Elitist Book Reviews

I've loved Sarah Pinborough's writing since I first opened the cover on A MATTER OF BLOOD. And since reading Robert McCammon and Jasper Kent, I've been rather obsessed with Historical Horror. So when I received a copy of Sarah's newest Historical Horror novel...well, I'd died and gone to heaven.

MAYHEM takes place in Whitechapel when it was gripped in the panic of the Jack the Ripper murders. But this novel isn't about Jack the Ripper. That would be too obvious. It's definitely there in the backdrop, but MAYHEM is about a different murderer that was terrorizing the streets at the same time. This novel is about a series of unsolved deaths called the Torso Murders.

The main character is Dr. Thomas Bond, a physician/coroner that seems to be able to glean the motives of a killer from his handiwork. It's interesting to see a criminal profiler of sorts in this environment. Dr. Bond also has a growing dependency on drugs. This downward spiral--due to a vicious circle of drug use to cope with the horrors he sees in his job--is handled terrifically and is completely relevant to the plot.

If there is a weakness to MAYHEM, it is the supporting cast. None of them matter a whole lot. They are mostly there to aid Dr. Bond in his discovery of the actual murderer, and I wish they had been more relevant. As it stands, their PoVs just serve to set the stage. Seeing as the novel is fairly short, and fast-paced once you get used to the writing style, the lack of depth to those characters ultimately isn't that important. This is Dr. Bond's journey.

What I love about the story--apart from the main character--is how Pinborough seems to effortlessly show the fear gripping the city and its people. It's also the way Pinborough accomplishes it. You see, most authors writing in a historical setting would just give the reader a dry history lesson to show how much research they did. Boooorrrring. Instead, every character in MAYHEM has fear worming away at their insides. It's never the same in two characters, and it's that attention to detail that showcases that very real fear that must have dominated the lives of every person in that time.

This isn't just straight Historical Fiction. Pinborough brings the supernatural to the party as well. It's light, and I could probably make a case that it's perhaps even all in the characters' minds. I love the layer it adds to the story. Without it, this is just another story. With the supernatural element, it makes the main PoV more admirable in my eyes. And really, this book hinges on whether you are fully on-board with Dr. Bond and all the decisions he makes (or doesn't make).

MAYHEM isn't as strong of a novel as those in her Dog Faced Gods Trilogy (or Forgotten Gods Trilogy as it's called in the USA), but it is still dang good. If you are a fan of Robert McCammon's Matthew Corbett novels, or Jasper Kent's Danilov Quintet, MAYHEM is just the sort of novel you should be reading.

I hope this isn't the last time Sarah Pinborough does Historical Horror, because she is awesome at it.

Recommended Age: 16+
Profanity: Kinda weird. There is hardly any, but when it's there it is fairly strong.
Violence: Well, duh.
Sex: There are some PoVs in the minds of prostitutes, and those are somewhat lurid, but nothing major in this category.

Here's your link:

MAYHEM

Sarah Pinborough, I could hug you. Should we run into each other again, just expect a completely gleeful hug from me.

Think back on all of the Horror novels you've ever read. The vast majority of them are stand-alone novels. The vast majority have also likely sucked. Horror has issues--you know it, and I know it. Horror authors tend to get so caught up in "How much blood and guts can I show" or "Satanism is scary" that their books turn into giant clichés. They all fall back on the same, tired tropes of the genre, and they forget that great Horror is really defined by characters and story. I'm convinced this is why most Horror is limited to stand alone novels. Guys like McCammon, Wells, Wilson and Lumley have crafted excellent series because they focus on the right stuff. They are able to carry a focused story over several novels.

In my own long-winded fashion, I guess this is my way of saying that I've added Pinborough to my list of "Best Horror Authors". Her third and final novel in the Dog-Faced Gods Trilogy, THE CHOSEN SEED, is an incredible end to an incredible Horror series. I put it right there with my absolute favs. The Repairman Jack series. The Matthew Corbett series. The Harry Keogh novels. Yeah, for me Pinborough's Cassius Jones trilogy is in the same league.

THE CHOSEN SEED starts with Cass Jones on the run. After the events of THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL, Cass now finds himself with hardly a friend in sight, framed for multiple murders, recovering from a gunshot wound, and still looking for the whereabouts of his nephew. Mr. Bright is till around, of course, as is the rest of his shadowy organization. It's all a very hopeless situation which sets up the book perfectly for the finale.

