4-5-26 — Christina Critiques

Friends and foes, I’m back! It feels good to put some new and amazing recommendations on your already overwhelming TBR. But alas, it’s my curse. There are so many goodies this week that I’m just going to jump on it…

TERRAFIDE

By: Ryan Hyatt

Release: 3/24/26

Page count: 293

KU: No       Hoopla: TBD

Synopsis: Eight stories from revenge and car salesmen to the need for a better time and zombies.

First line: “Jose is the first they let go, although we can’t agree what that means.”

Favorite line: “Let me make sure I’ve got this straight”, …”A bare-chested, bare-footed Caucasian male… in boxer shorts and a sombrero… walked into this car dealership showroom…and threatened you … with a syringe?”

Thoughts: Hyatt brings together his best short stories in one stellar collection. What puts him on a different level of storytelling is his social commentary and the reader being forced into the confrontation of inner questions. This one is not to miss.

Rating: 5/5

Other recommendations: THE INITIATES

Find it here: https://a.co/d/055gu74i

NO LAUGHING MATTER

By: Mike Ennenbach

Release: 3/6/26

Page count: 108

KU: No        Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Gear Dreary must team up with a cop that has a similar background to rescue a friend’s daughter. Who is holding the daughter hostage? A bunch of Bozos. Will Gear live long enough to pay off his bar tab?

First line: “You are constantly doing and saying stupid things, Gear.”

Favorite line: “I am nothing if not a perfect gentleman. Most of the time. Kind of. Occasionally. Time permitting.”

Thoughts: Gear and Brad - a match made in dystopian heaven. While Ennenbach gets super bizarre with this story, his calling cards are still there - wit, insanity, and a philosophical anti-hero. If you enjoy clowns getting the shit beat out of them, a cat man, and a self-deprecating drunk, you cannot pass this one up.

Other recommendations: DISTILLED CHAOS, CUCKOO

Find it here: https://a.co/d/020UswKP

AVONWOOD EXODUS

By: Chad Lutzke

Release: 3/27/26

Page count: 172

KU: Yes      Hoopla: No

Synopsis: The entirety of the stories take place within a few hours - but the lingering effects will last a lifetime.

First line: “Twenty-four-year-old Josh Sullivan blows a lungful of meth out the bathroom window of his mother’s home in Avonwood Trailer Park.”

Favorite line: “Barbed-wire wings flutter in his belly.”

Thoughts: Holy shit. If you love stories that are interwoven and each chapter packs a punch that will leave you gasping - this is the one for you. What fascinated me the most was how every one of the characters felt so familiar and honestly, uncomfortably so. This is definitely one of the must reads of the year as this is probably Lutzke’s best work to date.

Rating: 10/5

Other recommendations: CANNIBAL CREATOR, HOW THE SKIN SHEDS

Find it here: https://a.co/d/0iH8br7A

STOKER REVIEWS - Graphic novels

LET IT BE A DEVIL

By: James Tynion III

Illustrated by: Piotr Kowalski

Page count: 124

Release: 10/14/25

KU: No      Hoopla: Yes

Synopsis: A clever and digestible history/legend of the Leeds Devil (Jersey Devil).

First line: “The chickens! Must be a fox or stray dog got into the coop.”

Favorite line: “You’ve never been FROM here.”

Thoughts: Whew, what a fascinating legend! Ben Franklin was an asshole, Mama Leeds was tired of being a human cow, and Napeleon’s brother was a scared pussycat. The story doesn’t feel rushed and allows the reader to leave with a bit of history or the want to know more about the myth. The illustrations are brutal and engaging. Another win from James and Piotr.

Rating: 5/5

Find it here: https://a.co/d/099yIbiA

BOWLING WITH CORPSES AND OTHER STRANGE TALES FROM LANDS UNKNOWN

By: Mike Mignola

Illustrated by: Dave Stewart

Release: 1/21/25

Page count: 114

KU: No        Hoopla: Yes

Synopsis: A jaunt through the mind of Mignola, almost as a stream-of-consciousness but make it medieval and gothic.

First line: “There was once, in Escolia, in the kingdom of Gallia, …”

Favorite line: “Well, hardly the fortune I had in mind.”

Thoughts: There are numerous stories in this graphic novel, with the best being the first one. Yeb the Spoon cracked me up from being to end with his dry humor and lack of enthusiasm. Unfortunately, that was the only one I truly enjoyed. BUT! The writing was good and the illustrations were amazing. This just wasn’t a hit for me.

Rating: 3/5

Find it here: https://a.co/d/0i6FCAfe