John R. Little (1)Reseñas

This was a can not put down book....Many twist as the story moves along, so well written, you really do not know how it will end until it ends...Has it all, romance, mystery, action, and many unexplained twist until the end....

These stories do revolve around Halloween but they are more than just horror. They are tales of grief, of love and loss, spirits with unfinished business, all surrounding the most otherworldly night of the year. They can be savored slowly to help you get into the spirit of Halloween or devoured quickly for a rush of spooky fun any time. I read them over a particularly hot week in July while I was away from my home and my air conditioner. I was almost able to convince myself that I could hear rustling leaves and a cool October wind. All were good, but for me the most notable in the bunch were...

Strange Candy- A story about a grieving man who finds peace after consuming an odd confection brought home in his child's trick or treat bag.

#MakeHalloweenScaryAgain -in which a writer who wishes to draw some interest and attention to his work stirs up a serial killer with his simple hashtag.

The Rage Of Achilles - A priest hears a haunting confession on Halloween from a man who has suffered a tragedy.

Highly recommended to all lovers of horror and Halloween.

I received an advance copy for review.

This book is a Russian nesting doll of a novel. We open one story and learn of another, then another, all dealing with lives torn apart by an unimaginable horror. All of this is framed in a pitch perfect time travel structure utilized to maximum effect.

Memories are like branches of a tree, sprouting off the events and people of our life. Sometimes our memories are accurate, sometimes not. Sometimes they need the perspective that comes from years to see how they fit in with the bigger structure of our lives. Until that perspective comes, we only see the branches and have no real understanding. I am not exaggerating when I say that when you finish the last page of this novel, when you finally are able to step back see the whole story you will be devastated and filled with admiration for this gifted novelist who has tackled one of the most difficult subjects imaginable.

John Little writes very powerful, short novels that are short in format but will stay in the memory for a very long time. Little writes about longing, loss, fate, sorrow, and what we sometimes must do to attempt to avoid fate and to reclaim what we have lost.

Charlie Parkinson, a talented photographer, has a gift, or perhaps a curse. The gift is that he has precognition---he is aware of horrific events before they occur. This allows him to be present with his camera to capture photos at the very instant of horror. Photos like few have ever seen.

The curse is that his precognition is not accurate. Yes, he knows the time and place, but his visions are often not accurate at all as to the events that occur or the people involved. But he does know that horrific events will occur----and that he will be powerless to stop them. Not even when he dreams that he will murder his own wife....

Little is a very good writer. I would also recommend "The Memory Tree" which was a powerful and courageous book.

In a word: "Yikes!"

This story/novella wastes no time getting started and is a vertical drop from the first 5 pages. Like someone else said, the front cover tells you all you need to know. As I was reading , I couldn't help but think that this story would make a great campfire story if you didn't mind staying up all night because you scared the crap out of all the little campers...

Halloween has been my favorite holiday since childhood. Costumes. Ghost Stories. Jack O'Lanterns. Gruesome legends. Things that go bump in the night. Love it all! So when I saw the awesome cover for this short story collection, I had to read it! Sucked me right in -- I'm already SO ready for autumn with pumpkin-flavored everything and Halloween! Bring on the ghosties!

Halloween Carnival,Vol 1 features five Halloween theme stories. I was not familiar with any of the authors and that made me even more excited about this book. I love discovering new-to-me horror writers! I'm already planning my October TBR pile -- all things scary!

This collection of creepy stories includes:

Strange Candy - Robert McCammon. A weird, unwrapped piece of Halloween candy sends a man on a supernatural mission. McCammon is the author of several books including They Thirst and Blue World. Check out his website here: http://www.robertmccammon.com/ Strange Candy is an excellent story! Great way to start out this anthology!

The Rage of Achilles or When Mockingbirds Sing - Kevin Lucia. A new priest hears an unusual story in the confessional on Halloween night. Author of The Jabberwock and Things Slip Through, Kevin Lucia's website is here: http://www.kevinlucia.com/ The covers for his horror novels look so creepy-cool! If this short story is any indication of his talents as a horror writer, I can't wait to read more by this author!

Demon Air - John R. Little. A discount flight to Australia takes a hellish turn. John R. Little is the author of several books including Soul Mates and DarkNet. Check out his website here: http://www.johnrlittle.com/ Demon Air defnitely made me rethink discount airfares!

