Ashes

Ashes
by Ilsa J. Bick
Grand Haven, MI: Brilliance Audio
2011
Performed by Katherine Kellgren
10 sound discs (11.3 hours)

At first I didn't know if I was going to be able to listen to this audio book or if I would have to read it myself. The narrator, Katherine Kellgren, has a very dramatic narration style that was distracting at first, with lots of loud shouting (there is a lot of shouting in this story), to lend some verisimilitude to the story's dialogue. After awhile, however, I got used to her style and became engrossed in the story.

Alex has gone on a pilgrimage to the fictional Waucamaw Wilderness of the Michigan Upper Peninsula to scatter her parents' ashes from Mirror Point on Lake Superior. Besides losing her parents too soon, Alex has her own "monster" to deal with, a brain tumor in her head for which there is nothing that can be done. By visiting the wilderness that meant so much to her family, Alex hopes to find some closure and make some plans to what future she has left. It's scary for her to be alone in the wilderness, but Alex's father taught her well and she feels capable of surviving for the few weeks she will be there.

Wilderness in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

That is, until the strange electromagnetic pulse swept the sky. Alex, who has been visiting with a grandfather and granddaughter in their campsite, is knocked to the ground and begins to bleed from her nose. Jack, the grandfather, dies immediately, probably because of his pacemaker. Ellie, the 8-year-old granddaughter, also has survived.  Being in the wilderness, Alex doesn't know the immensity of the disaster at first, but she and Ellie find out that none of their electronics work. Without Jack, Ellie is left alone, and Alex feels she should protect the little girl as best she can, but Ellie is scared and does not want to go with a stranger. Eventually they begin the hike down the mountain to the ranger station, but along the way, they encounter some of the "Changed," teens who have changed into cannibalistic violent zombie creatures and attack any living thing they can find. Some adults have survived, but only older, 65+ year olds. Besides being in the wilderness away from help, Alex and Ellie don't know how they will get home.

Eventually, Alex and Ellie meet Tom, a soldier from Afghanistan who has not changed either. The three of them, with Ellie's dog, Mina, find the ranger station and are fortunate to find food, water, and good shelter. But they can't stay there forever. They must find out what has happened and how to get help for themselves.

Most of the story is full of danger and separation. All three get separated from each other, and unfortunately, you won't find out any answers about what happens to Tom and Ellie by the end of this book. Alex is the main focus of Ashes, and we see her struggle to keep the group together, how they are parted through violence, and how Alex finds refuge in the strange town of Rule, an isolated place run by a religious "cult" who are trying to find as many unchanged, or "spared", teens as they can. Once you are allowed in to Rule, it is very difficult to leave unless the Reverend, the leader of the council, decides that you are no longer useful and then you are banished completely.

Alex also finds that along with the brain zap, she now has a super sense of smell and can smell what people are feeling and thinking. She can smell the Changed before she sees them. Another unexplained effect is the reaction of the dogs to Alex. They absolutely adore and trust her, and I think we will see Alex learn to use this to her advantage eventually.

1987 movie starring Michael Rubin,Steven McCoy, and George Seminara

With these sorts of zombie stories, I am often struck by the unexplained fact that these kids, the Changed, are able to eat other people without getting sick and dying from it. You would think that the effect of raw human blood and flesh on a digestive system unused to it would be rather disastrous, if not fatal. The author doesn't explain (yet) how the brains of these teens have been changed, we just see the results, but does it also change their other body systems? I have this problem with other zombie stories, too, so I'm not blaming Ms. Bick for failing to explain it sufficiently.

This story also reminds me of a Stephen King book, Cell, which I will review at a later time. In Cell, there is also a zap which comes through the cell phones. It turns people into mindless killing machines, too, who attack and eat each other. There is eventually more structure to those Changed, as they begin to group together and are held together through telepathy.

I recommend this story, which is Book 1 in a trilogy, to older teens, 15 and up. There is a lot of gore. The story is interesting and I am connected strongly to Alex, Tom, and Ellie, but I would rather not hear quite so many details about how the Changed rip apart their victims. And since I am left with Alex in the midst of five hungry Changed, I will have to listen to the next installment in Shadows (Book 2 in the Ashes Trilogy). I just hope I can stand all of the bloodshed!

Joyland

Joyland

by Stephen King

New York: Simon & Schuster Audio

2013

7 sound discs (ca. 7.5 hours)

This summer I listened to the audio version of Stephen King's latest book, Joyland. When I first heard about it, I was excited--Hurray, a new Stephen King book! Hurray, a spooky book set in an amusement park! Hurray, more creepy clowns!

Well, although I really liked the story, I was disappointed about the horror factor. No creepy clowns in this one. There is a ghost, though, which for this afficionado of everything ghostly is better than creepy clowns. The only drawback is that the ghost doesn't get to do all that much in this story!

We learn about the ghost early on in the narration from Devin Jones, a college student who has a summer job at the North Carolina amusement park. The ghost has been seen--where else?--in the Horror House ride! Sounds promising, doesn't it? BUT it is not until a couple of hours into the book (page 117 in my print copy) that the main characters go into the haunted ride to look for the ghost. Are they supposed to be real college students?!!! I know that if I were a student working at a haunted amusement park, the first place I would head would be the haunted ride to check out the ghost! 

I think the ghost, a murder victim named Linda Gray who was killed in the Horror House, should have done more haunting in this book. She appears to some people but that is about all that happens. Nothing bad happens if you see her, there isn't a curse put on you, you don't go mad, nothing like that at all. She just stands there in the shadows of the horror ride. Devin's friend, Tom, sees the ghost on their first (and only) trip into the Horror House, and seems affected by the vision, but only in a melancholy sort of way. It doesn't spur him on to find out more about the girl and her murder, as it does Erin and Devin. It's more like he had a shock that is hard to get over. But why? Seeing a dead girl who just stands there doesn't sound that scary to me! Now if she chased them, or was dripping blood all over, or screaming like a banshee, I could understand his shock better.

Also, we don't hear very much about other park attendees seeing the ghost. Why not? All summer long, we are in that park, and there is no mention of other people, besides Tom, seeing the ghost. What about other people going on the ride? Surely they know the story of the dead girl and are looking for her. Even though this is 1973 and there is no internet to pass on the story, I would be surprised if people didn't know the ride was supposed to be haunted. This would bring a lot of people to the park just to see the ghost!

With the character of the little boy, Mike, we have echoes of Danny Torrence from The Shining. Mike is also psychic, not in the degree that Danny is, but it saves Devin in the end when he is in mortal danger. The story of Mike and his mother, Annie, is interesting and poignant, and the two play a major role in the climax. But Mike does not see the ghost on his only visit to Joyland, either.

The book is a good detective story, with Devin and his fellow Joyland co-worker, Erin Cook, playing detective to find out who killed Linda Gray. We find out and the ending is exciting, but not horrifying in a paranormal way. The paranormal element is just peripheral. It is still a good story, but not what I expected from the cover or the hype. Still, it was definitely worth reading. A warning for parents of teen readers: there is a sexual scene in this book which might not be appropriate for teens under 15.

I found out there were two real Joyland Amusement park, one in Wichita, Kansas, and one in Lubbock, Texas. The Texas park is still in operation and here is a link to the Texas website:

Joyland Amusement Park

The Wichita, Kansas park is now abandoned. It was in operation from 1949 to 2004. You can explore the park in this video on YouTube. I think this would have made a good back drop for a horror book. Come in if you dare!