Virtual Book Tour: Yesterday's Gone by Kelly Pawlik

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome author Kelly Pawlik to Full Moon Dreaming! She is here to tell us about her new release, Yesterday's Gone.  Kelly will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

 

Yesterday's Gone

by Kelly Pawlik

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GENRE:   young adult horror sci-fi

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

Book one of the Olympic Vista Chronicles  novella series follows Darius and Adelaide as they explore a house rumoured to be haunted. What they find is so much worse.

An eager new kid, a deadpan music-lover, a fast-talking troublemaker, an anxious bookworm and a girl torn between popularity and adventure. Follow this group of friends as they delve into the mysteries of their small town while juggling the trials and tribulations of their home lives.

A tale of friendship, love, and coming of age (with a healthy dose of horror) in the late 1980s.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT:

 

 

“Okay, come on,” Darius said as he looked around. He wanted to help them, but if Frank Hardy had taught him anything, it was that time was of the essence when solving a mystery. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two bobby pins. He hoped he could pull it off. “Keep a look out, okay?”

 

“Okay. What are you going to do?” Adelaide whispered back.

 

“Find out who they are.” Darius grinned as he moved toward the driver’s side of the car.

 

“This is a bad idea,” Tetsu said to Darius.

 

“Then stay here.” Darius shrugged as he slinked closer to the car.

 

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Tetsu hissed.

 

Darius ignored him as he looked around. He couldn’t see any sign of movement. He crouched down by the car and bit his lip as he inserted the first pin at a right angle and put the curled side into the lock. Then he inserted the second bobby pin right into the lock, less than an inch deep. He held the first one still and moved the second one around inside the lock.

 

“Adelaide,” Tetsu warned as she scanned the area. “This is a bad idea.”

 

“Shh,” Darius hushed him.  He wasn’t sure if Tetsu could hear him, but it made him feel a bit better. He grimaced, took a breath and moved the second bobby pin around again. Then he heard it click. He grinned and eased the door open. The car smelled of stale cigarettes.

 

Darius knew he needed to check the glove box. He kept low in the seats as he reached over and depressed the button. The small door fell open.

 

“Barkly?” Adelaide sobbed. “Barkly, where are you?”

 

Darius froze.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Kelly Pawlik dabbled with story writing from a young age. She spent her childhood reading, dressing her beloved cat, Midnight, up in doll clothes and hunting garter snakes in the backyard. Her childhood dream was to be an author and she is proud to have made her fiction debut with the Olympic Vista Chronicles novellas.

Kelly is a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) writer and has released multiple RPG supplements with her husband under their micro-publishing company, Dire Rugrat Publishing. She has also contributed to several best-selling works with Kobold Press.

Kelly lives on Vancouver Island, BC with her husband, their three inquisitive children, and two lazy cats.

Yesterday’s Gone is available FREE at your favourite ebook retailer.

Songs from the Wood, book two in the Olympic Vista Chronicles series, is available now.

Costumes & Copiers, book three in the Olympic Vista Chronicles series, is available now.

You can follow Kelly on:

Facebook: kellypawlikauthor

Instagram: kellypawlikauthor

Twitter: @KellyPawlik84 or visit her website at olympicvistapublishing.com

 

FREE SHORT STORY: Sign up to receive Kelly’s newsletter and get access to sneak peeks of upcoming novellas, behind the scenes information and other exclusive content. PLUS, you’ll get “Snow Day,” a short story set in the Olympic Vista Chronicles universe, right away!   Sign up now.

 

Yesterday's Gone is free for the length of this book tour so pick up a copy today! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The Questions 

1) You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

My husband and a set of dice! Neither one of us is particularly social, and we spend a decent amount of our free time playing tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, FATE, and various Year Zero Engine games.

5) When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

A little bit of both. I know that’s a cheap answer, but hear me out…I’ll have a loose idea for a character (or two), and a loose idea for a plot. Then I refine one a bit, and then the other. Then back to the first. It’s kind of like when you’re assembling furniture and you tighten the bolts just enough to hold a piece in place, then you get everything aligned before you tighten the bolts completely.

