Author Archives: Gene Stewart

About Gene Stewart

Born 7 Feb 1958 Altoona, PA, USA Married 1980 Three sons, grown Have lived in Japan, Germany, all over US Currently in Nebraska I write, paint, play guitar Read widely Wide taste in music, movies Wide range of interests Hate god yap Humanist, Rationalist, Fortean Love the eerie

Victorian Now Literacy

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Gene Stewart

Why has 50 Shades of Gray sold like crazy despite everyone of any relevance condemning it as a badly-written, badly-conceived infantile book unworthy of attention? No one reads for style. Maybe a handful of us, sure, but mostly people read … Continue reading →

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My Name is Marnie by Tracy L. Carbone Shadow Ridge Press, 2014 trade pb, 245p, ISBN: 978-989-77963-0 cover design by Kealan Patrick Burke

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Gene Stewart

A mystery ghost story with oomph, crisply written, with sharply-drawn characters, this book is a one-sitter. It pulls you through seamlessly, adding layer, shadowing the tangles, and delivering you to a denouement that has you wondering how it got so … Continue reading →

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Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town that Talks to the Dead by Christine Wicker Harper trade pb, 2004, 282pp, $13.95 8pp b&w photo insert, ISBN: 0-06-008667-X

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Gene Stewart

Lily Dale, on Cassadagah Lake in upstate New York, is one of those places where a spell has been cast, or conjured. It is a small town, a hamlet or village really, of Spiritualists. Founded in 1879, it is the … Continue reading →

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The Demon of Brownsville Road: A Pittsburgh Family’s Battle with Evil in Their Home by Bob Cranmer and Erica Manfred Berkeley mass market pb, 2014 $9.99, ISBN: 978-0-425-26855-1 appendix, 8pp b&w photo insert

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Gene Stewart

Well made book, physically, with a striking sepia cover, soft paper, and clear typesetting. Well-written book; the ghost writer Erica Manfred, an experienced journalist and essayist, does a very good job of delivering Bob Cranmer’s story of a haunting and … Continue reading →

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Doctor Sleep by Stephen King Scribner hc, 1st edition, 531pp ISBN: 978-1-4767-2765-3

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Gene Stewart

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King Scribner hc, 1st edition, 531pp ISBN: 978-1-4767-2765-3 The sequel to The Shining, in which Danny is all grown up, succeeds in remaining consonant to the original novel enough to justify considering them a duad, a … Continue reading →

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Out by Natsuro Kirino First Vintage International Edition, Jan. 2005 Translated by Stephen Snyder for Kodansha, Ltd. pb, 400pp, $13.95, ISBN: 1-4000-7837-7

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Gene Stewart

Out by Natsuro Kirino First Vintage International Edition, Jan. 2005 Translated by Stephen Snyder for Kodansha, Ltd. pb, 400pp, $13.95, ISBN: 1-4000-7837-7 Perhaps the title confused browsers into thinking this is a book about someone coming out of the closet … Continue reading →

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Eschaton’s Fate by Gene Stewart, From Out of the Dark anthology, Robert N. Stephenson, editor, Altair Publishing, Jan. 2015

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Gene Stewart

Eschaton’s Fate by Gene Stewart

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I Still Carry A Knife

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Gene Stewart

Root causes are often breathtakingly ugly. We don’t generally let boys play with dolls because they might become… good fathers. This turned up in a brief online discussion. By the way, dangerous toys were mooted, too, and I have to … Continue reading →

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Review of American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Gene Stewart

American Gods by Neil Gaiman Harper Torch, 588pp $7.99 mass market paperback ISBN 0 – 360 – 78003 – 5 A Review by Gene Stewart (written originally for BRUTARIAN in 2002) This book comes complete with a set of reviewers’ … Continue reading →

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Wynter’s Tower, A Developing Story

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Gene Stewart

Having gathered at the gazebo on Wynter’s front lawn, we followed our host near dusk into his manor house, pausing to admire the grand staircase and balcony, diverting briefly to explore the library, and finally reaching the tower’s round ground-floor … Continue reading →

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