That Hell-Bound Train

Robert Bloch (1917-1994) authored crime-fiction, horror, and fantasy over a writing career that lasted 60 years. Best known for Psycho, Bloch authored hundreds of short stories. I recently stumbled upon a collection of his work titled The Early Fears. The story I chose to read and review is “That Hell-Bound Train”, originally published in 1958 in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science-Fiction. 

The story's title comes from an old song that Martin, the main character, could remember his drunk father singing after returning home from his job at the railroad. Martin's childhood veered off course when his mother ran away with a traveling salesman and his father died on the rails. Martin hits the road to live life as a drifter, stumbling from town to town for years. But, his only consistent fixture in life was the railroad work – wherever he drifted he always worked the railroad jobs.

One evening a long black train appeared in the night and the Devil, working as The Conductor, welcomes Martin to board the train. It's implied that Martin's life of bad and unwholesome ventures has led to a one-way trip to a hot spot down south. But, Martin, in a last ditch effort to avoid an eternity of fire, asks for one of those special deals with the Devil. At first The Conductor isn't that interested in any more bargains. But, Martin comes up with an intriguing request that Old Scratch hadn't heard before.

Martin asks if he can have a watch that will allow him to stop time. The deal will allow him to stop time once, a timepiece that Martin will only use when he finds a place in his life when he is content and happy. When he finds that place in life, he will stop time and then enjoy happiness forever. The Devil provides him a railroad watch in a silver case and then agrees to get Martin later in life. There's no stopping Hell, just delaying it.

“That Hell-Bound Train” is just terrific and teaches a life lesson that no one will ever be truly satisfied. It's a flaw in the human condition. The need to always seek the next best thing. The notion that the newest and greatest thing can still be found if we don't stay content and keep working, buying, clawing our way to more and infinite more. It's the proverbial “the grass is always greener on the other side” cautionary tale. At 13 pages Bloch accomplishes more than some authors strive for their entire career. This one is a recommended read.

The Island of Doctor Moreau

H.G. Wells (1866-1946) is widely considered the father of science-fiction. He authored over fifty novels, some of which are still being adapted today into mixed media formats. Sci-fi, fantasy, and even horror writers often cite Wells as an influence on their work. His most popular novels include The Time Machine (1895), The Invisible Man (1897), War of the Worlds (1898), and the subject of this review, The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896). 

In the novel's beginning, Edward Prendick and two other passengers board a lifeboat as their passenger ship sinks into the southern Pacific Ocean. Eventually Prendick, a dehydrated starving husk, is the only survivor. A ship spots Prendick and rescues him, but in a wild turn of events Prendick is forced from the vessel and placed in a dinghy where he must face the very real possibility that his terrifying ordeal is recycling. Thankfully, a passenger on the ship named Montgomery takes pity on Prendick and allows him a stay on a very strange island. 

Prendick, who possesses a scientific education, learns that this eight-mile island is a type of laboratory owned by Dr. Moreau. Prendick remembers that he had read about Moreau's macabre experiments in vivisection and his subsequent banishment from England. Here on the island Moreau continues his work with the assistance of Montgomery and a surgically altered manservant named M'ling. 

Wells' narrative submerges Prendick into the Hellish world of a mad scientist with delusions of Godhood. Prendick learns that Moreau is surgically combining humans and animals. Disgusted and frightened he escapes Moreau's compound only to discover that the island hosts Moreau's terrifying lab result – beast folk. These beasts include humans merged with bears, dogs, sloths, hyenas, wolves, and ape. These beast folk have a bestial lust for Moreau which plays havoc on Prendick's escape.

The Island of Doctor Moreau is a horror novel like no other. Wells ignites a sense of terror as Prendick slowly pulls the curtains from Moreau's freakish lab and discovers the nightmarish prison that he has now joined. There's panic and then a heightened frenzy as Prendick attempts to disable Moreau and Montgomery while also becoming a new “god” for the Beast Folk. Wells easily transforms the mood from moments of somber solitude into grueling action and gun play. The finale is a type of role reversal that was fitting for the nature of the story. 

In a time when humans are now receiving animal organs to survive (ex. Towana Looney), The Island of Doctor Moreau is a grotesque vision of the future. Wells was ahead of his time in predicting favorable medical revolutions through painful trial and error. Gene edits and lab-created organs were a thing of the future but Wells was mired in the wonder. The author presents some trigger-points on Darwin's evolution, animal cruelty, and mankind's pursuit of an animal-state of freedom and survival – no gods, no masters. 

The Island of Doctor Moreau is a classic for a reason. Get your copy HERE.

Deathworld #01 - Deathworld 1

Thus far I've really enjoyed the science-fiction series installments by Harry Harrison. Titles like The Stainless Steel Rat, To the Stars, and Brion Brandd. I've mostly heard good things about his three-book series Deathworld. However, what really peaked my interest in reading the series was the commentary by Nick on the Book Graveyard channel and blog. He was lukewarm on the series debut and third installment, but trounced the second novel. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about so I jumped in with the debut, Deathworld. It was originally serialized in Astounding Science Fiction in 1960 and published in paperback, hardcover, and contained in trilogy omnibus editions.

