Product Description
From Publishers WeeklyRetired from her life as a porn star, Angel Dare now owns Daring Angels, a high-class adult modeling agency. Life as a desk jockey is pretty predictable until an underfed foreign girl named Lia shows up asking to contact one of Angel's models. Before Angel can figure out what the girl really wants, Lia makes a hasty exit through the bathroom window. Next thing she knows, Angel herself is locked in the trunk of a battered blue Honda Civic—beaten, raped, shot up and left for dead. Recovering and resolving to exact justice and clear her name of the frame job she's also been left with, Angel turns to the only person who can help, her part-time agency security guy, ex-cop Lalo Malloy. Feisty Angel wises up to the rancid underbelly of the sex trade as she and Malloy take down the hoods one by one. (Feb.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

Surprisingly Lame
Considering Christa Faust's louche background, you'd think that she could write an entertaining dirty book, but no. The retro-50s-cover depicts a naked woman pointing a pistol, and she looks to be not just a bad girl, but downright evil.

Such an image may have been shocking in the '50s, but these days, it seems like every time I turn on the TV there's some starlet pointing a Glock. (These Glocks need to be fixed, because whenever they're pointed, they make some absurd "ch-click-CLACK" noise.) Apparently, American males desire tough babes.

However, Angel Dare, the heroine of "Money Shot," is really retro in that she's afraid of guns. On page 124 of this novel, Angle expresses discomfort at having a loaded gun on her person, and to do her dirty work, she gets a Mike Hammer equivalent (a taciturn bruiser who's an ex-cop).She gets beaten-up a lot, though.

Well, that's no fun -- where'd the evil bytch on the cover go?In her place we get what usedta be called "a frail." It all makes me suspect that only men can write decent adolescent-male fantasy, and the best bad girls are still found in Raymond Chandler and the old Cherry Delight series by "Glen Chase" (actually several different authors). Now that's REAL pulp fiction! This novel reads more like something from "Our Weekly Reader" or "Calling All Girls."

Fast Money, Hard Woman
I missed out on most of the first year or so of Hard Case Crime's titles.I discovered them when they published Stephen King's The Colorado Kid, but only picked up those early titles intermittently.So I didn't actually get a copy of Money Shot until a month or so ago during a trip to Grand Rapids, despite wanting to read it since I read Christa Faust's rollickin' good Gabriel Hunt yarn, Hunt Beyond The Frozen Fire.And even after I bought the book, it took me a month to get around to reading it.

Now that I've finally read Money Shot, I can honestly say to myself: "What took you so long?"

For those who need some idea of the plot: the back-cover copy says "They thought she'd be easy. They thought wrong. It all began with the phone call asking former porn star Angel Dare to do one more movie. Before she knew it, she'd been shot and left for dead in the trunk of a car. But Angel is a survivor. And that means she'll get to the bottom of what's been done to her even if she has to leave a trail of bodies along the way."

It may seem a bit high concept when described that way, but this book is lowdown grit through and through.Angel narrates the book, and she has a voice that is immediately captivating; she pulls you in from the first paragraph with a tone that is both warmly likable and suitably world-weary. Part of the weariness comes from the fact that she is of course narrating the events from after the fact, but you can tell that some of it is there even before the events of the book are set in motion.It's a tribute to Faust's mastery of character voice that such a quality comes through without seeming forced.Despite what she says about her life before the book's events, Angel was ready for a change -- this just wasn't the change she was looking for.

Money Shot is also pure noir -- there is very little gray area to be explored surrounding Angel once things get moving.Angel may not know what she's going to be able to bring herself to do as the story progresses, but that's not the same as the book having any kind of moral ambiguity. Faust's world is a brutal one: rape, murder, revenge.(The rape is not described in any kind of detail, which makes it all the more horrific.)It's also one of strong character -- even the secondary and tertiary characters feel real, although many are seen-and-gone within a chapter.

Strong voice, fast plot, no holds barred writing -- I can't recommend Money Shot enough for fans of noir, crime fiction, and strong female protagonists.Faust has a sequel coming out later this year, and I will be reading it as soon as it's published (along with anything else the woman writes).

Pistol-Packin' Valley Girl
The San Fernando Valley is the seat of the porn industry; Gina Moretti, aka Angel Dare has made her mark there, but has now moved on to running a woman-friendly agency.A woman walks into that agency with a brief case full of money, money that was stolen from a sleazebag running a white slavery ring.Angel is raped, shot and thrown in the trunk of a car.She teams up with a former cop/PI and together they seek to recover the stolen money, find out who has (and who has not) betrayed Angel and, in general, free the innocent and (definitively) punish the guilty.Angel does the latter in interesting and satisfying ways.

This is classic noir, with a long look at the porn industry, including the federal regulations which attempt to govern it.It is also a long look at human behavior, with some classic one-liners summarizing Angel's insights.The plot is strong, the setting fully realized, the ending satisfying though somewhat unexpected.

Highly recommended, with another tip of the hat to Hard Case Crime for doing what they do and offering us winners like Money Shot.

Stupid, Sexist Me
Having been burned by countless 'thrillers/mysteries' written by women, all incredibly well-reviewed by others on Amazon, I put off buying this novel. Seems to me that most of them are little more than romance novels wrapped very loosely in a flimsy whodunit.In hindsight, I realize what an idiot I was in passing on this one for so long.Though I wouldn't characterize the writing as 'gritty', (It is definitely not a comedy, but I found it to be quite funny throughout.A little like Janet Evanovich in parts, but with a much harder edge) this book really has it all as far as crime fiction goes.Raw action, down and dirty sleaze, violence, REALLY bad guys, and a flawed anti-hero in the form of Angel Dare, a porn star in the twilight of her career, pushed to the breaking point and beyond.I don't consider it a spoiler to say that there's no '...and they all lived happily everafter' ending to be found here.Highly recommended to anyone looking for a good book to read over the course of a weekend.

Modern Noir
This excellent hard-boiled novel was hard to put down.Sleazy slave peddlers uprooted and destroyed Angel Dare's life and she's out for blood.Angel's a great character, strong, smart, and resourceful, never backing down from the fight.The story and action are tightly written and well paced.I will be certain to seek out more of Ms. Faust's writing in the future. ... Read more

Product Description
An erotic horror novel.A grisly murder in New York City's downtown meat packing district leads hardboiled crime writer Caitlin McCullough into the depths of a secret sadomasochistic underground.A perverse playground for the rich and twisted where anything goes and nothing is taboo.Here, Caitlin must risk everything to find not only the truth surrounding the murder,but the dark truth hidden inside herself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A truly enthralling ride!
I must admit that even though I had heard about this novel before it was reprinted, I was not very eager to delve into it.I've never been too terribly interested in the murder mystery, "whodunit" genre, and from the synopses I had read, it seemed to be yet another rehashing of a cop style drama.However, I'm very glad I finally did give this novel a chance, for that is a truly misguided preconception.