THE CHOSEN SEED starts out much slower than the prior two novels, and its pacing is much less procedural as well. This novel is less about solving a murder here and there, and more about Cass finding out about himself. Why is Cass special? Why is his nephew, Luke, so important? Who IS Mr. Bright? Every question has an answer, though the answer is rarely filled with pleasant dreams of rainbows and gumdrops. This IS a Sarah Pinborough novel after all.

I have to be VERY careful about what I say in this review because one little stray comment could ruin everything. There is a nice revisit from a past character, and it's completely awesome to see Mr. Bright not fully in control. Cass is suitably frustrated and beaten down, so his actions are all 100% believable.

Keep in mind that THE CHOSEN SEED will change your entire outlook on the series. I had a pretty good idea where it was going very early on, but once my suspicion was confirmed I had one of those movie montage moments. You know, the one where you see all the prior scenes as all the pieces snap together or become suddenly clear? It was just like that. When you get to the end there will be that moment where you point at the page and think, "Yep, this was probably the idea that spawned this whole series in the author's mind." For me it was like I got a brief glimpse at the core of Pinborough's raw, creative process.

What more can I say? The writing is accessible while not being dumbed-down. Again, the pacing is slower than the prior novels, but it doesn't hurt the story in the least. The characters are the natural evolution of what they started at in the first book, A MATTER OF BLOOD. When all the answers start coming to light, they are big, epic, and perfectly handled.

I don't often get that feeling of warm fuzzies when I finish a series. Finales are usually a let-down if the author even gets to the finale in the first place. THE CHOSEN SEED is, in my opinion, a near perfect ending to a near perfect series. I don't know what more I could even ask for. This is Horror where we see how under-prepared characters deal with an impossibly huge situation. In the end, I was left feeling completely satisfied.

THE CHOSEN SEED, and the whole Dog-Faced Gods Trilogy, is all about characters and story. It doesn't get any better than that.

You owe it to yourself to read THE CHOSEN SEED, and thus you owe it to yourself to read the entire series. We will be getting this full series in the US starting in 2013, but I really don't expect you US readers to wait that long. It's worth the price of importing. For all the lovely UK readers, if you haven't read these books you may want to go see if you are sick or something. Sarah Pinborough's The Dog-Faced Gods Trilogy is easily one of the best Horror series out there.

Recommended Age: 18+
Language: As in the prior novels, there is a ton.
Violence: Not quite as visibly violent as the prior novels due to Cass not investigating murders.
Sex: Nothing shown, but talked about quite a bit.

Quit screwing around and buy this series. All of it. (Though if you want to wait until the official US release I won't hold it against you...)

A MATTER OF BLOOD
THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL
THE CHOSEN SEED

Horror writers often get a bad stigma attached to them. It seems like no matter who you are (with a few notable exceptions), once you are a “Horror author” you are looked at as not being a good writer. I’ll admit that I was one of those super judgmental folks before I began this blog. I’ve since learned that genre has nothing to do with writing quality.
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Remember Sarah Pinborough? She wrote A MATTER OF BLOOD and SHADOW OF THE SOUL, and I loved those books to death. Sarah is currently one of my absolute favorite authors, largely due to her ability to not only write awesome horror stories, but mainly due to the high quality of her writing. I was at World Fantasy and happened across a copy of Sarah Pinborough’s . It’s a limited edition novella, but don’t let that turn you away. Sarah told me at the convention that this was the best thing she’d written. So is it?

By far.

Horror is typically (and erroneously) associated with blood, guts and shock value. But Horror is much more than that. It can be complex, and focused on the things that terrify individuals and/or families. THE LANGUAGE OF DYING is about the horror of dealing with some of the most horrible situations a family can go through – the impending death of a father.

Death – especially of a personal nature – is often glossed over. People don’t like to talk about it, and when they do, it is limited to fairly general terms. The complete personal thoughts of a person rarely are spoken. Why? Because sometimes those thoughts aren’t good. THE LANGUAGE OF DYING follows the main PoV - the middle, female child out of a family of five - as she deals with the imminent death of her father. It’s a terrible situation, and then she deals with the rest of her broken and dysfunctional family. Every member of the family feels extremely real. They each act in utterly believable ways, and not all of their actions are noble. Actions of extreme selfishness in the novel are countered by moments of sincere love from unlikely places.

