A grim but well-executed fantasy of murder and creeping adulthood.
A stylish graphic novel tells a tale of death and drama at the theme park.
This collection of the first five issues of a comic-book series, written by Van Lente and illustrated by Panda, lays out its thesis early (“Growing up, then, is this not, also, a kind of death?”), then mashes up elements of corporate satire, dark fairy tales, and a whodunit soaked in theme-park nihilism. Directionless Tanith Leigh is the conductor of the Rock Candy Mountain Railroad roller coaster at a Disney-like theme park that’s filled with saccharine fantasy and festering dread. Her apathy curdles into horror when she’s doused in someone’s grandma’s cremains, midride, and then thrust into the starring role of Briar Rose after a fellow princess has an Instagram breakdown; the former princess then turns up stabbed to death. Tanith, now trapped in a corset and told never to break character, begins investigating. The story weaves together critique of corporate infantilization and the original, bloody purpose of fairy tales: to prepare young people for maturity’s terrifying arrival. There’s labor unrest, shady human-resources machinations, and the unsettling resurrection of obscure Brothers Grimm fairy-tale lore in the form of a Handless Maiden, now stalking Tanith’s colleagues in the park. Panda’s art serves the tone well; its crisp lines, expressive faces, and set pieces walk the line between whimsical and grotesque. Tanith uncovers the use of sedatives, a blackmail plot, and a secret affair, all pointing to a toxic kingdom built on secrets and suppression. A few clunky red herrings and an on-the-nose Agatha Christie reference threaten to trip up the pace, but the final unmasking delivers. The gore could be gorier, and the mystery twistier, but the themes resonate. In one lightly progressive note, union talk bubbles behind the park’s facade. This comic may not reinvent the horror genre, but it’s a clever, timely tale of growing up in a world designed to keep one helpless—and of the blood one must spill to break free.
A grim but well-executed fantasy of murder and creeping adulthood.Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9781960578785
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A grim yet gleefully gratifying tale of lost innocence and found family.
A woman fears she made a fatal mistake by taking in a blood-soaked tween during a storm.
High winds and torrential rain are forecast for “The Middle of Nowhere, New Hampshire,” making Casey question the structural integrity of her ramshackle rental cabin. Still, she’s loath to seek shelter with her lecherous landlord or her paternalistic neighbor, so instead she just crosses her fingers, gathers some candles, and hopes for the best. Casey is cooking dinner when she notices a light in her shed. She grabs her gun and investigates, only to find a rail-thin girl hiding in the corner under a blanket. She’s clutching a knife with “Eleanor” written on the handle in black marker, and though her clothes are bloody, she appears uninjured. The weather is rapidly worsening, so before she can second-guess herself, former Boston-area teacher Casey invites the girl—whom she judges to be 12 or 13—inside to eat and get warm. A wary but starving Eleanor accepts in exchange for Casey promising not to call the police—a deal Casey comes to regret after the phones go down, the power goes out, and her hostile, sullen guest drops something that’s a big surprise. Meanwhile, in interspersed chapters labeled “Before,” middle-schooler Ella befriends fellow outcast Anton, who helps her endure life in Medford, Massachusetts, with her abusive, neglectful hoarder of a mother. As per her usual, McFadden lulls readers using a seemingly straightforward thriller setup before launching headlong into a series of progressively seismic (and increasingly bonkers) plot twists. The visceral first-person, present-tense narrative alternates perspectives, fostering tension and immediacy while establishing character and engendering empathy. Ella and Anton’s relationship particularly shines, its heartrending authenticity counterbalancing some of the story’s soapier turns.
A grim yet gleefully gratifying tale of lost innocence and found family.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781464260919
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
Fast-moving and disturbingly plausible.
Robots may be the future of warfare in this final father-son DeMille collaboration.
In Camp Hayden, Army Maj. Roger Ames is found dead, his skull crushed. Chief Warrant Officers Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, special agents of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division, are sent to the Mojave Desert, “a.k.a. in the middle of nowhere,” to investigate. In this fictional military installation, Army Rangers conduct field training exercises with lethal autonomous weapons. These “dangerous new toys,” nicknamed “tin men,” may become the future of warfare if they can be programmed to distinguish between friend and foe. Anyway, the Rangers’ job is to train the tin men, not the other way around. They are AI-driven robotic prototypes called D-17s, but even prototypes can kill. Did a bot kill the major? And was there criminal liability or intent, or was it a tragic accident? Brodie and Taylor discover that not everyone loves these beasts, and they must find out if humans are programming them for mischief or even trying to set up the program for failure. Meanwhile, the bots have nicknames. Bot number 20 is Bucky, seen on a video as a “seven-foot-tall titanium machine with hands covered in blood and brain matter” that has “a face but no eyes, with hands but no skin, with a body but no soul.” As scary as these beasties are, Brodie and Taylor must also look at the humans at Camp Hayden, because they learn that the “machines don’t have motives….They have inputs and outputs,” which naturally come from human programmers. They have neither brains nor courage nor honor; they do have brute force, speed, and agility. Obviously, plenty goes haywire in this enjoyable yarn. It feels a bit too believable for comfort, and that’s to the DeMilles’ credit as storytellers. Nelson DeMille had begun this project with his son Alex, who had to finish it alone after his father’s death.
Fast-moving and disturbingly plausible.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781501101878
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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