DingDingDing! It's James Newman/Adam Howe's SCAPEGOAT vs Grady Hendrix's WE SOLD OUR SOULS vs David Peak's CORPSEPAINT. Last horror novel standing wins!
Is it just me, or is heavy metal horror going through a mini-renaissance? Besides these three books, heavy metal horror films are also booming: DEATHGASM, LORDS OF CHAOS, HEAVY TRIP, and THE DEVIL'S CANDY- all highly recommended.
Also highly recommended are these three horror novels. The genesis for this review came to me when I was going through my pile of unread books and noticed that I had these three novels that seemed to possess a common theme. What I did not expect was the disparity in tone between the books. All three stories have a sinister feel to them but differ from each other in very significant ways. SCAPEGOAT is darkness threaded with humor, WE SOLD OUR SOULS is darkness threaded with hope, and CORPSEPAINT is darkness threaded with....more darkness (lol).
I'm not kidding-CORPSEPAINT way be the most nihilistic, dark, and dreary book I have ever read (and I have read a LOT of horror novels, folks). This is my first David Peak read, but if his other books are anything like this, I'd suggest giving this guy a hug ASAP. While you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to plant some flowers in his yard and put some hello kitty stickers on his mailbox.
I'm a huge fan of MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM, so I was not surprised to enjoy WE SOLD OUR SOULS. As a heavy metal drummer myself, I really connected with Hendrix's themes of sacrificing for art; in this way, Grady's book is somewhat reminiscent of McCammon's THE FIVE. Also on display here is Hendrix's obvious love of the genre, via multiple name-drops of obscure metal bands and musicians. Hendrix has done his homework for this one for sure.
Last but not least is James Newman and Adam Howe's SCAPEGOAT. Both of these guys are insta-buys for me. I've read all of their work and it's all high quality stuff, so it stands to reason that I'd enjoy this one. And I did. The characterization and dialogue really shine here. Newman and Howe are particularly adept at this, so I'm not sure who to congratulate for it. However, there does seem to be something missing from the combination of the two. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but I do know that if I had to recommend books by these guys, I'd be more confident recommending them both individually.
So, this is where a less courageous reviewer would say something like "All of these books are great! Buy them all, because it's a three-way tie! Everyone wins!" That's not happening here, although I do admit that it really IS a tough decision. I've gotta go with WE SOLD OUR SOULS. I just find myself thinking about this story the most out of the three, post-read. It wasn't the most fun read (SCAPEGOAT), or the darkest (CORPSEPAINT), but for whatever reason, it was the most memorable to me
Winner: WE SOLD OUR SOULS by Grady Hendrix
Review by Jason Cavallaro
Is it just me, or is heavy metal horror going through a mini-renaissance? Besides these three books, heavy metal horror films are also booming: DEATHGASM, LORDS OF CHAOS, HEAVY TRIP, and THE DEVIL'S CANDY- all highly recommended.
Also highly recommended are these three horror novels. The genesis for this review came to me when I was going through my pile of unread books and noticed that I had these three novels that seemed to possess a common theme. What I did not expect was the disparity in tone between the books. All three stories have a sinister feel to them but differ from each other in very significant ways. SCAPEGOAT is darkness threaded with humor, WE SOLD OUR SOULS is darkness threaded with hope, and CORPSEPAINT is darkness threaded with....more darkness (lol). I'm not kidding-CORPSEPAINT way be the most nihilistic, dark, and dreary book I have ever read (and I have read a LOT of horror novels, folks). This is my first David Peak read, but if his other books are anything like this, I'd suggest giving this guy a hug ASAP. While you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to plant some flowers in his yard and put some hello kitty stickers on his mailbox.
I'm a huge fan of MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM, so I was not surprised to enjoy WE SOLD OUR SOULS. As a heavy metal drummer myself, I really connected with Hendrix's themes of sacrificing for art; in this way, Grady's book is somewhat reminiscent of McCammon's THE FIVE. Also on display here is Hendrix's obvious love of the genre, via multiple name-drops of obscure metal bands and musicians. Hendrix has done his homework for this one for sure.
Last but not least is James Newman and Adam Howe's SCAPEGOAT. Both of these guys are insta-buys for me. I've read all of their work and it's all high quality stuff, so it stands to reason that I'd enjoy this one. And I did. The characterization and dialogue really shine here. Newman and Howe are particularly adept at this, so I'm not sure who to congratulate for it. However, there does seem to be something missing from the combination of the two. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but I do know that if I had to recommend books by these guys, I'd be more confident recommending them both individually.
So, this is where a less courageous reviewer would say something like "All of these books are great! Buy them all, because it's a three-way tie! Everyone wins!" That's not happening here, although I do admit that it really IS a tough decision. I've gotta go with WE SOLD OUR SOULS. I just find myself thinking about this story the most out of the three, post-read. It wasn't the most fun read (SCAPEGOAT), or the darkest (CORPSEPAINT), but for whatever reason, it was the most memorable to meWinner: WE SOLD OUR SOULS by Grady Hendrix
Review by Jason Cavallaro
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