reading – Page 2 – The Book Rant

Books to Read if you Loved the movie ‘Scream VI’

By B. MURACA

Hey my fellow book addicts, it’s a me, B! This week I got to see Scream VI at the movies, and it was amazing! The franchise went in new directions, kept us guessing on who was the killer and who would survive. This “requel” as they called it is matched with Sydney Prescott’s original trilogy, and Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera deserve to be crowned as scream queens forever. They are badass final girls who keep up the battle against Ghostface.

Seeing it inspired me to do an article for people who liked that movie, and give them books that are similar, and thus encouraging you silly kids to read.

First up is Campfire, by Shawn Sarles. The book follows a family camping trip where at one point they sit around and tell scary stories around the campfire. The story then broke away from the main plot, and the campfire stories were presented as mini short stories for the reader which was a genius way to keep a thrilling pace without having to just read basically a character telling a story. What comes next is a masked killer stalking our characters and butchering them like shop cattle. The motive for the killer when it was revealed stunned me as it changed how I saw every character in the story. It will for you too.

Also check out Adam Cesare’s slasher series, Clown in a Cornfield. So far there are two books out, with a third on the way, as well as a movie adaption. Quinn is a great final girl who takes on the psychopaths without taking any of their bull for even a second. Her friends and her are scared during their encounters with Friendo the Clown, but they fight back and do their best to survive despite that. Teens partying, entering early adulthood, realizing how anything can turn anyone into a monster kept the story interesting. Quinn is definitely in the ranks of Laurie Strode and Sydney Prescott. Love the scream series? Love reading? What the hoo-ha are you waiting for? Spend your money and get these books!

Last we have Santa Took Them, by William Malmborg. Out of all the books on this list, this slasher is the most graphic and darkest. For example, in the opening chapters a character is described soiling themselves after having their guts stabbed out of their body. A whole family is murdered, with the only survivor being Michelle, who is a child. She is locked in a mental hospital for years, and after being released to her uncle, he is murdered, and Michelle goes missing. As a high-level snow storm descends on the town, someone in a Santa costume is going around murdering people. One of the iconic scenes was a chase through the woods. All while this is going on, Michelle’s only supporter is her psychiatrist who searches for her among the chaos. But is the mentally unstable Michelle the real killer, or was all this madness caused by someone else?

Video Review on THE BUTCHER AND THE WREN

By B. MURACA

I’m currently reading this book, but man is it a wild ride! If you love fast-paced serial killer, police procedure thrillers, this is a book for you! Plus, it was written by an actual forensics pathologist. Halfway through, but I would give it a 5/5.

@bookrantwithbmuraca
#book #booktok #serialkillers #reading #mysterybooks #horrorbooks #jeffreydahmer #police
♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound

Pumpkin Night: A gore-filled slasher Manga

By B. MURACA

What’s up my fellow book addicts? As you can see from the blood-splattered picture , we are back with another discussion about a rainbow-filled story. I know comics have been written about on The Book Rant for a while now, but don’t worry, we’re still reading some awesome novels. They are still to come.

This horror manga is, Pumpkin Night. I’ll be honest, the reviews for this book are not the best. A lot of the complaints are from the fact the book has not been “officially” translated into English yet, so the manga a lot of us Americans have read although still readable, has quite a few errors. However, if you are a die-hard horror buff like me, and love bloody stories of psychopaths stalking and butchering people, Pumpkin Night is a story you’ll love.

I literally discovered this story twelve hours ago from the time of writing this article by a friend and fellow creator’s Youtube channel (big thanks to Tyler Carpenter for his video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k2dGay9824&t=294s). I became addicted as soon as I started. The story follows Naoko and the group of students she stalks in her pumpkin mask. Prior to the beginning of the story, these students bullied Naoko all the time for being a weird girl in school, and finally did something to her so terrible she ended up in a mental hospital. The story does not pull any punches and let’s you know what kind of book this is from page one as it shows our psychopath having killed an entire hospital staff and laughing as she’s covered in their blood.

