Read story at https://www.tor.com/2018/04/25/into-the-gray-margaret-killjoy/ .

Some other works by author pictured above.

At little more than 2 1/2 hours, Zero Lives Remaining is a fun, punchy listen chock full of B-movie horror thrills.

Adam Cesare’s latest plays with the haunted house trope, placing a group of teenagers in an arcade where a ghost haunts the video game cabinets and everyone’s lives are in danger. The ghost in the machine runs rampant along the arcade’s electrical wiring, snaring its victims in ectoplasmic tendrils and dispatching the trapped teens one by one. Given its short run-time, the focus here is on the action with the characters only subtly shaded in but not deeply enough to get too attached to. There’s the teenage gaming queen, the schoolyard bully who isn’t quite sure how to express his affection for her, the arcade’s maintenance man who suffered a stroke that ended his gaming hobby but whose work allows him to still feel connected, and a handful of others that serve largely as bloody fodder.

There’s a fun superficiality to the nostalgia-driven proceedings (Centipede and Ms. Pac-Man get plenty of shout-outs), but I never felt terribly connected to the cast even as many of them met their gruesome fates in varied and interesting ways. The creators of Mortal Kombat may want to get Cesare on the line for “fatality” suggestions, as he presents some strong finishing moves against his beleaguered teens. I may never look at a claw arcade game quite the same way again.

Joe Hempel’s narration is solid, and he gives his character voices are distinct enough to help separate dialogue during all the calamity. He has a straight-forward, somewhat airy, presentation style that brings a sense of fun and whimsy to the listening experience, and the production quality is perfect.

Ultimately, Zero Lives Remaining is an enjoyable way to kill a couple hours if you’re in the mood for bloody mayhem set against the intriguing background of a video game arcade palace.

(Note: Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.)

I finally received my signed, numbered limited edition hardcover of Adam Cesare's novella, Zero Lives Remaining, from Shock Totem Publications. Let me tell you, this sucker is freaking beautiful!

The book is designed to look like a VHS tape, and comes in its own clamshell case, which is designed to look like a 1980s horror flick. I remember seeing many a tapes like this in my local video store way back when (King Video in Allen Park, MI; now out of business or close to it from what I hear, thanks to a dispute with the building's owner... It's a shame, as the store had managed to keep up with the time and was one of the first video stores I can recall not only renting and buying VHS tapes from, but actually being able to find DVDs even when that technology was still in its infancy.), so this is a wonderful dose of nostalgia.

In addition to the wonderful kitsch value, there's even some trading cards and a fold-out insert interview. Obviously a lot of thought, time, and talent went into producing this title. I'm not by any means a serious collector of signed/limited hardcovers, but stuff like this (and IDW's upcoming NOS4A2/The Wraith collector's edition) is really hard to pass up. Particularly when it's so unique and well-crafted. This thing's got some serious production value!

I received #17 out of 100 print copies, and from what I hear these books are selling fast. You may want to hurry up get yours now!

http://shocktotem.bigcartel.com/product/zero-lives-remaining-hardcover

And check out the special movie trailer that was created for the book, directed by Mike Lombardo. https://youtu.be/ccHnjiKkEG4

You all have probably heard me talking about The Wicked or Ugly as Sin by James Newman. (If you haven't, they're awesome books and you should check them out.) I recently had the opportunity to talk to the guys who published these two books for Shock Totem: K. Allen Wood and John Boden. 

If you are looking for a way to spend your holiday gift card, these guys can point you in the right direction. They even have holiday issues of their magazine available. To learn more about them click here: Shock Totem Interview.

Ugly As Sin's main flaw is that it's not Animosity. Going in, I was anticipating a visit to the dentist after hours of teeth-grinding tension. However, 'Sin' didn't provide nearly the same levels of suspense as Animosity did. And not only did this book not possess Animosity's greatest asset, it unfortunately also had that book's greatest flaw. I'm talking about the bad guys doing stuff that was stupid or unbelievable, seemingly, only so that the protagonist (or the author) wouldn't have to work so hard in the end.

Now, the book didn't totally lack in suspense. It was suspenseful. Just not as suspenseful as Animosity. It was a quick read, fast-paced, and highly entertaining. The protagonist was a great big jerk, who was also a sympathetic character. (Nice work, Mr. Newman.) I also liked the villain of the piece and his motivation. There were a lot of weird touches in this book, too, peculiar little character ticks and stage business that made this a richer experience than your typical work of noir fiction.

Recommended.

P.S. For those (named Charlene) who might think this review is negative, I'll have you know that I already bought Newman's The Wicked and have it queued up on the old Kindle reading device.