Brass

Rating:
Summary: An Exciting, Unpretentious Horror Novel
Review: Conley (winner of the Beginnings of Horror Award) uses an ancient Indian myth of Untsaiyi (Brass). Brass is a monster with metallic skin, one of the original beings who lived before humankind walked the earth. He is immortal and can change form at will (for example, into a grizzly bear, a bat or even a boa constrictor). Brass was captured thousands of years ago, spiked by a wooden post through his belly that secured him to the ocean floor, and watched over by two crows who perch on the top of the pole. But now the beach where he lies is under development, and Brass is unknowingly released. The novel follows Brass, and the subsequent carnage he creates, as four human hunters pursue him. And this isn't just a senseless monster on the rampage type story - every death that occurs happens for a reason, and to be honest, there were times I felt on the side of Brass.

Overall, this is an exciting, unpretentious horror novel, with well-developed characters (especially Judith Ann, the runaway 16-year-old who teams up with Brass) that readers of all ages should enjoy. Perhaps the only thing I question is the wooden pole that was used to trap Brass - why didn't it rot after so many years? Perhaps it can't?

Readers might be interested in the British horror writer Stephen Laws's 'The Wyrm' which has an ancient monster trapped by a gibbet through its body.

Rating:
Summary: Quick moving modern day Western-horror hybrid
Review: Conley,a native American,is mostly known as a Western writer-and for my money,is a good one.In Brass he tackles the horror tale retaining the West as a setting and stirring into the mix the fashionable themes of ecology and Native American lore.
It opens in a small mid -Western town where a major environmentaL project,railroaded through Congrees by an opportunistic politician ,is about to get underway.This involves the draining of a fetid stretch of water and the reclaiming of the surrounding area for tourism and recreation.Project leader Joe Shelby is uneasy from Day one;buried in the middle of the water is a pole,guarded by two crows whose hostility towards the workers on the project is active and violent.Joe pulls out the pole.Big mistake .
The pole is impaling Brass or Untsayi,an ancient Native American demon,and shape shifter out for revenge and the satiation of his desires.
Cue much shape shifting --alligator,bear,human- as the good guys hunt him down but not before he mates with a teenage runway and wreaks havoc in Vegas prior to a lively climax where the heroes try to return him to the watery prison
Its slick and utterly unpretentious written with pace and elan.
I enjoyed it and veture to suggest devotees of pulp horror will have themselves a good time reading it too.
The best of Conley is to be found in the Westerns but this is good too

Rating:
Summary: Horror lite based on an Indian myth
Review: Joe Shelby, a project engineer from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, pulls a poll out of the water and frees an ancient Indian legend. Brass is a shape-shifter with a gambling problem. So off go a bunch of rag-tag heros to track this creature down and put him back where he belongs. Conley offers a large portion of the tale from the "monsters" point of view. In fact, he's just a bit misunderstood. A large typeface fills up 310 pages, of what seems more like a novella. Conley's narrative was reminiscent of one of Kipling's "Just-So" stories. There really isn't much meat to any of these characters, and by the time it gets interesting it's over. It's a great idea there just doesn't deliver much. BRASS is a quick read that is good enough to take your mind of the trials and tribulations of the daily commute. It an age of "lite" beer and cigarettes, BRASS should be nominated as the first "lite" horror novel.

Rating:
Summary: Pulp, indeed!
Review: Lovely, classless, 'B' movie, over-the-top pulp horror. In short, I loved it. Conley joins the ranks of gifted new authors such as Harry Shannon (Night of the Beast) who are trying desperetely to revitalize the horror genre by turning back the clock to the kinds of books we all used to know and love as kids. He deserves to be read, and I hope more books follow.

Rating:
Summary: Pulp horror lives...!
Review: My thoughts on this novel are as follows: It's a damn good read! Fast from the beginning to the end... non-stop-in-your-face-supernatural- indian-PULP-horror... key word being PULP! Though not as good as John Shirley's novel "Wetbones" or his classic "Cellars"... "Brass" is somewhere in the neighborhood... Don't be afraid to set aside the King and Koontz, I recommend you check this one out... It's a trip worth taking...

Rating:
Summary: Great combination of ancient myth and modern horror!
Review: Really enjoyed this modern story of a prehistoric Cherokee legend come to life. Conley manages to stay true to the ancient myth even though placing it in the modern world. How would a prehistoric shapechanging demonic gambler react to Las Vegas? (He loved it), or to an IRS man who wanted a share of his winnings? (My favorite scene) This novel is one of those can't-put-down-once-you -start books. Conley, a Cherokee author, has combined pure horrific entertainment with authentic Cherokee lore in this work. And, like any good horror writer, he leaves the door open for a sequel!

Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining, Formulaic Monster Novel, A Great Snack!
Review: This book is what a monster novel should be. Sure it's formulaic, sure it reads more like a novella than a novel, but so what? The most important factor to any book such as this is that it is entertaining. Brass was that and much more. It kinda played out like the blueprint for a monster movie (I hope it was!) Really cool death scenes with short, concise text kept the action moving and all though the reader can pretty much figure out how this one is going to end it is never disappointing! If you look for a lot of seriousness or an overbearing literary tone in horror novels then you probably should check out other genres, if you love monsters and fables go buy this book now!

Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining, Formulaic Monster Novel, A Great Snack!
Review: This book is what a monster novel should be. Sure it's formulaic, sure it reads more like a novella than a novel, but so what? The most important factor to any book such as this is that it is entertaining. Brass was that and much more. It kinda played out like the blueprint for a monster movie (I hope it was!) Really cool death scenes with short, concise text kept the action moving and all though the reader can pretty much figure out how this one is going to end it is never disappointing! If you look for a lot of seriousness or an overbearing literary tone in horror novels then you probably should check out other genres, if you love monsters and fables go buy this book now!