I kid you not when I say Sarah Pinborough effortlessly handles the raw emotions inherent in this type of situation. Honestly, having personally experienced a sliver of this type of situation, the emotions are perfect. Perfect. Towards the end of the novella, I was in tears.

Don’t go into this novel expecting Horror in the hack-and-slash vein. This is a more personal Horror. It resonates on a deeper level, thus making the suspense and terror of the situation much more powerful. Honestly, I’m completely blown away by THE LANGUAGE OF DYING. Is it for everyone? No. Some people just won’t get it. That’s a shame, because this is one of the best works of short fiction I’ve ever read.

Recommended Age: 16+ more for theme than content
Language: Hardly any. Just in one little section.
Violence: There are some horrible situations described here. Again, they are more of a family and personal nature.
Sex: Nope.

Admittedly, I am a fanboy of several things. Steven Erikson novels. Christopher Nolan movies. Jamiroquai. California Pizza Kitchen. The New Orleans Saints. I've recently added another author to my fanboy list. Sarah Pinborough. All of you readers will recall how I unashamedly squealed like a little girl in delight over Pinborough's novel A MATTER OF BLOOD. I loved everything about it (read the review here). Well I finally managed to read her sequel to that amazing novel, THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL.

I loved it!

Pinborough's The Dog-Faced Gods Trilogy is an odd melting-pot of genres and ideas. You get a gritty crime novel mixed with some Urban Fantasy. But don't forget the strong Horror elements or the Science Fiction. This series pretty much mixes it all together effortlessly.

The story of THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL again follows DI Cass Jones. He's dealing with the consequences of exposing a massive amount of corruption in his police precinct in London, as well as dealing with all of the personal fallout from the family matters from A MATTER OF BLOOD. As bad as things are for Cass, they get worse when an enormous terrorist attack cripples London. As he investigates the terrorism, he soon realizes that it may all be wrapped up in the otherworldly people he came into contact with in the previous novel.

The reason I absolutely fell in love with the first novel was its perfect mixture of ideas. It was like that recipe where you just happen to get every single thing perfect, and the taste of the dish created is so good you want to brag to all your friends and family about it. I had absolutely no idea how Pinborough would be able to follow up on A MATTER OF BLOOD. While THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL wasn't quite as perfect as the first novel, it was still freaking amazing. For me, A MATTER OF BLOOD was an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10. THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL comes in at a 9.8 on the same scale.

It all begins with the character of Cass Jones. He is so flawed and easy to identify with. He gets frustrated. Overwhelmed. He sees things that are wrong with the world and wants to fix them. He feels guilt for putting people in terrible situations. He also is very much alone in the world. All of this is presented to the reader with supreme ease by the author. At the same time Pinborough shows that in some ways Jones is not even close the best person in the world. The change in Cass from the first book to the second is readily apparent and completely natural.

The setting is also handled perfectly. London (not to mention the rest of the world, really) it going through a slow apocalypse of sorts. Life is tough. Situations for people are beginning to seem completely hopeless. The tone Pinborough writes into this novel is spot-on perfect. As Cass Jones begins investigating a series of supposed suicides, the tone is enhanced even further. Descriptions of everything from buildings to murder scenes hammer home the decay of the world. The weariness attaches itself to the characters, changing them even further.

I love the Pinborough writes. I love the way she describes the world through the eyes of Cass Jones--he sees that the world is in a bad way (and that he himself is a mess), but he always looks up to see where things are hopeful. The pacing is terrific. The horror is frightening. Most importantly you never feel like anyone is safe which exponentially adds to the tension as the novel progresses.

Honestly I'm having trouble keeping my gleeful enthusiasm in check. I absolutely love this series. THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL, while obviously the middle book of a trilogy, does so many things right that all I want to do is read the next book in the series. This is the type of book (and series) I wish I could write, and am actively working towards that end goal.

This series is due to hit the US next year. If you don't want to wait, import her novels from the UK. You won't regret it. You may just become a complete fan like I have.

