Peter Fugazzotto

A rollercoaster of a novella.

The intertwining of drug/alcohol use with the supernatural aspects of the tale have left me wondering if it was real or not. Did Jess really experience it all or is she out of her mind? Every aspect of the story made the other parts stronger for it. I love that, makes it so much more engulfing as a reader.

As a parent many aspects of the story were OMG SAVE YOUR DAUGHTER, but also, you brought this on yourself girl.

You'll love this read if you love supernatural tales that leave you with the creepy feeling that they could happen.… (mais)

This was a short supernatural thriller steeped in folklore.
Jessie is a party girl whose good times have run out, along with the father of her child. Vowing to lay off the booze and drugs is easier said than done but that is the promise she makes in order to get her mother to take them in. Jessie tries, or thinks she does, to be a decent mother, but she just can't give up her nights in the bars drinking and drugging the pain away. It is after one such night, when the hangover is at it's peak and the burden of motherhood is more than she's willing to bear, that she wakes to find her daughter gone, wandered (or lured?) into the marsh. When she is found, she no longer seems to be the child she once was. Have the drugs finally addled Jessie's mind or is there some truth to the old folklore? The marsh does not give up it's secrets easily and Jessie may not be strong enough to find the truth.
I would recommend it to all horror fans.

I received a complimentary copy for review.… (mais)

Was in the mood for a short horror story and had already enjoyed Peter Fugazzotto's The Witch of the Sands. So when Skin released with an Andreas Vesalius cover--I knew I had to track it down (Vesalius was a 16th French Anatomist famous for posing his dissected subjects in his Fabrica).

Fugazzotto explains in an afterword that he intended to write a "Thing with swords," the call-out being to the 1982 movie (novelized by Alan Dean Foster: The Thing). He succeeded. This short story is well polished Sword & Sorcery novel, fully in the Grimdark flavor with tons of grittiness filling in a military milieu. The book blurb is pretty accurate, so I'll just copy it here to summarize.

Book Blurb: "SKIN: Horror in a snow-bound medieval fortress.

Former soldier Hemming spends his days drinking and avoiding his companions at the isolated border keep where he has been posted. But his world is turned upside down when a naked, bloody woman shows up outside the walls of the keep. Soon a monster is hiding among them, and it’s up to Hemming to figure out which one of them is the monster before it kills them all.

Skin by author Peter Fugazzotto blends fantasy with horror in a way you’ve never seen before. If you enjoy horror movies like The Thing and the medieval world of the Game of Thrones, then you’ll love this novella as you race along on a terrifying journey of fear and paranoia in a medieval world right up to the shocking ending.

Buy this book today to begin a terrifying journey of horror set in a medieval world."… (mais)

Peter Fugazzotto's The Witch of the Sands is a solid novella.
Very much like Glen Cook's The Black Company, this features a band of hired warriors (Hounds) set on quests/errands that once aligned with Shield's personal goal (kill all warriors and witches since they, namely the Warlock King, killed his father).

Here the Celtic/Viking-like Hounds deal with a Roman-like leader named Cassius (a nod to the IX "lost" legion) to (a) murder a magic-less chieftain (reasons unknown) and then (b) seek out the titular witch of the sands. The author handles the group well, assigning simple but effective names: Shield, Harad, Hawk, Patch, the Brothers Bull, Night (my favorite stealthy fighter),etc.. It's a fun squad with decently involved backstory and tension. Fugazzotto's martial art experience influences the fights, with just the right amount of descriptive positioning and movement.

Plenty of sorcery and undead horror here, and the final battle is compelling--delivering a mix of betrayal, music-based magic, and bloody melee.

Without spoiling, not all is answered about Cassius's intentions. I would have have enjoyed a clearer tie-in between missions. I suspect that may be answered in subsequent installments. The characters and writing style serve as a solid introduction to the Hounds of the North. Shield carries his team and the story... and the readers. You'll undoubtedly follow to book 2, Black River.

An obvious must-read for Grimdark readers and fans of Glen Cook.… (mais)