Glenn RolfeCríticas

WOW, I was intrigued by the first book and it only got BETTER by the time I read the last book, but I want more!

There's something fishy going on in Jade Lake, and it's not the trout casting that strange light.
Clint Truman, caring for his cancer riddled father Jack, is the first to notice a strange glow just below the surface.
"It was then he noticed, even though he wasn't breathing, that he was still alive."

Soon it will make it's presence known to the rest of the town.
"One by one, we'll all become."
An ancient evil makes it's return in the small town of Avalon. This was an action packed tale full of good old fashioned creature feature type fun. I would recommend it to all horror fans but especially those who love the old horror comics like I do.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

If you are into slasher in the woods type horror this one's for you.
There's another party at the Marston cabin in the woods tonight. Everyone is welcome, but be warned, all this loud music and activity has attracted the attention of someone else hiding in the woods. Someone who likes to party in a much deadlier way. This was a quick read and the action starts nearly immediately.

I received an advance copy for review.

James is having a hell of a summer. Literally. The soon to be 14 year old finds that living with his mom and her new boyfriend, quite frankly, sucks. When his father demands that James be allowed to come and spend the last month of summer vacation with him it seems that things are looking up. James has missed his father terribly and also can't wait to spend some time with his friends. His father Richie hasn't been doing so well without James either. He's lost his business, his wife, and is missing his son. He's been drinking more than usual and feeling depressed. All of this makes his soul ripe for the plucking by lustful demons who prey on misery and despair.

"He didn't notice the reflection he'd left in the kitchen window as it watched him drive away."

The happy father and son reunion is short lived as James begins to notice Richie's strange behavior.

I am a big fan of coming of age/horror where the friendships run deep and the horror threatens not only the soul but the bonds forged between loved ones, so this was a hit for me.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

Don't let the title lull you into a false sense of security when the sun rises. The danger is everywhere, on land and in the water. You are just as likely to encounter evil in the dark of night as you are in a daycare or a fishing trip. You may not even be able to identify who the bad guy is or where the source of danger will come from until it's too late. It's a trap. Trust nothing and no-one. My favorites were The Guide, which is one of the more milder stories, less about terror and more about loss. You Can Have It All Back in which a terminally ill woman on hospice care begins to hear a voice. Out Of Range is a great example of not knowing where the danger will come from, and having no way to prepare or protect yourself. Kelvin's World is revenge with a twist.
If you love short horror stories as much as I do, this book is for you. Nocturnal Pursuits is full of murderous surprises.

4 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy for review.

When John was a child, he witnessed something so traumatic that his mind has blocked it out. Now years later he is suffering from strange nightmares in which he is still a kid. John may have forgotten what he saw all those years ago, but it has not forgotten him! As his dreams begin to interfere with his real life they also threaten people around him, putting himself and his wife at risk. Do they still count as dreams if other people can see them too?
This was a very dark tale that takes place in a town with an evil history. I'm not usually one to bother with trigger warnings because I assume horror readers are expecting and prepared for some horrifying events. In this case, since the synopsis I was given does not really give much detail I feel that I should mention that this book contains child molestation and child murders. Not in an overly graphic way, but it is a big part of the story. It's a supernatural horror but a very emotional read. Some readers may recognize some of the names used, others may not, and I thought it was kind of cool to see the author has enjoyed some of the same works as I have. If you don't recognize them that's ok too, it doesn't detract from the story either way.

I received an advance copy for review.

This will be a summer that Rocky never forgets. He is about to turn 16, get his driver's license, fall in love for the very first time, and find out that monsters are real.
This coming of age Vampire horror is set in the 80s in a touristy beach town in coastal Maine. Rocky is expecting a long boring summer since his cousin/best pal is going away, but meeting November changes everything. At first Rocky is so enamored of her that he barely notices that her arrival coincides with all the missing person posters going up. First love and raging hormones have a way of making a teen turn a blind eye to all else, and the only thing more dangerous than being unaware of evil, is when evil becomes aware of you.
This is the author's best work so far and if you are looking for a summer read with a lot of bite I highly recommend this.
5 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy for review.

Wicked and Twisted Terror!

What do you get when you have people going out into unfamiliar woods in the middle of the night? Horrific Trouble! Some friends get together to go exploring the woods and to check out a place called the Cobb house. But what they find is not an adventure, but something far much worse. An in-bred crazy family which some thought had disappeared from that area are very much alive and roaming the woods once again.

