Pain and Suffering in the Lair [INTERVIEW]

About a year ago, in February 2018, I reviewed Children of God: Poems, Dreams and Nightmares From The Family Of God Cult, co-written by Craig DiLouie and Jonathan Moon:

"Children of God: Poems, Dreams and Nightmares From The Family Of God Cult is an astounding collaboration between Craig DiLouie and Jonathan Moon, featuring a fictional literary collection written by cult members coping with PTSD through writing. Do you understand? These two authors created The Family of God history and the cult's surviving members, complete with personal backgrounds, individual traumatic memories and their own voices. Take a moment to let that level of creativity sink in." (Read the full review here.)

I first became a fan of DiLouie through his Infection series and his novel Tooth and Nail. I learned to expect brutal military battles with nightmarish extremes and heavily traumatized characters struggling with amorality. In contrast, I never knew what to expect from Moon, whether it was psychological symbolism in Heinous or the supernatural undead in Hollow Mountain, but I became a fan knowing I was always guaranteed one hell of a reading experience.

When I learned these two apocalyptic authors had written something together, I was equal parts excited and fearful. I wondered what godless abomination the two could have created, and entertained the possibility I would be scarred for life after reading their novel. Nothing in my horror career could have prepared me for the overwhelming despair and suffering found within the Children of God.

I thought it would be a great way to start the year by bringing both DiLouie and Moon into the Lair, and digging into the dirt with the two...

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Co-authors, Craig DiLouie (L) and Jonathan Moon (R)

Let’s get to it. How did this project come into existence? Is this something you discussed at a horror convention or some late night gathering over the net?

DiLouie: Children of God is a book of poems written by the survivors of an apocalyptic cult that committed mass suicide. Unable to talk about their experiences for years, they finally open up when a psychologist treats them using poetry therapy, which has proved successful for victims of trauma such as war veterans. The survivors use all sorts of poetic forms—sonnets, villanelles, rap songs, free verse, and so on—to tell for the first time why they joined the cult, what they hoped, and how it all went wrong.

Jon and I came up with it at Crypticon, a regional horror con in Seattle. We knew it likely wouldn’t be a big commercial hit, but we were in love with the idea and had to make it happen.

Moon: Craig is being modest. This baby is his brainchild and he was kind enough to let me play along. He had the basic idea and we brainstormed over Crypticon weekend. We spent weeks building the mythos and characters through phone calls and emails. Over the next few months we started almost deconstructing the larger story we had into all these different threads- each unique and able to add varying dimensions to that story.

This is quite a departure from the fiction you’re both known for. Did that make co-writing easier or more difficult?

DiLouie: As a novelist, sure, it was hard to find my voice with poetry, but as a writer, it was really just learning to ride a new type of bike. One I got into it, I had a lot of fun. Really, in the end, getting the story right wasn’t the poetic format but finding the characters and what they wanted to say. Once we created these people and believed in them, we tuned into their silent screaming and gave them a voice.

Jon was instrumental in all this. One of the first things he said was, “We’re going to take these people seriously.” Which was the perfect mindset for doing it right. As a result, we told their stories with respect and something like love, allowing the horror to reveal itself in a natural way.

Otherwise, I find it easy to co-author something when you let the other writer do their thing. I took on several characters and wrote their poems, while Jon took on others. That provided even greater variety in the voices and emotions for the ensemble cast of characters.

Moon: This came together remarkably smooth in my opinion. I dabble in poetry, so it was fun to build the story through poems. Working with Craig was very easy for me despite our styles being so different. I felt like it was a welcome challenge to us both to get outside of our various comfort zones to create something as intense as what we envisioned together. We shared the goal of creating something powerful early and once we had the core story we each had the freedom to create the various lenses through which we present it.

How did you approach the research? Did you find yourselves becoming emotional or overwhelmed with the source material?

DiLouie: The storytelling was emotional for me in that you have these people who are just a little broken but then find a family and a simple view of the confusing world that makes sense to them. They believe with all their heart things are going to change, and Jesus is coming back in their lifetime. That level of belief and commitment leads to increasing isolation and self-immolation until the decision comes down from the group’s leader that they aren’t waiting for Jesus, Jesus is waiting for them. So you have this beautiful thing—family, sacrifice, hope, faith, love—that slowly becomes perverted into something evil largely due to these things being driven to the edge for a goal that just wasn’t going to happen.

Otherwise, I read a lot about cults and why people join them. The thing is people in cults don’t see themselves as cultists. To them, they’re in a family of like-minded people. I was fascinated about the psychology of it, how somebody could slowly and willingly lose their identity and take a belief to the point of self-mutilation, murder, and suicide. I’m hoping readers will come away from Children of God not just with a good story but with some understanding of these people. Even at the end, even after everything the survivors went through, some of them still long for being back in the group. They may have left the cult, but the cult never left them.

Moon: I have been fascinated with cults since I was young. To me they represent so many things about humans and our behaviors in groups outside of mainstream society in one way or another. I have always wondered about them as group thought examples and since watching the news reports of the Heaven’s Gate cult when I was in high school I have focused as much on how each individual in that group can personally get to the point of full dedication, even to the point of violating their own socially excepted morals. We strongly focused on the religious aspect, which as Craig mentioned, follows a trajectory from positivity and hope to depraved and tragic violence. This was honestly a challenge to me in getting into that kind of an all-consuming devoted mindset our characters shared.

What has been the general reception of this novel? Do you think the mix of writing styles is a strength or weakness?

