Tag: James G. Carlson

“THE ELEVENTH DOOR” BY JAMES G. CARLSON IS THE PERFECT READ FOR LOVERS OF ALTERNATE WORLDS, AMAZING CREATURES, FRIGHTENING PLANTS, AND TOUGH DETECTIVES. JUST MAKE SURE TO BRING YOUR FLASHLIGHT!

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THE ELEVENTH DOOR
James G. Carlson
January 15, 2024
Gloom House Publishing
Reviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis

Are you a fan of fantastic new worlds, detailed
mystical creatures, and detective stories? If so, your old pal Skull has a book
that you will absolutely love! Recently released by Gloom House Publishing, The
Eleventh Door by James G. Carlson is an amazing trip into the 11th
Realm, a magical but extremely dangerous place that exists within the cosmic
plane along with the Earth experience that most of us choose as our “normal”.

Madeline Sharpe is a disgraced detective who’s now in
the business of being a private eye. She’s also trying to heal after being the lead
detective on a bizarre series of grisly murders. Unfortunately, she’s spending
too much time pouring firewater down her neck in an effort to burn out the
horrors and having zero luck with that. She is succeeding at making her own
life a huge depressing mess, though. Her attempts at throwing herself down the
crapper are interrupted by two of her former police colleagues who are baffled
by a horrible case they can’t make any headway on. Especially not in the official,
rule following capacity they’re forced to operate in.

After an awkward start, Madeline takes the case. She’s
broke and not exactly having to turn jobs down, so getting paid is a good thing.
But if she thinks her previous case was a mind breaker, she ain’t seen nothing
yet! Dealing with a strange and very dangerous man named River and the eleventh
realm is going to stretch Madeline’s physical and mental capacities so far that
she may not make it back. Her journey starts with a cabbie named Flynn who
likes to travel with unique companions from the animal kingdom, a house from
hell, too many visits from the creeptastic River, a peeping Tom cockroach, and
falling in love with Lucas Hill. Nothing about this case is casual or business
as usual. Strange places, windows into another world that seem to open at
random, and creepy crawlies you’ll have nightmares about abound. River tells
Madeline that she must walk away from the investigation to save herself. But
there’s no way she’s going to do that. Too much damage has already been done in
the name of evil. With the fate of our world as we know it hanging in the
balance, Madeline leaps through The Eleventh Door.

Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer gives The
Eleventh Door by James G. Carlson a glowing FIVE STARS! This
novel is an excellent combination of real and alternative worlds populated with
amazing creatures and unique characters that Carlson describes to us just
enough, so that our brains get to have fun picturing them. If I were to
make a comparison, I’d say that The Eleventh Door is a bit like Harry
Potter for adults with some Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy thrown
in. When I say that, I mean feel wise, Carlson’s work is not derivative of
those books in any way. Everything you’ll read is original James G. Carlson
magic, that’ll keep you in your seat for the entire ride. Have a snack and a
drink handy because once you start reading The Eleventh Door, you’re
not going to put it down until the very last sentence. You might even be sad
that the ride is over.

Or is it?

Fortunately for all of us, James says that he’s hard
at work on the next book in what might just become a series. Whoo-Hoo! While I
don’t like to go overboard on reviews, your old pal Skull encourages the folks
in Hollywood to take a walk through The Eleventh Door and get in
touch with Mr. Carlson before competition starts driving the price up for movie
and merchandise rights. Time for a hot new series to wow the world instead of remaking
the same damn movies multiple times. Also, consider checking out James’ novella
Midnight In The City of The Carrion Kid which also features an alternate
world and an awesome story line. Your old pal Skull says, “get it!”

For more information, check out the following links:

https://gloomhousepublishing.wordpress.com



https://godless.com/collections/james-g-carlson



www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-eleventh-door-james-g-carlson/1144576790



www.amazon.com just
click Books and type in The Eleventh Door

*Links are arranged in this order starting with
independent companies who really need your purchase vs more mainstream
companies like Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Whatever way you choose to get your
reading material, thank you for being brave and daring to step out of the corporate
boring box. You’re in for a treat!



