Cavallaro's Cavalcade of Carnage
New year, new format. I've decided to put the Best/Worst of the month at the beginning of the articles, so you don't have to slog through a list of every book that I read (see? Don't say I've never done anything for you)


ORMESHADOW by Priya Sharma

It was a great month of reading for me: FIVE books were graded as A's. It was a tough decision, but Sharma's Shirley Jackson award-winning novella was just a notch above the rest. Ormeshadow is a masterful fantasy fable tale that manages to subvert a few of the standard fantasy fable tropes. It's up to you to figure those out. You won't regret reading this one. I plan on reading everything she has written now.

WORST BOOK OF THE MONTH:

ODES TO THE MULTIVERSE by Tonya Moore


With the exception of "Lightning Bug," which was the highlight of this flash fiction collection, this is one to skip. <
The rest:

AUTUMN BLEEDS INTO WINTER by Jeff Strand. Easily one of Strand's best. Grade: A
THE FORGETFUL MAN'S DISEASE by AJ Brown. Ruminations on memory and regret. Grade: C
MEAT by Joseph D'Lacey. This book took me one step closer to veganism. Grade: B
LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN by Hubert Selby Jr. I expected more from the author of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. Grade: D
WITCH DOCTOR by Brandon Seifert (graphic novel). Fun story with some garish artwork! Grade: B
DEAD INSIDE by Chandler Morrison. Ah, the infamous DEAD INSIDE. Grade: A
GUILTY by Laura Elliot. Fans of Gillian Flynn would love this. Grade: A
TWISTED ANATOMY (anthology). As with most anthologies, some good stuff, some bad stuff. Grade: C
THE OLD GUARD by Greg Rucka (graphic novel). Maybe the Netflix film is better? Grade: C
WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING by Max Booth III. Booth is getting even better, folks. Grade: A
LAST SUMMER AT MARS HILL AND OTHER SHORT STORIES by Elizabeth Hand (collection). Read WYLDING HALL instead. Grade: C
ONLY BEGOTTEN DAUGHTER by James Morrow. Fans of GOOD OMENS would probably enjoy this. Grade: C

That's it! I will be hunkering down with a lot of Splatterpunk/extreme horror for the next two weeks, and that'll bring me to a few Women in Horror Month selections.

See ya then!

Jason Cavallaro

jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn

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