Low Red Moon

[Wetbones]

I don't think a great many of you are familiar with the novels and stories of Kaitlin R. Kiernan and that is a damn shame. In my humble opinion she's the most exciting talent to emerge in horror fiction in a long while and for once the raves on her books' covers from the likes of Clive Barker, Peter Straub and Neil Gaiman are absolutely accurate. Gaiman is quoted with: "A gift for language that borders on the scary." and I totally agree.

Her debut novel was SILK and she followed that up with THRESHOLD. Last month her third novel, LOW RED MOON, came out and I'd like to suggest you all pick it up ASAP.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0451459482.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

LOW RED MOON is kind of a sequel to THRESHOLD but only in that it has the same characters in it. You don't have to have read THRESHOLD in order to get LOW RED MOON.

LRM is about a married couple. She's a paleontologist, he's mostly trying to stay sober and leave his alcoholic past behind. Then thing start to fall apart. She starts to have visions of blood everywhere and he is contacted by the police to help in a murder investigation because he is kind of a psychic and has done this kind of job before. Turns out there is a killer out there who may or may not be a werewolf and who apparently has an interest in the woman and her unborn child ...

But that is only scratching the surface, really. What made this book for me were the numerous Lovecraftian overtones like the book Cultes des Ghuls that has a cameo and how relentless Keirnan is when exploring seriously disturbing territory.

I don't want to give anything more away and I didn't start this post with the intention to write a review of the novel ...

Let's just say that LOW RED MOON get's the thumbs way up from me.

[David Toy]

Thanks for the recommendation and the short review Wetbones! I'll have to pick it up. I've been looking for something different lately and that novel sounds like it might work for me too.

[Jnassise]

I agree with Wetbones - Kiernan is a very strong writer. I was lucky enough to have a story from here in my latest anthology project - Verte Brume: The Anthology of Absinthe - which comes out in April and it is possibly one of the best dark fantasy stories I have read to date.

Threshold is quite good, and I have LRM waiting in my to be read pile.

Best,
Joe

[Wetbones]

It's good to hear I'm not the only one who likes her stuff. I actually started with THRESHOLD which I picked up because of review I read in HORROR GARAGE. An incredible novel that somehow reminded me of DONNIE DARKO only with a Lovecraftian monster that lives inside a mountain. I'm usually not a big fan of modern writers who try to channel Lovecraft but Kiernan does such a great job at it and seems to understand his fiction perfectly.

[samhain61]

Originally posted by Wetbones
It's good to hear I'm not the only one who likes her stuff. I actually started with THRESHOLD which I picked up because of review I read in HORROR GARAGE. An incredible novel that somehow reminded me of DONNIE DARKO only with a Lovecraftian monster that lives inside a mountain. I'm usually not a big fan of modern writers who try to channel Lovecraft but Kiernan does such a great job at it and seems to understand his fiction perfectly.

Thanks for the heads up! :)

As a lifelong horror fiction fan & a rather voracious reader, I'm always on the lookout for good new books & authors, but in this day & age they're a very hard thing to come by. ESPECIALLY in today's marketplace where it seems that almost nothing other than serial killer & vampire novels get punished under the genre banner.

[Jnassise]

Jim,

Each month I cover three to five excellent horror releases in my Midnight Fantastique column. Check out past issues for several excellent reading suggestions next time you are looking for something new!

Coming soon:

Reviews of F. Paul Wilson's Gateways
David Silva's All The Lonely People
The new graphic novel Killin Demons from Engine Press
and more....

[samhain61]

Originally posted by Jnassise
Jim,

Each month I cover three to five excellent horror releases in my Midnight Fantastique column. Check out past issues for several excellent reading suggestions next time you are looking for something new!

Coming soon:

Reviews of F. Paul Wilson's Gateways
David Silva's All The Lonely People
The new graphic novel Killin Demons from Engine Press
and more....


Joe,
I just read through all your columns & found them to be informative & entertaining. Keep up the good work my friend! :wink:

After finishing the columns I followed the link to your website & had a good time there as well.
Unfortunately, I have had the worst luck imaginable in getting my hands on your novel RIVERWATCH. Quite frankly it's been an incredibly aggravaiting process. :mad:
I first became aware of your novel two years ago when it was recommended to me by an individual over on the old Cabinet of Dr. Casey's message board. The endorsement was so strong that I pretty much immediately began my search for a copy.
Of course at that particular time it was only available in it's Barclay edition. A form that I personally found impossible to find!

So, RIVERWATCH sat in a cozy, but dusty little nook of my own personal "must read" section of my mind for a couple of years until I read of it's then forthcoming publication by Pocket Books. An event that I looked forward to with much satisfaction & anticipation
Unfortunately, I have spent the past several months in a fruitless search for it at nearly every bloody Borders, Barnes & Noble, Waldens, assorted supermarkets & book carrying newsstands or "corner stores" throughout the Buffalo area. All to no avail!
I've even begun searching for it at the local used paperback store in the hope of snagging a copy. No luck yet. :(

And yes, I most certainly did try to get it online. Only to have it suddenly become "temporarily unavailable" the week I ordered it from Amazon! :eek!:

So, I honestly don't know what to tell you other than that I AM out here looking for it & that I eventually WILL get my hands on it. I just have no idea when!
I'm sure that once I do though, I'll enjoy it.

Have you heard from others having this problem at all?
Did the book have a low print run or perhaps some sort of distribution problems?
I mean, who knows, maybe it's just a problem with western New York. Maybe this area got shorted or it completely missed us. I just can't figure anything else out, because believe me, I have done a THOROUGH search.

And, I'll keep it up too until I find it. ;) I only hope that I do so sometime before your follow up, HERETIC , hits the stands!

I'll keep you posted on the status of my quest.
In the meantime I'll continue to enjoy your reviews here & I'll keep stopping in at your site to keep aware of your forthcoming work as well.
Can't wait to actually read some of your fiction!
Take care.

- Jim

samhain1961@yahoo.com

[Jnassise]

Jim,

Thanks for the heads up. I hate to say it, but you are the first to mention the problem to me. I've had reports from Alaska, Alabama, Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, California - you name and folks are seeing it on the shelves and picking it up.

But your dedicated search deserves an award.

Send your mailing address to me at author@josephnassise.com. and I'll see to it you get a signed copy of the Pocket Books edition.

Call it a late Christmas present!

Best,
Joe