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194 reviews
Myths & Monsters by William Meikle
4.0
Seems to be a collection of William Meikle's stories pulled in from all other things he has written. There were a lot of "I know that !" moments for me having read a lot of his work now. Most of them are great, and the ones that aren't are too short to really offend.
Cold as Death is an Augustus Seton story, he returns to an old friend's side to fight an incarnation of Death that has come for him from a ten-year bargain made. This story has amazing fantasy elements that I couldn't get enough of, and it seems I can't find the collection of this character on kindle and that made me sad. A reaper that brings cold death, a flaming sword, just loved it...
The Kelp is one of his "blob" stories where a mad scientist finds a Shoggoth and combines it with kelp to make a weapon for the military, you know where this is going.
Frankie, Dracula, and the Wolfman Walk Into a Bar is okay, a terrible band dressed in costumes make a deal with a man in a Satan costume that looks too real. I'm sure you also can figure out where this one is going.
The Siren's Song, a man sick of London gets away on holiday to the coast of Scotland where he encounters a very ahem, forceful mermaid creature. This idea is also used in The Midnight Eye Files Series The Sirens and I couldn't tell you which came first but I can tell you... Ouch, that's gotta hurt.
The Hair Belt is about a journal written in 1755 about a soldier's encounter with a strange man that owns a belt that turns one into a werewolf. I suppose it's okay to just outright say it seeing as how the name and certainly the big picture of a werewolf before the story spoil it already. The story is a really well-done adventure, and this journal appears in The Midnight Eye Files Series book The Skin Game. (Which both name and picture of a werewolf on the cover give it away as well :) )
Ghost Nor Bogle Shalt Thou Fear, after a power saw accident a man is rushed to the hospital where a Grim Reaper like being is found... It's not too bad.
Professor Challenger: The Cornish Owlman, well I'm not too familiar with the character so I can't comment on the accuracy but it's a fun adventure story. Carnacki and his electric pentacle make an appearance too. "Some see the owl, some only see the mouse."
The Angel is a pretty meh story, I'm not sure why it's in here, I guess it's only to set up the themes in the final story in the collection. Thankfully it's short. A man finds a winged skeleton believed to be an angel.
The Dreams That Stuff Is Made Of is a weird story about a man, not sure if he's a movie producer or just in special effects, tasked with making a scary giant gorilla monster for a movie. After he fails spectacularly, a man named Mr. Mkele for some reason appears and tells him the pelt he has stolen was once a shape-shifting sorcerer. It's just a really goofy story that's kind of fun.
The Dragon's Bargain is about a man sent to a cave by a woman to obtain its spit. Why? Well, it's really short so it won't take long to find out.
Wee Robbie is a wonderfully done story about a man and his pregnant wife taking a vacation to yet again, the coast of Scotland. The scenery and atmosphere in this one are well written. I was wondering why I had read it before, and then I realized it's the beginning of William Meikle's other book, Eldren- The Book of the Dark. Turns out he took out the strange, deformed little people in this and swapped them for vampires in that. I greatly prefer this version, it's so much more gross and effective.
The Silent Dead, back to August Seton! He brings his flaming sword to a cursed castle and it's awesome. Loads more fantasy stuff. Flaming sword, zombies, curses, yes, please!
Ah finally, the last story, the Fallen. It's a fantasy/horror western about a group of soldiers transported to some otherworldly battleground after they are hit by a strange vortex. They get caught up in a battle of angels against demons. Lots of action and I liked it.
So ends that long review, this is a great collection full of adventure and action, with horror sprinkled in. Most of the stories aren't scary but it's so full of imagination and fun, so who cares?
Cold as Death is an Augustus Seton story, he returns to an old friend's side to fight an incarnation of Death that has come for him from a ten-year bargain made. This story has amazing fantasy elements that I couldn't get enough of, and it seems I can't find the collection of this character on kindle and that made me sad. A reaper that brings cold death, a flaming sword, just loved it...
