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SHELTER
REVIEWS
A long review from Edward
Bryant in the September Locus.
LOCUS
September 2006 -
—Edward Bryant
- small excerpts
Much
like a djinn released from a long bottled confinement, the Verani is eager
to stretch its spiny limbs and get even with the family of its original
captor. It’s not particular about exploiting and destroying any other humans
that get in its way.
It’s the kind of
diverting monster fiction that UK writers of the
supernatural have been producing for a century, when they’re not weaving
subtly creeped-out ghost tales.
***
Maximum Horrors
Review
|
|
L.H. Maynard & M.P.N. Sims -
Shelter - 2006 - Leisure Horror - Paperback
 I've
always enjoyed a good bump in the night haunted house entry. While the
sub-genre certainly has seen its share of classics in fiction ("Hell
House", "The Shining") as well as film ("The Woman In Black", "The
Innocents"), the same routine and formula never grows old for me. I
was very eager to try the first novel from British duo Maynard and
Sims as it is a haunted house novel of sorts. It has the same system
in effect as before, the restoration of an old mansion by a stressed
but loveable main character. However unlike other ventures this one
has a really different idea in place. This variable really makes for
one fantastic story and a solid first effort from this talented team.
Advertising exec Laura Craig is coming off of a bitter and life
changing divorce from the sadistic Brian Tanner. The perfect way to
vent her frustration and anger is to buy a Victorian mansion that is
in great need of repair. The mansion has a long history dating back to
the mid-40s, however its ties to the wealthy and famous Charteris
family helps lure Laura into the project. Once the restoration process
begins the crew uncovers a mysterious underground chamber that at one
time housed a very dark secret for the Charteris family. Once this
chamber is disturbed an ancient evil known as the Verani is released,
an evil life sucking force that has the ability to take control of a
human body and use it for malevolent purposes. The Verani creature
begins a murderous quest for vengeance, targeting Laura and the
remaining members of the Charteris family.
Maynard and Sims really understand good storytelling. Beginning with
fantastic character development, the duo builds in a mystery from the
past while offsetting the history with horrifying sequences involving
the Verani creature. Often enough the aristocratic elements of this
novel reminded me a little of "Dark Shadows" with its dark secrets
amidst dark mansion hallways. The suspense is very tight and thick
throughout, really exploding with some furious pacing towards the end.
Overall this is a real winner and a unique monster twist on a familiar
haunted house story.
--EC 02.22.07
http://www.maximumhorrors.com/revbooks/revresults.asp?ID=lmms_s&idAuthor=47 |
*****
http://www.ookami.co.uk/html/shelter.html
|
SHELTER
By
L. H. Maynard and M. P. N. Sims
Reviewed
by
Steve Redwood
I don’t
read much horror, and, with my shelves already groaning with sad-eyed
unread SF masterworks gazing reproachfully at me, I probably wouldn’t
have bought this book (in Madrid, to boot!) if I hadn’t wanted to
support two people who have, as editors for the UK small press, done so
much to help other writers. Of course, I knew from their excellent short
stories they were more than competent writers, it’s just that horror
simply isn’t my favourite field. And I certainly didn’t have any
intention of writing a review. But I am so convinced most WoWers would
like this book that here are a few quick comments.
I confess
I almost regretted my buy when I saw the back cover blurb, which spoke
only of some unnamed terror living in the cellar of an old house. Yes,
well… Thanks be to the Great Lords of Darkness, that blurb, though not
factually untrue, was quite misleading, in that it seemed to imply a
cast of just one helpless woman versus one hungry monster. But in fact
there are six or seven main characters, all carefully and realistically
drawn, as well as many minor ones. There is the young woman,
Laura, of course, who isn’t really helpless at all, who makes the
initial error of trying to renovate an old house. There’s her vengeful
rejected lover, Brian Tanner, who unwillingly enters into a very apt and
wonderfully gory symbiosis with the terror that has indeed been locked
away in a basement for fifty years. And this monster, while really
nasty, is also ‘humanised’ when we learn, with information fed into the
novel at just the right places, why it has become what it is and why
perhaps it has a certain right to exact vengeance. There are the
daughter and grandson of the original perpetrator of the crime, both
aware of the horror, but so mistrustful of each other that neither is
aware that the other knows. And there are the other victims of the
monster (if that is the right word to use) who are given detailed
histories and personalities of their own, not merely serving (as in so
many horror films) as fodder.
