Practitioners by Matt Hayward & Patrick Lacey REVIEWED

Practitioners. I'd been extremely excited to read this one since it had been announced. Patrick Lacey and Matt Hayward are two of my favorite authors putting out books today, both of which put out novels last year that made my "best of 2017" list.

Those novels, We Came Back and What Do Monsters Fear, are both highly recommended and if you haven't read those, you're missing out. Stop missing out and go buy a copy of each. Ten of each, give em out as Christmas gifts.

Anyway, I learned that this would be coming out by Bloodshot Books, who for my money, are putting out some of the best horror fiction on the market today. Not only does Pete Kahle, the man behind Bloodshot (and author in his own rite), have a great eye for exciting new talent, but he makes sure each book the press outs out looks fantastic. Books you can judge by their cover, for sure.

By all accounts of those involved in this one, looked like it was going to be a winning recipe of great horror reading fun.

So how did it turn out?
Read ahead...

If you read the blog/my reviews regularly, you should by now know what I tend to enjoy. Fast paced, gory stuff that tends to nod it's head to cult-classic horror of the eighties without compromising character or plot. My taste is anchored in the fact that I was an avid horror film fan before I felt the same about books, watching some of my favorites at younger than five. Books that move with cinematic pace always tend to be my jam.

I often read books like one would watch a film, visualizing the locales, casting the characters with actors of choice, so on and so forth.

The more a novel allows me to do that, the more I tend to enjoy it. Of course, there's exception to every rule. But, by and large, this is how to win Brandon over as a reader.

Practitioners does the whole cinematic pace and presentation perfectly, a short novel that kicks off in full-swing and doesn't let up until you close it.

The book rings loudly of late 80s/early 90s horror, reminding me of something Charles Band's Empire Pictures would have had released. Hell, when I did my "mental casting" I totally had Band-regular, Tim Thomerson, in the lead role, that of burnt-out cop and protagonist, Officer Henry Stapleton.

Henry has recently lost his wife to murder, in a town where murder doesn't often occur. He's an understandable mess as a result, on leave from work and having unbearable nightmares.

When he attempts to get these dreams under control, he finds himself in the middle of a whirlwind of violent murder, supernatural real estate tycoons and mantis dream-monsters hell-bent on eating human flesh. All of this is tied to a plan to takeover the small town of Bellview...

Exploding bodies, creatures busting out of wounds and all sorts of self-mutilation light up the pages of Practitioners, so if that strikes your interest, it's for you.

It's all done with tongue firmly placed in cheek, moving at a clip. It's literature junk food, done perfectly.

I would have appreciated a bit more depth, more meat on the bones of the book, but it's just not that kind of story. Nor is it meant to be. It's supposed to be fun for the culty-horror crowd.

So, culty-horror crowd, grab this one up! Think Cronenberg and Henenlotter collaborating on a Elm Street sequel that Band is putting the money up for. If that sounds like your cup of tea, Practitioners will work for you.

4/5.