On the Record- Reviews

On the Record Reviews gives readers another level of nonfiction leisure. See how readers and writers view entertainment projects, and why. This dive deepens the understanding what to entertain means. 

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DL Mullan Reviews 

 

Books and Stories

• DL Mullan provides reviews of books and stories across the internet.  
• Book Review: The Ones Who Stayed with Me, Nurse Sammy  

 

Poetry

• DL Mullan provides feedback on poems across the internet.  
• Poetry Review: TBA

Movies

• DL Mullan provides feedback on movies across the internet. 
• Movie Review: TBA

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Reviewed by You 

Others review DL Mullan's Books and Stories. 

• Novelette Review of The Town Santa Forgot. 
• Amazon: "A tale that will tickle the whole family’s fancies. The perfect holiday gift, but would be fun to read year round. As with most Christmas stories, this one is filled with love and hope."  
• Book Review of In the Name of Blood: Vampires are Relative
• Writing to be Read: "Lured into a conflict between two vampires, one a viciously insane vampiric killer who thrives on torturing her, Riley is determined to see Wilhelm stopped at any cost. The other vampire, Julian, is after the same prey, placing them both on the same side, and he is equally determined to keep Riley from harm’s way because they are related. This is book one in Mullan’s Legacy Universe series, and I got the distinct impression that Riley will play an important role in something much bigger in future books.

  Mullan doesn’t use dialog tags, which makes it difficult to know who is speaking at times, but probably reads aloud smoother. Perhaps she plans to do audiobook versions in the future. Her characters are larger than life, and you can almost feel Riley’s pain from Mullan’s vivid descriptions. I’m not sure I buy into vampires with governing bodies, as these seem to, but I can accept it for what it is and immerse myself in the world for a time.

  An interesting take on the vampiric universe. I give In the Name of Blood Vampires are Relative four [out of 5] quills."

   
• Short Story Review, Kurst, Midnight Garden  
• Writing to be Read: "Also, suspenseful but not as grim, DL Mullan’s “Kurst,” is one of my favorites in this collection. Set in Salt Pines, a village in Arizona, “between dreamy pine peaks and unfathomable horrors,” the story opens when Karen Kurst leaves her [photojournalist] job to check out the “Kurst inheritance” on the [Tonto] National Forest’s eastern edge. After she encounters Sheriff “Bear” Barrett, who offers her background about her inheritance and [r]eading materials, this story takes readers on a wild—frightening—but fulfilling “ride.” "
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Others review DL Mullan's Poetry. 

• Chapbook Review of The Descent: a dark breed of poetry. 
• Amazon: "This collection of mysterious and slightly chilling poetry revolves around the topic of death in all it permutations: the process of dying, what it feels like to die or be dead, grievers and grieving, the afterlife, and spirits and the spirit world.
  
  A most intriguing poem about reading Edgar Allan Poe and the influence of his works on the poet, kicks off this collection. As a fellow member of the Poe admiration club, I really enjoyed this poem and identified with the poet's thoughts and reactions to all his magnificent poems. This is a short quote from 'Upon Reading Edgar Allan Poe':
  
  "A peculiar doorway opens inside of me.
  Listen to the music playing, hear the voice, of beautiful Lenore.
  Sing to me a violent ballad of love."
  
  Another interesting introductory poem, is entitled 'Death Replies to Emily Dickinson', an extraordinary response to Emily Dickinson's poem 'Because I Could Not Stop for Death'. This inspirational poem is the perfect introduction to the poems that lie ahead in this collection. For me, this stanza sums up the collection:
  
  "Instead, come. Join the procession into the unchartered
  where rarely seen a setting sun and gloom is discarded."
  
  I really enjoyed this unusual collection of dark poetry. It is certainly unique and inspired. A few of my favourite poems from this book, with short quotes, are as follows:
  
  The Rocking Chair:
  "Dusty chair rocks. He used to sit there: in the corner looking out the window."
  
  Spirit Box (My favourite of all the poems):
  "Four different voices sung through the waves.
  Each expressing their own distinct individuality."
  
  Alone with My Thoughts:
  "Death can be harsh. Death can be amusing.
  Your perspective is needed to see that death is a rite of passage
  that all of us will be using."
  
  If you enjoy Poe and like to experience different perspectives on poetry, this book will enthrall you."
• Poetry Review from Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures. 
• Amazon: "Poetry anthologies are such a pleasure to read. Poetry Treasures 5 is no exception. You get a variety of poetry styles and subjects, everything from ... to a clever treatment of time (“Quantum Time” by DL Mullan)." 
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Critical Acclaim from Readers

"Your essays about writing and the writer are cogent and material to our modern expression of the written word."

 

"Brilliant."

"The only thing about writing the great one, is how do you top yourself with the next book."