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Our Lady of the Inferno
Spring, 1983. Sally Ride is about to go into space. Flashdance is a cultural phenomenon. And in Times Square, two very deadly women are on a collision course with destiny-- and each other.
At twenty-one, Ginny Kurva is already legendary on 42nd Street. To the pimp for whom she works, she's the perfect weapon-- a martial artist capable of taking down men twice her size. To the girls in her stable, she's mother, teacher, and protector. To the little sister she cares for, she's a hero. Yet Ginny's bravado and icy confidence hides a mind at the breaking point, her sanity slowly slipping away as both her addictions and the sins of her past catch up with her...
At thirty-seven, Nicolette Aster is the most respected woman at the landfill where she works. Quiet and competent, she's admired by the secretaries and trusted by her supervisors. Yet those around her have no idea how Nicolette spends her nights-- when the hateful madness she keeps repressed by day finally emerges, and she turns the dump into her own personal hunting ground to engage in a nightmarish bloodsport...
In the Spring of 1983, neither Ginny nor Nicolette knows the other exists. By the time Summer rolls around, one of them will be dead.
At twenty-one, Ginny Kurva is already legendary on 42nd Street. To the pimp for whom she works, she's the perfect weapon-- a martial artist capable of taking down men twice her size. To the girls in her stable, she's mother, teacher, and protector. To the little sister she cares for, she's a hero. Yet Ginny's bravado and icy confidence hides a mind at the breaking point, her sanity slowly slipping away as both her addictions and the sins of her past catch up with her...
At thirty-seven, Nicolette Aster is the most respected woman at the landfill where she works. Quiet and competent, she's admired by the secretaries and trusted by her supervisors. Yet those around her have no idea how Nicolette spends her nights-- when the hateful madness she keeps repressed by day finally emerges, and she turns the dump into her own personal hunting ground to engage in a nightmarish bloodsport...
In the Spring of 1983, neither Ginny nor Nicolette knows the other exists. By the time Summer rolls around, one of them will be dead.
376 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2016
About the author
Preston Fassel
10 books80 followersPreston Fassel is an award-winning novelist and journalist whose work has appeared in Fangoria, Rue Morgue, and Screem Magazine. He is a two-time winner of the Independent Publisher's Gold Medal for Horror, for Our Lady of the Inferno (which was also named one of the ten best books of 2018 by Bloody Disgusting) and The Despicable Fantasies of Quentin Sergenov. His debut nonfiction book, Landis: The Story of a Real Man on 42nd Street, the first published biography of film critic and magazine founder Bill Landis, was nominated for the 2022 Rondo Hatton Award for Book of the Year. He graduated Cum Laude from Sam Houston State University in 2011 with a BS in psychology. He held the Tetris world record for like five months in 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 28, 2018
Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review! (originally slated to appear on Cemetery Dance but Blu beat me to the punch, Ha! please read his review as well, it's so good! https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/...
New York’s 42nd Street in 1983 is where we find Ginny Kurva, the unlikely star of Preston Fassel’s gritty novel published by Fangoria.
Sometimes I like to go into a book totally blind and not read anything about it so that I can have the freshest, cleanest possible encounter with the story. I saw the cover for Our Lady of the Inferno on Fangoria’s Twitter and that’s all I wanted to know. It’s a brilliant cover by the way and the author, Preston Fassel told me that Ashley Detmering was the artist behind the neon-sex-appeal cover and that she also will be doing artwork for Fangoria’s print magazine (October 2018)
Upon reading the prologue, I knew immediately I was in capable hands. Preston is a remarkable story teller with his own, unique style. He has this signature way of structuring his sentences that grew on me immediately. His descriptive language paints pictures in your mind as you get familiar with the dark, seedy underbelly of New York, Times Square. City scapes are illustrated, funky smells are highlighted in vibrant detail and the women of the street are introduced.
At first blush, I wasn’t sure if a story about pimps and prostitutes was going to hold my attention but Preston begins to weave in some themes of redemption that is always a head turner for me. I love a good redemption story with unlikely heroes and heroines. I also love some wicked antagonists and we are met with the Colonel, owner of the Misanthrope Hotel, right away. I thought he made for a pretty terrifying villain but then the real threat stepped into the limelight, Nicolette Aster. Nicolette’s day job is a competent employee at the Staten Island Landfill but by night, Miss Aster has a much more insidious, dangerous “profession”.
Horror aficionados will love this gory, tantalizing story as it plays out; first: with a sultry, bluesy song of the ladies of the night as they facethe average perils of the street. Second: with the buzzsaw noise of murder and mayhem. Lastly, a satisfying ending that truly made me upset to say goodbye to the characters I had come to fall in love with and root for. I’ll definitely show up for more books by Preston Fassel and I’m excited to see what Fangoria continues to bring to the table for horror fans. This first book ticked all the right boxes for me.
New York’s 42nd Street in 1983 is where we find Ginny Kurva, the unlikely star of Preston Fassel’s gritty novel published by Fangoria.
Sometimes I like to go into a book totally blind and not read anything about it so that I can have the freshest, cleanest possible encounter with the story. I saw the cover for Our Lady of the Inferno on Fangoria’s Twitter and that’s all I wanted to know. It’s a brilliant cover by the way and the author, Preston Fassel told me that Ashley Detmering was the artist behind the neon-sex-appeal cover and that she also will be doing artwork for Fangoria’s print magazine (October 2018)
Upon reading the prologue, I knew immediately I was in capable hands. Preston is a remarkable story teller with his own, unique style. He has this signature way of structuring his sentences that grew on me immediately. His descriptive language paints pictures in your mind as you get familiar with the dark, seedy underbelly of New York, Times Square. City scapes are illustrated, funky smells are highlighted in vibrant detail and the women of the street are introduced.
At first blush, I wasn’t sure if a story about pimps and prostitutes was going to hold my attention but Preston begins to weave in some themes of redemption that is always a head turner for me. I love a good redemption story with unlikely heroes and heroines. I also love some wicked antagonists and we are met with the Colonel, owner of the Misanthrope Hotel, right away. I thought he made for a pretty terrifying villain but then the real threat stepped into the limelight, Nicolette Aster. Nicolette’s day job is a competent employee at the Staten Island Landfill but by night, Miss Aster has a much more insidious, dangerous “profession”.
Horror aficionados will love this gory, tantalizing story as it plays out; first: with a sultry, bluesy song of the ladies of the night as they facethe average perils of the street. Second: with the buzzsaw noise of murder and mayhem. Lastly, a satisfying ending that truly made me upset to say goodbye to the characters I had come to fall in love with and root for. I’ll definitely show up for more books by Preston Fassel and I’m excited to see what Fangoria continues to bring to the table for horror fans. This first book ticked all the right boxes for me.
December 3, 2023
I just could not put this down, blown away by its raw ferocity. It is at once vulgar, gory, grim and yet incredibly poignant and punctuated with hope and optimism, however naively rooted. Dual alternating narratives build like two trains on a collision course, creating a chilling energy and tension palpable from the outset. Fassel's writing is lyrical and mesmerizing, the dialogue sharp, witty and pulsing with both a vitality and a dark, twisted energy. I loved the seedy, destitute characters, the settings on the filthy streets of early 1980's Times Square, the references to Greek myth, 80's geek and pop culture, etc. All of it. I wouldn't change a thing.
April 13, 2019
For those with loose morals and cash in their pocket, the Deuce in the 80's was an adults playground.
Pimps, prostitutes, horror movies, drugs, comic books and murder all play a part in the melting pot of life on 42nd street in author Preston Fassel's debut novel.
Our Lady of the Inferno hooked me right off the bat. First with that cover (which has some nice ties to the story itself) and then with the characters who populate this prominently polluted and perverse playground, which, unlike most genre-tales, showcases its horrors in broad daylight.
The protagonist (prostitute and mother-hen to her pimps' gang of streetwalkers) Ginny Kurva is the glue that binds the noir elements to the horror. By virtue of this dangerous profession, her brood unwittingly put themselves at risk of gore splatter slaughter; prime targets for a sacrificial ceremony by the hand of an unstable and unsuspecting serial killer.
Macabre, intense, and beautifully written, Our Lady of the Inferno is a must read for horror enthusiasts.
My rating: 5/5 stars.
Pimps, prostitutes, horror movies, drugs, comic books and murder all play a part in the melting pot of life on 42nd street in author Preston Fassel's debut novel.
Our Lady of the Inferno hooked me right off the bat. First with that cover (which has some nice ties to the story itself) and then with the characters who populate this prominently polluted and perverse playground, which, unlike most genre-tales, showcases its horrors in broad daylight.
The protagonist (prostitute and mother-hen to her pimps' gang of streetwalkers) Ginny Kurva is the glue that binds the noir elements to the horror. By virtue of this dangerous profession, her brood unwittingly put themselves at risk of gore splatter slaughter; prime targets for a sacrificial ceremony by the hand of an unstable and unsuspecting serial killer.
Macabre, intense, and beautifully written, Our Lady of the Inferno is a must read for horror enthusiasts.
My rating: 5/5 stars.
October 18, 2019
"It's the stench that awakens Tina. Not the interminable cry of the gulls echoing across the hills and gulfs of refuse that surround her, not the intensity of the heat leeching sweat from her every pore, but the stench. It is the summation of every odor she has ever inhaled: rotted eggs and rotting animal flesh, cabbage gone bad and meat gone bad and stale urine and fetid baby shit wrapped in decaying cotton. As she jerked to consciousness, the smell is her totality, the entirety of her being, thought and sensation lost completely to the smell, so that the smell is her universe, her soul, her god."