DiLouie: The poetry collection has been very well received, but honestly, poetry is a hard sell, and it’s difficult even to break into the horror poetry community unless you dedicate yourself to the form. Jon and I also recognized we may be good storytellers but not razor-sharp poets, though that fit the fact average people were expressing themselves through poetry.

None of that mattered. Jon and I knew all that going into it and didn’t care. We wanted to create something beautiful and horrific, and I believe we succeeded. So while Children of God hasn’t been widely read and likely never will, those who have read it understood it and were affected by it. That for us was a big win. That’s what we wanted. I’m really proud of it.

Moon: I concur fully with Craig here. We knew it was experimental, and could be a hard sell overall, but we were too excited to not follow it all through. None of my work is written with hopes of massive sales or fame, just not my style. Most of my own work is created just to get the story out of my head. I have a small crowd of awesome and dedicated fans and as long as they are digging what I’m doing I am fine. So far most who have read CoG have enjoyed it. I call that successful. I too am proud of what we created together. I think our styles blend with the cast of characters to the point I bet most people couldn’t pick which of us created which characters. Just all gelled together.

What are you hoping to achieve with this book? Are you pushing the boundaries of horror or experimenting with a mix of genres?

DiLouie: We wanted to show the tragedy of horror coming from something beautiful being twisted, while experimenting with many poetic forms to tell a story of faith and love disintegrating into madness.

Moon: I definitely feel like we focused on a more realistic form of horror, pulling it from emotions which I think many people can relate to on one level or another.  The cult members came from all walks of life, each susceptible to the cult for their own reasons. To me we demonstrated how most people, given the right circumstances, could be caught up in something like this. For sure a new kind of terror for me to work with.

How many readers have confused this for nonfiction?

DiLouie: The conceit is the survivors of a doomsday cult wrote the poems, which Jon and I edited. This makes the poetry collection epistolary literature—“found footage fiction.” Some readers have confused it with nonfiction. I’m conflicted about it to be honest. While belief it’s real heightens the enjoyment a la The Blair Witch Project, I don’t like fooling readers. Honestly, I’m hoping readers will add belief it’s real to their willing suspension of disbelief, if that make sense.

Moon: I have had more people ask me, “is this for real?”, than anything else I have ever written.

Will fans ever see another collaboration from the two of you?

DiLouie: I enjoy collaborating on works or series where each author does their own thing and it all comes together. With Children of God, this approach worked beautifully. That being said, I have so many projects on the go I’m not sure how much time I have to contribute to any more collaborative projects. If I do, I’d love to work with Jon again. He’s a good storyteller, brings pride but not ego to his work, and has a wonderfully twisted imagination and turn of phrase.

Moon: I also really enjoyed working with Craig, and if the right idea cooked up between us I would always be down to work with him again. It would have to be down the road a bit because I am 8 kinds of busy right now. I have only collaborated with a few people- Craig and Tim Long- both were wonderful experiences for me. Chances to work with fantastic writers to create something together is all win.

What do you have planned for 2019?

DiLouie: This year, I wrapped up my self-published WW2 series Crash Dive, which sold very well, and next year I’ll be launching another. I also enjoyed publication of my dark fantasy novel One of Us in hardcover, audiobook, and eBook from Orbit, one of the best sci-fi and fantasy publishers in the world. In February, it’s coming out in bookstores in trade paperback. This is a Southern Gothic misunderstood monster novel author Claire North described as “The Girl with All the Gifts meets To Kill a Mockingbird,” which nails it. Then my next novel with Orbit, Our War, will be published later in 2019. This one is about a brother and sister forced to fight as child soldiers on opposite sides of a second American civil war.

Moon: I will be earning my Master’s in Anthropology in 2019! Fiction-wise I have a few projects just about ready to release, just held captive by my own self-doubt. Between fall 2018 and summer 2019 I hope to release my first collection of poetry (In Memory of Autumn Leaves), a collection of all my work with Jordan Krall’s Dynatox Ministries, and two or three novellas. I have an EPIC fantasy novel, okay two novels so far, I have been working on for the last 3 or 4 years, hopefully 2019 will see it get closer to done. Also, been working on a brutal and emotional population control novel for a few years which I’ll have time to work on after I finish my Master’s thesis.

Special thanks to DiLouie and Moon for making time for this interview! Once again, I am recommending CHILDREN OF GOD to any readers interested in the cult phenomenon or any horror fans looking for something different from the usual slash and dash.

"A journey like none other that lives and breathes its progression of faith and destruction." ~HorrorNews.net

As always,
AstraDaemon

Craig DiLouie Controversy

EPISODE THIRTEEN by Craig DiLouie is the kind of psychological horror novel that slowly strangles your mind. I chose to read this because DiLouie is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I’ve enjoyed so much of what he’s done over the years.

This book feels like entering a dark tunnel that slowly begins to fill with water, with an undercurrent of science fiction pulling the reader deeper into a twisted terrorscape. At times it reminded me more of The Children of Red Peak than his other stories I’ve read.

I enjoyed the unsettling direction the story took, but I never really connected with the characters. I didn’t care if they lived or died, and that distance made the emotional payoff feel weaker to me than in some of DiLouie’s other books.

The ending is bleak and depressing, which fits the tone, but it left me feeling more worn out than satisfied.

