- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Telos Publishing Ltd (28 Feb 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1845830555
- ISBN-13: 978-1845830557
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,620,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
`Sam Stone without doubt is a mistress of the grisly and the glutinous. She is one of the few horror writers who makes you feel when you have finished her stories that you need to wash your hands. Twice. I believe that we can look forward to seeing Sam Stone develop into a major influence in the realm of blood and shadows and things that wake you up, wide-eyed, in the middle of the night.'
GRAHAM MASTERTON
--Book's Foreword
GRAHAM MASTERTON
--Book's Foreword
Product Description
ZOMBIES IN NEW YORK AND OTHER BLOODY JOTTINGS is a thought provoking and eclectic mix of horror and dark fantasy from the UK's new Queen of Vampire Fiction.
Something is sapping the energy of the usually robust dancers of the Moulin Rouge ... Zombies roam the streets of New York City ... Clowns die in mysteriously humorous ways ... Jack the Ripper's crimes are investigated by a vampire ...
Welcome to the horrific and poetic world of Sam Stone, where Angels are stalking the undead and a vampire becomes obsessed with a centuries-old werewolf. Terror and lust go hand in hand in the disturbing world of the Toymaker, and the haunting Siren's call draws the hapless further into a waking nightmare.
Containing thirteen stories of horror and passion, and six mythological and erotic poems from the pen of the new Queen of Vampire fiction.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This collection is split into three sections. The first seven short tales fall under the banner heading of Lucrezia's Stories. Lucrezia is the main character from another novel called Futile Flame, which is part of the Vampire Gene series. The second section, called Other Bloody Jottings contains six one off short stories. The collection is rounded off with six poems
Of the thirteen stories that make up the main body of the anthology my personal favourites are listed below.
Fools Gold - I have to admit that I'm a bit of a sucker for stories set in Victorian London. Add to that the mystery that surrounds the legends of Jack the Ripper as well as a vampire-cum-detective and you have successfully caught my attention.
Lead Poisoning - Another story that has a definite nod to the detective genre. In this instance however the action takes place in modern day Los Angeles but also has one foot firmly in the past.
Zombies in New York - I don't want to say too much about this, as it would spoil the surprise, but imagine if 28 Days Later had vampires in it. Zombie purists may disagree a bit with the title though.
Clown Addict - In a collection of macabre and quirky stories I think Clown Addict wins the prize for being the oddest. A civil servant who works in the security services develops an attraction to clowns. Rather than fearing them, Coulrophobia fact fans, he lusts after them. This is definitely one of the stronger stories in the collection. It was nice to see a horror mainstay, the scary clown, de-constructed and stood on its head.
Chillers and Breathers - Two cops hunt down a killer, one is a ghost while the other is alive. I like the premise of this story - an alternate Earth where ghosts and the living co-exist. I could quite happily read an entire novel that further explores this mythology.
Each story in the collection ends with some additional thoughts from the author. I'm undecided how I feel about these inclusions. In a couple of instances the additional notes do prove to be insightful but on other occasions I think that certain stories may have been better served by leaving them to speak for themselves.
Zombies of New York and Other Bloody Jottings certainly acts as a perfect introduction to Sam Stone's work. If you enjoy the likes of Laurell K Hamilton' Anita Blake series then I think it may be worth your while checking this out. The short stories that take up the first half of the book do offer a tantilising glimpse into the Vampire Gene universe.
Overall I found this collection to be a bit of a mixed bag. The stories I highlighted above captured my imagination and were a great deal of fun to read but some of the others left me a little cold. In fairness I don't think I am necessarily the target audience for this collection. The inner cover mentions, "Chick slash has never been so entertaining". I think based on the fact that I had to go and look up what Chick slash meant this would suggest that I'm not the novel's intended target.
I also have to be honest and admit that I didn't read any of the poetry. My experience with poetry is limited and I fear I could potentially do the author's work a disservice by attempting to write/review an art form I am largely ignorant of.
Stone is undoubtedly passionate about her work and I think I would recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys his or her horror with a lustful or obsessive edge and is willing to give something new a try.
