By Tim Meyer
“Some songs need to be sacrificed.” – Hangman’s Jam: Symphony of Terror
Pretty fascinating, right? If I had to sum it up, Hangman’s Jam To sum it up in one word, that’s what I would say – riveting. From the opening chapter to the last section, the story flows and unfolds. The book is over three hundred pages long, but it rarely feels that way. Many times I found myself unable to put it down.
From open mic nights at your local bar to world tours, Hangman’s Jam Records the birth of a pop rock band, Allen Vent and Strange CreationsThrough the eyes of bassist Bobby Marks, readers witness the ups and downs of the rock and roll lifestyle. Big record deals. Groupies. Drug overdoses. Sex tapes. Parental responsibilities. Murder. Betrayal. It’s all in there, everything you’ve dreamed of since your parents bought you your first Fender guitar for your twelfth birthday.
Now you might be wondering what makes it a horror novel, and not a print version. This is Spin TapI guess I forgot to mention that this novel incorporates Lovecraft mythology into it, incorporating stories of the Great Old Ones and how music plays a big role in subverting the fabric of reality.
The band played for the first time Hangman’s Jama tune taught to them by traveling blues musician Smoke Johnson, they start seeing some very strange things. A giant tentacle sweeping across the audience. Floating ghosts. Creatures from another dimension. Many terrifying hallucinations that should only exist in nightmares and Lovecraft’s creepy tales. But what happens when these things become reality? Bobby Marks knows the band is playing some very dangerous material. But like all drugs, success (and everything that comes with it) is hard to give up. Can Bobby quit before it’s too late? Before the evil record company gets what it wants? Before this tune awakens the Old Gods and brings death and destruction to the world as we know it?
There are a few things that impressed me jamFirst of all, the author did an excellent job in developing the main character. It is easy for the reader to relate to him. He has real life problems. Makes bad decisions. Trying to do the right thing (most of the time). Sometimes you like him and sometimes you wish he was real so you could put his melon through the wall. What the other members of the band lack in character development, they make up for in Bobby Marks. The second thing I really liked about this novel was the author’s love for music and the novel doesn’t cater to just one genre. There are little stories in the novel about famous musicians that, whether true or not, add to the tone of the novel and give it a sense of realism. I feel like if the horror and Cthulhu Mythos were removed from the story, it could have become an interesting autobiography from a pop rock star.
People who love music and understand some of the terminology will probably enjoy this book more than the average horror fan. However, if you get a chance to listen to Hangman’s Jam, you won’t be disappointed. While I wouldn’t put it near the top of the modern Lovecraftian classics, I will say that it’s a very good work from a writer who knows how to tell a great story.
Order yours right here.
score:4/5
Tim Meyer lives near the Jersey Shore (but don’t blame him for that). He’s the author of House of Mirrors and several other horror novels. His new zombie novel, Unhuman, is available now on Amazon.