“MIDNIGHT IN THE CITY OF THE CARRION KID” BY JAMES G. CARLSON IS AN ACTION-PACKED THRILLER WITH A HEART OF GOLD

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Midnight In The City of The Carrion Kid
James G. Carlson
Gloom House Publishing
November 2, 2021
Reviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis

Hello again dear readers, it’s your old pal Skull with a full review of the great new speculative novella Midnight In The City Of The Carrion Kid by James G. Carlson. As I mentioned in my New Year’s post, this is so good that I couldn’t wait to finish reading it, so I won’t keep you in suspense. That way you can grab a copy of your own and enter this terrifying and magical city yourself!

Carlson’s story begins with a down and out couple sitting in a neglected sedan. They’re waiting for their heroin dealer to show up so they can turn on and stop being so miserably dopesick. Alistair the narrator and his girlfriend Eden are about as far away from paradise as people can get. Especially when their only “relief” is to hop aboard the drug train until it stops moving again. However, the trip they take this time is much different from others. Alistair awakes to find himself alone in the car and that his environment has changed, but it also hasn’t. Despite being an addict and a criminal, Alistair is a good guy deep down, so his first thought is to find Eden and make sure she’s okay. But as he ventures out into a city he thought he knew, Alistair realizes that the changes haven’t been for the better. Usual things of relative safety or goodness are now entirely evil.

After nearly being killed in a laundromat, Alistair is rescued from a bunch of evil nuns by two dudes in a van. Because when a couple of guys in a van offer you a ride, it’s always a wise idea to hop aboard, right? But since everything’s topsy-turvy, Nico and Miles are actually good people who want to help. They take Alistair home to their safe space called “Haven Below” to grab a little rest and get their thoughts together. The journey to Haven Below is one of my favorite things in the book. Carlson uses existing city structures like parking garages, maintenance tunnels, and sewers to create epic urban wildscapes of a dangerous concrete jungle. Nico explains that they’re existing in a place called the In-Between, where souls go to hang out while their bodies’ fates are decided. A long time back, The In-Between was a really nice place to chill, everything safe and lovely. Then The Carrion Kid arrived and changed all that, turning a safe space into a dangerous hell. Alistair might want to go blasting through the city to find his love, but without help he’s more likely to end up as another miserable puppet of the Carrion Kid.

Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer rates Midnight In The City Of The Carrion Kid 5 STARS OUT OF 5 and also gives it a home on the Wall of Fame! James G. Carlson is a great writer who delivers a powerful, fast-paced story that’s populated with characters you’ll be rooting for. There’s two love stories, talking cats, terrifying monsters, and maybe even a few chances at redemption. Seriously, this is a boss read that everyone can enjoy and take something away from. Carlson writes in the tradition of many of our favorite speculative authors, giving us many stories to follow within the larger one. A few bonuses: Nico and Miles are not only a couple of nice guys, they are a couple. The residents of the secret hideaway Haven Below might seem lacking at face value, but as the story progresses you’ll be delighted to see their secret superpowers unleashed. Our world is often too quick to judge people and sadly, think them the lesser for their differences. But even a brain damaged elderly man is capable of great bravery to save those he loves.

Incidentally, I wanted to mention here that this author and book deserve nominations for the annual Splatterpunk Awards in the novella category. Could you please do your old pal Skull a favor and send a quick email to: splatterpunkawards@gmaail.com and say your version of this sentence? “I’d like to nominate James G. Carlson’s novella “Midnight In The City Of The Carrion Kid” for the splatterpunk novella award.” It costs nothing and no salesman will call, but it will help James to keep moving forward as a horror writer. This tale definitely meets the requirement with its laundromat creature made of vermin, a monster that guards the meat fields, and nuns so disgusting you’ll be scared for Alistair. Those are just a few of the splatterpunk elements, and there are plenty more.

Thanks again for stopping by to hang out with your old pal Skull. It’s always nice to see some friendly faces at the Skullcave and I’m always looking for more followers of my blog! James G. Carlson is also in charge of Gloom House Publishing. For more information about that check him out at : gloomhouse@yahoo.com See you soon!