The Kelp is one of his "blob" stories where a mad scientist finds a Shoggoth and combines it with kelp to make a weapon for the military, you know where this is going.
Frankie, Dracula, and the Wolfman Walk Into a Bar is okay, a terrible band dressed in costumes make a deal with a man in a Satan costume that looks too real. I'm sure you also can figure out where this one is going.
The Siren's Song, a man sick of London gets away on holiday to the coast of Scotland where he encounters a very ahem, forceful mermaid creature. This idea is also used in The Midnight Eye Files Series The Sirens and I couldn't tell you which came first but I can tell you... Ouch, that's gotta hurt.
The Hair Belt is about a journal written in 1755 about a soldier's encounter with a strange man that owns a belt that turns one into a werewolf. I suppose it's okay to just outright say it seeing as how the name and certainly the big picture of a werewolf before the story spoil it already. The story is a really well-done adventure, and this journal appears in The Midnight Eye Files Series book The Skin Game. (Which both name and picture of a werewolf on the cover give it away as well :) )
Ghost Nor Bogle Shalt Thou Fear, after a power saw accident a man is rushed to the hospital where a Grim Reaper like being is found... It's not too bad.
Professor Challenger: The Cornish Owlman, well I'm not too familiar with the character so I can't comment on the accuracy but it's a fun adventure story. Carnacki and his electric pentacle make an appearance too. "Some see the owl, some only see the mouse."
The Angel is a pretty meh story, I'm not sure why it's in here, I guess it's only to set up the themes in the final story in the collection. Thankfully it's short. A man finds a winged skeleton believed to be an angel.
The Dreams That Stuff Is Made Of is a weird story about a man, not sure if he's a movie producer or just in special effects, tasked with making a scary giant gorilla monster for a movie. After he fails spectacularly, a man named Mr. Mkele for some reason appears and tells him the pelt he has stolen was once a shape-shifting sorcerer. It's just a really goofy story that's kind of fun.
The Dragon's Bargain is about a man sent to a cave by a woman to obtain its spit. Why? Well, it's really short so it won't take long to find out.
Wee Robbie is a wonderfully done story about a man and his pregnant wife taking a vacation to yet again, the coast of Scotland. The scenery and atmosphere in this one are well written. I was wondering why I had read it before, and then I realized it's the beginning of William Meikle's other book, Eldren- The Book of the Dark. Turns out he took out the strange, deformed little people in this and swapped them for vampires in that. I greatly prefer this version, it's so much more gross and effective.
The Silent Dead, back to August Seton! He brings his flaming sword to a cursed castle and it's awesome. Loads more fantasy stuff. Flaming sword, zombies, curses, yes, please!
Ah finally, the last story, the Fallen. It's a fantasy/horror western about a group of soldiers transported to some otherworldly battleground after they are hit by a strange vortex. They get caught up in a battle of angels against demons. Lots of action and I liked it.
So ends that long review, this is a great collection full of adventure and action, with horror sprinkled in. Most of the stories aren't scary but it's so full of imagination and fun, so who cares?
Infestation by William Meikle
5.0
Wasn't sure if I should have started this series so soon after reading Crustaceans, but it's awesome and fixes every problem I had with that.
The author has taken part of his story Discontinuity from the collection B.E.M. and reworks it into this one. Now a squad of soldiers sent after a Russian drilling ship find the giant isopods, that emit a blue light, and have venom laced claws. Oh, and they like to eat people...
The isopods are far scarier than the giant crabs and didn't seem as goofy. The action is constant and fast, and the story is never boring. It turns into a great siege tale as well, slowing down a tad and getting to know the characters a bit.
And yes, there are actual characters in this one. No, they aren't deep, and at first, it seems they will be forgettable but as it goes on I got to like them. I'm just gonna keep comparing it to Crustaceans and where I said there the soldiers just had names and shoot guns, and that's all... not the case here. Likable characters. And here the female character isn't a useless crab expert that knows less about crabs than you or I and does nothing but tag along. She knows how to fire a gun, bandage up the team, and figures out key things about the isopods before anyone else.