Our Lady of the Inferno is the first novel under the Fangoria Presents banner. As someone who used to be a rabid fan, I was ecstatic when I learned that the horror magazine was being brought back and that they were also branching out by publishing books, as well as movies. Of course I was curious about what would await in a Fangoria novel, especially after seeing the badass cover by Ashley Detmering and reading the brief synopsis.
It wasn't anything like I was expecting.
Oh no. It was so much better!
"We're fucked up people who like fucked up shit."
Cannibals and serial killers and nerds and kung-fu hookers and a.. Mighty Minotaur?! Ahh! Good times, folks!
Our Lady of the Inferno transports the reader to New York's seedy 42nd Street in 1983. The story takes place over the course of nine days and mainly focuses on two narratives that intersect throughout. These characters are interesting, complex and fully-formed women. Their POV's are polar opposites, which creates such a fascinating contrast in storytelling. At first this threw me off slightly, because it felt like they belonged in completely different novels. However, the way they come crashing together was brilliant!
The protagonist is 21-year-old Ginny Kurva. Ginny is a runaway who has taken up prostitution in order to help care for her sister Tricia, who has paraplegia. She works for a vile pimp known as the Colonel and acts as a mother hen of sorts for the other women in the group, educating them so that they may one day leave sex work behind. She's a martial artist, ambitious, intelligent and incredibly flawed (aren't we all?)
The other is Nicolette Aster, a 37-year-old waste management executive at the Staten Island landfill. She is a hard worker that is highly respected by her coworkers, although she mostly keeps to herself. The Nicolette at work is just a façade, however. Once she removes the mask.. er.. puts on the mask, she becomes an entirely different person. She is someone that lives mainly in her head and to say it is jarring would be an understatement! She is essentially Patrick Bateman, except more insane. Goddamn.
"Ginny.. wants so much to have a slasher of her own, where the smart girl lives to outsmart the killer at his own game, success of intellect and measured ass-kicking above dumb luck, hates it when the moronic bimbo lives just because she's fortune enough to aimlessly throw enough junk in the killer's way, and the smart friend gets wasted halfway through the picture without even the pretense of a fight."
This is totally fucking radcore! It's this grimy, macabre, noir slasher that is violent and darkly humorous and gut-punchy and mostly sex-positive. There's just.. a lot going on here. Fassel delved deeply into a powerful story with the essence of grindhouse horror from the 80's, without getting shoehorned into the typical PROSTITUTE WITH THE HEART OF GOLD AND MORE BOOBS THAN BRAINS trope. Rather, this was a carefully crafted tale with dynamic characters and visceral, insightful writing.
Horror fans hunger for distinctive voices and new stories. Preston Fassel brings a much-needed uniqueness to the genre with his debut novel. I'm desperately looking forward to what he has in store next!
Our Lady of the Inferno is an irresistible delight of a novel, dripping in neon-lit carnage!
Our Lady of the Inferno is the first novel under the Fangoria Presents banner. As someone who used to be a rabid fan, I was ecstatic when I learned that the horror magazine was being brought back and that they were also branching out by publishing books, as well as movies. Of course I was curious about what would await in a Fangoria novel, especially after seeing the badass cover by Ashley Detmering and reading the brief synopsis.
It wasn't anything like I was expecting.
Oh no. It was so much better!
"We're fucked up people who like fucked up shit."
Cannibals and serial killers and nerds and kung-fu hookers and a.. Mighty Minotaur?! Ahh! Good times, folks!
Our Lady of the Inferno transports the reader to New York's seedy 42nd Street in 1983. The story takes place over the course of nine days and mainly focuses on two narratives that intersect throughout. These characters are interesting, complex and fully-formed women. Their POV's are polar opposites, which creates such a fascinating contrast in storytelling. At first this threw me off slightly, because it felt like they belonged in completely different novels. However, the way they come crashing together was brilliant!
The protagonist is 21-year-old Ginny Kurva. Ginny is a runaway who has taken up prostitution in order to help care for her sister Tricia, who has paraplegia. She works for a vile pimp known as the Colonel and acts as a mother hen of sorts for the other women in the group, educating them so that they may one day leave sex work behind. She's a martial artist, ambitious, intelligent and incredibly flawed (aren't we all?)
The other is Nicolette Aster, a 37-year-old waste management executive at the Staten Island landfill. She is a hard worker that is highly respected by her coworkers, although she mostly keeps to herself. The Nicolette at work is just a façade, however. Once she removes the mask.. er.. puts on the mask, she becomes an entirely different person. She is someone that lives mainly in her head and to say it is jarring would be an understatement! She is essentially Patrick Bateman, except more insane. Goddamn.
"Ginny.. wants so much to have a slasher of her own, where the smart girl lives to outsmart the killer at his own game, success of intellect and measured ass-kicking above dumb luck, hates it when the moronic bimbo lives just because she's fortune enough to aimlessly throw enough junk in the killer's way, and the smart friend gets wasted halfway through the picture without even the pretense of a fight."
This is totally fucking radcore! It's this grimy, macabre, noir slasher that is violent and darkly humorous and gut-punchy and mostly sex-positive. There's just.. a lot going on here. Fassel delved deeply into a powerful story with the essence of grindhouse horror from the 80's, without getting shoehorned into the typical PROSTITUTE WITH THE HEART OF GOLD AND MORE BOOBS THAN BRAINS trope. Rather, this was a carefully crafted tale with dynamic characters and visceral, insightful writing.
Horror fans hunger for distinctive voices and new stories. Preston Fassel brings a much-needed uniqueness to the genre with his debut novel. I'm desperately looking forward to what he has in store next!
Our Lady of the Inferno is an irresistible delight of a novel, dripping in neon-lit carnage!
January 14, 2024
Remember when 42nd street was the heart and soul of the rotten big apple? Fassel does, or at least he did his homework here, and brings it to life warts and all. Our Lady of the Inferno takes place over nine days in 1983 with two story arcs that you know will come to a head sooner or later (even if you did not read the backflap!). Ginny Kurva, age 21, is the 'bottom whore' whose stable works on 42nd street; she has been 'working' for the last three years and doing what she can to take care of her crippled younger sister (aged 17). Alongside Ginny's trials and tribulations, Fassel shifts back and forth to Nicolette Aster, who works at the Staten Island landfill. Nicolette is bat shit crazy.
Ginny is obviously getting burned out of working the streets, but tries to hang in there for the sake of her sister. We know something happened to bring the two sisters to NYC, but Fassel holds back on that until the end; what we do know is Ginny keeps a lid on the stable to please her pimp, the 'Colonel', and pleases him in other ways on demand. Ginny is basically the 'den mother' to the other women in the stable, trying to give them hope and education while keeping them safe (she is a bit of a bad ass). Nicolette, on the other hand, lives in her own little world, largely imaginary, but with 'real world' consequences when her gods demand tribute; human tribute.
I loved the movie references which played a large role here, as Ginny spends most of her down time at the grindhouse theaters around 42nd street. Remember Flashdance? It always makes Ginny cry at the end. I loved Ginny, although her dropping 'sweetie' almost every other word got old, as did, like, the 'valley speak'. Nicolette fascinated in a different way. Not just a sociopath, she cannot even remember her co-workers names; they are all 'Someones'. She rotated in and out of institutions for years until she turned 21 and likes working at the landfill as she can be alone there, doing paperwork and puzzles. In her imaginary world, however, she is a goddess, powering through life with aplomb.
I also loved how Fassel built the tension and suspense, and that is really saying something as you know the two leads will clash at the end. He also paced this extremely well and rounded it out with flesh and blood characters. This reminded me of Iceberg Slim's Pimp: The Story of My Life, which explicated his own autobiographical stint as a pimp in Chicago in the way he portrayed Ginny and the gals. Serious page turner that brought back a lot of nostalgia; I was a teenager in the 80s and Fassel nailed the music, movies and other cultural aspects of the era perfectly. 4.5 tense stars, rounding up!
Ginny is obviously getting burned out of working the streets, but tries to hang in there for the sake of her sister. We know something happened to bring the two sisters to NYC, but Fassel holds back on that until the end; what we do know is Ginny keeps a lid on the stable to please her pimp, the 'Colonel', and pleases him in other ways on demand. Ginny is basically the 'den mother' to the other women in the stable, trying to give them hope and education while keeping them safe (she is a bit of a bad ass). Nicolette, on the other hand, lives in her own little world, largely imaginary, but with 'real world' consequences when her gods demand tribute; human tribute.
I loved the movie references which played a large role here, as Ginny spends most of her down time at the grindhouse theaters around 42nd street. Remember Flashdance? It always makes Ginny cry at the end. I loved Ginny, although her dropping 'sweetie' almost every other word got old, as did, like, the 'valley speak'. Nicolette fascinated in a different way. Not just a sociopath, she cannot even remember her co-workers names; they are all 'Someones'. She rotated in and out of institutions for years until she turned 21 and likes working at the landfill as she can be alone there, doing paperwork and puzzles. In her imaginary world, however, she is a goddess, powering through life with aplomb.
I also loved how Fassel built the tension and suspense, and that is really saying something as you know the two leads will clash at the end. He also paced this extremely well and rounded it out with flesh and blood characters. This reminded me of Iceberg Slim's Pimp: The Story of My Life, which explicated his own autobiographical stint as a pimp in Chicago in the way he portrayed Ginny and the gals. Serious page turner that brought back a lot of nostalgia; I was a teenager in the 80s and Fassel nailed the music, movies and other cultural aspects of the era perfectly. 4.5 tense stars, rounding up!