Caitlin is a writer looking for the next big real-crime novel.Of course, it helps that her current love affair is with a detective named Mike.When Mike gets a call about a the murder of a young girl which involves sexual mutilation, Caitlin is eager to get the gory details for her next book.Through the help of her internet-savvy friend Wilson, Caitlin learns that the murdered girl, Eva, was a hacker known under the alias Apocrypha who had a penchant for sadomasochism.In the name of research, Caitlin decides to immerse herself in the underground world of SM.

Upon meagerly stepping into the Crypt, a mild SM fetish club, Caitlin becomes enthralled with the whole new world of sights and sounds around her.Being a dominant person at heart, she very quickly finds herself at home in a domineering role within the subculture.However, this eager submission into this whole new world may cloud Caitlin's better judgment and suck her in too deep.

Christa Faust has crafted a truly amazing, genre-transcending novel.Yes, Control Freak is part gritty crime novel, and part thriller, with a splash of romance thrown in for good measure, but it doesn't fit completely into any of those niches.Control Freak is an intimate dive into the SM scene, one which those already familiar with the scene can relate, and those new to SM can use to get a taste of this underground subculture.Faust displays a truly intimate knowledge of not just the scene itself, but the deep-rooted emotions involved with empowerment and submissiveness.Therefore, contained herein is also a tale about finding oneself, and accepting one's true place in the world.

I anxiously await any further novels by this talented writer, and highly recommend Control Freak to fans of good genre-bending literature.

very good debut
This was the first Christa Faust book I have ever read. I was not disappointed with the story, and I found the plot unpredicatable, not getting to the identity of the killer in my mind until it was presented to me on the page. This was a plus. The story moves well, with realistic, believable dialogue and interesting characters and scenes of SM (not S&M) that I won't soon forget. There is an obvious connection in the naming of two of the main characters to Faust's real-life friend and fellow writer Caitlin R. Kiernan. You'll find out soon enough. The only flaws I found were in editing, with several typos, most of which amounted to nothing more than misspelled or added words. But these were only momentary distractions. Here, the story's the thing, and it's a good one. I've given it five stars, because I found it to be one of those books that I read late into the night and picked up first thing in the morning. What could be better?

Out of Control...
Control Freak is a very interesting book.It was recommended to me by Amazon after I bought The Scolds Bridle - and I couldn't be happier for the advice.Here, a young girl is murdered, with two protagonists attempt to find the answer. One uses typical police procedure, while the other uses her sexual skills for answers. As she investigates further she finds herself being drawn deep into the fetish lifestyle. Unfortunately for her, one of her bondage contemporaries is a murderer with a sadistic streak... Normally, I am not a huge fan or "erotic literature", however make no mistake - this is a book about murder -not sex... As the plot unfolds the reader is treated to a great deal of suspense and mystery - more than enough to make anyone lose control over their fears...

Relic113

Faust's debut novel is a fast and dangerous read.
With a non-stop story and a heroine to die for, Christa Faust's debut novel shows the world that her talents aren't limited to S&M dungeons.Faust's words are as lush and ornate as the characters they describe; abold and dangerous style for a bold and dangerous thriller._ControlFreak_ will have you tied up for days.

WONDERFUL TRIP
This book personifies the lost highway of youth and the sexy side of S& M and the errays of private jokers. ... Read more

Product Description
From the publishers of long-renowned Mexican masked wrestler pop-culture magazine "From Parts Unknown" comes this new lucha libre inspired pulp noir novel.

Hoodtown is a ghetto of masked wrestlers - an inner-city sanctuary of hooded culture, with a masked lifestyle evolved from 20th century Mexican pro wrestling, and inspired by icons such as El Santo and Mil Mascaras. The family gimmick is sacred, the mask is the sole expression of one's identity.

Now, 'Hood' prostitutes are turning up dead, and worse, UNMASKED, and the 'Skin'establishment is as much help as a paid-off referee. Enter X, former luchadora with a bruised past, a bum knee, and no time to play Santo. She's no hero, but there's nobody else to tag-in, as her hunt for the killer uncovers a conspiracy threatening all maskedkind.

In short, Hoodtown is like Casablanca with wrestling masks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

GREATEST MEXILUCHAHERO NOIR,EVER!
DAMN I LOVE THIS BOOK!This is one of those books that you can't put down once you start to read it.Set in a noirish world that Raymond Chandler never dreamed of,this murder mystery uses the world of lucha libre as a backdrop.The lead character,Ms.X,is not your typical Mexiluhahero.She is a former luchadora who has fallen on hard times,and now makes a living as a domanitrix practicing her wrestling skills on an hourly basis with masochistic men.She is drawn into the investigation of a serial killer who has been murdering wrestling-masked prostitutes and, shudder,removing their masks after performing the ghastly deed.This book by Christa Faust has the same gritty feel as L.A.Confidential,and I could see this quite easily turned into a Quentin Tarantino directed film.This book is not only illustrated by Rafael Navarro,North America's premiere Mexilucahero artist,but Ms.Faust also provides a glossary of Hoodtown slang for those of you who may be new to this genre.Buy this book.You won't be sorry.

Best Heroine Ever!
Within the first few pages of this novel, I was hooked.Christa Faust's heroine was a REAL woman, not perfect but still highly sexual and interesting.What I liked best though was the dialogue.Faust's use of a new "slang" that was a mix of spanish and Japanese is genuis as the "slang" used in A Clockwork Orange.It made me feel even more transported into the rich fantasy world that is Hoodtown.

You can't go wrong with Hoodtown.
Christa Faust really takes the time to set up this bizarre mix of lucha libre culture and crime noir. She really knows her stuff and stays true to the unspoken tenets of both. The story starts off slow, with hints of back story and well thought-out character development. We get pulled in as this dark mystery unfolds. The violence escalates; the questions lead to stark realizations; the plot twists and writhes like a snake on hot sand. The pay-off is classic. All the elements are here. The story is logical, believable, and captivating. Faust has created a world that could easily become a franchise. It's a quick read due to the way it hooks the reader. Once you start, you just don't want to put this book down. Don't just think about buying it, kid...just do it. You can't go wrong with Hoodtown.

BRAVO CHRISTA FAUST
I loved this book - every dark, well-turned, beautifully plotted word. Although its byline is "a Lucha-Noir Novel" you don't have to be a fan of Latin American pro wrestling to enjoy this pulp wonder. Hoodtown is a ghetto where "Hoods" (a society where everyone from birth to death wear the lucha libre hoods as their identity) try to live their everyday lives among gangsters, drugs, and crime, just minutes from Angel City where "Skins" live a life of order and plenty. The heart of this book is "X" a retired, 40ish, luchadora (lady wrestler) who is thrown into the investigation of the murders of Hoodtown prostitutes. The women are not only brutalized but their mascaras (masks) are stolen, a crime as heinous as the murders themselves. Although this novel is allegorical, the character of X is beautifully realistic from her frustration that her life isn't how she planned it, to her inability to commit to the passionate trumpet player who adores her. This book is dark, sensuous, and wicked at every turn, and I take my hood off to the very talented Christa Faust who is in a league all her own.