6) If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

Mandy Moore. I think she’s amazing. I love her in This is Us, but she has done other great work as well. Once, when I was a lot younger, I had a teacher say I looked like her. I don’t know that I buy it, but I was flattered. And, if you want to know a secret, I own two copies of her first album. I thought I lost mine so I bought another. My husband thinks I’m the only person on the planet who owns two copies of that album. I love the song “Candy,” even if the lyrics make me shake my head sometimes. I have to admit, I love the style of 90s pop. Of course, I can’t really sing, so Mandy wouldn’t be able to be perform in the movie about my life – or she’d have to pretend to be a horrible singer!

 

8) Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

I’m not a big history buff, so not really. I think the closest I have to a historical crush would be James “Jamie” Fraser from Outlander!

9) Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

I don’t think I have any stories the world isn’t ready to hear, but sometimes I wonder if there are parts of my stories I’m not ready to share. Writing something, writing anything, and then putting it out into the world can be very difficult. There are so many judgmental people out there, and while opinions are great and diversity in those opinions is even better, it’s really nerve-wracking to craft something, to pour your heart and soul into something, and know that anyone could come along and say it’s horrible. So, I suppose I have some stories that I’m not ready to share with the world, but I’m sure there are people out there who would love them.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Bleach, Vol 45 by Tite Kubo

 

Bleach, Vol 45      

Author: Tite Kubo

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: August 7, 2012

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Supernatural/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Shinji’s sword has an unusual shape… and Aizen has no idea what it can do. But he’s about to find out. Apparently Shinji’s sword changes up to down, front to back, right to left, left to right. Aizen doesn’t seem particularly concerned, but maybe he should look behind him, because here comes Ichigo!

Aizen just loves to taunt people, and he wastes no time trying to chip away at Ichigo’s ego. But the Thirteen Court Guard captains quickly step up and assure Ichigo they will protect him. Aizen turns his attention to Hitsugaya, hitting him where it hurts—Hinamori. But Shunsui takes advantage of Aizen’s preoccupation with the diminutive captain to sneak up on him. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Gin thinks how clueless they all are regarding Aizen’s powers.

Ichigo is being careful not to witness Aizen’s shikai. But the others, having seen it, are vulnerable to it. Which makes their actions inexplicable to Ichigo, who wonders what they’re doing when they result in one of them being wounded by another one! The Captain General now steps into the fray, determined to take down Aizen himself… even if he dies doing so.

And now it’s everyone against Aizen, with Tosen gone and Gin just standing by. (Wonder why that is?) Will they really be able to take him down? Will the battle for Karakura Town really be over? Or is this just the prelude to something else? I suspect Aizen still has a few tricks up his sleeve, and it won’t be as easy as they hope. Another great volume, look forward to the next!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual Book Tour: Enough to Make the Angels Weep by Ernesto Patino

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome author Ernesto Patino to Full Moon Dreaming! He is here to tell us about his new release Enough to Make the AngelsWeep. Ernesto will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the greater your chances of winning! To find the other stops on the tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

 

Enough to Make the Angels Weep     

by Ernesto Patino

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GENRE: Mystery

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

Hired to investigate the murder of an 84-year-old widow, P.I. Joe Coopersmith hits one dead end after another in his search for leads. With few clues and no suspects, he nearly gives up, until he uncovers a connection to a bizarre plot to kill the descendants of Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico during the Mexican-American War. Known as San Patricios, they belonged to the St. Patrick's Battalion, an elite Mexican unit composed mostly of Irish immigrants. When a well-preserved diary of an Irish soldier turns up, Coopersmith knows he's on the right track. He digs deeper into the plot, soon learning the identity of the man behind it and his warped motive for the cold-blooded murder of the elderly widow.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT:

 

 

The killer sat in his car near a desert road that led toward the mountains. He lit a cigarette and glanced at his watch. The man was late. He’d give him five more minutes and then…he spotted a white SUV speeding toward him. It slowed and pulled up alongside him. The driver, a slender man wearing jeans and a tan sport coat, got out. The killer did the same and they stepped away from their vehicles.

 

The slender man spoke first, as though to break the ice. “They thought you might need some help. That’s why I’m here. All they want you to do is take a break, lay low for a while.”

