Biting Dog Publications, 2011
ASIN: B006BADP3M
Available: Kindle ebook

A Dozen Black Roses was first published as a tie-in novel in the universe of the White Wolf role playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, with Nancy Collins’ established vampire heroine, Sonja Blue (who first appeared in Sunglasses After Dark), as a character. Part of my initial love for the original book was that it came out when I was involved in live action role playing, so I gleefully imagined some of the characters I had to deal with in the game getting into a showdown with Sonja Blue. Now Biting Dog has released a White Wolf-free version of A Dozen Black Roses, which makes it less like a shoe-horned effort to keep a star author like Collins writing while also pushing White Wolf role playing games, and more like an actual Sonja Blue novel. This revised edition is an opportunity to read the book as it should have been, without rules and dice and power gamers.

Collins’ vampire hunting vampire, Sonja Blue, was one of my first loves in horror (although now the books might be considered urban fantasy). She’s a unique character, from her creation story, to her split personality, to her punk rock attitude. Collins is known for her loving descriptions of ultraviolence, and easily keeps up in a genre that seems to be boy territory. In fact, Sonja shaking up the old boy’s network is a key theme in this book, making it all the more fun.

In A Dozen Black Roses, Sonja faces down the two vampire lords of Deadtown, vicious vampires who barely even notice humans, except as pawns in their quest for power and personal indulgence. Though she’s not exactly a superhero, she’s definitely the “good guy” come to make the other vampires pay.
Highly recommended for public and private collections.

Contains: violence, language, drug use, rape

Chizine Publications, 2012
ISBN: 0981297870
Available: paperback and multiformat ebook

Sharp, dark, and with a drug-induced dystopian flare, Katja From the Punk Band is the story of chemical dealers, druggies and dreamers, all on a quest to escape their island prison. An unconventional collection of anti-heroes and antagonists, it’s remarkably similar to the gritty tales of Sonja Blue by Nancy A. Collins. It’s a toss-up whether the sheer violence wins out over the theme of the struggle to find a better life. But it’s all good, dark and fast-paced, like being stuck in a trunk during a drunken joyride. Recommended for horror collections looking for something outside of the same old authors and styles.
Contains: violence, language, drug use

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

Apex Book Company, 2010
ISBN: 978-0984553532
Available: Trade paperback and multiformat digital

Fast-paced and stylistically intense, An Occupation of Angels is pseudo-paranormal spy story set in a world where angels came to Earth, ending World War II. Killarney is a secret agent first assigned to assassinate an archangel, and then tasked with discovering who’s really behind the systematic slaying of the angels of the world. Could it be Nazis?

Tidhar’s style is urgent and wickedly ironic. There are a lot of spy stories with Nazi conspiracies, but this one is different from others that can be summed up in a similar way. Readers will wonder if Killarney herself is something different too, as they travel through her head in this world-spanning short novel. An Occupation of Angels is a great, vivid story perfect for libraries looking for something unique. It won’t be up every reader’s alley, but it’s a standout example of fantasy fiction.
Contains: violence