Time Machine Thursday

Welcome to the first Time Machine Thursday!  This is a feature I will be using to showcase either older reviews or else new reviews of books which I've had on my shelves FOREVER (aka - 5 years or longer).  I won't be doing it every Thursday or even guarantee a monthly post but I do hope to do it from time to time.

So an author who I have been communicating with for several weeks about a new review book and a guest interview in February contacted me this week and shared that one of his older titles was be re-released from a new publisher with a new cover and additional short-story (which I haven't gotten to read - looking at you Stuart) and asked if I would help publicize it.  Since I really enjoyed it, I couldn't help but say yes.  

FROM GOODREADS: Laugh till it hurts!

There are few things in life worse than being a bombing comedian in an empty club, unless you pick on the one person in the crowd who happens to be an ancient demon who can make your life a living, ironic hell.

Stand-up comedian Charlie Broadmoor has a hell of a time coming up with new material while terrorized at every waking moment by a poorly-coiffed, thin-skinned eldritch evil whose appreciation of humor is dwarfed by his monumental pettiness. Charlie quickly learns that making light of the supernatural is no joke. It’s Seinfeld meets Milton in this uproarious tale of fear and laughing by Stuart R. West.

This edition also features The Book of Kobal, giving the reader a glimpse into the origins of the short-tempered demon. 

MY THOUGHTS: 
Well, I just finished this book and rather than sit and think about it for a while, I am going to go ahead and do the review. Usually I ponder on them for a day or two, gather my thoughts, and contemplate my rating, so perhaps this will backfire on me. Anyways, here it goes.

"Demon with a Comb-Ove"r tells the tale of Charlie Broadmoor, a mediocre comic trying to make a living and take care of his daughter. One night Charlie ends up insulting Kobal, a demon visiting the comedy club, because of his horrible looking comb-over, who in turn vows to ruin Charlie's life and the lives of all his family and loved one. And let's be brutally honest, for most of the book, Kobal does a pretty good job. Along the way we meet some interesting characters including Charlie's ex-wife, his mother, his love interest, Sylvia and two questionable angels.

If Goodreads would allow it, I would probably give this book a 3.5 rating, but since they don't, I feel I have to notch it up to 4 for several reasons. First of all, this book sucked me right in. I basically read it in two sittings and couldn't wait to get to the end to see how everything played out. Secondly, the premise of this book is unlike any I have read before and West does a good job of combining horror with a little bit of comedy. Had Charlie not been a comedienne, I don't think the humor would have worked or it could have easily crossed into corniness. Lastly, the book contained characters I truly liked and truly hated. I cared about what happened to Charlie and his daughter and even though he was extremely unlikable, I wanted to know what Kobal had up the sleeve of his dapper suit.

I have to add there are a few scenes I was reading where I thought "I wish this was a graphic novel." West's description of Hell itself, and of the hellhounds with human heads which show up toward the end, were spot on with what I associate with old-fashioned horror. If you like scary books, aren't afraid of a little blood and gore, and don't mind some comedic spins thrown in here and there, this book might just be worth your time.

RATING: 4 PAWS

I really like both covers but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the new one.  Plus, Stuart mentioned it was sparkly - you can't go wrong with sparkly.  

If you didn't pick this up last time around, now you have a good excuse to do it now.