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kkehoe's review
5.0
A perfectly-crafted Lovecraftian, noir epic that is both immensely entertaining and thought-provoking without trying too hard. A meta look into the crafting of a mythology that plays with the boundaries of a genre-bending take on an Odyssey-like literary journey. Read this!!
motherhorror's review
4.0
I was lucky enough to receive a signed, review copy of MUSE by James Renner. This book will be available as a signed, limited edition hardcover this May from Cemetery Dance.
I did a little digging around on James Renner since this is my first time encountering his work. I was impressed when I learned that James is best known as a prolific, true-crime journalist.
After reading MUSE, a sleek horror novella, I believe Mr. Renner's journalism skills and background in true-crime serves to enhance his storytelling ability. This was a captivating read from the very beginning.
The synopsis is deliciously vague--something about some tape recordings and a double missing person's case--the possibility is that we, the readers, will read the transcriptions of said tapes and learn the story behind the disappearances.
Oooo, sounds fun, right?
It was.
I'm taking into consideration that this is one of the earliest reviews of this story and I don't want to give away any exciting reader discoveries (and there are plenty!).
I will recommend that fans of Hardboiled, Crime-Noir should pick this up.
Fans of classic horror fiction should pick this up (see the antique box on the cover with the menacing tentacle? *nodding my head* your suspicions are correct! Shhhh...)
Also, do you just love a sarcastic, witty, foul-mouthed, racist detective that finds himself in the worst possible situations and you absolutely love watching how in the hell he will manage to get himself out of sticky situations? You do? Me too! I would *love* for Renner to do more of these kinds of stories.
He has a keen handle on dialog and language that made me feel like I was watching an old black & white movie where everyone is wearing trench coats and fedoras. I was constantly snickering at the "take no shit" attitude and the wise-assery from our protagonist.
Love, love, that.
Lastly, the story. For being just over 100 pages, this was an expansive storyline--covering many locations and introducing a big cast of memorable characters. I had so much fun reading this story and I honestly think that most horror fans would enjoy this one too--I can't wait to have some discussions about this book so hit me up on social media if you've read it!
I did a little digging around on James Renner since this is my first time encountering his work. I was impressed when I learned that James is best known as a prolific, true-crime journalist.
After reading MUSE, a sleek horror novella, I believe Mr. Renner's journalism skills and background in true-crime serves to enhance his storytelling ability. This was a captivating read from the very beginning.
The synopsis is deliciously vague--something about some tape recordings and a double missing person's case--the possibility is that we, the readers, will read the transcriptions of said tapes and learn the story behind the disappearances.
Oooo, sounds fun, right?
It was.
I'm taking into consideration that this is one of the earliest reviews of this story and I don't want to give away any exciting reader discoveries (and there are plenty!).
I will recommend that fans of Hardboiled, Crime-Noir should pick this up.
Fans of classic horror fiction should pick this up (see the antique box on the cover with the menacing tentacle? *nodding my head* your suspicions are correct! Shhhh...)
Also, do you just love a sarcastic, witty, foul-mouthed, racist detective that finds himself in the worst possible situations and you absolutely love watching how in the hell he will manage to get himself out of sticky situations? You do? Me too! I would *love* for Renner to do more of these kinds of stories.
He has a keen handle on dialog and language that made me feel like I was watching an old black & white movie where everyone is wearing trench coats and fedoras. I was constantly snickering at the "take no shit" attitude and the wise-assery from our protagonist.
Love, love, that.
Lastly, the story. For being just over 100 pages, this was an expansive storyline--covering many locations and introducing a big cast of memorable characters. I had so much fun reading this story and I honestly think that most horror fans would enjoy this one too--I can't wait to have some discussions about this book so hit me up on social media if you've read it!
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