Shades by Brian Keene and Geoff Cooper

 

Geoff Cooper and Brian Keene know their stuff. Cooper’s Retribution Inc is one of the finest rock-n-roll horror stories I’ve read. And Keene’s The Rising and Terminal are two of the best novels written in years, both within the horror genre and without. Shades is a nice combo effort from Keene and Coop. Coop provides the setting (the fictional upstate New York town of Brackard’s Point is featured in several of Coopers other works) and Keene provides the mythos (courtesy of his “Labyrinth” stories, with a touch of Russian wizardry from his novel Get Whitey mixed in.) The characters aren’t the most original we’ve seen (the adolescent who harbors untapped magical powers, and the two warring wizards) but they are relateable and realistic enough to keep you engaged in the story, which is fast-paced and fun. Overall, a “good read” — you can’t go wrong with Cooper and/or Keene!