 

“I still got a few things to check out, but if that’s what they want…” He shrugged. “I’ll bring you up to date on everything and then—”

 

“That won’t be necessary. I think I know what I need to do.”

 

The killer nodded. “Okay, I know the rules. I’ll step aside and you can take it from here.” He studied him for a second. The man’s expressionless face made it difficult to read.

 

“They want me to give you this.” The man reached into the pocket of his coat, pulled out a thick envelope and handed it to him. “A bonus, just so there’s no hard feelings.” He forced a quick smile.

 

The killer took the envelope and shoved it into his back pants pocket. “Well, I guess that’s it, then.” He didn’t want to hang around any longer than he had to. “If they need me, they know where to find me.” He turned to walk to his car but didn’t get far. A bullet from the man’s gun knocked him to the ground. Instinctively, he reached for his own gun and returned fire, striking the man in the chest. He fired two more times. The man dropped to his knees.            

 

Bleeding and barely conscious, the killer got up and staggered over to where the man lay dying. He shot him in the head, then collapsed near his body.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

Ernesto Patino has been a musician, soldier, schoolteacher, FBI agent and private investigator. He is a multi-genre author whose books range from Mysteries and Thrillers to Romance and Children’s books. His published works include In the Shadow of a Stranger, Web of Secrets, The Last of the Good Guys and One Last Dance. He lives in Southern Arizona with his wife Pamela with whom he shares a passion for ethnic cuisines, classical music and foreign films.

 

For more information about Ernesto, please visit his website at www.ernestopatino.com.

 

Amazon Buy link: http://amazon.com/dp/B09FJ4Q136                                                                                     

 

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/ernestopatino                 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday is Horror Day #35 - Creep (2004),V/H/S 2, Waxwork

 Creep (2004)

Kate (Franka Potente) goes to a party with some friends, but it isn't quite what she hoped for. A guy she works with, Guy (Jeremy Sheffield) doesn't know how to take no an answer, making himself quite obnoxious. But Kate has better places to be. Her friend knows where George Clooney is partying that night and has two tickets for them to get in. But her friend leaves without her, so the disappointed Kate heads to the subway, hoping to find her. Having had a bit to drink, she falls asleep and only wakes after the last train has gone.

The station is eerily silent with no one else there. To Kate's dismay, when she heads up, she finds the gates locked and no one around. When after a while a train unexpectedly shows up, she gets on with great relief, only to find Guy there. And he still won't take no for an answer.  But as he tries to assault Kate, something grabs him and pulls him off the train. Suddenly Kate becomes painfully away there is someone or something else down there. Something deadly.

Kate has to navigate the subway tunnels, searching for a way out. Her life depends on it.

This isn't a half-bad horror movie. It has a creepy premise, and who wouldn't commiserate with Kate,

who is having a bad night and just wants to get home? That is the secret of horror films. You care what happens to the main character and live vicariously through them, which also means you become scared for them as well, which heightens the thrill of the movie.

When Kate runs into George, the new subway employee, she feels a sense of relief at seeing another human being in the same predicament as her, sure that by working together, they can flee this place.  There are a number of jump scares, not unexpected. And the atmosphere is sufficiently icky/creepy to convince me not to go into a subway, ever. But what does bother me is the answer to the riddle, the explanation for the place Kate found, and for the guy who obviously lives in the tunnels and probably has his whole life. One can extrapolate based on what is shown, but that really isn't quite enough. And so you are left with a great big WHY at the end of the day. I am giving this 3 Stars.

V/H/S 2

A private investigator and his girlfriend/assistant are given an assignment to find a missing student by the student's mother. She gives them permission to go into his house in order to look around. The PI breaks in, but can see nothing, other than a video set-up and some VHS tapes. He has his gf watch the tapes while he searches for clues in the rest of the house.

What she finds is a series of found footage videos, with different stories. One of the films is about a man who lost his eye in an accident and is given an experimental prosthetic eye with a camera. The only downside is that the camera sees all, and he'll have virtually no privacy. After coming home from the doctor's office, he begins to see strange things. People who look like they are dead. Naturally he starts to freak out. And then he receives a visitor - a girl who was also in the office. She says she needs to talk to him and he will want to hear what she has to say. Apparently she had a cochlear implant, and now she can hear the dead people he can see.

