Kampung Kreepy

The phrase “dragon lines” appears often in T he Geomancer’s Apprentice series . So what are they? You may know them as ley lines. Ley lines are pathways of supernatural or spiritual energy that connect primitive sacred sites. Almost every ancient culture has its version of such routes. They are known as “fairy paths” in Irish folklore. The aborigines of Australia call them “dreaming tracks” or “songlines.” The people of ancient Peru referred to them as “spirit lines.” Such pathways have been recognized in China for thousands of years. Dragon lines are roadways of qi , or vital energy, that cut across the world. The lines correspond to the concept in Chinese medicine of the human body’s meridians—energy passageways associated with the various organs. According to the ancient Chinese, dragon lines originate from certain geographical locations, typically a low hill set in a valley. The energies are the most potent and active at these “dragon hearts.” The best and most auspicious sit...

Television series have a lot in common with books. It’s often the cast of characters that keep their fans loyal. Think of the Winchester brothers and their monster-hunting friends in Supernatural . Or if your tastes run to something more prosaic—the lifeguards of Baywatch . And that’s why I love Netflix’s Stranger Things series. It’s not so much the edge-of-the-seat tension and the scary monsters. It’s the characters. They’re not just interesting and compelling. They also develop and change, as we see in Volume 1 of the latest season. By the way, my apologies for not posting recently. I’ve been hard at work with my latest book, the third installment in my urban fantasy The Geomancer’s Apprentice series. I finished the first draft recently. Yay! My reward was allowing myself a few hours to binge watch Stranger Things 4 . The characters in the series are as familiar as apple pie. There is the not-so-smart jock with the heart of gold; the wisecracking smart kid; the female superhero...

I was delighted to find out in  April that paperbacks of my urban fantasy novels are available for lending at two libraries in my county. It’s a dream come true for this indie author. Not only are there two more avenues for readers to find my books, but I personally love libraries. My father was an avid reader. When I was in primary school in Singapore (elementary school in the United States), my father would bring me to the public library with him every month. He’d leave me in the children’s section while he browsed the books in the adult section. I loved exploring the stacks and finding new books to read. It was in that same library that I discovered Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. That library was where I devoured the myths and legends of Greece, Rome, Norway and the United Kingdom. That library was where I found books by Enid Blyton, J.R.R. Tolkien, Susan Cooper, Diana Wynne Jones, George MacDonald, Madeleine L’Engle, C.S. Lewis, L.M. Montgomery, Frances Hodgson Burnett and oth...

Alexander Pain's Zombie Complex: The Battle for Chattahoochee Run is a fun take on the zombie apocalypse.  5 stars:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had a blast reading this book. The story revolves around a very ordinary apartment complex in a very ordinary neighborhood in Atlanta. The residents must step up when the zombie apocalypse brings life as we know it to a standstill. Fortunately, the protagonists have a sizable gun collection and quite a lot of ammunition. Author Alexander Pain writes with a breezy style that is effortless to read, with believable, relatable and eminently likable characters. The book takes you on an adventure. It’s both fun and funny. The plot is fast-paced, with many exciting moments. I especially liked Pain’s social commentary on living and working with other cultures. My only criticism is the book ended too abruptly for me. I hope there will be a Book 2. There are so many promising threads here that a second book could pick up and further explore. This review was al...

My review of Wildflowers: A Horror Novel by Vanessa Perry.  5 stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is such a gem of a book. It is at times horrific and at times heartbreaking as we follow Charlotte, the teenage protagonist, in her struggles to take care of her family after her father’s death. The horror in Wildflowers is not just paranormal. There are some genuinely creepy parts, but what I found most unsettling was the very real abuse she suffers as her mother grows increasingly distant and erratic. Kudos to author Vanessa Perry for giving Charlotte a voice of such clarity and honesty. It brings to life her love for her sisters, as well as her mounting unhappiness and despair. I also enjoyed how the author juxtaposes the book’s beautiful, woodsy surroundings with the dark events taking place inside Charlotte’s house. It gives the story the dreamlike feel of a Grimms’ fairy tale. What a promising debut! I look forward to reading more from this author. This review was also posted to Amazon and G...

I've decided to add select book reviews to my blog in keeping with its themes of horror, fantasy and superheroes. I also usually post these reviews to Amazon and/or  Goodreads .  Here is my review of  Tidepool , a gothic horror novel by Nicole Willson.  5 stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tidepool pulled me in with the first sentence: “Tidepool looked like the kind of place where people went to die, not to live.” I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky story in which one Sorrow Hamilton sets out to the seaside town of Tidepool, Md., to find her missing brother. It turns out the sad little town’s horrible odor may be due to something more sinister than dead fish washing up on shore. I picked this book up because of its Lovecraftian undercurrents. Thankfully, however, author Nicole Willson doesn’t emulate H.P. Lovecraft’s overwrought writing. Instead, she describes the town, the atmosphere and the characters in spare but skillfully chosen words, bringing them alive in my mind. I thought her w...

I just watched the first season of Netflix’s Cracow Monsters . It’s been a treat, especially since my husband and I spent a few days in that lovely city in 2018 and I love folklore and mythology. In the series, a medical school student and her classmates investigate strange events involving missing and dead children, resurrected corpses, and ancient Polish gods. While the storyline was pretty run-of-the-mill urban fantasy, there were quite a few suspenseful and hair-raising moments. The acting and the production quality also were good. What I especially liked was how the makers of the series took care to film in many of Krakow’s most iconic landmarks. That includes the city's Main Market Square, which dates back to the 13 th century and is the largest medieval town square in Europe. I loved seeing the square, the Vistula River, Wanda’s Mound and, of course, the Wawel Dragon in the series. The Wawel Dragon You can’t talk about Krakow without touching upon the Wawel Dragon. Acc...