review – Tony's Horror Corner

Review Time: “The Road That Takes You There”

I got the pleasure to read Jason Sechrest’s newest story “The Road That Takes You There,” and it was creepily beautiful. Check out below for a full review!

“My God, her face… what happened to her face?”

From the opening lines, “The Road That Takes You There” immediately draws you in. Jason Sechrest, writer of Cemetery Dance Magazine’s column, “What I Learned From Stephen King,” definitely channeled his inner King with this story. You can find an excerpt to this wonderful story on Jason’s Patreon page!

After those ominous first lines, we are introduced to George Tinker as he is driving down an old farm road, a road he has known his entire life. Upon our meeting him, George notices something that was never there before: a church with an accompanying graveyard.

George drives past this new fixture twice a day. We never know where he is going or coming from, only that the church has become something he cannot look away from, something dwelling on him. George talks to his wife about his growing concerns, only his wife isn’t there.

Sechrest mixes in interludes like the opening lines to build the eerie air of the story and give readers insight to George’s life and sanity. This is a sad, creepy and seamlessly written tale. Sechrest delivers in just over 6 pages of work. It left me wanting more, in a good way.

“SALEM, that lone word which hung in the air over the tombstones, was the only commentary the place would offer… The word meant peace. He remembered that now from his Sunday school days as a kid. ‘Funny thing,’ he called up to it. ‘That’s just what I’m looking for.’”

Don’t read beyond here if you don’t want me to spoil the ending! Just know that Sechrest wrote a very fine story and I’m looking forward to seeing reactions from more readers.

One night, George finally decides to face this abnormality and he visits the church and graveyard. Once in the graveyard, George finds the grave of his wife and one next to it with his own name on it. Upon seeing his wife’s name, George is flooded with memories of the car crash that killed them.

After this memory dump, George sees his wife and finally can apologize and move on. They drive off together down the road, the road that will take them there.

Overall, Sechrest put together a great little tale and I’m excited to read more from him.

4.5 out of 5

Review Time: “Swan Song”

I kicked off 2019 with Robert McCammon’s epic nuclear apocalypse novel: “Swan Song.” After reading and discussing this wild ride of a novel with a group on Instagram, #swanalong, and putting my review off for too long, here it is… I have a lot to say, fair warning.

I’m going to get this point out front and attempt to leave it here for the rest of the review: Robert McCammon’s “Swan Song” draws a lot of comparisons to Stephen King’s “The Stand,” and readers are right in doing so. These parallels shouldn’t make readers shun this novel or judge it based off “The Stand” though. “Swan Song” is a very different tale with similar, almost mirrored ideas and themes, but I mean come on… it’s a post-apocalyptic story… they all share something. I also think it is criminally underappreciated. I had never heard of it until around November.

“Swan Song” is a 900-plus page thrill-ride about the survivors of a nuclear holocaust brought on when the conflict between the United States and Russia finally hit a tipping point. McCammon introduces us to many characters before the nukes start falling.

We meet Sister Creep, a homeless woman; Josh aka Black Frankenstein, a former professional football player turned wrestler; Swan, a little girl with the very special ability to grow plants; Roland Croninger, a deranged 13-year old boy; Colonel James Macklin, a former Vietnam War vet; The Man With The Scarlet Eye, a supernatural being and very Flagg-esque character; and many other characters along the way, but these are the center pieces.

“One step. One step and then the next gets you where you’re going.”

Sister and Josh ended up taking home the trophy for best characters. Roland and Macklin were great too, but it felt like McCammon stopped developing Roland like he could of halfway through the book. Macklin’s reliance on the Shadow Soldier was evident of his weak mental status throughout. The Man With The Scarlet Eye was pretty stupid in my opinion. He brought in an overly supernatural element the story didn’t really need. Eliminating him completely wouldn’t have hurt my feelings at all. Swan was a great character too, and her little ability ended up being massively important.

I will insert the spoiler blocker here. If you are worried about ruining events, then scroll to the “End Spoilers” heading to see my rating. Then go to the store, find this book, and read it!

In the first half of the novel, McCammon develops all these main characters and adds in important minor characters like the psychopath Alvin, psychic Leona, and mountain man Paul. We see the characters struggle to survive and seek other survivors.

Sister Creep’s escape from the fiery inferno of destruction in the New York Sewers and then trek through the Holland Tunnel were so intense and absolutely terrifying. Before leaving New York, Sister finds a glowing glass crown that shows her visions of happiness. During Sister’s time in New York we get some of her heartbreaking back story… yeah, I cried.

“Even the most worthless thing in the world can be beautiful, it just takes the right touch.”

Josh and Swan’s time in a Kansas fallout shelter and then travel together is heartwarming but sad as well. The duo meet Leona and check out a shopping center in Matheson where they are introduced to Lord Alvin. Josh is put through a gauntlet. This shopping center scene is easily one of my favorites of the entire novel. Its so wild. They then meet former clown, Rusty.

Macklin and Roland met in a government-built fallout shelter called Earth House underneath Blue Dome Mountain in Idaho. The shelter collapses when the nukes fall. Roland helped Macklin free himself from a rock that had crushed his hand (think about that for a second). The duo escape Earth House. This is another highlight of the entire novel. Holding my breath, cringing, heart racing… it was intense to say the least.

We only have a couple run-ins with The Man With The Scarlet Eye in the first half of the novel, and honestly he was totally forgettable. His best scene was a mini-showdown with Sister where he was impersonating a priest. Other than that, he was pretty pointless and non-existent.

McCammon’s pace in this first half was pedal-to-the-metal. I loved it and cruised through it. The second half, however, takes place after a seven-year time jump, and it is much slower in parts. Overall McCammon kept a very quick and easy pace, but the second half had a lot more stand still with the characters and much less development.

“Sometimes the imagination could be a useful place to hide when the going got rough.”

