Book Review: X's for Eyes

I'm going to make this review brief as I have recently come down with a terrible cold and desperately need a good night's sleep. X's For Eyes by Laird Barron is a wonderful little book, brief but packed to the brim with action and adventure. The two main characters, wealthy young brothers Dred and Mac Tooms,  are essentially morally corrupt and vaguely sociopathic versions of the Hardy Boys, here solving "The Mystery of the Eldritch God." Since this book really does have it all (science fiction, cosmic horror, old fashioned skullduggery, etc.), my only complaint is that I want more. I'd love to read more adventures of the two brothers, or about any of the members of their extended family for that matter (I found their Errol Flynn-like Uncle Nestor and Egyptian mother, Theoris, particularly intriguing). I highly recommend this book for any fans of Laird Barron, and it's also a good jumping off point for those unfamiliar with his work who are looking to see what he can do.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TV Terrors: Tales from the Darkside

Image
Tales from the Darkside was produced by the late great George Romero from 1984 to 1988. It's not quite as showy as the later Tales from the Crypt , and the episodes were often low budget and kind of creaky. However, Darkside still has its charms. Here are some notable episodes listed below. What are your favorites? A Case of the Stubborns (Season 1, Episode 9) Featuring a young Christian Slater and Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek ), A Case of the Stubborns is more gross than scary. The episode tells a humorous tale of an aged family patriarch who refuses to believe that he has actually died. Slater is great here, as is comedic actor Eddie Bracken as his rapidly decomposing but remarkably still kicking grandfather. The makeup effects on this one are pretty gnarly, and I mean that in the best way possible. I have a pretty cast iron stomach when it comes to gore, but I had to turn my face away from the grody grandpa more than a few times. Anniversary Dinner (Season 1, Epi
Read more

Book Review: How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend

Image
 I don't know why I put off reading this for so long. Linda Addison's How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend is an excellent collection of horror prose and poetry. My favorite poems were the clever bookending pair of "How To Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend" and "How To Recognize Your Friend Has Become a Demon," as well as the beautiful "Demon Dance." "Land Sharks" was another favorite. The stories were all strong, but I had a few favorites among them as well. The collection's two longest stories, "The Power" and "Milez to Go," were companion pieces about two magically gifted cousins, and I could happily read many more stories about both of them. "Excerpts From the Unabridged Traveler's Guide as UFO's in Galaxy A.G.2" was one of the most creative and original stories in the book and made me chuckle more than a few times. Finally, "Boo" absolutely broke my heart. It's
Read more

House by the Cemetery

Image
I just finished watching House by the Cemetery , a movie that's been sitting in my collection for several years, but which I only now got around to viewing. And, honestly, I loved it. It fits into a particular style, or sub-sub-genre of horror film that I am particularly fond of. That is the "haunted house" movie (whether it be haunted by actual ghosts or demons, witches, the undead, or something similar) where everything is moody, gothic, and a bit bizarre (kind of kitchen-sink horror, or "let's throw everything at the wall and just see see what sticks" horror). House by the Cemeter y is along the lines of two of my other favorites, Superstition and Ghosthouse (which, incidentally, is filmed in the same house as this one), as well as earlier entries into the Amityville Horror series. A particularly lovely house, the kind of place I'd like to live if it weren't for, you know,  all the demons and ghosts and murders, etc. Now, I will admit
Read more