LOVE YOU TO DEATH: THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE VAMPIRE DIARIES SEASON 3 Crissy Calhoun ECW Press Fans of the CW series who want to delve deeper into the show could do a lot worse than this handy guide. It provides not only an episode-by-episode look at
Raising Hell: Ken Russell
And The Unmaking Of The Devils: An examination of the controversial film.
of Ursuline nuns led by the deformed Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave). The film’s explicit depictions of sex, violence and religion – exemplified by a little-seen sequence termed the Rape of Christ – earned it the scorn of critics and the Catholic Church. The studio that made it, Warner Bros., has for all intents and purposes buried it these last 40 years, refusing to this day to release the unexpurgated version on DVD or Blu-ray. In a handy bit of detective work, Crouse has pieced together
the film’s history and legacy thanks to many first-hand inter- views with its creators, including Russell (who died last year), star Dudley Sutton and composer Peter Davies; contemporary admirers such as David Cronenberg (who worked with Reed on The Brood), Terry Gilliam and Fangoria editor-in-chief Chris Alexander; as well as archival interviews and reviews dating back to the original theatrical release. More than simply a book-length panegyric to a favourite film,
Raising Hell tells both sides of a fascinating story: Russell and his collaborators explain why The Devils had to be as extreme as it is; and the film’s de- tractors describe why it is blasphemous and shouldn’t see the light of day. Still only available in grey market versions or missing its most explicit bits, The Devils remains
a mystery, and Crouse’s book will only sharpen interest in seeing it in its intended form. SEAN PLUMMER
THIS BOOK IS FULL OF SPIDERS: SERIOUSLY, DUDE, DON’T TOUCH IT
In this sequel to web serial-turned-hit novel John Dies at the End (RM#75), David Wong
(pseudonym of cracked.com editor Jason Pargin) once again raises bad inter-dimensional trouble in the town of “Undisclosed” and it’s up to his taquito-slammin’ everymen, David and John, to stop the world from being decimated by another monster-driven calamity. And that title ain’t kiddin’: This Book is indeed crawling with spiders – specifically, an alien strain of eight-legged parasites that infect people’s brains before transforming them
the third season, but also cast and crew interviews, the occasional history lesson when the show’s plot jumps into the past, a bunch of black and white stills, and a timeline to help you keep narrative’s centuries-spanning mythology straight. Definitely for diehards, but don’t let the word “unofficial” in the title turn you off. MONICA S. KUEBLER
SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ARMY OF DR. MOREAU Guy Adams Titan Sherlock takes on the titular mad scientist in this twisted and macabre novel by Guy Adams. Tasked with the investigation by Holmes’ brother Mycroft, the trail of savaged bodies leads the duo to the opium dens of
Rotherwithe and the beast men created by Dr. Moreau. Adams writes the classic Conan Doyle characters with such familiarity that it makes this Holmes foray into the supernatural a delight for fans of the famous detective. BRENTON BENTZ
MOTHERLESS CHILD Glen Hirshberg
Earthling Publications It’s always exciting to unearth a vampire novel that approaches the bloodsuckers in a new and novel way, as is the case with Motherless Child, which con- cerns a pair of young moms who contract vampirism and then hit the road in an attempt to stall the
change and protect their families. Though the dialogue is occasionally stilted and the road trip aspect feels frustrat- ingly drawn out at times, this will undoubtedly appeal to fans of slower, more emotional horror that focuses on the human condition more than the monsters. MONICA S. KUEBLER