Tag: duncan ralston

Hang Onto Your Stomachs for this Extreme Horror Novel, Woom

By B. MURACA

Hello my fellow book addicts!  Reading is a wonderful activity that all should enjoy.  Especially children…but not this book.  Woom, by horror, indie master Duncan Ralston, has proved once again why it is important to not ignore those who are self-published.  Woom is a perfect example, as it is a gut-stabbing, mind-melting, gagging into the garbage can from shock brand of horror. While extreme messed-up horror is not always for this reader personally, cheers to Ralston for once again giving those looking to be scared into an early grave (or at least a traumatic coma) a treat.

The setting, as one could tell from the cover, is at a dark, and worn-down motel.  One of those places someone would pass in their neighborhood and wonder, why the hell is there a motel in my town?  There are probably nothing but drug addicts, hookers, and psychopaths living there; and one would be correct. One of the stories told within these pages involved a certain medical procedure done in the most controversial way possible.  

The main character, Angel, was introduced and comes across sociopathic, giving the vibe that if anyone else enters this room, they may not make it out alive.  Well, in comes Shyla, a prostitute (serial killer vibes and sex workers, what could possibly go wrong?).  Ralston hid the overall motive and what the story was leading up to very well. Angel has brought Shyla here to expose the truth about the motel, and how it has impacted his life through the different stories that have happened there. Perhaps Shyla, being obese, and working in such a demented field dragging her life through random hookups with unpalatable people, was someone Angel thought would understand the darkness of his obsessions with the motel and the trauma that drives him to the actions he does. Living her life may have put her through a similar level of pain that Angel believes she can relate to. However, being stuck in a worn-down place with a man like that, no one could be sure how the story would unfold.

The hundreds of other reviews one could find online will all state as well this is NOT a story for those with weak stomachs. I found myself gagging and trying to get to a garbage can before ruining the rug. I was not going to read this book at first since I thought it reached too deep into a repulsive territory of horror, but when I found out a mother’s reading club took it on as a dare, I figured what the hell? Boy oh boy, one might think that is where Mr. Ralston belongs after writing this book. However, because this book and the author have received so much hate online, I feel the need to remind everyone that this is FICTION. Mr. Ralston is not writing about twisted ideas to brainwash the population into attacking certain people. Woom is an extreme horror novel that was meant to entertain and try to push the readers to their limits on how much they can take from horror; the same when a writer tries to up the shock value in their stories, that is all Ralston has done here. If one is mad about that, then this book was not for you. Just like David Chappelle’s comedy routine offending some people, just move on if you have distaste for it. It it not real, it is entertainment to show the world through a different pair of eyes, and one’s actual anger should be saved for real-life Neo-Nazis or someone calling you one all because you eat meat (yes, a vegetarian once compared me to a Nazi for enjoying a burger, to which I added bacon on it in front of them). My point is that although I was gagging from the graphic descriptions, this was still a very well-written literary tale. Ralston is someone who knows how to create real characters with emotions and backgrounds, and on some level we probably all felt as distant from society as Angel and Shyla have. Hopefully we’re not doing horrible things in bathtubs as well, but for a character-driven story this was well-done.

If one is into horror films such as A Serbian Film or the Terrifier movies, which also included the same graphic scenes of mutilation and sexual violence, this book is something to challenge oneself.

Grab a copy here, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! https://www.amazon.com/Woom-Extreme-Psychological-Horror-Novel-ebook/dp/B075H3MRQ6

Still Alive and Still Reading!

By B. MURACA

Hello my fellow book addicts! It’s a me, B!

Still here, still reading, and still kicking butt in the world of being an adult. It has been a month since my last post, and this was not the first time I took an unexpected leave from the site and writing anything. I’m sorry to my readers for the lack of content.

Back in October, my mental health started taking a turn for the worst again. I have always had mental health struggles involving severe OCD and episodes of depression. I honestly have a great life with the best family and friends a guy could ask for. Sure, I have had my struggles as many of you have had. My issue was I had the tools to build a solution to the problems being made-up in my silly head, but I just could not find the motivation to use them. For the past month and a half I have cut down on my junk food eating, as well as exercising again. This new regimen has helped me feel happier, and more motivated to get back to work on my goals. A little change can go a long way. It is hard as hell, so for those of you also struggling out there, take your time. Life is short, but that does not mean you need to be rushed. We all have different brains with different needs, so take your time to relax, enjoy the little things like a good book and meal, and allow yourself to find a way to heal. Tough times will return, but you are strong enough.

Now then, since my health has improved and I’m getting back on the wagon of working my butt off, expect new book recommendation articles starting Tuesday night. The coming article will be about Robbie Dorman’s horror novel, Splatterfest. It is about a horror movie festival which turns into a real life slasher, and I loved it! I am going to tell you why in a couple days why you will too. Moving forward beyond that, I am going to work on my articles ahead of time, having multiple ones planned out and done to have something for you. When it comes time for me to take another breather from the site, I am going to still give weekly posts, but instead of my own insights, I thought I might share those of other readers. That is what The Book Rant’s main mission is, not to make me famous (though, that is part of it 😉 ) but to expose you guys to as amazing stories out there as we can. So look out world!

