Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Book Review - Mad Mannequins from Hell - August V Fahren


Mad Mannequins from Hell (The Uncanny Valley Trilogy (Book 1))
Title:    Mad Mannequins from Hell

Author:  August V. Fahern

Review:  I have never read a book quite like Mad Mannequins from Hell. I can't say I loved the book but I didn't hate it either.  There were so many different characters to keep track of, even to the point they stopped enhancing the story and started taking away from the fun of demonic mannequins.  The book reads like a B movie script, which is perfect since the lead character Burton Vilmos is an unemployed special effects makeup artist who creates a website for the sole purpose of showing off his honorific special effects.

While trying to create his last vision of horror, he and his son read from a book his best friend gave him.  Only problem is the book causes the mannequins to come alive and terrorize Portland, Oregon during Christmas time.  Burton Vilmos loses his son amid all the craziness and while trying to find him he runs into The Trinity Sisters who wield machetes and were taught to take on the evils of hell.

The books tries hard to be an Evil Dead style horror comedy, but doesn't quite get to the goofiness that made those movies cult classics.  The book has moments that make you laugh. For example, when a Kung Fu baby Jesus attacks, its hard not to crack a smile. Then, at times it feels aimless, as if the author wasn't sure what direction he wanted to take the story. After I finished the book I felt Mad Mannequins may have been better served as a short story rather than a novel.  There is quite a lot of language and quite a few sex scenes that really were not needed and in my view, didn't make the story any better. 

Mad Mannequin's has it moments of humor, and over the top gross imagery but falls short with too many different characters and scenes that don't quite feel complete.

However, thanks to this book, I will forever look over my shoulder at the mall wondering if that mannequin will come alive and attack me with it's arm.

Thanks Heidi for this review.

Publisher:  Broken Star Books (June 7, 2012)

Copyright: 2012

Pages:  142

ISBN:    B0089RDMY2

Quick Review: 3 Stars out of 5. 

Where Did I Get the Book:  Sent by the author for review.

Synopsis:   "Killer Klowns from Outer Space meets Evil Dead II."
Days from Christmas in Portland, Oregon: It's white, it's wet, and it's weird. From its Rampaging Santa rumbles to its voodoo and vintage clothing, it is a liberal center for beards, fixed-gear bikes, and microbrews. Now, a dark ritual gone wrong threatens to turn this tranquil wonderland into a living hell when the mad mannequins roam free. And caught in the nightmare are four holy figures bound by longing, loss, and blood...
Burton Vilmos, an unemployed special effects makeup artist, is called upon to right a great wrong before he loses his best friend, his new wife, and his seven-year-old son, Max. Aided only by the Trinity Sisters, three machete wielding battle nuns, Burton may just have a prayer. That is if he can manage to survive an encounter with a midget in a Mexican wrestler's mask, the haute couture hell hound, kung fu (baby) Christ, and unholy demon spawn of the evil retail underworld--the mannequins.
Image of August V. Fahren
Author Biography: August V. Fahren is staring at a white squirrel from Transylvania. Analogous to Poe's Raven it is quirkily subversive like his writing. A Modus operandi he attributes to personality collecting and his travels. August has lived in places like Ohio, the horror host capital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Zombie Mecca, and Portland, Oregon, the land of the weird, as well as others.

Visit him online at: www.WantWeirdBooks.com

Other Reviews:  Voltaire's Reviews, Hell Notes
FYI:  0.99 at Amazon.

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