August 23, 2018
Following the death and subsequent resurrection of horror film magazine Fangoria by the Dallas-based entertainment firm Cinestate, it was announced that not only was the magazine returning to print as a quarterly publication, but that Fangoria was to become a media franchise all its own. Under new ownership, the brand is to branch out into podcasts, film production (it's first film in this new role, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich premiered recently on VOD and with a limited theatrical run), and book publishing. The first book to see print under the Fangoria Presents banner is Preston Fassel's Our Lady of the Inferno, a 1983 New York serial killer thriller.
A Houston-based author, Fassel has written for Scream Magazine, Rue Morgue, and will be a staff writer for Fangoria when the magazine relaunches in October. Although he is a Texas native, Fassel convincingly brings to life the grime and squalor of early-80s Manhattan and the red light district of 42nd Street, an area known as The Deuce. Our Lady of the Inferno captures the seediness of Time Square prior to the area's revitalization and rehabilitation as a tourist-friendly destination, giving readers front-row seats in run-down theaters playing second-rate horror flicks where prostitutes trade blowjobs for quick cash, to the graffiti tagged hallways of the Motel Misanthrope where heroine junkies shoot up in the stairwells and the daytime streetwalkers of 42nd live, breathe, and work.
Damn never every single page of Our Lady of the Inferno radiates a seedy grittiness of the era, so much so one might be inclined to check for an STD on the off-chance you've caught something simply from reading this book. This sucker bleeds atmosphere, but it also has a surprising bit of heart at its dark core.
In a book involving prostitutes and a psychotic, religiously-motivated serial killer, it would have been all too easy to write a story that was all sex and violence, with various bodily fluids soaking these pages from one deviant act after another. And while there's a fair amount of dirtiness herein, much of that comes from how realistically Fassel has written this by-gone period of New York history. Rather than focusing primarily on the titillating, Fassel instead leans hard into the characters, sparing readers the violence and carnage for the vast majority of this title's page count (but make no mistake, when the story does take a turn for the violent, it does so with remarkable brutality).
Our Lady of the Inferno is a slow-burn, ultra-methodical study of its lead women. Ginny Kurva is a prostitute, yes, but that's hardly the be-all, end-all to her existence. Nicolette Aster is a vicious and insane killer, but the degrees of her mental instability are striking. Fassel presents each of these women and then slowly, piece by piece, deconstructs them to show us what makes them tick, revealing all their various facets, their virtues and their flaws, and most certainly their sins.
Ginny trades her body for money, but she's far from the stereotypical portrayal of a New York whore. She's got smarts from both the streets and her years in college. She loves movies and books, and prizes education in both herself and others. She's hardly the Hollywood-standard hooker with a heart of gold, though; she's manipulative, and when angry her rage burns with a red-hot intensity. Prepared for any potential violence that may flare up without warning, she is both victim and victimizer, but through it all there runs a strong undercurrent of empowerment for both herself and for the other women in her life.
A similar vein of empowerment is at the core of Nicolette, as well, and it's striking the ways in which she acts as a mirror image to Ginny. If Ginny owns the day, then the night belongs to Nicolette. And while Ginny attempts to improve the lives of her fellow prostitutes, Nicolette is hellbent on destroying them, hunting them down and carving them apart, limb from limb, joint by joint. That these two women are on a collision course is a no-brainer, but Fassel spends so much time studying each of them, building them up, that by the time they meet head-on you fully understand how much is at stake and what each of them has to live, or die, for.
I will admit, I was fairly surprised by Our Lady of the Inferno; Fassel delivered a story that was a great deal different than I had expected, particularly given the Fangoria branding. I was expecting something much more rapid-fire, chock full of gore and violence and sex, and while each of those do appear in fair doses throughout, I was initially caught a bit off-guard by the focus and commitment to characters. Our Lady of the Inferno is not a piece of disposable slasher horror, or a check-your-brain-at-the-door riff on B-movie pulps. Possessing an intriguing amount of literary depth, it's far smarter than that, and far more astute in its capturing and subsequent rendering of a specific time and place and the characters that inhabit it. Fassel presents several moments of fascinating horror, but its the long and extended moments of quietude, the moments of heart and fellowship and the struggles of daily living, and the amount of research that clearly went into giving this labor of love its necessary and invaluable credibility, that truly make it something special and unique. Our Lady of the Inferno is not simply about the horrors of a meeting a deranged killer in a dark alley, but about the horrors of life itself, the horrors of personal inner-demons, the horrors of the day to day that each of us burn alive in.
[Note: I received an advance reading copy of this title from the publisher, Fangoria.]
A Houston-based author, Fassel has written for Scream Magazine, Rue Morgue, and will be a staff writer for Fangoria when the magazine relaunches in October. Although he is a Texas native, Fassel convincingly brings to life the grime and squalor of early-80s Manhattan and the red light district of 42nd Street, an area known as The Deuce. Our Lady of the Inferno captures the seediness of Time Square prior to the area's revitalization and rehabilitation as a tourist-friendly destination, giving readers front-row seats in run-down theaters playing second-rate horror flicks where prostitutes trade blowjobs for quick cash, to the graffiti tagged hallways of the Motel Misanthrope where heroine junkies shoot up in the stairwells and the daytime streetwalkers of 42nd live, breathe, and work.
Damn never every single page of Our Lady of the Inferno radiates a seedy grittiness of the era, so much so one might be inclined to check for an STD on the off-chance you've caught something simply from reading this book. This sucker bleeds atmosphere, but it also has a surprising bit of heart at its dark core.
In a book involving prostitutes and a psychotic, religiously-motivated serial killer, it would have been all too easy to write a story that was all sex and violence, with various bodily fluids soaking these pages from one deviant act after another. And while there's a fair amount of dirtiness herein, much of that comes from how realistically Fassel has written this by-gone period of New York history. Rather than focusing primarily on the titillating, Fassel instead leans hard into the characters, sparing readers the violence and carnage for the vast majority of this title's page count (but make no mistake, when the story does take a turn for the violent, it does so with remarkable brutality).
Our Lady of the Inferno is a slow-burn, ultra-methodical study of its lead women. Ginny Kurva is a prostitute, yes, but that's hardly the be-all, end-all to her existence. Nicolette Aster is a vicious and insane killer, but the degrees of her mental instability are striking. Fassel presents each of these women and then slowly, piece by piece, deconstructs them to show us what makes them tick, revealing all their various facets, their virtues and their flaws, and most certainly their sins.
Ginny trades her body for money, but she's far from the stereotypical portrayal of a New York whore. She's got smarts from both the streets and her years in college. She loves movies and books, and prizes education in both herself and others. She's hardly the Hollywood-standard hooker with a heart of gold, though; she's manipulative, and when angry her rage burns with a red-hot intensity. Prepared for any potential violence that may flare up without warning, she is both victim and victimizer, but through it all there runs a strong undercurrent of empowerment for both herself and for the other women in her life.
A similar vein of empowerment is at the core of Nicolette, as well, and it's striking the ways in which she acts as a mirror image to Ginny. If Ginny owns the day, then the night belongs to Nicolette. And while Ginny attempts to improve the lives of her fellow prostitutes, Nicolette is hellbent on destroying them, hunting them down and carving them apart, limb from limb, joint by joint. That these two women are on a collision course is a no-brainer, but Fassel spends so much time studying each of them, building them up, that by the time they meet head-on you fully understand how much is at stake and what each of them has to live, or die, for.
I will admit, I was fairly surprised by Our Lady of the Inferno; Fassel delivered a story that was a great deal different than I had expected, particularly given the Fangoria branding. I was expecting something much more rapid-fire, chock full of gore and violence and sex, and while each of those do appear in fair doses throughout, I was initially caught a bit off-guard by the focus and commitment to characters. Our Lady of the Inferno is not a piece of disposable slasher horror, or a check-your-brain-at-the-door riff on B-movie pulps. Possessing an intriguing amount of literary depth, it's far smarter than that, and far more astute in its capturing and subsequent rendering of a specific time and place and the characters that inhabit it. Fassel presents several moments of fascinating horror, but its the long and extended moments of quietude, the moments of heart and fellowship and the struggles of daily living, and the amount of research that clearly went into giving this labor of love its necessary and invaluable credibility, that truly make it something special and unique. Our Lady of the Inferno is not simply about the horrors of a meeting a deranged killer in a dark alley, but about the horrors of life itself, the horrors of personal inner-demons, the horrors of the day to day that each of us burn alive in.
[Note: I received an advance reading copy of this title from the publisher, Fangoria.]
August 19, 2019
Hot damn I enjoyed the hell out of this book, and I'm sad that I'm going to miss the book club meeting since I'm on vacation in another state. I'll start with my one main complaint about this book, which is that Ginny constantly called people sweetheart and sweetie, which isn't so much a knock on the book, as it is a reflection of how I personally dislike most terms of endearment, especially when they are applied indiscriminately. The fact is there are real people out there who do this kind of thing all the time, and thus as an aspect of Ginny's personality it makes sense and doesn't conflict with anything else about her personality. It was a flaw that made her seem more real, since she had so many positive traits, such as her nearly unreal fighting abilities.
Another potential flaw was Tricia's incessant peppering of her language with the word 'like', which at times seemed so pervasive that I initially thought it was too much. However, in an interesting bit of coincidence, I was about half way through this book, when on my way to work one morning I heard an interview on NPR with young woman discussing protests in Puerto Rico (if I remember correctly) whose patois was as equally sprinkled with 'like' as Tricia's, reminding me that 1) that style of speech really does exist out there in the real world and 2) I know people who speak exactly in the manner. So whether or not I like the constant use of 'like' it's, like, not unbelievable at all, and added to the messiness of the character. It also seemed to me that Tricia's language would rub off on Ginny, depending on who she was talking to.