This is a book more for die-hard DiLouie fans than casual readers. If you love his style and don’t mind a slow burn with a dark finish, you’ll probably enjoy it. For me, it wasn’t as memorable as some of his previous work, but it still has enough atmosphere and unpredictability to be worth a look.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Interview With Horror Author Craig DiLouie

I know some zombie purists might argue that Craig DiLouie’s novel, Tooth And Nail, is not a zombie book, but if you think 28 Days Later can be counted as a zombie movie, then it’s all good. Obviously, I am talking about the living infected in a story about an Army unit trying to navigate through New York City.

Hong Kong Lyssa is an airborne virus that kills most of the people who contract it, although some do recover. Unfortunately, it seems that some of the infected mutate into violent maniacs called Mad Dogs. Where Lyssa had an incubation period, Mad Dogs spread the infection through bites that change the victims almost immediately…that is, if the victim can survive the savage attacks by the hordes of Mad Dogs. This is happening all over the globe, but there might be a cure in a lab in New York City.

Lieutenant Todd Bowman needs to lead his men to the research facility to secure the only chance the human race has against possible extinction. After the horrors in Iraq, his men just want to return to their homes, and make sure their families are alive and well. They are all torn between survival and the reality of having to gun down their fellow Americans – infected or not.

Tooth and Nail tells an apocalypse story from the soldiers’ perspectives; instead of just being the guys who make things difficult for the survivors in other books, DiLouie’s soldiers are the ones trying to fight their way out of a hell of epic proportions. We learn about their personal struggles with following orders they do not think are right, and maintaining their platoon long enough to complete the mission. The story is not told from any one character’s POV (I imagined the story being voiced to me by Rod Sterling from Twilight Zone), which adds to the suspense – the readers doesn’t know anything more than the soldiers…who knows what lies around the next city block?

Craig DiLouie answered some questions that I had about this novel...

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Q: I have to ask…did 28 Days Later play any part in your decision to write this novel?

A: I had written a psychological thriller about conspiracy theories (Paranoia, 2001) and a science fiction novel (The Great Planet Robbery, 2008), but had always loved the post-apocalyptic genre, particularly the zombie kind. As a reader, I was disappointed by the meager offerings in the horror section in every bookstore I visited, which was usually dominated by vampires. I felt like the big publishers were really missing the boat on post-apocalyptic fiction in general and zombie fiction in particular. Then I discovered David Moody, Permuted Press and the efforts of a growing list of authors writing for small presses, and the genre opened up to me both as a reader and a writer.

During this time, I was reading a novel about the last Roman legion on the Rhine holding back the German tribes, which in turn are being pushed by the Huns. The Roman soldiers fight to the last against impossible odds to protect the Empire, and when the standard falls, you get the Romantic sense that the Empire has already fallen with it. The idea of a military unit fighting against the odds to save a dying nation is stirring to the spirit as well as the intellect because there is a sense of higher purpose than simply survival for a few. They could try to save themselves (and are in the best position to do so), but they don’t, they continue to obey orders and fight for their country.

So the idea of Tooth and Nail was conceived … I wanted to write a novel about how the U.S. military would actually respond during the zombie apocalypse. 28 Days Later did not directly inspire the novel, but did establish “viral apocalypse” and “infected” as a legitimate and exciting part of zombie lore (which is evolving whether some like it or not). To me, the idea of a rabies-like virus was more realistic and therefore frightening than shambling undead, so I went into that territory.

Q: I come from a military family, married military, so I appreciated the accuracy and detail of Tooth and Nail. How is it that you live in Canada, but you know so much about the inner workings of the U.S. Army?

A: I was born in the United States and I’m now a citizen of both countries. I learned the inner workings of the U.S. Army through meticulous research. I read dozens of actual military manuals and other publications to learn the basics of small unit tactics, hand signals, radio protocols, equipment, slang, weapons, formations, chain of command, etc. It was extremely vital that I present the military and every other aspect of the story realistically for several reasons.


The most important is that the more realistic I could make the novel, the more willing the reader’s suspension of disbelief, and the more they would enjoy it. The more realistic I could make the setting, the more frightening the monsters would be that inhabit it. Not only did I want to present the Army realistically as a character unto itself, I wanted to present realistic things happening in realistic ways: In real life, soldiers get PTSD, vomit at the site of extreme gore, panic, refuse to shoot civilians, etc. Rifles jam, smoke obscures visibility, people communicate by radio, operations are planned, choices in decision-making create ethical dilemmas, etc. This realism flavors the novel and makes it even more gritty, dark, disturbing.

Another reason is that I had made a commitment to present the military perspective in a realistic way, and I knew members of the military would be reading the novel, so I really wanted to get it right out of basic respect. I researched everything and asked a friend who had served in the 101 Airborne to vet it for accuracy. I have been told by servicemen that the novel is accurate right down to the barracks banter, and many assumed I was in the military myself, which was probably the most gratifying feedback I’ve received on the novel out of all of its positive reviews.

Q: I think what I loved best about this novel is that the story is told from the perspective of the soldiers; usually, the military are portrayed as “out of control” in most zombie novels. Was there a particular reason you chose to give them their own voice?

A: I wanted to present a different side of the zombie apocalypse to differentiate it from the rest of zombie lore and tell a story I had always wanted to read—the military point of view. Many zombie novels deal with a ragtag band of survivors shooting their way through a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with zombies. My question is always: How can these people survive after the apocalypse when the world’s most effective military failed during it? What happened to the Army? The classic story usually presents renegade soldiers who go AWOL at the first opportunity and start raping and pillaging.