La Hacienda de los Muertos - Lisa Morton. A Mexican legend turns out to be true. Author of horror stories and non-fiction books about the history of Halloween, Lisa Morton definitely entertains with this short story about spooky occurrences on a Mexican film set. For more information on the author and her books, check out her website here: http://lisamorton.com/zine/

#MakeHalloweenScaryAgain - Mark Allan Gunnels. A Facebook post by a writer about bringing fear back to Halloween has unexpected consequences. This story is set in a town 40 minutes from where I live....definitely made it a creepy read for me! :) Loved it! If Halloween in Greer and Spartanburg gets all shades of horrific crazy this year, we all know who to blame! :) Mark Allan Gunnells has written nearly 50 horror novels, novellas and short stories. Check out his website here: http://markgunnells.livejournal.com/

I enjoyed all 5 stories in this anthology. #MakeHalloweenScaryAgain is my favorite....not only because it's well written, but also because it's set in my neck of the woods. All 5 writers showcased in Halloween Carnival Vol 1 are new to me....I look forward to reading more by each of them!

I highly recommend this book to any fan of short stories and Halloween-theme horror. There will be five volumes in the Halloween Carnival collection. I'm definitely going to read all five!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Random House Publishing (Hydra) via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own**

4.5 stars!

I think I love John Little! Seriously, I think I do. Plus, I love this cover. Go ahead, check it out. See that little 442 under the black and white picture? Now, I don't know about you, but when I hear 442 I think of this bad-ass Oldsmobile.

After reading this book though, I will probably think of this story whenever I hear 442 in the future.

Charlie is a photographer by trade. He is also a man with severe sleep deprivation problems. He's been to the sleep center where they cannot seem to find anything to help him. Since then, he has a new problem. He can't figure out why when he wakes from his 1-2 hours of sleep, it is always 4:42 a.m.

All of a sudden Charlie begins to get 5-6 hours of sleep a night. He doesn't know what to make of it. He also doesn't know what to make of the dreams he is now having. The dreams show accidents and deaths, over and over again. Finally, one of the dreams gives him the date of a car accident. Since Charlie is a photographer, he places himself at the spot where the accident happened, according to his dream, and he waits there. Something does happen, but not exactly what Charlie expected.

That's all I will say about the plot. If you are familiar with John Little's body of work, you already know that his novels and novellas pack a serious punch. He is very good at bringing a real humanity to his characters and this story is no exception. Charlie is exceptionally drawn, truly human and has many faults. However, you cannot help but feel for him as this story delves more into these black and white dreams.

I think that The Memory Tree is still my favorite Little book, but this one comes in at second place, (of what I have read of his work so far). This story, ultimately (in my mind), is a tragedy. It also carries a life lesson within. It's up to the reader to find it. I highly recommend this first class novella to any fans of dark fiction. You won't be disappointed.

This is the third or fourth story I've read from John Little and I've enjoyed them all.

This tale is a novelette so it didn't take long to read. But even in this short piece Mr. Little's skill as an author shines through. Like his other stories, this one is a bit strange, and time again plays a part. In his previous works time seems to be a character in and of itself, while in this book it's more like a part of the setting . Imagine yourself waking up again and again in different places, time periods and bodies, only to die. If you can, then you're starting to get a feel for this story.

This is a short tale with a lot to think about within its brief pages. I recommend it to fans of dark fiction that like to turn a story over in their minds for a while and look at it from different angles. That's exactly what I'm going to do now.

Halloween Carnival Volume 1 is a tasty treat for horror lovers everywhere!

First off, I have to mention the opening story, Robert McCammon's Strange Candy . I'm a huge McCammon fan and this story was originally found in the FANTASTIC collection Blue World. Poignant and sweet this tale will always remain one of my favorites.

With that out of the way, the story that impressed me the most here was Kevin Lucia's The Rage of Achilles, or When Mockingbirds Sing. At first, what started out to be a story of the difficulties of parenting a special needs child turned into a story of such bittersweet pain and love, I thought I heard my heart crack. Beautifully written with prose that cuts straight through your chest, this was the star of Volume 1.

La Hacienda de los Muertos by Lisa Morton was a neatly wrapped up tale about shooting a movie in Mexico. And maybe a ghost?

John Little can always be counted on to deliver and that he does with Demon Air .

Lastly, Mark Allen Gunnells' #Makehalloweenscaryagain was my first read of this author's work. While I generally don't care for hashtag anything, and even though I partially guessed how this story would end, I still enjoyed the journey and I look forward to reading more from Gunnells in the future.

Other than Strange Candy, I am not sure if these other stories have been published elsewhere previously. If so, I haven't come across them. I enjoyed the fact that these tales were mostly gore free, quiet horror since that's the type I prefer these days. If quiet but powerful horror is your thing, I highly recommend this collection-especially for your Halloween reading pleasure!