On one level this book is horror, but it is elevated above a simple slasher / thriller by the complex interactions of the pimps and prostitutes trapped in the nasty underbelly of the city. Ginny has to carefully navigate around the Colonel, managing her justified loathing of him while recognizing that there is much worse out there, He is horrible, but in this case she is better off, at least for the time being, with the devil she knows. The episode in which she recruits Tammy was particularly striking, making it clear that although she is the 'hero' of this story, Ginny is in no way perfect and does some morally reprehensible actions in the process of attempting to survive and to take care of her sister.
And then there's Nicolette. Fucking hell, I liked her as a centerpiece villain. She is a psychopath portrayed more realistically than is usually done, in that she lacks an ability to experience emotions in a typical way, and seems to entirely lack empathy or remorse. The way she viewed people as "someone" with no name and no personality, and just enough distinguishing features kept in her mind to identify them when it was important to her, revealed her inner workings and motivations without turning her into a cartoonish 'I'm evil' mustache-twirler. Her need to kill, driven by some kind of idea that she must provide sacrifices to the city, wrapped up in a distorted version of the mythology of the labyrinth and the minotaur, and governed by a yearly cycle of cessation followed by an ever escalating schedule of violence, fit so well with the behavior of some real life serial killers that it seemed completely plausible. The final confrontation between Nicolette and Ginny was just about as satisfying as it could possibly be.
Another great selection by the Nightmare Factory book club. We have been on a roll this year.
Another potential flaw was Tricia's incessant peppering of her language with the word 'like', which at times seemed so pervasive that I initially thought it was too much. However, in an interesting bit of coincidence, I was about half way through this book, when on my way to work one morning I heard an interview on NPR with young woman discussing protests in Puerto Rico (if I remember correctly) whose patois was as equally sprinkled with 'like' as Tricia's, reminding me that 1) that style of speech really does exist out there in the real world and 2) I know people who speak exactly in the manner. So whether or not I like the constant use of 'like' it's, like, not unbelievable at all, and added to the messiness of the character. It also seemed to me that Tricia's language would rub off on Ginny, depending on who she was talking to.
On one level this book is horror, but it is elevated above a simple slasher / thriller by the complex interactions of the pimps and prostitutes trapped in the nasty underbelly of the city. Ginny has to carefully navigate around the Colonel, managing her justified loathing of him while recognizing that there is much worse out there, He is horrible, but in this case she is better off, at least for the time being, with the devil she knows. The episode in which she recruits Tammy was particularly striking, making it clear that although she is the 'hero' of this story, Ginny is in no way perfect and does some morally reprehensible actions in the process of attempting to survive and to take care of her sister.
And then there's Nicolette. Fucking hell, I liked her as a centerpiece villain. She is a psychopath portrayed more realistically than is usually done, in that she lacks an ability to experience emotions in a typical way, and seems to entirely lack empathy or remorse. The way she viewed people as "someone" with no name and no personality, and just enough distinguishing features kept in her mind to identify them when it was important to her, revealed her inner workings and motivations without turning her into a cartoonish 'I'm evil' mustache-twirler. Her need to kill, driven by some kind of idea that she must provide sacrifices to the city, wrapped up in a distorted version of the mythology of the labyrinth and the minotaur, and governed by a yearly cycle of cessation followed by an ever escalating schedule of violence, fit so well with the behavior of some real life serial killers that it seemed completely plausible. The final confrontation between Nicolette and Ginny was just about as satisfying as it could possibly be.
Another great selection by the Nightmare Factory book club. We have been on a roll this year.
April 7, 2017
Our Lady of the Inferno is a gripping story of redemption and revenge set against the backdrop of New York’s 42nd Street and its sleazy underbelly. There is much in this novel to please the horror aficionado and the average reader alike.
The irony in the title, Our Lady of the Inferno, with its reference to the biblical Virgin Mary, one tainted, corrupted, existing in an infernal hell, alerts the reader to the sort of novel talented author Preston Fassell has produced. The story has an urban feel, gritty, noir, providing the reader with a unique window into an American subculture of which prostitution forms a part, a world littered with 1980s pop culture references to comics, television and film. References to cinematic horror, often oblique, foreshadow the horror emerging in the lived reality of the narrative.
The story is the union of two portraits. A young woman prostitute and her disabled sister, and a psychopath with a vendetta.
Meet protagonist Ginny, a troubled young prostitute with a taste for the obliterating altered state of consciousness alcohol affords, and a commitment to education as the key to redemption for those in her charge, a small group of pornai at the Misanthrope Motel. She's ruthless yet compassionate, obeys the rules that have been imposed upon her, and craves and strives for escape. Her younger sister, Tricia, is confined to a wheelchair. Ginny regards Tricia a burden she's resigned to carry, shouldering the responsibility with long-suffering love. Their banter is funny, lighthearted. They bicker and squabble, tease and goad, and yet there's an undertow of bitterness and regret, and overwhelming frustration, each of them craving the unobtainable, a better life. While Ginny drowns her anguish in the bottle, Tricia escapes into film and comics.
Through the sisters, Fassell explores an important moral theme, recognising that it is society that places young women like Ginny and her small group of pornai in such vulnerable situations and then ignores their existence. Further, that while prostitutes exist in a reality where almost all the predators are men, it's a dangerous assumption because, sometimes, one of those predators will be a woman.
Antagonist Nicolette, at once disturbed and disturbing, slices into the main narrative, at first offering puzzling intrigue and menace. Fassell paints her portrait with texture and depth. She's a troubled soul shut off from the world, obsessive compulsive, living her life through a set of complex rituals. Her mind is racked as much by fear and paranoia as it is loathing and rage. Hers is a quest for retribution. She blames, but as is often the case with childhood abuse and neglect, the target of her blame is misdirected. She's a repulsive character yet the reader is drawn into sympathy even while revolted by her acts.
In Our Lady of the Inferno, Fassell weaves together the two narratives, building the suspense, the dread, leading the reader towards the inevitable, all the while inviting them to look at that which confronts, to ponder, to penetrate beneath the surface of taken for granted attitudes and norms.
The carnal aspects of the novel are juxtaposed with a theme of transcendence, embodied both literally and metaphorically in Sally Ride: cosmic, spiritual, aspirational and social transcendence, all are sought after by protagonist Ginny, for herself, her sister, and the pornai in her care, as she struggles to find liberation from her pimp and motel owner, the outright misanthropic Colonel.
Written with grace, restraint and poise, the prose is evocative, at times almost poetic; edgy when it needs to be, sometimes suggestive; insinuating rather than descending into gratuitous portrayals of gruesome acts. And when the horror does take place, its detail is measured and carefully crafted.
Fassell is a visual, visceral writer, one in full command of the craft. Capable of conjuring a charged atmosphere one moment, a poignant scene the next, the author's descriptive powers are enviable, especially in his depictions of character: "His intellect perhaps enough to make up for his lack of physicality but his social manners too crippled to cement the relationships he is always reaching out towards."
Our Lady of the Inferno is as much a page turner as a novel to inhabit and thoroughly absorb. The story is well-paced, unfolding petal by petal until its awful truth lies splayed. Fassell handles his subject well, demonstrating sensitivity and insight, the result of considerable research and a natural empathy. The result is a novel that is finely tuned, ironic and hard hitting in equal measure, rounded out with a touch of comedy and a penchant for the absurd.
The irony in the title, Our Lady of the Inferno, with its reference to the biblical Virgin Mary, one tainted, corrupted, existing in an infernal hell, alerts the reader to the sort of novel talented author Preston Fassell has produced. The story has an urban feel, gritty, noir, providing the reader with a unique window into an American subculture of which prostitution forms a part, a world littered with 1980s pop culture references to comics, television and film. References to cinematic horror, often oblique, foreshadow the horror emerging in the lived reality of the narrative.
The story is the union of two portraits. A young woman prostitute and her disabled sister, and a psychopath with a vendetta.
Meet protagonist Ginny, a troubled young prostitute with a taste for the obliterating altered state of consciousness alcohol affords, and a commitment to education as the key to redemption for those in her charge, a small group of pornai at the Misanthrope Motel. She's ruthless yet compassionate, obeys the rules that have been imposed upon her, and craves and strives for escape. Her younger sister, Tricia, is confined to a wheelchair. Ginny regards Tricia a burden she's resigned to carry, shouldering the responsibility with long-suffering love. Their banter is funny, lighthearted. They bicker and squabble, tease and goad, and yet there's an undertow of bitterness and regret, and overwhelming frustration, each of them craving the unobtainable, a better life. While Ginny drowns her anguish in the bottle, Tricia escapes into film and comics.
Through the sisters, Fassell explores an important moral theme, recognising that it is society that places young women like Ginny and her small group of pornai in such vulnerable situations and then ignores their existence. Further, that while prostitutes exist in a reality where almost all the predators are men, it's a dangerous assumption because, sometimes, one of those predators will be a woman.
Antagonist Nicolette, at once disturbed and disturbing, slices into the main narrative, at first offering puzzling intrigue and menace. Fassell paints her portrait with texture and depth. She's a troubled soul shut off from the world, obsessive compulsive, living her life through a set of complex rituals. Her mind is racked as much by fear and paranoia as it is loathing and rage. Hers is a quest for retribution. She blames, but as is often the case with childhood abuse and neglect, the target of her blame is misdirected. She's a repulsive character yet the reader is drawn into sympathy even while revolted by her acts.