The bullies then started getting followed on their social media by Pumpkin Night, which was this story’s foreshadowing to tell you this was a character who was in trouble and likely about to be killed.

The deaths in this book are NOT for the faint of heart either. If people passed out and got sick from watching Terrifier 2 in theaters this past year, this book could also cause that if your stomach and head aren’t ready. The characters have slow, brutal deaths, sometimes to the point where one would wonder, “ok they survived, but look at them! They’re not going to have any quality of life.” It was laughable when I was reading today as the doctors tried to bring someone back to life who literally looked so decimated I’m not sure if that character would had been able to even feed themselves if they survived. Some of these people are butchered beyond recognition, and even then, Pumpkin Night keeps throwing bloody hits.

Seriously, this book is a gore fest. Despite the negative reviews, I found myself empathizing with some of the characters like Kazuya and Naoko because of what seemed like a little romance that his friends didn’t know about. The psychological aspect of what drives someone so insane is a continuing theme brought up. Could someone really been driven so angry that they start doing things like this? Sadly, violence in schools is something we already see a lot of in America, so someone going on a rampage for revenge is a common news story these days. Another is that this is my favorite type of horror, which is survivor horror. These characters do try to plan and survive, but because of whatever they did in the past, their resources are limited.

One thinks Naoko really needs to be stopped, but what about justice for her? This is where the detective part comes in, because even though he’s looking for a serial killer, he wants the whole story, and even treats the soon-to-be victims as hostile.

Should American copies be officially made of this book do the right thing, pay the creator for your copy. Until such time, despite some spelling errors and weird wording, horror fans can fall in love with Pumpkin Night here: https://pumpkin-night.com/

Video Review on the horror comic, REVIVAL

By B. MURACA

You guys finally get to see my ugly mug and hear my voice that makes Moe from The Simpsons sound like a fairy godmother. ;p ENJOY!!

@bookrantwithbmuraca
REVIVAL a comic book horror series new take on zombies. #Revival #TimSeeley #MikeNorton #imagecomics #horrorcomics #zombiecomics #horrorbooks #violentbooks #booktok #bookworm #comics #comicbooks #TheBookRant #reading
♬ original sound – The Book Rant with B Muraca

The Burtons Steal Attention with Thieves of Fate

By B. MURACA

Hello and long time no see my fellow book addicts. It’s a me, B! Back with another dull as hell article that is so poorly written it is no wonder why writers are being replaced with AI. Before you head on to read something by our robot overlords, take a look at The Thieves of Fate, written by Kira Burton, and drawn by her Leonardo DiCaprio brother (or was it Davinici?) James Burton.

The book is another gem of the indie universe and is a thriller novella that is worth our money to check out. The story follows Jack, whom after being arrested is committed to a mental health facility. Since he has no memory of his life before those around Jack doubt his sanity. To make matters worse, he meets strange children who are called, you guessed it, Thieves!

For those who are fans of unreliable narrators, this book is for you. Jack is very likable due to his witty personality and the empathy one feels for someone in his situation. I mean come on, we have all gotten a bad case of amnesia and then locked in a psychiatric hospital abused by the staff…it wasn’t just me, right? The Thieves were also very interesting, and made me want to learn more about them and what kind of influence they would have on this mentally-fragile guy. This was a well-written and beautifully-drawn story that although short and should only take an afternoon to read, one would still enjoy the journey it takes you on. The book currently holds a five-star rating on Amazon, and is worth your time, money, compliments when you write reviews, and also mentioning the awesome blog you learned about this book from.

The creator, Kira Burton, I was able to talk to briefly. She is a swell person who understands how hard creators work on their craft. Mainstream books from the big publishers are great, but nothing beats the sensation of an exciting indie story that cuts right to the meat of characters going at it in a fast-paced tale.

