Cavallaro's Cavalcade of Carnage
So, the presidential debate was last night...
Let's talk about books instead.

BEST OF THE MONTH

City In Ruins by Don Winslow

Book 3 of the Danny Ryan trilogy is the best of the trilogy, in contention for the best crime novel I've ever read, and possibly the best of Winslow's career (I don't know because I haven't read them all yet). If this really is Winslow's final book, and it seems like it is, flags should be flown at half-mast in his honor.

WORST OF THE MONTH

The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

It won the Nebula Award, so maybe I'm wrong. Boredom city if you ask me.

The rest:

American Narcissus by Chandler Morrison. Yet another solid one from Morrison. Grade: B

At Dark I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca. Take the excellent Dutch film, The Vanishing, and imagine it even darker. Grade: B

Girl Forgotten by April Henry. Mildly thrilling YA thriller. Grade: C

I Found a Circus Tent in the Woods Behind My House by Ben Farthing. Those with coulrophobia may get a kick out of it, but I thought it was just ok. Grade: C

Yellowface
by RF Kuang. Honestly, the plot isn't very interesting, but Kuang makes it fun and compelling. Grade: B

Babel by RF Kuang. Couldn't be more different from Yellowface. Historical fantasy. Grade: D

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons by Tieri & Mianda (graphic novel). The best Godzilla graphic novel I've ever read. Grade: B

A Better World by Sarah Langan. Not quite as engrossing as Good Neighbors, but I did like it a lot. Grade: B

Evil In Me by Brom. A good dark fantasy novel that jumps the shark around halfway through. Grade: C

The Pallbearer's Club by Paul Tremblay. A brilliant concept, but it wears thin before you get to the end. Grade: C

The Nested Man by Mark Steensland. Not bad, but his work with James Newman is better. Grade: C

Pay the Piper by George Romero & Daniel Kraus. No zombies this time, and the result was actually better than The Living Dead. Grade: A

Not Forever, but For Now by Chuck Palahniuk. I love Chuck, but this is probably my least favorite of his novels. Grade: D

Local Man by Seely and Fleecs (graphic novel). A superhero deconstruction. Grade: B


Night of the Mannequins Stephen Graham Jones. Despite winning both the Stoker Award, and the Shirley Jackson Award, this is quietly one of SGJ's best stories. Grade: B

That's it!

Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn

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