Nick Reads And Reviews

In this particular genre, Lee has managed to have made such a name for himself that among the literal thousands of writers that share his walk down the same road to get their works noticed and read and sold, it is nearly impossible to avoid hearing about him. His ambition and devotion to his craft is evident even in this fact alone.

Re-Entry of Evil centers primarily around the character of Peter Clement, and upon his introduction in the book as the proprietor of a family hand-me-down antiques shop, the last thing the reader would suspect about him was just how devastatingly evil he’d turn out to be. A patron steps into his shop, aptly calling himself the ‘Meph-man,’ who introduces him to the Devil’s Wish Book, a book of pure badness which had been collecting dust among the antiques unbeknownst to Peter. A short series of events involving a little blood and ritualistic mayhem commit him to the dark apocalyptic powers of the book which turn him into a sadistic killer, until he finds himself entrapped within the same instrument of death he found himself using to kill his victims: a magical dagger.

The tale takes a leap in time to the twenty-third century, where Peter is unleashed from the dagger to a future world where technology has advanced, convenience is sweeter, drugs are deadlier, we’ve had a hostile encounter with aliens and the earth is governed by a single president. Not to mention, the world is on the brink of war instigated by a regime known as the German/Arabian Front. What’s more, there is a subculture of devotees who are aware of the dark Wish Book and of the coming of the Devil himself, personified in Peter, as well as an array of protagonists bent on thwarting evil’s horrific plans.

There is little doubt that Re-Entry was written with great vision and diligence by a remarkable writer who will go far as long as he continues down this path. At times, though take note times few and far between, I found a mild mediocrity in Lee’s narrative that deserved to have been polished and perfected. But mind you, I’m talking about potential genius here; these things are forgiven with the overall delivery of a fiendishly clever tale, and I was particularly floored by the impressive literature that graced my eyes when Lee lapsed into first person after a professor discovers Peter’s diaries.

In time, I’m certain we all will witness just what an amazing literary talent Richard Lee (Lee Pletzers) is. Let’s hope he keeps it up.

I’m looking forward to more.n Fiction

The point is......a downside of this is that a very high percentage of these writers produce works that are far less than perfect and sadly unreadable for a vast number of reasons, and works self-published by authors generally have a bad reputation because of that, under the umbrella of the traditional publishing industry and their millions of seasoned readers that need their fix of a popular book by a popular author.

Holly Catanzarita blows that reputation and stereotype off the planet, and her Dreamkeeper is the first example I'd like to show here that there exists tremendous and truly marketable talent in the self-publishing arena. In a matter of time, keeping up with such a heightened caliber of storytelling in future works, Catanzarita will find herself a best selling author at the top of the barrel. She has already seen much praise of her works, published three novels, and has been included in a number of anthologies. She is the senior editor of Sinisteria, a reputable horror webzine. One reviewer hailed her as a female Stephen King.

Dreamkeeper takes place in Taft, Georgia, a typical southern town. A strange force is wiping out the people there, one by one, in increasingly horrific ways, and like a spooky carnival ride through a house of horrors, it's all done with mirrors. Literally. The sight in the corner of one's eye of a formless shadow of death looming back at them through the looking glass is a harbinger of doom for a majority of highly believable characters. The story surrounds Antonio Valenti, a police detective whose dreams of a quiet little life on the force in a small town are shattered when numerous sightings occur of a mysterious and ghastly presence haunting and stalking through all the town's mirrors. With the assistance of a town reporter looking for the one scoop that will make his career, Valenti joins with a down-on-his-luck ex-gambler and a young man with a sixth sense in hot pursuit of an inter-dimensional demon of death summoned out of an underground room of mirrors to kill and to steal dreams.

The story is both simple and complex, executing the right twists and turns essential to a gripping novel. The author explores the human condition on various levels such as schizophrenia, the desire for dreams to come true and the price to be paid for fulfilling such wishes if one wants their dreams bad enough. Catanzarita's angst-filled characterizations are the trademark signs of a writer's blossoming into a master storyteller, for it is character and story flow that reveal whether a writer has what it takes for success in their craft.

I find myself suddenly struck by the novel's haunting and recurring phrase, "tick tock tick tock what's cooking in the pot......." and it occurs to me that what's cooking is indeed a brilliant author whose career is more than worth keeping an eye on.

Want to see a particular book reviewed? Have a copy of your own published novel to spare? Nicholas doesn't review here any average novel that he grabs from upon the bookstore shelf, only works that are submitted to him or otherwise provided by an author or author's representative. He'll review them here, and if he likes them, he'll say so.....and it's free publicity for you, or utter humiliation (if he actually chooses to publish a stinkingly bad review, that is). Send requests to Nicholas or Diverse Media

(once the review is posted, although we own the review, the author or publisher can feel free to post it on any other site as well as quoted on any book cover or promotional material to assist in promoting the work as long as Nicholas is acknowledged)

With such an immersion into the genre and to such an extent, why not add writing horror stories to his list of abilities? That he did, with The Horror of It All, a short read of just over a hundred pages comprised of seven stories. Sitting down to it and after having read the first paragraph or so, I found myself expecting the sort of unpolished mediocrity one would ordinarily find in the writings of an amateur scribe, and even then by someone who possibly may not hold the sort of serious investment in a lifetime career of writing horror compared to most other writers whose paths I've crossed. Throughout the book, I must admit, the prose is often simplistic and lacking a definite style befitting an accomplished writer holding firmly and with a zealous nature the reins of his craft.

But that is part of its remarkable beauty, wit, and dark charm. This book is an effortless read, and is by no means sloppy, confusing, or unentertaining. I was very much taken by how Josh paints pictures with words in layman's terms while keeping the horror element alive and growing in ways at the same time fiendishly delightful and nightmarish. In fact, I recommend bringing this book along on a camping excursion to read by the fire after dark. It reads as though this was what it was intended for, and if I'm not mistaken Josh smothers almost each tale with circumstances and situations that seem to stem from his personal life. From the amusing Meeting The Grey's or How Two Gorehounds Saved The World to the suburban screamfest Door to Door, my suggestion is to pick up a copy and share it with some close, unsuspecting soul just before bedtime and see if it tweaks their dreams afterwards. I bet it will, and with any luck Josh Haney will continue to write, improve, find his voice, and produce great works.