Capture (but pay first) for your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Thieves-Fate-Kira-Burton/dp/153778210X

Chizmar Scores a Win in True Crime and Horror Fiction with Novel

By B. MURACA

How’s it going my fellow book addicts? We are back, and we are here to rant about Chasing the Boogeyman, by Richard Chizmar. This was not your typical horror novel about a serial killer causing chaos around a small town as investigators tried to bring him down. It was written as a true crime story, and told by the author as a first hand account during the summer when it took place. The author revealed everything and wrapped this book up in one of the most amazing endings I had ever read. While I was disappointed that some parts were not true and only added for entertainment (yes, how unfortunate more gruesome things did not already happen in the real world) this nonetheless is a must-read for both horror fiction and true crime fans.

The author himself was the main character in the book (I know, massive ego, right?). The good sir gave us an insight on what life was like for him after college and how he brought to life his magazine, Cemetery Dance. Chizmar was a genius in this. He told a great story as he promoted more of his own work, and how much of a stud he was between having a fiancé and just as beautiful co-writer who helped him on his investigations in the plot of the book. Jokes aside, the police and other journalist he worked with in this story were all heroes. At times they conflicted with each other, yet the story was never weighed down by subplots of drama. Chizmar kept things moving, and the details he wrote out kept readers on the edge of their seats.

While no murders were described as they happened, the descriptions of how the bodies were found and what was done to them, and how it affected the community left the reader feeling shaken. The poor girls who were murdered in the book felt like family with everything Chizmar gave us about their lives, and who they were in their neighborhood, the kind of hobbies they did. One of the greatest tactics he used to bring dread onto the reader was making it obvious who the victim was about to be, but then went on to give them a background story that showed off who they were. In a dreadful, yet exciting way it felt like reading an obituary a week before the person died. The killer’s identity also remained hidden until the amazing ending that unfolded from this novel, but we were given a lot of other suspects in the meantime. Just when it looked like the case was solved the story twisted around and Richard and his friends were looking at other clues.

The book also came along with plenty of photographs of the characters and settings where the murders took place. All of this is even included in the ebook version, so no matter how one reads this, it’s going to be a hell of a time.

Snatch your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Boogeyman-Novel-Richard-Chizmar/dp/1982175168

An Indie Comic Superhero Story

By B. MURACA

Hey book addicts, it’s a me, B! Back again with another dreadful article I wrote while on the can after an undercooked taco tuesday. So here, I share my pain with you in the form of book reviews. Tonight is a fill-in article, so we’re going to talk briefly about an indie project. In all seriousness I apologize as my depression had jumped me from behind and bit me in the ass, so I’m sorry for delays again on The Book Rant.

Len Mihalovich is a creator of comic books. In 1994 he published a superhero series known as Section 12. Originally, it was published under Dilemma Productions, and the story followed a superhero team to “take care” of the millions of scientific failures from the government. Odd concept, right? I mean, the government would never spend millions of our taxpayer dollars on wacky projects that only ended in utter failure and would become a danger to civilization…right?

Anyways, after a few issues, production of the comic halted, but Mihalovich was not about to give up on a story he loved and was received very well during the boom of indie comics in the 90s. Just like some of the characters in his stories, Len Mihalovich was someone who between his family and day job never gave up on his other

Future articles will give a further glance into Mihalovich’s background and stories, but for now check out his books and share them by going to: http://www.lenovationspress.com/lp1/main/purchase.asp

The Clowns Are Back! Clown in a Cornfield 2: Friendo Lives

By B. MURACA

What’s up my fellow book addicts? We are back once again to discuss horror! This time from superstar author, Adam Cesare, for his novel, Clown in a Cornfield 2: Friendo Lives. This was the sequel to his 2020 novel, which was also reviewed by the Book Rant here: https://thebookrant.com/2022/05/18/survive-the-night-in-a-cornfield/

