Book Review: DEVOTED by Dean Koontz *** and a 1\2 out of *****

While no one could argue that Dean Koontz has been more prolific than ever these past ten years, his output has been polarizing, to say the least. There have been some very good books (Odd Apocalypse [2012]), some middling ones (What The Night Knows [2010]), and some terrible ones (The Silent Corner [2017]). Some fans, especially lifelong ones, had even started to think that the Koontz of old (of terrific books like Midnight, Hideaway, and Odd Thomas) was gone, never to return. Then came Devoted (2020), restoring the faith.

Devoted is Koontz energized, impassioned, and focused. Yes, there are still instances of heavy-handed social commentary and sentimentality, and the main characters aren't that memorable, but Koontz hasn't written a book this enjoyable, this readable, this moving, in years. The plot - about an autistic boy and his mother getting entangled with a cabal of assassins, a hyper-intelligent dog, and a seemingly omnipotent killer - isn't that original, and, at times, feels like a greatest hits compilation of Koontz's best novels. But what sets this novel apart, what makes it special, is Koontz's energy. His writing hasn't felt this ebullient in more than a decade. Devoted also features one of his scariest villains in Lee Shacket, and some of the darkest, most violent scenes Koontz has ever written.

Consisting of over a hundred short chapters, this is an addictive read, and a most welcome return of a master. Highly recommended.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Classic Review: THE JEWEL OF SEVEN STARS by Bram Stoker (1903 edition) *** out of *****

Written by Bram Stoker, and considered one of the most influential supernatural thrillers of all time... No, it's not Dracula. It's The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903), a dated and mostly stilted novel, but one which created the template for almost all subsequent stories that dealt with Egyptology and mummies.

The plot, about a band of men and one young woman in Victorian England who embark on an experiment to resurrect Queen Tera, a powerful Egyptian queen with otherworldly powers, is incoherent and at times painfully slow. But Stoker is a master of atmosphere, and his writings always have a fascinating obsession with the supernatural and the tensions between technology and superstition, religion and paganism, or as he describes it in the novel, "Powers, old and new". Despite its stagy nature, its two-dimensional characters, and its stiff dialogue, the story is compelling and has a doom-laden, eerie atmosphere, which culminates in an unforgettable and harrowing finale that was so upsetting to readers and critics upon its initial publication in 1903, that Stoker revised the novel for the 1912 edition, replacing the original finale with a nonsensical and impotent "happy ending".

The novel is now mostly remembered for its meticulous attention to detail in the sections dealing with Egyptology, its original central premise, and its harrowing ending. But it's not an easy read, as it features some of Stoker's most cluttered prose, and many chapters are repetitive and overlong. But for patient readers who like Victorian Gothic fiction and are interested in its development, it is worth the effort.

P.S. Most available editions are of the 1912 version, which should be avoided at all costs.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

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Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Book Review: NO EXIT by Taylor Adams *** and a 1\2 out of *****

 

An effective, fast-paced thriller, No Exit by Taylor Adams is a highly readable suspense novel with a likeable heroine and twists aplenty.

The plot: A young woman taking refuge from a snow storm in a rest stop, discovers that one of the four strangers with her is a psychopath who has a seven year old girl trapped in a cage in his car. Author Taylor Adams takes this high concept and runs with it, creating one intense situation after another, building the tension to a fever pitch.

But the novel does have its flaws. Aside from the heroine and the little girl, all the characters are barely memorable, especially the villains, who get less and less believable as the story progresses. But the novel's biggest misstep is the climax, which reads like the finale of a blockbuster Hollywood thriller: contrived and over-the-top, and with a clichéd epilogue.

Faults aside, No Exit is an immensely enjoyable, tense, and energetic thriller, with just enough style to make it memorable.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Review: SALEM'S LOT (1995 BBC RADIO DRAMA) *** and 1\2 OUT OF *****

The BBC's attempt at dramatizing Stephen King's classic vampire novel Salem's Lot for radio, is a flawed but enjoyable affair. The actors playing Ben Mears and Mark Petrie are terribly miscast, delivering forgettable, monotonous performances, but the rest of the cast shines, especially Doug Bradley as the vampire master Barlow.

Writer Gregory Evans, who adapted the book for radio, pares the story down to its bare essentials, leaching it of almost all subtext, and so turning it into a simple horror story, but one that is compelling and occasionally thrilling, and which is marred only by uneven pacing. What makes the radio drama work, though, is its atmosphere, helped tremendously by the minimalist electronic score, and the clever intermingling of King's book with elements from Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Fans of King's work, the original novel, or the seminal 1979 TV adaptation, will surely find a lot to enjoy. Recommended.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Quick Review: HELLRAISER: THE TOLL by Mark Allan Miller *** out of *****

The story of what happened to Kirsty Cotton between the events of Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart and the start of The Scarlet Gospels, the Hellraiser: The Toll novella is a diverting, if not particularly memorable, addition to the Hellraiser mythos. It also retcons the events of another supposedly cannon sequel to The Hellbound Heart, the comic book series co-written by Clive Barker, which is the better story of the two.

Recommended for hardcore fans, but casual readers will find it baffling.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Book Review: CURTAINS OF BLOOD by Robert J. Randisi **** out of *****

A beguiling, immensely readable thriller, Robert J. Randisi's Curtains of Blood, is a must for fans of Dracula and Bram Stoker.

Using the now clichéd high concept of Bram Stoker crossing paths with Jack The Ripper in 1888 London, Randisi produces what is arguably the best of all the books that tread the same ground (including The Dracula Dossier by James Reese, and Stoker's Wilde by Hopstaken and Prusi). What sets Randisi's story apart is his style. He has a mastery of atmosphere, and his minimalist, unfussy writing style and short chapters pull the reader in, slowly but surely, into a compelling and disturbing story. Randisi is one of those writers with the rare talent for achieving much with few words, making his books practically read themselves.

While Curtains of Blood isn't brimming with historical detail like others of its ilk, it is well-realized and has enough historical flavor to make it believable. It also offers some clever theories about what could have been the inspiration behind Dracula, Stoker's masterpiece, and it ends on a chilling note that makes one look at that timeless horror classic in a new light.

A top notch historical thriller, Curtains of Blood is highly recommended for horror, thriller, and historical mystery fans.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Video Version:

 

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer