Mayan Blue

The debut novel of horror from the shared pen of Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason, known collectively as "The Sisters of Slaughter", is an exuberantly over the top gorefest that captures the no holds barred spirit of the early days of the horror boom. <br /><br />An archeology professor, seeking the truth behind the end of the Mayan civilization, unleashes that truth when he unwittingly breaks open the seal on the doorway to Xibalba....the realm of the Mayan Lord of Death, hidden deep in the mountains of Georgia.<br /><br />A fast paced read that captures the feel of a 70s horror movie, while offering up a myth system that is so colorfully different and complex, it grabs your attention.....and yanks it out your nose. The Sisters' shared imagination is a thing of wonder, and they let it run wild in these pages, creating imagery that will splatter blood across your nightmares for a long time to come. Yeah, this one gets nasty......but ain't that what we're here for?<br /><br />While there are points where this novel is obviously a first effort, the Sisters' writing is near perfect, seamless as they work in concert, raising Mayan Blue above the pack of debut authors.<br /><br />The Sisters of Slaughter are authors to watch.....and I know I will be. Grab a copy of Mayan Blue and tell me I'm wrong.<br /><br />Highly recommended.<br />

This energetic first novel from the "Sisters of Slaughter" begins in traditional B-movie territory but quickly ends up in a bizarre Mayan underworld...in Georgia (love that).<br />Imagination and gore flow freely throughout the book; however, much like the book's heroes as they run through sanguinary vines, readers may find themselves occasionally tangled up in prose.<br />Final Verdict: An enjoyable romp in a fresh setting.<br /><br />3.5 Stars.

MAYAN BLUE, by Michelle Garza and Melissa Larson (the "Slaughter Sisters") takes us on a bloody journey involving the Mayan legends of "Ah-Puch", Lord of Death and sadistic ruler of Xibalba, the Underworld.<br /><br />An archeological trip, headed by Professor Lipton, his devoted assistant Wes, and students Alissa, Kelly, Tyler, and Dennis, leads to more than just the proof of the Mayan relocation to Georgia, that the esteemed Professor sought.<br /><br /><b> <i>". . . Around the circular seam he could see the mortar was weakening, which caused his better judgement to soon begin to crumble as well. . . "</i> </b><br /><br />The story is ripe with visceral scenes, tormented, undead humans, and evil shapeshifting minions, eager to add to their god's human sacrifices. I love the direction the story takes in terms of the Mayan legends, and mutilations--I've never felt "on edge" before at the sound of an owl's squawk!<br /><br />There were a few issues that could have used some ironing out, however. For the most part, the characters struck me as two-dimensional stereotypes--little more than "extras" designed to be quickly forgotten. Also, in some paragraphs, it was confusing as to who was the speaker, as names were omitted and multiple people were chiming in. In other paragraphs--where only one person was present--their "name" began every single sentence.<br /><br />Otherwise, I felt the story was very intriguing and original in concept--especially concerning the methods of torture--after death--utilized by Ah-Puch.<br /><br />A debut from two talented authors. With a bit more characterization and fine tuning from an editorial standpoint, I feel that we will see some great novels from this duo in the future.

An outstanding short debut novel from two remarkable authors who obviously know their horror history -- and are imbuing new energy into it in this new century.

Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason are described as "The Sisters of Slaughter" and Mayan Blue is their debut. And a confused debut it is. <br /><br />Four students and their assistant professor head for the mountains of Georgia where they are to meet up with their professor who feels he's made a great discovery that will change the way history books are written. Once near the rendezvous point, all hell breaks loose. In what they think is the professor crying out for help, Wes and Alissa go off to find him. What they discover an open doorway to a Mayan underworld located deep within a cave inside the mountain. Mayans in Georgia? I like the idea. Unfortunately, that's about as good as it gets.<br /><br />Mayan Blue had some promise. The premise of a Mayan underworld in Georgia had lots of possibilities. Instead, it ended up being one long chase scene where way too little happens. The beginning of the story starts out as a B-horror movie style story. Annoying cannon fodder characters that scream I'm going to be killed before the story even gets going. Then it opens up into the Mayan underworld with good shapeshifting characters. Then the last 1/2 to 1/3 ends up being a murky chase scene where characters are introduced for no apparent reason adding nothing to the story. Our heroes get injured so many times that you start wondering why they haven't dropped long ago from blood loss. Too little character and plot development dampens what could've been a great story. <br />You can see the talent is there. They simply need to focus on tightening up the story, spending more time on plot.<br /><br />2 1/2 Sacrifices out of 5<br /><br />This ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br /><br /><br />You can also follow my reviews at the following links:<br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com">https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com</a> <br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com">http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5919799-ken-mckinley">https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...</a>

After an archeological expedition to the mountains in Georgia goes awry, a handful of college students, along with an archeologist and his associate professor, become trapped in a nightmarish Mayan underworld, Xibalba, ruled by the Lord of Death and his hellish minions. They unwittingly unsealed a doorway there and they cannot escape their fate. <br /><br />Brutal, unrelenting, Garza and Lason aka The Sisters of Slaughter live up to their nickname in this lean novel, that ends with a teaser of more forthcoming!<br /><br />Recommended for fans of hardcore horror!

