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- Frank, returns to his hometown of Bayport to meet up with younger brother Joey. Unfortunately the visit is not for pleasure, but to answer a plea for help. The ongoing disappearances of the town’s citizens during harsh winters tests the brothers beliefs of reality as unnatural forces arrive with the approaching blizzards. - As the worlds apocalyptic menace nears its unthinkable devastation, a man reflects on memories of the past as he and his wife are trapped in a motel awaiting the world’s end.
- The Dead Of Winter by Bev Vincent. The National Weather Service warns of snow…snow…and more snow. However the advisories of dark basements and unearthly disappearances of individuals have tragically gone undiscovered. Creating a disturbing atmosphere using winter stormy nights and a threat of looming terror, Bev Vincent navigates the reader through a chilling trail of paranoia and trepidation. His underscore of “it’s gonna get a lot worse before it gets better” is an understatement of great proportions. Bring your winter attire and faith in your guardian spirit for this one.
- The Motel At The End Of The World by Brian Keene. Dave Giffen is at the end of his rope as a glowing orange fire of Armageddon jeopardizes his mental wellness. Brian Keene conducts his ability to express a realism of devastation and craziness gone horribly wrong with a flair of unforgettable creepiness. Thoughts of a soulmate’s quirks and foibles along with a commentary on “love is…” emerges as beyond entertaining in this nightmarish novella.
THE DEAD OF WINTER by Bev Vincent -this was an incredible story. Two brothers get together to look into the disappearance of an old girlfriend. Even though it is at the beginning of a massive blizzard, they want to get started and they go check out her apartment. What they find should not be there, it shouldn’t exist at all. Could it be connected to the other disappearances in town?
This is a well written story that is pure entertainment. A mix of dread, interesting situations, make it a lot of fun. Add in great characters that you truly feel/fear for and you have a very compulsive read.
-- Paul Preston
Mixtapes, don’t you just love them?
I used to spend hours making tapes in my younger days. Let me tell you, compiling one is a true art form. You have to get the flow right, and make sure each track is a killer. There can be no fillers. A mix tape has to be perfect, from start to finish.
And that’s what Bev Vincent and Brian Keene went and did. They made two killer playlists that are fantastic listens. Then, they went and used these playlists to inspire each other. It’s a great idea, and the pair of them nailed it. Both stories are excellent.
Dissonant Harmonies starts with Vincent and Keene talking about the tracks they chose for this project. As a total music geek, I loved this introduction. Personally, I could have read an entire book’s worth of them chewing the fat about their favourite artists and songs!
Anyone who knows me will be aware how big a Brian Keene fan I am, so I was very excited to read this novella. As for Bev Vincent, this was my first time to read some of his work. I can safely say, it won’t be my last.
The Dead of Winter by Bev Vincent is great stuff. This story follows brothers Joey and Frank, as they investigate disappearances in the small town of Bayport. Add a blizzard, spooky tunnels, and something monstrous and hungry to the mix, and you’ve got one hell of a read. Highly enjoyable.
The Motel at the End of the World by Brian Keene is one of those stories that will make you think, make you laugh. and make you worry about your sanity.
This short story about The Mandela Effect was just brilliant. It also made me rewatch a certain scene from The Empire Strikes Back. I’m sure some of you will do the same.
Dissonant Harmonies gets two thumbs up from me. I highly recommend folk give this a read, as well as giving the playlists a listen.
I hear there’s a Dissonant Harmonies 2 in the making.
Now, that’s music to my ears.
-- Simon Paul Wilson at Kendall Reviews
The first tale, DEAD OF WINTER, was written by Bev Vincent. Much fun was had! This is the tale of two brothers, reunited in their hometown, amidst a mystery involving missing citizens. In the middle of a snowstorm named Bruno, the brothers work with their local police chief to solve the case. This story was just plain fun!
The second tale, THE MOTEL AT THE END OF THE WORLD, involves a couple barricaded in a hotel room. Why? You’ll have to read this to find out!