You can pre-order your copy here: Halloween Carnival Volume 1

*Thanks so much to Hydra and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This is it!*

I enjoyed this short horrific tale, as I've enjoyed everything written by Mr. Little.

I found it hard to put down, though a little reminiscent of Cujo. This story didn't shy away from what we would call the ugliness of nature; but what nature would call plain old daily life.

Recommended to fans of horror and creature features!

This book was recommended to me by two seasoned horror readers that I trust. They were not wrong. Thanks, Jon and Chris!

I don't even know what to say about this book. A man "dissolves" and wakes up as an adult in the town where he lived as a 13 year old boy. As he wanders around town wondering what the heck is going on, his back story is revealed. It's a disturbing one, and one you won't EVER forget.

There is an introduction in this version by Robert Kelly. I would recommend saving the intro until you're finished reading. Especially if you're like me, and like to discover the story on your own as the author intended. This intro was poignant, but gave away too much of what the story was going to be about. That is the only negative thing I can say about this book.

This story requires a lot from the reader. A lot of courage-to continue reading when things get really bad. A lot of strength- to live through these events with the protagonist. A lot of hope-to stick with the main character hoping that things will turn out to to be...somehow better than they appear to be. A lot of Kleenex, because it's a tear jerker. A lot of faith in the author-that he will take you to a REAL conclusion and not just some words on a page. I invested all of this and the author rewarded me with a story that will never leave me. Read it and it won't leave you either.

STRANGE CANDY - by Robert McGammon - A ghost story that is not scary, but sad and bittersweet.

THE RAGE OF ACHILLES or WHEN MOCKINGBIRD'S SING - by Kevin Lucia - Another sad ghost story.

DEMON AIR - by John R. Little - This is a more traditional scary story. Interesting concept.

LA HACIENDA DE LOS MUERTOS - by Lisa Morton - My least favorite of the bunch. Maybe because I have read too many La Llorona stories.

MAKEHALLOWEENSCARYAGAIN - by Mark Allan Gunnell - The longest one in the bunch. Easy to figure out the bad guy. Another great concept

I enjoyed this collection very much. There was not a bad story in the bunch. Ranging from scary to sad, this book has everything. I recommend it.

REVIEWED: Little By Little
WRITTEN BY: John R. Little
PUBLISHED: April, 2014

This is the first comprehensive collection of John R. Little’s short fiction (including novellas), and it’s a successful aggregate of some of his finest works. The book includes ten stories, plus a delightful introduction by Lisa Morton and story notes by the author. I’ve been looking forward to reading “Miranda” for a long time, and though it’s the last story in the book, I started off with reading it first. Beautifully-written and filled with sorrow, it’s an exercise also in unique structure as the story is told in reverse. I then went back to the beginning and read the remaining stories in order, from “Dreams in Black and White” onward, each tale continuing the tone of quality storytelling, fear, and heartbreak.

Five out of Five stars

REVIEWED: DarkNet
WRITTEN BY: John R. Little
PUBLISHED: November, 2014

DarkNet is the latest novel by award-winning author, John R. Little, and reading it reminds the reader what the term ‘horror’ truly means. Including no monsters or supernatural forces, there is only the monsters found in human nature, those that move throughout our daily lives. And although I say this book incites a feeling a horror, other readers may liken it closer to the genre of psychological thriller or suspense. However you choose to categorize this book, it’s testament to the author’s talent and creative ability. DarkNet is a very dark and tragic story with several unexpected plot twists and no opportunity to set the book down without reeling.

Four-and-a-half out of Five stars

I received this book in return for an honest review.

This is one of those "I wish I liked it, but I didn't" kind of books.

I had such high hopes for this book because, it's September, got the whole Fall and Halloween vibe going on late. I was really wanting to kick it off with a creepy scary read.

And this book failed to do that.... on a massive level.

the first two stories were okay but hadn't much to do with Halloween. What they really had in common was making me cry my eyes out because they broke my heart into a thousand million pieces.

Story three just made zero sense. there was no plot, story line, nothing worth even reading.

The fourth story really just made me roll my eyes... a lot. There wasn't anything special about it. This kind of story has been done by anyone and everyone. I get it's a legend but... eh. Not to mention this story did kinda come off as insulting. After all, who likes the term "Mexican peasant"? But, whatever.

