Christine Morgan

I was beginning to think no one could top the brutal brilliance of Magpie Coffin, but there is a new contender in town! I may be becoming desensitized to gore as I read this series, but this book had me hand-to-mouth, fit-to-faint audibly gasping at its over the top insanity. This is my first time reading anything from this author (certainly won’t be the last), but I imagine this was written in a state of gleeful abandon. It’s FUN!

I was hooked from the moment the kids steal away in moonlight to spy on the traveling circus, where things go horribly wrong. Then they get better. Then they get worse again, in revolting and unimaginable ways. The story moves at breakneck speed, pausing only to wallow in scenes of vice and viscera. I truly couldn’t look away!

Though there were some moments I wanted to. Some icky scenes (including one with a baby and a bathtub, plus a character named Horsecock that I have conflicting feelings about). But I feel like this book best embodies the spirit of splatterpunk, more so than any of the others. And I love how the whole story unfolds over the course of just one night!

Do I wish there was more of the carnival crew? Of course! But I do like how the book acquaints us with a myriad of characters (the downside being not all are as fleshed out as I wanted them to be - I mean who really were those Truther kids anyway?)

Put up your boots and sit a spell. You’re definitely going to want to read this one. The pace is frenetic, frenzy-full of colorful characters and vignettes of violence. Silver River does indeed run red, and it bathes the reader in copious amounts of blood and a story they will never forget!… (more)

I was beginning to think no one could top the brutal brilliance of Magpie Coffin, but there is a new contender in town! I may be becoming desensitized to gore as I read this series, but this book had me hand-to-mouth, fit-to-faint audibly gasping at its over the top insanity. This is my first time reading anything from this author (certainly won’t be the last), but I imagine this was written in a state of gleeful abandon. It’s FUN!

I was hooked from the moment the kids steal away in moonlight to spy on the traveling circus, where things go horribly wrong. Then they get better. Then they get worse again, in revolting and unimaginable ways. The story moves at breakneck speed, pausing only to wallow in scenes of vice and viscera. I truly couldn’t look away!

Though there were some moments I wanted to. Some icky scenes (including one with a baby and a bathtub, plus a character named Horsecock that I have conflicting feelings about). But I feel like this book best embodies the spirit of splatterpunk, more so than any of the others. And I love how the whole story unfolds over the course of just one night!

Do I wish there was more of the carnival crew? Of course! But I do like how the book acquaints us with a myriad of characters (the downside being not all are as fleshed out as I wanted them to be - I mean who really were those Truther kids anyway?)

Put up your boots and sit a spell. You’re definitely going to want to read this one. The pace is frenetic, frenzy-full of colorful characters and vignettes of violence. Silver River does indeed run red, and it bathes the reader in copious amounts of blood and a story they will never forget!… (more)

Man, Christine Morgan did a fantastic job breathing new life into what I considered to be a mostly dead genre about, well, the mostly dead. I'll be honest, I've mostly stayed away from zombie stories just because I feel like the genre had been overdone (at least for me). I enjoyed Train to Busan, Blood Quantum, One Cut of the Dead, and The Living Dead - and that's about it in the last few years. I think it's partly also because I feel like it's hard to bring anything new to the table. That is, until I read this collection!

The nine stories presented here are fantastically varied in their settings, style, and plots. You've got viking zombies, WWII zombies, stories from the zombie's perspective, and so much more. Short story collections are generally hit or miss for me, but this one was pretty much all bulls eyes. Below I'll give a quick, spoiler-free look at each story.

"Dawn of the Living-Impaired" - six months into the zombie apocalypse and humans are adjusting to new way of life; TV anchor interviews a zombie rights activist and then chaos breaks out on set; a fun premise but completely overshadowed by all the awesome stories that follow it.

"Seven Brains, Ten Minutes" - incredibly disgusting (even for this collection) story about a boy pretending to be a zombie to save a girl.

"The Barrow-Maid" - epic viking revenge story told from the perspective of the wife of a fallen hero; I was completely invested in all of these characters, and Hildirid is the best.

"Cured Meat" - possibly my favorite story; told from the perspective of a zombie as he goes about daily life in his "clain"; fantastic writing style with kennings galore!

"Be Brave" - set during WWII and switches perspective between a young girl named Klara and a embittered rebel named Jakob; great character building, but it felt like it was cut off when the story was just beginning (I need a whole novel about Klara's coming of age in the zombie apocalypse).

"Family Life" - a hilarious story told from the perspective of zombies a la a sitcom/comedy with an unexpected twist at the end.

"A Tower to the Sky" - interesting take on the Babylon story from the Christian Bible.

"Good Boy" - super sad story about a loyal dog (told from his, Baxter's, perspective) trying to protect his disabled owner; why is it always sadder when animals are involved??

"Thought He Was a Goner" - a fun/funny look at what young Herbert West might have been like in school, told from the perspective of a crush.… (more)

Christine Morgan’s Trenchmouth is a story about people, hubris, and that which lives in the unexplored depths. Part creature horror, part sci-fi thriller, this intense and bloody tale is not to be missed!

Hardcore fans of Morgan don’t need a review to tell them about how fantastic her characters are or how entertaining the character interactions. To newer fans and those who have yet to partake of her works, her characters are diverse, vivid, and realistic; and the character interactions are intense, often humorous, and wholly entertaining. The characters in Trenchmouth are no exception and may even be the finest examples of this yet. And that includes the things roaming the deep. Yes, they, too, are characters in this fast-paced and compelling tale.

I love everything about this book: the story, the characters, the suspense, the action, the writing, even the ominous and magnificent cover. And especially the deep sea creatures. This is a shelf-worthy and gripping read. Highly recommended.… (more)