Book Review — The Watchers of the Black Rite

A short book that manages to grab on to all the 1980s horror movie themes. The story revolves around an area that was formerly a state park and now owned by a mysterious corporation. People have gone missing and there is something that isn’t quite right about the park. A sister tries to patch up a relationship with her younger brother who has recently visited the park with a friend and stumbles into something sinister. Secret dark agencies, an unsuspecting town, violent murder, teenagers experimenting with sex and magic, and a mysterious glue round out this portion of The Watchers of the Black Rite. A well-done bit of horror with more to come.

Poetry Review — On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles: Poems Inspired by the Caribbean

Schiller presents her love story to the three islands of the former Dutch West Indies in this collection of verse and art. The poetry is unintimidating and very well supported by the watercolor art of  Skaidra Zayas.  Ships and slavery, sugar and starlit skies pepper this collection of history and natural beauty.  The poems range from simple odes to native creatures to the deeper and more complex “Galileo’s Moons.” For the reader unfamiliar with the islands,  Schiller presents a brief history as well as a brief autobiography.  It’s rare to find a themed collection of poetry that flows this smoothly and naturally without the hint of stiffness or forced wording.