My kind of town...
Where has this novel been my whole life? It's got everything I like: Female Masked Wrestlers,Noir and stilletto sharp dialogue that gets you like a knife to the ribs.The cover by Rafael Navarro is really eye catching too. All in all I give Hoodtown five masks,two thumbs up and all my love too. ... Read more

Product Description
Through our dreams, we explore our greatest fears and desires.Some believe that we tap into a vast ocean of human consciousness and experience.Other believe that we live with one foot in the material world and one that is unknowable.Journey with us into the Dreamlands.Featuring stories by:Caitlin R. Kiernan, Christa Faust, Bev Vincent, Jane Gwaltney, James S. Dorr, Amy J. Benesch, Gary McMahon, Gill Ainsworth, Larisa Walk, Louise Bohmer, Lisa Mantchev, and AC Wise ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Review from Sharon White
Sharon White reviews Into the Dreamlands for Noneuclidean Cafe ~

Review Snippet:

The title, "Into the Dreamlands," says it all. In this book you will find romance, witches, madness, ghosts, keys to other dimensions, fae people--good and bad, love, betrayal, murder, lands that fade as the sun rises and hidden worlds beneath your feet.

In her tale, "So Runs the World Away." Caitlin R. Keirnan captures your imagination from the first paragraph with her lilting poetic style as she carries you into the world of two lonely youngsters living with a group of eccentric vampires and some rather vile ghouls. Caitlin's vivid descriptions flow from the page and lure you into this decadent and dangerous world where even an autopsy can be repelling and fascinatingly beautiful at the same time.

In our world there is injustice; sometimes the scales tip; the blind lady drops her sword and we wonder how some crimes can go unpunished. Sometimes justice needs a helping hand, the hand of the fae folk perhaps.But their ways are not ours and not all dark deeds are without merit. In Louise Bohmer's tale, "Book of Dreams," the fae folk and ordinary humans are entwined and layered with twists and turns of the plot that will keep you guessing right to the end--where justice is served in a most unconventional way.

~*~*~*~

Full review found at:
http://www.noneuclideancafe.com/issues/vol2_issue4_Summer2007/reviews.htm#White1

Dreams that are sure to keep you awake well into the night...
Buying this collection for the sole purpose of reading Gary McMahon's expertly crafted and amazingly original story WOLF DREAMS is certainly well worth the price, but the eleven other tales by some of the big names in the horror genre are perfectly realized stories that run the gambit of the dream motif. This anthology is shining addition to the horror genre.

I highly recommend that any lovers of short fiction grab a copy and experience this book for themselves. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Award Winning Novelization? Yup! And Rightly So!!
Now let's face it, media/tie-in/novelization novels are poorly regarded in the publishing world. Frankly they are considered hack work, done for money in-between other works. 99.99% of them just recreate the scenes/dialog of the movie. Adding nothing. Generic writing in other words.

But that doesn't mean they all have to be bad. And in some cases, they can be great! I used to read a lot of these in the days before DVDs, heck, in the days before the home video market. Novelizations of movies were the only way to relive a movie once it left theaters and was 2-3 years from television. The first one I read that was a cut above was the adaptation of The Abyss by Orson Scott Card. Not surprising considering who wrote it.

But Snakes On A Plane is, without a doubt, the best movie novelization to date. Period. And it won a SCRIBE AWARD!

Christa Faust is a rising star in the publishing world and I urge you to snag a copy of this book (and her other work) before she hits the big time and her books simply disappear off shelves, ebay, the internet, etc. She's that good.

Why buy a movie novelization? Why buy this novelization? Good questions. The answer: Faust's style, great pacing and she single-handedly breathes life into characters, which in the movie, are just fodder for the snakes. She gives them ALL in-depth character traits and back stories. She fleshes them out in a way I have never seen it done in past books of this kind. And all of this background material, which she creates from whole cloth, is interesting, diverse, captivating. If you are a fan of the movie, you'll never look at the passengers the same way again when you view the DVD. You will know who these people are and you'll care about them. As colorful as they are on screen, they are soon snake bait. But in this great book, they become real.

Plus her style is just great! Fast paced, funny, kinetic... Faust can do it all.

For Black Flame she has written Nightmare On Elm Street, Jason, Final Destination and Twilight Zone novels as well as this extraordinary Snakes adaptation. I'm looking forward to reading them all. As well as anything else she's written that I can get my hands on.

All movie novelizations should be this good. Don't miss it.

Skip the move, read the book!
The first time I saw the commercial for this movie, I was only moderately interested.While taking a stroll in the bookstore I happend upon the novelization and so I figured I'd rather take my chances with a book than a movie.Im so glad I did.Yes the story is cheesy but that is hardly the author's fault.Christa Faust worked wonders with the material she was given.I found the book's character descriptions very vivd and funny.Faust added a lot of humor into the dialogue which made the book even more enjoyable.After reading the book I didn't bother seeing the movie, knowing that I would only be disappointed and $10 poorer!

Not as good as I thought!
I like this book, but the movie was better. I'm had to drop it!!!
I still like the book, because, I intersted in horror things, it is still very descriptive.
I had enjoyed the part of the plane, and she describes how Mercades looks and every thing!

snakes dude!
I've only read about 20 pages (Im lazy when it comes to reading novels), but i'm a big SoaP fan, so i'm definitly prepared for some funny odd mischief in this book. It'll be just as weird and non-serious as the movie, but it surely does rock!

Great Escapist Entertainment
I read this book on a recent flight to Florida and was instantly engrossed in the plot and characters.The story is a little far-fetched and campy, but one can't help wondering "what if" with a plot like this one.Deadly snakes loose on an airplane full of passengers flying from Hawaii to Los Angeles at night.For anyone who doesn't like to fly or is afraid of snakes, this book will surely make you more than a little uncomfortable.I found myself unable to put the book down and actually resented the intrusion of the landing in Florida.

Be prepared to lose track of time and give up some sleep when you pick this book up.It's a keeper! ... Read more

Product Description
A mission to Antarctica to find a missing scientist takes a shocking turn when Gabriel Hunt and the scientist’s beautiful daughter discover a secret valley and the ruthless civilization that inhabits it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Terrific Read
Christa Faust is one of the best fiction writers working in America today. So it seemed like an interesting experiment when Charles Ardai asked her to write one of the Gabriel Hunt adventures. Ardai created the widely acclaimed Hunt series in 2009 in tribute to the pulp paperbacks that existed in mid-20th century America. The fictional Hunt relays each of his adventures to a guest author. The marriage between Faust and Hunt could not have worked out better. It is a well-worn cliché for a reviewer to say that he or she "couldn't put the book down" or to describe it as a "real page turner." But clichés become clichés because they start out true, and they all apply here. This is one heck of a high-octane adventure novel.

All the Hunt stories thus far have been great adventures in the classic mode. And HUNT BEYOND THE FROZEN FIRE starts out the same way. Gabe is on the steppes of Eastern Europe trying to retrieve a valuable cursed Cossack knife for the British Royal Museum. The knife and the woman who has stolen it from him are soon abducted off a moonlit street by men on white horses. Hunt follows in a Cold War-era jeep and is soon engaged in a life-and-death struggle in the dungeon of a ruined medieval castle where Russians are in the middle of conducting an arms deal with Africans.