In the meantime, a party is kicking off not far from the woods with the arrival of a rock band. The band ends up getting lost in the woods too and they end up meeting the crazies. The crazies are probably thinking "the more, the merrier" which ends up turning into a blood fest for all involved.




The book is not for the faint of heart as there is quite a bit of gore and torture within its pages!

I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn't lay the book down as I read it in three days! Giving this one five stars.

Demon Twisted Hell Ride!

Backstory:

James is a teenager trying to come to terms with his parents being divorced and having to move away with his mom, but though he is struggling with it, he gets excited when he is able to go stay with his dad (Richie) and his dad's girlfriend for the summer. James has his friends there and he feels that at least he will have some type of normalcy while he stays with his dad.

Things are from normal though as James ends up seeing his dad doing something twisted crazy in front of a window, but what really creeps James out is that there is something with fiery eyes staring back at James from the reflection. As his dad seems to fall into a deep depression and becomes more "strange" James has to figure out what he actually saw in the window and what can he do about it. When he finds out that it could be a demon is when things go off the wicked rails and he tries to figure out how he can save his dad from the demon as it seems that his dad has become a victim of its power!

That is about all I can give on a taste without giving away spoilers so if you want to know more then you will just need to read the book!

Thoughts:

The story with the demons was great and this story was just tied into an occult theme along with personal demons that the father Richie and James were dealing with as they both went through hardships from everything that was happening in their lives.

I will say this though there are quite a bit of sexual encounters in this book - major horror erotica so if you are not into that type of storyline then this book might not be for you, but the demonic possession/occult theme was really spooky and some parts of the book creeped me out!

I consider myself a seasoned horror buff and not much creeps me out, but I have to admit that some parts of the demon stuff gave me some twisted dreams and when horror stories like that give me dreams that are "weird" then that means the book has done its job at keeping me spooked!

The last 30% of the book was a blood/gore infested crazy hellish ride that made me grab my gore suit as when the blood started flying I wanted to make sure that I was covered from head to toe! Giving this book four "Devilish Demon" stars!

This book just captured my attention to the point once I started reading the first chapter, it never let me go all the way to the end!

I felt like I had stepped back into a time when I use to watch the B-horror movies that came on late at night and had kept me awake to all ends of the night.

Jade Lake is the center of the story in this book as it harbors an evil secret in the small town of Avalon located in Maine. Some type of creature is burrowed in the depths of the lake and it invades the town by capturing the citizens turning them into a form of zombies.

This book keeps up the pace from the first chapter to the last chapter. There is quite a bit of nail-biting suspense, twists and turns throughout the story!

There are quite a few characters introduced within the pages of the book, but I was able to keep up with all of them as the story unfolds.

I read this book in about a day and a half as I just could not put it down!

There are no spoilers here, so if you want to know about the creature in the lake, then you will have to read the book. Any book that keeps me up most of the night is going to get five stars!

WOW! WOW! WOW! This book was freaking awesome!



A little backstory for you readers.

Place: Gilson Creek, Maine

Someone that resides in the town has a horrific secret that they are hiding and when it is unleashed all hell breaks loose! Cannot go into too much detail because of spoilers, so will just give you all my thoughts on the book itself.

This book takes off from the first chapter as there is some action right away with lots of blood and gore. From the first chapter forward through the rest of the book it is basically non-stop action and bodies being tossed, ripped, gored, and even ate!

This was a classic werewolf story and I was very impressed when I found out that this was a debut novel for the author, Glenn Rolfe!

I would love to see this book become a movie as this reminds me of the old werewolf movies, but just with more graphic detail!

So if you are in the mood for some werewolf action and you are looking for something that will make your pulse pound as you read all the action, then look no further than this book as you will find everything you seek within these pages!



This book was a classic werewolf story and I am giving it five stars for a job well done! :)

Note: I read this book for a buddy read with my Goodreads Horror Aficionados buddies! Always fun to read with that buddy crew! :)

There are some great short stories in this book!



The author, Glenn Rolfe, just seems to grab a hold of you and plop you into the stories. There are quite a few stories in this book but listing out favorites which include:

Ghosts of Spears Corner, Not Kansas Anymore, Wish, The Fixer, The Rooster (this one was sad, but I still liked the story), Too Much of A Dead Thing (a little bit longer than the other stories and I liked how the characters came together in it), and Death Lights.

