Review of Dying for Revenge (Gideon Trilogy, Book 3) (Hardcover)

Gideon is back!That simple sentence has enough power in it for fans to salivate in this, the last book in a phenomenal series.I will be honest and say that this book didn't start off with the liquid fast pace that his others one have.It actually caught me off guard because I was like "what in the world"?It was that noticeable and very unusual for EJD.That being said, I still hung with it because this man is pure talent and I knew he wouldn't let the story down.AND HE DIDN'T!I was pulling for Gideon (of course) but through the course of the story I also felt myself pulling for Matthew and the red-hair lady who loved shoes.I take that back, this crazy woman had an obsession for shoes!!

It was almost comical in how Eric described her and her obsessive infatuation.This woman could be in a gun fight for her life and she could tell you not only where her would be assassins bought their shoes, but what size they were, how much they paid, and what store on the exact street they bought them in!!But that's just a side dish let me get back to the main course... Gideon.Gideon.Freaking Gideon!!This assassin/lover/protector/walking paradox/murderer/one-man-dispenser-of-justice is the driving force to this entire trilogy.To say that this man is battling demons is like saying The Clinton's hate the Obama's... no kidding!

Once this story got going it really didn't slow down and THAT is what I expect from Mr. Dickey.I also LOVED the relationship between Gideon and Hawks.That was a part of the story that I didn't expect but it was a very, very strong glue to this book.In this book Gideon is the hunter and the hunted, usually at the same time."Gideon" must be Latin for "nine lives" because this man gets out of more impossible situations than James-freaking-Bond.You really can't help but pull for Gideon even though his brutality is sometimes just downright...well... brutal.With violence emanating off him like cheap perfume it wouldn't be right if his friends and enemies were anything different.Once they start to hunt for each other the body count becomes high, the blood flows free, and the pain is given and taken like breaths.

The physical pain that Gideon goes through is only rivaled by the emotional and mental anguish he's feeling trying to protect what is "his".You read this series, this story in particular, and you wonder how one person can endure so much.So much pain.So much hunger.So much distrust.So much never having a home.So much destructive sexual freedom.So much what-ifs?So much... everything.Then you realize that Gideon is a murder-for-hire and maybe THAT is how he deals with it.But who knows?Maybe God?Maybe the devil, but even I think he's afraid to get on Gideon's bad side.

A really great finish to a really great series.I do think, however, that Eric is about .000008 seconds away from leaving the States and making his new home on the islands.The way he describes the islands is like describing an incredibly sexy and beautiful woman.If he does go I hope he's looking a chaperone... but I don't want Gideon as the pilot.:-)



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Review of Voices From The Other Side: Dark Dreams II (Paperback)

VOICES FROM THE OTHER SIDE, edited by Brandon Massey, is a collection of short stories from many authors. In Eric Jerome Dickey's "Harlem," which is both scary and laugh-out-loud funny in places, an inmate in an asylum makes friends with one of his nurses and gets way too involved with her, seducing her and finally making a date with her. Brandon Massey's story, "Deadwoods," involves a huge tree that suddenly pops up in the yard of an unemployed suburbanite. What can he do to get rid of this evil smelling tree that harbors something frightening among its leaves? Brian Egeston's "Smoked Butt" is the story of a little girl delivering food to shut-ins. She has to travel through deep woods and her adventures are awesome and screamingly funny. In "Good 'Nough to Eat," Rickey Windell George, has an unemployed man seeking work wherever he can find it. Dancing in a male revue in a club is not his idea of a good job but it's all he can find. This tale has a shocking ending that will leave you gasping.

All the stories in the book were very good, each with its own shock value. Brandon Massey has put together a collection of stories - some funny, some horrifying - but all of them hold your interest and you find yourself wondering, as you read each one, how this particular one can possibly turn out. To the credit of the many writers, the end is always unexpected and sometimes downright zany. The writing style of Tananarive Due's "Upstairs" is reminiscent of Joplin's Ghost, while Terrence Taylor's "The Share" is heart wrenchingly realistic in a totally abnormal way. Maurice Broaddus, with his "Black Frontiers" brings us a taste of our lost history, along with Christopher Chambers' "Leviathan," a smooth reading but frightening story about the Middle Passage. It is a book worth reading if you like looking over your shoulder or peering into dark corners.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers



Product Description
BEYOND THE SHADOWS...they linger, showing themselves only to those brave enough to perceive them...willing to see beyond human existence and into the heart of darkness. Feel the racing pulse in the primal desire of werewolves. Embrace the aura of two gifted women as they unleash power beyond imagining. Savor the aroma of otherworldly flora planted in a unique patch of earth.

THEY WALK THE NIGHT...prepared to face terrors humans were never meant to confront. Chant with an African mystic as he protects his people from an entity of unbridled malice. Ride the dusty trails of the Old West in pursuit of monstrous legends. Sail on a ship of damned souls as it languishes in the depths of forbidden waters. From the untamed wilderness of ancient times to the concrete jungles of today, these seventeen excursions into nightmares will keep you awake long past the midnight hour--and praying for daylight...

Featuring stories by Eric Jerome Dickey, Tananarive Due, L.A. Banks, Brandon Massey, Christopher Chambers, and many more, this is one collection you don't want to miss.

About the Author
The editor, Brandon Massey, is the award-winning author of WITHIN THE SHADOWS, DARK CORNER, and THUNDERLAND; and editor of DARK DREAMS: A Collection of Horror and Suspense by Black Writers. He lives near Atlanta, where he is at work on his next thriller

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