In the weeks following after, we will look at the first two books of Brandon Sanderson’s Steelheart trilogy about a world ruled by evil superheroes, and then Duncan Ralston’s intense horror novel Woom, which has made people sick, so go Duncan!

You can also continue to follow me on social media for book recommendations. I have also been working on a TikTok channel for the same purpose. Follow me and get to finally see my ugly mug and hear my cranky voice on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@bookrantwithbmuraca

Until Tuesday guys and gals, see you then! Keep reading, and God Bless and love ya all!

Bad Games and Ghostland, two survival horror-thrillers

By B.N. MURACA

Hello my fellow book addicts! Today is a two-for-one special (mostly because once again I’ve fallen behind in producing articles!)

Enjoy and panic like hell through stories of characters you will love as they battle for survival against serial killers (Bad Games) or evil spirits (Ghostland) in the following novels.  

First off, Bad Games, by author Jeff Menapace.  Let me start by saying if over-the-top extreme, uncomfortable horror with lots of gore is something you are into, Mr. Menapace is the guy to follow.  In Bad Games specifically, married couple Patrick and Amy Lambert, along with their two small children Carrie and Caleb, travel to Crescent Lake for summer vacation, but are hunted by the Fannelli brothers, two psychopaths who plans to play some horrifying “games” with the happy family. Even though there are no zombies or giant titans like the Resident Evil games, this is a story that falls under the survival horror genre. This family whom you enjoy spending time with at the lake and in the romantic evenings between just Patrick and Amy who are the ideal marriage anyone would kill for will stress you out that much more when encountering terror after terror by these two serial killers. The Fannelli brothers are guys that will make you terrified next time a stranger says hi to you at the gas station, or wave in the grocery store. They come across to the reader and characters as two brothers out in the world wishing everyone the best, and that family means a lot to them. It is not long though before their devilish sides come out to play and torture the family by preying on their fears, and putting them through mayhem that can be compared to what Jigsaw does to his victims in the Saw films. This is not a torture porn book, so don’t worry.

Even minor characters like the fish shop owner bring a light to the atmosphere that will make readers bite their lips when these people come face-to-face with the Fannellis. These brothers treat murder like eating a delicious meal you were mouth-watering for, but Meanpace does the impossible by writing scenes with them that will make your heart melt for them too. Patrick and Amy though remind me Marty and Wendy from the Netflix show, Ozark (though with more humorous sides). Nonetheless, despite the challenges and fears they faced, they are resilient in their family’s survival throughout. If you like survival horror in general, get Bad Games.

Before or after being hunted by two serial killer brothers, test your luck in Duncan Ralston’s Ghostland!  The most-common description you would hear about this story is it’s a ghost version of Jurassic Park.  Ben and Lillian are two friends who love scary stories and video games, and a year after an event that almost cost one of the friend’s their lives, they go to the amusement park where technology has reanimated the energy of dead people into ghosts that are kept at bay by special computerized fields. The havoc starts when someone (or something) breaks through the technology barriers, and the restless ghosts whom have gone insane in their purgatory prison unleash hell among the people. Imagine a cage full of hungry lions being rattled around by a crowd of people, only for that cage to then open over the crowd.

No one is safe from these ghosts either that make the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park look like puppies. Vivid, dark descriptions about how these ghosts murdering people are terrifying with the amount of gore and expression of fear from the victims. Ben and Lillian, along with a few friends, do not fall flat on their bums playing victim. Like the Lambert family in Bad Games, they rush through intense thinking and action to survive the monsters that are after them (not all of which might be ghosts!). The difference is where Bad Games focused more on psychological horror, Ghostland offered a story of two teens on the verge of adulthood who each have separate health problems going on (one physical, and one mental) and are shown to be heroic by overcoming these problems with everything else going on around them. While also dealing with the scariest thing in the world: growing up and moving on. Its a story about two friends reuniting and survive ghosts that resemble the monsters in the video games they loved growing up. This one had this reviewer in tears by the end because of how emotional the last chapters got, as it felt like saying good-bye to good friends until you see them again in the next book of the series.

Both of these novels are the first books of their own series, and the authors have done an outstanding job at pulling one into these worlds they created.

Get your copy of Bad Games here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BIP1S8E/ref=dbs_a_def_awm_bibl_vppi_i1

And Ghostland right over here: https://www.amazon.com/Ghostland-Duncan-Ralston-ebook/dp/B07ZTWN79D/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1R3741L360K73&keywords=ghostland+duncan+ralston&qid=1651269337&sprefix=ghostland%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1