In Our Lady of the Inferno, Fassell weaves together the two narratives, building the suspense, the dread, leading the reader towards the inevitable, all the while inviting them to look at that which confronts, to ponder, to penetrate beneath the surface of taken for granted attitudes and norms.
The carnal aspects of the novel are juxtaposed with a theme of transcendence, embodied both literally and metaphorically in Sally Ride: cosmic, spiritual, aspirational and social transcendence, all are sought after by protagonist Ginny, for herself, her sister, and the pornai in her care, as she struggles to find liberation from her pimp and motel owner, the outright misanthropic Colonel.
Written with grace, restraint and poise, the prose is evocative, at times almost poetic; edgy when it needs to be, sometimes suggestive; insinuating rather than descending into gratuitous portrayals of gruesome acts. And when the horror does take place, its detail is measured and carefully crafted.
Fassell is a visual, visceral writer, one in full command of the craft. Capable of conjuring a charged atmosphere one moment, a poignant scene the next, the author's descriptive powers are enviable, especially in his depictions of character: "His intellect perhaps enough to make up for his lack of physicality but his social manners too crippled to cement the relationships he is always reaching out towards."
Our Lady of the Inferno is as much a page turner as a novel to inhabit and thoroughly absorb. The story is well-paced, unfolding petal by petal until its awful truth lies splayed. Fassell handles his subject well, demonstrating sensitivity and insight, the result of considerable research and a natural empathy. The result is a novel that is finely tuned, ironic and hard hitting in equal measure, rounded out with a touch of comedy and a penchant for the absurd.
October 18, 2018
For fans of the TV show The Deuce:
Fassel captures a specific time (1983) and place (NYC) that's dizzyingly seductive--as seductive as its 'pornai' denizens. While prostitutes roam 42nd Street, there's something even seedier at play here: a woman who wears horns and swings an axe and is determined to see them all turned into relics on her altar. Lead character Ginny, however, defies all expectations for a lady of the night. Educated, multilingual, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, she's determined to care for her 'girls' like she does her sister Tricia, elevating the whole sorry lot of them to something almost regal. They're the queens of Queens, thanks to Fassel's deft blending of grit and will-stop-at-nothing heart.
Fassel captures a specific time (1983) and place (NYC) that's dizzyingly seductive--as seductive as its 'pornai' denizens. While prostitutes roam 42nd Street, there's something even seedier at play here: a woman who wears horns and swings an axe and is determined to see them all turned into relics on her altar. Lead character Ginny, however, defies all expectations for a lady of the night. Educated, multilingual, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, she's determined to care for her 'girls' like she does her sister Tricia, elevating the whole sorry lot of them to something almost regal. They're the queens of Queens, thanks to Fassel's deft blending of grit and will-stop-at-nothing heart.
April 12, 2019
what an amazingly fantastic gem of a book! i will say it took a while to spool up, but once it got going it just never let up at all... Fassel does a bang-up job of putting you right into the grimy, seedy underbelly of 80's NYC... our main characters are incredibly well developed and fascinatingly complex... and absolutely epically crazytown... each of their stories is so well done and interesting, with just enough overlap to presage their eventual clashing of ideals, but more than enough difference to make them uniquely fabulous... to use serial killing and sex work as the basis for a storyline one might think things will get all trope-y or formulaic or dull, i mean the two topics aren't exactly novel, right? (get it? novel, right? write? man, i am funny!!!)... i had so much fun reading this, my bad jokes aside... the interweaving of mythology, science, pop culture, relationships, family, abuse, life on the autism-spectrum, and gory violence was stupendous... seriously, this book is everywhere and out-there, and so seamlessly crafted... a wonderful tale of lives lived, circumstances be damned... it will make you laugh, cry, contemplate, wonder, dream, and cringe... wow, just wow... go get this book and LOVE it!!!
February 14, 2020
Solid stuff! A little too conventionally-plotted for my tastes, as within the first thirty pages you'll be able to predict nearly every single beat, especially if you're a seasoned viewer of grindhouse slashers. The content of this structure is great, and as a Fear City fan, I was pleased by the similarities here. A good scuzzy timewaster.
October 9, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, but it has some flaws. My biggest complaint is that because it is set in the 80's the author has the characters saying "like" a lot. Like, I get it, because like it's set in the 80s, but like... Annoying right?
There is also a male character who utters "ah" almost every sentence and a vague foreign character with stereotypical dialogue. I don't know if I've ever been so distracted by dialogue in a novel.
Mild spoiler aswell, if you read the plot on the back of the book, you're told about two lead characters. However, these characters don't really cross paths until the very end. This works in a movie, but investing in a novel I just wanted some more stakes. In all honesty the second plotline just distracts from the main plot. It seems the author just wanted to have a villain and a violent conclusion.
It is still worth checking out. I think the grindhouse aspect of it just ruined a very good main plot.
There is also a male character who utters "ah" almost every sentence and a vague foreign character with stereotypical dialogue. I don't know if I've ever been so distracted by dialogue in a novel.
Mild spoiler aswell, if you read the plot on the back of the book, you're told about two lead characters. However, these characters don't really cross paths until the very end. This works in a movie, but investing in a novel I just wanted some more stakes. In all honesty the second plotline just distracts from the main plot. It seems the author just wanted to have a villain and a violent conclusion.
It is still worth checking out. I think the grindhouse aspect of it just ruined a very good main plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2017
In Spring 1983, New York is home to two powerful women who have no idea they are destined to clash. The first is Ginny Kurva, an accomplished woman who is a prostitute to most, a teacher to the other girls she leads, a useful tool to her pimp, and a mother to her disabled sister Tricia. She's confident but cold to all but her sister. Nicolette Aster seems quiet, valuable, and trustworthy worker at the landfill, but her true self is so much more depraved. Her nights are filled with bloodlust, a twisted hunting ground, and macabre meals. As the year goes on and turns to summer, their paths will cross in an explosive way.
Our Lady of the Inferno is a character driven novel featuring two very different women. The first is Ginny Kurva, who exudes confidence but keeps herself removed from everyone except her sister Tricia. Although being a prostitute is far from what she wanted from her life, she channels her dream of teaching to her charges, the other prostitutes she leads and cares for. Together, they conduct scientific experiments, read classic novels, and converse in German before and after working the streets. Ginny has an armor of nonchalance as if everything just rolls off her no matter how bad the situation is. She isn't perfect and definitely does some horrible things, but her intentions are always to try to make the best of every situation. Her moments of escape take place in a seedy movie theater with Roger, the only person who sees her for herself. I love that Ginny is steeped in the 80's from her fashion to her speech to her love of The Wrath of Khan and Flashdance because she seeks solace in culture. When her facade breaks and reality crashes through, it's completely heartbreaking. I loved following this amazing but flawed woman throughout the novel.
The other main character is Nicolette Aster, hardworking on the outside and completely unhinged on the inside. Through her perspective, the outside world doesn't matter at all and it could have taken place at any time because of her extreme detachment. Other people don't matter to her and she refers to them as "Someone" in her head instead of bothering to learn their names. She often retreates to her Meadow, a place in her mind where she can relax and be herself. In the real world, she is constantly having to make sure that she appears normal and checking off the expected behaviors that do not come naturally to her. The glimpses into her thought processes felt alien and uncomfortable. She believes that she is some sort of mythological creature that receives tribute and other messages directly from the city which culminates in hunting, sacrificing, and eating people to fuel her own power. The difference between her appearance and her inner self is jarring and impressive. This perpetrator was assumed to be a man because it's much more common, but this novel shows that women have the capacity to be monsters and heroes even though it's not typically portrayed.
Both women are flawed, compelling characters that have relatable characteristics and offputting ones. The story drew me in and had me thinking about it throughout my work day. My only criticism is the time spent with each of these characters. I understand that we are meant to sympathize more with Ginny and should spend more time with her, but I found Nicolette's mind fascinating and wanted to see more from her perspective. The moments of horror took a while to get to and were spaced out a little too much for me. Other than that, Our Lady of the Inferno was a book that I struggled to put down because of its well drawn characters and its unique, disturbing brand of horror.
Our Lady of the Inferno is a character driven novel featuring two very different women. The first is Ginny Kurva, who exudes confidence but keeps herself removed from everyone except her sister Tricia. Although being a prostitute is far from what she wanted from her life, she channels her dream of teaching to her charges, the other prostitutes she leads and cares for. Together, they conduct scientific experiments, read classic novels, and converse in German before and after working the streets. Ginny has an armor of nonchalance as if everything just rolls off her no matter how bad the situation is. She isn't perfect and definitely does some horrible things, but her intentions are always to try to make the best of every situation. Her moments of escape take place in a seedy movie theater with Roger, the only person who sees her for herself. I love that Ginny is steeped in the 80's from her fashion to her speech to her love of The Wrath of Khan and Flashdance because she seeks solace in culture. When her facade breaks and reality crashes through, it's completely heartbreaking. I loved following this amazing but flawed woman throughout the novel.
The other main character is Nicolette Aster, hardworking on the outside and completely unhinged on the inside. Through her perspective, the outside world doesn't matter at all and it could have taken place at any time because of her extreme detachment. Other people don't matter to her and she refers to them as "Someone" in her head instead of bothering to learn their names. She often retreates to her Meadow, a place in her mind where she can relax and be herself. In the real world, she is constantly having to make sure that she appears normal and checking off the expected behaviors that do not come naturally to her. The glimpses into her thought processes felt alien and uncomfortable. She believes that she is some sort of mythological creature that receives tribute and other messages directly from the city which culminates in hunting, sacrificing, and eating people to fuel her own power. The difference between her appearance and her inner self is jarring and impressive. This perpetrator was assumed to be a man because it's much more common, but this novel shows that women have the capacity to be monsters and heroes even though it's not typically portrayed.