Jason dinAlt is introduced to readers as a professional gambler who possesses psychic ability. His gift allows him to win big consistently, a pattern that attracts an ambassador named Kerk from the planet Pyrrus. He funds Jason with a large amount of money to wager in a game of dice. Jason's reward for winning is to keep a portion of the pot. After successfully pulling off the casino job, Jason asks if he can join Kerk on his trip back to Pyrrus.

Pyrrus is a hostile planet where every living organism has evolved into instant human-killing. Blades of grass, animals, insects – everything is fatal to humans. However, Kerk and his people have committed their lives to eventually dominating the planet and killing these organisms. With money won by Jason, Kerk can purchase more weapons so his people can accomplish their mission. Jason is puzzled by the struggle and wants to learn and participate in the taming of Pyrrus.

After weeks of training, Jason is allowed to leave the safety of Kerk's habitat. But, as he explores this terrifying deathworld he learns there are other people on Pyrrus that don't behave in the same fashion as Kerk. These people possess a type of animal husbandry that allows them to live in harmony with the killer organisms. Is Kerk and his people the real problem? Or, do these weird people have a secret agenda in defying the planet's killer instincts?

Deathworld is an entertaining science-fiction novel that begins strong, has a solid second act, but falters a few steps in the grand finale. The book's resolution didn't make a lot of sense to me and I found Harrison short-cutting his plot design with an empty payout. It wasn't enough to detract from the book's enjoyment and made for a unique read regardless. Jason's behavior and characteristics – the stellar everyman – was similar to Jan Kulozik of Harrison's To the Stars trilogy. I recommend Deathworld and you can get it HERE. 

Hacking Mall

Shortly after Brian G. Berry authored the Chopping Mall novelization, the publisher, Encyclopocalypse Publications, pulled the book from store shelves and severed ties. Berry's first response? Write another horror/science-fiction hybrid set in a shopping mall in the 1980s. The end result is Hacking Mall, independently published in 2024. 

Berry places readers in a Dystopian-styled 20th century where the stock market has crashed, society has devolved, and most inner cities now bristle with jacked up criminals possessing military grade materials. Their higher-than-usual toughness warrants a special type of police force – Defender 2000.

Chapter 11 is a nightmarish flashback of how the book's main character, Alex Murphy, was badged and sent out into the world after four grueling months of police academy. He's partnered with Jackson and the two are investigating gunshots stemming from blocks upon blocks of ghetto tenements. The probe leads to a massive firefight in a meth lab. Alex barely survives the lab's explosion while his partner is seemingly incinerated within. 

In the book's present, Murphy, along with two other officers, have been selected to wear Defender armor. These “sleeves” envelop the men in bullet-proof steel, complete with internal advanced optics programmed to locate criminals. Integrated into the armor is an advanced weapons system including automatic guns, a laser sword, and the ability to release a toxin that creates horrific delusions and a lust for murder. 

As the narrative guns its way through neighborhoods overwrought with crime, Murphy and the other Defenders begin to lose control of their sleeves. The automatons abandon their predetermined set of coded instructions and force their users to kill both criminals and innocents. The machine-over-man scenarios appears periodically and disorients the officers. 

Arden Plaza Mall is a local shopping center that now houses a criminal empire ran by Kane, a lunatic with an aggressive penchant for rape and murder. When the Defenders are ordered to penetrate the mall, Kane and his army fight back using their own sophisticated weapons. Caught in the crossfire are innocent prisoners hoping the battle will provide a small window to attempt escape or for an uprising. The mall has its share of bad guys, but none compare to a behemoth cannibal nicknamed The Butcher. He performs exceptionally well as the ultimate final boss. 

Berry describes himself as a mood writer that loves 1980s B-movies. Hacking Mall pays homage to the low-budget trash films like Warrior of the Lost World (1983) and 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982), but the most obvious influence is a more mainstream offering in Robocop. Berry's protagonist even shares the same name with the cybernetically enhanced Detroit police officer. There's also a character named Zed that just happens to be the name of a villain in the Full Moon riffraff titled Slave Girls from Beyond (1987) and the hero's name in Zardoz (1974)  . But, it wouldn't be a 1980s-styled action-adventure paperback without the CAR-15 automatic rifles, a mainstay in something like Stephen Mertz's long-running M.I.A. Hunter series of shoot 'em ups. 

Hacking Mall is an installment in Berry's series of stand-alone books titled VHS Trash. However, the waves and waves of baddies being obliterated by the heroes is like a side-scrolling arcade shooter (call it a NeoGeo Novel). It's excessive, exaggerated, and ridiculous – but that's the central appeal. To quote 1980s pro-wrestling personality Jim Cornette: “For the kind of people who like this type of thing, that's the kind of thing that those people like.” I'm one of those people. Hacking Mall is a nostalgic highly recommended romp. Get it HERE.