Of the thirteen stories that make up the main body of the anthology my personal favourites are listed below.
Fools Gold - I have to admit that I'm a bit of a sucker for stories set in Victorian London. Add to that the mystery that surrounds the legends of Jack the Ripper as well as a vampire-cum-detective and you have successfully caught my attention.
Lead Poisoning - Another story that has a definite nod to the detective genre. In this instance however the action takes place in modern day Los Angeles but also has one foot firmly in the past.
Zombies in New York - I don't want to say too much about this, as it would spoil the surprise, but imagine if 28 Days Later had vampires in it. Zombie purists may disagree a bit with the title though.
Clown Addict - In a collection of macabre and quirky stories I think Clown Addict wins the prize for being the oddest. A civil servant who works in the security services develops an attraction to clowns. Rather than fearing them, Coulrophobia fact fans, he lusts after them. This is definitely one of the stronger stories in the collection. It was nice to see a horror mainstay, the scary clown, de-constructed and stood on its head.
Chillers and Breathers - Two cops hunt down a killer, one is a ghost while the other is alive. I like the premise of this story - an alternate Earth where ghosts and the living co-exist. I could quite happily read an entire novel that further explores this mythology.
Each story in the collection ends with some additional thoughts from the author. I'm undecided how I feel about these inclusions. In a couple of instances the additional notes do prove to be insightful but on other occasions I think that certain stories may have been better served by leaving them to speak for themselves.
Zombies of New York and Other Bloody Jottings certainly acts as a perfect introduction to Sam Stone's work. If you enjoy the likes of Laurell K Hamilton' Anita Blake series then I think it may be worth your while checking this out. The short stories that take up the first half of the book do offer a tantilising glimpse into the Vampire Gene universe.
Overall I found this collection to be a bit of a mixed bag. The stories I highlighted above captured my imagination and were a great deal of fun to read but some of the others left me a little cold. In fairness I don't think I am necessarily the target audience for this collection. The inner cover mentions, "Chick slash has never been so entertaining". I think based on the fact that I had to go and look up what Chick slash meant this would suggest that I'm not the novel's intended target.
I also have to be honest and admit that I didn't read any of the poetry. My experience with poetry is limited and I fear I could potentially do the author's work a disservice by attempting to write/review an art form I am largely ignorant of.
Stone is undoubtedly passionate about her work and I think I would recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys his or her horror with a lustful or obsessive edge and is willing to give something new a try.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This short story collection works both as an excellent introduction to Sam Stone as a writer but also shows off her skills and interests outside of the Vampire Gene series. The opening section of the collection features stories set in the Vampire Gene universe which serve to further develop the character of Lucrezia as well as giving the reader a variety of adventures such as Fool's Gold, a memorable and imaginative interpretation of Jack the Ripper that shades into genres other than horror when his identity is revealed; Lead Poisoning, a clever little murder mystery that does not rely on speculative trappings as might be expected; Zombies in New York with its gruesome evocations of Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2, I could almost hear the strains of Fabio Frizzi's score uneasily churning away as I turned the pages, and the erotic horror of Red where fetish, addiction and death all suggestively intermingle.
The second section of the collection is my favourite though as Sam Stone shows she can do black comedy in Clown Addict; a borderline meta-fictional ghost story in Immortal Monster; and my two personal favourites from the collection as a whole - the creepy hallucinatory nightmare-fantasy of Siren Song and the pitch-black visceral horror of The Toymaker's House.
The collection closes with a short selection of poems which serve as concise condensations of the themes and concepts that have run throughout up to this point - violence as aphrodisiac, sex as source of communication with the Other; the body as a thing of beauty and horror. The poem that ends it all 'I wish I was Dead (The Cry of the Unloved)' reads as possibly one of the most personal and private pieces herein and thus makes for a great closer. As a whole, I think this is Sam Stone's best and most representative work to date.
Recommended for those who like their horror and dark fantasy done saucy, sexy, thoughtful and violent but, above all, entertaining.
And let's not forget that cover - who doesn't want a rotting zombie clown sitting on their shelf?
