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A review by arnzen
All Smoke Rises: Milk-Blood Redux by Mark Matthews
5.0
As a horror writer, I get asked all the time for recommendations for new books and authors in the genre beyond the usual things you find on the supermarket shelves. Lately, I've been recommending Mark Matthews. His "milk-blood" books are really original and modern takes on streetwise noir -- bold examples of gritty realism cast through a blood-red horror lens. He's tackling contemporary fears and societal issues head-on -- charging into them head-first, actually -- and once you read his work it tackles you: there's no escaping the emotional scars that it will inflict on you. It's unforgettable.
The latest "redux" called All Smoke Rises -- a sequel to his unforgettable Milk-Blood novel, which you definitely should read first -- is an unusual and surprising return to the scary world of drug addiction, fanned by the flames and pain, twists and truth, sin and survival. He gets the psychology right, but the story starts to pick at the edges of reality until the boundary lines are no longer clear. The devil is red, bright red, in this short novella, and the plot flares out quick. The writing is tight and the pace quick and when you read his book the whole thing feels like a rush to the head. Few new writers are doing horror with such intensity. Inject it into your mind and you'll see what I mean. It just might make you glow.
The latest "redux" called All Smoke Rises -- a sequel to his unforgettable Milk-Blood novel, which you definitely should read first -- is an unusual and surprising return to the scary world of drug addiction, fanned by the flames and pain, twists and truth, sin and survival. He gets the psychology right, but the story starts to pick at the edges of reality until the boundary lines are no longer clear. The devil is red, bright red, in this short novella, and the plot flares out quick. The writing is tight and the pace quick and when you read his book the whole thing feels like a rush to the head. Few new writers are doing horror with such intensity. Inject it into your mind and you'll see what I mean. It just might make you glow.