Nailed by the Heart

Rating:
Summary: Sacrifice and red zombie warriors
Review: The Stainforth family moves to a small town on the coast after buying an ancient fort that they plan to turn into a hotel. They soon discover that all is not right with the little town and the fort by the sea (of course, because this is a horror novel, after all), and find that they, and especially the young child David, are in mortal danger when these creepy, red, warrior, zombiesque creatures rise out of the sea and plant themselves outside the walls of the fort. The inhabitants of the town also take refuge within the walls of the fort, and then actual zombies show up, adding to the intensity of the confrontation.
I enjoyed this one. Clark is very good at evoking a strong sense of atmosphere in his tales and at describing images that are frightening on an almost primal level. He brings to life the coastal fort and the creatures that pop up out of the water and fog to threaten it. I give the book 4 instead of 5 stars because it reads a little choppily in parts, as if it were perhaps edited badly, and because the underlyting theme of sacrifice comes across as a bit forced in places. It is still quite a creepy book.

Rating:
Summary: "Nailed" Left Me Numb
Review: The title caught my attention. The plot rather intrigued me. However, Simon Clark's debut left me numb and nauseous. Not from the horror. From his overly descriptive clumbsy writing, (how many ways should one describe clouds?), repetitive cliches, and lack of control of leading the reader to emotional curiosty.

In "Nailed By The Heart" we meet a family that buys a seafort in England. A village of weird characters. And the Saf Dar. A supposed religious group of horrific murderers. Half way through the book I found myself saying, "Ok, get on with it already!" and skipped to the last chapter. It was as if I had not missed a thing. The conclusion is sappy. And unfortunately, I just cannot recommend this book.

Thanks--CDS

Rating:
Summary: Didn't Thrill Me
Review: This book would have been more effective had it been shorter. I quickly tired of the Saf Dar, wishing there'd been more action sooner.

I was extremely annoyed that every time a piece of information was about to be revealed, someone interrupted. Chris was about to show his wife the shells his son had given him, but she cut him off. His son was about to take him into the basement, and someone interrupted. It happens all through the book.

Chris is a terribly henpecked husband. His wife raises a finger and he knows to obey. His son is the typical horror novel kid: Smarter and more mature than his age. Why can't kids be kids?

The ending was interesting; this wasn't a horrible book. But it was frustrating getting to the end. Finally, maybe it was just that I got a copy from a bad batch of printed books, but virtually every instance of "Mr." and "Mrs." left off the period. It was very annoying. Overall, I felt this book was a *sacrifice* of my time.

Rating:
Summary: It'll nail you to your seat...
Review: until you're finished reading.

Nailed by the Heart is one of the best books I've read all year. Simon Clark has a gift for language and an even greater gift for setting. This book pulled me in from the beginning and kept me there, with a high tension level throughout. And, although there were elements of suspense, it was essentially a horror story. Simon Clark digs deep into human emotions when faced with something utterly beyond the norm.

This was my first opportunity to read a novel by Mr. Clark, but definitely not my last.

If you enjoy his writing, be sure to pick up his short story collection, Salt Snake and Other Bloody Cuts, from Silver Salamander Press.

Rating:
Summary: 1 star is too many!
Review: When I picked this book up I couldn't wait to read it. I should have waited. I think this was the WORST book I've ever read. The whole book is about zombies from the sea that keep a village hostage in an old fort. Big Deal. The end of the book he blows up the fort as a sacrifice. The little boy in the story, keeps telling the father about something in the basement, but you never find out what it was. Why? Simon Clark should put his pencils away and read a real author like Dean Koontz.