Another day in the office for Mr. Hunt. But the point of the adventure series is to get you into the action fast and keep the action coming even faster. So the Eastern European story is just the prequel. When he returns to New York, the headquarters of the $100 million family foundation he runs with his bookish brother, he is approached by a damsel in distress. Hunt recalls, "She looked to be in her middle twenties, conservatively dressed in a dark suit and simple heels, but the body beneath the drab professional exterior was anything but drab."

Hunt is a bit of a ladies man. He confesses early on that "No matter how far he travelled, or how much he learned, or how many extraordinary things he witnessed, he'd never be able to understand women." As told by Faust, he is not going to get much of a positive education in the book. Indeed, this adventure will land Hunt in the tightest jam he has ever been in and seriously mess with him. And the sexiness of it goes well beyond the cover art, which makes it all the more enjoyable.

The young, non-drab lady is Velma Silver. Her problem is that her beloved father is a climate change scientist who has gone missing and is presumed dead near the South Pole. In his last radio transmission to base, Dr. Silver is heard to say, "...suddenly quite warm...I see...trees." Then he completely disappears. Most attribute the mysterious transmission to the ravings of a dying man, but Velma is convinced he might still be alive and wants Hunt's help in finding him.

Now, Hunt is nothing but a knight errant, especially if it involves the possibility of scoring with a beautiful woman. So he agrees to undertake a mission to "the last real uncharted wilderness on earth" where life itself is a constant life-and-death challenge 22 degrees below zero.

Hunt brings along his trusty Colt Pistol, but Faust downplays the gunplay here. Instead she teams Hunt with some allies who provide warmth and humor. Rue, a master driver/mechanic, is also a former girlfriend of Hunt's, thus adding a little tension. Faust describes her as "two hundred pounds of attitude packed into her hundred pound body."

And then there is Maximillian Ventrose Jr., Millie to his friends. Faust describes Millie: "Three hundred pounds of solid muscle with twelve inch fists and a boxer's profile under his faded Saints cap, he stood six foot seven barefoot and looked like he could wrestle an alligator one handed without spilling his coffee. But there was a profound, Zen-like calm about him that ran contrary to his thuggish features and massive physique."

Faust keeps the action pulsing and displays her excellent writing ability throughout: "Consciousness came to Gabriel in stages, like a shadowy striptease." Or at another point, she writes that the "antique propellers struggled into motion like old men getting out of bed." From their earliest days in the pulps and monthly magazines, those Golden Days before television and the Internet leeched much of the color and mystery out of the world, adventure stories were supposed to be travelogues as much as anything else.

And Faust does this as well here and even manages to find room, as the Indiana Jones adventures always did, to work in the German Third Reich. But you care about the characters she has created, and you keep turning the pages to see what happens next.

The entire Hunt series is a wonderfully creative revitalization of an important part of America's pulp tradition. HUNT BEYOND THE FROZEN FIRE is a terrific read, and one of the best books of 2010. I would love to see how Faust would handle another Hunt adventure, because she has a real knack for writing pulp fiction. One can only hope she will write many more books.

The Hunt continues
The fourth book in the almost-a-year-old Gabriel Hunt series is another worthy entry in this pulp adventure novel series. I've reviewed the other books here, here, and here, so there is probably little need to explain again who Gabriel Hunt is, other than once again comparing him favorably to Indiana Jones (for his abilities) and James Bond (for his womanizing).The series editor, Charles Ardai, continues to bring in excellent writers to build the series.This installment is the first written by a woman, Christa Faust, and I don't at all think it would be noticeable if her name wasn't on the title page. Faust writes fantastic pulp adventure.Gabriel is true to the character as we've seen him in the previous three books; there's no attempt to soften him -- in fact, his womanizing ways become something of a plot point in this one, almost disrupting the mission before it even gets started (and also allowing for at least one funny moment thanks to a male character nick-named "Millie.")

As with most of the previous installments, we get two adventures in this story: the tail-end of an adventure Gabriel is already involved in (what in a Bond movie would be the "pre-opening credits" sequence) involving a lover double-crossing Hunt over the fate of a rare Cossack dagger.The wrap-up of that story leads Gabriel directly into the main adventures: a journey to Antarctica, very close to the South Pole, to investigate the disappearance and strange final message of a scientist whose beautiful daughter thinks he may still be alive despite all evidence to the contrary.

I really enjoyed the way Faust wrote most of the characters.She keeps Hunt honest and chivalrous as always, but plays with his reputation (as mentioned above) to great effect.She allows him, in this adventure, to be motivated not by common sense but by empathy -- Hun'ts parents mysteriously disappeared off of a cruise ship during the last days of 1999, and Hunt really feels for this scientist's daughter who just can't accept that her father is dead until she has explored every option for his survival.Faust also introduces at least two characters (and actually three) who I hope will become a part of what eventually will be Hunt's extensive supporting network.Almost all of the great pulp heroes have such a network, from Doc Savage to the Shadow and even to Indiana Jones and James Bond (although admittedly those supporting characters are less important to the latter heroes than they were to the former).Gabriel's brother Michael has been a part of just about every adventure so far, the home-base major domo, but I'd really like to see some of these other very capable supporting characters come back as time goes on.

Faust's pacing for the book is also wonderful. Like I said, she writes excellent adventure fiction.There are some excellent chase sequences and crazy stunts that you can visualize perfectly thanks to the way she writes them.She also takes on one of the genre's more difficult tropes: the "hidden civilization near the [North or South] Pole."This borders on the "Hollow Earth" concept so many pulp writers explored (Verne did it; so did Burroughs in his Pellucidar books; DC Comics got into the act with Mike Grell's Warlord series).I'm not really spoiling anything when I say of course, after the Scientist's odd final transmission, Hunt and his crew find such a civilization. Faust's version of such a hidden civilization (and its history) rings about as true as the most well-known fictional examples; there will be those who complain that it is unrealistic, but really -- reading this kind of book requires a certain willing suspension of disbelief, and you just have to go with it.It's what makes these books so fun.

On the down side, the daughter's single-minded insistence that her father is still alive felt a little over-done early one, but it plays a crucial role in the story's conclusion.I can't say I particularly liked the way most of the conclusion played out, my only complaint with the book. It sort of felt like the author (or editor) felt that Hunt's crew needed one more looping-twist on the roller-coaster at the same time she (or they) realized that they'd sort of written one character into a corner there was no believable way to write that character out of, so they threw this last twist in to resolve that character's storyline in a way that would propel the rest of the characters toward the end.

Still, despite a less-than-satisfying final twist, I really enjoyed the book and tore right through it.It is definitely a worthy addition to the series and is recommended.

Fast-paced, Fun Adventure!
Leave it to Christa Faust, author of great books like MONEY SHOT and HOODTOWN, to up the ante when it comes to sex in a Gabriel Hunt book, but damn if she doesn't pull it off here. The latest edition in this series is breakneck paced, non-stop action, and plenty of wry humor, this time in a kind of "savage land" hidden beneath a dome of ice in Antarctica. A fast, fun read. I love these Gabriel Hunt books! Makes me want to put together a team and go find some adventure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

I think Jason Was Added as an Afterthought to Sell a Previously Written Story
This isn't a bad story, but what it also isn't is a continuation of the classic Friday the 13th series that most people would be expecting when they order a copy of this book. Other books in this standalone novel sequel series, all written by different authors relate well to the classic movies made over the past 25 years. In fact the best of them refer to events in those movies as historical facts.This has not been done by Christa Faust with The Jason Strain.

