Tag: The Vengeful Dead

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND SOME GIFT IDEAS FROM DAMAGED SKULL WRITER AND REVIEWER

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Happy Holidays, Horror Fans! It’s your old pal Skull here with a few ideas for your next reading experience. It’s almost Christmas and for many of us that means two more days of mindless panic. If you’ve waited this long to start shopping, you’re obviously not a big planner and that’s okay. But instead of getting your partner another fragrance gift set that they’re not going to use, why not give the gift of kickass independent horror? Not only will you be cooler than a Polar Bear, but you’ll also be helping authors and small presses who really need your support. Depending on your bookseller of choice, you can pick these titles up in store, get 2-day shipping, or easiest of all-purchase it for their Kindle or other e-reader.

If you like your horror mixed with humor, check out Blood & Swine by A.R. Yngvie. This entertaining book follows the adventures of Carl Olsen Krocek as he applies for and gets a middle management job with the huge multinational hog farm, Hogoration, Inc. This should be a good thing, but as Carl digs deeper into strange goings on at the factories, he comes to the grim realization that his boss might be a vampire. They also aren’t very good farmers. Your old pal Skull is currently reading this novel and I’ve laughed out loud at all the awkward moments and been scared when the big boss sticks his talons out. Will Carl succeed in making life better for the pigs and people at Hogoration, or will be the big boss’ next victim?

One of my favorite ways to enjoy horror is by reading anthologies of short works from different writers. I also dig collections by a single artist and The Vengeful Dead by John James Minster really delivers the goods. Inside you’ll find grave robbers on the run, a player who gets played but comes back for a grisly encore, a man who thinks he’s found a dream love only to realize too late that he’s trapped inside a nightmare, social media stars who go too far, and an executioner who gets to experience the misery wrought upon the people he was “helping” by tenfold. These very real feeling stories uphold the laws of physics and the supernatural. For every action, there is a reaction and when multiplied by dark forces beyond our understanding there’s going to be one hell of an aftershock. Should you get this terrifying collection? The Magic 8-Ball says YES.

My favorite book of 2023 is The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen. It has a great storyline. strong characters, and unexpected twists around every corner that will keep you turning pages until well after midnight. You might be groggy in the morning, but the powerful conclusion that pulls the covers off centuries of evildoing against female inhabitants of Block Island is totally worth the price of the triple espresso shot you’ll need to function. I’m a big fan of Christa Carmen’s work and this novel is awesome! Highly recommended.

Last but not least, I’d like to mention The Growth and The Growth Lives! A two novella series by Adam Hulse. Something evil is travelling through every possible waterway in Great Britain. It’s not even safe to use the toilet because the growth can suck you down the pipes as it burns all the flesh off your body. The military is having zero success eradicating The Growth, but there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. Kevin and Tax are an unlikely duo. Tax the inevitable man is a brawny mob enforcer while Kevin is a computer nerd who often forgets to eat and couldn’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag. Despite all that, these dudes partner up for the common good and eventually become fast friends. There are many other subplots that make this series a cool read like the hate cult that forms to worship The Growth and an Olympic boxer searching for her missing girlfriend in a dystopian land. Both books focus on the power of love and question the powers that be. Can we really trust our government or the military as a whole, or does it come down to each individual’s moral code? Interesting, thought-provoking, and sometimes, pretty damn funny. Check this guy out!

Well, my fiendish friends, 2023 is rushing to an end. So, it’s likely that this will be the last post from your old pal Skull until the New Year. If that’s so, many thanks for reading my writings and let’s hope that 2024 will bring good things to us all. Until then, hug your babies whether they be fur, feather, or human, and love your partner. Share holiday warmth with your chosen family and enjoy the small acts of kindness during this time of year. Love is love, all colors are equal, and real bodies are beautiful. Don’t let the haters win.

LAST HALLOWEEN JOHN JAMES MINSTER THRILLED US WITH “THE UNDERTAKER’S DAUGHTER.” THIS YEAR, HE’S BACK WITH “THE VENGEFUL DEAD!”

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THE VENGEFUL DEAD
John James Minster
May 1, 2023
Reviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis

Hello dear readers, it’s your old pal Skull with The Vengeful Dead, an awesome collection of short horror stories by John James Minster. This book yanks readers out of their chairs, slams them against the wall, and drops them on the floor in a terrified heap with a new understanding of the darkness all around us. From perverted teenagers trying to become online sensations, to a creepy cult that targets rich, middle-aged nerds, all will find out that the saying “where there’s a will, there’s a way” can be made horrifyingly true by those who somehow defy the finality of death to exact revenge. Minster’s work feels all the more real because he uses actual places as the locations of his stories so there’s no wishy-washy small town in the middle of nowhere that the reader has to construct in their heads. You’re in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania with a man having the most amazing time of his life, or on the mucky bank of the Schuykill River amongst a pile of junk while a lifeless body sinks below the dark water…Intrigued? Good! Now let’s go visit The Vengeful Dead.