In the seven-year jump, nuclear winter has set in and Sister, Josh, Swan, Roland, and Macklin have all developed growths on their faces that survivors refer to as Job’s Masks. Roland and Macklin hide theirs and mobilize an army, the Army of Excellence, to purge the land of all people with these imperfections and eventually combat the Russians.

I love the image McCammon wrote out for Roland’s attempt to cover the Job’s Mask; it was very reminiscent of HG Wells’ “Invisible Man.” The scenes with this duo and their army are very similar to something out of “Mad Max.” Lord Alvin, the psychopath from Matheson, returns to the novel and joins their army.

Sister and Paul continue to travel, using the visions from the crown to guide them, and eventually meet a young man named Robin. The trio travel to Mary’s Rest where they meet Josh and Swan. Robin and Swan develop a love interest, creating some cute and embarrassing “teenage love” scenes.

Before Sister, Robin and Paul get there though, Josh, Rusty and Swan have a run-in with The Man With The Scarlet Eye. He kills Rusty who sacrificed himself to save Swan and runs away before he can be caught. When Sister and Paul get to Mary’s rest, the people are starting to discover Swan’s ability. She has instilled hope in the towns people, and everyone bands together to rebuild the town.

“A man had a certain look in his eyes when he was pushed against the wall and stripped of his humanity; his entire face changed, as if it was a mask cracking open to show the face of the real beast within.”

All these travel scenes just made me feel cold due to McCammons excellent descriptions of the Nuclear Winter. The claustrophobia associated with the Job’s Masks slowly working their way over the entirety of the characters faces really got to me at times. Once the Masks fall off, the characters “true face” is shown. Sister, Josh, and Swan are all beautiful and have lost any imperfections they had.

Meanwhile, Roland and Macklin’s faces have turned monstrous. Macklin’s reminds me of a cross between “Captain America’s” Red Skull and something from “Hellraiser.” Another minor fault of this novel is the weak description of Roland’s “true face.” I still feel like I can’t picture it well.

The Man With The Scarlet Eye attempts to harm Swan once more, but Swan, offering him an apple in an act of forgiveness, breaks his sanity. This scene is one huge metaphor and obviously symbolic, but I still didn’t love it. The only good that came from it, for me, was watching The Man With The Scarlet Eye lose his mind and leave town to find help.

“Forgiveness crippled evil, drew the poison from it like a lanced boil.”

He found help, in the form of the continually growing Army of Excellence where he convinced Roland and Macklin to attack Mary’s Rest. A massive battle ensues between the sparsely armed citizens of Mary’s Rest and the absurdly weaponized Army of Excellence. Another highlight of the novel for me.

Josh, Robin, Sister, and Swan are captured. The Army of Excellence take them to West Virginia where there is a rumor of “God on the mountain.” “God” turns out to be the President and he has initiated the launch of TALONS: a device that will release a barrage of nukes at the Earth’s poles, rotating the planet, melting the ice caps and destroying all life; ensuring a fresh start.

The Man With The Scarlett Eye is essentially in charge at this point and all he wants is death and chaos. There is a heart-pounding final showdown in the bunker under the mountain. The Man With The Scarlet Eye disappears in a flash of lightning (lame) and the humans are left fighting each other. In the throes of battle, Macklin dies and before Roland dies, he mortally wounds Sister. Swan, Josh, and Robin carry Sister out of the bunker after disarming TALONS.

“God A’Mighty, what’s the point of livin’ if you don’t fight for what you hold dear?”

In the closing events, we see the sky begin to clear, effectively ending the nuclear winter. Sister dies, but not in vain. Swan and Robin represent hope and the future of mankind. Like a lot of massive apocalyptic novels, “Swan Song” is no different in the “somewhat rushed and seemingly ineffective ending” category.

End of the spoilers

In the end, I really enjoyed this novel, it probably sits in my top 10 or 15 all-time. It’s a fast, fantastic read that immerses readers from page 1. I couldn’t put it down. I wish The Man With The Scarlet Eye would have been less of a force and McCammon had instead replaced him with a more prominent Roland.

I’m sorry this review was so long, but it’s a massive book with a lot going on. Overall, I absolutely loved it and I highly recommend everyone check it out, you’ll cruise through it and you’ll love it, I promise. This book makes me want to check out some more McCammon. “Swan Song” would get a perfect rating from me if not for a few things that I just can’t get past, so instead I give it a:

4.5 out of 5

Review Time: “Carrie”

I first read Stephen King’s “Carrie” in 2013 and decided, randomly, to pick this tragic tale up again. Well am I sure glad I did. Check out the review for my reread below!

It’s hard to describe how ballsy it was for King to start his career off with a novel like this. A 200-page story about a high school girl with telekinetic powers… in 1974!? “Carrie” was extremely ambitious at the time.

Legend has it, King’s wife, Tabitha, pulled the manuscript from the trashcan and told him to finish it. I think all constant readers can give her a huge Thank You. Not only for pushing this book into circulation, but sparking King’s career.

“On the subject of Carrie White, we’re all relatively uninformed.”

Readers are thrown right into the midst of action with Carrie White, the tragic heroine of this story, having her first period and the other girls in the gym locker room throwing tampons at her and screaming “plug it up.” This is an insane way to start a book and its even better when readers realize later just how cataclysmic this event truly is.

I said cataclysmic, and that really is the only way to describe the locker room scene. It was the moment Carrie realized she was truly different… and not just different like every high school student, but something special. Carrie began exercising her previously semi-dormant telekinetic abilities. She describes it as working out a muscle in her head.

King does an excellent job of flipping between narrative styles throughout the novel. We get snippets of Carrie’s childhood as well as clips from newspapers, letters, telekinetic textbooks, and others. The text clippings set up the impending destruction later in the novel and keeps readers on the edge of their seats the whole time. With these snippets King gives you a taste of what is to come without truly revealing everything. Its really an amazing experience to read.

