The Thing In The Woods

With 2017 we have another delightful tale of horror from writer Matthew Quinn. I've been pleased to review some of his work on this blog before, and I can tell you with supreme confidence he is an excellent writer. His latest offering of terror comes to you from the South in Georgia. Get ready dear readers as we journey south, deep into the wilds, and confront the murderous cult that supports, The Thing In The Woods.

This story is set in 2010 in the fallout of the Great Recession which has raged across the globe, in the little town of Edington. The story is very much driven by that backdrop, driving the leader of the cult in his devotion to protect the town. Our main character is forced into the poorer section of town by the loss of his father's high paying job and into dire economic circumstances.

Thing explores the story from both a Lovecraftian perspective (the unknown horror in the Woods and its unfathomable goals) and the cultural perspective. The methods of the cult are by no means commendable (blood sacrifice to an eldritch horror) but the desires are. The cult seeks to protect Edington from outside interference, and of course, keep the horror from eating everything in the immediate area. However, perspectives on how good this is vary, even inside the cult.

Flashing Steel Flashing Fire: A Short Story Collection.

Well readers here I being you another excellent review. I have given some glowing reviews of the works of author Matthew Quinn's work before. Here though I offer you the opportunity to enjoy all of Quinn's published works, as well as three new stories as yet seen by the world in one easy reading location.

I present to you, Flashing Steel and Flashing Fire!

This is of course an anthology, making it one of Quinn's longest published works so far. I've reviewed some of the stories available in the publication already, so I think I'll just stick to talking about two of the stories contained herein.

The first new story I'd like to talk about is Nicor. Nicor is a sort of combination period piece combined with a horror story. Here we have the Vikings taking on an eerie mythological swamp beast in a battle to the death and they find their weapons and courage almost useless when fighting the beast. Its interesting as it's told through the POV of a young first time raider who has never been a-reaving before. His nervousness and uncertainty paint a vivid contrast to the experienced raiders he stands beside. With a fun twist at the end it's a delight.

Next we have Lord Giovanni's daughter. I have to admit that this one was the most difficult for me to read, not because it was a bad story, but because I have very little point of reference for the villainous reptilians who populated the story. Imagining them was difficult so it took me a while to properly get into it, but once I did we had the right amount of wit and creativity to make for a fascinating read!

The next new piece is the very interesting prologue to an aborted fantasy series called Lord of the Dolorous Tower. This one is interesting as it has a fascinating blend of post-apocalyptic fiction and high fantasy. The characters are essentially two lovable rogues from their village who go exploring an old tower. It offers some fascinating ground work for a world in which it is suffering from an asteroid strike. It deals with some fascinating magic and world building while giving us a great romp with these two explorers, though it is a wee bit dark I'll just say.

Finally we have the ending piece Westernmost Throne. It's a 'political' horror story which is fairly unique in and of itself. It follows the tale of a young political secretary who discovers she may be in just a tad over her head when her up and coming political boss turns out to be more than he seems... I won't say too much here as it needs to be read to be appreciated. This one certainly subverts expectations! I can say I quite enjoyed it and I think you will too!

Now that't it for all the new material, but it has a number of old favorites like Melon Heads and Illegal Aliens! If you've ever read any of Matthew Quinn's work before I highly recommend you pick this piece up! It's a fantastic anthology and as I've said before, Mr. Quinn does not disappoint.

So I heartily encourage you to go pick it up!

Picking Up Plans in Palma

Well here again readers do I have the pleasure of reviewing a piece by fellow blogger Matthew Quinn. This one comes once again from his excellent alternate history universe (which I have mentioned before) and deals with some good old fashioned spy vs. spy action over who gets the plans to the big old battle station parked in orbit.

Since this potentially decides who wins World War III, the stakes really couldn't be higher! Taking place in a world where an uber-Calvinist Afrikaner Confederation (comprising much of Southern Africa, India, and the Middle East) has combined into an alliance of various vassal states vs the League of Democracies (United States, Germany, United Kingdom and colonies, among others). It's a Cold War threatening to go hot and we get some interesting looks at the world and culture behind it.

The story I present to you is: Picking Up Plans in Palma

The story of course takes place in Palma within the Confederation and our hapless young spy (who isn't even a field agent) is sent in to pick up the plans after an informant gets caught due to a high ranking traitor exposing multiple people. Therefore Connor Kelly, an unlikely field agent, gets sent into the fray.

It's a fun spy story with lots of interesting twists and turns but shows us an interesting side of the Afrikaner Confederation. Connor is dating a Confederate expat, one who's a flaming liberal by the Confederation's standards but insanely conservative by American standards which makes for an interesting contrast at home. Due to her origins she's also under intense scrutiny from the American intelligence services, something with make's poor Connor's life even more difficult as he falls under scrutiny for potentially being a liability.

There's also more interesting cultural separation as we learn that people flee the Confederation because of the new near theocratic Theonomic Party which has taken power in the Confederation. It's religious intolerance and Dominionist tendencies make it unpalatable to many Afrikaners and even twist the guts of many moderates (as Connor himself finds out). It's a great cultural comparison.

There's some wonderful spy craft in evidence with lots of interesting action I just can't spoil. Suffice to say its an action packed, but fast read.

I'd heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a good spy thriller on Kindle, and I'd recommend any of Mr. Quinn's other work as well. He's established a wonderful universe and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it.