Son of A Ghoul is my favorite story in this collection, not because I’m a big fan of grave robbing but because the mix of super technology and old school money making is awesome. Grave robbing has been going on since time began and it’s still going on today. But the narrator of this tale explains how high-tech things have become in his profession. However, when these robbers cross an ancient curse during one fateful night, they learn the hard way that what you don’t believe in can hurt you. Logic flies out the window as the impossible rears its very ugly head. Anyone for a trip to the remotest parts of Alaska?

Magic 8 Ball Online dating sites have made for some successful relationships, but they also open the door for predatory types with agendas that don’t mean anything good for their victims. Gabe thinks he’s in paradise when he meets a woman who’s half his age, loves having sex, and seems to love him too. Not only that, but due to a creepy yard sale held by one of her friends, he becomes the owner of a Magic 8 Ball that’s helping him build his stock portfolio. Sounds great, right? What could possibly go wrong? Turns out, a whole lot. Gabe’s nirvana turns nightmare when it’s discovered that he has a fatal illness, or does he?

Magus. Why is a Jewish American male walking the streets of Palestine alone? Because he is seeking the best illusions to use in his magic show, of course. Sam Magus is a Las Vegas based magician who needs to knock his crowds out of their chairs or face the consequences. A proud and arrogant man, being the new owner of a talisman that enables him to do whatever he wants makes for astounding performances but also opens up a dark side that gets hungrier with each show. Blood sacrifices are demanded, and not just any old person will do. It must be someone Magus truly loves How long can this twisted relationship of murder and flash go on?

Book of the Dead After doing prison time for granting patients with debilitating conditions the opportunity to end their suffering, Dr. Merrick Arthur Bicko gets released. Unfortunately, his newfound freedom isn’t a source of joy. Stripped of his credentials, Bicko can’t practice medicine anymore, which also means he can’t kill people under the guise of helping them. In an effort to scratch the itch to kill anything, the doctor becomes a tree removal technician. At first, he enjoys his work and the money he makes doing it, but trees don’t show emotion or the totality of human death. So, he decides a new course, becoming a contracted killer for the American prison system. And like an over the hill rockstar returning to the business after hiatus, Bicko is back! He’s got a new drug and some new plans, and the prison wardens love him. Executions are going smoothly, they look good, he works cheap. On a more spiritual level, the darkness is rolling in. Bicko is being haunted by his victims in a rather unique way and there’s only one way to redeem himself. Is that a motor starting in the distance? I wonder what for?

Family Plot When Jayden Bonner sets his sights on getting himself a sugar mamma, he gets a whole lot more than he expected. Arabella’s family is so incredibly rich, they could light their cigars with hundred-dollar bills if they wanted to. But there is a lot more to this family than their bulging moneybags and luxurious estate that just happens to contain a family cemetery with tons of CCTV cameras all over the place. Bonner might be a sham lover with his eyes on the prize, but he’s far from the worst manipulator in this twisted pile of diamond studded cow pies. Like they say, it’s the quiet ones you need to watch out for.

Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer gives THE VENGEFUL DEAD by John James Minster a FIVE STAR REVIEW! This is a massively intense reading experience that will terrify you with its realness, but you won’t be able to put it down. Definitely a book for mature readers and not those who are squeamish or puritanical, this is horror at its finest. So close to the bone, so chilling with the feeling that it could be happening right next door. I mean really, how well do you know your neighbors? Available at Amazon.com and many of your favorite booksellers. Get yourself a copy and tell them your old pal Skull sent you.

For more information about John James Minster, please visit www.JohnJamesMinister.com    

TRIP TO PHILLY WHILE READING “THE VENGEFUL DEAD” BY JOHN JAMES MINSTER

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Hey there Horror Fans, it’s your old pal Skull with a deep dark read from John James Minster, The Vengeful Dead. I just came back from a quick trip to the city of brotherly(and sisterly) love PHILADELPHIA. Great weather and of course the usual fun roadwork you get everywhere this time of year. But that was okay because while my partner was driving I was soaking up some scary stories! John James Minster sources much of his material from the nightmares he’s constantly plagued with, much like H.P. Lovecraft, but with a modern flair. The other thing John frequently uses in his work are real places and locations, something I think readers will enjoy because it makes what you’re reading that much more tangible. So it was a treat to be rolling past Pennsylvania places such as Jim Thorpe, Allentown, Mahoning Valley, Bryn Mawr, the Schuykill River, and of course Philadelphia itself. There are also many other geographic locations included in The Vengeful Dead, such as Orange County, New York, and Alaska. Between that and Minster’s thoroughly researched medical, forensic, and legal details, these short stories leap off the page and into your brain. I’ll have the full review up soon. Until then, I highly encourage you to grab a copy of this excellent collection from your favorite bookseller right now. That way you can enjoy all of Minster’s surprise endings and unique plot twists. Let’s all keep independent horror strong!