Mark Taylor's "Shutter Speed" Review

Hello again, ghosts and ghouls!
Yes, you read that title right. Last week, I reviewed another work by author Mark Taylor ("Strange", his anthology of short stories), but this week I had the opportunity to read his personal favorite novel he's written, Shutter Speed.

I'm going to be incredibly honest, I had no idea what to expect from this novel because the back of the book explains a handful of different stories all coming together. I don't do well with American Horror Story doing the same thing, so I was concerned I was going to lose sight of the story and be too focused on staying on track memorizing which character was which.
It turns out that the characters were much easier to keep track of than I thought, because they're all very memorable, especially Steve. Steve's the man.

Here's the synopsis from Amazon: "Jimmy Tasker is an ordinary child. He loves to take pictures: has an eye for it. When some common bullies take things too far, Jimmy ends up burned… and different. It starts when his father is killed in a mysterious house fire. Him and his mother move away… change names… disappear. Some years later a group of friends are finding it tough. They are unemployed, short of cash, and one of them comes up with a great idea. A robbery. But they are a rag-tag bunch, and Steve declines, leaving the other three, a misogynist, an addict, and poor, easily led Peter, to pull off the ‘robbery of the century’. But Jimmy is still in there, somewhere… … and he’s killing for fun."


...You guys. I have to be honest with you all, the beginning of the book was strong and it had a moment just before the middle of the book where I wasn't sure how it was going to, and then all of a sudden BAM. I finished three quarters of the book in two hours. I couldn't put it down. My heart was racing, I felt so connected to the characters (Jimmy is a crazy badass! Steve is the coolest! The Boys are insane!) and there really wasn't much that I disliked after that.

I have been reading indie horror for some time now, and I am always so grateful that these authors send me their work because they pour their heart and soul into these works and more often than not, they're awesome. Shutter Speed is no exception to this observation.

At times, the story seems a little "woah, what the heck is going on?" but once the flow is back, you're hooked. Like I said, I finished most of this book in a day. What an awesome way to spend my night. Really.

The death scenes are really, really graphic, you guys. I handle blood, gore and gross things REALLY well, and at times I was flinching. There are copious amounts of graphic imagery. It's wonderfully and grossly written. If you're looking for some major gross-outs, go with this one. I've never really felt so empathetic towards characters that are being slaughtered. 

Thank you again, Mark, for sending me your work (and signing it!!!). I can't wait to put Shutter Speed on my bookshelf to show off!

If you'd like to purchase Shutter Speed, find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Shutter-Speed-Mark-Taylor/dp/1496190246

Without authors submitting me their wonderful books, I often miss out on some awesome indie horror. Feel free to email me any time to review horror novels at taylorterriblehorror@gmail.com! I love creepy things and I love reading!

Until next time, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3

Mark Taylor's "Strange" Review

Hello again, ghosts and ghouls!
It feels like it's been quite some time since I've done a book review, doesn't it?! I'm glad to be back on the bookworm wagon and reading like I used to. I have to say, as much as I enjoy watching horror films, something about reading horror is so satisfying. I think it's the fact that you get to conjure up the stories in your head, and it's like a little nightmare while you're awake. No? No one else enjoys having nightmares? Well, that's awkward.

Anyway, on to the review!

I was very generously sent two works by horror author Mark Taylor, and I'll be honest with you, with the holidays happening and life's natural craziness taking place, I was only able to read one so far. That just means that we'll be getting two reviews, so maybe it's not a bad thing!

I read Strange first, which is a collection of short stories. I have a novel, Shutter Speed, waiting for me when I have a hot second to sit down and get really immersed.
With that being said, that takes me into my first favorite part about Strange- few things make me happier than a nice book of short stories. There's something about being able to read a full story start-to-finish in a day that's just so...gratifying.

The second thing I enjoyed about Strange is that there are a few different types of stories! There are the more psychological types ("Networking"), down to the downright horrifying ("Dead Game").

Typically when it comes to book reviews, I try desperately to not give too much away, which is what I'll do here. My favorite in the book is definitely "Dead Game"; it's weird, disturbing, and definitely my type of story. It involves death, so it's kind of a given.

As far as the book itself, the stories are quick and fun reads, so for someone in a rush or someone that's impatient with letting a story unfold, you're in luck! These stories average around 40 pages each.

There's something for everyone, as I said previously, from sci-fi to horror. Strange delivers a fun alternative to sticking to one long story that you may not feel connected to- instead you have the choice to read the stories out of order (because each story is totally different), though I read them in order for the sake of ease.

Thank you again to Mark Taylor who generously sent me such a fun read! If you'd like a copy for yourself, you can get it at http://www.amazon.com/Strange-A-Dark-Surreal-Collection-ebook/dp/B017MIFPRK.

I can't wait to get started on my copy of Shutter Speed!

Until next time, ghosts and ghouls,
Stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3