Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Oli Jacobs

This weekend is Halloween so Decades is going full on horror this week as Oli Jacobs unleashes five chillers to tempt your TBR.

But as this is Decades this isn’t just a case of a guest recommending books to read there are rules to follow too. Here’s your weekly Decades recap….

I am assembling the Decades Library, a collection of the very best books as recommended by my guests. In January I started this challenge with no books in my Library but as we reach Halloween there have been over 200 titles recommended. Each week I invite my guest to nominate any five books which they would want to include in the Ultimate Library (so we can ensure the very best books are represented). When selecting their five books my guests can only pick one book per decade from five consecutive decades – a fifty year publication span.

I wanted to make sure the Halloween weekend added some horror titles to my Library and took to Twitter to see if anyone fancied taking on the challenge. Not only did Oli Jacobs step up to help in my hour of need, he has absolutely smashed it out of the park with his selections. I have read four of his nominations and you can bet I will be picking up the fifth book.

Oli Jacobs is a bearded fellow who is mostly found patrolling the streets of Southampton in search of good beer, fine company, and fried chicken. Due to his anxiety, please approach with kindness.

His works include the Space Comedy series Kirk Sandblaster, Revenge Thriller series Mr Blank, and Horror titles The Station 17 Chronicles, The Children of Little Thwopping, and (at time of writing) BBNYA 2021 semi-finalist Wilthaven. He hopes you enjoy.

DECADES

THE LONG WALK – RICHARD BACHMAN (aka STEPHEN KING) (1979)

In truth, I could have chosen Stephen King books for each of these choices, but for the sake of variety I’ve simply chosen this title, not just because it’s one of my favourites, but because it comes via King’s infamous pseudonym Richard Bachman. The story is simple in its cruelty: 100 teenage boys are forced to take part in a gruelling walking marathon known as the titular Long Walk. There are no breaks, firm rules, and armed guards to make sure things go along smoothly. As we meet our ever-decreasing circle of characters, and the world is built around their experiences, we bear witness to all the simple agonies that this event would bring, from cramp to sleep deprivation.

SONGS OF A DEAD DREAMER – THOMAS LIGOTTI (1985)

Thomas Ligotti is one of those horror authors where you either know him and absolutely love him, or are blissfully unaware but intrigued by his work when he is mentioned. Songs of a Dead Dreamer is his first collection of short stories – a format Ligotti mostly deals in – and introduces the reader to his nihilistic carnival of dread. Starting with a seemingly basic tale of child abduction in The Frolic, the stories become more weird and dream-like. Tales such as The Greater Festival of Masks also highlight Ligotti’s unnerving use of masquerades and puppets, and you certainly feel the influence of the likes of Lovecraft through every inch of the purple prose.

AMERICAN PSYCHO – BRET EASTON ELLIS (1991)

Probably the most well known and infamous on my list, everyone knows American Psycho thanks to the brilliant performance by Christian Bale in the film adaptation. What they don’t know, unlike those who have read this story, is how brutal Patrick Bateman is in the book. Throughout Bateman’s adventures in sadism, the levels are heightened and violence more absurd as he falls deeper into his own psychosis. But, of course, the question of whether all this horror is real or not lingers over the whole tale, settling on the greasy sheen of 80s capitalism that stains the whole narration through lists of musicians, appliances, and other aesthetic ghouls.

HOUSE OF LEAVES – MARK Z DANIELEWSKI (2000)

I will confess now this is one of my all-time favourite books, not just because of the multi-layered story, but how the whole twisted tale is presented. Mark Z Danielewski doesn’t just tell us the story of a heroin addict going through the files of a film critic, who was studying a documentary about a strange house, and the notes about the strange house from the family who lived there… yep, immediately it’s one of those stories. A labyrinth tale that Danielewski presents in a fashion that is as artistic as it is engrossing. It is an exercise in reader patience, but one that rewards with a nightmarish tale and true sense of discontent at the back of the mind.