Each novel was written to a soundtrack provided by the other author. Bev provided Brian with a “mix tape,” and vice versa. I haven’t yet investigated all the songs but I do plan to soon. To be honest, I was intrigued by the idea of writing to a soundtrack provided by someone else. There is an introduction in which all of this is explained, and it includes each song on each playlist.
This two novella collection was a BLAST!
-- Char's Horror Corner
-- Mary Kathryn Winsett
For Dissonant Harmonies, Bev Vincent and Brian Keene come together for a unique concept on their novella published by Cemetery Dance. It is, in fact, two novellas – one written by each author to a playlist selected by the other.
Both authors having discovered that they enjoy writing to music, the idea was born that they would choose a playlist for the author to write to.
The rules were that they could only write each perspective story while listening to the playlist chosen for them by the other author.
Dissonant Harmonies Cool title, but what does it mean?
Consonant harmonies are a combination of pitches in a chord which are agreeable or easy to listen to and make pleasing sounds. Dissonant harmonies are a combination of pitches in a chord which are relatively harsh and grating. These are often difficult sounds to listen to, and so the ear will seek out the resolution in the chords that follow. [Discovering music through listening – OpenLearn – Open University]
For those of us not well versed in music, I found a YouTube video that explained the effect. I wish I had looked this up before reading the book, since the effect is certainly unsettling, and definitely worthy of being featured in some creeptacular horror film.
Bev Vincent’s novella, chosen for him by Brain Keene, is titled The Dead of Winter, and the playlist for it includes a wide array of artists such as Ice-T, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Queen, Moby, Johnny Cash, and Alice in Chains.
Is there a better sound track for a horror novel called The Dead of Winter than When it’s Cold I’d like to Die by Moby?
The Dead of Winter takes place in Bayport, Rhode Island during (you guessed it) the dead of winter. The tale follows two estranged brothers that come together when Frank, a newly made police officer, hears of some troubling disappearances occurring in his hometown – and flies up from Texas to look into it further. His brother, Joey, finds himself helping in Frank’s unauthorized investigation, as the small town is pummeled by a particularly brutal winter storm.
When the two brothers discover tunnels dispersed throughout the town in the homes of the victims that only Joey can see, their search for answers continues in earnest – aided by the town sheriff. It seems something supernatural and evil is brewing, and Joey could be its next victim.
Brian Keene’s novella, The Motel at the End of the World, features a playlist chosen for him by Bev Vincent. Featuring some classic 70s and 80s such as Supertramp, Goldfrapp, The Alan Parson’s Project, Elton John, The Electric Light Orchestra, and Pink Floyd – to name a few, there are definitely a lot of angry male vibes in this soundtrack which pair well with the narrator.
The Motel at the End of the World is a monologue that tackles the phenomenon known as “The Mandela Effect.”
The narrator makes several compelling arguments that will have the reader Googling each case in point. Starting with The Berenstain Bears (not The Berenstein Bears…. apparently) and moving on to name other commonly misremembered quotes and events whether from The Bible, or Star Wars, or even Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.
The result of all of these very valid examples of The Mandela Effect is certain to leave the reader feeling extremely unsettled, and questioning everything they ever knew. Just when Keene has you questioning your own sanity, this novella takes a diabolical turn. What if The Mandela Effect is actually the result of something much larger at play?
What if it’s the result of some sort of alternate reality? Like in an apocalyptic scenario taking place in a motel room with the reader left in the dark; this is a terrifying tale that is certain to stick with you long after reading.
Both novellas are equally compelling and terrifying, The Dead of Winter delivers an excellent small town supernatural horror yarn, while The Hotel at the End of the World has a significant Black Mirror feel to it and is a fantastically bite-sized supernatural thriller. These novellas gets 5 stars from this author, and this book is definitely one that I will be picking up for a re-read!
-- The Forgotten Fiction