Lorelei By Starlight

One of my favorite new horror writers is Ania Ahlborn. One of her latest books is The Shuddering, in which a skiing trip goes badly awry for five friends. This book has all of the best horror elements – a cabin in the middle of nowhere, young people with relationship complications, and a forest full of monsters. Ryan Adler and his twin sister Jane take a last trip to the cabin that has been put up for sale following the break up of their parents marriage. The inclusion of Jane’s ex complicates matters, especially since he brings his new girlfriend. This situation works as a distractor from the fact that there is something weird living in the trees. Dark, humanoid, vicious monsters that are smart enough to figure out how to get into houses and seem to be interested in killing and eating all the humans around. Soon, Ryan and his friends are trapped in the cabin, surrounded by these horrifying creatures.

Ahlborn does a great job of pacing in this book – it reads very much like a horror movie, which makes this a hard book to put down. Her characters have a bit more depth than what we see on the big screen, which makes the backstory engaging. And, her monsters are different and very scary. I tend to want to describe them as demon-like, but in reality there is more a feeling of a dark fey element. They are like something ageless and amoral, just woken from a long sleep, and very, very hungry. Best of all, she leaves just enough questions unanswered to haunt you long after the book is done.

I first came across Ahlborn’s work when I found her book Seed at the library. This book has a similar dark, haunting, and almost mythical creature at it’s center, but this monster is particularly targeting Jack Winter. Jack was haunted – and hunted – by this creature as a boy, and after fleeing his home town years ago and thinking that he escaped it, his memories faded and he managed to convince himself that the creature wasn’t real. Now, he is returning to his hometown and something begins to menace his family. I think what impressed me most about this book was the sense of foreign evil – something never heard of before that was so focused and intent on one person, seemingly just picking them at random and then relentlessly pursuing them. The southern setting of this story enhances the atmosphere, and Ahlborn does a great job of pulling in the feeling of a small town. I enjoyed this book enough to make me keep a lookout for more of Ahlborn’s work, and I haven’t been disappointed yet.

There are two more books by Ahlborn that are currently available: The Neighbors and The Bird Eater (her latest). I enjoyed The Neighbors, but it was definitely more of a psychological thriller. I am currently reading The Bird Eater, and am enjoying it. It contains the small, southern town elements that I felt worked well in Seed, and has an interesting take on a family focused haunting. Ahlborn definitely delivers in her work and I continue to look forward to what she will do next!

I finally made it to see 47 Ronin last weekend, and I am happy to say that it definitely delivered! This movie had so many things that I love: epic Japanese drama, beautiful fantasy cityscapes, and exceptional CGI monsters.

The story focuses on an underdog half-Japanese orphan, Kai, who has grown up surrounded by the elite samurai warrior class, while being constantly reminded that he was of servant class or lower. Of course, the high lord of the estate has a daughter, Mika, who takes pity on the boy and becomes his only friend, a friendship that continues into adulthood. Mika’s father is tricked into dishonoring himself, and Kai joins forces with the other dishonored samurai (ronins) as they seek to find and kill those responsible for the death of their leader and regain the honor of their land.

I really enjoyed the plot of the movie and the casting. Keanu Reeves plays Kai as the worn and sad man that he would be after a lifetime of being scorned and abused through no fault of his own. His stoicism and loyalty are matched by his physical skills, and the character rings true. Hiroyuki Sanada is well cast as the samurai Oishi and delivers the proud, heroic character in a way that I have grown to expect from seeing him in other period pieces. Ko Shibasaki was new to me, but she plays Mika as much more than the typical high-class rich girl. She is considerate and kind, but also crafty and watchful, and works well as a complement to Kai.

The settings for the movie are beautiful. This is a gorgeous movie! Fantastic cityscapes are contrasted with lush, exotic landscapes and seascapes. There are darkly shrouded temples, complete with intricate carved pillars and perfect dusky lighting. The cities are reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings, and show an attention to detail and mood.

Best of all, there was no skimping on the CGI for monsters, which are what make this movie not just your typical Japanese epic. There is a witch who shapeshifts from gracefully trailing green silk into fox, human, or dragon form. There is a monstrous unidentified beast who rampages throughout the countryside. There is a crazy underground monster fight club. And, there are creepy demons and ghost warriors that infest a haunted bamboo forest.

This movie makes the blog, though, because it is most definitely dark fantasy. Where dishonor is concerned, there is no happily ever after in this society, only the hope of some kind of retribution and that honor might be regained. Both the human and magical elements are cruel and unforgiving, and our heroes fight on in a task that has only limited opportunity for success. There is very little humor in this movie, and when it appears it is well placed in that it surprises you, but also brings the dark mood of the movie more clearly into focus. I loved this movie and it is definitely one that I will be adding to my own collection, to be watched over and over.