I honestly didn't like how the first four stories were told. I understand they were short stories, but there is a huge difference between short story and rushing to get something done with no actual ending. Don't get me wrong, the last story didn't have much of a ending either but it was still long enough to hook me and honestly, I think it had GREAT potential. The last story is what saved this from being a 1 star book. But yet it wasn't enough to make it a three star book.

Personally this book wasn't worth my time (harsh, I know but I had such high hopes for it, and it let me down so bad)

If you are looking for a simple quick - really really quick - read, this is great for you. But if you are looking for a ghostie/horror fix, I'd recommend the older books from the 80s/90s. Lol Y'all know the ones that you would read as a kid and they left you with nightmares for days afterward and a lifetime of childhood trauma? Those. Lol

Review copy

Over the course of October 2017, Brian James Freeman and the folks at Hydra have gotten together to present a total of twenty-five Halloween tales of horror from twenty-five of the best genre writers working today. Every Tuesday during October there will be a new volume in the Halloween Carnival anthology series.

If the rest of the series is as strong as volume one, readers are in for a treat.

Strange Candy by Robert McCammon - Wow. What a wonderful way to open this anthology. A strange piece of candy from the Halloween "loot," eaten without thought, leads to a series of out of body experiences. Not dissimilar to Dickens' ghosts in A Christmas Carol. A charming story from start to finish. "...I didn't want to die, but...still...it was just a piece of candy, shaped like a hand. What was the big deal?"

The Rage of Achilles or When Mockingbirds Sing by Kevin Lucia - One of Kevin's Clifton Heights stories. This one takes place on Halloween and features the customary twist. Horrifying. Tragic. Real. Gut-wrenching.

Demon Air by John R. Little - Mom never admitted it, but Halle always knew she was named after Halloween. Halle finds herself on a plane to Australia in search of her roots after learning she was adopted and taking one of those DNA Ancestry tests and finding out she was 60% Australian Aborigine. All of that takes a backseat when the Diamond Air flight she's on crosses the International Dateline. It's Halloween and suddenly she's in the middle of a nightmare where the flight crew is trying to get her to bob for apples... "He brought the green bowl toward her, and she could see the water sloshing. When she looked down, she saw that the water was tan-colored and had patches of fuzz floating on it. The apples were rotten. Not just a little. They were mostly brown patches with worms squirming in and out. There were so many worms that she couldn't see any spot on any of the apples that was clear."

La Hacienda de los Muertos by Lisa Morton - The filming of a Mexican horror movie at the site of a real-life haunting. "LaLlorona was once an earthly woman who fell in love with a man and had two children with him. The man betrayed her. So she killed the two children by drowning them, then herself in the Tecpan river...now her spirit supposedly wanders the banks of the river, looking for living human children she can claim as her own."

#MakeHalloweenScaryAgain by Mark Allen Gunnells - This set of stories wraps up with a novella about a small town that becomes gripped in fear after local horror writer, Dustin Davis, posts on his Facebook page about how Halloween is no longer the scary holiday he associated with his youth #Make HalloweenScaryAgain. When a serial killer takes Dustin up on his challenge, all hell breaks loose. The following flyers start appearing all over town. I WILL RESTORE ALL HALLOWS' EVE TO ITS RIGHTFUL SACRED POSITION WHEN I'M DONE PEOPLE WILL REVERE THE HOLIDAY AGAIN ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT I WILL PICK ONE HOUSE IN TOWN AMONG THOSE NOT DECORATED FOR THE SEASON AND EVERYONE INSIDE WILL BE KILLED THIS A PROMISE #MakeHalloweenScaryAgain

Every story delivers in his own way. I hope subsequent volumes in the series are just as creepy. If you love a good Halloween scare half as much as I do, start reading today.

Halloween Carnival Volume One is published by Hydra, a division of Random House, and is available as an ebook.

The first in a new series of short story collections, Halloween Carnival is the perfect read to get in the mood for Halloween. And just like the sweets you trick or treat, you never know what you end up with until you upend your bag at home, riffle through your treasures and have a taste:

Strange Candy (Robert McCammon)
A solid story to start this collection. Enjoyable, but not too memorable. ***

The Rage of Achilles (Kevin Lucia)
Wow! Creepy, sad, this emits the strongest Halloween vibe. My favorite of the bunch. *****

Demon Air (John R. Little)
Demons on a plane. Silly & bloody my least favorite in this collection. **

La Hacienda de los Muertos (Lisa Morton)
Entertaining. ***

#MAKEHALLOWEENSCARYAGAIN (Mark Allan Gunnells)
I liked it. Very much. A bit pretendable, but the writing was superb. Who is this author and why haven't I heard of him before?! (rushing off to check his other works) ****

Now that I got my first taste of Halloween Carnival, I want more!