<br /><br />Dubbed The Sisters of Slaughter by the editor of Fireside Press, Michelle Garza and Melissa Larson make their novel-length debut with Mayan Blue. I think the Fireside folks were on to something with their proclamation, and the sisters earn their bloody stripes well here.<br /><br />First off, let me just say how glad I am to read a horror book that is influenced by ancient continental American lore, rather then the johnny come lately Christian influences that predominate most modern works. Granted, those influences have produced some great stories, particularly in terms of my recent reads like Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts and Hunter Shea’s I Kill In Peace. But it’s fun to spice things up a bit by reaching into a deeper, richer history of the Americas.<br /><br />Mayan Blue, as the title indicates, reaches back to the peak of the Mayan heyday, drawing on the occult beliefs of Mesoamerican and Central American people to craft a present-day horror story. Building off the debunked speculations of Mayan civilization reaching as far north as Georgia, the sisters craft a novel in which such speculations are on the verge of being validated. Unfortunately, the professor in possession of the evidence has gone missing, and his small team of university researchers are en route to recover him.<br /><br />From the outset, Garza and Lason let the blood spill, plunging their small cast of characters into the depths of Mayan hell. There’s plenty of action to go around as the group is confronted with a number of horrors, from the labyrinthine and booby-trapped maze of the newly discovered Mayan temple to the angry gods and their owl-headed, sharp-clawed servants.<br /><br />This is a fun and quick bit of adventure horror, with a number of well-drawn splatter scenes. Bodies are flayed and entrails spilled all over the place. My only real complaint about the book is that the characters are paper thin, with several of them never rising above a quickly drawn stereotype before being dispatched in some nicely grisly scenes. While their deaths are certainly interesting, it’s a shame that their demise is the most interesting thing to happen to them in the brief moments we spend with them. In order for horror to be truly effective, there needs to be characters to root for and against, people you can become attached to and sympathize for and with. I didn’t feel particularly attached to anybody in this book. While the gore and setting may be memorable, the characters, unfortunately, are not.<br /><br />Aside from that, I had a fun time with Mayan Blue. I greatly appreciated the change of scenery it provided, and the way its influences in both the creature-feature and slasher genres merged to form a truly appropriate temple of doom.<br /><br />Final score: 3.5 stars.<br /><br />[Note: this review is based an advanced, uncorrected proof copy supplied by the authors in exchange for an honest review.]<br />

This first novel by the Sisters of Slaughter is highly entertaining and very well written. I first came across these two in a short story anthology titled Wishful Thinking. There is something about how they draw you into their world's that they create that a lot of new writers don't seem to understand. <br /> In Mayan Blue the story takes place on an archeology site. A professor has discovered that maybe the Mayans have settled further north into Georgia. A group of college students are on their way to help when things start to go south for them. I don't want to give away to much of the plot but have read another review that compares the world that Alissa and Wes and the rest of their friends to Clive Barker 's world in He'll bound Heart. While I can see some comparisons for me I would add elements of Edward Lee in the sometimes brutal way this book goes. This was one of the most enjoyable books that I have read this year. Having been a fan of The Sisters of Slaughter as they are affectionately know since day one it is great to see the growth in their writing. Their short works are wonderful to read. However this book proves that they can tackle longer works without missing a beat.<br /> This book is officially released on May 25th pre order from Sinister Grin. You won't be disappointed. <br />Actually rating 4 1/2 stars.

This is the first novel written by the Sisters of Slaughter, Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason, and it is filled with powerful imagery and vivid storytelling. It revolves around an interesting premise, the history of Mayan civilization and theories of its northern journey into the continent of North America, specifically Georgia. For those of us whom know Michelle and Melissa, their writing skills come as no surprise. I personally enjoyed this tale and the pictures it paints in the mind. I have heard that this book has gotten some well deserved acclaim from some well known names in the industry. In reality it has only opened a lot of eyes to the powerful prose from the pens of these two new voices on the scene of horror writing. Like the cool new kid in class, the two writers have taken the horror world by storm. That might be the reason you buy this one, but you will soon discover that not every story needs a happy ending to be good and that this first effort from the SoS proves they are here to stay.

Compulsively readable, quickly-paced horror novel which effectively blends elements of survival horror, slasher, splatterpunk, and the supernatural. The setup is classic; a group of college students going on an archaeological dig find more than they bargained for as the site is revealed to be a mouth into Xibalba, the Mayan underworld and a place of unending torment. Persistently intense and punctuated with some truly unsettling moments of suffering, this is a book I would recommend to any real gore-hounds and fans of the truly dark