I wanted to show what the military would really be doing—they would be doing their jobs. Sure, some soldiers would go AWOL out of fear or opportunity, some units would dissolve if they were not supplied or lost their chain of command, and some units might refuse orders if they felt that following them was suicide. But most would do their jobs as they had been trained and sworn an oath to do. The result is a unique take on the zombie apocalypse that provides constant tension and plenty of action.

Q: Were you trying to include commentary about our politics and government, or was that just the result of writing about soldiers trying to survive what they think might be the end of the world?

A: I always resent it when authors such as John Ringo inject their politics into their novels; I have very strong personal political views but I’m not interested in propagandizing. Any commentary on politics and government that is included in Tooth and Nail are the opinions of the characters, not me, even if I may agree with some of the opinions.

They belong to the people in my fictional world. Which is what you would expect: Talk to five Americans, and you’ll get six opinions on anything. The apocalypse would bring out extreme views of all stripes, some we might agree with, others we would find offensive.

Q: What do think is more frightening, the Mad Dogs themselves or how quickly everything falls apart as the result of illness?

A: I often wonder what is more appealing to me as a reader and writer: the zombies/infected themselves, or the apocalypse? For example, suppose a zombie outbreak occurs on a cruise ship and does not affect the rest of the world. I don’t think I would get as involved as a reader. Plus I don’t think cannibalism and gore are necessary, while they are staples in what is normally considered good zombie fiction. So I think that makes me more of an apocalyptic fiction fan than a zombie fiction fan. 

For me, zombies are simply The Threat, forcing ordinary people into extraordinary circumstances, with enormous stakes (the end of the wrold). That Threat could be infected, zombies, vampires (yes, even vampires, think Daybreakers, Stake Land, The Passage), werewolves, aliens, an asteroid, anything. Infected/zombies are a unique type of threat that to me are simply the most interesting and frightening. The genre crosses so many others—horror, apocalyptic fiction, survival horror, science fiction and, in the case of Tooth and Nail, military fiction as well.

So again, I believe the apocalyptic aspect of the novel is more frightening to me than the infected themselves. My wife is a survivor of the World Trade Center attack in 2001. We lived in New York City when it was attacked and she was in the North Tower when the South Tower collapsed. Coming out of the building, which was a harrowing experience unto itself, she saw the devastation and said the scariest thing she saw at first glance was the crushed police cars and first responders walking around in a daze. We look to people like soldiers and first responders to provide us with security in an emergency and when they break it’s terrifying. It means there is no more law and order. It means collapse, zero security, isolation, you’re on your own, there’s no help.

Emotionally, that’s a big step off a very high diving board without knowing what’s underneath you. So I think one of the most terrifying aspects of Tooth and Nail is the increasing isolation of the soldiers and their growing impotence to protect civilians and even themselves.

Q: One of the things that disturbed me is how many of the soldiers were concerned with being damned for what they had to do in order to complete their mission, but none of them really struck me as religious or spiritual. Is this just the result of the horror of their reality, or were you trying to avoid preachy characters?

A: Some of the soldiers are like most people in that they are generally concerned about an afterlife, but none are overtly religious. They are more concerned about being “damned” in that what you do makes you what you are and will follow you the rest of your life. These are people with a conscience. They are soldiers and understand that actions in war have consequences, and are sensitive to those consequences, particularly those consequences that affect themselves. They are basically afraid of destroying what makes them who they are, what makes them human. This is alluded to in the quote from Nietzsche at the start of the novel, paraphrasing: Beware of battling with monsters because fighting monsters might turn you into one, too.

Q: I’m always hoping the great zombie stories I read will make it to the big screen, and your novel is no exception…mainly because I don’t think Hollywood has a clue about zombies. Do you think Tooth and Nail would adapt well to a movie? If so, who would you like to see playing Bowman?

A: I’d love to see Tooth and Nail adapted to film. It has constant tension, tons of action, dramatic themes and a virtually unique take on the apocalypse. As for actors, assuming they’re good at what they do, I’d like to see all unknowns or relatively little known actors. The book has a cinema verite, almost documentary feel to it, and I would love to see that transplanted into film; having big name actors would ruin that effect. Think Generation Kill with zombies. That’s what I’d love to see.

Thank you for the opportunity to talk to your readers about Tooth and Nail. I hope they will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Thank you for stopping by!

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Craig DiLouie is a regular here at the Lair. If you enjoyed this interview and you're interested in the author's various novels, search here.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Hoppers, Juggernauts, and a Demon Walk Into an Apocalypse…

The Killing Floor by Craig DiLouie has me comparing his work to HP Lovecraft’s stories, and Lovecraft is looking really tame compared to The Infection series. I had stated in a previous review that I wouldn’t want to find myself in DiLouie’s world; the second installment went one step further and gave me nightmares – specifically, the hoppers…and that’s just one of many mutated creatures resulting from the viral outbreak. DiLouie’s abominations have a bigger presence this time around, allowing more creativity with the plot.

While the original novel focused on six specific survivors trying to find a safe refuge, with a theme of people turning into monsters figuratively & literally, The Killing Floor dives further into the psyches of several returning characters, as well as a few new ones. This helped prevent any stereotypes from forming, and dug into the heart of the destruction. The devastated landscapes pale in comparison to the traumatized survivors, and only a couple of months have passed since the day of The Screaming, which has many characters doubting their ability to keep going for much longer.

