Early on an April Saturday in 1986 in a farm village in Ukraine, widow Marusia Petrenko and her family awake to a day of traditional wedding preparations. Marusia bakes her famous wedding bread—a korovai— in the communal village oven to take to her neighbor’s granddaughter’s reception. Late that night, after all the dancing and drinking, Marusia’s son Yurko leaves for his shift at the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl. In the morning, the air has a strange metallic taste. The cat is oddly listless. The priest doesn’t show up for services. Yurko doesn’t come home from work. Nobody know what’s happened (and they won’t for many days), but things have changed for the Petrenkos—forever. Inspired by true events, this unusual, unexpected novel tells how—and why—Marusia defies the Soviet government’s permanent evacuation of her deeply contaminated village and returns to live out her days in the only home she’s ever known. Alone in the deserted town, she struggles up into the church bell tower to ring the bells twice every day just in case someone else has returned. And they have, one by one… In the end, five intrepid old women—the village babysi —band together for survival and to confront the Soviet officials responsible for their fate. And, in the midst of desolation, a tenacious hold on life chimes forth. Poignant and truthful and triumphant, this timeless story is about ordinary people who do more than simply “survive.” Views: 30
Hailed as "indelible" in Entertainment Weekly's list of "20 Books We'll Read in 2015", this gut-punch of a debut about love, grief, and family "unleashes one of the most comically arresting voices this side of Sam Lipsyte's Homeland" (Publishers Weekly, starred review)In Matt Sumell's blazing first book, our hero Alby flails wildly against the world around him—he punches his sister (she deserved it), "unprotectos" broads (they deserved it and liked it), gets drunk and picks fights (all deserved), defends defenseless creatures both large and small, and spews insults at children, slow drivers, old ladies, and every single surviving member of his family. In each of these stories Alby distills the anguish, the terror, the humor, and the strange grace—or lack of—he experiences in the aftermath of his mother's death. Swirling at the center of Alby's rage is a grief so big, so profound, it might swallow him whole. As he drinks,... Views: 30
...This was the way it always started. First he would see them and the air would thicken. Then the image of them bound. Then came the screaming and the Red Room would appear with the glittering, new meathook waiting just for them. And there in the Red Room he could play for as long as he wanted... This volume also contains the short stories 'The Filmmakers' & 'Writer's Block'.
Review Graphic and gruesome, Hamilton's novel explores voyeurism, sexual predators, child abuse, murder, torture - things I wasn't expecting in a horror novel from Australia. It's not that they don't have horror novels Down Under. It's just that this one is so lean and mean. Spare Key is actually only 170 pages - there are two short stories, The Filmmakers and Writer's Block included (nasty little stories they are as well). But Spare Key is the eye-opener. Think if Edward Lee had a child who grew up Down Under and you might get the general idea of just how horrifying this book is - sexually explicit and violent with an ending I really didn't see coming. --Fatally Yours, September 16th, 2009
But don't be fooled. Hamilton sets out to shock and disgust, making this material limited to a tailored horror audience. The violent sexual nature of many events throughout these stories may see readers placing Spare Key in the "too nasty" basket. So what realm of disgusting and shocking are we talking here? Probably somewhere between Stephen King's darker moments and Bret Easton Ellis's least shocking, and I'm not surprised to find these two authors on Hamilton's list of influences. --[As if!], July 1st, 2009
R. Frederick Hamilton is a young writer going at it hard and heavy in a competitive market. There's a lot of promise in this, his first book. Mark the name down, Hamilton is going to be a voice to be reckoned with in the coming years. --Scary Minds, January 15th, 2010 Views: 30
In a world where magic is power and social status is everything, the color of the jewel you wear determines the course of your life. . . Jared is a Red-Jeweled Warlord bound as a pleasure slave by the Ring of Obedience. After suffering nine years of torment as a slave, he murdered his owner and escaped—only to be caught and sold into slavery once again. Purchased by a notorious queen, Jared fears he will share the mysterious fate of her other slaves—never to be seen again—and so prepares himself for death. But the Gray Lady may not be what she seems and Jared soon faces a difficult decision: his freedom, or his honor. . .. Views: 30
The concluding part of this darkly funny, horror series Darren Shan called 'deliciously nightmarish'. Kyle is a bit of a problem child. He wonâ??t do what his dad tells him. But thatâ??s because his dad wants Kyle to unleash the scuttling, screaming, killer creatures of the Darkest Corners and bring about the end of the world. Now might be a good time to rebelâ?¦ Views: 30
From the bestselling author of Stalin and The Last Tsar comes The Rasputin File, a remarkable biography of the mystical monk and bizarre philanderer whose role in the demise of the Romanovs and the start of the revolution can only now be fully known.For almost a century, historians could only speculate about the role Grigory Rasputin played in the downfall of tsarist Russia. But in 1995 a lost file from the State Archives turned up, a file that contained the complete interrogations of Rasputin's inner circle. With this extensive and explicit amplification of the historical record, Edvard Radzinsky has written a definitive biography, reconstructing in full the fascinating life of an improbable holy man who changed the course of Russian history.Translated from the Russian by Judson Rosengrant.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 30
When 18-year-old police recruit, November Lake, joins training college, her curiosity and desire to solve mysteries soon has her investigating a series of creepy and chilling crimes. With the help of her friend and colleague, Kale Creed, November is soon caught up in a dark world of strange and inexplicable mysteries, each with a deadly twist. Views: 30
On a coal-black night, on a desolate stretch of Arizona highway, two last-chance lovers die badly. In these, the final, cruelest moments of his earthly existence, Dan Cody watches as the lifeblood of his lady is sucked down by the thirsty desert sands. In an instant, his heart and his redemption have been blown away by a postmodern witch and her sadistic goth-giant companion on their gore-soaked joyride to immortality.But even as one life ends in pain and anguish for Dan Cody, another begins. He is about to join those chosen to walk beneath the shadow of the Crow's wing. Revenge will be the sole reason for his return; revenge on two who are speeding into the night in a '49 lamb's-blood Mercury on the fast track to Hell ... or Nevada. And though Kyra Damon and Johnny Church have embraced evil with a zealor's fervor, they underestimate the power of what's pursuing them from beyond the grave-the rough beast that's now slouching toward Vegas with murderous rage in its dead eyes .... Views: 30
Previously published (2015) Self-published. Sixteen-year-old Lady Kimess is expected to one day inherit the role of Royal Seer. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, Kimess steps up now. Untrained and ill-prepared, she doesn't have a choice. Her remaining family's safety, as well as her life, rests in the hands of the Queen of Lazrel. Kimess isn't without allies—even royal ones. Both of the queen's sons have shown support. If she's not careful, a friendship with either prince could prove deadly. Kimess' telepathic and prophetic abilities are called into action when a delegation from the bordering empire arrives to renegotiate a treaty. Mistrust and rumors from every corner of the kingdom swirl around her. Under constant guard in the castle, the only way Kimess can keep her life and one day earn her freedom is by giving the queen everything she requires—no matter the risks. Views: 30
When Liz and step-daddy Peter move to a new house, Liz seems to be on a cloud that just keeps getting higher and higher. Everything is perfect – the baby is safe and happy, and she and Peter have all the time in the world to unleash years of pent-up sexual tension and desire. But, when she goes back to college, a new acquaintance makes her question the quirky family she and Peter have built. Views: 30