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom

Jason Pargin is a humorous and deeply-creative author of science fiction and horror who came to prominence under his pseudonym David Wong. His latest novel is a stand-alone effort called I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom from 2024.

The premise is simple introducing the two main characters and the book’s titular McGuffin. 26 year-old Abbott Coburn works as a rideshare driver for Lyft. He is summoned to a Los Angeles street corner by the app where he meets Ether and her large, black box - the kind that rock bands move their gear within. The woman explains she does not, in fact, need a ride to the airport but she can pay Aaron $100,000 to drive her and the black box to Washington, DC on behalf of her shadowy employer. The catch? He can’t know or discuss the contents of the box. It’s a secret mission.

Abbott is resistant, but she keeps increasing her money offer until he must say yes. Together they embark on a cross-country road trip with goons, Abbott’s father, and a retired FBI agent in pursuit. The nationwide hide-and-seek journey goes viral and becomes an internet phenomenon. There are plenty of action set-pieces and madcap twists along the way. The plotting is brisk, and Pargin’s prose is quite readable.

The best parts of the book are the monologues from the characters dissecting the human condition in our divisive and Internet-obsessed culture. The author has a lot to say about the world and brings those ideas forth through his characters. This is a smart person’s book shrouded in a comedic-adventure wrapping.

It’s also a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed this book so much, and I hope the author embarks on more standalone novels in future. Highly recommended. Get it HERE.

The Last Night to Kill Nazis

David Agranoff is a San Diego author, screenwriter, blogger, podcast host, and quite possibly the strongest advocate for Philip K. Dick's literary work than any other. His debut novel, The Vegan Revolution...with Zombies, was published in 2010. Since then he has authored nine novels including The Last Night to Kill Zombies. The novel was published in 2023 by Clash Books with vivid cover art by Joel Amat Guell.

In this military-fiction and horror hybrid, Agranoff utilizes a real event from World War Two as a foundation to craft this unusual tale. Heinrich Himmler, one of the most notorious figures of the war, was a powerful Nazi politician, Reich Commissioner, and Commander. He is primarily considered the organizer of the horrific Holocaust and second only to Hitler in terms of absolute evil personified. Shortly after Hitler's suicide, and hours before Russia's Red Army stormed his underground bunker, Himmler was able to escape with several other leaders into the countryside where they remained on the run for several days before being captured by British intelligence. While in detainment Himmler was able to fatally swallow his hidden cyanide pill.

Agranoff begins his novel as the Red Army is within striking distance. Himmler is able to escape with as SS Officer named Heinrich and a few other Nazi personnel. In the countryside, the group travel by truck to a mountaintop fortress to meet nearly 100 German officers that await a plane that will transport them to safety in Manchuria. It's in this seemingly impenetrable fortress where the book's second half takes place.

Hunting Himmler is a small counter-intelligence force lead by Noah, a Jewish fighter and ex-Army Ranger now serving the OSS (early CIA). His team hopes to penetrate and climb to the mountain fortress to kill every Nazi in the fortress. But, with over 100 Nazis occupying this defiant stronghold, what chance does his quartet have in facing these overwhelming numbers?

The answer is Count Reiter. 

In a thrilling enhancement to the breathtaking traditionalism of a World War Two adventure novel, Agranoff introduces a Dracula-like character named Reiter. His castle in the Carpathian Mountains was ransacked by the Nazis, who not only disturbed his domicile but also his centuries of sleep. Reiter wants vengeance and will stop at nothing to kill Nazis. But, in this book Reiter is being kept as a prisoner by the Allies. In a desperate bid to hunt and kill Himmler the Allies agree to a deal with Reiter – help them orchestrate a massacre on the last official night to kill Nazis in exchange for freedom. 

The Last Night to Kill Nazis is nothing short of remarkable. The book's first hundred pages is a type of dangerous road trip introducing Heinrich and his pregnant lover Alice, who both are equal main characters to Noah's opposition. The author masterfully utilizes short chapters, each time stamped, to tell individual stories and angles presenting Alice's experiences as well as Noah, Reiter, and Heinrich's. These punchy chapters help keep the book's 250-pages turning at lightning pace. Once these characters collide atop the mountain the narrative increases speed to match the staccato gunfire, pounding footsteps, and infernal screams as Nazis meet the Hellish Prince of Darkness. 

If Bram Stoker, Alistair MacLean, and Quentin Tarrantino collaborated on a project they surely would deliver this masterpiece. The Last Night to Kill Nazis is epic entertainment and comes with my highest recommendation. Get it HERE.

Paperback Warrior Jigsaw Puzzle Out Now!

Experience vintage action-adventure paperbacks like never before! The PW Jigsaw Puzzle is out now and designed by me! Get it HERE.