DiLouie introduces a new twist, with Ray suffering a hopper sting, giving more insight into the actual mutation process; I’m not going into details about Ray’s part in the sequel, but he is THE key character, tying everyone’s fate together. The aspect of Ray’s struggle had me wondering if Todd (the kid who survived a zombie bite in book one) might play a more important role, if a third book is ever written. I enjoyed the new angles that DiLouie explored with the infected, the mutations and the theories on the source of the original virus. Travis is the scientist with a unique theory, backed up by tiny details that I almost missed, and I hope he is given more scenes in the future. Travis seemed more realistic any of the others, even throwing up in a garbage can at the suggestion of nuclear strike.

If the author continues along this avenue, I have no doubt that a third novel will be the most exciting of the three. If you haven’t already, I recommend reading Tooth and Nail as well.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Blood of the Covenant vs. Water of the Womb | AstraDaemon

SUFFER THE CHILDREN by Craig DiLouie is far better than I expected. This is not just a story about parents trying to save their children. The author has crafted the perfect downward spiral for civilization through the cornerstone of society: the family unit. The Herod illness afflicts children who have not yet reached puberty, and the treatment is not sustainable. In less than two months, the entire world has been brought to its knees.

Besides the obvious damage done to the parents and children, both victims of Herod in different ways, relationships of every kind fall apart in a matter of weeks. Friends and relatives become estranged as the characters discover who is willing to make sacrifices and who is not. Neighbors have lost all sense of community. In addition to the desperation of those trying to save the children, there are also those profiting from Herod.

Many will likely see similarities to the events of 2020, but, keep in mind, this novel was published in 2014. You don't have to be a horror fan to appreciate the terrifying scenario created by DiLouie. I'm recommending this novel to ALL readers.

I also recommend ONE OF US by DiLouie, another novel centered around children with unusual traits.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Sunday Suspense: The End of The Road

The End of the Road by Craig DiLouie is not much like his other work, but this story is captivating nonetheless. At first, the broken down vehicle with 20-somethings seems a bit cliche', especially when they come across a dying town in the middle of nowhere with some rather unsavory hillbilly characters. However, the disturbing residents and their repulsive behavior soon reveals the kind of nightmarish scenario DiLouie is known for.

Ford comes up with a solid plan to get his friends out of the cursed town, but it's one day too late. The fate of the group almost reads like a prequel to one hell of  novel, if DiLouie chooses to revisit this storyline.

One thing I will never understand is why anyone would think to drive a crappy vehicle in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception and no backup plan...but if fictional characters showed some foresight, I suppose we wouldn't have the horror genre.

As always,
AstraDaemon

The Story Stephen King Didn't Write

The Infection (Book 1 of 2) by Craig DiLouie tells the story of six survivors traveling in an armored vehicle, while trying to find a safe refuge, after a mysterious virus infects millions of humans. The infected people collapse into comas; when they wake up, three days later, they attack all the non-infected. After just a couple of weeks, some of the survivors discover that the Infected are mutating into something much worse than zombies. The main theme that is woven throughout the storyline is the violent transformation of humans into monsters.

“There were things in the garage, Sarge. Fucking monsters. Dark shapes that flitted around the cars, always just out of sight. Then we saw one…”

This novel made me think, “This is what happened to the rest of the world, while everyone was reading about what happened in the grocery store in “The Mist” by Stephen King.” I know I’m not the only one who has made this comparison; some other reviewers have even mentioned The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I understand why, but I think DiLouie goes into far more detail with his characters’ suffering than King or McCarthy. The story is told with third-person narration in the present tense; flashbacks provide the personal backgrounds of each of the six survivors. Their reasoning and motivation for their current behavior becomes quite understandable, after only a few chapters.

“They have all done the things one had to do to survive. They have all killed people or they would not be here.”

I usually try to imagine myself in the world that I am reading about, but I wanted no part of this setting. Living infected hordes are one thing, but DiLouie describes abominations that would rival HP Lovecraft’s leviathans. He goes to nightmarish extremes when pairing the brutal twists of the viral outbreak with the amorality of various people that the survivors encounter. Of course, even though I felt mentality assaulted by the end, I loved reading very moment of this traumatic horror novel.

As always,
AstraDaemon

TOP 2019 FICTION

Here is my end-of-year compilation of the stories which really impressed me in 2019, everything from short stories to stand-alone novels, book series and novellas:

TOP 2019 SHORT STORIES

INSULAR by Jamie Stewart presents the concept of being so wrapped up in our own heads that we miss something very wrong happening right in front of us, and made such an impact on me, I also recommend TRICK OR TREAT by the same author. You will definitely see Stewart in the Lair a third time in January 2020.

A GOOD PAIR OF EYES by Matthew Buza is a crime drama mixed with supernatural horror, and the story scared the crap out of me with the vivid descriptions. If you like movies such as The Grudge or Unfriended, you're going to love this short horror story.

THE CAT ON ALPINE ROAD by Keith Knapp is full of suspense, and the cat, Buckshot, is magnificent. If you love the cat, General, from the movie Cat's Eye, you'll enjoy Knapp's story.

PHILOPHOBIA by Sin Ribbon is a short story about a man attempting to resurrect his wife. I'm so intrigued with the town itself, Ribbons could probably create a few more stories with the townsfolk, particularly with Mrs. Becca's church and Lisa Common.

EASY.GONE. by Daniel J Ings is terrifying. I can't imagine what Mr. Yan was thinking, selling such a dangerous item as the pocket-sized Necronomicon to a kid with a huge chip on his shoulder.

