Nope, it’s not Game of Thrones, nor is it Hamlet. It’s The Ghosts of Grief Hollow, the sequel to his macabre tale The Tear Collector (recently renamed The Tears of Grief Hollow). It’s amazing when you get to the end of a book, and think, what the hell did I just read, but in a good way. I really enjoyed Shawn’s first offering, and if you read my review, it was a tough act to follow. Once again, Stephen King’s It blended with Monster Squad, Shawn manages to up the ante on the horror and thrills, taking us back to the tiny Appalachian town of Harper’s Pass. Its haunted and troubled past comes back to bite its descendants in a big way.
The Markland X grew are trying to settle back into some sense of normalcy after grappling with the evil spirt of Samantha Mellinger, whom they (thought—spoiler alert) vanquished in Grief Hollow. Of course, if it seems too good to be true, it is. In this sequel, their loyalty and trust to one another will be stretched to the breaking point. And, like in the first novel, the kids realize that they are on their own. They know that either no one will believe them, or in the case of their one adult ally, Detective Holt, he’s become too wrapped up in his police work and in the unravelling of his marriage to pay attention to what’s really going on—until it is too late.
Shawn builds up some compelling new characters in the sequel. Lady Zuuva is an intriguing local legend that plays into the darkness of Grief Hollow. I didn’t think Shawn could top the centipede scene from the first book, but dang, I’m not sure which was creepier, the scene with the roots, or…well, I’ll put it this way, if you have phobias about giant bugs, this book is probably not for you.
Speaking of trigger warnings. All of them. Yep. With this book Shawn pretty much nails every trigger you could think of and does it beautifully. Kind of like Game of Thrones. This book is not for the faint of heart, and don’t get too terribly attached to any character. Shawn will kill your favorite character ruthlessly. And I love it.
Thanks for reading! You can also check out my unique brand of Alaska Backcountry horror, The Dark Land series
Some places were never meant for humans to trespass.
Or, what if Voldemort won, and he was female instead and kind of kinky?
Better Than Dead was a wild departure from Eric’s Henchmen series. In this piece of speculative fiction things that go bump in the night: sorcerers, vampires, ghouls, gorgons, giants, basically every fictional magic creature in the pantheon have revealed themselves to be real and are living openly with humans. His main character, Ace Colton, is a Lead Slinger, paid by the banking industry to go after magic users who have robbed banks. After pursuing two targets and finding a still living head on a broom handle, Ace realizes something out of the ordinary is going on in town—that’s saying a lot for a city teeming with the paranormal. From there the situation only spirals into the Twilight Zone. Forget brainless zombies. Corpses are coming back to life with an agenda. They can’t die until they fulfill their task—whether inane or bloodthirsty. Ace teams up with Tabitha, a vampire with her own agenda. They’ll dodge ghouls, hit squads and mythical creatures while trying to uncover the necromancer responsible for the chaos before the entire city falls to darkness. Not that it was such a great place to begin with, but Ace doesn’t want to spend his days as something in between dead and alive.
Buckle up for a fun, fast-paced noir action story with a flawed anti-hero and some great twists and turns (and quite a bit of kinkiness…Ava and the machete, OH MY!).
Ace is not a perfect hero. In fact, there’s quite a few times you want to smack him upside the head. He’s good at what he does—he shoots guns and fighting—but at times he’s slow to pick up on the clues. This makes the story and character more realistic, since he’s figuring things out, rather than having everything come together seamlessly. At first Ace is portrayed as a stereotypical, alcoholic “Humphrey Bogart-type character.” As the story progresses, the feelings and emotions, both good and bad, in the relationships between Ace and the various women in the story: Jezebel, Tabitha and even Ava show a lot of heart.
Since I have read a few of Eric’s novels at this point, I can really see his development as an author in this tale. His other novels tend to be just action-packed fun. What I liked most about the novel overall, was the underlying moral theme that Eric delivers without being too preachy or heavy handed. Human beings have a terrible track record of how we treat those who are different than ourselves. What would we do if we found people (or creatures) with magical capabilities living secretly among us? In Better Than Dead, they are feared, vilified, exploited, used for government experiments, sometimes they are tortured and killed. Using the backdrop of a heartless city with no mercy, he paints a realistic portrait of human nature.
I’ll be interested to see where Eric takes this character and story next…there’s going to be a sequel, right?
Thanks for reading! My Alaska backcountry horror novels The Dark Land and The Devil’s Valley are available on Amazon.
The legend of the headless ravine is steeped in blood. Its thirst for human blood never sleeps, even in the dead of winter.
A paranormal thriller/horror novel by Shawn Burgess, now also available as an audio book.
The parallels we find between fiction and real life at times
can be ironic and unsettling at the same time. Shawn Burgess’s The Tear
Collector is paranormal thriller/horror novel about a group of boys in a
small town who are trying to help the police find their missing classmate, Margo
Combs. She’s an autistic girl who has gone missing in the woods. As the clues
come unraveled and bodies pile up, they realize that Grief Hollow, is more than
just a name.