The stories are not scary, but just some fun short reads. Giving this book four stars!

Wow! This was chill and thrill ride into the creepy zone!

A small backstory:

John Colby is having some very strange nightmares that throws him back into time of being a kid along with having a couple of friends with strange names. John keeps having the recurring nightmares night after night but doesn't understand why or the reasoning behind it, so he goes to see a psychiatrist to find out what could be causing it.

Little does he know that his nightmares are very slowly bleeding into his world and that eventually those dreams could be coming true, but maybe there is more to it than what he thinks and he will need to figure it all out before it consumes him.

Why is John having bad dreams? Does he figure out what is causing them? What does he learn from them? No spoilers here as you will need to read the book!

Thoughts:

This story was so creepy that it got under my skin and had me jumping at shadows in my room as I was reading it! Of course, I usually read these kind of books in the quiet and dark of the night so it is easy to become spooked!

Author, [a:Glenn Rolfe|6939496|Glenn Rolfe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1627680464p2/6939496.jpg], builds up the dreaded spooky atmosphere of the story as he slowly reels you into the book. I found myself reading quite a bit of the story when I first sat down to read it because I just could not put it down!

The characters are well rounded and I could feel everything they were feeling as I was reading this book. The author also mentions different things throughout the book that are nods to musical references, television shows, and books. It was almost like a walk down memory lane as I was reading the story as it was almost like getting inside the author's head.

I loved this spooky story and it will be going on my favorites shelf. Giving this book five "Creepy Chills" stars!

For more thoughts on this review, please see my blog:
https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2021/09/august-eyes-by-glenn-rolfe.html

Wow! This was almost like a sentimental journey back to the 80's but with more of a twist!

A little backstory:

Rocky Zukas is a 15 year old boy living in a tourist town off the coast of Maine. Summer is here and he was looking forward to it till he finds out that his cousin Axel that he hangs out with all the time will not be around for the summer as he will be going away with his parents. The summer is starting to look like it might be boring until Rocky meets a beautiful girl named November.

The summer is much brighter now and the two of them start hanging out together. Summer love blooms, but what Rocky doesn't know is that November's family is anything but normal as November's brother Gabriel has an insatiable appetite for blood and when the tourist town starts losing people as they go missing it turns the town upside down.

I don't want to give away too much with the story as you will just have to read the book, but this story just flows along and with it all being set in the 1980's was really cool as the different things that the author, Glenn Rolfe weaved into this story from that era just whisks you back to that time.

I am always impressed with the books by this author as his writing style just grabs you from the beginning and keeps you grounded in the book till the last page. There wasn't an excessive amount of gore, but there was quite a bit of blood flowing throughout the storyline. Giving this book five stars for creativity and nostalgia!

The Burton Inn hides a demonic entity called the "Ice Queen" and anyone who stays there feels her wrath. The Ice Queen hides out under the pool of the inn and anyone that comes in contact with her, ends up dead as there is no escape.

This was one twisted ride through the "haunted" mind of author, Glenn Rolfe. Twists and turns abound along with murders, gore flying, and plenty of blood. This book was a non-stop blood fest! As far as the characters though I never could get attached to them and the book kept hopping from past to present which was a little confusing. Other than that, it was a decent creepy book with lots of action. Three stars for this one.

I was introduced to Glenn Rolfe's novels a few years ago (Blood and Rain. Superior werewolf book. Highly recommended) and quickly became a fan. I can count on one hand the number of authors whose novels I automatically buy without hesitation. Glenn Rolfe is one of them.
The story begins with a small town's coming of age courtesy of a horrific tragedy.
John Colby starts to have nightmares that bring back unwelcome memories of his childhood which include a couple of friends with unusal names who he does not remember. John decides to see a psychiatrist to get to the root of these recurring nightmares which involve a visit to a place called Graveyard Land.
I don't like to describe the storyline of a book too much because I don't want to spoil it for others who plan to read it. Suffice it to say that I found the story riveting and the characters well developed. The story hit home on so many levels and I admit I cried at the end of the book which is not normal for me with horror novels. He made me care about John and his journey.
i defintely recommend August's Eyes to anyone who likes horror.

Glenn Rolfe wins again! A thrilling tale of forbidden summer love. Rolfe takes you on a journey of a boy as he approaches his 16th birthday. A time of learning to drive, getting a car, and of love. But there is much more to the girl he loves than is at first aware.......