I see other reviews talking about the abrupt ending, and while that is certainly true, it's part of a multi-book series so I didn't find that to be a problem.
I was going back and forth about how to rate this, but it was meant to be an action-packed fun creature feature and it delivered that in full, so it gets the rare 5 stars from me.
The author has taken part of his story Discontinuity from the collection B.E.M. and reworks it into this one. Now a squad of soldiers sent after a Russian drilling ship find the giant isopods, that emit a blue light, and have venom laced claws. Oh, and they like to eat people...
The isopods are far scarier than the giant crabs and didn't seem as goofy. The action is constant and fast, and the story is never boring. It turns into a great siege tale as well, slowing down a tad and getting to know the characters a bit.
And yes, there are actual characters in this one. No, they aren't deep, and at first, it seems they will be forgettable but as it goes on I got to like them. I'm just gonna keep comparing it to Crustaceans and where I said there the soldiers just had names and shoot guns, and that's all... not the case here. Likable characters. And here the female character isn't a useless crab expert that knows less about crabs than you or I and does nothing but tag along. She knows how to fire a gun, bandage up the team, and figures out key things about the isopods before anyone else.
I see other reviews talking about the abrupt ending, and while that is certainly true, it's part of a multi-book series so I didn't find that to be a problem.
I was going back and forth about how to rate this, but it was meant to be an action-packed fun creature feature and it delivered that in full, so it gets the rare 5 stars from me.
Operation Antarctica by William Meikle
4.0
S-Squad takes on Nazi ice zombies in Antarctica...
Unfortunately, they just aren't as fun as the giant isopods were .. I was expecting them to be intelligent and cool (pun not intended) but they are mostly mindless and never speak. Seems a waste of such a typically evil villain to not have them deliver any lines.
What is fun however is everything else going on this story. You get secret experiments with a "demon" that includes a floating UFO that takes people's consciousness out into the cosmos and a really well-written journal that includes Carnacki's meeting with Winston Churchill. A lot of crazy imaginative stuff is going on in this story, and every time it went back to the S-Squad I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I cared far more about the side stories than them this outing, and that's not a good thing.
The main part, S-Squad vs the Nazi Zombie's was repetitive and pretty boring honestly. They mostly just battle back and forth down a hallway filling in time before we get back the previously mentioned side stories.
They also bring in a few new members to fill in for those who died in the last book, but they are all forgettable except for Wiggins, but that's only because he is extremely annoying. Most of his dialogue is just him making sexual jokes about Hynd's wife. You know, funny the first few times, then frustrating the hundredth time...
Banks, the leader of the squad, and Hynd the second are the main characters basically and are mostly likable just because they are effective at what they do, they don't have much backstory. When the story slowed a little in the first one we saw a little character stuff and personality come out, here it's dominated by again the side stories so that doesn't happen this time.
I need to mention just one more thing before I wrap this up... There's a scene where they, to put it bluntly, have a dance-off to turn back the ritual to draw them further in the base and it was just silly and ridiculous looking in my mind. I enjoyed the getting "Lost in the dance" stuff as a metaphor for what was happening in the cosmos scenes but when you do it literally ... ugh.
So we have a fun, imaginative story, where action and well, everything, takes a backseat to the side stories going on. This weakened the book a bit to me because well, that's what this series is, pew pewing some beasties, or so I thought. Of course, you can add other stuff and I appreciate that it was still an odd choice to me
Unfortunately, they just aren't as fun as the giant isopods were .. I was expecting them to be intelligent and cool (pun not intended) but they are mostly mindless and never speak. Seems a waste of such a typically evil villain to not have them deliver any lines.
