Blurbs

    "John Everson is a renaissance man, talented in so many fields including the composing of horror. I say composing, as he creates it much as he does his music, with attention to perfect details that resonate through all the senses. He is going to be even more amazing than he already is."

    — Charlee Jacob , author of This Symbiotic Fasination and Haunter.

Reviews of Vigilantes of Love

FeoAmante - StorytimeScott A. Johnson
The Horror Channel
November 2005

inding an author one likes can present a reader with a dilemma.   Whatever book first brought the author to a person's eye may send them searching for previous works, which are sometimes hard to find.  Author John Everson solves that problem with this collection, bringing together stories from as far back as 1994 and as recent as 2003 published in magazines such as Eulogy and Black October.  Instead of fans having to go looking for old issues that may be impossible to find, Everson collected his stories into Vigilantes of Love. 

From the opening story, Everson proves himself capable of horror, both understated and overt, and of capturing readers' imaginations with his compelling characters and unique twists on familiar themes.  Each story is strengthened by vivid descriptions, but it is his ability to create characters with whom readers can identify that makes them all the more powerful.  Included in this collection are not only ghosts and supernatural monsters, but also fiends of the human variety, victims of their own desires, and what comes across as a fable or two

There are lessons to be learned in each story, which Everson manages to get across without preaching to the reader.  Whether it is the dangers of cheating in "After the Fifth Step," the love of family in "A Time for Music"  and "The Seven Deadly Seeds," or even the meaning of Christmas in a family of witches in "Christmas, The Hard Way," the lessons are well taught and told in ways that make the reader feel sympathy for the main characters

Of the stories in this collection, the best by far is the first, "Calling of the Moon."  Hearkening back to the writing style of Lovecraft, Everson tells the story of a homeless man who is befriended by an old woman who has a strange fascination with the moon.  While not particularly horrific, the story is powerful and, for lack of a better word, beautiful. 

Other stand-out stories include "After the Fifth Step," in which a tightrope walker discovers the perils of cheating on his wife in the circus; "The Seven Deadly Seeds," a fable in which a family is torn apart by their own negative emotions; and "Vigilantes of Love," in which the wandering heart is targeted by supernatural forces.

Lest readers think this is a book of nothing but love stories, there are sections with enough dementia to keep any horror fan happy.  Stories rich in twisted fun are "Trick and Treat," "The Right Instrument," and "The Humane Way"  Everson shows his horror prowess with Twilight Zone effectiveness and can make even the most jaded readers cringe.  

Rating: 4 out of 5 Mugs O' Blood

 

FeoAmante - StorytimeJimmy Z
Feoamante.com
Summer 2003

ohn Everson has a flair for starting a story down one path and then just when we know where it is going and how it will end, he turns it around and reminds us that life is unpredictable. Vigilantes of Love is a collection of fifteen well written stories that range from fantasy to horror. Some are hardcore horror stories and some are lighter fare. All of them are worth reading.

"Trick and Treat" is a Halloween story, but with a title like that what else could it be. Well, it could be about a hooker. It's both. A man who dislikes being alone on holidays so much that he decides to satisfy himself with a prostitute. An early story in the book that whets the appetite for some of the horrors to be discovered within.

You never know when love may come crashing into your life. Occasionally it even happens when you are already married. We all have choices to make. Some choices are harder than others and sometimes the choices are made for you. In "After the Fifth Step" we are treated to an exploration of love and marriage within a traveling circus.

"Lovesong" is the story of music and a young man with a crush. He frequents a local record store mostly for the attention of Lissa, a worker in the store. From his time spent in the store he discovers more than just the great musicians of the 80's.

In "Vigilantes of Love" we are treated to a New Orleans style Voodoo mystery. This was a wonderful tale of adultery and the undead. A story which might easily be expanded into a longer work.

I don't kill, I preserve.

After that opening line we are off on a chilling story of a taxidermist in "Preserve." Arthur has taken the art of taxidermy to new heights. And to new subjects as well.

It is hard to pick a favorite tale from these stories because I enjoyed them all. Whenever I thought that a particular story was my favorite I would be drawn to another title and then another. Each one vying for the top spot.

One of the better collections I have read in some time. I give it 5 bookwyrms.