CASKET FOR SALE (ONLY USED ONCE) by Jeff Strand

In preparation for the release of Lost Homicidal Maniac (Answers to Shirley) Jeff Strand rereleased the first three Andrew Mayhem novels in up to date e-book editions. They have been "tweaked" and "touched up" but according to Strand, no major operations were performed. The main difference is the new covers, created by Lynne Hansen.

Anyway, with Lost Homicidal Maniac coming out sometime this December, I wanted to get caught up with the series, as I have only read the the first two books, Grave Robbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary) and Single White Psychopath Seeks Same.

Casket For Sale (Only Used Once) is terrific fun, as are all Strand books. I really can't think of a book of his that has not left me satisfied. Strand is a natural storyteller with a gift for entertaining his readers, for showing them a good time. He's one of the best at blending humour and horror. He is the literary equivalent of a giant roller coaster with twists, turns and loops, making you want to puke at the same time as you giggle at that funny feeling in your tummy.

In Caskets our hero, Andrew Mayhem, a private eye (of a sort) is going on a much needed vacation. The job front has dried up, and it turns out Helen (his wife) is pregnant. Going along on this vacation is Andrew's kids, his friend Roger, and Roger's new snuggle cakes Samantha, who Andrew is a little jealous of.

Unfortunately for the Mayhem and the rest, they choose a camp ground that just happens to be the hunting ground of a band of sadistic killers with awesome names like Ghoul, Witch, Troll and Medusa (to name a few).

What happens? Well, you'll have to read it to find out. But I can tell you, you'll have a bunch of fun finding out. Caskets is a very quick read, with plenty of thrills and twists. As I said above, I've never read a Strand book I didn't like and this one is the same. Great stuff!

If you feel like it you can read my reviews of Grave Robbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary) here and Single White Psychopath Seeks Same here.

You can also read my review of Suckers here. It's a short story collection that features Strand's Andrew Mayhem and J.A. Konrath's Harry McGlade.

LA HORDE directed by Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher

Yesterday I was checking out John Hornor Jacobs' "A Best of List For 2011" and saw at lucky number 13 the movie La Horde.

This is a movie I've been wanting to see since I saw a trailer for it some time ago. However, I could never track it down, until recently, when I saw someone had uploaded it to YouTube.

Well after seeing Johns list I decided to pop some corn and give her a viewing.

What a movie. If you like slick film making and lots of action you'll dig this one.

And it's got zombies. Lots and lots of zombies.

In the tradition of movies like From Dusk Till Dawn, this is a crime revenge movie that a third of the way through turns into a ultra-violent zombie flick.

Four cops take to a condemned highrise in order to dish out a heaping of revenge on a Nigerian drug lord for the murder of one of their own, only to have their plan and the world itself turn to shit.

This film has a really interesting dichotomy of characters and personalities you normally wouldn't expect in a movie like this. It also has the very first scene where I actually felt sorry for a zombie (you'll know what I'm talking about when you watch it).

All in all a kick ass zombie flick with lots of blood and guts and mayhem. The acting is very very good and the ending one of the most honest I've seen in a while. All I'll say about that is the character of Aurore is one bad ass bitch (and pretty sexy too).

Now that I've watched La Horde, it's time to check out number one on John's list, I Sell The Dead.

Note: this review is based off the dubbed version and though it's not bad I would have preferred to watch the subtitled version.

STIRRED by Blake Crouch and J.A. Konrath

I'm an immense fan of Crouch and Konrath. Some of my favourite books over the last year and a half were written by this dynamic duo of murder and mayhem. From Crouch's Desert Places and Locked Doors to their tag-team efforts which culminated in the epic thriller-fest Serial Killers Uncut.

Now comes Stirred, their highly anticipated conclusion to Crouch's Andrew Z. Thomas/Luther Kite series and Konrath's Jack Daniels books.

One of the main reasons I like these guys so much is because I know they're going to give me what I want and what I want is a satisfying dose of the thrills and chills.

Luther Kite is planning something so diabolical and heinous for former super-cop Jack Daniels (who is eight and a half months pregnant) that it will be studied and dissected in law enforcement circles and by psychiatrists for years to come. Jack Daniels is going to take a tour of Hell itself, as imagined by one of the maddest minds the world has ever known.

If you have read any of the tag-team novels by Crouch and Konrath, then you have a pretty good idea about what to expect on this jaunt. This isn't for the faint of heart crowd. Stirred goes where things are darkest and the human mind is at its most fiendish.

I enjoyed this novel very much. It was exactly what I hoped it would be and more. It was crafty and full of twists and turns I never expected. It really is the ultimate thriller, the pace of the novel hurtling the reader along a path towards a conclusion that will probably shock most of their long time readers.

And it has one of the best twist endings I've read in a long time.

If you like no-holds-barred, adrenaline pumping action and scares, get Stirred today!

NOTE: you can read Stirred as a stand alone book, but I won't recommend it. This story is truly epic and one that should be enjoyed to it's fullest. In order to do that you should, at the very least, read Serial Killers Uncut.

