Now in my third year participating in this favorite of blog tours, you’d think I’d have had a post ready first thing in the morning for you eager coffin hoppers. For horror fans, you sure wake up early ;).
Okay, so here’s what we have planned at Adventures in SciFi Publishing: Monday I will post the first of our two Ronald Malfi and Kevin Lucia podcasts. You can subscribe on iTunes or various other podcatchers so you don’t miss it, but it will pay to stick around as we’ll have daily content and a giveaway at the end. In between podcasts I’ll have topics to discuss and Horror books I recommend.
Giveaway:
I will pick at least two winners to choose an ebook version of any title I mention here between now and Nov. 1. The list might get long, so you’ll have a lot of books to choose from. I’ll keep a running tally at the bottom of each post. More details below.
How to enter:
Comment on our posts, share posts from our Facebook page, and tweet links back to our posts using the #aisfp hashtag.
For those new to the Coffin Hop. Go to the main page and check out all the horror blogs and be ready for Halloween type fun and prizes. They have an anthology releasing this year called Death By Drive In, and proceeds go to Lit World.
Favorite Villain Discussion:
I’ll list three books I think had tremendous villains. I’m sure I could name a lot more, but here are three:
The Wicked
Even thinking about this book and its villain gives me the creeps. A husband, wife and seven year old daughter move to a small North Carolina town where a children’s home once burned down. As the husband and wife struggle to cope with her having been raped–an emotional villain not to be underestimated–their troubled spirits become haunted by a demon named Moloch, who is hungry for the souls of the townspeople, but especially the husband’s child. Moloch is one of the best demon-type hauntings, partly because of the supernatural power it weilds (no spoilers), but also because of the biblical history that the author uses to make this a believable scenario. This book will scare you and make you hold your loved ones tight.
If you win and choose this one, the amazing quality of its paperback version will force me to pay the extra amount to get it in your hands.
No doubt closely related to the fact that this book is my current top read of the year is the fact that it has a killer villain. The apocalypse comes and only meth addicts have survived. This is scarry. This is also very cool because of how it adds to the survival nature that I love to see in post-apocalyptic fiction (not cool in a doing-meth-is-cool kind of way, but how they not only have to find food, but also meth, which is possibly more dangerous than the zombies outside). The zombies are also very scarry, called chucks because of how they chuckle when they get excited/sense a fresh meal.
The most scarry aspect though is how the real villain is the main character’s meth addiction. The main struggle is internal, and is so deeply felt that I couldn’t escape even after I’d finished the story. This gave me one of the few “wow” moments of reading. Even though I haven’t had this kind of addiction, I could relate to how his emotional problems (the kind that makes you think that’s just how you are and there’s no escape) kept him from living up to his dreamed potential and for keeping the girl that he loves. (Listen to our AISFP interview with Peter)
Some of the creepiest moments of reading came from this book, as well as some of the most hilarious. “David” has a real voice and wit that makes his encountering the weirdest events I’ve ever read about a real source of entertainment. The identity of the villain would be a spoiler, so I’ll just say “David” gets props for most imaginative villain. I guess I can say that it has to do with a black goo they call soy sauce which has a mind of its own, a very demented and powerful mind.
So those are my top three villains. What are yours?
AISFP COFFIN HOP GIVEAWAY Details:
The Coffin Hop is an annual blog tour amoung indie horror authors and artists with over eighty sites offering fun content and giveaways. This year, they’re releasing an anthology by many of these authors, called Coffin Hop: Death by Drive-In
Running tally of books to choose from:
Total Coffin Hop Posts so far:
Book Review: ANNO DRACULA: JOHNNY ALUCARD by Kim Newman
SF Book Releases This Week: Oct. 29, 2013
AISFP 236 – Ronald Malfi and Kevin Lucia, Part One
Book Review: APOCALYPTIC MONTESSA AND NUCLEAR LULU
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Timothy C. Ward
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About Timothy C. Ward
I really enjoyed John Dies at the End (haven’t gotten a chance to pick up This Book Is Full of Spiders, though). Now I want to check out those other two you’ve listed. They sounds like interesting reads. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, after writing this I spent a little time looking over the sequel and seeing if there was any news about a third book.
If you enjoyed JDatE, you probably won’t be scared off by the “honest details” in the other two books. Highly recommend both if that’s not a problem.
I haven’t read those books, but their villains sound darkly wonderful.
Thanks for saying so, I tried to do their stories justice.
Those books you mentioned sound cool–have to add them to my “Books to get” list. I think my 3 favorite villains from books are the Devil in “The Exorcist”, Dr. Hannibal Lector in “The Silence of the Lambs” (and others), and Hank Mitchell from “A Simple Plan.” (I guess technically Hank is the story’s “hero,” but he does some pretty terrible things, all of which make sense in a really twisted way.)
I’ve never seen A Simple Plan. Looking at IMDB, that looks like one I’ll have to check out! Thanks for the recommendation. There is a movie version of John Dies at the End, if you prefer movies. I can only hope the other two get movie treatments as well. They are so much better stories than what is out there right now for Horror.
I have to say I haven’t read any of the three, but I’m intrigued… Happy Hopping!
Very cool, Tim! Thanks for the kind words about my novel. I look forward to hearing what the winner thinks as well . . . .
BTW: Great call, Paul! I loved A SIMPLE PLAN — it’s one of my favorite novels of all time, in fact — and Sam Raimi’s adaptation was wonderful too (I might even like it a little *more* than Smith’s book, because it cut out some stuff that I felt got a little *too* over-the-top toward the end, forcing me to suspend my disbelief to its limits). Every time I read the book or see the movie, I can’t help but wonder what it says about me as a human being when I find myself rooting for Hank long after he’s crossed the line from sympathetic everyman to (somehow still) sympathetic villain. Such a great story.
The big, the bad, and the zombies! I love villains, whether they are obvious, subtle, undead, or millions-strong. The creepiest fiction makes you see the POV of the villains. Then, there are zombies. That’s a class by itself. I can’t identify with one, but they provide so much plot fodder! Everything I’m reading this month is full of walking corpses. Some of the smellies aren’t even on the to-be-exploded list.
I have The Wicked in my TBR pile and I just can’t wait to get to it!! My favorite villain would be Hannibal Lecter. I know, a bit trite, but he was the first bad guy I rooted for with all my heart. And Spike, but he’s not in a book… Happy coffin hoping!
I have John Dies At The End but have yet to read it. The other two are going on my list!
Thanks!
I’m into zombie books and I would love to win FIEND. I haven’t read it yet, and it sounds like it rocks!
I’ve heard a lot about John Dies at the End. Sounds good! You’ve got to love a good villain.
Tim!! What’s up? So cool to bump into you. It’s been too long, man. Hope things are well with you and yours.
Hmm? Villans, huh? You know, I’m at a loss. The only one that leaps into my head now and again…err, I mean,comes to mind is ole’ scratch himself, the Devil. I had him make a surprise appearance in one of my crossover vampires books and he’s going to be central in my next one. I guess I’ll have to go with him.
Well, I’m off to continue coffin hopping. Take care and best wishes with everything you’ve got cooking!
-Jimmy
http://jamesgarciajr.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-multitude-of-halloween-giveaways.html
Thanks for stopping by, James! Working hard on the craft and the life change of my first child due early January.
Happy Coffin Hopping! I love your blog! I love sci-fi!
Blaze
Thanks, Blaze! You, too. Good to see you again this year.
This is beyond fun, Timothy! I posted your blog info on my FB page. Super place you have!
Blaze
I would love to read Cradle Lake by Ronald Malfi. It sounds amazing and scary.