But
perhaps more important than the above – but only possible because of
the above – the novel is, as they say, a real page-turner, an exciting
story wonderfully told. At the basic plot level, although I would not
claim total originality (something well-nigh impossible anyway) there is
clever structuring, superb pacing, and a satisfying complexity, as past
and present, and the disparate lives of the characters, are woven
together into a whole. There are different ways to build tension in
fiction; these authors use the tried and tested route of the slow,
detailed build-up, so that we are told what kind of flowers the
characters are treading, details of the contents of rooms, colours,
textures, smells (but quickly enough so as not to disturb the flow of
the story; the style is fluid and smooth). Other readers have commented
on the cinematic qualities of the book, and indeed the authors have
given all the scene and set directions – the director simply has to tell
his actors what to do.
In short,
no barriers broken here (well, a bit of extreme miscegenation!), no
scintillating linguistic or novelistic experiments,
but a good exciting
entertaining read, at all times forcing the reader to ask that question
which I believe should in some form accompany all novels – what happens
next?!
Shelter
by L. H. Maynard & M. P. N.
Sims. Mass market pb published by Leisure Books, USA, 321pp, $6.99/US
and £5.99/UK. Available from
Amazon UK.
Website:
-
www.dorchesterpub.com
|
SHELTER by L.H.
MAYNARD & M.P.N. SIMS
Leisure paperback,
321pp, £5.99
Maynard and Sims are
skilled writers and know their stuff. They have fun... and hold the reader’s
attention all the way, with plenty of tension and the odd gruesome set
piece.
I’ve long admired
these writers and their success in moving out of the small press and into
the mass market with Leisure is well deserved. Shelter is a
well written and never less than entertaining book by any supernatural
horror lover’s standards.
http://ttapress.com/170/peter-tennants-case-notes-24/
Peter Tennant
*****************
Shelter
LH Maynard & MPN Sims
Leisure Books
9 780843 957068
RRP £5.99, pb
Reading the blurb on the back of this
novel, my first thoughts were “been here before”. Person/couple buys old
house to renovate, but things are Not What They Seem. But then I like this
kind of premise – it’s been done before to great effect, and has the
potential for a good solid horror story if properly worked.
Which it is. Properly worked, I mean. Laura Craig,
newly escaped from a bad relationship, buys a dilapidated old cottage and as
it gives up its secrets, Laura gradually gets more involved with the owners
of the country estate of which the cottage was once a part. And as the
outbuildings get knocked down, other things begin to rise up – things that
were never meant to be uncovered are once more revealed. Laura’s own past
and future become entwined with events that happened fifty years ago, and we
learn that secrets may die, but can never be buried forever.
Maynard and Sims write a tight story and
somehow even manage to make the bad guys and the monsters sympathetic. The
characters are believable and although I’d worked out the ending before I
got there, it didn’t spoil the moment when it arrived, as it was natural
conclusion to events.
A good tale
well told, I’d recommend this for horror readers.
Debbie Bennett.
British Fantasy Society
July 2006
**
http://www.dreadcentral.com/index.php?name=Reviews&req=showcontent&id=1000
**
http://www.zone-sf.com/wordworks/shelter1.html
Shelter
L.H. Maynard and M.P.N. Sims
Leisure paperback £5.99 / $6.95
review by Mario Guslandi
Ranked among the finest writers (and rightly so) of dark short fiction in
the indie press world Len Maynard and Mick Sims make their debut in the mass
market with their first published novel. The fact itself is a remarkable
event: very few authors manage to jump from the quiet but claustrophobic
ghetto of the small press into the perilous waters of general bookstores and
mass distribution. So congratulations and good luck to them...
The product, a paperback of 300 pages or so, appears to be perfect for
entertaining, intriguing and chilling commuters sitting in crowded trains,
vacationers sunbathing on sandy beaches, housewives lying on living room
sofas. Success should be guaranteed. Moreover, the plot and the narrative
style have such a movie-like character that I wouldn't be surprised to see
the novel turned into a film in the near future.