Recommended Age: 17+
Language: Tons.
Violence: All sorts.
Sex: Talked about but never shown in detail.

Sarah's Website:
http://sarahpinborough.com/

What was the last book you read that completely blew you away? It shouldn't be too hard to remember, especially given the astounding levels of mediocrity present in most genres. Being book reviewers--and this may shock you--we read a TON of books. Horror novels fall apart in the end. Thrillers can almost always be predicted. Dan Brown is, well, Dan Brown. Fantasy gets bogged down in the cliché. SF makes you feel like you need an advanced physics degree. Every genre has its downfalls. We read so much that for a novel to really stand out, it has to be special.

Have we piqued your curiosity yet?

A MATTER OF BLOOD, by Sarah Pinborough, is special. A lot of horror and mystery with some paranormal and SF thrown in--it pushes all our buttons in all the right ways. The novel takes place in a near-future London...only this London isn't the vacationers dream as we know it. Corruption on all levels has very nearly brought the city to its knees, and it is in the midst of a mini-apocalypse of sorts...only no one seems to notice or really care. Our main PoV is Detective Inspector Cass Jones. He is investigating a high-profile, public shooting of two boys when he is assigned an additional case dealing with a serial killer. Things are "calm" at this point in the novel, and soon go completely off-the-scale crazy.

The very first thing that jumps out in A MATTER OF BLOOD is Cass Jones. He has serious issues. Guilt. Attitude. Drug addiction. Family problems. He doesn't try to be witty. His life sucks too much to even attempt it. But he is also extremely good at his job. His skill helps the reader initially overcome the "dirt-bag" vibe he exudes early in the novel. Don't worry, by the end of the novel you'll love Cass in spite of his problems...or perhaps because of them. We wouldn't even really call Cass an antihero. Though that is all the rage, Cass Jones never wears that particular hat. The attraction to this particular Inspector is that he comes across as a seriously flawed, yet hard working guy. That "human" aspect is the key.

Pinborough's description in this novel is awesome. From describing the dingy streets of London, to the macabre crime-scenes, to the way the whole police business now works is all top-notch. Hazy flashbacks come at the perfect time. It all sets the ambiance and the mood just right. There is a palpable Raymond Chandler, noir/hardboiled feel to it all. That alone should be enough to get you salivating.

The pacing in A MATTER OF BLOOD is fantastic. Right when you start to worry that things are slowing down too much, Pinborough twists the story a little more through whatever means she feels necessary. She doesn't ever seem to be afraid to genre-mix, and she never pulls punches. Ever.

Perhaps the best descriptor we can give is that A MATTER OF BLOOD is everything we hoped R. Scott Bakker's thrillers would be. Where his thrillers have ultimately fallen completely flat in our opinion, Pinborough's novel succeeds and excels in every way.

Now like we said, the endings of 90% of all Horror novels unravel and completely ruin the rest of the novel. Not so in this case. The ending to A MATTER OF BLOOD made it better. It was completely perfect, awesome and shocking. When everything starts coming together, and the Cass puts the pieces together, it is SOOOOOO GOOD. We couldn't turn the pages quick enough. While a bit of it was kinda predictable, it was the sinister and horrific tiny twists that made it frakking awesome.

Sarah Pinborough's A MATTER OF BLOOD is horrific and gripping. It immediately vaults into our top novels not just in the Horror genre, but in any genre. It perfectly encapsulates all the great qualities of Crime Fiction, Horror and Urban Fantasy with a little SF thrown in for kicks. EVERYONE should read this novel.

Currently A MATTER OF BLOOD is only available in the UK, though Sarah hinted at a US release through Tor later this year. We don't care if you import it now or wait for the US release. We've already bought the UK edition, and we'll buy copies of the US version too. Yeah, for us it was THAT GOOD. Her second novel has just been released in the UK, and we will probably put our lives completely on hold to read it.

Recommended Age: 18+
Language: Gritty Crime/Horror. Tons of swearing, but it never actually feels overused somehow.
Violence: Our good buddy James Barclay (we owe you one, James) pointed us in Sarah's direction with the promise of awesomely described violence. He's never led us astray before, and he didn't this time. Crazy, crazy stuff.
Sex: Talked about very, very openly and often, but never actually shown in explicit detail.