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charshorrorcorner's review
4.0
Since the Starry Wisdom Church tried to unleash the Old Gods in the city of Boston 2 years ago, things have been quiet for Becca. Unfortunately, a portal through which the Old Ones could come through is currently being tinkered with, and Becca, as well as a team from SPECTRA, (a mysterious government agency), are being called in to prevent said portal from being opened. This doorway is centered inside Wade House, wherein Becca's father has disappeared. Outside Wade House, black snow is falling.
(This book takes place in the same world as [b:Red Equinox|23603906|Red Equinox|Douglas Wynne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416779230s/23603906.jpg|43205599] did. One does not have to have read RE to understand Black January, but it certainly would enhance the reader's understanding of the story.)
Wade House is an extraordinary property. Reminding me of House of Leaves and Hill House both, the angles are all off. A room that looks one way when you pass through it, may look entirely different when you pass through it on the way back. In fact, it may no longer even lead you back from whence you came at all. If Becca's father is lost there, how will they ever find him and more importantly, how can they seal these doorways so that nothing is ever allowed to enter our world? You'll have to read this book to find out!
The house and the Old Ones were my favorite parts of this book. I love stories about mysterious houses with dark pasts, mirrors that are gateways, and pianos that, when a certain tune is played, have lids that open onto hell itself. What horror fan wouldn't like that? As some of these portals and doorways do briefly open, the reader gets a glimpse not only of Lovecraft's Old Ones, but Wynne's Old Ones- in all of their "drive you to the brink of madness itself" glory. Wynne makes these Gods his own-they are memorable, evil and timeless.
Black January was a blast from start to finish. It's imaginative, creative, fast paced and overall just plain FUN! I highly recommend it for fans of Lovecraft and the Great Old Ones. I also think that fans of House of Leaves would get a kick out of this highly entertaining novel.
Available now, here: Black January: A Spectra Files Novel
*An eARC was provided to me by the author, in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*
(This book takes place in the same world as [b:Red Equinox|23603906|Red Equinox|Douglas Wynne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416779230s/23603906.jpg|43205599] did. One does not have to have read RE to understand Black January, but it certainly would enhance the reader's understanding of the story.)
Wade House is an extraordinary property. Reminding me of House of Leaves and Hill House both, the angles are all off. A room that looks one way when you pass through it, may look entirely different when you pass through it on the way back. In fact, it may no longer even lead you back from whence you came at all. If Becca's father is lost there, how will they ever find him and more importantly, how can they seal these doorways so that nothing is ever allowed to enter our world? You'll have to read this book to find out!
The house and the Old Ones were my favorite parts of this book. I love stories about mysterious houses with dark pasts, mirrors that are gateways, and pianos that, when a certain tune is played, have lids that open onto hell itself. What horror fan wouldn't like that? As some of these portals and doorways do briefly open, the reader gets a glimpse not only of Lovecraft's Old Ones, but Wynne's Old Ones- in all of their "drive you to the brink of madness itself" glory. Wynne makes these Gods his own-they are memorable, evil and timeless.
Black January was a blast from start to finish. It's imaginative, creative, fast paced and overall just plain FUN! I highly recommend it for fans of Lovecraft and the Great Old Ones. I also think that fans of House of Leaves would get a kick out of this highly entertaining novel.
Available now, here: Black January: A Spectra Files Novel
*An eARC was provided to me by the author, in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*
ewreck82's review
4.0
Another strong entry into the Spectra Files. Our protagonist Becca Phillips returns for another adventure which finds her in Brazil honing her photography skills with her faithful pup Django. Of course things can't remain peaceful forever and someone has to go messing with the Old Gods again. This time the portal is found in a house. Not just any house though, the house where agents believe that Becca's father disappeared years ago. An odd addition to these books is multiple mentions of seasonal affective disorder or SAD and how badly it impacts Becca. I never really notice that playing a role in the stories though. It doesn't appear to impact how she reacts to most significant situations presented to her. Just feels out of place.