The second section of the collection is my favourite though as Sam Stone shows she can do black comedy in Clown Addict; a borderline meta-fictional ghost story in Immortal Monster; and my two personal favourites from the collection as a whole - the creepy hallucinatory nightmare-fantasy of Siren Song and the pitch-black visceral horror of The Toymaker's House.
The collection closes with a short selection of poems which serve as concise condensations of the themes and concepts that have run throughout up to this point - violence as aphrodisiac, sex as source of communication with the Other; the body as a thing of beauty and horror. The poem that ends it all 'I wish I was Dead (The Cry of the Unloved)' reads as possibly one of the most personal and private pieces herein and thus makes for a great closer. As a whole, I think this is Sam Stone's best and most representative work to date.
Recommended for those who like their horror and dark fantasy done saucy, sexy, thoughtful and violent but, above all, entertaining.
And let's not forget that cover - who doesn't want a rotting zombie clown sitting on their shelf?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
Wow!!! Not to put too fine a point on this, once I had picked this up, it was almost impossible to put it down. I hadn't read any of the Vampire Gene series prior to starting this (Safe to say I have now!) but no prior knowledge is needed. The first section of stories do revolve around one of the principal characters of the Vampire Gene, BUT, the reader is thrown straight into the world of Lucrezia with no effort and you immediately feel at home with her and the way in which she looks at her 'life'
Personal favourites of this section have to be 'Fools Gold' (Sucker for Victorian times and the legend of Jack the Ripper, add a vampire into the mix - sheer heaven!) and the linked 'Tar' and 'Red' (A Wolf God - brilliant!). One word of caution, if the reader is, shall we say, a little prudish, then prepare to be sexually awakened, as Sam does not hold back in any way shape and form to the sexual appetitites and needs that the vampire has always hinted at and describes each act in a truly vivid and encapsulating way. My personal opinion on this: TOTALLY JUSTIFIED AND REQUIRED, never hold back Sam, they make the stories even more engaging!
The Second section are six unrelated but quite brilliant and horrific stories. You may never look at clowns in the same way again, I know I wont! My personal favourite of this section though has to be the sublime, disturbing and downright horrific, Toymaker's House. If you never read another horror story in your life, then read this as it is truly majestic and does exactly what Sam set out to do. Never before has a story really got under my skin as this one did, I promise not to give anything away, but some of the descriptive text had a hardened horror nut such as myself squirming with discomfort. BRAVO, job done!!!
The final section encompasses a section of Sam's poems. My personal favourite is 'Not all Vampires drink blood' which I actually used as a talk on part of my university course. The Succubus always fascinated me and this poem really brings out what they are all about.
In summary, if you like blood and gore and downright brilliant written and executed tales, then BUY THIS!!!
There really is a new Queen of Horror, long may she reign!!!
Personal favourites of this section have to be 'Fools Gold' (Sucker for Victorian times and the legend of Jack the Ripper, add a vampire into the mix - sheer heaven!) and the linked 'Tar' and 'Red' (A Wolf God - brilliant!). One word of caution, if the reader is, shall we say, a little prudish, then prepare to be sexually awakened, as Sam does not hold back in any way shape and form to the sexual appetitites and needs that the vampire has always hinted at and describes each act in a truly vivid and encapsulating way. My personal opinion on this: TOTALLY JUSTIFIED AND REQUIRED, never hold back Sam, they make the stories even more engaging!
The Second section are six unrelated but quite brilliant and horrific stories. You may never look at clowns in the same way again, I know I wont! My personal favourite of this section though has to be the sublime, disturbing and downright horrific, Toymaker's House. If you never read another horror story in your life, then read this as it is truly majestic and does exactly what Sam set out to do. Never before has a story really got under my skin as this one did, I promise not to give anything away, but some of the descriptive text had a hardened horror nut such as myself squirming with discomfort. BRAVO, job done!!!
The final section encompasses a section of Sam's poems. My personal favourite is 'Not all Vampires drink blood' which I actually used as a talk on part of my university course. The Succubus always fascinated me and this poem really brings out what they are all about.
In summary, if you like blood and gore and downright brilliant written and executed tales, then BUY THIS!!!
There really is a new Queen of Horror, long may she reign!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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