Both women are flawed, compelling characters that have relatable characteristics and offputting ones. The story drew me in and had me thinking about it throughout my work day. My only criticism is the time spent with each of these characters. I understand that we are meant to sympathize more with Ginny and should spend more time with her, but I found Nicolette's mind fascinating and wanted to see more from her perspective. The moments of horror took a while to get to and were spaced out a little too much for me. Other than that, Our Lady of the Inferno was a book that I struggled to put down because of its well drawn characters and its unique, disturbing brand of horror.
March 19, 2019
I’ll admit to being skeptic stepping into this novel. While Fangoria is an essential publication for horror news and behind-the-scenes reporting, I had no inclination that they had a grasp over more literary fare.
Oh my was I wrong.
If Preston Fassel’s book is any indication of what to look forward to with Fango’s book line, we’re in for some treats.
Our Lady of the Inferno is rife with character and atmosphere above all else. Oh there’s horror. There’s gore, but Fassel only delivers it at the peak of the narrative arcs to maximize its impact. Stepping into the story, I feared a book about - essentially- a brothel would be somewhat less problematic in its depiction of women, but I was pleasantly surprised to find intricately fleshed out characters with real problems and the wherewithal to find solutions for themselves.
But my surprise with this novel really says more about my expectations than anything...
It’s funny, poignant, utterly horrifying, and completely satisfying. The imagery is expertly crafted with an amalgam of homage and new ideas. There are plenty of fun references to the golden era of horror, but unlike a lot of other contemporary novels, it doesn’t use the references as a desperate crutch to connect with the audience. They feel diegetic, and are used only to enhance the existing scene.
My other assumption - I’m seeing a pattern here... - was that a book published by Fangoria would be exclusive to hardcore horror fans. The truth is that I would easily recommend this book to just about anyone. While there is the gory staples that have made that magazine iconic, the gore is functional to the story and not gratuitous. It’s exactly the right amount to match the story being told.
It’s a quick, fun read, and one I didn’t want to end.
Oh my was I wrong.
If Preston Fassel’s book is any indication of what to look forward to with Fango’s book line, we’re in for some treats.
Our Lady of the Inferno is rife with character and atmosphere above all else. Oh there’s horror. There’s gore, but Fassel only delivers it at the peak of the narrative arcs to maximize its impact. Stepping into the story, I feared a book about - essentially- a brothel would be somewhat less problematic in its depiction of women, but I was pleasantly surprised to find intricately fleshed out characters with real problems and the wherewithal to find solutions for themselves.
But my surprise with this novel really says more about my expectations than anything...
It’s funny, poignant, utterly horrifying, and completely satisfying. The imagery is expertly crafted with an amalgam of homage and new ideas. There are plenty of fun references to the golden era of horror, but unlike a lot of other contemporary novels, it doesn’t use the references as a desperate crutch to connect with the audience. They feel diegetic, and are used only to enhance the existing scene.
My other assumption - I’m seeing a pattern here... - was that a book published by Fangoria would be exclusive to hardcore horror fans. The truth is that I would easily recommend this book to just about anyone. While there is the gory staples that have made that magazine iconic, the gore is functional to the story and not gratuitous. It’s exactly the right amount to match the story being told.
It’s a quick, fun read, and one I didn’t want to end.
July 15, 2018
i've never been quite so pissed off by a good idea done wrong.
fassel never quite manages the balance of the killer and their victims, with an opening scene which sets the bar so high as to be impossible to clear. were he able to maintain that voice -- the sense of confusion and madness and grime -- for the entirety of this book, it would be a gem.
as it is, the characters are all rendered in fawning terms or otherwise, and the power of the women who populate its pages is constantly undercut by men -- both as heroes and villains. i understand that's kind of the point, but the women are all rendered in a way which would work in the grindhouse films relentlessly name-checked in our lady's pages, but as literary characters, their inner monologues only serve to more clearly demonstrate that there's no there there.
our lady of the inferno needs to be trimmed down to a pure, nasty 250-page pocket paperback that does away with the heavy-handed attempts to create some pathos and emotional resonance and turn it into the "maniac meets the driller killer plus savage streets -- but with girls!" grime-fest it so obviously want to be.
i wanted to like this, and i found myself getting into at parts. the killer, up until the last few chapters, is the best part of the book. our heroine, and her backstory, in particular, is not so much a character as a collection of things which would be fantastic, were they not all jammed into one person, with the rest of the cast rendered in broad and cartoonish strokes.
fassel never quite manages the balance of the killer and their victims, with an opening scene which sets the bar so high as to be impossible to clear. were he able to maintain that voice -- the sense of confusion and madness and grime -- for the entirety of this book, it would be a gem.
as it is, the characters are all rendered in fawning terms or otherwise, and the power of the women who populate its pages is constantly undercut by men -- both as heroes and villains. i understand that's kind of the point, but the women are all rendered in a way which would work in the grindhouse films relentlessly name-checked in our lady's pages, but as literary characters, their inner monologues only serve to more clearly demonstrate that there's no there there.
our lady of the inferno needs to be trimmed down to a pure, nasty 250-page pocket paperback that does away with the heavy-handed attempts to create some pathos and emotional resonance and turn it into the "maniac meets the driller killer plus savage streets -- but with girls!" grime-fest it so obviously want to be.
i wanted to like this, and i found myself getting into at parts. the killer, up until the last few chapters, is the best part of the book. our heroine, and her backstory, in particular, is not so much a character as a collection of things which would be fantastic, were they not all jammed into one person, with the rest of the cast rendered in broad and cartoonish strokes.
January 4, 2019
Preston Fassel's debut novel, Our Lady of the Inferno is a perfect character study of the 80's in New York, most primarily being 42nd Street. The main character and her sister(Ginny and Tricia respectively)are well fleshed out and their interactions with each other is perfect. I gave a shout out to the author about this on Twitter and he told me the inspiration came from the two main lead actresses from Night of the Comet(a fantastic 80's horror/sci-fi film)and it totally shows.
The narrative can be a little disjointing at times, but that works in the favor of the story that is being told. Nicolette's descent into further madness is well detailed and even her thought patterns match the way that the narrative is laid out. Much like Minos's labyrinth, the narrative is a maze that keeps making you turn left and right, confusing you at times, but leads you to the ultimate goal of the climax of the narrative.
Filled with strong female characters, an extremely deranged antagonist, this debut novel is a fantastic start to the author's career and makes me excited for future projects. One slight negative I have, but its so small that I can't take any points off for, is the climax could have been longer. Mainly because I wasn't ready to finish this book. Go and check out this book, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
The narrative can be a little disjointing at times, but that works in the favor of the story that is being told. Nicolette's descent into further madness is well detailed and even her thought patterns match the way that the narrative is laid out. Much like Minos's labyrinth, the narrative is a maze that keeps making you turn left and right, confusing you at times, but leads you to the ultimate goal of the climax of the narrative.
Filled with strong female characters, an extremely deranged antagonist, this debut novel is a fantastic start to the author's career and makes me excited for future projects. One slight negative I have, but its so small that I can't take any points off for, is the climax could have been longer. Mainly because I wasn't ready to finish this book. Go and check out this book, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
September 24, 2018
Intense, grade A, character driven psychological horror, my absolute favourite novel of 2018 so far.
September 12, 2018
Our Lady of the Inferno is a brilliant, bloody thriller that introduces two compelling new characters to the horror genre. The story is told in alternating points of view, following Ginny Kurva, a bright, ambitious woman working the streets to support herself and her disabled sister, and Nicolette Aster, a stone-cold psychopath hunting the same streets that Ginny works, as they navigate a week on a grimy, neon-lit strip of New York City.
The alternating points of view keep the novel moving at a thrilling pace, enhanced by the stark contrast between the two women’s voices. Ginny’s voice is flowing and poetic, allowing her thirst for knowledge and love for words and literature to shine through; when he’s writing for Ginny, Fassel is a man after my own heart, never meeting a comma or a semicolon that he doesn’t like. The scarcity of full stops also reflects the intrusion into Ginny’s private thoughts of the fast-talking patter she has developed to sell herself to men on the street and to her unpredictable pimp, blurring the line between her true self and the person she must pretend to be in order to survive on 42nd Street. Nicolette’s voice, on the other hand, is terse and utilitarian. A true psychopath, she understands little about any emotions other than disgust or rage, so her passages are rarely adorned with Ginny’s descriptive flourishes or insights into the human condition.
I’ve seen several critics comparing Nicolette to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. While there’s an obvious connection there — her occasionally frenzied bloodlust, her struggle to maintain the appropriate affect when dealing with other people’s emotions — I see more of a kinship between Nicolette and Thomas Harris’s Francis Dolarhyde. They share a mythical respect for ritual and a sense of grand purpose, and they loom larger in my mind as being something other than human. Don’t let the comparisons convince you that Nicolette is an imitation, though. She’s a terrifying, compelling villain in her own right, with a fascinating backstory that unspools slowly and leaves you wanting to know much more about her formative years.
The ironic title is a brilliant summation of the contradictions both within and surrounding Ginny. She does some truly terrible things, but she never acts out of real malice; for the most part, she is a protector and a source of strength for those in her orbit. Fassel’s love for this platonic ideal of early ’80s 42nd Street is evident, as he conveys the beauty and wonder that can be found in the muck, filth, and grime in which his characters try to find some semblance of fulfillment and happiness.
Our Lady of the Inferno is a love letter to 1980s New York City wrapped up in a tense, bloody thriller that celebrates everything that horror fans hold dear. It examines the masks that we all wear just to make it through the day, and in so doing it introduces two compelling leading ladies sure to leave a lasting mark on the genre.