Spoiler warning if you have not read the first book. So, are you ready? One, two, spoilers start……….soon………soon…now! Back from the first book are our three main heroes who escaped psychotic clowns from hacking them to death. Quinn and her friends, Rust and Cole, who have both since happily come out and started a relationship, are young adults living post-graduation after the massacre of the last book. Quinn’s having a great time away at college with half of her classmates thinking she lied about the whole night where tons of the kids she went to high school with were murdered by adults dressed as clowns. She and her friends are labeled as liars who are just trying to destroy the conserverative town of Kettle Springs and gain attention to push their young, liberal agendas. I mean, adults never kill their own kids. Well except for Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, but hey those are from other countries that are not as good as old America where cults made of psychotic people could never happen. Well except for Jeffrey Dahmer, Charlie Manson, Ron Lafferty, the people who stormed the US Capitol, Keith Raniere, Daniel Perez, and you know what let us move on! After all no one would ever say a massacre was a conspiracy in real life and cause all this uproar for innocent victims.

I despise this man ^^^^

Quinn and her friends are attacked by a clown miles away from Kettle Springs where her father is also being stabbed by a legal voter dressed up like flipping Pennywise. This was a great inciting incident to kick the story off and bring Quinn back home to face her demons, literally. From that moment forward, we are thrown into a fast-paced thriller like in the first book where our heroes are playing cat and mouse across the town with killer clowns. Gruesome deaths and intense fight scenes keep the pages turning. My favorite scene is when a group is knocking on one of our hero’s doors and is vaporized. Cesare also treated his readers to new characters who each took turns in narrating, and had their own backgrounds and voices. He is a skilled, hotshot writer who has never delivered just black and white characters that were boring. Everyone mattered in this story, even the minor ones like Quinn’s roommate who showed remorse for her actions of listening to the conspiracy theories early on in the story. One of these new characters is a survivor from the first book who we see dealing with trauma, yet remaining strong, and like Quinn is a prime example for fans to face their own demons.

It was a little annoying though to see certain plots from the first book that were continuing take such a long backseat ride just to make room for the new stuff. It felt like the old stuff was thrown into this sequel just to have it, but nothing good was done with it. That was a critique I had that I wished was done with more scenes and detail.

With the creation of new heroes and villains paired with the ones from the previous book, Clown in a Cornfield remains a hot slasher franchise being written by someone who knows how to craft a story that continues to explore new things. The first book is being adapted into a live-action movie currently. I’m just going to say, damn it, they better not mess up this bloody universe that I and thousands of others love! These books are not super long, and can be adapted very well into films. Each book takes place only over a few days, so please Eli Craig, just take the flipping roadmaps Cesare has written-out for you to create a magnificent, horror masterpiece.

Buy your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Clown-Cornfield-2-Frendo-Lives/dp/0063096919

Wicked House Publishing Picks a Winner in Scipione’s Mr. Nightmare

By B. MURACA

Hello my fellow book addicts, and welcome back to another dreadful review on some of the best horror and mystery thrillers out there. Today we are covering, Mr. Nightmare, by Joe Scipione. In short, if you are a fan of Stephen King’s It, Stranger Things, or even the Chucky television series, this is a book for you.

Scipione has written something that I believe will go down as a classic in the years to come. A group of teenagers led by Anna and her brother Chuck start a group that meet around a campfire every week to tell scary stories with the goal of giving each other nightmares. Whoever causes the most nightmares for other members in the group, wins. However, it was not long after paranoia started to haunt the kids and they discovered a monster named Mr. Nightmare is literally feasting off of their bad dreams and fears.

I think it was chapter ten of this book when I finally said, “holy crap!” I could not believe where this story was headed. The way Mr. Nightmare revealed himself in the scenes he was in, the intense conversations between the characters and him, and the grizzly descriptions of his face. These are not some cliche fake-outs or hallucinations, these encounters are real. Mr. Nightmare reminded me so much of playing the horror video game, Slenderman. He stalked his victims keeping them and the readers on the edge of their seats. It also was not long before we found out no one was safe in this book, and just like Pennywise the Clown, Mr. Nigthmare sees these kids as a chew toy for him to play around with viciously.

