Tim Meyer is one of a slew of writers that has been on the periphery of my reading circle for a long time and I just haven't taken the plunge and given him a shot. Until now. I met Tim at the Scares That Care event this year and found out that we share a lot in common (geaux Tigers/*devil horns*). He was also nice enough to send along not one, not two, but THREE of his books for review, which was exciting because I probably would've bought them anyway (don't tell him I said that).
First up:
Limbs: A Love Story
This is from Grindhouse Publishing, who have released quite a few top-notch books of recent memory. Limbs was a pleasant surprise for me. The plot is rather eccentric (a guy attracted to women amputees, exclusively) but Meyer finds a way to avoid making the story overly bizarre. At times this book is funny, suspenseful, quirky, and he even plays it straight occasionally for a few serious moments. On the weird spectrum, I'd put this book somewhere between Chuck Palahniuk and Katherine Dunn (Geek Love), and I found aspects of both of those writers in this book. Limbs isn't the oddest book I've ever read, but the way Meyer balances the weird/slasher/love story traits of the book makes this book very distinct. Good job.
Black Star Constellations
This is a 22 story collection, which reminds me: Where are all of the horror short story collections? RANT BEGIN Our genre has too many anthologies and not enough single-author collections! A writer is more fairly judged by a collection than by a single story. RANT END Short disclaimer: When I rate collections, I give EACH STORY a score, and then average those scores for the collection's final score. You know....because I'm a nerd. Anyway, this is how I know that I can say with full confidence that there are no clunkers in here. Not even one. There ARE some standouts though: "The Chorus Boy," "How to Kill a Bear With a Bow and Arrow," "The Pumpkin People Come at Midnight," "Aperture," and "On the Ears of Deaf Gods."
Primal Terra
If you're in the market for an R-rated Jurassic Park, then this is for you. Actually, that isn't a 100% accurate assessment, but I just KNEW I'd have to type the words "Jurassic Park" in a review of a dinosaur book and I wanted to get it out of the way. Primal Terra is actually two parts science fiction, and one part gory thriller. On these two counts, the book is a success. The speculative science aspect of the book works, and so does the violence. There is a love story facet to the plot that failed to gain traction for me, but that isn't a deal-breaker overall. Great ending too.
CONCLUSION:
Tim Meyer is an author that I'd definitely read again. I'll probably go to his back catalog, but if his output in 2019 is any indication of how prolific he normally is, I could probably just wait a few more months and he will have another new one out. All three of these books were very different, but I enjoyed all. If I had to rank them, I'd put Limbs first, then Black Star Constellations, then Primal Terra.
Grades:
Limbs: B
Black Star Constellations: B
Primal Terra: C
Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn
First up:
Limbs: A Love Story
This is from Grindhouse Publishing, who have released quite a few top-notch books of recent memory. Limbs was a pleasant surprise for me. The plot is rather eccentric (a guy attracted to women amputees, exclusively) but Meyer finds a way to avoid making the story overly bizarre. At times this book is funny, suspenseful, quirky, and he even plays it straight occasionally for a few serious moments. On the weird spectrum, I'd put this book somewhere between Chuck Palahniuk and Katherine Dunn (Geek Love), and I found aspects of both of those writers in this book. Limbs isn't the oddest book I've ever read, but the way Meyer balances the weird/slasher/love story traits of the book makes this book very distinct. Good job.
Black Star Constellations
This is a 22 story collection, which reminds me: Where are all of the horror short story collections? RANT BEGIN Our genre has too many anthologies and not enough single-author collections! A writer is more fairly judged by a collection than by a single story. RANT END Short disclaimer: When I rate collections, I give EACH STORY a score, and then average those scores for the collection's final score. You know....because I'm a nerd. Anyway, this is how I know that I can say with full confidence that there are no clunkers in here. Not even one. There ARE some standouts though: "The Chorus Boy," "How to Kill a Bear With a Bow and Arrow," "The Pumpkin People Come at Midnight," "Aperture," and "On the Ears of Deaf Gods."
Primal Terra
If you're in the market for an R-rated Jurassic Park, then this is for you. Actually, that isn't a 100% accurate assessment, but I just KNEW I'd have to type the words "Jurassic Park" in a review of a dinosaur book and I wanted to get it out of the way. Primal Terra is actually two parts science fiction, and one part gory thriller. On these two counts, the book is a success. The speculative science aspect of the book works, and so does the violence. There is a love story facet to the plot that failed to gain traction for me, but that isn't a deal-breaker overall. Great ending too.
CONCLUSION:
Tim Meyer is an author that I'd definitely read again. I'll probably go to his back catalog, but if his output in 2019 is any indication of how prolific he normally is, I could probably just wait a few more months and he will have another new one out. All three of these books were very different, but I enjoyed all. If I had to rank them, I'd put Limbs first, then Black Star Constellations, then Primal Terra.
Grades:
Limbs: B
Black Star Constellations: B
Primal Terra: C
Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn
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