Shawn asked me to ARC read his novel months ago and I put it into my calendar for June 2019.
As I sat down to read Shawn’s story, a real-life version of this is rocked Anchorage, AK and the surrounding cities to their core. A 19-year-old special needs girl went missing at the beginning of June 2019, her body turned up a few days later on a popular hiking trail. The horror of what happened to her, and the callous disregard for human life has everyone asking, why?
At this point in the investigation, five teenagers have been arrested with conspiring to murder, sexual assault and other charges. A man in another state is being extradited to Alaska as part of the plot. There is so much that is terrifying about this tragic story that it is hard to wrap one’s mind around it. People often refer to Alaska as a “Little Big Town,” though large in area, it is small in population. Almost everyone I work with or know has some connection to someone involved in this case.
The fact that such evil exists in the human heart and mind
is mind boggling. That someone who seems benign, who you interact with every
day, could be plotting horrific murder. You almost wish there were a driving
force behind it. Some sort of horrific greater evil that it could be blamed on.
Shawn’s story, by contrast, is a more traditional
paranormal/horror story. The adults don’t want to believe their eyes and
senses. There must be a logical, “normal” explanation for the deaths and
disappearances. A serial killer, animal attacks, kids just screwing around. The
kids in his story, on the other hand are more in tune with their senses and are
willing to believe what they see.
Shawn’s setting and characters hook you from the very start. When Brady tries to kill the tent caterpillars in Grief Hollow, you know this is not going to go well.
***I was shaking my head, thinking oh no, don’t do it! But then I think of some of the REALLY dumb things we did as kids. We’re lucky we didn’t end up dead, maimed, or in “Juvy.’
The story only grows darker as you move with the club of
young boys, the “Markland X Crew,” through the small town of Harper Pass and
the woods surrounding it. They try to not only find their missing classmate,
but figure out who or what has “marked” its inhabitants. The Markland X Crew
battles bullies, stalks their suspects, and tries to stay one step ahead of the
supernatural evil stalking Harper Pass.
Setting
While The Tear Collector is supposed to be set in Appalachia, it could easily be transplanted to any small town. Even the one I grew up with, just exchange desert for woods. Shawn paints a vivid picture of small-town life, where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Grudges are carried through generations. For the kids, the world revolves around being in the popular crowd at school.
Characters
I have mentioned it in other reviews. I hate the question,
“what is this story like?” or “What author is this writing like?” But I do have
to admit the theme and style in this story reminded me greatly of two stories
by Stephen King: IT and the Body (better
known as the movie Stand by Me). It also kind of reminded me of a
mash-up of the Monster Squad and the Sandlot. Shawn
uses the themes of camaraderie and support as the boys of the Markland X Crew are
forced to band together to unravel the mystery of Grief Hollow or suffer the
same fate as their classmates.
I can think back to when I was a kid; and my brother, my
cousin and myself would roam the trails, canyons and old abandoned mines of the
Mojave Desert, solving mysteries and outwitting enemies in our heads. This
story speaks to that innocent desire we have as children to solve the riddle
that is baffling the adults, save the day and be the heroes.
When we realize that what is worrying the adults is that
fact that when the mask is ripped off the monster, just like in Scooby-Doo, and
what is beneath is revealed to be nothing more than another human, a little
more of our innocence is stripped away. We start to grow up and deal with the
harshness of reality. We realize that the monsters ARE other humans. We can’t
spray holy water on it or wave an amulet and make everything right. The evil
still exists even as the police lock it away, and the dead stay dead.
The characters he creates throughout the story are easy to
invest in. Professor Wadlow, reminding me of a cross between “Scary-German-Guy”
from Monster Squad and Laslow from Real Genius. Detective Holt trying to get on
top of the pile of bodies and his crumbling personal life. Tee’s sister Angela,
who just wants to head off to college and forget her part in the past troubles
of Grief Hollow. But I will focus more on Shawn’s main characters below.
Brooks
He creates a believable and sympathetic character in Brooks
Raker, for the most part our main character/narrator. Brooks is willing to do
anything to join the Markland X Crew. Shawn shows us a somewhat awkward
tweenaged boy with few friends.
My mom draws her head back, and her eyes grow wide; but
after a moment her face lights up in a big smile too. She isn’t accustomed to
me running off to play with friends, as in more than one.
His character reminded me of a cross between “Smalls” from
the Sandlot and Gordie Lachance from Stand By Me. He has Smalls desire to fit
in, but he’s not as innocent or gullible. Character wise, he’s a little more
like Gordie, a young boy trying to figure out where he fits in the world.
Brooks has realistic thoughts about girls and video games and even adult
things. He is deeply empathetic to his friends’ emotional baggage, which we
learn about as the story goes on. He is often the voice of reason to the rest
of the group’s rash behavior. It is his initiation at the beginning of the
story that sets him in juxtaposition to Sammy, the bully who already has it out
for him. He ends up as the last person to see “Mysterious Margo” when he
escapes from Sammy’s torture into the woods.