I believe Christa had already written this story, heard about (or her agent did) the 25th anniversary celebration series and thought well that'll get me more exposure and rewrote Jason into it the story as he really plays no central role or even necessary role in the story for the plot to work and he's not even a main character. On its own, this is not a bad story, granted not an original idea anywhere within (all parts of the story have been done before ie The Running Man by Stephen King and also his book The Cell for the later half of the novel, that half also borrows from every other living dead zombie movie around.) Without Jason, The Jason Strain would be another B grade adventure which probably would have pleased those who stumbled across it, but as the author knew, without Jason hardly anyone would have picked it up.

If you haven't even heard of this book the basic plot is Jason is captured by a television production company and transported to an island off Costa Rica to be the surprise guest on the second season of Xtreme Elimination.Also transported there are a number of death row American prisoners, both male and female.This show takes Survivor to a new level, inmates must kill each other until there is only one left alive.The winner gets their death sentence reduced to life in prison and cushy one at that. Meanwhile a hot female scientist (one of those typical Hollywood written character scientists who just don't seem to know their hot or care) Dr Cain is obsessed with harvesting whatever immortal genetics are in Jason to make a new immortality virus. Of course Jason isn't going to just lie down and cooperate with either of these ridiculous plans.

If this is your first novel from the 25th Anniversary series don't be put off about reading the others.Friday the 13th Carnival of Maniacs by Stephen Hand in my opinion is the best. All books are standalone storylines and do not relate to the other authors novels in the series so you do not need to read them in any particular order.

Great idea, bad book!
"The Jason Strain" has the same problem that "Hell Lake" (Another Friday the 13th book from Black Flame)had.The back cover sounds great, but the book falls short.At least "Hell Lake" did stay with the idea pitched on the back cover."The Jason Strain" does not!
The idea sounds like a 'can't miss'-A new reality show puts convicts on a island.The last one alive gets their death sentence turned to life in prison.What the convicts don't know, is that Jason is also on the island, and of course Jason could care less about TV shows, rules, cameras....
I was patient with the book well over 100 pages into it.I was fine with meeting all the characters, even though at this point Jason had just made a few cameos in the book.I was counting on the story picking up when the convicts get on the island and face Jason.
But the book chooses to take off with another plot that I could have done without.It's too bad, bacause "Jason on Survivor" could have been cool.
But like other posters have written, this book wants to throw every plot idea in but the kitchen sink.And I agree, that this story didn't need Jason in it at all.He is a wasted after thought.Too bad.
I do enjoy the "Jason X" Books, and the "Nightmare on Elm Street" set as well.So far though, the "Friday" books have been a mixed bag."Church of the divine psychopath" was the best."Hell Lake" tried, but was hard to get through-but at leasr Jason IS in that book!!!!I skipped "Hate Kill Repeat", to read this one first.Bad idea on my part.
The next book sounds good-Jason's mother is back!Will this idea be wasted as well?We'll find out.

Keep Jason at Crystal Lake
Okay, in the movies, when Jason took Manhattan, it was easily the worst in the series. Here, Jason is taken to Costa Rica, simply appalling. This book couldn't decide what story it wanted to tell. We start off with "The Most Dangerous Game" style of hunting humans using death row convicts and a "Survivor" type reality game show, we move into "Outbreak" with a genetic manipulation that leads to rapid spreading disease and then get slopped into "Night of the Living Dead" where anyone killed by Jason becomes a infectious maniac zombie. This story is simply disastrous. I've been pretty lenient in accepting the new Black Flame novels on Friday the 13th (but not the Jason X series). I've enjoyed the others enough, this one completely blows though. The story could have easily been done without using Jason for any part of it and it would have been better. The Jason/F13 franchise is only used here to try and sell the book. The author has no concept of what the whole Jason/F13 is for and this is just so ridiculously weak that I warn others to stay away from it.

Good read for others, terrible crap for hard-core fans
First I'm going to ask the author something: Why, WHY, did you call this book "Friday the 13th", when has absoloutely nothing to do (except Jason) with the rest of the movies. Another New Line-author who's totally missed the point.

First of all, only 0.1% of the story takes place at Crystal Lake. Some soldiers then captures Jason (ehh, am I the only one who can see something's wrong already?) and the rest at the story take place at FREAKING COSTA RICA!!

Second of all, the first 100 pages Faust does nothing then descripe each characters life-story in details. Guess how many times we see Jason in that part of the boke (- and how many he kills).

Also, it's poor writed, the kills are nothing much (except some few), and the whole zombie-fact just made me wanna rip the book into pieces.

I'm not saying that you're a moron if you liked this book, but if you did, you have not understand what "Friday the 13th" is all about. Like I said: Good read for others, terrible crap for hard-core fans.

1/5.

Definitely Not Worthy Of The 'Friday The 13th' Name
Growing up on slasher films, particularly on Friday the 13th, I have been really critical of all the Black Flame novels.I've read every one of them so far (including the piece of garbage Jason X series), and each one gets more and more outrageous.Here's a little hint-- STICK WITH WHAT WORKS!No one wants to read about churches, criminals, or zombies!!!This is Friday the 13th, NOT Night of the Living Dead!!!We want to read about Camp Crystal Lake.We want to read about Jason.We want to read about some promiscuously hot teenagers getting hacked up with his machete.NOT this collection of nothing.

As I read 'The Jason Strain', I didn't know whether I was reading a new version of 'Survivor', another version of 'Night of the Living Dead', or a new sequel to 'Jaws'.This book had no idea what it wanted to be, and in the end it is clearly evident that it is NOT worthy of the 'Friday the 13th' name.

To top it all off, the thing takes place in Costa Rica????Are you KIDDING ME???Give me a break.And don't get me started about Jason killing that shark.The Black Flame book series keeps disappointing me more with every novel, just like they have with the Nightmare on Elm Street series.I feel dumber for actually reading this book.It is many hours of my life I'd like to have back.

My advice to the author is if you're going to write a zombie novel, write a zombie novel.If you're going to write 'Survivor: Costa Rica', write 'Survivor: Costa Rica'.Just don't give it the name 'Friday the 13th'.

My advice to the reader is to save your money.Don't let this book collect dust on your shelf like it will on mine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Interesting.
Poppy Z. Brite and Christa Faust, Triads (Subterranean Press, 2004)

Brite and Faust present three tales revolving around Ji Fung, later known as Jimmy Lee, a Hong Kong orphan with a troubled past. In the first, his mother has taken him to the Peking Opera and abandoned him to the predations of Master Lau, who creates the finest opera in Asia, but at a terrible price to his charges. Ji Fung and his best friend, Li Bai, find there is more to their feelings than friendship, but in order to express their love, they need to escape Master Lau's perversions. Taken in by a half-French decadent, Ji Fung and Lin Bai find, after getting away from the troupe, that life on the outside can be even more complicated. The second and third stories feature Jimmy/Ji Fung in a less central capacity, but he's still there. The protagonist of the second is Nan Blake, a dime-novel writer with the nom de plume Blake Blackline who finds herself embroiled in a web of corruption and murder. In the third, Jimmy is dying in the hospital, Blake is long-retired, and a rising, but closeted, gay action star has taken a room in Blake's house. When he meets the man of his dreams, will he sacrifice the relationship for his career or vice-versa?