The scenes from Carrie’s past are some of my favorites. The random bursts of power associated with high-stress and her insane and overly religious mother, trapping Carrie in the closet beneath the stairs… maybe J.K. Rowling was inspired by this for “Harry Potter?” Speaking of Carries mother… wow what a terrible person. She’s easily one of the most hated characters in the Kingverse, but she is still an amazingly written crazy woman and vitally important to Carrie’s actions.

“What happens if there are others like her? What happens to the world?”

I mentioned impending destruction earlier, well, after the locker room incident, Sue Snell, one of the tampon throwers attempts to absolve herself of her guilt by convincing her boyfriend Tommy Ross to take Carrie to their senior prom. Carrie obviously accepts and things start to look up for the poor girl.

Chris Hargensen, the “bully” in this story, was the leader of the tampon throwers and she’s a vile person, so put it lightly. After the locker room incident, she is banned from the prom and in an act of revenge, her and her greaser boyfriend Billy, put buckets of pig’s blood on the rafters above the Prom King and Queen thrones. Chris rigs the voting to make it so Tommy and Carrie win.

Once on stage, accepting their crowns, Chris, hiding behind the stage, drops the blood buckets on their heads. All hell breaks loose. Carrie’s slight growth in confidence and finally happy thoughts are shattered, and she allows her now extremely powerful ability to take over.

“If the TK (telekinetic) test shows positive, we have no treatment except a bullet in the head. And how is it possible to isolate a person who will eventually have the power to knock down walls?”

I won’t go into much detail because it’s much better if you read it yourself, but Carrie’s path of destruction to her mother and then to Chris and Billy are very intense and extremely disturbing. She single-handedly destroys almost the entire town and kills hundreds of people.

This all makes Carrie sound like a terrible person and probably makes you wonder how people sympathize, but honestly, she is pretty justified for a lot of the deaths. Did all those people need to die? God, no. Many deserved it though, for the way Carrie was treated.

“People don’t get better, they get smarter. When you get smarter you don’t stop pulling the wings off flies, you just think of better reasons for doing it.”

Before I let you go, “Carrie” has been adapted into two films and one made-for-TV movie. The only movie worth watching is the original 1976 movie starring the amazing Sissy Spacek. The 2002 TV-movie is atrocious, and the 2013 film is just not good.

“Carrie” truly is a very special novel. It is easily a top 20 novel of all time for me, and it’s top 15 King for sure. I could rank it that high for the style and impact alone. I am really glad I picked “Carrie” back up and it will probably turn into a yearly or every-other-year reread. I love King’s tragic debut novel and I highly recommend you check it out whether you’ve read it yet or not. It is more than worth it.

5 out of 5

Review Time: “NOS4A2”

I dedicated the first part of December to Joe Hill’s Christmas themed thriller “NOS4A2.” The title may conjure thoughts of the classic vampire, Nosferatu. In a way, this is a vampiric tale, but in a way it isn’t. Check out my review below!

Joe Hill, oldest son of the uber-famous Stephen King, released this 692-page novel in 2013. “NOS4A2” tells the tale of Victoria McQueen and her lifelong battle with reputed child kidnapper Charlie Manx.

Pause, side note: “NOS4A2” has been adapted into a TV series on AMC, starring Zachary Quinto as Manx. The series premiers later this year!

Play: Vic discovers she has a special ability, the ability to find things. She thinks about what is lost and rides her bike through a covered bridge that takes her where she needs to go. One day she goes looking for trouble and gets transported to Manx’s house.

Manx, we learn, has a similar ability. He doesn’t find things though, he takes them. He takes children to an amusement park world he created: Christmasland. He takes them to Christmasland in his Wraith, a car very much like Stephen King’s Christine. Christmasland is where children live forever, never age, and are always happy. It is a place where, shocker, it is always Christmas.

Why does he do this? Because during their journey to Christmasland, while trapped in the Wraith, Manx is taking the children’s souls and feeding himself, slowing his aging process.

“The road to Christmasland removes all sorrows, eases all pain, and erases all scars. It takes away the parts of you that weren’t doing you any good and what it leaves behind is made clean and pure.”

The concept may seem silly, but Hill executes it very well. He throws in a ton of nods to his father’s work which I am still torn about. They were cool, but also seemed lame at the same time. If we’re getting really picky, Hill’s descriptions and voice aren’t very strong. The story was great, the idea was there, but there wasn’t enough of the bad-guys and the plot seems a bit thrown together at times.

Hill introduces the readers to Bing Partridge. A psychopath, to put it simply. He’s a vile human being who aids Manx in his abductions. Bing was an excellent character and, in the end, the duo of him and Manx was not utilized nearly enough.

One thing Hill did do very well was highlight the struggle of those who have faced and dealt with past traumas. We get to see how Vic’s first, almost fatal confrontation with Manx affected her entire life. We get to see her at her lowest point, but we also get to see her rise from the ashes to save her son from the clutches of Bing, Manx, and Christmasland.

The first third of the book is very interesting and informative. The middle third is a tad boring and the novel seems to stall. The last third though… Hill seriously kicks it in gear. The finale of this one is something seriously crazy to read. It’s an experience.

I think this novel had a lot of potential and a lot of very awesome details that were not given the time or descriptions they deserved. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this one and I am very interested to read more from Mr. Hill, especially the prequel graphic novel, “Wraith.” “Wraith” gives the readers some much needed Manx back story. I’ll be reading and reviewing that one soon.

“After all: Christmas is just a state of mind, and as long as you keep a little holiday spirit in your heart, every day is Christmas Day.”

In the end, I really liked it, but there was a bit too much I found myself shaking my head about, and maybe that’s my fault for comparing Hill to his father too much? I definitely still recommend you check it out because I know a lot of people who swear by “NOS4A2.” If you do pick it up, be sure to read the last section “A note on the type” for a hidden epilogue!