I enjoyed Brooks as a character. He has realistic hopes and
fears of wanting to fit in, yet not wanting to get in trouble with either his
parents or the law.
Shawn does a good job of slowly developing the trust between
the boys in the Markland X Crew. Even though they have made a vow to one
another as part of the club, their bond deepens as they realize they can’t turn
to the adults with what is happening, they can only rely on one another,
“brothers from another mother.”
“You guys are the best friends I’ve ever had. I’ll always
be here for you. No matter what. Brothers.” My voice fractures, the tortured
grimace on Robby’s face leaving my stomach as hollow as an empty grave. It’s
not fair. Man… It’s just not fair. I deliver several soft pats on Robby’s back,
moisture gathering in my eyes.
The Markland X Crew
The other boys of the Markland X Crew are believable and
relatable as well.
Robby
Fatherless Robby, who covers his raw emotions over his
father’s death with rash behavior and bravado.
As Devin’s face flounders, I feel the weight of
everything unsaid pressing upon me, the sharp divide separating Devin from the
truth of Robby. The boy in pain behind that carefully constructed mask. The boy
who lost his dad but also his mother to the long work hours and two jobs she
had to get to support them. How the church turned its back on Robby and his
mother after his grandparents paid for a Disney trip following his dad’s death.
How small-town grumblings, a secret stash of money, the family better off than
they’re pretending to be, became rumor that’s accepted as fact. And how those
rumors spread quick as wildfire in a small town like Harper Pass until the
spigot of compassion runs dry. But it’s not my place to tell.
Tee
Tee is a sort of middle ground between steady Brooks and
rash Robby.
“Keep your voice down, bro.” Devin pushes his palms at
the ground.
“Come on, Tee. You’re the only one who can fit.”
“Yeah man. Don’t you want to save your friend Margo?”
Tee throws eye daggers at Devin. “She’s not my friend.
You guys are my friends, but you’re not acting like it.”
Devin
Dev, the new kid in town. Shawn shows us a boy whose seeming
reckless behavior is both a reflection of his desire to fit in with his new
friends and a lack of understanding of the local myths and legends (that have
the other boys fearful).
I’m not sure what to make of Devin. In the few hours I’ve
known him, I’ve already determined he’s one of the bravest kids I’ve ever met.
But I wonder what’s behind that bravery. Crazy or just curious? Maybe curious.
We talked about it a lot. And he’s never been. Probably just doesn’t know any
better.
Antagonist and Plot Resolution
Shawn uses a mash-up of science and myth to create his evil within the woods. I would love to tell you more, but at the risk of spoilers, I will refrain from delving into too much depth here. Perhaps after it has been out for a while, I will release my version of this review with spoilers.
I will say that our young heroes go on a nightmarish ride, often escaping by the skin of their teeth. They always adhere to the mantra that they never leave a member of Markland X Crew behind. When it is clear that they are all marked by this evil, they decide that they need to go face it together, rather than wait for it to destroy them one by one, reminding me of the teamwork and bravado of the children in Stephen King’s IT.
I gulp hard at Devin’s proclamation. We’re screwed! Can’t
go to the police. Can’t go to our parents. Not like we can leave town. We’re
sitting ducks.
Head-hopping/changing PoV
My one beef with the story was the PoV changes. We start out
in 3rd person in the intro, jump to 1st person when we’re with
Brooks, then jump back into 3rd person when we’re with other
characters. I brought this up to Shawn in that I felt he should have just either
stuck with Brooks in the 1st person the whole way or stayed in 3rd
person with everyone. Unfortunately, at this point, it is a little late to
change it.
Either way, it didn’t keep me from finishing the story. I
read this straight through from start to finish, because I HAD to know what the
thing in the woods was and if the Markland X Crew would come out on top. The
story got more and more twisted as it went (just the way I like it). There’s a
scene with a centipede that made me say out loud, “Shawn, what the f–k?”
Teaser
…his body like a giant centipede with a waxy, burned-umber exoskeleton banded black at the edges of its body segments. Dozens of spiny legs screech over the steel bumper, shimmying forward in unison. The long, dagger-like legs that taper to fine needlepoints at the tips slice through the clear coat on the hood of the car. Cam’s breathing devolves into unmeasured, frantic panting. His heart jackhammers in his chest at the grotesque sight of its glossy, alabaster underbelly passing over the windshield, his ears in a state of revulsion as its lance-like legs chisel out chunks of glass as it ascends. The roof creaks before groaning under the weight of the creature, the squeal of scraping metal serrating Cam’s eardrums as it pulls the last of his hideous body over the windshield.
And it only got worse from there…
Can’t wait for the sequel!
Thanks for reading! My own horror novella, The Dark Land, is available on Amazon. If you’re interested in Alaska backcountry horror, check it out.
The legend of Alaska’s Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. Its hunger for human flesh never sleeps, even in the deepest cold of winter. Courage, skill and love will be stretched to the limits in on the isolated trails of The Dark Land.
