Burden My Soul

The year is 2009, and the world’s financial and publishing sectors are in chaos. In the midst of this disarray, a burned-out horror writer finds himself haunted by a variety of ghosts, both real and metaphorical. And as the ghosts increase their attacks, his struggle to make a living quickly becomes a fight to hold on to his family – and his very sanity.

THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER by Brian Keene is nothing like any of his work I've read previously. On a related note, readers should probably read all of the Keene stories published before this one, in order to truly appreciate the personal POV.

The setup is painfully slow, not unlike watching an artist create a landscape and waiting for all the strokes to form something recognizable. The details are obviously necessary, but the pace is similar to watching paint dry.

While a few parts freaked me out enough that I jumped when my 13 yr old walked into the room (dressed in black), I didn't really feel much of anything for this story. Simply isn't my flavor of Keene.

I'm still recommending this one to fans of the author...there is some terrific literary insight to be had.

As always,
AstraDaemon

12 Days of Keene: Day 12

In the long-awaited follow up to DEAD SEA, it has been several months since the disease known as Hamelin's Revenge decimated the world. Civilization has collapsed and the dead far outnumber the living. The survivors seek refuge from the roaming zombie hordes, but one-by-one, those shelters are falling.

Twenty-five survivors barricade themselves inside a former military bunker buried deep beneath a luxury hotel. They are safe from the zombies... but are they safe from one another? As supplies run low and despair sets in, each of them will find out just how far they're willing to go to survive.

ENTOMBED by Brian Keene is a bloodbath, and the undead are just a background detail. Basically, the bunker survivors turn on the one guy, Peter, who saved them all, at the beginning of the story. He is also the one who wanted to bring food supplies with them, before sealing the blast doors. Not only did everyone rag on him to seal the doors without grabbing the supply cart, but they also refused to fight a few undead between the supplies and the group. As far as I'm concerned, they all got what they deserved.

This is not a sequel to DEAD SEA, but a separate story which takes place during the same outbreak in the same Keene world. You don't have to read the first novel to appreciate Entombed, but it does offer an explanation of why there is never any hope for the survivors. There is a lot of action, and no one dies the same way.

Who will you root for?

As always,
AstraDaemon

12 Days of Keene: Day 11

In 2003, Brian Keene's The Rising revived horror literature's dormant obsession with zombies. In 2007, Brian Keene's Dead Sea knocked that obsession on its ass... The city streets are no longer safe. They are filled instead with the living dead, rotting predators driven only by a need to kill and eat. Some of the living still struggle to survive, but with each passing day, their odds grow worse. Some survivors have fled, frantically searching for a place to escape, even briefly, the slaughter around them. For Lamar Reed and a handful of others, that safe haven is an old Coast Guard ship out at sea, with plenty of water between them and the zombies. These desperate survivors are completely isolated from the dangers of the mainland. But their haven will soon become a deathtrap, and they'll learn that isolation can also mean no escape! Deadite Press is proud to present this Author's Preferred version of Keene's over-the-top cult classic, which includes never-before-published material!

DEAD SEA by horror author Brian Keene has always been one of my all-time favorite zombie novels. This book is the reason I became a fan of Keene in the first place. The author has quite a talent for taking a hopeless situation and twisting the waking nightmare into something much worse than hopeless. I thought I had become desensitized, until I read Dead Sea.

The main character is a young gay Black man named Lamar, and the story is centered on his POV. Throughout the book, he often wonders why anyone bothers to keep fighting when they are very likely to die a gruesome death...and then come back as the undead. I love the thought process of this character. Unlike many of the other characters, Lamar is always trying to think ahead, instead of just reacting to the danger around his group.

Dead Sea is one of the horror novels I recommend as a general go-to horror novel, but this is also the Keene story I recommend to introduce new readers to the author.

As always,
AstraDaemon

12 Days of Keene: Day 10

Go back to the beginning of the end of the world...

Hell has come to earth as sadistic zombies rampage and massacre the human population. Reverend Thomas Martin has lost his congregation to the chaos but has found two wayward survivors to protect - Becky and John. The three of them have holed up in Martin's church in a desperate attempt for survival. But as supplies run low and civilization crumbles around them, Martin must come to a realization - God has abandoned them. But why?

Is there any chance of hope in this new world? Is there any chance for deliverance?

Modern horror legend, Brian Keene returns to his fan-favorite universe of The Rising with a tale of faith, loss, and zombies.

This special edition also includes two short stories that expand and explore The Rising mythos - "The Resurrection and the Life" and "The Siqqusim who Stole Christmas."

THE RISING: DELIVERANCE by Brian Keene offers some insight into the character, Reverend Thomas Martin, as well as what occurred inside the church before Jim showed up. However, Keene still keeps the specific fates of Becky and John secret, so this story would have been better off included in THE RISING, instead of being released as an afterthought. There's just not enough meat for readers to sink their teeth into.

THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE is Keene's version of the Book of John, complete with the inclusion of Ob. I enjoyed this story far more than the first one. Nothing like Ob taunting Jesus to create a dramatic biblical thriller.

THE SIQQUSIM WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS involves a couple of characters from THE RISING: SELECTED SCENES FROM THE END OF THE WORLD. As soon as I realized who Ob's host body belonged to, I laughed out loud. Readers can't truly appreciate Keene's twisted mind, until they've experienced his dark humor.

While I appreciate the creativity which went into the last two stories, and I love the cross-references and connections to Keene's previously published menagerie of horrors, I think the author is just milking THE RISING series for more money. I'm glad Keene moved on from this series. I look forward to finishing his Levi Stoltzfus series in 2019.

As always,
AstraDaemon