3.75 out of 5

Review Time: “Widow’s Point”

I read father-son duo, Richard and Billy Chizmar’s novella “Widow’s Point” back in November and absolutely adored it. An extremely chilling story that can be read in one sitting… its that good. Check out my review below!

Richard Chizmar, founder of Cemetery Dance Publications and the Cemetery Dance Magazine, asked his oldest son, Billy, to assist him in writing a short story. Billy eagerly accepted, and once the two got to writing, they realized they had more than a short story’s worth of material. “Widow’s Point,” through their collaboration and compatible stylistic differences, turned into the chilling novella it is today.

“Widow’s Point, with its sheer cliffs and windswept ocean views, is one of the most picturesque scenic overlooks in all of Nova Scotia. It’s located a mere five minute drive from the town of Harper’s Cove, a thirty minute drive from neighboring Cambridge, and a zero minute drive from the depths of Hell.”

Released in February 2018, this 150-page novella, with amazing illustrations from the famous Glenn Chadbourne throughout, follows the tragic tale of acclaimed author Thomas Livingston and his weekend stay in the haunted Widow’s Point lighthouse on Harper’s Cove.

The entire novella is written in bursts of video and audio clips from Livingston’s portable camera and recorder. Reading this feels like you are watching a movie. I have read a lot of books in my time, but I can say I have never read one that was this visually stunning.

The Chizmars simply killed it. They both have a lot of background in the film industry, so that aided in their descriptive prowess. There are multiple occasions where I had to set the book down and just go “wow” among other expletives. I was thoroughly creeped out. There’s a specific Satanic ritual scene that has still stuck with me.

“I want to go home. I want to leave this bad place and never come back. There’s evil here, in the walls, in the air. It lurks along the stairway and slumbers upon the catwalk. It breathes in the salt of the ocean and exhales darkness. It survives on the town’s fear. I can feel it oozing through the stone walls and slithering into my skin. It’s swimming in my veins. I can feel it. I can feel it eating my brain.”

Aside from the Satanic bit, the Chizmar’s threw the readers into Livingston’s mind and showed you his deep dive into the heart of darkness and the slow crumble of his insanity. The ghosts of the lighthouse’s past haunted poor Thomas, pushing him beyond the realm of rational thinking and actions. Counting steps, recounting steps, rotten food, tainted water, mysterious objects, and many more classic ghost story elements that broke clichés and added new life to the sub-genre.

While reading this I couldn’t help but draw parallels to Stephen King’s short story “1408” and after watching the Netflix series “The Haunting of Hill House” loosely based off Shirley Jackson’s classic novel, I see parallels there too.

I had the privilege of interviewing Richard and Billy back in October. It was an experience that will probably stick with me for the rest of my life and I still can’t thank them enough for the opportunity. During the interview they revealed the novella is on the verge of becoming a feature film. They also told me the duo was working on a prequel/sequel story.

I highly recommend you check this one out, you’ll cruise through it and you wont regret it. The Chizmars put together something special.

5 out of 5

Review Time: “Elevation”

Stephen King’s newest tale, “Elevation,” was released October 30, 2018. It is a very short, heartwarming story constant readers can breeze through. After finishing this one, my knee-jerk reaction was “meh,” but after letting it marinate for a few days, I have actually come to like and appreciate it more. Read below for my full review!

“Elevation,” weighing in at only 146 pages, tackles themes of the more real-life horrors in today’s society. This novella is vastly different from King’s other works and if you go into it expecting his usual stuff, you will be disappointed. Go in with an open mind, however, and you will probably end up enjoying this one.

A short and truly beautiful little tale that leaves your heart feeling full and a smile on your face. “Elevation” is a touching story of acceptance and King shows how much it means to be selfless… especially in the divisive world we live in today.

“Not a wind, not even a high exactly, but an elevation. A sense you had gone beyond yourself and could go further still.”

I did enjoy this novel, my rating at the end may not reflect that, but in general terms it was a good story, it just had a few moments that left me shaking my head and other moments where I know King could have done things differently.

“Elevation” makes you think of his Richard Bachman story, “Thinner,” and it feels like it belongs in “Different Seasons.” For a short, somewhat spoilery synopsis, keep reading. If you just want to get to my rating, scroll to the bottom! Without further ado, lets get elevated.

King starts us off with the main character, Scott Carey, visiting a friend and former doctor, Bob Ellis, about his sudden weight loss. Scott is losing weight, but you can’t see it in his appearance. He is a man in his 40’s who looks like he should weigh 240 lbs., but he when he steps on the scale, it reads much less than that.

Scale malfunction, right? Wrong. No matter what Scott is wearing or holding, no matter what scale he uses, it reads the same numbers, and these numbers are decreasing by the day. With no answer to his mysterious affliction, Scott decides to accept his new weight-loss program and live his life anyway.

Next door, Scott’s new neighbors are a married lesbian couple with two dogs who regular leave presents in his yard. Scott confronts his new neighbors about this and one of the women takes this as Scott being intolerant of their relationship like the rest of Castle Rock.

The women, Diedre McComb and Missy Donaldson, have opened a new restaurant in town, Holy Frijole, and, due to their marriage, it isn’t doing well. Castle Rock is a very conservative town and Scott, seeing his neighbors are being stigmatized, tries to help.

Scott attempts to befriend his new neighbors and even stands up for them at another local restaurant. Diedre continues to give him the cold shoulder, but Missy befriends Scott and apologizes for her wife’s demeanor.

“Scott hung up, thought about what giving things away meant – especially things that were also valued friends – and closed his eyes.”

Castle Rock hosts an annual Turkey Trot, 12k around Thanksgiving. Scott enters the race and makes a wager with Diedre. If he wins, her and her wife must come to his house for dinner. Diedre was an Olympic runner before an injury, but she still is excellent at the sport.

Scott’s weight loss has continued to progress, but the muscles he gained from being a man weighing 240 are still there; carrying a body that now weighs barely over 100 lbs. He feels very light on his feet. At the end he catches Diedre and she is so shocked, she falls. Scott could easily win the race at this point, but instead he helps Diedre up, and she wins.

