Melissa Lason

Okay, Eli Roth, James Wan, Rob Zombie, or perhaps Guillermo Del Toro, you need to read this book and make it into a movie. Because it already reads like a movie. A really good scary, gory movie. (I think Eli Roth would be good fit for this one, but that's just my opinion).

I have always been fascinated by the Mayans. I long to visit Chichen Itza and the other Mayan archaeological ruin sites. Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is one of my favorite films. Many people are interested in the fact that the Mayans practiced human sacrifice. Yes, that is interesting...and horrifying. However, I find the fact of their vast knowledge to be far more interesting. The creation of their hieroglyphic script, the only known fully developed writing system of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well their art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system, is what I find truly amazing.

The authors, known as The Sisters of Slaughter, have created a unique premise here with one of their characters, a professor and archaeologist, having a theory that some of the Mayan's scattered and found refuge in the mountain regions of the state of Georgia. I find this an interesting and even plausible theory. The Mayan's were so advanced...why couldn't some of them have broke away and migrated elsewhere?

The professor decides to explore his theory, along with his research assistant and a group of college students, traveling to the Blood Mountain area of Georgia. As you can probably imagine, it all goes down hill from there. I keep telling these archaeologists in movies/books...don't move or remove things, damn it. They don't listen. (and that's as spoilery as I'm going to get).

As I mentioned at the beginning, reading this is like watching a good horror movie. Edge of seat, nail biting terror at what is steadily revealed as the story progresses. Forget zombies. These entities (to use a nice word that doesn't even begin to describe them) are grotesque almost beyond description. Also, I love owls, but after this book,..I may have to think on that more. Oh, and don't forget the gore. This is a journey into Xibalba, the Mayan underworld. What can be expected but blood, gore and endless suffering in the world of Ah Puch, the god of death.

All I can say is that Mayan Blue is the BOMB. I was thrilled through every minute of reading it and I read it very fast...and I'm not a fast reader. I can't wait to read more from The Sisters of Slaughter.

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)… (altro)

Independent authors work hard to get their stories out there and I think collections like this are a good way for them to do that. In this collection of 7 stories, these were the ones that worked best for me:

Find the Arise by Liam Dunson-My favorite tale of the collection. A man holed up with his children as hostages makes for a fine setting. Will they get out alive? You'll have to read this to find out. (I love stories that have phrases, plays, or books that cause bad reactions in people-the story "The Yellow Sign" by Robert Chambers, for example.) In this case, instead of a play, it's a phrase-"Find the Arise." 5*

The Kiss of Death by Neko Lilly. A BRUTAL story about true love and finding your perfect mate. This one went WAYYYYY over the top and the reader is forced to hang on for dear life. What fun! 5*

Homunculus by Jason Murphy-This is a NASTY tale of a boy getting into trouble. Whenever you see a walled off building, just leave the damn thing alone. This story started off tame then it wandered into WTF territory and I love when that happens! NOTE: I recommend you don't read this one over your lunch hour. 4*

Hydrophobie by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason -A term which refers to rabies, but there's a LOT worse going on here than just plain old rabies. In fact, rabies looks like a walk in the park after a space rock crashes into earth and people start to get itchy. Lots of fun to be had here, despite a few awkwardly worded passages. I'll never look at ticks in the same way again! 4*

Overall, I enjoyed this collection and I appreciate the hard work that went into it. While not every story worked for me, the majority of them did, so I recommend this book to fans of horror short stories, especially gross and brutal ones.


*I was provided a free e-copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. This is it.*
… (altro)

Compulsively readable, quickly-paced horror novel which effectively blends elements of survival horror, slasher, splatterpunk, and the supernatural. The setup is classic; a group of college students going on an archaeological dig find more than they bargained for as the site is revealed to be a mouth into Xibalba, the Mayan underworld and a place of unending torment. Persistently intense and punctuated with some truly unsettling moments of suffering, this is a book I would recommend to any real gore-hounds and fans of the truly dark… (altro)