Must Reads From the Land Down Under

One question I typically ask myself is: What's the next great thing coming out from LegumeMan Press?  I'm dead serious on that fact.  Since their inception, I'm not sure that the publishing house based in Australia has had a miss.  The Authors Speak has read, to date, all but one of their releases and all are exemplary examples of what a smallish publishing house is capable of.  The writers assembled are of great talent, and the hits just keep on coming.

I wish I was in their ranks.

Take for instance, two of their latest releases, by relative-unknown writers from Australia - Snake Jaw and Tales of Sin and Madness.

We'll start with Andrew Gallacher's noirish mystery, Snake Jaw.  Firstly, it's been a dynamo year for the continent.  The Oscars made that evident in film, sleeper surprises like Red Hill rocked my stripey socks, and now this book adds to the charm.  Snake Jaw is a mystery at its core - a race against time to save, hopefully, a yong woman.  But that's just the core.  That basic tread is enveloped in such rich and icky goodness it is a hard feat not to enjoy. 

Reading the prologue, where we meet Phalanx as a child, you're going to bear witness to your first "icky" moment.  If it's not your thing you'll undoubtedly place the book down and begrudge the Authors Speak for making the suggestion.  If you find the darkest humor amusing, you'll no doubt read on and be rewarded with splendor.  In a "basic" procedural, it is what you do with the material that maks it unique.  This one is truly unique and I want more from Andrew Gallacher.

My only complaint is the length.  At 91 pages it's a read that stats and ends so fast I was left craving more and saddened that the experience was over in a few hours time.  For the length, though, the pacing is perfection.  It layers the dread and holds the reader fast.  That is why I'd love to see what Gallacher can do with a full length novel.

Switching gears into the horror realm, Brett McBean's "Tales of Sin and Madness" is electric.  An anthology of stories, all horror-based, displays the glinting of someone who will be welcomed with open arms amongst the horror fans.

Not so much bizarro (not, at least, as Snake Jaw), Tales of Sin and Madness delves into the more conventional arena.  Each of the stories strikes a chord with the reader.  There are no new ideas; again, it is all in what you do with the retread.  Brett does some creative things here.  Some miss the mark - like, a Question of Belief, which does a very unique historical angle to the zombie lore that I found interesting, but not captivating.  Others knock it out of the league, like Garbage Man, which is an interesting take on the fascination with serial killers.  Hit or miss, though, every single story in the collection entertains, which a book should.

My personal favorite (and I can already hear people decrying that it's a little too similar to "Buried") is the Coffin. 

One of the things I love the most about this collection of short fiction is the inclusion of notes.  After each story McBean describes what he was thinking, where the origins lie, and just musings on the genre, as a whole.  At first I found this a little irritating, but as the book came closer to the end, I embraced it and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy.  One of the questions we writers are asked time and time again is where we derive our ideas.  No need to ask.  Brett tells you.  It creates a nice rapport with the author along the way.  Something we're typically not privy to.

You can order these by following the links (a small portion goes to the Authors Speak, which always helps).

Snake Jaw: 5 of 5; Tales of Sin and Madness: 5 of 5