A picture is taken of Scott helping Diedre to her feet and it is plastered in every local paper. Scott’s selfless act inspires the other residents of Castle Rock to join the rest of the 21^st century and accept the married women for who they are. After the race, business at Holy Frijole is booming.

“The only thing harder than saying goodbye to yourself, a pound at a time, was saying goodbye to your friends.”

Diedre, Missy, Dr. Bob and his wife join Scott for dinner. Here he tells all of them about his continuing weight loss and how he believes “Zero Day” is coming soon. “Zero Day” is the day Scott believes will weigh nothing.

The rest of the novel quickly goes through Scott’s life as a figurative leaf in a windy park. We see flashes of how Scott’s weightlessness affects his everyday activities. This section is very sad and a few moments had me close to tears. Scott’s character, admirable from the start, is even more so here at the end solely due to his ability to accept his affliction and still attempt to make the best of it.

The novel ends with Diedre, Missy, Bob and his wife literally letting Scott float into the sky where he lights off a load of fireworks. Talk about going out with a bang. The ending, as heartbreaking as it was, was a tad cheesy for my liking, but it was the best way to send this story off.

Overall, I enjoyed this little tale. I really liked Scott as a character, but to me he was the only one that was fully fleshed out. The social justice and political aspects bogged down the very intriguing and somewhat intense journey of Scott’s decreasing weight.

I feel like King could have gone way further into the affects of Scott becoming weightless, but I understand why King wrote a novel like this and released it now. It is something everyone should read and take to heart. America needs to look at someone like Scott and take extensive notes.

ANYWAY, in the end, I am giving this novel a three because it just wasn’t quite enough for a four. It was very close though, mainly because of the message and the uplifting nature. I do recommend everyone check out “Elevation.”

3 out of 5

The Great “Dark Tower” Reread: “The Waste Lands”

It’s tough to follow “The Drawing of the Three,” but “The Waste Lands” gives one hell of an effort. It’s a very close race for my favorite “Dark Tower” novel between these two. This is the third and one of the biggest steps in Roland and his ka-tet’s journey to the Tower, so let’s hop on the review train.

Released in 1991, “The Waste Lands” gives readers the most explanation of any of the previous novels. This may sound boring, but the novel is action packed throughout. Eddie and Susannah are true gunslingers now and Roland is going insane due to the paradox he created by saving Jake in book two.

The trio travel far in this novel and we learn a lot about the beams connecting the tower to the 12 points around Roland’s world. We travel to a haunted house in New York with Jake, to the war-torn city Lud, ride a riddle-obsessed suicidal train, Blaine the Mono, and even get a brief appearance from one of King’s ultimate baddies.

“The Waste Lands” is a thrill-ride, Olivia and I finished it in three sittings. There are a few sections that get a little slower due to the explanatory bits, but they are very important, and King mixed them in with the action very well. You’ll hit that cliff-hanger at the end and your jaw will be on the ground. Between book two and this one, we have seen some of King’s best work.

Continue your ride on the review train, but beware, spoilers lie in the Waste Lands below.

We start off with Roland, Eddie and Susannah in the woods past the beach we left in book two. Roland is teaching Susannah how to properly shoot a gun like a gunslinger. This is the first time readers get a glimpse of the gunslinger litany and its marvelous:

“I do not aim with my hand; he who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father. I aim with my eye.
I do not shoot with my hand; he who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father. I shoot with my mind.
I do not kill with my gun; he who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father. I kill with my heart.”

Roland and Susannah hear crashes and roars and run to find Eddie. They see him at the top of a tree with a giant cyborg bear beneath it trying to get him. After Susannah kills it, we learn this is Shardik, one of the guardians of the beams connected to the Tower.

Roland shows his ka-tet that you can actually see the beams in the sky and the surrounding area. They start following the beam to the center, the Dark Tower. On their journey, Roland and Eddie have dreams. Roland’s of Jake and Eddie’s of the Tower. Eddie’s dreams and growing desire to see the tower are part of the reason why Eddie is the best character. He is genuine, and his curiosity is exactly what every constant reader feels.

Meanwhile, in New York, Jake is having a hard time with his divided mind, much like Roland. Jake has a dream of young Eddie and his older brother Henry. In the dream, Jake follows them to the famous haunted mansion on Dutch Hill. When he awakens from his dream, Jake seeks out and eventually finds young Eddie and follows the brothers to the mansion. Once there and the Dean brothers have departed, Jake goes inside.

While Jake is entering the house, Roland, Eddie, and Susannah have entered a speaking circle guarded by a demonic spirit. While there, Susannah must distract it, sexually, while Eddie draws a door. The circle is where the ka-tet hopes to draw Jake through.

King flips back and forth between the ka-tet and their struggle and Jake and his. Jake is in a house of horrors, pretty much. The descriptions are truly terrifying, especially when the house comes to life and tries to grab Jake and consume him. After a heroic struggle, Jake is finally drawn into Roland’s world. Obviously that description doesn’t cut it, but it is one of the most intense scenes in the book and King set it up and executed it so well.

Once Jake is drawn, his and Roland’s minds are at ease and the ka-tet has one more member. After rounds of story sharing, they are all one the same page and of one mind: khef. Jake tells the trio of a riddle book and a book about a train he found in a NY bookstore. The books foreshadow a train the ka-tet will soon encounter.

They resume their journey toward the war-torn city of Lud. Along the way they pick up a hitchhiker: a little billy-bulmber, a raccoon-fox-like creature named Oy. Oy can somewhat repeat words and phrases and takes an immediate liking to Jake, “Ake.”

The ka-tet reaches a bridge leading to Lud. The bridge is very run-down and on the brink of collapse. They go across single file until they are stopped when Jake and Oy almost fall off. This scene is stressful as hell.

