Jack Clubb is a horror author and black metal musician that has had a book reviewed before in this zine and also is a part of 'Mortal Vail' a musical project that has also been featured before in this zine and this is a review of his 2023 novel "Promises Decay & Other Monstrosities" which consists of 5 short occult horror stories which will be released on February 25th and we will review every story.
"Obsidian Mirror"
The story starts out with a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche before going into the story which also starts out very dark. The story also starts out with two passengers in the car looking for their destination which also shows them driving during nighttime and the story also brings in a very occult orientated atmosphere.
The story also captures the suspense of a classic horror novel while also explaining the drams of one of the main characters before he wakes up and has a conversation with his friend the other main character in the story. and one of them also works as a tattoo artist which is explained more when he talks to a female that is interested in his artwork.
A levitating man or ghost is also mentioned as one the supernatural elements in the story while the people in the town also give you the vibe of an unfriendly small town which also gets expanded on in the second chapter. The small town where the story takes place also seems to be behind in technology.
The second chapter expands on the female character that also becomes a very huge part of the story as well as adding in a more romantic dimension. The third chapter also shows the story going more of a dark and more suspenseful direction while also adding in more gore, supernatural and horror touches.
In later chapters the story starts progressing into more of a haunted ghost story mixed in with more of an occult twist. After awhile the writing starts adding in more violence while also adding in more murders along with the mention of more shamanistic rituals as well as adding in some goetic demons which also gives the story more left hand path and black magick touches.
A lot of the story writing like a classic horror story that was written in the early 80's along with the murders also starting to go into more of a violent direction One of the main serial killers is also a female and the story also has a very dark ending to it.
"Drawn & Quartered"
The story starts out with a quote from Lucius Annaeus before going into a radio station where a talk radio show is taking place. A few pages into the first chapter the writing also starts adding in more suspense and the show that is presented on the radio also brings in more of a creepy vibe.
Touches of Greek Mythology can also be seen in some of the writing along with the story also taking place in other areas than the radio station. Most of the setting also seems to take place in Midwestern United States while the main character also has some very violent nightmares involving murder.
The story also makes a mention of a virus that is spreading around while one of the creatures also seems to be human. As the writing progresses the story also adds in more crime before adding in more of a romantic touch from more of a teenagers perspective before the setting changes to a hospital.
In the second part of the story the writing also starts going into more of a different direction while still remaining very violent at the same time. There is also a good amount of suspense and blood that also leads to finding a dead body and as the second part progresses the writing goes into more of a horror orientated direction.
The dead body found in the first part of the story returns in an astral body as a ghost before more deaths start to happen. A lot of the writing also changes around to focus on different characters that are also a part of the story and in the third part the writing starts adding more of an occult atmosphere.
The luciform also connects this story with the previous one reviewed as will as seeming to be influenced by both the writings of H.P Lovecraft and Occult studies. A lot of the writing also shows some touches of a very violent horror movie that was released in the mid 90's to early 2000's and the story has a very unhappy ending.
"Pushing Daisies"
The story starts out with a quote from Emily Dickinson before introducing the main female character who also lives in a trailer court. The writing also describes the person as a heavy chain smoker that also has a lot of stress and anxiety issues and after awhile a serial killer also starts making his presence more known.
As the story progresses the writing starts adding in more suspense along with the serial killer seeming to be protected by the police. The story also shows a change of pace when more male characters are introduced into the setting before adding in more of a horror direction and the serial killer turns out to not be a human.
The serial killer is also a Seraphim that also has a chainsaw with him as well as the female character also turning out to be a lesbian that works in Health Care. Hallucinations are also very common in this story and a dead woman with a bullet in her head also shows up briefly and one of the main characters also goes out of her way to make sure no children are harmed before dying towards the end and being picked up by a seraphim.
"Promises Decay".
The story starts out with a quote by Edgar Allan Poe before describing a dream where one of the characters id also floating around before adding in more of an occult horror atmosphere. A lot of the writing also shows an influence of H.P Lovecraft while some of the setting is also added in a graveyard briefly.
At times the story also adds in a realistic approach before returning back to a horror orientated direction. A lot of the story captures a classic atmosphere mixed in with more modern technology before the story goes back into the past describing a college setting before returning back to the modern era and getting more violent.
A lot of the setting also takes place in a dream world while some of the writing takes the classic style of Edgar Allan Poe and Marquis De Sade and takes it into more of a modern direction. The main creature in this story is also reptilian in appearance and the modern day phone scams and apps are also taking into more of a disturbing horror direction mixed in with more occult and metaphysical touches as well as retaining the funeral home atmosphere that is a very huge part of the scenes being described and the story ends with a very unhappy twist.
"Last Rites"
The story starts out with a quote from Thomas Harris before slowly evolving into more of an occult horror story. A lot of the writing also brings in more of a necromantic setting while also adding in a good amount of supernatural creatures and the gore is also more fast paced than the previous stories reviewed.
After awhile the writing also starts adding in more realistic touches while one of the female characters also seems to be possessed by Lilith. A lot of the story also captures the atmosphere of a really dark horror film as well as adding in some ingenious shamanistic touches as the story progresses and the last rites is also played out like a game and the story has a very violent and gory ending.
In conclusion I feel this is a very great collection of short stories from Jack Clubb and if you are a fan of gothic, occult and horror novels, you should read this anthology. 8/5 out of 10.
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