COWBOYS AND ALIENS directed by Jon Favreau

I'm a fan of Jon Favreau. I've liked a lot of the shows he's acted in (Swingers, and the myriad of television show appearances and voice work) and I've liked a lot of movies he's directed (Zathura, Iron Man and it's sequel etc.).

So, that being said, I expected to get a real kick out of Cowboys And Aliens, staring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

However, I found the film to be borderline tedious and overly predictable. The acting is exactly what you expect it to be and the alien FX mediocre to hardly imaginable (a lot of the scenes that feature the alien creatures move so fast that it's hard to get a real good look at what your watching).

There are a few tense scenes but nothing to write home about. It's actually surprising how boring the film is considering its hook. And let it be noted right here that Clancy Brown is wasted as the town preacher.

I wish I could tell you to run out and rent Cowboys And Aliens, but I can't. Usually these are the types of films I love but this one just didn't work for me.

EMERGENCE by J.E. Medrick

J.E. Medrick, a favourite here at The Man Eating Bookworm, released the first omnibus for her Icarus Helix Series called Emergence. With Emergence you get the first 5 episodes, totalling somewhere in the vicinity of 100,000 words of superhero action, romance and excitement, for a very reasonable $5.99.

The Icarus Helix Series has been a pleasure to read and I think anyone who enjoys shows like Heroes, and reading comics, will get a kick out of this YA series of novellas.

REC 2 directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza

REC 2 is the hectic and vicious sequel to the 2007 Spanish horrorfest of the same name and directed by the same duo.

A couple weeks ago I reviewed Quarantine 2 which was the American sequel to the American remake of the first REC film. Are you following me? However, the sequel to Quarantine is almost a complete 180 degrees different than the Spanish sequel, REC 2. And I'm here to tell you that is probably a good thing.

And not because REC 2 sucks. It does not suck.

In Quarantine 2 the explanation for the dreadful virus that transforms regular folks into black eyed monsters starving for human flesh is somewhat more...honest, straight forward than REC 2's?  Lets just say it's probably more realistic in this day and age of super flues and outbreaks.

REC 2 gives a decidedly more religious explanation on things and to great effect. I find (but for a few exceptions i.e. The Exorcist, Omen, Rosemary's Baby) demons are better handled in the hands of foreign film makers. There is just something about foreign filmmaking and subtitles that add a certain realism to an otherwise supernatural or fantastic genre.

You know what? Now that I think about it, the above paragraph is totally bullshit. There are lots of great demon/devil movies made in North America. What I wanted to get across is that, to this viewer, the topic seems more realistic when it's set in a foreign country, and in foreign language. It sets up an uncomfortable feeling of the unknown right from the beginning. If there were going to be demons, you'd expect the first place for them to show up would be Italy, Hungary, Romania, Spain or Greece, right? An old world topic seems best set in an old world country.

Alright, enough blathering on. You want to know if REC 2 kicks butt or not.

It does. The frenetic pace and gallons of spilled blood make REC 2 a hardcore exercise in horror movie mayhem. If you liked the first REC, you'll like this one. If you like Quarantine and it's sequel, you'll definitely like the REC films (as long as you don't mind subtitles).

I hope Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza make REC 3 or another hyper tense horror flick because I'll certainly watch it.

DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT directed by Kevin Munroe

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night only came on my radar a few weeks ago when I was surfing through the iTunes store on my Mac. Thanks to Blockbuster closing up shop I had been searching for a viable replacement for my movie watching needs.

iTunes seems to be the solution, with a great selection and the ease of watching films when I choose with out having to leave the comfort of my own home.

Anyway, back to my opinion. But first, a little background.

Dylan Dog is a comic book series created by Tiziano Sclavi in 1986. It is the most widely sold comic book in Italy. Dylan is a "Nightmare Investigator" that investigates cases that are supernatural in origin. Got a problem with zombies, werewolves and monsters out of your bad dreams? Dylan Dog is the man to hire.

My first encounter with Dylan Dog came back in 1994 with a movie called Cemetery Man (Dellamorte Dellamore) staring Rupert Everett, based on the comic. It was a film about a cemetery caretaker whose job it is to re-kill the dead when they rise from the grave. There is more to it than that, but it's been a long time since I saw it.

Flash forward to last night when I sat down to watch Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, which stars Brandon Routh as the paranormal investigator, Dylan.

What a great movie. I loved it. It's got lots of frightening scenes, plenty of comedic relief (mostly provided by Sam Huntington, who stars as Dylan's undead assistant Marcus), and a solid story line that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole film.

It's all in here, zombies, werewolves, vampires and plenty of other supernatural beasties and ghouls. This is the kind of movie you want to watch with a big bowl of buttery popcorn and ice cold Coke with lots of ice cubes. It's a delicious meal of monstery goodness.

The acting is great, too, with standout performances from Routh and Huntington but also co-star Peter Stormare, who plays a very convincing and unnerving werewolf. You can also catch Kurt Angle as another werewolf. He's pretty good for a former WWE performer.

Definitely two thumbs up from this viewer and I can't wait to get The Dylan Dog Case Files (the comics) for Christmas (only 10 bucks for over 600 pages of supernatural goodness)!