News

Shaun Hamill’s ‘A Cosmology of Monsters’ is a Gripping, Terrifying Tale

Published

5 years ago

October 15, 2019

“I started collecting my older sister Eunice’s suicide notes when I was seven years old,” A Cosmology of Monsters, the debut novel of Shaun Hamill, begins, and believe me when I tell you that this is one of the most challenging, beautiful, and harrowing novels I’ve read in some time.

It’s the kind of narrative that gets under the reader’s skin, shining a spotlight on the dark recesses of our own minds and relationships and forces us to ask difficult questions of ourselves and those around us.

What is a monster, after all? What makes a monster become a monster? Am I a monster? Are there monsters in my family?

The novel tells the story of the Turner family who, for whatever reason, have touched a fantastic and dangerous world beyond on our own in an inscrutable way that they do not understand. It is a land filled with monsters, and this connection slowly tears them apart from the inside out breeding obsession, disease, and strife like weeds in a springtime flowerbed.

For all its dysfunction, you see, the Turner family wants nothing more than to be whole. It simply doesn’t know how, and the unfettered realness of that challenge sparks deep emotion in Hamill’s readers.

We root for this family and at the same time we are repulsed by them. We love them, but never want to see them again.

This works most especially well in Hamill’s narrative by putting us in the capable hands of the youngest member of the family. By the time Noah was born, their troubles had already begun to take root, and much like Noah, the reader doesn’t fully understand why.

A child becomes our guide, taking our hand and leading us through Hamill’s carefully constructed labyrinth. It is effective and terrifying especially as Noah becomes more and more involved in his family’s story.

We watch as Noah grows up making the mistakes of youth and adolescence, and are unable to keep him from taking “the wrong” path. Then we question which path was right or wrong to begin with.

In short, he has created what might be considered a horror Bildungsroman–a term used in literary criticism to describe a novel that focuses on the moral and psychological growth of its protagonist in which ways a character changes is most important.

Hamill took this form literally and figuratively in his novel, earning praise from Stephen King who compared the work to the novels of John Irving who demonstrated a subtle mastery of the form in his novel The Cider House Rules.

What is most impressive, however, is that this author in his first published work knows exactly how to manipulate the reader. He creates a puzzle that demands to be solved even when we are stricken with horror by the emerging image, and he does all of this while ultimately telling a story about the importance of family and identity.

He is undeniably an impressive talent and a new voice to watch within the genre.

And remember those questions I mentioned at the beginning of this review? If you’re lucky, you might be able to answer one or two of those by the end of the book. If not, you may be pondering them for days to come.

Either way, make no mistake, once you pick up A Cosmology of Monsters, you will not put it down until its ghastly, heartbreaking conclusion.

A Cosmology of Monsters is available in hardback and e-book editions. You can pick up a copy at Amazon!

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

3 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

5 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

6 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.