I JUST WANT TO DIE by Nicholas Wolff mixes horror, sci-fi and drama to create one of the best apocalyptic outbreak scenarios I've ever read! Wolff has taken the plague subgenre to a new level.

I'M ALL ALONE AND IT'S GETTING DARK by Brandon Lee Hayes is a story told from a child's POV. He wakes up from a nightmare to pee and finds the babysitter missing. (This story made me think of the illustration of a toy bear using a sword to defend the sleeping child from a monster.) Roosevelt is the kind of bear I'd want my kid to have.

THE HIKE by Sarah Gribble is far better than I expected. I thought it would be a group of people getting attacked by a werewolf, but it's so much worse, and there's far more to the story.

PARK CLOSES AT DUSK by D.W. Nathan is the best short story I've read by the author. For some reason, I thought I would be reading a vampire story, but the creatures Nathan has created are much more terrifying. If you like Ghoul by Brian Keene, you're going to love the nightlife in this park.

THE TUNNELERS by Geoff Gander is one of the best stories I've read in 2019, even though this story was published in 2011. Halfway through reading, I googled legends of the First Nations to figure out which parts are historical and how much of the story is a creation of the author. What I found convinced me Gander is Lovecraft reincarnated.

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TOP 2019 NOVELS

ONE OF US by Craig DiLouie is a very emotional drama set in 1984. The horror element is the way the characters treat each other: deplorable. I've often commented in my reviews about the definition of a monster...DiLouie wrote an entire novel about the debate over what defines a monster.

TOOTH & CLAW by Dave Jeffery (author of A Quiet Apocalypse) is one of the best werewolf stories I've ever read. The author has blended folklore, crime drama and horror with an excellent balance of action and suspense to create one hell of a thriller!

EMILY ETERNAL by M.G. Wheaton is one of the best science fiction novels I've read in a long time, and one of the most creative stories I've read this year. This thriller is told from the POV of the artificial consciousness, a five-year science experiment attempting to save humanity. Basically, the author has combined a crime drama in an E.L.E. setting with a sci-fi coming-of-age battle for survival.

THE FOREST by Julia Blake centers on the villagers of Wyckenwode and the Forest, filled with secrets which have affected the lives of every generation. Blake has skillfully woven folklore, suspense, drama and romance together to create a detailed coming-of-age tapestry. I haven't been this moved by a fantasy novel since the last time I read Ursula K LeGuin.

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TOP 2019 SERIES

Grinning Skull Press has a GRAVE MARKER series, eighteen so far, and I recommend all of them. One in particular, THE MEMOIR OF DARIUS FISCHER by Ezekiel Kincaid mixes theology, mysticism, folklore and more with the precision of a master.

I AM THE NIGHT by Ruth Miranda is a companion story for her Blood trilogy, and narrated by Marcus. This installment offers fans of the series his perspective on events leading up to his confrontation with Caius, as well as the beginning of his relationship with Marianne.

THE BEAUTIFUL ONES series by Kody Boye follows the POV of a sixteen year old girl, Kelendra, chosen to keep up genetic standards for the Glittering City. The society Boye has crafted contains elements similar to the Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale, while retaining the author's skill in using personal drama to draw readers into his disturbing creation.

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TOP 2019 NOVELLAS

IT NEVER DIED by Joshua Scribner is the author's best story, of the 100+ stories I have read by Scribner. This isn't just a supernatural story, or a karma/revenge plot, this is the ultimate reincarnation tale!

A QUIET APOCALYPSE by Dave Jeffery (author of Tooth & Claw) is a very different kind of post-apocalyptic story. There are no zombies, nothing supernatural of any kind...only people enslaving other people. After an illness renders most people deaf, the hearing are hunted down to become servants for the newly hearing impaired. Those born deaf are given a much more terrifying treatment, as they are blamed for the virus which causes the loss of hearing.

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Special thanks to all of you who share my review and interview links and help get the word out about all the great indie authors and small presses! There are tons of great stories to read in horror, science fiction, fantasy and suspense, but many readers are afraid to try the unknown.

Have a safe New Year's Eve, and be sure to come back in 2020 for even more fantastic recommendations!

As always,
AstraDaemon

These Monsters Can Fight

Abandoned by his family, Enoch Bryant now lives in a rundown orphanage with other teenagers just like him. He loves his friends, even if the teachers are terrified of them. They're members of the rising plague generation. Each bearing their own extreme genetic mutation.

The people in the nearby town hate Enoch, but he doesn't know why. He's never harmed anyone. Works hard and doesn't make trouble. He believes one day he'll be a respected man.

But hatred dies hard. The tension between Enoch's world and those of the "normal" townspeople is ready to burst. And when a body is found, it may be the spark that ignites a horrifying revolution.

ONE OF US by Craig DiLouie is a very emotional drama set in 1984. The horror element is the way the characters treat each other: deplorable. I've often commented in my reviews about the definition of a monster...DiLouie wrote an entire novel about the debate over what defines a monster. As someone with a sociology degree, I can appreciate the academic and theological conflicts between the various groups. As a mother, I found myself often crying throughout the novel. 

I cannot fathom shunning children based on a genetic mutation, even though people do much worse over much less in real life. (I'm crying as I type this.) Brain's POV, particularly his birth experience, just about broke me. Parents refusing their own babies, putting them into Homes, where they are mistreated and sometimes tortured, is heart-wrenching. While reading, I felt so awful for the plague children who only wanted to be loved, but the concept is not a work of fiction, and that is the soul-crushing aspect.