What is fun however is everything else going on this story. You get secret experiments with a "demon" that includes a floating UFO that takes people's consciousness out into the cosmos and a really well-written journal that includes Carnacki's meeting with Winston Churchill. A lot of crazy imaginative stuff is going on in this story, and every time it went back to the S-Squad I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I cared far more about the side stories than them this outing, and that's not a good thing.
The main part, S-Squad vs the Nazi Zombie's was repetitive and pretty boring honestly. They mostly just battle back and forth down a hallway filling in time before we get back the previously mentioned side stories.
They also bring in a few new members to fill in for those who died in the last book, but they are all forgettable except for Wiggins, but that's only because he is extremely annoying. Most of his dialogue is just him making sexual jokes about Hynd's wife. You know, funny the first few times, then frustrating the hundredth time...
Banks, the leader of the squad, and Hynd the second are the main characters basically and are mostly likable just because they are effective at what they do, they don't have much backstory. When the story slowed a little in the first one we saw a little character stuff and personality come out, here it's dominated by again the side stories so that doesn't happen this time.
I need to mention just one more thing before I wrap this up... There's a scene where they, to put it bluntly, have a dance-off to turn back the ritual to draw them further in the base and it was just silly and ridiculous looking in my mind. I enjoyed the getting "Lost in the dance" stuff as a metaphor for what was happening in the cosmos scenes but when you do it literally ... ugh.
So we have a fun, imaginative story, where action and well, everything, takes a backseat to the side stories going on. This weakened the book a bit to me because well, that's what this series is, pew pewing some beasties, or so I thought. Of course, you can add other stuff and I appreciate that it was still an odd choice to me
Operation: Siberia by William Meikle
5.0
Brings back the action and full focus on the S-Squad compared to the last book.
Not just one giant creature here, but many. After the beginning and inevitable everything going wrong it is just non-stop action.
The characters are still pretty thin but they definitely have personalities and great one-liners, very action movie like of course. Wiggins, or Wiggo, apparently they like him enough now to give him a nickname, is still pretty annoying with his Sarge's wife jokes, but they weren't as many this time around.
One of the creatures quite surprised me, maybe I should have seen it coming, but I didn't. You already see the Mammoth on the cover, there are plenty of others and it becomes quite a giant animal royal rumble.
I guess I always say the same things for this series, it's just fun. For bringing back all the action and adventure this outing gets 5 Stars from me.
Not just one giant creature here, but many. After the beginning and inevitable everything going wrong it is just non-stop action.
The characters are still pretty thin but they definitely have personalities and great one-liners, very action movie like of course. Wiggins, or Wiggo, apparently they like him enough now to give him a nickname, is still pretty annoying with his Sarge's wife jokes, but they weren't as many this time around.
One of the creatures quite surprised me, maybe I should have seen it coming, but I didn't. You already see the Mammoth on the cover, there are plenty of others and it becomes quite a giant animal royal rumble.
I guess I always say the same things for this series, it's just fun. For bringing back all the action and adventure this outing gets 5 Stars from me.
Operation: Amazon by William Meikle
5.0
The S-Squad takes on giant snakes in the Amazon. Lots more action and fun and I sound like a broken record...
Anyways, there aren't any new recruits to the Squad this time, but it makes it easier to remember their names. Banks, Hynd, McCally, and of course the one-liner dropping Wiggins. He's thankfully getting more likable as it goes on and making me wish he gets eaten less and less.
This outing ditches the sci-fi elements and goes full-on Indiana Jones with temples, curses, hidden gold, and snake gods. Like usual, the plot is always moving fast and doesn't linger on much.
If I could have one nitpick it's that the creature here Giant Freaking Snakes, aren't much of a threat to the Squad. They seemed to be at a bigger threat of going deaf firing at them then getting bit. That's not to say the action scenes aren't great, they are, especially the last fight in the book. Maybe the Squad is just that good at this now.
Book four brings the fun and action and adds even more adventure and I greatly enjoyed it.
Anyways, there aren't any new recruits to the Squad this time, but it makes it easier to remember their names. Banks, Hynd, McCally, and of course the one-liner dropping Wiggins. He's thankfully getting more likable as it goes on and making me wish he gets eaten less and less.