Brite has always been very good at drawing characters, and has improved over the years as she's made the transition from genre horror to human drama; Faust adds the perfect touch of dime-novel noir atmosphere, and the result is a good little book. I'm not quite as fond of it as I am of the works of the two authors on their own, but it's certainly worth your time. ***

Interesting and complex stories dragged down by stereotypes that aren't.
Triads is a collaborative effort by Poppy Z. Brite, one of my favorite writers, and Christa Faust that's made up of three interrelated stories. In 1937, two young boys are slaves to the Peking Opera until they fall in love and escape together to Shanghai where they find themselves in the middle of a war with Japan. In 1945, a Hollywood writer named Nan Blake finds herself drawn to the beautiful actress starring in her latest film, and the feelings seem mutual, except the starlet still thinks Blake is a man. In the present day, an up-and-coming action movie star needs to decide if it's worth hiding his true feelings for his male make-up artist in order to save his career. All three stories are tied together by similar themes and the presence of Ji Fung, who alternates between being a main character, a secondary character, and a mysterious figure lurking in the background.

In Triads, the characters exist in a variety of times and places, and Brite and Faust do a flawless job at creating a strong sense of both. Whether they are setting the scene with a lush paragraph describing the streets of Shanghai, or just slipping in additional details about time-and-place-appropriate styles and objects, you never forget exactly where the characters are. I feel like each story wouldn't have ended quite the same if not for the influence of the specific time period and setting, and that's just how these kind of stories should be written. The stories themselves are very compelling, if a bit contrived in some places. The first story is the most original and exciting, but the other two stories aren't as predictable as the might seem.

Unfortunately, the characters don't stand out quite as well as they should have against such elaborate plots and backgrounds. The main characters are three-dimensional enough, at least to the point that I was able to sympathize with and relate to them, but the secondary characters are mostly based off of stereotypes that are overused even within the confines of this book. I mean, there are so many times that an actor/director turns out to be corrupt or abusive that I was beginning to feel bad for all the decent people in Hollywood that are left out of this story in favor of a plot device that gets tired after the first few uses. And that's just one example of all the clichés in this book.

Still, I enjoyed Triads enough to not regret buying it. If you read the first paragraph of this review and thought the stories sounded really interesting, or if you're on a quest for something new and different to read, then this is a good book to choose. It even has two bonus stories at the end that teach you more about the characters' dark pasts. But to anyone else, if the basic plot doesn't grab your attention, then you should probably pass it up for something better.

Great Classic Love Story
I was skeptic coming into this book because Poppy is wonderful as she is on her own. Upon recieving this work i noted that the cover art looks alot better when actually seen then it does on the internet. the detailing alone is imaculate. then i started reading the stories. it was the first time in a long time that something was written so beautifully and heavy that it did actually make me cry at the end of each threeparts, all though the 3rd time was not in dismay. Would highly Recomend

Gorgeously written story of love, murder, and ghostly contact
I hate spoiler reviews which divulge the entirety of the book in question, so expect none of that here.Let me simply say that Triads is a gorgeously written, haunting, and moving story.Told in three parts, Triads is a collaboration between Christa Faust and Poppy Z. Brite, originally conceived as a novella for the anthology Revelations.In fact, the first part of the story, taking place in 1930's China, is the original novella.Parts 2 (set in 1940's Hollywood) and 3 (set in the present day) expand upon the story, continuing the themes of ill-fated love and the miseries of living as an outsider in a world intolerant of difference.Of course, the small-minded, racist, insecure, and those suffering severe religious mania will find nothing to enjoy in a story which so sensitively and beautifully handles the subjects of love, compassion, and the fragility of human life.Though this is no soft-focus historical drama, for all the lush detail and bittersweet romance, this is also a tale of gruesome murder, passionate sex, and contact with the supernatural.Fans of Poppy Z. Brite will find much to enjoy, and hopefully Christa Faust will find new fans in those who accept the challenges of this stunning work.

Triads
This book is a gem, it should be required reading for the moral majority if for no other reason thanto gain insight and understanding of the gay community while still enjoyinga brilliant, compelling story. I did not rush thru this book as I have with so many ... Thanks to the imagination of these gifted authors I escaped to a place I have never visited. Love is just the greatest gift, thanks Poppy Z Brite and Christa Faust ... Read more

Product Description
The third Dark Arts Books release is Sins of the Sirens, a compilation of 14 new tales and rare reprints from four of horror's most provocative authors: Maria Alexander, Christa Faust, Loren Rhoads and Mehitobel Wilson.

The seduction of an angel; the lure of the lash; the touch of psychic hands; living ropes that wind and bind... these are just a few of the alluring sins of these sirens. Look inside, but be careful they don t lure you in too far... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

(Chaud, chaud, chaud!) Hot, hot, hot!
Well I am French and love good food and wine. These Sirens are the equivalent of a five star meal in Paris: balanced yet surprising, beautiful,well paired, stylish... What else doesone want? Ah ok... good food is like good erotica it teases you to no-end... Well guess what: eroticism and fear are two main ingredients of their dishes... So for the fraction of a price of that good meal in Paris you can own this great anthology (plus you do not have to put up with arrogant Parisians like me!). Run do not walk... these kind of deals do not last....

Sexy and scary!
Anybody who is expecting a collection of tales here of cuddly vampires seducing shy Goth chicks by candlelight is in for a seismic eye opening. SINS OF THE SIRENS offers up (mostly) erotic horror stories by four of the best femme writers in the genre, and these little gems are anything but cuddly.

Loren Rhoads kicks it into high gear with a quartet of stories which reach delirious heights with "Still Life With Broken Glass", an incredibly tense and disturbing story about a female photographer whose death obsession takes some unwholesome turns. Loren's "Sound of Impact" is a quiet piece with a sock-to-the-gut ending, and would be right at home in any Joyce Carol Oates collection.

Next up is Maria Alexander's trio, the centerpiece of which is the novella-length "Pinned", a trip through L.A.'s BDSM scene which feels so real it's almost too real - Alexander's writing makes you equally experience every prick of a needle or shiver of pleasure. "The Dark River in His Flesh" is a tasty reprint oozing fog and absinthe, as the author paints an evocative portrait of Victorian London.

Mehitobel Wilson offers up four of the volumes most downright squirmy works, especially "Close", in which the twist endings reverse themselves at least once after examining the psychology of a hotel employee who hides under a bed to become part of the sex happening above him. "The Wild" and "Parting Jane" both effectively examine the American club scene with a twist of Southern Gothic.

Rounding out the volume are three tales from Christa Faust, including "Love, La Llorona", which mixes a south-of-the-border setting with Japanese-style video obsessions to create one of the creepiest stories in the book. The big surprise here is Faust's "Firebird" a long tale which is more science fiction than horror, as a young woman in a bleak future sets forth on a urban quest to find the source of a new lethal drug. The story, which is both superbly imagined and emotionally detailed, should be a welcome addition to any book, regardless of genre.

