​The Exorcism of Sara May is a startlingly good demonic possession novel. This is the first book I’ve read written by author Joe Hart. He’s been on my list of “authors to read”, and I took a leap at The Exorcism… and I’m thrilled that I did.
Hart provided a setting and characters that I love in a horror story: supernatural goings-on and creepy kids. The first person narration of fourteen year old Lane Murphy (actually Lane retelling the tale looking back seventy years) captures the essence of depression-era rural Minnesota quite well. Lane’s young adolescent viewpoint is realistic for the most part (there are only a few times that the mental activity is too sophisticated for a boy this age). He sees wonder in the woods near his house, the animals on the farms, and most importantly the pretty girl, Sara May, to whom he is attracted. Lane hangs around his best friend, Jones, and does typical boy stuff when he isn’t dreaming about Sara may. A sense of sadness permeates his life, however. His younger brother died a few years ago from a fever, and while the family has rebounded, the loss is still very real.
Terror creeps into Lane’s life – and the life of his friends and family – possibly related to a decades old evil presence. Folklore of a past possession is whispered about in town and a pattern of events suggests the presence is coming back. The first, and in many ways most, chilling event is the birth of a two headed kid (baby goat, that is) that is observed by Lane. His father is the county’s vet, and he brings Lane with him during a ferocious storm in the middle of the night to aid in the birth. The description, setting, and actual birth are positively unsettling. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing by the time I reached the end of the passage. Additional terrifying passages suggesting haunting, evil predators, and possession kept me on edge. Lane experiences and witnesses all of these, and his friend Sara May is the target of many of the attacks.
This story deftly combines coming of age and supernatural terror. I was hooked from the beginning. There was only one passage towards the end that took place in a general store involving a huge confrontation that rang false to me. Otherwise, the story was riveting. And, the exorcism section is a blast (along with a nifty twist that I saw coming, but was still deftly handled). I strongly recommend this story, and I plan to read more of Joe Hart’s work.

I read In the Shadows of Children in one frantic sitting. With this piece, Alan Ryker has penned a chilling ghost story – one that is unique in plot with a couple of neat twists. The novella tells of a young man named Aaron who returns home for his mother’s funeral. This is the first time he’s been back since the disappearance of his younger brother fifteen years prior. Aaron left home at eighteen to attend college and avoided coming back except for when his brother went missing. Aaron had a vague sense that something horrible went on during his childhood which is why he took off for college – but he could not recall the specifics of the events. When he returns however, memories come flooding back - about something sinister existing in the closet of his childhood bedroom which he shared with his brother. Oh, there is also the small detail of his little brother reappearing in their bedroom – still looking fifteen.

​My favorite category of horror is supernatural tales – of which ghost stories snuggly fit (at least in my mind). Ryker wrote another ghost story called Nightmare Man – of which I am very fond. I think In the Shadows of Children is even better. He is able to take the ghost story in different directions. He does not rehash old formulas – everything feels original. I was breathless as I read this tale, expecting him to take it in various directions. He kept surprising me, and the last 25% of the tale (as indicated on my Kindle) was as gripping as any top notch horror story.

I posted a review of the novel Ghosts of Eden by Keith Deininger on my blog yesterday, November 20th. My practice is then to tweet the blog, post it on Facebook and Google plus. I also post the review on Amazon and Goodreads as a service to authors.
As you can see by the photo, I received an email from Amazon thanking me for my review of Kotex Natural Balance Light Pads. In addition, they post my review of Ghosts of Eden right next to the picture of the Kotex product.
Okay, this has to be user error on my part. I emailed Amazon but have yet to hear back from them. I hope Keith gets some good publicity out of this...

​Ghosts of Eden represents another foray into New Mexico dark fiction by Keith Deininger. This time around, nine-year old Kayla and college-dropout Garty are “sent” to live with their uncle for the summer in his isolated mansion outside of Los Alamos. Both had been experiencing horrifying events and strange nightmares. When things spiral out of control and separate tragedies strike them both, their only option is Uncle Xander’s place in the desert. As it turns out, it was no accident that the two end up there as Xander begins tutoring them about dark arts, string theory, and weird physics. Can this guy be up to no good? You bet. You see, Kayla and Garty have “abilities” of their own…
Keith Deininger has been tantalizing his readers with brief incursions into strange worlds and other dimensions across a number of his works. So far, only sections or pieces have been unveiled, the full scope of his alternative universe has yet to be portrayed (although, his just released Godgame trilogy may be what we’ve been looking for – and it is on my to-be-read pile at the moment). The glimpses have been enticing as the author’s imagination jumps into high gear. I find his presentations chilling and exciting. The story line can be baffling, if not confusing at times, but this is half the fun in reading his works. What the heck is going on? You have to keep reading to find out.
The descriptions provided a fine sense of place. I was in Los Alamos about fifteen years ago, and I felt Keith hit all the right notes. His short interludes into the city itself provided a great sense of other-worldliness which enhanced the story. Interestingly enough, I found the passages in the early half of the book in which we learned about Kayla and Garty (and their scary experiences) more gripping than when they meet up at Xander’s house. I’m not sure why that is; maybe the author had reached a plateau of sorts. Nonetheless, the passages in the laboratory and when the kids were creeping around the mansion were well written – due to Keith Deininger’s freaky imagination and tremendous speculative fiction skills. A solid four-star read.