I'd like to thank Preston Fassel for providing an advance copy of the book.
The alternating points of view keep the novel moving at a thrilling pace, enhanced by the stark contrast between the two women’s voices. Ginny’s voice is flowing and poetic, allowing her thirst for knowledge and love for words and literature to shine through; when he’s writing for Ginny, Fassel is a man after my own heart, never meeting a comma or a semicolon that he doesn’t like. The scarcity of full stops also reflects the intrusion into Ginny’s private thoughts of the fast-talking patter she has developed to sell herself to men on the street and to her unpredictable pimp, blurring the line between her true self and the person she must pretend to be in order to survive on 42nd Street. Nicolette’s voice, on the other hand, is terse and utilitarian. A true psychopath, she understands little about any emotions other than disgust or rage, so her passages are rarely adorned with Ginny’s descriptive flourishes or insights into the human condition.
I’ve seen several critics comparing Nicolette to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. While there’s an obvious connection there — her occasionally frenzied bloodlust, her struggle to maintain the appropriate affect when dealing with other people’s emotions — I see more of a kinship between Nicolette and Thomas Harris’s Francis Dolarhyde. They share a mythical respect for ritual and a sense of grand purpose, and they loom larger in my mind as being something other than human. Don’t let the comparisons convince you that Nicolette is an imitation, though. She’s a terrifying, compelling villain in her own right, with a fascinating backstory that unspools slowly and leaves you wanting to know much more about her formative years.
The ironic title is a brilliant summation of the contradictions both within and surrounding Ginny. She does some truly terrible things, but she never acts out of real malice; for the most part, she is a protector and a source of strength for those in her orbit. Fassel’s love for this platonic ideal of early ’80s 42nd Street is evident, as he conveys the beauty and wonder that can be found in the muck, filth, and grime in which his characters try to find some semblance of fulfillment and happiness.
Our Lady of the Inferno is a love letter to 1980s New York City wrapped up in a tense, bloody thriller that celebrates everything that horror fans hold dear. It examines the masks that we all wear just to make it through the day, and in so doing it introduces two compelling leading ladies sure to leave a lasting mark on the genre.
I'd like to thank Preston Fassel for providing an advance copy of the book.
August 22, 2018
It would seem there is a lot of pressure riding on Preston Fassel's new book OUR LADY OF THE INFERNO. Not only is it his first novel, but it is also the first book release from the new Fangoria Magazine under their Fangoria Presents banner.
He need not worry though. Preston has delivered an amazing detailed story, filled with characters that jump off the page.
Yes, the story does drag at some points. There are some long stretches of nothing happening and an abundance of run-on areas, but the core of the story is good. Don't stop reading if you hit that wall, it will pick up. The characters are well fleshed out and are very believable, especially in the time period of 1983. These are two strong female lead characters. Ginny and Nicolette are both predators, just at different ends of the spectrum. Ginny will be fierce to protect her family and Nicolette will be savage in pursuit of her beliefs.
1980's New York is brought to life in all its bright lights, dark shadows and grime. The famous 42nd street, The Deuce, is a place of fantasy, desire, lust, greed and for some, death. This is where Preston shines, in creating, or in this case, recreating this point in time and populating it with a host of believable characters. I especially liked the character of Ginny. She is not a hero by any means. In fact she does some down-right horrible things through the course of the story. But what she does is for self preservation and to care for her sister. She is an empowered woman who knows what she wants and how she will get it.
There is no supernatural undying slasher to be seen in this story, no ghosts or zombies. The monsters in this story are people. Nicolette in her quest for sport, blood and savagery. The Colonel with his need for utter control and wealth. And Ginny, savage in her own right, still a monster in some eyes, but of the three she shows compassion for others besides herself. Everything here is based in the real world. People suffer. Whether hooked on drugs, forced into prostitution or hunted by a mad-woman, they are all fighting just to survive day by day.
I would say that I was expecting more of a horror feel to the book, being that it is the first release from Fangoria Presents. To me it reads as a great thriller, not a horror story. There is violence and blood, especially as you near the climax of the story. In the end it all comes down to the reader him or herself. Some will look at it as horror, others will not. But it is a story that you do not want to miss.
He need not worry though. Preston has delivered an amazing detailed story, filled with characters that jump off the page.
Yes, the story does drag at some points. There are some long stretches of nothing happening and an abundance of run-on areas, but the core of the story is good. Don't stop reading if you hit that wall, it will pick up. The characters are well fleshed out and are very believable, especially in the time period of 1983. These are two strong female lead characters. Ginny and Nicolette are both predators, just at different ends of the spectrum. Ginny will be fierce to protect her family and Nicolette will be savage in pursuit of her beliefs.
1980's New York is brought to life in all its bright lights, dark shadows and grime. The famous 42nd street, The Deuce, is a place of fantasy, desire, lust, greed and for some, death. This is where Preston shines, in creating, or in this case, recreating this point in time and populating it with a host of believable characters. I especially liked the character of Ginny. She is not a hero by any means. In fact she does some down-right horrible things through the course of the story. But what she does is for self preservation and to care for her sister. She is an empowered woman who knows what she wants and how she will get it.
There is no supernatural undying slasher to be seen in this story, no ghosts or zombies. The monsters in this story are people. Nicolette in her quest for sport, blood and savagery. The Colonel with his need for utter control and wealth. And Ginny, savage in her own right, still a monster in some eyes, but of the three she shows compassion for others besides herself. Everything here is based in the real world. People suffer. Whether hooked on drugs, forced into prostitution or hunted by a mad-woman, they are all fighting just to survive day by day.
I would say that I was expecting more of a horror feel to the book, being that it is the first release from Fangoria Presents. To me it reads as a great thriller, not a horror story. There is violence and blood, especially as you near the climax of the story. In the end it all comes down to the reader him or herself. Some will look at it as horror, others will not. But it is a story that you do not want to miss.
September 3, 2022
I'll be perfectly honest - I struggled with Our Lady of the Inferno at the outset. As intrigued as I was by the story, and as much as I wanted to get to know the characters, the narrative style was very off-putting. Lots of long, rambling paragraphs, with too many thoughts strung together, and too little punctuation. It was jarring, but I suspect that was exactly what Preston Fassel was going for. This is not a book designed for a comfortable read, but one that wants you to be as unsettled as its characters.
A dark, gritty thriller with moments of brutal horror, Our Lady of the Inferno is a throwback novel with a conscience. It's as much a story about the relationships between women, the obligations between sisters of spirit and flesh, as it is about the horrors they face. It's the story of a woman by the name of Ginny - a sister, a recruiter, a teacher, a protector, and a fighter. A victim of circumstance, perhaps . . . a victim of her own sense of obligation, for sure . . . but never merely a victim. She does horrible things because she has to, and wonderful things because she wants to. Ginny is deeply flawed, damaged in so many ways, and yet hers is still a story of seeking redemption, and that is what keeps the rest of the novel on track, and on pace.
Intersecting her story is that of Nicolette, a woman who holds up a cracked, jagged sort of mirror to Ginny. Both are seasoned professionals in their fields, women to whom others look up to, but where Ginny embraces her sisters, defines herself by her bonds, Nicolette is an antisocial loner for whom people are faces without names, who defines herself by escaping the risk of such bonds. Where Ginny is a natural, if reluctant, leader of the women around her, Nicolette is a dangerous, aggressive sort of leader, a woman who sees herself as a monster worthy of tribute and sacrifice. In a world where we expect men to be the predators, it is a woman who poses the greatest danger to Ginny and her sisters . . . and yet, the monster is somehow the more sympathetic of the two.
Fassel writes a slow-burning tale, one that creeps inexorably closer to an eventual confrontation. He draws us into the lives of these women, back into the era of excess, and deep into the street culture of Times Square. He makes us care for the women, making us feel every ounce of grit, dirt, and blood. By the time the climax comes, it's almost a relief, and that makes it even more powerful.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2018/...
A dark, gritty thriller with moments of brutal horror, Our Lady of the Inferno is a throwback novel with a conscience. It's as much a story about the relationships between women, the obligations between sisters of spirit and flesh, as it is about the horrors they face. It's the story of a woman by the name of Ginny - a sister, a recruiter, a teacher, a protector, and a fighter. A victim of circumstance, perhaps . . . a victim of her own sense of obligation, for sure . . . but never merely a victim. She does horrible things because she has to, and wonderful things because she wants to. Ginny is deeply flawed, damaged in so many ways, and yet hers is still a story of seeking redemption, and that is what keeps the rest of the novel on track, and on pace.
Intersecting her story is that of Nicolette, a woman who holds up a cracked, jagged sort of mirror to Ginny. Both are seasoned professionals in their fields, women to whom others look up to, but where Ginny embraces her sisters, defines herself by her bonds, Nicolette is an antisocial loner for whom people are faces without names, who defines herself by escaping the risk of such bonds. Where Ginny is a natural, if reluctant, leader of the women around her, Nicolette is a dangerous, aggressive sort of leader, a woman who sees herself as a monster worthy of tribute and sacrifice. In a world where we expect men to be the predators, it is a woman who poses the greatest danger to Ginny and her sisters . . . and yet, the monster is somehow the more sympathetic of the two.
Fassel writes a slow-burning tale, one that creeps inexorably closer to an eventual confrontation. He draws us into the lives of these women, back into the era of excess, and deep into the street culture of Times Square. He makes us care for the women, making us feel every ounce of grit, dirt, and blood. By the time the climax comes, it's almost a relief, and that makes it even more powerful.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2018/...