The sheer craftsmanship in SINS is uniformly good, and occasionally dazzling, with all four Sirens demonstrating style to burn and chills aplenty.

The book is attractively designed, and kudos are also due to editor John Everson for an insightful introduction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Two Extraordinary Horror Novels
Before I get into the merits of this fine book, I want to point out that the 2 novels contained in this volume are about as far away from The Twilight Zone as, say, the Saw franchise.

But enough about the packaging.

Contained in this volume are 2 truly excellent full-length horror novels. The first 30 pages of BURNED will rip your guts out with powerful, fast moving prose about two kids who burn to death in a fire while their mother is forced into violent demeaning prostitution by suffocating economic concerns. When their flat is set ablaze by an arsonist, you will fell precisely what it is like to burn to death. The writing is incredible. As for the rest of the story, Faust peoples it with a host of interesting characters from the arsonist, his boss, and two fire investigators with secrets of their own. Captivating reading from one of the brightest new authors around.

All of the above goes for ONE NIGHT AT MERCY. When Death takes a day off (a very Twilight Zone set-up although what follows is pure nightmare) we are presented with a series of quick character sketches as we see how the absence of death can have tragic, horrifying, gut-wrenching and just plain odd consequences.

Faust's characterizations are second to known. In a few pages she paints character portraits that leap off the page and the horrors they face in each of the two novels is all the more potent because we instantly have a grasp of the people subjected to them.

Christa Faust is going to be a star in the publishing world. And it's going to happen sooner rather than later. When it does, this brilliant work for hire (and her other Black Flame titles) will soar in value and be all but impossible to find. My advice is to get them now. Not only for the fantastic reading experience but to save yourself a lot of money down the road.

Brilliant, brilliant work! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Freddy Novels in One
This book is a collection of mini Freddy stories.Unfortunately for me I brought this book thinking it was new material based on the title of the book.It is still a good book and the fact I like anything with Freddy, it makes a nice collection in my book case.Next time I read the stories, I will just go to this book instead of the previous paperbacks I brought that are already collected in this hard cover book.

Like the movies?Then you will enjoy this book.
Putting it to you simply, if you enjoyed the movies then you will enjoy reading this book.Freddy is evil as ever, and also enjoys dishing out his sick humor to his victims.This book actually contains 3 different stories. 1. Suffer the Children 2. Dreamspawn and 3. Protoge.Be warned though.Just like the movies there are plenty of gory violence, cursing, and of course lots of sex.On a scale of 1-5 I give Suffer the Children a 4.5, Dreampawn a 4, and Protoge a 4.Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
The New Interchange/Passages Placement and Evaluation Package contains a placement test designed to help teachers determine the level of New Interchange or Passages best suited to their students. It also contains mid-term and final exams that assess students' mastery of materials introduced in New Interchange and mid-term and final exams that assess students' mastery of materials introduced in Passages. The Placement Test consists of an Objective Placement Test (including a listening section), a Placement Conversation, and a Placement Essay. For users' convenience, there are three versions of the Objective Placement Test. A mid-term and a final exam are provided for each level of New Interchange and Passages. For users' convenience, there are two versions of each test. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Final Destination 3 The Book
I loved the movie, and I started obsessing over it and when I found out there was a book I just had to get it. So I did, and I was extremely happy with it. It described the characters very well, and the words and how Christa Faust worded everything was just amazing. I read little sections of the book all the time, just like I watch the movie all the time. Very good book overall. If you loved the movie, or any other movie from the series and haven't seen the third, I suggest you do and read the book. People who loved FD3 will love this.

Fantastic novelization to a ho-hum movie.
This book was an effortless read. The author develops the characters very well and makes them way more interesting than they were in the movie. She even goes the extra mile and develops characters responsible for starting off the chain reactions that lead to the deaths, which makes the events a little more tragic.

The only complaints I can think of is that pretty much every woman in the book is surprisingly beautiful, no matter how old they are. That gets a little repetetive after a while. And just about EVERY man is a fat slob who wants only sex and beer.

Other than those nitpicks, a great book.

Exceptional story from a simplistic plot.
This is my first review, and normally I wouldn't write one, but I felt like it was due-time.
I got this book figuring that the reviews online seemed very high for a movie concept so played out, so I decided to find out for myself.
I was happily surprised to find such a good read.

Christa Faust did an exlemplary job making something big out of something... well, not so big.
The characters, of which in movies nowadays get butchered (no pun intended) by stereotypes, have much more depth as each is explained. There would be no way to know these things by just watching the movie, and I'm certainly glad I read this book before seeing the movie.
I only wish that they would've added the connection between Wendy and Kevin in the movie, and shown a bit more of their anguish and confusion while missing their partners. Same with Erin's thoughtson Ian. But since it is Hollywood and all, I'm overlooking those simple things and am just thankful that the book made up for it.

To anyone who needs excitement, passion, suspense, terror, and would prefer it come from a more in depth point of view, I highly recommend this book to you.

Killer photos
Wendy Christianson is a beautiful youngsenior and is celebrating gradation at an amusement park . Along with friends she is about board a roller coaster that will make passengers fly off and die. Trying to save her fiends she starts a big fight starting with Kevin and Lewis leading Erin to get bitch slapped and her boyfrind Ian to join in and Ashley and Ashlynn just decided to get off and a result of Frankie following. The coaster crashes killing her boyfrind and best friendand the rest of the class . Now cheating death she uses her pictures to figure out how the next person will die since the pics come out all funky lookin'. She later finds out that her sister ,Julie and her friend Perry were also on the coaster and got off. Its all death breaking loose as Ashley , Ashlynn , lewis , Ian , and Erin along with Frankie start to die in horrible ways most of them having something to do with the head. Wendy will soon find out that death will come for them!

If you liked the movie, read the book
I bought this book because I had been impressed with Christa Faust's previous novel, Control Freak. I ended up seeing the movie only after reading the novelization. Despite good acting by the young cast and the occasional glimmer of intelligent dialogue, Final Destination 3, the movie, is essentially a Grand Guignol croak-a-thon. In the novelization, the author attempts to build on the source material. Having undertaken the project for purely commercial reasons, she nevertheless endeavors to bring as much artistry to the work as possible.

The story concerns a group of graduating high school seniors. The author begins by stripping away the layers of teen stereotypes --jock, brain, popular girl, etc.-- to reveal the more intimate goals, wishes and aspirations of each. The teens are poised on the threshhold of adulthood and faced with important choices concerning their future -a future that is fated never to arrive. As in other installments of the series, the characters have escaped certain death, and now Death itself stalks unseen about them, hunting them down. The teens are in the palm of the Grim Reaper's hand, helpless as the bony fingers begin to close about them. Also worth noting is the undercurrent of sexual tension between the two lead characters as they struggle against their doom.