A young man has a video channel and is going to make a video of his bike ride. But inside the woods, he almost runs into a woman who is covered with blood, screaming that he has to help her boyfriend. Panicked, he tries to help. But what he sees in the woods is a lot worse than an injured man, and when he returns to the woman, it seems she has met the same fate. Things just go downhill from there.

Young documentary makers want to film an interview with a cult leader in Indonesia. He reluctantly 

allows them to visit the cult in their compound. But from the beginning, something seems off, maybe even unnatural. They all refer to the Leader as the Father, and he talks about taking them to their safe haven. Shades of Jim Jones! Or is it something worse?

Two brothers and a sister are left home alone for the weekend while Mom and Dad are away. The boys decide to prank the sister and her boyfriend when he shows them and interrupts them in the bedroom. They vow revenge. But what starts out as a simple prank becomes far worse when aliens decide to attack on that night, and they want to take the boys with them.

This film is similar to the one before in that it involves found footage on a video tape. But the stories are different, and each is told rather well. And there is more than a sufficient creep factor for horror buffs. The couple who are the investigators are the framework the film is built on, their story framing the whole. The one about the implant could be a glimpse of the future. The alien story might be a little over the top, but feasible if you believe in aliens. The cult story is very damn creepy, because I'm sure there are people out there just that fanatical about their cult leader. Definitely worth watching. I give it 4 Stars.

Waxwork

A new waxwork museum has just opened up in the middle of a well-to-do residential neighborhood, and some of the teens are curious. A couple of teenage girls receive an invitation from the proprietor (David Warner) to come for a private party at midnight, and they can bring some of their friends. But no more than six people, please.

Mark (Zach Galligan) likes China (Michelle Johnson), but she is rather flirtatious, to put it mildly. He agrees to go to the waxwork to be with her. The group assembles outside the door on time, but a couple of the kids chicken out, to the disappointment of the diminutive man who answers their knock. The group begins their tour of the wax exhibits, and are surprised at how lifelike they appear.

Some of the exhibits include Count Dracula, Jack the Ripper, the Mummy, the Marquis de Sade, as well as others. But something strange begins to happen. One by one, the teens find themselves inside the different exhibits. More than that, they are part of the exhibit. And suddenly they find they are fighting for their lives in order not to become permanent parts of the exhibits.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this comedy horror movie, but I became really interested. Okay, the characters are a little stereotypical teens, but that works in this context. It's watching what happens when each gets pulled into a different exhibit that makes it interesting. The girl's reaction to the Marquis de Sade (J. Kenneth Campbell) is not what you would expect, neither is the girl who winds up with Count Dracula (Miles O'Keefe). David Warner is handsome as ever, and look for John Rhys Davies as a werewolf, and Patrick MacNee as Sir Wilfred.  A fun romp, although maybe it could have been tightened just a bit. There are a few moments that last too long. I give this a solid 3.5 Stars.

Wednesday Briefs: An Unholy Alliance #23 (6.2)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day ! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.  

Char is surprised to see Tyrone unexpectedly turn up (you'd think he'd be getting used to it) and when he learns how he knows these idiots, well... see for yourself what's happening in this week's chapter of An Unholy Alliance. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

An Unholy Alliance #23 (6.2)

Baffled didn’t even begin to describe my state of mind at the unexpected turn these proceedings had just taken. Momentarily tongue-tied, I could only stare between Tyrone and the rednecks, curious to know how they would react to this strange intrusion. I didn’t have long to wait. They all began to yell at him, their voices a raucous cacophony that only added to my confusion, until Frank screamed, “Shut the fuck up!” and blessed silence reigned… for all of ten seconds.

 “What the hell do you mean this guy’s your friend?” He fisted his hands on his hips like a petulant teenager. “Rover, get over here.” The dog was smarter than I’d realized as he had the sense to pay no attention to his master’s commands, too caught up in other attentions. Tyrone squatted beside him, gun still trained on the miscreants with one hand while with the other he petted the ecstatic canine.

“And what the hell do you mean by pulling a gun on us?” Frank whined. “What does kin even mean to you, Tyrone?”

Tyrone stood, at the same time lowering his weapon slightly.