This outing ditches the sci-fi elements and goes full-on Indiana Jones with temples, curses, hidden gold, and snake gods. Like usual, the plot is always moving fast and doesn't linger on much.
If I could have one nitpick it's that the creature here Giant Freaking Snakes, aren't much of a threat to the Squad. They seemed to be at a bigger threat of going deaf firing at them then getting bit. That's not to say the action scenes aren't great, they are, especially the last fight in the book. Maybe the Squad is just that good at this now.
Book four brings the fun and action and adds even more adventure and I greatly enjoyed it.
Operation: Loch Ness by William Meikle
3.0
Had some issues with this one ... The beginning is way too slow, and nothing really happens. They wander around, hunting for the creature, poking at piles of crap, and doing the terrible sex joke banter. Slowing things down would be great for the series if it was for getting to know the characters better. And there wasn't much description of the landscape either, I figured the author would go nuts with the setting but not really...
After more than halfway through they are finally on the water after the creature and it becomes fun. It eventually falters again though due to bad pacing. There are great action scenes in this though! Just have to wade through lots of what felt like filler to me.
More occult stuff goes on here only to annoy me a bit again though. Doesn't mix well with the soldiers and guns as well as I would like in my opinion. I think it's just because no matter how creepy and weird it gets the Squad never has to really do the rituals and stuff back, just blast everything to bits with heavy weaponry. Yelling a few incantations hardly does it for me.
The same four squad members are back, Banks, Hynd, McCally, and Wiggins. Unfortunately, they weren't very interesting this time around, they are running out of action movie one-liners to drop and the Captain taking up smoking simply isn't character development. They are joined by an old man seeking the creature as well, Alexander Seton who was a good character and did what he could to make up for the others.
I did like this overall, it was simply just not as well-paced and action-packed as the others. The few big action scenes that did happen and Seton saved the book for me in the end.
After more than halfway through they are finally on the water after the creature and it becomes fun. It eventually falters again though due to bad pacing. There are great action scenes in this though! Just have to wade through lots of what felt like filler to me.
More occult stuff goes on here only to annoy me a bit again though. Doesn't mix well with the soldiers and guns as well as I would like in my opinion. I think it's just because no matter how creepy and weird it gets the Squad never has to really do the rituals and stuff back, just blast everything to bits with heavy weaponry. Yelling a few incantations hardly does it for me.
The same four squad members are back, Banks, Hynd, McCally, and Wiggins. Unfortunately, they weren't very interesting this time around, they are running out of action movie one-liners to drop and the Captain taking up smoking simply isn't character development. They are joined by an old man seeking the creature as well, Alexander Seton who was a good character and did what he could to make up for the others.
I did like this overall, it was simply just not as well-paced and action-packed as the others. The few big action scenes that did happen and Seton saved the book for me in the end.
Operation Syria by William Meikle
5.0
Could tell the difference between this and the last one right from the beginning, the characters were being fun again and the action comes quickly.
The squad gets three new members joining the surviving three and I was glad to see that, was worried adding new people was being ignored. Of course, Wiggins gets a promotion meaning he gets more money per every Sarge's wife joke and action movie reference. (It wouldn't be a proper review from me if I didn't rag on him.)
The spiders ..... Oh, man. A proper scary creature at any size. The author used every part of them well. Fangs dripping venom, hairy bodies, many eyes shining in the darkness, the sharp ends of feet making noises hitting surfaces of things .. Argh. Well done, but argh...
The action in this one just never lets up, and the Squad members and new supporting character's personalities shine through again. It's not bogged down by occult things it's not prepared to go all-in on, and while still not having deep characters they are once again funny without being annoying and very personable.
Even the location is awesome. It makes for a perfect siege situation and I always enjoy those. Then you have the fun alternative history stuff, mostly Roman this time. I was really worried about this one after the last book, but I just can't say enough nice things about it.
