Pick of the Week: The Sticks, by Andy Deane

Pick of the Week (#4): The Sticks, by Andy Deane
(Delirium Books)
-Selection made by Stephen Zimmer

The Book:Something evil is stirring in the sticks outside the small town of Jefferson, Virginia... And Brian was already having one hell of a night. After a disastrous outing at a party full of snobs on the rich side of town, his girlfriend Alicia dumps him then promptly vanishes under suspicious circumstances. Searching for her in the dark of night while working his way through a backwoods maze and the outlandish characters that inhabit it, Brian instead finds an enigmatic dark-haired beauty named Jessica and a monster he hadn't believed existed outside his beloved horror films. But before the night is through, everyone and everything Brian cares about will be threatened by a creature that is all too real, a bloodthirsty beast lurking in the woods of Jefferson. Fighting for his life, Brian tries to uncover the truth about the evil stalking him and the mystery surrounding Alicia's disappearance, but time is running out. Welcome to a night in THE STICKS.
(publisher's excerpt)


The Author:Andy has been writing stories and songs from the time he realized he could do either. Much of his first novel (THE STICKS, Delirium Books, 2009) was written while passing long miles between gigs on the road with his band Bella Morte. Since finishing THE STICKS Andy has completed a novella (THE THIRD HOUSE, Thunderstorm Books, 2010) and a second novel (ALL THE DARKNESS IN THE WORLD) which is due out this fall from Thunderstorm Books.

He is best known as the frontman and lyricist for the internationally renowned alternative rock band Bella Morte. They have released two EPs and seven full-length albums. (Bio excerpt from author's site)
http://www.andydeane.net/

The Publisher:Delirium Books, established in January 1999 by Shane Ryan Staley, is one of the leading specialty presses in the horror genre. Operating in the Midwest (Northern Indiana), Delirium Books has quickly gained the reputation of bringing to print the best new voices in horror fiction, including fan favorites Greg F. Gifune and Michael McBride as well as bestselling author Brian Keene. Delirium has also published established genre authors such as Brian Lumley, James Morrow, Douglas Clegg and David B. Silva.

Delirium Books won the Bram Stoker Award for Excellence in Specialty Press Publishing. This was presented to Delirium Books by the HWA (Horror Writer’s Association) in 2005.(bio excerpt from publisher's site).
Visit the official site of Delirium Books at:
http://www.deliriumbooks.com/

My Comments:The werewolves are primal and the action speeds along in The Sticks, a highly gratifying read that was one of my favorite horror novels of the past couple of years. An ensemble of compelling characters fill this novel, ranging from the rocker/metalhead protagonist, Brian, to Myrtle, a crazy older woman that likes to run out of her house and expose herself to those unlucky enough to be passing by, to Hank, a reclusive fellow living among heaps of odds and ends.

They are all made to contend with the terror of the lycanthropes, who are visceral and brutal. A brooding tension permeates key scenes, delivering horrific payoffs when the shapeshifters make their presence felt.

Yet what lifts this book above other novels of its subgenre is Andy's subtle and skillful touches in the relationships between characters. The developing bond between Brian and Jessica, and the nascent friendship between Brian and Nate are two examples of what elevates this book above the crowd, as characters that you rapidly come to care about are placed into dangerous situations with quite uncertain outcomes.

The Sticks delivers a hard-hitting, well-paced werewolf tale, with the appropriate depths of character development and plot construction needed to bring the horror reader a very satisfying lycanthropic adventure.


So make Andy Deane's The Sticks from Delirium Books the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up The Sticks today! Direct Paperback and Kindle Links Below:

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Andy Deane's Werewolf Tour de Force-The Sticks: A Review

I met Andy Deane while attending ConNooga, a great sci-fi and fantasy convention located in Chattanooga (hence the name!). Andy and I shared a few panels together, as he was wearing a couple of different hats at the convention. Well, to be accurate, he wasn’t wearing a hat literally, as he was sporting a very eye-catching purple mohawk, but he was participating at ConNooga both on behalf of his band, the very highly acclaimed gothic/rock band Bella Morte, as well as representing his emerging career as an author.