January 22, 2021
Like some reviewers, I'd categorize this as more of a thriller than a horror novel in some ways, and the bones are pretty familiar—deranged serial killer praying on the vulnerable. I'm not a huge fan of either genre, but I found myself enjoying this. The two POV characters, Ginny and Nicolette, are both fascinating, outsized portrayals. Ginny in particular is an example of some of the best iconic characterization I've read in years. I'd challenge the reader to ponder which of the two seems the most unrealistic and why.
While Ginny and Nicolette are set up as obvious parallels to each other, I'd argue that Nicolette also shares much with the Colonial, primarily agreement on the value of some human lives. Nicolette, however, disagrees about the interchangeability of her victims.
While Ginny and Nicolette are set up as obvious parallels to each other, I'd argue that Nicolette also shares much with the Colonial, primarily agreement on the value of some human lives. Nicolette, however, disagrees about the interchangeability of her victims.
March 19, 2020
Perfectly paced, compelling characters, and unlike any book I have ever read. The last 100 pages had me on the edge of my seat and wishing I could read faster.
April 12, 2020
Great characters fuel a well paced build up to an amazing finale. I loved spending time in this world.
October 24, 2019
I found it a gritty and dirty (in a good way because it’s fiction) page turner. I cared about the characters. I literally laughed out loud at one aspect of the climax because I enjoyed our main character’s problem solving abilities and resourcefulness so much. I was entertained and really enjoyed this book!
February 23, 2020
The only reason I'm giving this a 4 and not a 5 is because of my Initial response to how some of the characters spoke. I didn't much care for the "omigawd" etc., because it didn't read wellat first. However, I got over that very quickly because I feel so deeply in love with the characters.
This book is exciting, character driven and, like a good slasher, filled with some great gore moments.
This book is exciting, character driven and, like a good slasher, filled with some great gore moments.
May 14, 2019
Nothing shouts girl power more than Preston Fassel's Our Lady of the Inferno! A battle of wits and strength are on full display when two hard working- but very different women come to a battle royale of the most gruesome kind in this genre bending and delightfully brutal tale!
“In the Spring of 1983, neither Ginny nor Nicolette knows the other exists. By the time Summer rolls around, one of them will be dead.”
Our Lady of the Inferno is the first novel from the new “Fangoria Presents” line of horror novels. And it does not disappoint!
The story, set in the grimy streets of New York in the early 1980's, follows the story of two women, both connected by a nefarious act, neither are yet aware of. 37 year old Nicolete is a hardworking and well respected business woman in the heavily male dominated world of her Staten Island Landfill workplace. But Nicolette is harboring a dangerous obsession. As night falls, she turns the landfill into her own private hunting ground, engaging in ritualistic murder of victims she has rounded up and sets them into a labyrinth she has constructed inside the landfill. Now enter Ginny, a 21 year old prostitute who acts as a madam of sorts to a group of teenage prostitutes under the “protection” of their abusive and drunk pimp, known as the Colonel. Ginny is smart and driven, motivated by raising her younger sister and trying to provide some semblance of education for her and the other girls, hoping that they can one day leave their horrific life behind. The common denominator between Nicolette and Ginny? Ginny and her girls are prostitutes, and Nicolette has been stalking them, hoping for them to be her next victims in her sick nightly ritual. But Nicolette underestimates what Ginny is capable of, on and off the streets. She's learned how to survive in a ruthless world, and Nicolette just may have met her match.
This book is absolutely brilliant, entertaining, and just drips with 1980's nostalgia! Fassel creates a fast paced story that jumps into the horror at a break neck speed. He is quite skilled at crafting and creating a scene that seems to jump off the page and sucks you onto the seedy, disgusting streets of the darker side of NYC. The story jumps back and forth between Ginny and Nicolette's point of view. I'm going to call them both protagonists, due to Ginny not exactly being a saint either. Both stalk the streets of New York- Nicolette, for new victims, which just happen to be from the Colonel's harem, and Ginny having to hunt the streets for innocent girls who moved to the big city with big dreams, but have fallen on hard times and need to make money. Ginny is a perfectly created morally grey character. She's a barely functioning alcoholic, who recruits prostitutes for her boss. But she also protects them as well. And this is where her character becomes a protagonist in the story. She is a martial arts wiz and can kick a man's ass twice her size. So you can guess where this is heading.
The character study, especially with Ginny is fascinating! She has a ton of issues to deal with, including the Colonel, who is already a worthy antagonist, so Nicolette's story almost seems a bit forced. Honestly, she really deserved a story of her own- the character study I'm sure would be equally as amazing. But we do get a peak at her backstory as the story progresses, giving us insight as to maybe why she does the horrific things she does.
Preston Fassel impresses with Our Lady of the Inferno, a bloody, graphic tour de force. The two main characters, neither perfect, but one completely insane, drag us back to the '80's in NYC, wrapped up in bloody thriller unlike any I've ever read. One tells her story with a poetic voice, with hints of regret and a hunger to learn, to be more. The other, emotionless and lack of empathy, whose only hunger is to satisfy her never ending blood lust. The destinies of these two, alike in some ways, very different in others, will collide in an epic showdown, where blood will be spilled,and only one will walk away alive.
“In the Spring of 1983, neither Ginny nor Nicolette knows the other exists. By the time Summer rolls around, one of them will be dead.”
Our Lady of the Inferno is the first novel from the new “Fangoria Presents” line of horror novels. And it does not disappoint!
The story, set in the grimy streets of New York in the early 1980's, follows the story of two women, both connected by a nefarious act, neither are yet aware of. 37 year old Nicolete is a hardworking and well respected business woman in the heavily male dominated world of her Staten Island Landfill workplace. But Nicolette is harboring a dangerous obsession. As night falls, she turns the landfill into her own private hunting ground, engaging in ritualistic murder of victims she has rounded up and sets them into a labyrinth she has constructed inside the landfill. Now enter Ginny, a 21 year old prostitute who acts as a madam of sorts to a group of teenage prostitutes under the “protection” of their abusive and drunk pimp, known as the Colonel. Ginny is smart and driven, motivated by raising her younger sister and trying to provide some semblance of education for her and the other girls, hoping that they can one day leave their horrific life behind. The common denominator between Nicolette and Ginny? Ginny and her girls are prostitutes, and Nicolette has been stalking them, hoping for them to be her next victims in her sick nightly ritual. But Nicolette underestimates what Ginny is capable of, on and off the streets. She's learned how to survive in a ruthless world, and Nicolette just may have met her match.
This book is absolutely brilliant, entertaining, and just drips with 1980's nostalgia! Fassel creates a fast paced story that jumps into the horror at a break neck speed. He is quite skilled at crafting and creating a scene that seems to jump off the page and sucks you onto the seedy, disgusting streets of the darker side of NYC. The story jumps back and forth between Ginny and Nicolette's point of view. I'm going to call them both protagonists, due to Ginny not exactly being a saint either. Both stalk the streets of New York- Nicolette, for new victims, which just happen to be from the Colonel's harem, and Ginny having to hunt the streets for innocent girls who moved to the big city with big dreams, but have fallen on hard times and need to make money. Ginny is a perfectly created morally grey character. She's a barely functioning alcoholic, who recruits prostitutes for her boss. But she also protects them as well. And this is where her character becomes a protagonist in the story. She is a martial arts wiz and can kick a man's ass twice her size. So you can guess where this is heading.
The character study, especially with Ginny is fascinating! She has a ton of issues to deal with, including the Colonel, who is already a worthy antagonist, so Nicolette's story almost seems a bit forced. Honestly, she really deserved a story of her own- the character study I'm sure would be equally as amazing. But we do get a peak at her backstory as the story progresses, giving us insight as to maybe why she does the horrific things she does.
Preston Fassel impresses with Our Lady of the Inferno, a bloody, graphic tour de force. The two main characters, neither perfect, but one completely insane, drag us back to the '80's in NYC, wrapped up in bloody thriller unlike any I've ever read. One tells her story with a poetic voice, with hints of regret and a hunger to learn, to be more. The other, emotionless and lack of empathy, whose only hunger is to satisfy her never ending blood lust. The destinies of these two, alike in some ways, very different in others, will collide in an epic showdown, where blood will be spilled,and only one will walk away alive.
May 31, 2019
A fantastic, terrifying, and powerful horror novel with characters that would be annoyingly one note if written by a less impressive writer. The, like, fabulously stylized dialogue can be, like, so totally over the top sometimes, but it really helps sell the idea of the women in the story having to hide behind affectations to protect themselves (for both good and bad reasons). The 42nd Street of 1982 is so grimily realized. Everything comes together to make an awesome horror tale.
July 27, 2022
Fangoria released a trio of horror books a while back. I read "Carnivorous Lunar Activities" and did not care for it. I went to the well once more and tried out "Our Lady of the Inferno." First off, this is obviously a love letter to the seedy 42nd street of the late 70s to mid 80s. Many are nostalgic for that dangerous grimy period. The novel reads like a movie that is the combination of "Angel" and "Maniac" as directed by Frank Hennelotter. In fact it rips tropes and scenes from both films and the work of the director. But the bottom line is, the book is derivative, and while it has several sympathetic supporting characters, I couldn't get myself to care about the protagonist and the antagonist.
Read
August 17, 2021Noting to myself that I’m making this a DNF. I cannot stand the writing or the, like, characters voices ohmigawsh? Also because for a first novel it feels like the author has felt the need to put down every single idea and observation he has ever had in this One Book of All Books. Incredibly dense.
December 28, 2018
I had an ARC for review and decided not to write anything for the website because this was so terrible.
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