“You may be my cousins but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to tell you when you’re being stupid. And it also doesn’t mean you get to use offensive language in reference to my friend.” (Yes, I edited out the continuing list of racial slurs as being not worthy of mention.)

Ah, that explained much, including the dog’s inexplicable instant liking to me. He probably smelled Tyrone on me—not surprising after that hug he blindsided me with—and assumed I was a friend. So he was related to these inbred hillbillies? Tyrone, that is, not Rover. I would never have guessed that. From what little I’d seen of him, Tyrone seemed a decent human being with a great deal more intelligence than any of these fellows, even if he had certain unusual proclivities. And an unfortunate habit of talking too much. Of course, genetics wasn’t everything. Maybe he’d gotten lucky in this backwoods gene pool.

And then something Tyrone had said came rushing back to me.

It’s my family. It’s what we do. Did that mean these cousins of his were cannibals too? That was mind-boggling at best. Was this a wide-spread practice that I was unaware of? I had a feeling that wasn’t the case, but the revelation was disturbing nonetheless.

“Why are you standing up for him?” one of the others angrily spoke up. “Maybe you should find out what happened first before you assume you know what’s going on.” His words were echoed by the other cousins, probably under the illusion that there was safety in numbers. Hadn’t helped them the first time.

“Maybe I should, Caleb,” Tyrone replied in a tone somewhere between condescension and amusement. I found myself liking him just a little more for his no-tolerance-for-stupidity attitude. These might be his relatives, but he obviously wasn’t going to cut them any slack on that account. I could understand that—I felt the same way when it came to my brothers.

You might wonder why I hadn’t spoken at all during these proceedings? We’ve already established that I’m no wallflower. Neither am I one who’s afraid to stand up for himself. It’s self-control I lack, not courage. The honest answer is that I was compelled by reasons I didn’t clearly understand to watch this unfolding family drama, infinitely grateful that it wasn’t my family drama, for once.

Besides, I was wrestling internally with another question of my own. How had Tyrone managed to find me yet again? I couldn’t decide if I was being paranoid or merely suspicious.

“We weren’t doing anything,” Caleb continued. “Just shootin’ at some targets. You know, having some fun. This here (insert racial slur) attacked us for no good reason.” He glanced around at the others, as if seeking confirmation, which they were quick to provide. “Yeah, that’s right” and “That’s what happened all right.” I noticed these same men failed to meet my glance as they uttered their calumnies.

I couldn’t help but snort at the absurdity of it all. Tyrone caught my eye and gave me a quick wink before turning his attention back to his cousins.

“Attacked you? Seriously? He attacked all four of you at one time? Really? Sorry I missed that.”

“Well…” Caleb drawled ineffectually, but apparently Frank had had enough.

“Tyrone, fuck that shit. It’s us against him and you need to pick which side you’re on right now. Are you gonna take the part of this black stranger against us, your own blood relatives? You’ve known us your whole damn life. Do you think we would lie to you?”

“In a heartbeat.” Tyrone’s easy demeanor changed before my startled gaze as he quickly strode up to Frank after first sending Rover scurrying back to me and planted one finger in the middle of Frank’s broad chest.

“If family is so important to y’all, then why are you hiding out in the woods, shooting at empties when you’re supposed to be working? Don’t deny it. I was just at the store, talking to Aunt Joan, and she’s hopping mad.”

“Why were you at the store? You don’t work there anymore,” Frank said belligerently. I could almost feel his bravado amping up at this assertion. At the same time, I felt a certain hesitation in Tyrone’s manner, as if his cousin had just touched an exposed nerve.

Then Frank made a potentially fatal error—he balled up his fist and started to raise it. The next second I’d stepped between them, and Frank lay face down in the dirt beneath my shoe.

“I could end you right now, little man,” I snarled. “Do something stupid…anything… and I’ll prove it.”

 to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Bleach, Vol 44 by Tite Kubo

 

Bleach, Vol 44      

Author: Tite Kubo

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: August 7, 2012

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Supernatural/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Yammy holds Rukia in his hammy grasp, and things aren’t looking good for the Soul Reaper when who should appear, like a glorious deus ex machina?  Why, Ichigo Kurosaki, of course! His first comment to Yammy is, “Hey! You’re grown real big since the last time I saw you. I almost didn’t recognize you.” He is always laid back, even in the face of danger. Ichigo has left Orihime in the World of the Living so she can heal Uryu. He’s going to take care of this big guy and then he needs to get back to the big fight, over Karakura Town.