GOODBYE 2021 AND HELLO JAMES G. CARLSON! WELCOME TO 2022 AND GLOOM HOUSE PUBLISHING!

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WELCOMING IN THE YEAR 2022

Hello friends, it’s your old pal Skull with both my final post of 2021 and first post of 2022. I could get into a lot of sentimental jazz right about now, but that’s not usually why you drop by Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer, is it? NOOO, of course not! What you’re here for is to check out the latest and coolest speculative fiction. So, without further ado, let’s get on that. Shall we?

I started reviewing books by James G. Carlson this year, and really liked what I read. Carlson has a deep imagination, which really enriches each of his stories beyond measure. It’s not enough to just scare the reader, you’ve got to make them want to keep reading your work. 7 Exhumations kept me reading and I wrote good things about it. Now, I’m lucky enough to have two works by James G. Carlson to review. Happy Skull!

Midnight In The City of The Carrion Kid is Carlson’s latest novella and so far, it’s fascinating. The reader is thrust into a dark world between life and death, sort of the purgatory before a soul’s fate is decided. Alistair and Eden go from fulfilling a narcotic jones, to one hell of a strange trip…And that’s as far as your old pal Skull has gotten. But Carlson’s writing is so vivid that I already feel trapped in that strange world along with the characters. I predict that readers will enjoy the journey. Another cool thing about this book, is that Carlson is releasing it through his own publishing company, Gloom House Publishing. And it looks like things are off and running towards a bright future in 2022, so watch this space!

The Ever-Descending Staircase is a short story collection that was released by Carlson’s former publisher, Terror Tract in 2021 and I am very much looking forward to taking that “downward journey” soon! Here are just a few of the scenes I’ll be reading about:

At a seedy dive bar, while teetering on the edge of sanity, an afflicted alcoholic meets a stranger who changes his life forever…

In an old warehouse in Pennsylvania, a dark and terrible secret is shown to a researcher of spiritual phenomena…

A pregnant veterinarian at a Wyoming zoo has an unexpected meeting with an infernal presence…

See what I mean about James G. Carlson? He’s a writer who does a lot more than just haunted house stories. You get a fresh angle every time, which is what keeps Damaged Skull Writer reading! Yesss…

So welcome to 2022 from your old pal, Skull! I’ll be sharing full reviews of these works with you soon. There’s also an upcoming review of Releasedfrom No Bad Books Press, new work by Daemon Manx coming in January, and Loren Rhoads’ Morbid Life. You can find out more about James G. Carlson and Gloom House Press by contacting: gloomhouse@yahoo.com James is also on Facebook, and Goodreads, so check him out!

Thanks again for visiting the Skullcave! I said I wouldn’t get sentimental, but I feel it in my bones that 2022 is going to be a great year for independent writers and presses. Come along for the ride, won’t you? Follow my blog at: www.damagedskullwriterandreviewer.com for news, reviews, and there might just be a few giveaways coming up this year. See you soon!

CURRENTLY ENJOYING THE SHORT HORROR COLLECTION “SEVEN EXHUMATIONS” BY JAMES G. CARLSON AND TERROR TRACT. REVIEW COMING SOON!

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Hello friends! It’s your old pal Skull again with some great news. Author James G. Carlson has sent this fine collection of his short horror fiction to the Skullcave and it looks like my little friend, Skellicat, has taken a liking to it. We’re currently working on the review write up and it should be live in 5 days or less if hell doesn’t freeze over and the creek don’t rise.

Speaking of great things, check out that handsome typewriter that SEVEN EXHUMATIONS is resting on. Fans of the great Richard Chizmar might recognize this Remington Quiet-Riter as being just like the one he posted on his Twitter account a while back. Kind of cool, right? The big difference between our typewriters is that mine is still in daily use while Richard’s is under a pile of shoes in his closet-a sweet memory of pounding those keys on the way to his current status in the writing world, something we all aspire to. Just a fun aside there, but if you like Richard Chizmar’s work, there’s a pretty good chance you will also dig what James G. Carlson is doing, so check him out!

Thanks for visiting Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer. See you soon!