Glenn Rolfe and I seem to float around the same circles, and have many of the same influences (Stephen King, Jack Ketchum, etc.). I’d reviewed a book on Goodreads, and Glenn was gracious enough to ask if I wanted to read one of his stories, which I’d never had a chance to before now. Unfortunately, there’s a long list of authors on my radar that I haven’t read as yet, and I jumped at the chance to read something by Glenn.

Along comes Abram’s Bridge, inspired by the Springsteen lyric from Darkness on the Edge of Town where the Boss sings, Tell 'em there's a secret out 'neath Abram's Bridge…. And in Rolfe’s story, there sure as hell is a secret.

You get a good sense of the protagonist, L’il Ron, right off the top. Kid’s got very little going for him. An alcoholic father, and judgemental grandmother, and not a lot of friends. And to make matters worse, the poor bugger has to listen to music on a Zune, and even that doesn’t make it much past the second page.

I won’t go much into the story, as it’s better experienced as you go, and, as a mystery/thriller, it’s not a bad tale.

Let’s get into some of the stuff that didn’t work for me.

As an overarching observation (and I rarely list this as a bad thing), this story was too short. It felt a touch underdeveloped to me, mostly in the relationships. Some examples are, when L’il Ron runs across Heath Barnes the first time, he’s described as a rich kid, a genius, and all-round asshole. But there was actually no assholery happening, and the rich kid part never really came into play. As for genius, well, maybe a bit. My point here is, I would have liked to have seen a bit more of a build in their relationship, to understand where L’il Ron was coming from with his observations.

A similar point with Ron’s father Greg, and Stefan. You get a solid sense that these two were fairly tight 17 years back, but now, when they meet, while there’s little dialogue, there’s very little sense of history between them. Guys that have been friends for years, even when they don’t see each other for a decade, can still talk in shorthand. “Hey, Bill, remember the cheese?” “Oh shit, and the shaved dog?” “Yeah!” “Hell yeah. Good times.” That sort of thing. I got none of that here. Just two guys that felt more like passing acquaintances.

Then there was Sweet Kate, who was both the highlight, and the biggest disappointment of the book for me. On the plus side, she was tragic, sad, and heart-achingly attractive. She jumped off the page for me, and I immediately saw the same things Ron saw in her. And the fact that she showed up within three pages of the story told me she was going to be a major figure throughout the story.

Unfortunately, she was only there to start the mystery. She relayed a story, and then like the ghost she is, disappeared for virtually the balance of the book. The other problem I had with her, despite her charms, was how she spoke. This is a girl that was “almost fourteen” around the year 2000, yet she comes out with lines like, “My mom and dad did not want to have children, but they did their duty as parents,” and, “I was lonely. My parents didn’t have much, so I dressed in secondhand clothes. The others at school looked at me with pity and disdain,” and, “All those years, growing up, isolated…I accepted loneliness as fate.”

Just doesn’t sound like an almost fourteen-year-old to me, and it threw me out of the story at times.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, and the inevitable explosion of violence toward the end, but I just wish I could have gotten to understand the players a bit better, and that Sweet Kate could have had more of a hand in the downfall of the one that caused her death.

Would I read more of Glenn Rolfe, though? Hell yes.

Excellent monster romp. Old style nasty werewolves and heroic main character. Good fun and highly recommended!

"Abram’s Bridge" is a great ghost story (3,5) and "Things We Fear"(4,5) was my favorite! "Boom Town" (3,0) is an alien story just like the classics movies about it (The Blob or The Thing).

I really enjoyed this book. Had a good time reading it.

Warning: this is an anthology you shouldn't read before bedtime. There were scary stories in this one. Some of the best stories: David Wellington - Hunter's Moon. There is something to say about a combination of werewolves and vampires: they are both really scary. And I liked vampire hunter Laura.
David Watkins - The original. Really interesting because of the Roman look to werewolves, a direction I never thought of.
Jonathan Janz - The Kiss of Divna Antonov. The ladies are werewolves.
Thomas Emson - The Hunt. Set in 1995 with Laura and in 60AD with the Roman Marius Victor, who hunts werewolves especially the she-wolves. This one I thought was really creepy.
Paul Kane - Lifeline. About Beth who came out of an abusive relationship and lives alone with her son Robbie. She is someone else and that story is told in a pretty good way. I liked this one.
Some stories I really didn't like, some were the beginning of a longer story told in a book. But the whole anthology was pretty good.
Disclaimer: I got this book in the Librarything Early Reviewers.