S-Squad works best in my opinion when it goes at a blistering pace and keeps the focus on the action and squad member's personalities and not about over-explaining the creatures or magic/occult elements. For the non-stop action and awesomely done creature, this one gets the full stars.
The squad gets three new members joining the surviving three and I was glad to see that, was worried adding new people was being ignored. Of course, Wiggins gets a promotion meaning he gets more money per every Sarge's wife joke and action movie reference. (It wouldn't be a proper review from me if I didn't rag on him.)
The spiders ..... Oh, man. A proper scary creature at any size. The author used every part of them well. Fangs dripping venom, hairy bodies, many eyes shining in the darkness, the sharp ends of feet making noises hitting surfaces of things .. Argh. Well done, but argh...
The action in this one just never lets up, and the Squad members and new supporting character's personalities shine through again. It's not bogged down by occult things it's not prepared to go all-in on, and while still not having deep characters they are once again funny without being annoying and very personable.
Even the location is awesome. It makes for a perfect siege situation and I always enjoy those. Then you have the fun alternative history stuff, mostly Roman this time. I was really worried about this one after the last book, but I just can't say enough nice things about it.
S-Squad works best in my opinion when it goes at a blistering pace and keeps the focus on the action and squad member's personalities and not about over-explaining the creatures or magic/occult elements. For the non-stop action and awesomely done creature, this one gets the full stars.
Terror Byte by J.R. Park
4.0
A detective, haunted by the death of his girlfriend investigates an office building where a computer program has violently killed everyone.
The characters in this one aren't really great, a detective and an assassin, but it's so action-packed and the violence is gruesome. I enjoyed the commentary on technology a later character brings up too. ( As I sit here endlessly consuming digital entertainment)
The story reminded me of an updated version of the old X-Files episode "Ghost in the Machine" There are a few annoying coincidences like the USB stick having Mel on it, the main character's girlfriend's name and another thing at the end that would be a spoiler. The ending itself was a little annoying too.
I like action, and I like gore, and this book is packed with those.
The characters in this one aren't really great, a detective and an assassin, but it's so action-packed and the violence is gruesome. I enjoyed the commentary on technology a later character brings up too. ( As I sit here endlessly consuming digital entertainment)
The story reminded me of an updated version of the old X-Files episode "Ghost in the Machine" There are a few annoying coincidences like the USB stick having Mel on it, the main character's girlfriend's name and another thing at the end that would be a spoiler. The ending itself was a little annoying too.
I like action, and I like gore, and this book is packed with those.
The Auld Mither by William Meikle
4.0
A solid short horror story focusing mostly on atmosphere.
Dave Duncan comes home to bury his father and does the usual William Meikle character thing of going to a bar to gather information and getting incredibly drunk. To be fair I liked him and his inner turmoil. His problems with his father should be relatable to many.
The Auld Mither lurks behind in the entire story, occasionally stepping out to play mind games or do something horrifically violent. She was really well done and described.
It's a bit hard for me to talk about this one as again, it's very atmospheric and I don't want to give too much away. The Auld Mither's full appearance in the story is great and I'm not gonna ruin that.
With the gore, folklore, and general creepiness this one is pretty good.
Dave Duncan comes home to bury his father and does the usual William Meikle character thing of going to a bar to gather information and getting incredibly drunk. To be fair I liked him and his inner turmoil. His problems with his father should be relatable to many.
The Auld Mither lurks behind in the entire story, occasionally stepping out to play mind games or do something horrifically violent. She was really well done and described.
It's a bit hard for me to talk about this one as again, it's very atmospheric and I don't want to give too much away. The Auld Mither's full appearance in the story is great and I'm not gonna ruin that.
With the gore, folklore, and general creepiness this one is pretty good.
Haunted House and Ghost Stories Collection by Ron Ripley
4.0
Fast-paced, and full of gore. The first book is by far the best. Shane Ryan is different than usual main characters, in his forties, scarred, and completely hairless due to fear causing it all to fall out.