Along with the battles with Mr. Nightmare, this is an excellent character story. Anna was a compassionate narrator whose feelings illustrated what every other person in their group was going through. These kids all had unique relationships with each other that brought us back to the good old days when we were gathering with our friends in the park bundled up in our hoodies. Mixed with the cat and mouse chase between the kids and the monster, this is another amazing horror novel I recommend. Let Scipione steal your money via you purchasing his book. It is a short tale, but one with real consequences that keep you wondering who will make it out against Mr. Nightmare. Wicked House publishing could not have chosen a better book to debut as their first.

Get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Nightmare-Joe-Scipione-ebook/dp/B0BKPMGZJW

Santa Took Them, a Slasher Novel for the Holidays

By B. MURACA

Hello my fellow book addicts, and merry late Christmas and happy holidays to all as we close up another year on the dreadful Book Rant with another happy, fun story filled with gore created by treacherous serial killers. William Malmborg certainly delivered that in, Santa Took Them. Also I apologize for the article being a little late, but I had some family stuff I had to deal with, and just like in Texas Chainsaw, family comes first.

Now then, like other of Malmborg’s lovely stories of people being hacked into pieces, the story is told from multiple viewpoints so that we get a layout of the mindset of everyone in the small town during the brutal winter. Our protagonist is Dr. Samantha Loomis, a clear homage to Carpenter’s Halloween franchise. While her mindset was a no-nonsense attitude whom would cut right to the point, her huge heart was shown as she abandoned her much needed holiday to track down her former patient, Michelle, believing the girl to be innocent of crimes she was accused of in both the present and a decade ago when her family was murdered. However, with a serial killer out there, no dark corner is safe, especially as a blizzard descends on the town capturing some of the characters in its fury and fighting for survival against nature.

Malmborg’s works have a lot of gore and scenes of both psychological and physical torture, just like his other novel, Jimmy (Jimmy rant here: https://thebookrant.com/2021/09/04/jimmy-a-gut-wrenching-page-turner/ ). The scenes are graphic and described to the detail of every last drop of blood that fell out of a victim. This is a slasher story with a maniac on the loose, just like films such as Halloween, and Terrifier. Therefore, there does come warning that if you find yourself squeamish over little things like a woman’s guts being dissected as she defecates herself. If that is not something that sparks your candle, you may want to find something lighter to read like The Silence of the Lambs 😉

While the whodunit aspect of this book was not a hard mystery to crack, the motives and backstory of the killer and how the past events unfolded into the present day is somewhat original and an interesting take. Some of these characters could be a tad annoying at times such as a couple of the teenagers who are your cliche horror trope of being horny as a unicorn and so self-obsessed they find that blocking their bestie on social media is the ultimate payback for hurting their feelings. However, even these characters have redemption arcs later on that show off their bravery and ability to overcome.

The ending, while good for a slasher story, does leave one a bit unsatisfied. However, I have questioned William Malmborg on if there are any sequels in the works, and he said while he does have one planned, the creation of it or a release date is yet to be known. Hopefully this article will inspire more people to read Santa Took Them and get their keesters onto the comments section of Amazon and Goodreads to leave some stellar reviews (not as stellar as mine of course) and encourage a sequel to be made so we get complete closure.

Grab your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Santa-Took-Them-William-Malmborg/dp/0996283129

Also, quick shoutout to those of you who love anime and manga, my good buddy Zach is a producer of a Twitch podcast called, Drunk N Weebs (https://www.twitch.tv/weebnightct?fbclid=IwAR3HbilqFoJ4ghOAEKkb3lqOnSilEs-WWa_cijMAcY35yN5GLv-iAC1Kmrw ) hosted by two brilliant dudes who know such a dangerous amount of anime that Light Yagami is keeping tabs on them, Jorge and Harley. Great, friendly guys, who will answer anything and give you almost as amazing recommendations as me. Also, shoutout and props to my buddy Zach for being a badass producer and helping bring such great content to life!