John Wayne Comunale

I guess I was expecting something different based on the blurb on the back of the book than what I got. The writing is great. It's very descriptive, but the story was a bit too silly for me. I was expecting some silliness because a story about a serial killer obsessed with As Seen On TV products is bound to be slightly silly, but this was over-the-top, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare kind of silly. I can suspend disbelief only so far.

Also, I kinda wanted more killing and less wrestling with inner demons.

If you like ridiculous to the extreme type of horror, then this is for you. If you're not sure if you would like it, I would definitely recommend this book to see if you do. It's short and well written.… (mais)

Mage of the Hellmouth
by John Wayne Comunale
Grindhouse Press
2021
*****

Jake + Matt, two stoner pals, love their job at the local family- owned ice cream factory, Fam-Mark. They have become comfortable with their usual routine- weed + 2 beers for lunch, sharing a joint on the way to work. Its been like this for years.
Until Jake is told the factory will be closing and he is among the few chosen to transfer to the companies main facility.
This transfer will bring new responsibilities and changes he could never have foreseen. Matt, who Jake is told was not transferred, has suddenly disappeared, and strange occurances have Jake confused, paranoid and out of sorts. The odd red strings tied in specific knots his supervisors wear seem familiar, and eventual he connects them to an RPG he played as a child.
Has he somehow bern.pulled into a real life setting of the game....
Comunale's characters are so true and relatable. His development of uneasy or surreal environments is spot on. I really enjoy his stories, imagination and subversive fiction. Horror fantasy I recommend.… (mais)

I guess I was expecting something different based on the blurb on the back of the book than what I got. The writing is great. It's very descriptive, but the story was a bit too silly for me. I was expecting some silliness because a story about a serial killer obsessed with As Seen On TV products is bound to be slightly silly, but this was over-the-top, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare kind of silly. I can suspend disbelief only so far.

Also, I kinda wanted more killing and less wrestling with inner demons.

If you like ridiculous to the extreme type of horror, then this is for you. If you're not sure if you would like it, I would definitely recommend this book to see if you do. It's short and well written.… (mais)