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)

This book... from the moment I picked it up, I very nearly couldn't put it down. Little's narrative has an eerie inertia, and although the tragedies and the darkness at the heart of the book make it something of a horror novel, there's also a lightness to it--as if, after everything, there's hope for innocence and childhood and goodness, even where evidence of the same seems to be lacking.

In truth, I'm not sure how to speak of this book without giving things away. The subject matter is dark, and as speculative fiction goes, the horror is frighteningly everyday, made of what we see on the news and wish weren't true. But Little's plotting is masterful, and the twists here are impressive, more often than not coming out of the blue and with a bit of half-tuned heartbreak.

All in all, this is a dark read, but it's also kind of wonderful. It's not for children, and not for readers who'll want to turn away from difficult subjects... but it is worthwhile, and I'll remember it.

I'll also be looking for any of Little's other writing.½

A radio talk show host interviews a gentleman on the sleazy underbelly, the dark, secret side of the internet. She gets too curious and begins to do research on the sites contained in the darknet; kiddy porn, arms dealers, and murder for hire operations. Turns out she knows the gentleman she contacts to take care of her abusive husband. This book is on several very adult subjects, including kinky sex, spousal abuse, torture, etc. It is a very fast read. My thanks to the author and LibraryThing for a complimentary copy.

Soul Mates
I received this book from the Early Reviewer group for an honest review. I found it to be a quick and easy read, enjoyable but I knew how the story would end even before I finished the book.
This is the story of a magician Jeremiah and his relationship with “twins” Savannah and Alannah. He builds a romantic and working relationship with Alannah and her twin Savannah follows them to Las Vegas. The twins have a murky and troubled past and history. Both are haunted by a mysterious young boy. The story is told from multiple character views and time lines. It is a mystery that delves into anger love and horror.
I prefer a book that the ending surprises me but still found I enjoyed reading and putting the story together in my own mind.

The relationship between twins is deep and complicated. As twins Allanah and Savannah find out in this suspenseful story, filled with plot twisters and a bit of romance thrown in for good measure, life has many curves. In my opinion the character of Luke should have been more developed and much more a part of the story. The changing dates on the chapters also make for difficult reading, making things a bit confusing. Only my opinion.

I received Soul Mates from the Early Reviewers Giveaway. It was a quick read. The story is about twin sisters who are identical in looks but very different in personality. Their father murders their mother and at the age of 16, they take off for the west coast to start a new life. There, one of the twins meets her soul mate, an older man who is a magician. The book is organized by chapters from the twins point of view and other chapters from the magician's point of view. The chapters also have dates on them because the story skips around. This can be a little confusing and I had to keep checking the date on the chapter. It also didn't help the flow of the story. Looking back on all the things that happened, there are still some things I wonder why the author bothered to put that in the story, (murder of the dance instructor). It was okay, not horrible, not great, so I gave it two stars.

Soul Mates follows the stories of two twin sisters, Savannah and Alannah, who are identical but have very different personalities. They leave home after their father murders their mother for adultery. The girls have a habit of writing the details of their lives and days in a journal, and both sisters read the other's entries. Intermittently, the story also follows the life of a magician, who we learn has an anger management problem and has struggled to keep it in check during his life. He meets Alannah, who he recruits as his magician's assistant, and they fall in love. The two head off to Las Vegas with the promise of a 10 year gig at Caesar's Palace, and Savannah comes along as well, unable to live apart from Alannah. Inevitably, the magician sees Savannah with another man, while thinking it is Alannah cheating on him, and tragedy strikes. Meanwhile, there is the mystery of the scary boy who haunts Alannah and Savannah, and the mystery unfolds near the end of the book with catastrophic results.

There are several different points of view in this book, and several storylines that are a little out there. However, the book held my attention and I breezed through it.

An enjoyable and interesting read. On the easy to read and page turner side rather than a thought provoking mystery. Well written and plot was thought out and well developed. I would certainly read the author again.

This one was a real surprise. I enjoyed it so much that I finished it over two days.

I can't tell you much about the plot without giving away the super plot twist, but "Soul Mates" really has the lot: Murder, drama, family dilemmas, sex, romance, twins, a magician, and a creepy dead kid who crops up when least wanted. "Soul Mates" sucks you in and takes you on a wild ride. I will definitely keep an eye out for other pieces by this author.

I received this book from JournalStone Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review