Once they regain their composure, they see a figure on the other side: Gasher. Gasher wants them to hand over Jake or else he’ll blow the bridge. They do… another heartbreaking scene where we have to watch Roland lose Jake.

Gasher drags Jake through a series of twists, turns, tunnels and around traps until they reach the lair of the Tic-Toc man underneath the city. Another heart pounding sequence. Eddie and Susannah go off in search of the train, Blaine the Mono. Roland and Oy search for Jake.

Eddie and Susannah find Blaine and must answer a riddle to board. Roland and Oy find where Jake is being held. Oy goes into the vents and attacks Jake’s captors from the inside and Roland bursts through. Together they escape with Jake and rendezvous with the Deans.

Susannah solves the riddle, and the five members of the ka-tet board Blaine. Once aboard, Blaine talks to them and impresses the group with his futuristic technology. Blaine takes the them through the waste lands and strikes a deal: The ka-tet must ask him riddles and if he solves them all, he will drive the train with them locked inside, into the blockade at the end of the track in Topeka. If the ka-tet manages to stump him though, then he will let them off safely in Topeka.

While the ka-tet are riding away from Lud, a mysterious figure approaches the injured Tic-Toc Man. This figure spouts a few lines from one of King’s best novels, “The Stand,” giving us the idea that he could be Randall Flagg (it is).

King leaves us with a nasty cliff-hanger to finish off this epic novel. It is totally frustrating until you just immediately grab book four, “Wizard and Glass,” and pick right back up. Overall “The Waste Lands” was absolutely incredible. If you weren’t sucked into the journey to the Tower after book 2, then you definitely will be after book 3.

5 out of 5

Richard Chizmar: The Man Behind Cemetery Dance

I had the chance to interview Richard Chizmar, his son Billy, and one of his friends and colleagues, Tom Monteleone. It was an amazing experience and extremely informative. Check out the full feature story below.

Sitting in his tenth-grade English class at Edgewood High School, Richard Chizmar’s teacher starts the day by reading a recently released short story to the anxious students. Chizmar’s attention is grabbed immediately. The story is “The Monkey” by Stephen King.

“Listening to my teacher read ‘The Monkey,’ it really cemented storytelling for me, and it was part of my identity,” Chizmar said. “That’s when I knew, that this is what I wanted to do.”

Born in 1965, growing up in Edgewood, Maryland, Chizmar said he was always surrounded by books and loved the library. From a young age, he wrote and told stories, mostly of the horror variety, to his friends and his parents. He said his friends found it cool and his mother would even pay him ten cents or a quarter for each story.

Chizmar graduated from Edgewood High School in 1983 and went to the University of Maryland Baltimore County to play lacrosse. In his first years at the university, he didn’t write as much as he used to; time was difficult to come by with lacrosse and classes. In 1986, Chizmar was injured playing lacrosse. During his rehabilitation, Stephen King’s famous novel IT was released, and he read the whole thing.

“It was a slap in the face,” Chizmar said. “Reading IT made me realize this (writing) is what you are supposed to be doing.”

After rehab, Chizmar quit the lacrosse team and took his love for sports to the school’s newspaper. He wrote for the sports page and eventually became the sports editor. To further pursue his journalism degree, Chizmar transferred to the University of Maryland College Park. While at UMD, Chizmar began writing fiction again and submitting his stories to magazines.

“There was a bigger market back then, a sprawling network of smaller magazines,” Chizmar said. “If you had 20 stories, you could send them all out and they would all get purchased.”

The only problem with the huge network of magazines, Chizmar said, was the quality. To combat this, Chizmar started his own magazine: Cemetery Dance in December of 1988.

“I had a long winding road through college,” Chizmar said chuckling. “Once I finished at UMD (June 1989), I focused solely on Cemetery Dance. I wrote for the magazine and was poor for 10 years.”

Tom Monteleone, a writer for Cemetery Dance magazine for the past 25 years, has known Chizmar since the beginning.

“He started a small press and turned it into an empire,” Monteleone said. “Starting a magazine is a crazy thing, 90 percent of the time you’re doomed for failure. Rich on the other hand, has a determination and a will to succeed. When he makes up his mind, he doesn’t stop. He’s driven, he has visions, dreams and plans.”

Monteleone writes a column for the magazine entitled “The Mothers and Fathers Italian Association.” In it he talks about weird experiences and life as a writer. Monteleone describes Chizmar as a “dynamo” and a “really fascinating guy.”

“I admire his incredible energy,” Monteleone said. “He has an ability to will things into existence and he gets shit done. He built CD from nothing and has managed to attract a massive clientele to what is a niche market industry. I am proud to call him my friend.”

Chizmar’s whole idea behind Cemetery Dance was to publish a high-quality horror themed magazine that packaged well-known authors with lesser-known aspiring writers. Each issue, he would send out to big-name authors and writers to put the name out there and in the hopes of getting support or submissions. One of these big-names was Stephen King.

“I would send him copies regularly saying, ‘I’d love to work with you, check out my magazine,’ stuff like that,” Chizmar said. “Then in 1990, he replied with a very nice promotional blurb for CD and obviously I was excited.”

In 1991, King sent Chizmar a copy of his newest short story “Chattery Teeth” wanting it to be published in the magazine. This was the start of their relationship and King allowed Chizmar to reprint other stories and scripts for the magazine. At this time, Cemetery Dance had expanded to printing limited editions of novels as well as the magazine.

In 2001, King’s assistant sent the manuscript for his upcoming novel From a Buick 8 to Chizmar asking Cemetery Dance to produce a limited edition.

“Slowly our relationship expanded from just business to more of a friendship,” Chizmar said. “We would send each other our works, read them over, and send them back. We emailed back-and-forth pretty regularly.”

One day in 2016, following the release of his hit short story collection A Long December, Chizmar received an email from King. It contained an idea for a story titled Gwendy’s Button Box with a note saying he was having trouble finishing it.