I felt something for all the characters. Whether it's the plague kids who just want friends and the freedom to make happy memories, the human kids who are trying to wrap their minds around the decisions of their parents' generation, or the people who continue to make everything worse on a daily basis, every single character has a depth to them.


The sheriff is a great choice to use as the center of the story. Between his professional and personal experiences with the plague kids, he ties all the levels of the conflict together, helping both characters and readers make connections they might otherwise overlook.


I'm sure this is a stand-alone novel, but I would not object to a sequel with the plague kids as adults. Not only do I recommend this book to fiction fans, but I would love to see One of Us become a part of recommended reading for libraries and schools as well.


As always,
AstraDaemon

First INTERVIEW of 2021 | AstraDaemon

At the end of December, I read THE CHILDREN OF RED PEAK by Craig DiLouie. The story centers around four people who survived a mass suicide as children. They are not strong enough to keep the door closed against their memories, and their various coping mechanisms are no longer working. The four soon realize they are still technically part of the Family, and the Spirit of Red Peak is waiting for them to return. The ending reveals a terrifying secret about the doomsday cult.

This is not the first time DiLouie has ventured into this particular sub-genre, so I brought him into the Lair for the first interview of 2021...

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Tell us about your journey from Tooth and Nail to The Children of Red Peak. How did you transition from one type of horror to another, and what took place between?

Great chatting with you again, Ursula! Before Tooth and Nail, I’d been a struggling small press writer. That novel, which was the first dedicated solely to how the U.S. military would respond to a zombielike disease, was wildly popular and essentially launched a subgenre in zombie fiction. I was very lucky with that novel to be in the right place at the right time with the right book, and it led to more opportunities.

After two more successful zombie novels, I was able to get an agent and work with big publishers like Simon & Schuster and now Hachette, which released my horror and speculative fiction novels Suffer the Children, One of Us, Our War, and my latest, The Children of Red Peak. Between these releases, I’ve done a lot of self-publishing, mainly dime-novel series of WW2 adventure stories that have also done very well.

Overall, my writing career was a long, hard road that ultimately led to a very happy level of success, a gratifying and humbling journey. I feel like I’m a very lucky man. And I’m very happy to have known you since the beginning!

What was the creative process for this novel? Is this something you thought of while writing Children of God?

The Children of Red Peak is a psychological horror novel with cosmic horror elements about a group of people who grew up in and survived the horrific last days of an apocalyptic cult. Years later, when one of them commits suicide, the other survivors reunite to confront their past and the entity that appeared on the final night. Solving the mystery of what happened will lead them back into very dark repressed memories and ultimately back to Red Peak.

My fantastic editor at Hachette was looking for a horror novel that had a literary feel to it. I’d done Children of God, a collection of poems written by the survivors of a suicide cult, and thought it could be expanded into a novel. I’d invited author Jonathan Moon to come in the poetry collection with me, and he was graciously cool about me doing the novel, so I went ahead with it. My aim was to examine the trope of an apocalyptic cult through a realistic lens and then examine its consequences by showing its survivors coping with the trauma of what they experienced. The result is a story that feels familiar in some ways while being very character driven, well informed, and offering a fresh take.

A religious scholar once said, “One man’s faith in Jesus is another man’s faith in UFOs.” Do you think this is relevant to your characters in any way? Is their biggest struggle with faith, external or internal?

That is an excellent question and cuts right to the heart of the novel’s theme, which isn’t an attempt to evaluate any specific beliefs but instead study the nature of belief itself. Belief is ingrained in the human species and is sometimes considered a survival trait. Billions of people believe that an all-powerful entity or entities exist and hold dominion without empirical evidence of their existence.

This belief has led to some of humanity’s greatest accomplishments but also some of its worst atrocities. I was curious about the slippery slope that can lead from one to the other. How a great evil could be done with good intentions and from a great love. A big inspiration for the novel came from a reading of Genesis, which has the story of God telling Abraham to take his son Isaac to a mountain, bind him, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Abraham obeys, but God stops him at the last minute. One can look at that story as a wonderful testament of obedience to God. Me, I looked at it and thought: What would that story sound like if told from Isaac’s point of view?

Certainly, as adults, the characters struggle with faith as part of their trauma. In some ways, they regard belief as dangerous and best left alone, and they earned that opinion the hard way. Yet they also long for it, particularly due to a core mystery of what happened at Red Peak: the incredible things they saw or thought they saw, and the fact the bodies of the Family of the Living Spirit were never found. People look at chaos and mystery and will always try to have it make sense, and that often requires belief. We’re all prone to this, and it’s the basis of religions; what cults do is ultimately use belief to harm their members and their communities.

I found Beth’s storyline the most interesting. She almost seems to have traded one cult for another. Were you trying to be ironic or just using Beth to highlight how the mind will do anything to survive trauma?

For each major character, I did a lot of planning to get them right. Each required me to define their personality traits, and then show how their dominant childhood trait is now taken to the limit as a crutch in adulthood. This trait and their response to what happened to them form their character arc, their professions, and the choice they make at the end of the novel when the mystery is revealed.

As a teen, Beth loves the warmth and family of the religious group she lives with but chafes at its restrictions; she wants more control over her life and constantly negotiates to get it, and the idea that the world would end soon, before she tasted all of life’s joys, terrifies her even as it excites her. As an adult, she is a psychologist who has a highly regimented and ordered world, and she’s tamed her trauma with plenty of therapy and finding the exact words and psychological theories to describe it and the fantastic things that she saw the last night—another religion of sorts, as you point out, one of the mind.