Lots of unique uses of the subject material, but it always reminded me of other things. The shifting rooms in places made me think of the horror movie House, and the iron being used on the dead, and the salting and burning of the bones, of course, the TV show Supernatural. I know these ideas are likely far older than those, but it seems impossible to think they weren't an influence.
The problems with this are easy to say, once you get past the first book it ceases to be horror and becomes action with horror elements. That is fine, but the suspense is pretty much blown when you know Shane, no matter how much he gets hurt, is gonna fight the ghosts directly and win. He also ceases to have any real character development. That is also fine in a way, suffering from loads of trauma before the story even begins, and taking more and more physical and mental damage as the books go on, it's understandable, but that doesn't make him interesting. In the first story seeing him as a child, and dealing with the problem as a grown-up is great, but that just stops.
Shane also has some power that lets him instantly learn a language when heard, and to gain strength from the dead if they lend their support, allowing him to harm ghosts directly. This is never truly explained why, except in a very small way that would be a spoiler. He can just do these things. Are they psychic or supernatural? Who knows, the story just expects you to go with it. When you consider he is also a highly trained marine, he is often left with little threat as the books go on.
The supporting characters aren't much better really, he eventually meets another military man with about as much personality as him and similar combat skills, minus the powers. The stories are filled with various ghosts that do get a fair bit of background, but that's about it. To say it bluntly, read this for the action and gore, not character work.
And well, that action and gore are quite great. The author comes up with some dark and twisted things, and despite its turn into action, there are still some horrific things that happen. There are some truly creative scenarios going on here with how crazy the ghosts are, and I found each one to be fresh and never repetitive.
One other minor problem I had though was at the end of every book there is a section that explores the past of whatever was going on. It was an attempt to fill in background details, but I found it unnecessary and it damaged the mystery. I didn't need it all spelled out for me, maybe others will like that better though.
After nine books the idea was quite exhausted, and so was I. But I had a lot of fun with this one.
Lots of unique uses of the subject material, but it always reminded me of other things. The shifting rooms in places made me think of the horror movie House, and the iron being used on the dead, and the salting and burning of the bones, of course, the TV show Supernatural. I know these ideas are likely far older than those, but it seems impossible to think they weren't an influence.
The problems with this are easy to say, once you get past the first book it ceases to be horror and becomes action with horror elements. That is fine, but the suspense is pretty much blown when you know Shane, no matter how much he gets hurt, is gonna fight the ghosts directly and win. He also ceases to have any real character development. That is also fine in a way, suffering from loads of trauma before the story even begins, and taking more and more physical and mental damage as the books go on, it's understandable, but that doesn't make him interesting. In the first story seeing him as a child, and dealing with the problem as a grown-up is great, but that just stops.
Shane also has some power that lets him instantly learn a language when heard, and to gain strength from the dead if they lend their support, allowing him to harm ghosts directly. This is never truly explained why, except in a very small way that would be a spoiler. He can just do these things. Are they psychic or supernatural? Who knows, the story just expects you to go with it. When you consider he is also a highly trained marine, he is often left with little threat as the books go on.
The supporting characters aren't much better really, he eventually meets another military man with about as much personality as him and similar combat skills, minus the powers. The stories are filled with various ghosts that do get a fair bit of background, but that's about it. To say it bluntly, read this for the action and gore, not character work.
And well, that action and gore are quite great. The author comes up with some dark and twisted things, and despite its turn into action, there are still some horrific things that happen. There are some truly creative scenarios going on here with how crazy the ghosts are, and I found each one to be fresh and never repetitive.
One other minor problem I had though was at the end of every book there is a section that explores the past of whatever was going on. It was an attempt to fill in background details, but I found it unnecessary and it damaged the mystery. I didn't need it all spelled out for me, maybe others will like that better though.
After nine books the idea was quite exhausted, and so was I. But I had a lot of fun with this one.