“I told him I’d love to read it and he replied saying, ‘Do with it as you wish.’ I asked him if he wanted me to finish it and he said, ‘absolutely,’” Chizmar said. “I agreed I’d finish it. My hands were shaking, I was a nervous wreck, I couldn’t believe I was tasked to finish a Stephen King book.”

Once he finally sat down to write, Chizmar said the story flowed and he just started cruising, “I was transported to Castle Rock.” Within two hours, the nerves were gone. 10,000 words later, he had it attached in an email with his mouse hovering over the send button.

“I got all nervous again and started second guessing what I had done then finally said ‘screw it’ and hit send,” Chizmar said. “We played ping-pong with drafts of the story over email and finally came to a finished product. It was a happy accident emailing back and forth but writing with him was a wonderful experience.”

Gwendy’s Button Box was released May 2017 through Cemetery Dance Publications and spent six weeks on the bestseller list. King and Chizmar have worked together on other projects as well. Recently, they wrote a script for a movie Trapped. Chizmar’s oldest son has been tapped to direct the film.

Chizmar has two sons, Billy, 20, a student at Colby College in Maine, and Noah, 15, a sophomore at St. Paul’s High School. Both play lacrosse, but, Chizmar said, Billy got more of the reading and writing genes.

“Growing up with my dad being a writer and publisher has been a really cool experience,” Billy said. “I remember one day when I was little we didn’t have a babysitter, so dad took me to work with him. The Cemetery Dance warehouse is in Forrest Hill and I remember just being amazed walking around this huge warehouse and looking at all the cool artwork and the books. I fell in love immediately… it was hard not to.”

Billy said the Chizmars had a library room in their old home where he would always find his father reading and naturally he picked up the hobby. Billy describes his father as “someone I look up to a lot.”

Chizmar and Billy have produced multiple films together, including Murder House based on the home the Chizmar family recently moved into. The duo also published a novella, “Widow’s Point,” in February 2018.

“Writing ‘Window’s Point’ with my dad was an awesome experience,” Billy said. “I was nervous and excited. I’d written a few short stories myself, but when he asked me to help work on something of length, it was daunting but fun.”

Billy said his father asked him to finish it and their style differences worked perfectly for the structure of the story. What started as a short story quickly grew to a short novel.

“We had a moment where we realized we had more to say,” Billy said. “We were both on the same wavelength and just started going back and forth, adding things and editing parts. It was an absolute delight.”

The father-son duo are getting ready to work on a sequel to their hit novella. Both said they plan to start writing in November. Chizmar, meanwhile has a new book, The Long Way Home, coming in December and over the weekend, Chizmar was inducted into the Edgewood High School Hall of Fame.

Chizmar went from writing because of King, to writing to him, then going full circle and accomplishing what every constant reader and aspiring horror author dreams of: writing with him.

However, like Monteleone said, “There is life (in horror) outside of Stephen King.” Chizmar is part of that life and fostering some of that life at Cemetery Dance. Keep an eye out for the Chizmar name because it will be appearing more frequently in the coming years.

The Great “Dark Tower” Reread: “The Drawing of the Three”

If you felt a little lost or confused after “The Gunslinger,” King’s second installment in “The Dark Tower” series, “The Drawing of the Three” is the medicine you need. Below is my review for the thrill ride that really opens the door to the series.

“The Drawing of the Three” was released in 1987 and starts with Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger, waking up on a beach to the water from the sea soaking his guns and shells. Roland, concerned for his weapons, leaps up but is attacked by giant lobster-like creatures that lop off the first two fingers on his dominant right hand.

King immediately cripples the story’s hero, starting the readers off knowing this will be a major test. “The Drawing of the Three” contains some of King’s best writing, hands down. His imagination and descriptions are truly incredible. This novel is incredibly fast paced compared to book one, and you’ll never want to put it down… Olivia and I finished it in three nights.

We get to meet two major characters in this one: Eddie Dean and Susannah. Susannah, we don’t get to until later, but we start off quickly with Eddie and if I’m being completely honest, he’s my favorite King character and one of the best he’s ever written.

This novel offers us a look into how vast King’s universe can be, but we only scratch the surface. “The Drawing of the Three” is easily a top 10/15 King novel overall for me, and its either #1 or #2 within “The Dark Tower” series.

Brief synopsis below that may contain spoilers, so tread lightly.

After losing his fingers, Roland shambles down the beach, realizing the lobstrosities have poisoned him. Roland is in desperation mode when he comes across a door in the middle of the beach. The door reads “The Prisoner.” Roland opens it and realizes he is looking through someone else’s eyes. Eddie Dean’s eyes.

Roland steps through the door, and into Eddie. King’s imagination is on full display here and it’s truly incredible. The scenes where Roland and Eddie co-exist in Eddies body, Roland taking food from Eddies world back to his own, Roland hiding the drugs Eddie was smuggling into the US in his world, so Eddie would make it through customs… amazing.

Eddie Dean is a heroin addict who, as I mentioned, was smuggling cocaine into the US for his heroin supplier, Balazar. Balazar is holding Eddie’s brother Henry hostage as collateral. Eddie, with Roland as his passenger arrive at Balazar’s place to exchange the drugs.

Eddie goes to the bathroom, followed by one of Balazar’s men, to retrieve the drugs from Roland’s world. While in the bathroom, Eddie pulls the goon into Roland’s world and together, Roland and Eddie feed him to the lobstrosities. Roland comes back through the door with Eddie, not inside him this time, but separately.

There’s a major shootout in Balazar’s where the last men standing are Roland and Eddie. After having Henry’s severed head thrown at him, Eddie is broken, and Roland convinces him to come back to his world to find the Tower.

“On the way to the Dark Tower anything is possible.” – Roland

“Okay, I didn’t have anything else planned tonight, anyway.” – Eddie

The two take some of Balazar’s antibiotics for Roland and trudge along the beach. Roland recovering from infection and Eddie withdrawing from his heroin addiction. Two peas in a pod. The two sufferers happen upon the next door marked: “Lady of Shadows.”

