Trehern Reads: #StarWars Vector Prime

It has been a long time since I sat among my many leather-bound books and chose a tome worth perusing.  But this night, I find myself weary of the day's travels and must lounge to take in my many thoughts and relax with a good novel.

Ah, an installment in the Star Wars Expanded Universe!  Perfect.  These always take me to high adventure and the depths of uneplored space.  Nope, wait this sucks balls...

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Book Review: Open Wounds by Brandon Ford

We've reviewed a few earlier works by horror author Brandon Ford (here, here, and here) and now he is back with his latest novel, Open Wounds. This time though, he is treading on different ground. This is a different type of horror and it has Ford traveling on roads with the likes of Jack Ketchum.

Truth be told? He travels the road well and gives us a dark, haunting, and tragic story of a young girl whose life spirals out of control after her parents divorce and her mother hauls her to Philadelphia.

While horrific things happen in this story, I'd almost hesitate to call it a horror novel. It really is a dark drama and a nightmarish coming of age story. I don't want to get to deep into the plot for fear of spoilers but let's just say that Ford puts his heroine through hell.

I'm a big fan of Ford's and have enjoyed his work thus far.  Open Wounds is another success for him but it is not without a few flaws. Personally, I think we lose a few of the characters too soon and their involvement and actions sort of feel forced to fit the scope of the story. This doesn't ruin the book by any means, I just think certain characters should have reacted differently and been more intricate in how things eventually turn out.

That said, Brandon Ford has again given us a dark and at times disturbing story that gets under your skin and stays there for days after having finished it. That is not an easy task and it is a testament to his talent that he can give us characters that we feel for and root for and who sticks with us even after the book is closed.

Open Wounds is not for the faint of heart, it is not for those looking for a fun scary read. It is intense, it is dark, and it is an author flexing his skills and delivering a truly affecting work of fiction.

Open Wounds by Brandon Ford

8/10 Cuts!

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Holiday Guide: Top 5 Books!

Merry Christmas, everybody!  And welcome to another installment in the PCB Holiday Guides.  We know it's close to the deadline, but that's okay, just blame the late delivery on Obamacare.  Our staff has already brought you Holiday Guides on GAMING and BOARD GAMES, but for "Trehern Reads" fans (all one of you...), I figured I'd do a Top 5 Book Gifts.  It's always great to give the gift that keeps on giving; and make sure if any of these books catch your fancy, click through on the links!!

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#Trehern Reads: #Raylan by Elmore Leonard

Let's read something that doesn't have dudes in spandex.

When Justified premiered on the air back in 2010, I became a pretty big fan.  It has all the western, cop drama and action/adventure that Trehern thinks watchable in any medium.  The main character of the television series, Raylan Givens, first appeared in a few novels, but it was the short story "Fire in the Hole" that FX used to jump-start their new drama.  Elmore Leonard, Raylan's literary creator, loved the show so much he penned a new novel in 2012: Raylan!

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News: JK Rowling and WB Teaming For More Harry Potter! Sort of.

J.K. Rowling is headed back to the world of Harry Potter.  This time as the screenwriter for a film not featuring Harry but Newt Scamander, the author of Hogwarts textbook"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

She says:  “It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of 'Fantastic Beasts', realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.

As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros.

Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.

I particularly want to thank Kevin Tsujihara of Warner Bros. for his support in this project, which would not have happened without him. I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it.”

What do you think?  Do you want more of the magical Harry Potter universe even if those beloved characters aren't a part of it?

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Book Review: Just After Sunset by Stephen King

It has been six years since Stephen King's last short story collection, Everything's Eventual, and it must have been time well spent. King returns to the short story with Just After Sunset and this collection presents a truly fantastic collection of stories. He sites a guest editing stint for the 2007 edition of Best American Short Stories as renewing his interest in the format after he read through hundreds of submissions. Clearly, those submissions flipped the right switch because King is in fine form with this collection.

Just After Sunset contains 13 newly collected short stories that run the gamut of subjects from 9/11 (The Things They Left Behind), to running from the death of a child straight to the home front of a serial killer (The Gingerbread Girl), to OCD symptoms that may just save humanity (N.). King covers it all here and more.

The stories are genuinely creepy, some with laughs, some with a bit of sadness tucked in for good measure. Just After Sunset is King at the top of his game, proving that he is unparalleled when it comes to putting humanity into his works. His characters come alive and become almost real, even in stories that are just a few pages long. King is a master at giving life to these characters and there are very few others who can even approach him at this.

This collection truly is a brilliant set of stories. I really loved every one of them. My only complaint? I wanted more. The majority of the stories certainly have room for more. Especially N. and The Things They Left Behind. I also think these stories are fertile ground for some good movie adaptations as well.

King's new novel, Under The Dome, is scheduled for release next fall so if you read slow or read one of the stories a month you'll finish just in time for the newest book. I doubt you'll be able to hold out since these stories are so addicting. You won't want to put it down.

Just After Sunset is in stores now. It'll make a great gift for any fan of Stephen King, horror, short stories, or just great storytelling.

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Safe Zone

Please note: This will be a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows SPOILER FREE website.

Pop Culture Beast will not under ANY circumstances reveal any plot points of the book.

Feel free to browse the site comfortably. We're fans here to and would not want anything ruined for us. We most assuredly wouldn't ruin it for you.

Happy reading!

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