Blood Farm, Sam Siciliano, 1988
My favorite quote: Just that it calls itself “an Iowa Gothic” on the cover. What is an Iowa Gothic? Do we need Iowa Gothics?
Notable characters: Mike Michaels, the Viet Nam vet; Angela Rosalba, the hitchhiker, Dr. Blut, the creepy owner of Blut Farm; Ursula, his beautiful daughter
Most memorable scene: I seem to remember some dude being eaten by pigs …
Greatest strengths: The atmosphere. I felt the winter cold in my bones
Standout achievements: Blood Farm is extremely visceral. It spares the reader no tawdry detail and for that, I must admit, I like it
Fun Facts: This book is now of print and considered rare
Other media: N/A
What it taught me: The power of great imagery
How it inspired me: This was one of a few horror novels I read twenty-some years ago when I decided that writing books was how I wanted to spend the rest of my life … so, as cheesy as this book is, in a way, it altered my course. Just goes to show that you never know what might change your life.
Additional thoughts: This isn’t a great book. It head-hops, over-describes, repeats itself, and the plot is about as thin as lukewarm chicken broth. Even so, I liked it. A lot. It’s special to me, but I just can’t, in good conscience, give it a great rating.
My rating: 3.5 of 5
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
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Published by Alistair Cross
Alistair Cross grew up on horror novels and scary movies, and by the age of eight, began writing his own stories. First published in 2012, he has since co-authored The Cliffhouse Haunting and Mother with Tamara Thorne and is working on several other projects. His debut solo novel, The Crimson Corset, was an Amazon bestseller. The Black Wasp, book 3 in The Vampires of Crimson Cove series is on its way. Find out more about him at: http://alistaircross.com
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In collaboration, Thorne and Cross are currently writing several novels, including the next volume in the continuing gothic series, The Ravencrest Saga. Their first novel, The Cliffhouse Haunting, was an immediate bestseller. Together, they hosted the horror-themed radio show Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! which featured such guests as Anne Rice of The Vampire Chronicles, Charlaine Harris of the Southern Vampire Mysteries and basis of the HBO series True Blood, Jeff Lindsay, author of the Dexter novels, Jay Bonansinga of The Walking Dead series, Laurell K. Hamilton of the Anita Blake novels, Peter Atkins, screenwriter of Hellraiser 2, 3, and 4, worldwide bestseller V.C. Andrews, Kim Harrison of the Hollows series, and New York Times best sellers Preston & Child, Christopher Rice, and Christopher Moore.
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Currently, Thorne & Cross are hosts of Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre, where listeners can discover all manner of demented delights, unearth terrifying treasures, and explore the dark side of the arts.
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