The story starts out when Laura Craig, after breaking up with Brian Tanner,
her business partner and bedfellow, devotes herself to restore a dilapidated
house, left uninhabited for decades. But the house is not empty: beneath the
cellar, unbeknown to her and to the realtors, lie hidden underground rooms
giving shelter to a malevolent presence, lurking in the dark and waiting
since a long time to satisfy its hunger and its needs. And when the workers
accidentally unearth the secret chambers the inhuman horror turns loose. The
wealthy neighbours, the Charteris, of course know a great deal about the
nature and the origin of the dangerous creature formerly imprisoned under
the house. Gradually, the dark, tragic family secret will be revealed, but I
don't intend to spoil things by giving away too much.
Truth to tell, the ending is rather predictable and there are no twists in
the tail, but the plot manages to grip the reader's attention for the whole
book thanks to the authors' ability to masterly blend the supernatural and
the horrific with a skilled depiction of social hypocrisy and a bit of
romance. The vivid flashbacks describing the events taking place in the past
at the beginning of the story are particularly effective. Thus, as I said
before, the novel has all the right ingredients for achieving that
commercial success that Maynard and Sims certainly deserve.
As a long time fan of the British duo I'm certainly happy for them. I admit
I've enjoyed reading the book and I'm willing to recommend it to anyone
looking for a solid horror novel devoid of gore and splatter. On the other
hand, I feel a subtle sense of nostalgia for the old Maynard and Sims'
production, those classy, elegant, exquisitely crafted stories able to
subtly disquiet and unsettle with a simple word, a shuffled sound, the
fickle movement of a shadow. Am I being too sentimental? Maybe so.
THE ZONE
**
http://www.genrebusters.com/print/review_shelter.htm
***
Some reader comments since publication in July 2006
“I
couldn’t put it down. I took it on holiday and read it in three days on the
beach.
It was page turning, as I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen
next.
Really realistic characters that made me care about them.
I am really looking forward to the next one now.”
“The novel has all the
right ingredients for achieving that commercial success that
Maynard and Sims certainly deserve.”
"I just finished reading Shelter...I just could not
put the book down,
it was refreshing and exciting! I am thoroughly glad I picked your book
to read, it certainly took my mind off the war in the Middle East.
Thank you for entertaining me...keep those stories coming."
"Hi, I so enjoyed the book.
Please let me know when your next book is due to be published."
"I am a member of the Dorchester horror book club.
Received your book this month and just finished reading it.
I give it a very
high thumbs up! Also, great ending. A new fan!"
"I was just in B&N and saw Shelter on the front
table!"
"Just read SHELTER, thought it was excellent."
"Hi- I
thoroughly enjoyed SHELTER.
It was definitely a fascinating story and a memorable reading experience."
"A
good tale well told, I’d recommend this for horror readers."
"I very much enjoyed reading
'Shelter'"
"I read SHELTER and
could not put it down. It was the best book I’ve read in a long time.
Excellent, and I’m not just saying that. Really riveting, I read it in two
days, can't wait for film! Good luck with everything."
"I was really caught up in Shelter by the way. A GREAT
reading experience for me."
"New Maynard and Sims work is always good news."
“It
starts off really cool with an interesting opening scene and some very
serious drama being set up for characters later in life.”
"I
really liked Shelter, I thought the book was terrific."
"By the end, I wanted to know how it was going to come out for each and
every character,
really quite an achievement in my view."
“I was
particularly impressed with the relationship you established between Maggie
and Laura.
Their dialog felt natural, and furthered their development in a
subtle fashion.”
“Just read your book Shelter. Loved it. Very different.
I am always looking for different horror books.”
***
These two comments are
on Amazon…
"I've just
finished Shelter, and I loved it. I started it this morning, and just could
not put it down until I reached the end (which is the best recommendation
for a book that I can possibly give!). As I read I went from wondering what?
to how? to whether? and when?, but the point is, the writing keeps you
asking questions with each plot twist and development. The 'horror' should
be enough to satisfy die-hard fans of the genre, but the story is so much
more than tension and gore. There is a real sense of anticipation that has
been created in the construction of the storyline, and the mystery and
tension is complemented by enough richness of detail of the characters for
the reader to engage with them and care about their fate as the novel
progresses. I'm certainly looking forward to reading the next novel by these
authors!"
**
"I can't
believe this is a first novel. The writing is so assured.
Although the basic plot sounds familiar - hey, how many new plots are there
anyhow? - these British writers use deep characterisation to bring the
unfolding events alive. The writing is precise and almost literary, and the
pacing is damn near perfect.
