to that whole “just another chapter” thought.

I felt ingrained in these character’s heads with each switch of viewpoint, Jennifer McMahon built a solid foundation for them that allowed for a great deal of empathy. I will say; however, I found Ruthie’s little sister somewhat annoying, but I suppose that is kind of the purpose of the character.

My issue; however, is with the audiobook edition which has two performers/narrators. The present day narrator is fine, excellent actually. The narrator who performed the story in the past sounded strained as if she were trying to whisper, or whisper shout. I wish audiobook narrators and producers would stop with this trick, which is not dissimilar in annoyance to how darkly streaming shows are shot these days.

In the end, The Winter People was a thrilling, creepy, compulsive read. It’s no wonder Jennifer McMahon is a best-selling writer, she spins a compelling, tale. I'll be seeking out more of her work in the future. This book should appeal to horror readers and thriller fans, as well.

Recommended

Book Review: The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz

Title: The Siren and the Specter

Author: Jonathan Janz

Publisher: Flame Tree Press

Page Count: 304 Pages

Publication Date/Year: 2018

Genre: Horror

Jonathan Janz is one of the more prominent horror writers to emerge over the last half decade or so. His name has been floating around social media as a talent to watch and read. Well, about a year ago, I read what I think was his debut novel (or at least an early work), The Darkest Lullaby and some of it stuck with me, he does creepy really well. I decided to take my second tour of his work with The Siren and the Specter, which is the subject of this review.

David Caine is a skeptic, he is a best selling author of books that essentially debunk haunted places. When his old friend Chris suggests he spend some time at Alexander House, allegedly the “Most Haunted House in Virginia” for his next book project, David acquiesces. Dave becomes friendly with his neighbor, Ralph Hooper and much to his chagrin, kids whose parents are absentee parents, all of whom reside on the banks of the Rappahannock River. He also hears and sees things in the house and the area surrounding it. …and like many haunted house stories, David is haunted by his past and brings ghosts of his own when he arrives at Alexander House. 

Alexander House was home to “Governor” Judson Alexandar, a notorious abuser of women and children, murderer and potentially a practitioner of dark rituatls, whose taint has affected the entirety of the region.

What happens when the skeptic is confronted by something he cannot deny? Well, that’s the thrust of the story and Janz charges the entire narrative with a sense of unease and foreboding. Janz does a fantastic job of putting us in David’s head and building up empathy for him. Although his character type (skeptic in a horror novel) is tried and true, David is wholly his own. When confronted about his past and what lead to the death of his former girlfriend Anna, it is difficult, almost impossible to not side with David despite some of the less than level-headed decisions he’s made both in the "present" of the novel and the past. 

Janz also does a nice job of surrounding David with supporting characters who rise above their character types. There’s the down-home neighbor Ralph who befriends David, but soon reveals he knows more than he initially let on to David. Janz did some nice navigating with Ralph’s character. There’s the romantic interest Jessica, whose relationship with David starts off in a very believable and awkward fashion. Lastly, the antagonists…at least the living antagonists, the Shelbys. To say more is to rob you, the reader, of discovering just how awful they are.

The scares and the creeps are intense. There’s enough to set your hair on edge, much of it at the proverbial edge of your vision, which for me is far more effective than in your face horrors. Sure, there’s some in your face stuff, but that is far outweighed by the edge of your senses elements. Janz lays amazing groundwork with the “edge of your senses” stuff, which makes the more “in your face” stuff that much more effective. He doles out the scenes with perfect descriptions that are utterly creepy.

Something I said on twitter while reading the book: A couple of days into reading the book I had a nightmare. I’m not saying reading The Siren and The Specter caused the nightmare, but I’m not saying the book didn’t cause the nightmare. Correlation…the only two books I can say directly gave me nightmares were Stephen King’s The Shining and Dan Simmons Summer of Night and what caused those nightmares were what I previously called the “edge of your senses” creepiness. Janz, in The Siren and the Specter, excels at the “edge of your senses” horror, as I said.

Haunted House stories are staples of the Horror Genre and readers (and viewers of the movies) have certain expectations when starting the story. Janz managed to bring the novel to a rather unexpected and potent conclusion that kept me glued to the pages later into the night than I’m normally reading. He played some great twists with the Haunted House story towards the end of the novel.

The Siren and the Specter is a stunning, powerful horror novel that has me very eager to read more from a writer many have called a modern master.

Highly Recommended

© 2022 Rob H. Bedford