Michele Lee
Breathe: WordsMy Books:
I’m not sure what should be expected from a book with a cover like this, even if it is supposed to be 
full of camp. Zombie Raccoons & Killer Bunnies is a collection of 15 tales of supernatural animals, from, um, zombie raccoons to killer bunnies and alien bats. Unfortunately most of the stories end up in the disappointing category. A handful of them suffer from a combination of humorous premise, but a lack of humor within the story makes them come off as kitschy. Another handful start well, but end very abruptly- the beginning of a great story suddenly wrapped up in half a page. Others aren’t really fleshed-out, and have minimal plot or character development.
The only solid story in the bunch is ″Things That Crawl″ by Richard Lee Byers. Tim Waggoner’s ″Bone Whispers″, ″Faith in Our Fathers″ by Alexander B. Potter and ″Her Black Mood″ by Brenda Cooper were good reads, but seemed like they’d have been a better fit for a darker, more serious collection of tales. Unless you just have to have this for fun’s sake, there are better anthologies out there.
Contains: language, violence
Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com
Zombielicious is equal parts sex and zombie apocalypse, in a fast-paced, over-the-top tale of finding 
love in the middle of disaster. Twins Molly (a spoiled brat whose greatest aspiration is to win a singing contest and have people do what she wants) and Walt (a perfectionist deeply ashamed of his sexuality who tries to make up for it by pleasing the people around him) meet up with Jill (an ex-porn star turned nurse who can’t even use scientific terms for body parts), Ace (the security guard who thinks Jill owes him sex because he’s a fan) and Joey (a teen who is selling his body to science to get the money to run away from his hateful parents) and have to support each other through the zombie uprising.
For zombie apocalypse fans, Zombielicious might be a good choice; this book has lots of fight scenes, some hot smut scenes, and lots of gore. But for those who want a little more, this may be unsatisfying. The characters are unsympathetic; they’re either completely deplorable people or super-sensitive damsels in distress, and while there’s a lot of action, there’s nothing original about the plot, which consists mainly of the characters surviving all the stuff thrown at them. Traditional zombie fans will no doubt find Zombielicious exciting and fun, but, outside of a romantic male/male relationship, it’s not a whole lot different from other books out there. Public collections will find other books better suited to diversity of theme.
Contains: Violence, gore, very crude language, explicit sex (hetero and homosexual), rape
Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com
So are you excited? We clearly are!
ISBN: 0983740208
At the risk of sounding too squee, let me preface with this: I absolutely loved this book. Over the last few years I’ve found myself increasingly bored with straight horror novels. Perhaps 
it’s my perceptions as a writer (picking out storytelling elements and good things gone cliché automatically instead of gleefully falling for them) or the by-the-numbers or just-like-Stephen-King styles that are prevalent. Regardless I find myself looking for something just plain different.
Cinema of Shadows isn’t actually different. It’s the tale of a group of college kids who are part of a paranormal investigations class (what college has that class? I want to go!) who are investigating the Woodfield Movie Palace. The Woodfield began as a live performance theater in the 20s, then a single theater movie place. Then it degraded into a porn theater before the last owner shot his fiance and himself in the ticket booth.
It goes without saying that the Woodfield is very, very haunted, and maliciously so. The kids are in for a world of trouble, especially since one of them is a natural channel, drawing trapped spirits to her for liberation.
In many ways, great ways, Cinema of Shadows is a typical horror novel. It’s clear West loves the genre, but also understands some of its failings. He manages make the book a ton of fun by playing on reader expectations and turning them over. The lead females can be in distress, without having to be saved and they can be saved without being weak and useless. Likewise the males can be tough guys, but still get into trouble and need a little help themselves.
Cinema of Shadows was fun to read, hard to put down though I had strong suspicions where it was going. Definitely recommended, especially by those who miss having a little fun and humor with their ghosts and gore.
Contains: sex, violence, language