The prologue merely sets up the back-story, with the first chapter beginning
the roller coaster of a story that never lets up until the last page. The
ending, a kind of epilogue I guess, even sets up the possibility of a
sequel.
This novel reads so visually that it is very easy to imagine it as a movie.
I sure hope it gets taken up by a studio or scriptwriter as it will make a
scary movie.
In places it is graphic, but the overall feel is of a slow build, the
tension developing the terror.
This one deserves to be nominated for awards, no doubt about that.
I for one can't wait for their next novel. Until then I'm off to track what
UK books they have available. Well done Leisure on finding these two Brits."
***
A monstrous evil, trapped
in an underground prison for decades, has been unleashed!
http://www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/productdetail.cfm?product_ID=1584&L1=1
OUR FIRST SUPERNATURAL HORROR NOVEL
PUBLISHED
in
USA by
LEISURE BOOKS (Dorchester Publishing)
www.dorchesterpub.com
http://www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/authordetail.cfm?Author_ID=428
"A voice both
uniquely entertaining and profoundly disturbing." Brian Keene
JULY 2006
ISBN 0 8439 5706 9
mass market paperback
US$ 6.99
Can$ 8.99
Aus$ 14.95
UK£ 5.99
Available from many
outlets including -
http://www.dorchesterpub.com/
www.amazon.com
www.amazon.co.uk
The house is a shambles,
abandoned by its previous owner and left to rot.
For decades it has stood, ignored and forgotten. But not empty.
Beneath the house something waits. Imprisoned in a maze of underground
rooms,
sealed away from the light, it is hungry. But finally its time has come...
"Maynard & Sims revitalize
the traditional thrills." Cemetery Dance
To new owner Laura Craig the
house is an opportunity.
With lots of sweat and hard work, she could restore it, make it what it once
was.
She doesn't know yet about the rooms that lie beneath the cellar.
She doesn't know yet about the boarded-up well - or what's inside it.
But she'll find out soon enough. And then it will be too late.
Then the terror will be unleashed.
Excerpt
The
old man watched them until they were still, then he snapped an order in Arabic. The two
men with the girl moved swiftly. One of them laid his full body weight across the girl’s
legs, whilst the other lay across her chest, his sinewy hand clamping itself across her
mouth.
The old man
waited, and then, apparently satisfied that the girl couldn’t move, took a curved
knife from the waistband of his robe and approached her.
Mercifully his
body blocked what came next, but the captain and the corporal were left in no doubt what
was happening. Even with the weight of the Arab pressing down on her, her legs thrashed,
and her head twisted from side to side. The captain met her eyes as her head turned
towards him and he saw a look of indescribable terror and agony written there, as well as
a chilling and bitter accusation, as if her eyes were telling him, ‘You brought me to
this. You did this to me.’ He looked away – away from her accusing look, away
from the blood that was puddling on the floor at the old man’s feet.
The sound of a
baby’s cry brought his head round again. He looked at the corporal who was swaying on
his feet, his face bleached to the colour of ivory.
Excerpt ends.
Excerpt
Jenny
McMillan screamed until there was no air left in her lungs. Tanner stood before her, his
eyes rolled up into his head so that only the whites showed. The flesh of his stomach was
criss-crossed with small slits, dripping blood. Raw edged, the slits opened and closed
like the gills of a fish and, from inside the slits, thin, sharp, coral pink spines
emerged, pushing out through the skin, their tips wet and quivering.
Jenny screamed
again. He took a step towards her, reached out and grabbed her lower jaw, twisting it
savagely, cracking bone and tearing muscle until Jenny’s mouth hung slackly open. The
scream stopped. He wrapped his arms around her and forced her backwards onto the bed,
pressing her down with the weight of his body. Before she could make another sound he
brought his mouth down onto hers, his tongue snaking past her ruined jaw, probing deeper,
sliding smoothly down her throat.
Her eyes stared
wildly up at him, widening in pain as the coral spines burrowed under her skin, boring
deeper and deeper, seeking out her organs.
She shook, her
whole body going into spasm as the pain deepened. She knew with absolute clarity that she
was going to die. No one could endure pain like this and survive. The knowledge brought
with it an overwhelming calm.
Excerpt ends.
"Maynard & Sims know what
makes a horror story tick." Shivers
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