This book is exactly about what the title states...Things We Fear. Whether it be the fear of drowning, or the fear of being attacked, assaulted and even murdered, these fears can be very profound and affect the way we live. On the other hand, if ignored, they can also prove to be our undoing.

Each character, main and supporting, have a fear that they're dealing with. Aaron's is a fear of drowning due to an experience of near drowning as a child, where he also thinks he saw a monster pulling him under. Emily starts to feel fear when her tires are slashed and she wonders who could have done it. Could it have been Matt, the overbearing co-worker who always comes on too strong? Oh no, he's obnoxious, but a stalker (or worse)...no, surely not. And then there's Heather who works as a hotel desk clerk. Heather, whose friend asks her if she ever fears a guest will lure her up to his room and rape or murder her. This plants a fear in the back of her mind...and yet, she ignores it.

In each of these cases, the fears are either acknowledged or ignored, and in one case, the acknowledgement of the fear leads to tragedy. Of course, I'm not going to tell you what happens. You will just have to read it to find out.

Things We Fear packs a lot of punch in its novella format. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a short, suspenseful read with likable characters.

(I received an eBook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

First, let me make a confession. I love horror movies with inbred people as the killers. Who can forget the power and tension of the first Wrong Turn film (forget the sequels)? Texas Chainsaw Massacre...I believe there's an inbreeding story line in that one too. TCM is burned into any horror fans memory. Oh, and let's not forget Deliverance (not really horror, but horrific just the same). I'm sure there are more and I know I've pretty much seen them all. But let me get to my point...

What is more scary than a clan of inbreds who are also cannibals? Not much. There is something almost urban legend-esque about it. There's a reason why "Home" is one of my favorite X-Files episodes. It's just so damn disturbing. So, Rolfe comes along with Chasing Ghosts and his inbreds are some of the most disturbing I've ever encountered.

You know it's going to be a no-holds-barred, Game of Thrones style read when kids get killed early on. No punches are pulled and it makes for honest horror. Because what do a bunch of inbred dudes care about who they're killing? Not a damn thing.

Rolfe continues to impress me with each new book. Blood and Rain was a deliciously wild ride on the werewolf train and Things We Fear had me thinking along with the fear. You should not miss anything written by Rolfe. I promise. You will be thanking me later.

Abram's Bridge is, at heart, a ghost story and I love ghost stories.

Sweet Kate is lurking underneath Abram's Bridge when she was discovered by Lil Ron. As their meetings under the bridge continue, Ron realizes that Sweet Kate was murdered and he wants to help discover the killer.

With a gritty cast of small town characters this novella has some memorable moments. I liked this premise and I enjoyed the characters. So why only 3 stars you ask? It was the writing. I believe this is Mr. Rolfe's first published work and I think he has talent, but the writing needs a little work. I'm not an editor or a publisher, nor do I pass myself off as some kind of writing expert. But when I read an awkward sentence like this one, it takes me out of the story:


" Music is what got him through the mess life had decided to litter his path to adulthood with."

Despite a few awkward sentences like this one, I truly did enjoy the story. It was intriguing and fast paced and the tale wound everything up very nicely. Overall, I do recommend this story and I will read more of Mr. Rolfe's work in the future.

*I received a free copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review. This is it.*

3.5 stars!

Who doesn't enjoy a good werewolf tale once in a while? Fall is the perfect time to read this short novel about evil in a small town, under a full moon.

Gilson's Creek was troubled in the past by the Full Moon Killer. Now it's troubled by more crimes. Is this a return of the same killer or something else entirely? You would need to read Blood and Rain to find out!

I found that the pacing was very slow during the first third of the book. After that though, it picked up so much that I read the rest of the book all in the same day. The character development left a little to be desired. At first, I was mixing them up, but it all did become clearer as the story progressed. I felt that the best writing was to be found in the middle-to the end-of the novel where the werewolves were coming into their own. It felt like the author was excited about these portions and that really shone through with the writing.

This is the second story of Rolfe's that I've read. I think this tale shows improvement: in his descriptions and in the quality of his writing. For those reasons, I will continue to keep Glenn Rolfe on my reading radar. He's coming into his own and I want to be there when he arrives.

Recommended for fans of werewolf tales, and for those who love the "evil in a small town" theme!

*A free copy of this novel was provided to me by Mr. Rolfe, in exchange for an honest review. This is it!*