Roland opens the door again and is looking through the eyes of Detta Walker who is also Odetta Holmes. Odetta/Detta is a woman with a split personality. She is also a woman in a wheelchair because her legs are missing from the knee down.

Odetta/Detta’s drawing is much quicker and less messy than Eddie’s was, but once Roland gets her into his world, he and Eddie soon realize her personalities are unaware of each other, and vastly different. Odetta is kind, smart and inquisitive while Detta is much more animalistic: vicious, cunning and dangerous.

During the trio’s journey to the third door, Roland’s infection begins to reassert itself with a vengeance. Eddie and Odetta/Detta leave Roland, who is unable to walk, to find the door. Once there, Eddie leaves Odetta/Detta and takes her wheelchair to get Roland. Roland is the only one who can open the door marked: “The Pusher.”

Eddie gets Roland to the door, but Odetta/Detta is missing. Roland goes through the door and enters the vile Jack Mort. Eddie stays behind to look for Odetta… he has fallen in love with her but fears she has turned into Detta.

Meanwhile, Roland is inside Jack Mort’s head and stops the him from pushing Jake into traffic, the same Jake and same car that killed him and sent him to Roland’s world in “The Gunslinger.” Another glimpse at how big King’s universe surrounding the Tower can be.

Roland uses Jack’s body to get ammunition for his guns, and antibiotics for himself. This scene is fun and wild. Roland, not knowing New York culture makes Jack seem like an imbecile at times. Further examples of Kings genius. We discover Mort is the man that pushed Odetta in front of the train which caused her to lose her legs. In a final act of vengeance, Roland throws Jacks body in front of the same train and brings the drugs and bullets back to his world.

Back in his world, however, Detta has tied Eddie up and he is on the verge of death by lobstrosities when Roland reemerges. His return caused Detta and Odetta to finally see each other, causing the split personalities to converge into one woman: Susannah.

These three are the beginnings of a ka-tet: one from many; a group of people summoned by ka (destiny). Together they continue their journey to the Tower but not before Eddie rips our hearts out by thanking Roland in the most genuine way possible:

“You saved more than my life, you saved my fuckin’ soul.”

“The Drawing of the Three” is an absolutely incredible novel and leaves us totally broken but also empowered and ready for the next piece of the puzzle: “The Waste Lands.” I can’t say enough positive about this one though.

5 out of 5

The Great “Dark Tower” Reread: “The Gunslinger”

I first started Stephen King’s magnum opus “Dark Tower” series in April of 2016 and finished the 7th and final book in early December of that year. Upon finishing “Storm of the Century,” a couple weeks ago, I decided to take the epic journey to the Tower with Roland and his ka-tet once more (and not for the last time). I will review each book as I finish, so without further ado, lets palaver, you and me.

“The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.”

Im doing this reread with the always awesome, Olivia. Beginning with those iconic first lines, “The Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger,” was originally released in 1982 and heavily revised in 2003 to fit the ending of the series. When you write a series of 7 novels all about one thing over a 20-year period, ideas are bound to shift.

We start with the last gunslinger, Roland Deschain of the fallen city Gilead, following the mysterious Man in Black. Roland is on a quest to reach the mythical Dark Tower, but first needs answers from the Man in Black. Roland’s world is “moving on” a phrase he continually uses to describe its death. He hopes that reaching the Tower will give him the answers to fix it.

“The Gunslinger” is a little on the slower side, pace-wise, but it is still a really intriguing read and King’s revisions were excellent in placing subtle hints about the upcoming novels. I enjoyed reading this more the second time than I did the first, and that is probably since I know more now. Going into “The Gunslinger” for the first time it is a tad confusing, but trust me, push through because the next books are some of King’s best work.

Below is a slightly spoilery synopsis so beware.

During his travels through the desolate Mohaine desert, we get glimpses into Roland’s childhood and learn just how this dark figure came to be. Roland is quiet and intimidating with an air of danger surrounding him. Throughout the novel you have a hard time deciding whether or not you like him.

Roland enters the town of Tull, following the Man in Black’s steps. Here he discovers the Man in Black has spread his influence on the people of the poor desert town. After shoving his gun up the cooch of a crazy religious fanatic and killing the entire city’s population, Roland moves on. He’s a savage, plain and simple. (side note: I hate to condone the movie… because it sucked… but the gifs are cool)

After leaving Tull, Roland happens upon a way station which seems to resemble today’s gas stations. Here he finds a boy named Jake Chambers. Jake is from New York and was transported to this world when he was pushed in front of a moving car and died.

Roland tells Jake of his past and how he bested his teacher Cort to become the youngest Gunslinger. Roland learns Jake is a sacrificial pawn in his journey to reach the Man in Black and the Tower. This part of the story gets interesting because King makes the reader attached to Jake and shows Roland’s growing affection for the boy.

Roland and Jake follow the Man in Black into the mountains where they fight off slow mutants (monstrous subterranean creatures) before coming to an abyss with a small, rickety piece of track across it. With the Man in Black on the other side of the abyss, waiting, Roland and Jake attempt to cross.

Roland makes it but before Jake can, the track breaks and Roland, instead of helping him, allows him to fall, but not before Jake utters one of the many famous lines in this series:

“Go then, there are other worlds than these.”

After Jake’s sacrifice, Roland and the Man in Black, aka Walter aka Marten, palaver (talk). The two discuss Roland’s fate with tarot cards: The Sailor, The Prisoner, The Lady of Shadows, Death, and the Tower. After some trippy scenes where the Man in Black shows Roland the universe and explains the Tower, Roland sleeps for 10 years, wakes up, and ends up on the beach watching the sunset.

“The Gunslinger” is a great intro to an even greater series, I’m really looking forward to the second installment, “The Drawing of the Three.” Before I get there though, here’s my rating for “The Gunslinger” after my reread: