About Book Marks
Recent Reviews
Josh Malerman
Positive Booklist ... at its best when it’s suggesting horror, providing glimpses instead of long stares; when things get more overt, it starts to lose momentum. Though it’s occasionally uneven, and not as accomplished as Malerman’s excellent Bird Box books, there’s still plenty of spooky fun to be had in these tales and Malerman’s fans should enjoy their time in scenic Goblin.
Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson
Positive Booklist The novel’s wide-ranging plot, which joins magical fantasy to revolutionary politics, gets challenging at times and the inclusion of Icelandic terminology will require frequent trips to the book’s glossary. But readers who enjoy urban fantasy writers like China Miéville should enjoy this dark saga.
George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus
Positive Booklist Some might find these later scenes of humans trying to figure out how to live with zombies unsatisfying, but most will be thrilled by the plentiful early fright scenes and impressed by how well the book hangs together. The authors marshal a vast cast here and, despite Kraus completing Romero’s unfinished work, the book always feels consistent and the characters’ journeys are convincing. It’s not a perfect work...but Romero’s final foray into zombie territory is easily his best work in decades. Zombie fans should be thrilled.
Josh Malerman
Rave Booklist One of the original novel’s greatest strengths was its exploration of the fear of the unknown, so there may be skepticism about a sequel in which this world and its creatures are familiar. But Malerman’s narrative matches the twists and tension of the first novel, and readers are likely to leave this book sufficiently shaken. The popularity of Bird Box and the ubiquity of the 2018 Netflix adaptation all but guarantee high demand for this outstanding second foray into monsters and madness.
Stephen Graham Jones
Positive Booklist ... his latest novel steers the genre into some unexpected territory ... The Only Good Indians certainly brings the requisite genre shocks, but also functions as a serious look at modern Native American culture, both inside and outside the reservation. These themes make the book weightier than typical scare fare and, while some of the shifts in narrative focus feel abrupt, the overall work is very impactful. A solid tale about a community that hasn’t often received serious treatment in the horror genre.
Sam Pink
Positive Booklist Pink drifts away from bizarro fiction a bit here, instead delivering short stories about job-deadened urban life ... Don’t expect roller coaster rides. These stories are strictly detached slice-of-life affairs; often the central conflict is something like a new stack of dishes to scrub. Pink’s prose is sharp and tight, with short sentences fired off in rapid succession. Consequently, even longer stories like \'Blue Victoria\' can be read quickly, and the whole collection could be finished in a day. Readers who miss Charles Bukowski’s blue-collar-centered fiction will find lots to like here.
Sarah Davis-Goff
Positive Booklist The book is strongest when constructing its characters, especially Orpen, whose Irish-lilted prose conveys her voice with total authenticity. Even readers who are averse to post-apocalyptic or monster fiction are likely to be charmed by her. The skrakes themselves are rarely seen and not particularly ingenious (for the most part, they’re your basic fast zombies). But it really doesn’t matter, as the stellar character work and rapid pacing will be enough to hook readers.
Chuck Wendig
Positive Booklist This is a sprawling work and, though some scenes are stronger than others, it’s to Wendig’s credit that the reader’s attention never drifts, even as disparate plotlines unfurl and medicine and technology are added to the mix. Though there is plenty of technical content, the novel never loses contact with the human and allows its characters plenty of space to build family and romantic relationships. An imaginative and absorbing work of speculative fiction that’s sure to please genre fans.
Lavie Tidhar
Positive Booklist It’s a dense and demanding novel, with tantalizing hints of a subplot that never completely materializes (like a tossed-off reference to a still-ruling Idi Amin). The ambiguity of the narrative might make it a tough sell for those who prefer more conventional genre fare, but adventurous readers will appreciate this well-written and ambitious book. It should find a place at any library that offers high-quality literary fiction.