Overall a good story with very likable main characters. I look forward to continuing the Spectra Files with Cthulhu Blues. 4 out of 5
Overall a good story with very likable main characters. I look forward to continuing the Spectra Files with Cthulhu Blues. 4 out of 5
ctgt's review
4.0
I am becoming my reward
In this follow up to [b:Red Equinox|23603906|Red Equinox|Douglas Wynne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416779230s/23603906.jpg|43205599], Becca, Django and SPECTRA agent Jason Brooks are back to investigate the Wade House and the disappearance of Becca's father. Seems the Wade House has been on the "weird" radar since it was built in 1782 by Caleb Wade, candle maker and rumored witch.
For me, the house is the star of this story. Or maybe I should say the authors descriptions of the house really resonated with me. Reminded me a bit of [b:House of Leaves|24800|House of Leaves|Mark Z. Danielewski|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403889034s/24800.jpg|856555](which I loved),
All the literature agreed, whether in pixels or ink, that the place had used the years to hone its talent for hiding between planes, merging with the landscape, as if it were made of mirrors rather than timbers, stone and glass. The trick to finding it was to catch it out of the corner of the eye, to detect its shape from an oblique angle, without grasping. The path to the pillar-flanked front steps had to be held lightly in the mind until you ran a gentle hand over the weathered porch railing and grasped the silver filigree doorknob.
Another loud crack. Becca looked over her shoulder as the bathroom mirror shattered in a rain of shards dancing in the sink. Arcane letters tattooed on olive skin slid past the silvered glass.
She settled the beam on the slate hearth, letting its ambiance illuminate the glass indirectly. The mirror seemed to reflect another place entirely-not a library, but a long stone corridor speckled with black mold and broken at intervals with dark rectangles where other corridors connected to it.
Music also plays a vital role
That's the origin of the Wade House-it's a three-dimensional interpretation of Erich Zann's magnum opus, The Invisible Symphony. It's built on Zann's music, illuminated by Caleb Wade.
added to that is a mysterious baby grand piano with inverted white-on-black keyboard in an empty room on the second floor that reveals hidden pathways when specific music is played.
For me, an enjoyable addition to the Cthulhu mythos.
7/10
Well, like the golden ratio, found in countless natural patterns from the nautilus to the proportions of the human face, there are other occult patterns, far less pleasing by our human standards. Patterns that resonate with another world, where life evolved along different lines.
I was given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review.
In this follow up to [b:Red Equinox|23603906|Red Equinox|Douglas Wynne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416779230s/23603906.jpg|43205599], Becca, Django and SPECTRA agent Jason Brooks are back to investigate the Wade House and the disappearance of Becca's father. Seems the Wade House has been on the "weird" radar since it was built in 1782 by Caleb Wade, candle maker and rumored witch.
For me, the house is the star of this story. Or maybe I should say the authors descriptions of the house really resonated with me. Reminded me a bit of [b:House of Leaves|24800|House of Leaves|Mark Z. Danielewski|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403889034s/24800.jpg|856555](which I loved),
All the literature agreed, whether in pixels or ink, that the place had used the years to hone its talent for hiding between planes, merging with the landscape, as if it were made of mirrors rather than timbers, stone and glass. The trick to finding it was to catch it out of the corner of the eye, to detect its shape from an oblique angle, without grasping. The path to the pillar-flanked front steps had to be held lightly in the mind until you ran a gentle hand over the weathered porch railing and grasped the silver filigree doorknob.
Another loud crack. Becca looked over her shoulder as the bathroom mirror shattered in a rain of shards dancing in the sink. Arcane letters tattooed on olive skin slid past the silvered glass.
She settled the beam on the slate hearth, letting its ambiance illuminate the glass indirectly. The mirror seemed to reflect another place entirely-not a library, but a long stone corridor speckled with black mold and broken at intervals with dark rectangles where other corridors connected to it.
Music also plays a vital role
That's the origin of the Wade House-it's a three-dimensional interpretation of Erich Zann's magnum opus, The Invisible Symphony. It's built on Zann's music, illuminated by Caleb Wade.
added to that is a mysterious baby grand piano with inverted white-on-black keyboard in an empty room on the second floor that reveals hidden pathways when specific music is played.
For me, an enjoyable addition to the Cthulhu mythos.
7/10
Well, like the golden ratio, found in countless natural patterns from the nautilus to the proportions of the human face, there are other occult patterns, far less pleasing by our human standards. Patterns that resonate with another world, where life evolved along different lines.
I was given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review.
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