When Ichigo hollowfies, Rukia thinks she notices something different about his mask, and even Ichigo thinks something feels different to him. But things are starting to look bad for Ichigo when two saviors appear on the scene unexpectedly—Byakuya and Kenpachi! And they are arguing over who arrived first! They tell Ichigo to step back so they can fight as he is a major embarrassment. Byakuya tells Ichigo he is needed at home because he is the Deputy Soul Reaper. But Ichigo says he has no way to go…

And then here comes Kurotsuchi, and he sends Ichigo off with Unohana.  Kurotsuchi settles down to watch the fight, and wait for the corpses he wishes to dissect afterward. Growing impatient, though, he tells the two Soul Reapers, “Will you please hurry up and kill each other? If you allow him to get any bigger, it will make the dissection harder.”

Now Aizen is facing Shinji, while Komamura and Hisagi are still squaring off against Tosen. But Tosen has another trick up his sleeve! There seems to be no going back for him, much to Hisagi’s regret.

Getting closer and closer all the time. Ichigo is finally on his way. As he and Unohana travel together, she explains to him why no one else can defeat Aizen, and her explanation really makes sense. She also comes to realize that Ichigo is a lot stronger than she imagined, and perhaps he is the savior they are looking for. The appearance of Byakuya and Kenpachi was unexpected and great!  Also Kurotsuchi. He’s odd but you just gotta love him (just don’t let him experiment on you!).

I think we’re reaching the climax of this arc now. Does Aizen have some master plan, or is he winging this? How will he react when Ichigo enters the scene? Looking forward to finding out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Demon Slayer, Vol 7 by Koyoharu Gotouge

 

Demon Slayer, Vol 7     

    

Author: Koyoharu Gotouge

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: July 2, 2019

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Fantasy Manga/208 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★

 

While recuperating at Mt Natagumo, Tanjiro seeks to learn about fire breathing techniques from Shinobu, but she suggests he ask someone who actually uses those techniques, such as Rengoku. As he and the others are leaving, Tanjiro encourages the shy, quiet Kanao to follow her heart, telling her she can do it.

Arriving at the train station, Tanjiro and Zenitsu discover that Inosuke has no idea what a train is when he furiously head-butts it! Tanjiro says they need to get on the Infinity Train so he can talk to Rengoku, who is already there. He suggests they put their weapons away and try to blend in. Zenitsu advises Inosuke to wear clothes, in that case.

In talking to Rengoku, they discover there is a demon on the train. Tanjiro smells something odd just before the conductor approaches to punch their tickets. Rengoku spots the demon and is immensely happy that he will be able to slay it. What none of them realize is that they are on the Train of Infinite Dreams, and they are asleep, at the mercy of this same demon. Tanjiro dreams he is back with his family and they are all alive and well, and nothing has changed. But his subconscious is sending him signals that he is asleep and dreaming, and he needs to figure out how to wake up and then wake the others or they will all die!

This volume of Demon Slayer is all about the Infinity Train, and it’s actually pretty interesting. Everyone loves to dream, but not all dreams are good ones. And you can get so lost in the good ones that you don’t want to come back to reality. That is what the demons on this train count on, which makes the dreamers easy prey. It’s their misfortune that some Demon Slayers chose to ride the train. They are the only hope the others have.

Along this journey, we get to see backstories for some of the characters, which are interesting. Still not sure about Inosuke, but I imagine his story will emerge at some point.  The demon who is invoking the dreams doesn’t seem completely evil, and that is something I like about this series.  There is no clear-cut delineation between good and evil, and sometimes it’s just a small step or a minor circumstance that causes someone to cross from one side to the other. Tanjiro’s situation is heartbreaking in that of course he wants to be with his family, and the demon uses them to guilt Tanjiro into staying asleep. Nezuko performs admirably in this volume. Go Nezuko!

Another great volume, looking forward to more.