Tag: horror

Scream, by Jack Heath

Scream: The Human Flytrap‘Get them out, get them out -‘
Josh pulled the old woman’s hands off his shoulders. Her skin felt like wet tissue paper.
‘Mum!’ he yelled.
‘What happened to him will happen to you!’ the woman screeched. ‘Go away! Go away!’
She froze, staring over Josh’s shoulder. Josh looked, but saw nothing other than the trees swaying in the breeze.

Strange things are always happening in Axe Falls, but when Josh and his family move into an old, run-down house, they get really creepy. Josh is sure something terrible has happened in the house, and the old lady from next door keeps telling him he must leave, but his family don’t seem to be worried. At school, his best friend’s science experiment comes to life, and Josh starts to wonder if the two things are connected – and whether he will live long enough to find out.

Scream is a new high-action horror series from Australian author Jack Heath. The Human Flytrap introduces Josh and his friends as they deal with human flytraps, while the second instalment, The Spider Army , features an invasion of deadly blue-backspiders.

Each book stands alone, and has plenty of twists and turns to keep readers of all abilities hooked. Spooky covers and page embellishments add to the eerie feel, and The Human Flytrap has a sound chip so that the book screams when opened, which will amuse young readers.

The Human Flytrap , ISBN 9781760152086
The Spider Army , ISBN 9781760152093
Both by Jack Heath
Scholastic Australia, 2015

 

The Beckoning by Paul Collins

The fear in the room was palpable. There were two of them. Simon Reeves, former rugby giant for Melbourne Storm, a beefy full forward with a ruddy complexion and faintly aggressive nature, and Milton Bush, lifelong friend of Simon’s, small, ferret-faced, with curly hair that earned him the nickname of Poodle at school, and who shared with Simon an addiction to heroin.

They had joined the Cultural Development Group one year ago to this day. They were an unlikely pair to join a sect, and even more unlikely was the fact that they were in the process of riffling Brother Desmond’s files.

The fear in the room was palpable. There were two of them. Simon Reeves, former rugby giant for Melbourne Storm, a beefy full forward with a ruddy complexion and faintly aggressive nature, and Milton Bush, lifelong friend of Simon’s, small, ferret-faced, with curly hair that earned him the nickname of Poodle at school, and who shared with Simon an addiction to heroin.

They had joined the Cultural Development Group one year ago to this day. They were an unlikely pair to join a sect, and even more unlikely was the fact that they were in the process of riffling Brother Desmond’s files.

Matt Brannigan, his wife Helen and their daughter Briony are on the move again. Briony has strong unbridled psychic abilities that defy description and result in their almost transient lifestyle. This time, they’ve decided to go to Warrnambool, for no good reason any of them can identify. Almost immediately, Helen dies, in circumstances that might be natural but probably are not. The resulting grief drives a wedge between Matt and Briony and almost before he’s aware of it, she’s joined the Cultural Development Group. Brother Desmond, cult leader is both creepy and charismatic and his many followers will protect him at all costs. Far from being a coincidence, it seems that Briony’s attraction to the cult is part of Brother Desmond’s plan. She has power he needs and nothing, not even the most determined father, is going to get in his way. A horror novel set in regional Victoria, ‘The Beckoning’ blurs the lines between living and dead, and brings nightmares to full, terrifying life.

Strap yourself in and take a ride on the very dark side, where death is only a gateway and the gate is not quite latched. This is a world where cultists prey on the lonely and those suffering, offering sanctuary without revealing the costs. Knowledge is power and Brother Desmond harvests knowledge from those who offer it as well as those who try to withhold it. ‘The Beckoning’ is a thrilling novel, best read in daylight. Matt Brannigan is forced to examine his beliefs and understanding as he takes on a foe able to manipulate minds, conjure lethal weather conditions and warp reality in his quest to cross the threshold of hell. He is assisted by Helen’s friend Clarissa, who has insights he will need if they are going to be able to best the maniacal Brother Desmond.

 

The Beckoning cover art

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Beckoning, Paul Collins Damnation Books 2013 Digital ISBN: 9781629290331

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Cry the Night, by Glenn Miller

Reviewed by Molly Martin

A little boy punished by being put into a sack and suspended from a beam in a cellar at the hands of an unbalanced mother is later a youngster made to stand in a darkened cellar for hours on end.

The body of ten-year-old girl, an extended, fruitless search, and a missing six-year-old set in motion a twenty-year odyssey. The town of Traviston, Australia is forever changed in 1981 with the murder of Sarah Nielson and the disappearance of her little sister Rebecca. The only thing left behind were Rebecca’s panties and her dress. Residents who once trusted their neighbours now became suspicious of those living nearby. Children were kept safe at home behind closed doors, or in some cases the family packed and moved to get away from the horror.

On a pleasant day many years after the brutal murder; teenager Sally Smith is happy to accept a ride from an elderly man who has known her family for years. For Sally her ride with a trusted old friend turns into a nightmare from which escape seems impossible. When sixteen-year-old Kirsty and her five-year-old friend Sam set out for a walk on the cattle property where Kirsty is spending her school holiday with the family of her mother’s close friend she knows nothing of the hidden dangers lurking not so far away. A secret place, youngsters filled with a sense of adventure, and a cave filled with bodies all are part of this tale of child abuse, horror and alarm.

Cry the Night is a psychological thriller, set in the austere Australian wilderness, where young bushwalkers are pitted at night against the relentless unadulterated evil stalking them across remarkably arduous terrain.

Twenty years of secrets buried in the hidden backcountry wilds of Australia lie shielded by a lunatic. At an inaccessible creek on the brim of the wilderness where the body of a murdered ten-year-old girl is discovered, the narrative begins. The recital next moves to the present, with four young men and one teenage girl determining they will investigate the craggy valleys, ridges and caverns near where they are staying on a large cattle property. The bushwalkers unintentionally intrude upon the perilous mystery kept secret for more than two decades when they enter the region which a psychopath believes to be his. A demented serial killed living in a world filled with sexual darkness and hallucination will confront the young people who find their day walk becoming a fight for survival during which they will confront their worst fears. The evil stalking them will bring the youngsters faced to face with a terror beyond their wildest imagination.

Well fleshed, potent characters each have their own particular disposition. Twists and turns keep the reading guessing in this tale of a monster created by the derangement of a parent. Specific details of the murderer’s life are set down in fantasy, dreams, memories and loathsome actions by an almost sixty year old man who might be any one of the several fellows fitting that description who live in the area.

Not for the faint of heart, nor for a dark and stormy night when you are home alone.

Cry the Night, by Glenn Miller
Sunny Side Up Publishing, available in ebook or paperback formats.

This review contributed by Molly Martin.