The panels went great, and Andy certainly showed why he is an excellent frontman in the music arena, as he was quite the audience pleaser on the panels. We even had a rather amusing few moments where Andy mimicked the “I am Spartacus” scene from the epic movie to involve me during panelist introductions.

There is no question that Bella Morte has been a great success, having toured internationally and released no less than six studio albums. (When I told my sister upon my return about meeting Andy, and telling her that she should check the band out, she replied, “Hell yeah, Belle Morte’s a great band, and I have several of their CD’s!) But this introduction is more concerned with Andy as a writer. I received a copy of his horror novel, The Sticks, while at the convention. The cover art gave me a great feeling from the beginning, as werewolves are my favorite creatures in all of fantasy and horror literature.

From the first page to the last, I wasn’t disappointed at all! Delirium Books is a fantastic publisher, and I have to say that they made a great choice in bringing Andy Deane into their fold. His writing stands on its own merit, apart from what he has built and accomplished in his musical career.

Andy’s the kind of guy that isn’t hesitant about telling you what he thinks, and he’s also the kind of fellow that wears his heart on his sleeve. Genuine in nature, honest in his approach, and multi-talented, Andy is reflected strongly by his novel, The Sticks. Definitely recommended!

-Stephen Zimmer, for the Seventh Star Press Blogsite, May 9, 2010



A Werewolf Tour de Force: Andy Dean's The Sticks

The Sticks (Delirium Books, ISBN: 978-1934546147), by author Andy Deane, is one of those novels that you have a good feeling about from the moment that you look at the cover. Kudos to artist Zach McCain, for delivering cover art that represents the book very well. Set against a stark backdrop, with a few scattered, naked tree branches, is the figure of a hulking werewolf with eyes blazing and jaws spreading. And that is just what this book delivers: a hard-hitting, well-paced werewolf tale, with the appropriate depths of character development and plot construction to bring the horror reader a very satisfying lycanthropic adventure.

The book centers around a young man named Brian, in a small Virginia town, who is having an incredibly awkward evening as a misfit at a party of pretentious snobs. He has been dragged there by his girlfriend Alicia, and is more or less at the end of the line with her. An incident occurs at the party, and Brian finds himself walking down the road, sans Alicia.

While on the road, he is picked up by a woman that he saw at the party, named Jessica. It is fortunate that he was, as they have one hell of an encounter with something huge, large-fanged, and very fast. Right away, you get an idea of the type of werewolf featured in The Sticks. They are a tour de force of primal power, and Andy executes the action beautifully from the first encounter to the last. You feel the danger, as well as the sense of an ongoing hunt. The story is dappled with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Deane’s tale is populated by some colorful and outrageous characters. Brian’s neighbors Myrtle, a rather crazy older lady that likes to run out of her house and expose herself, and Hank, a reclusive, edgy guy whose house is among a heap of odds and ends, make for some very interesting moments as the mayhem breaks out. Another highlight involves a pair of dull-headed, rather uncultured guys encountered at the town diner later in the book.

Yet what separates Deane’s work from the pack are the subtle touches and depth that he places at the right moments throughout the book. The relationship between Brian and Jessica, and the nascent friendship that develops with Nate Smith, is what elevates The Sticks above a decent action-horror story into something more special. Andy gets you to relate and care about some of the characters without going on a tangent, or taking away from the suspense. Brian himself comes off as a very genuine protagonist, a live and let live rocker/metalhead who is thrown into a full moon maelstrom.

The scenes are believable and visceral, painted well-enough to give you a great mental picture without getting bogged down. The werewolf encounters, and how Brian deals with them, are creative and might well cause some readers to keep their lights on.

The Sticks is a highly gratifying read, especially for a fan of action-packed horror novels featuring werewolves. It is my hope that Andy Deane revisits werewolves again, and forges ahead with his writing endeavors, as he is a rising literary talent.