By the end, she will have to decide whether to keep control and have a life that’s hardly being lived, or surrender control again as she freely did as a child, and take a chance on the unknown.

Can readers trust the ending to be what really happened or is that just how one of the characters perceived events? I might be over-thinking it, but I also wondered if the child survivors truly survived or if they imagined their adults lives while remaining on the Red Peak.

One of the most rewarding things for me about writing the novel is various interpretations readers have come back to me with. I love this one. It was not my intention as the author, but it’s an awesome interpretation, and that’s the point, which is there is plenty of room for interpretation. The novel is fairly clear about what happens at the end, though at the same time believing it is also an act of faith. This was my main intent as the author, which was to engage the reader directly in interpretation and belief.

Will readers be seeing another cult-themed novel from you anytime soon?

Right now, I’m wrapping up a two-book series about a carrier pilot fighting a near-future war against China in the Pacific. This series will be self-published, though a major publisher is picking up the audiobook rights, which is pretty exciting. Meanwhile, my editor at Hachette has asked for ideas, so I’m currently working out what my next big project will be. I’m not sure I’ll come back to cults as I like to roam around, but I may certainly come back to it, as cults are just so darn fascinating.

Thank you for including me in your creative journey. Looking forward to reading SUFFER THE CHILDREN in February.

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DiLouie has always been one of my favorite authors, so I strongly encourage horror fans to check out his website for more info.

As always,

AstraDaemon

TOP 2020 FICTION | AstraDaemon

The pandemic lockdowns gave me the perfect excuse to avoid other people and read hundreds of stories (780 Kindle titles, not counting paperbacks). I must say this year also brought out the best of many authors...I had a difficult time choosing which stories would make my Top Fiction list. I decided to include several categories, so I could include more variety.

In no particular order, I give you my TOP 2020 FICTION recommendations:

SHORT STORIES

SLEEPING BEAUTI by D.B. Green and A.K. Stein is a mix of science fiction, fantasy and horror, and more plausible than the backstory of the Matrix movies.

FEAR INCORPORATED by Hervey Copeland is a combination of The Belko Experiment, Escape Room and The Condemned, written with the flair of Stephen King and the intensity of Tom Clancy.

ELFRIC by S.O. Bailey is a mix fantasy and suspense to teach compassion for others, especially those who have suffered great loss.

BEST DAY OF SUMMER: THE KEEPER by Clark Roberts is an extremely terrifying short story, especially if you're a parent.

WAIT FOR NIGHT by Stephen Graham Jones is a fantastic twist on a popular legend.

NOVELS

THE GHOSTS OF DAVID BROOK by Amy Cross is a fantastic ghost story.

HORRORFROST by Edward Newton involves an unseen force hunting during a whiteout.

THE MONSTERS WITHIN by Kody Boye is a coming-of-age story with a Donnie Darko twist in a Dreamscape setting. 

SETH by Christy Aldridge introduces readers to an evil entity who wears a paper bag on his head.

THE CHILDREN OF RED PEAK by Craig DiLouie is an explanation of how the unraveling of the world can begin with just a small group of people.

NOVELLAS

TRANSFER by Terry M. West is frightening...The Slender Man and Sinister mixed together to form one hell of a creepypasta.

MELT by Christopher Motz is a mix of sci-fi and horror, and so much better than any version of The Blob movies.

ONE FOR THE ROAD by Wesley Southard is one of the few stories I've read which lives up to all the accolades. This really is a mix of Silent Hill, Jacob's Ladder and Lost Highway.

THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR by James Loscombe is the darkest story I've read by this author, thus far.

PIRANHA by Eric S. Brown is very much like a SyFy movie, but with the savage brutality the author regularly unleashes on his fans...not your daddy's piranha.

ANTHOLOGIES

NO REST by Joslyn Chase is a collection of fourteen short stories, ranging from crime drama to mystery-suspense, featuring the best and worst of human nature.

THE OCEAN OF SKY by John A Connor is a collection of twenty-three short stories and flash fiction pieces mixing sci-fi, horror and suspense.

LEADERS OF THE PACK is a fantastic collection of werewolf stories from twelve authors, such as Jeff Strand and Ray Garton.

BOOK SERIES

ROADS LESS TRAVELED is a five-book series by C. Dulaney. A young woman named Kasey actually has a "Z-plan" in place before the zombie outbreak in the story. While traveling, Kasey and her friends make some startling discoveries about the undead. The story arc is amazing and unlike any other end-of-the-world scenario I've ever read, but the evolution of the characters is what really stands out. Dulaney digs into her creations, tears them into pieces and scatters their remains across each novel.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

PAN by Christopher Ruz is a dark version of the Peter Pan story, mixing folklore and mythology from more than one source. I absolutely love all the sinister secrets revealed through the POV of a Lost Boy named Jimmy. Once the narrator's identity is revealed, this short story became one of my all-time favorites.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY by Naomi Kritzer is a flash fiction fantasy story, and I am BEGGING the author to write more. I love this story. I love all the details, the suspense, but the ending is too abrupt...the interaction is too fleeting.

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There you have it...my list of must-read stories from 2020. Please share this list to give these authors the recognition they deserve. I sincerely hope 2021 is better for everyone. Stay safe and keep reading!

As always,

AstraDaemon