THE LAST DAYS OF JACK SPARKS – JASON ARNOPP (2016)

This was one of these books I discovered thanks to the wonderful world of author networking that social media has provided us these days. Jason Arnopp is a man well-versed in horror and all things terrifying, given his love for VHS and history of rock journalism. The Last Days of Jack Sparks takes the idea of exorcisms, curses, and hauntings, and twist reality around them along with all the modern technology the titular Jack Sparks introduces to try and save his own skin. The atmosphere is tense from the start, and certain set pieces leave you with a shiver down your shoulder. The music studio bit is a stand out for yours truly…

I love a good horror story and always feel I should read more than I do. If you are on Twitter then I recommend searching under the #PromoteHorror hashtag where there are always some gems to be find.

My thanks again to Oli – these are mighty selections and I now find myself shopping for Songs of a Dead Dreamer (I need to complete the set)

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 1

More Catching Up – Belsham/Arnopp

I recently shared a catch-up post where I covered three books in one go. I was aiming for a more rapid review to let me catch up on sharing my thoughts on some of the great books I have been reading (but my non-blogging commitments prevented me from reviewing them in a more timely manner).

Happy with how that first post was received I am revisiting the rapid review format to do a bit more catching up…

THE TATTOO THIEF

A policeman on his first murder case
A tattoo artist with a deadly secret
And a twisted serial killer sharpening his blades to kill again…

When Brighton tattoo artist Marni Mullins discovers a flayed body, newly-promoted DI Francis Sullivan needs her help. There’s a serial killer at large, slicing tattoos from his victims’ bodies while they’re still alive. Marni knows the tattooing world like the back of her hand, but has her own reasons to distrust the police. So when she identifies the killer’s next target, will she tell Sullivan or go after the Tattoo Thief alone?

I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

I was at Bloody Scotland in 2016 when I first heard of The Tattoo Thief. Alison Belsham had just won the Pitch Perfect panel and the halls were buzzing with whispers of a story where a killer was stealing tattoos from the body of his victims. It sounded terrific. Two years later I finally read it and it was as dark and twisted as I had hoped.

The murders and the detail of the tattoo depictions were high points in the story. I became completely caught up with the murder scenes and when the investigation began to focus on tattoos I loved the detail and discussions about the art and styles. It was engaging and fascinating and gave a fresh feel to a crime thriller.

The investigating officers were a bit more challenging to like. The lead character, DI Frances Sullivan, has just been promoted and at 29 years of age is running his first murder case. His second in command feels he should have got the job Sullivan holds and there is conflict from the outset. The power struggle detracted from the investigation at times and personal rivalries seemed to get in the way of getting the investigation running correctly. That said, the conflict brought out some strong characters – more memorable as a consequence of their conflict.

Dark murder mysteries are what I enjoy and my time with The Tattoo Thief was time well spent.

The Tattoo Thief is published by Orion and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. Order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0719VZB2Z/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

The Last Days of Jack Sparks – Jason Arnopp

It was no secret that journalist Jack Sparks had been researching the occult for his new book. No stranger to controversy, he’d already triggered a furious Twitter storm by mocking an exorcism he witnessed.

Then there was that video: forty seconds of chilling footage that Jack repeatedly claimed was not of his making, yet was posted from his own YouTube account.

Nobody knew what happened to Jack in the days that followed – until now.

This was a great read. A chilling supernatural thriller which got far darker than I had originally anticipated – and that only increased its standing in my estimation.

Jack Sparks is a writer. He has a chaotic lifestyle, addictions, a “secret” love for his flatmate (which she knows about) and he wants to debunk the supernatural. To achieve this task Jack is going to attend an exorcism to record events and, he believes, highlight the ridiculousness of the event. Things do not go to plan.

Jack comes to the attention of dark forces, forces which are far beyond his understanding and it is not long before Jack’s life starts to come unstuck. People are going to die. Horribly. Jack will be in peril, he will lose everything he holds dear and the manner of his decline will stick with you.

Jason Arnopp will put his cast through the wringer and doesn’t hold back when he shocks and repulses his readers. Many horror tales can be crass or lurid at the expense of good writing, not so here. Arnopp is a great storyteller and he will captivate readers and keep them hooked.

The Last Days of Jack Sparks is published by Orbit and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B010PIFZMO/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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