The older I get, the more it pains me to read or hear of the death of a young person. In Final Destination 3, Christa Faust takes a B-movie horror flick and makes of it a tragic tale of young life plundered and looted by an inscrutable and malevolent Fate.
... Read more

Product Description
Kirkus Reviews called Splatterpunks "an authoritative and intelligent collection for horror fans willing to go all the way." Now, this second volume of taboo-shattering horror stories and essays goes beyond the limits of convention--into the darkest corners of the human soul. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

One of the BEST horror compilations EVER!
This book is the second of the best horror compilations I've ever read. I've had copies of them since 2000, and wear them out every time. I recommend this and Splatterpunks I to any fan of extreme horror short stories!Queer Fear 2: Gay Horror FictionBorderlands 1 (Borderlands No 1) (v. 1)Borderlands 3 (Borderlands Series , No 3) (v. 3)Borderlands 2 (Borderlands Series , No 2) (v. 2)

Sammon puts together another fun one.
Paul M. Sammon (ed.), Splatterpunks II: Over the Edge (Tor, 1995)

The first Splatterpunks anthology was, for me, one of those life-changing books that points a person in an entirely new direction; given that, I have no idea why it took me twelve years to pick up the second in the series. But I did, finally, and once again Paul Sammon has collected a bunch of truly nasty pieces of work. Not quite as nasty now, in the age of Charlee Jacob and her ilk, as they likely were in 1995, but they still pack quite a punch.

As with most anthologies, there's some variance in quality, but not as much as one might expect from a book this thick. The best of the bunch, by my count, is Wayne Allen Sallee's novella "For You, the Living," an account of a Chicago whose population has, in the majority, been turned into sex-crazed zombies. (Shades of David Cronenberg are always a welcome addition to the bookshelves of Goat Central) Other highlights can be found from the names you recognize already: Clive Barker's "Scape-goats" is wonderfully, unmistakably Barker; Kathe Koja's "Impermanent Mercies" is typical of the brilliant stuff she turns out; Steve Rasnic Tem's "Boxer" is, in Sammon's words, "just so weird". It should also be noted that this volume contains the first published work of Christa Faust (Hoodtown), and a fine little piece it is. The book is also shot through with nonfiction pieces, which I found kind of surprising; Jim and Debbie Goad's interview with the late Anton LaVey is the best of the bunch, just as interesting as any of the fiction to be found here. Good stuff, all this, with a slip now and again, but that shouldn't stop you from checking this one out. *** ½

Ho Hum
Stories in this collection were of generally good quality and enjoyable to read.However, this collection definitely lost the over the top, right on the brink, edgy feel of the first Splatterpunks collection.Sure it has its share of necrophilia, gratuitous gore, usw.; but, it just didn't do it for me.It's worth the read if you can pick it up cheap, but don't expect it to live up to the first collection.

Very entertaining, stomach turning and thought provoking.
This book outshines the original.It is as full of viscera and violenceas the first, but contains even more thoughtful stories, perhaps there issomething to be said for the female point of view.Not every story willresonate with the reader, but for a short story collection most storieswill have been well worth your time and will stick with you.

damn fine book
Jim Goad interviews Anton LaVey, story by Debbie Goad, am I dreaming -- buy it, not necessarily from Amazon ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Better than advertised
While a number of reviewers here have disliked this book, I can assure you that it is better than advertised.Here is the issue: This is not a mindless book with two dimensional characters living Hollywood high school lives - the characters have depth and even the people you initially hate turn out to have deeper characters and reasons for behaving they way they do.The cast here gets a lot more attention than it does in some other Nightmare books and perhaps that depth - and the time it takes to establish the characters - was too much for people looking for a quick, bloody, campy, story.

This novel has been compared - unfavorably - to "Suffer the Children" by quite a few people here, but I tell you that book read like bad teen fan fiction compared to this.No, this book is not filled with mindless sex scenes and stupidly contrived situations like Suffer the Children is - what it does give you is a maturely written novel in the Nightmare franchise.The only real complaint I had, was Freddy seemed a little less clever and sassy than he is in the films ... which does something of a disservice to his character.

Even so, well worth the read.

Ridiculously goofy!!
This book was nothing like the films... so juvenile and poorly written, I had to laugh when Freddy would make a kill. There were no scary things about this book just a goofy, comically stupid Freddy Kreuger, who wrestles a boy to death in tights,and turns into a zombie and eats the brains of another girl.

Also, this novel took an eternity to go anywhere. The characterization was so painful to get through, I almost gave up on the book 3/4 way through. Then the book gets so far-fetched as Freddy slaughters the whole high school on a crazed rampage.

I would skip this one. It doesnt have any relevance to the movies and is so comically stupid, I cant see how anyone can enjoy it.

BRILLIANTLY SCARY AND FUNNY!!!!!!!
This book I have to say was great. Christa Faust did a job so excellent with Freddy that if it were to become a movie, Freddy's body count would outnumber that of Jason's and Michael Myer's put together. Even though we don't see much of Freddy during the first half of the book, she still had me hooked. The things the characters did and said to eachother were funny to the core. she also adds a couple of twists in there. That was fine, but when Freddy entered the picture that's when things started to get very interesting. Freddy killed in ways that would make you gag and laugh at the same time. This is a must read for those who are truly into Freddy. Trust me, if you loved watching the movies, then you'll love reading the books even more.

Dreamspawn - Bad title, GOOOOOOD story!
Well, I just finished reading this book. I'm not going to lie and say that I took a shine to it right off the bat, because I didn't. In fact, about 80 pages or so, I stopped reading it and put it away for a few months, because it seemed like nothing was happening.

Then I finished reading "Friday the 13th: Hell Lake" and was in the mood for some more 'scary stuff', though not Jason, and sadly, there are almost no books of my FAVORITE horror movie villain, Michael Myers of 'Halloween'. So I thought, well, I'll give 'Dreamspawn' another whirl.

The prologue had me hooked, but as the story of Jane progressed, it seemed more and more detached from the prologue, until the girl Rose appeared, and FINALLY, everything clicked together. Don't get me wrong, I liked Jane. She sounded a lot like me in school; not popular, rather contemtuous of the clique system that plagues schools these days, and preferring to read than hang out with idiots, though I was glad that she was able to makes some good friends. That's what sorta happened with me. :)

But when Rose appears, all hell breaks loose. :)She is seriously messed up in the head, and it shows from the moment she arrives!When Freddy finally showed up in the book, I couldn't put it down! Each killing had me tingling with excitement (is that demented, or what?) and at times, I was laughing Freddy's laugh. ;)Freddy even manages to sneak in a couple of his one-liners which always make me laugh, and display his sick sense of humor which movie-watchers either love or hate. I'm one of the former. Frankly, I thought this book woulda made a decent movie. If it were, Freddy's total body count would outnumber both Michael Myers AND Jason Voorhees, in just one book!

The ending was good, albeit a bit predictable, as the authorities, in their 'grounded-in-the-mundane' way place the blame for Freddy's carnage on . . . well, I won't say who. Read it for yourself, and have fun!

Pretty good!
Well i went into it sureit would be great with an author like christa and it was! somethings were diaappointing though: No elm street, didnt get that "Nightmare on elm street" feel.

but all in all a great read i could barely put it down with out yanking it up and seeing who dies next! ... Read more