Rod Glenn

From the prologue to the conclusion, this story kept a great pace and flow that provided suspense and horror. This reader couldn't put the book down and read it from cover to cover in one sitting. Being an American reader didn't matter, as even when the language or dialogue fit the characters residing in Northumberland, it didn't hinder the enjoyment and context of the story. It made it more realistic. From the eyes of the killer, stalking his victims, to the police who discover the horror, each character was perfectly executed (no pun intended). It is not a story to be taken lightly or with ease, it's very gory and detailed with each kill. As Whitman speaks ... “I'm a killer. A murdering bastard, you know that. And there are consequences to breaking the heart of a murdering bastard.” -- Perfectly, terrifying… (más)

I picked this volume up primarily for Jacob Rayne's debut short story SEMANA DE FUEGO, and it didn't disappoint. My current rating is based soley on this particular story.

In the same manner as Joe Hill's BEST NEW HORROR (but with a completely different genre setting), SEMANA DE FUEGO gives the reader hints as to where it's heading early on - maybe a familiar path, maybe not - but delightful nonetheless as the story unfolds to ultimately reveal whether it is playing into or against reader expectations.

Jacob Rayne's prose is crisp, clean and confident, and I look forward to future work from this new author. Recommended.… (más)

The Killing Moon is a post apocalyptic hell of a story. Rough, gritty, violent and all together crazy. The world has gone mad and out into it are tossed 5 friends and their dog after the outside intrudes upon their home.

The story is fairly well written, decently put together and fast paced. The story pulled me in nicely, though it is a very rough story. Though the editing is an improvement over the issues with Rhone, there are a couple issues and I think the story could have used a bit of "tweaking" to cull a few dead ends and improve the flow. The ending I feel is the weakest part. Towards the 4/5th mark of the book everything had fallen apart for the 5 friends, but then a few surprising twists of fate puts things back together (to some extent).

Overall it's a pretty good read, it however is NOT for the weak of heart. It is gritty and at time disturbing with a lot of blood and guts tossed in for good measure.… (más)

The constant comparison's with Mad Max and The Stand are misleading: although both those are excellent portrayals of a post-apocalyptic world, they are hardly the only yardstick by which to judge this genre - as for The Road, it is too bleak and too uniquely American to bear comparison to The Killing Moon.

Rod Glenn's work has been in my To Be Acquired list for some years before I took the plunge and otrdered them through ABE Books, and I must admit my first reaction was one of disappointment because the theme was so enticing while the writing was pretty amateurish. Having said that though, I enjoyed this story immensely: it was fast-paced and exciting, and the gore and violence didn't bother me.
England is a comfortable setting for this genre: the island presents a smaller and more managable canvas than the vasteness of America and has been used to excellent effect by the great John Wyndham whose Day of the Triffids and The Cracken Wakes are surely the ultimate end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it novels.
I have to echo other critics and agree that the book needs serious editing and the prose is in need of a polish. The story iitself though is grand.… (más)