(Disclosure: I’ve taken writing workshops from Garrett Cook, and he’s done editing work for me.) There’s horror fiction out there that seeks to entertain, like the thrillers by the late Richard Laymon. Then there’s horror that seeks to get under skin and disturb you on a deep psychological level, like Jack Ketchum’s incredibly difficult masterpiece […]
Book Review: Brother by Ania Ahlborn
November 25, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Ania Ahlborn’s Brother reminds me a lot of Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God, which to me is entirely a good thing. If I were to pitch this book to someone, I would probably say it was like if Erskine Caldwell wrote House of 1000 Corpses. The Morrows are a family with strange traditions. If “strange” […]
Review: Whispers from the Abyss ed. Kat Rocha
November 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Whispers from the Abyss (01 Publishing) describes itself as “An anthology of H.P. Lovecraft inspired short fiction.” But the authors within its pages are no slavish Elvis tribute acts. Instead, they are his mutant bastard offspring, whose mission is to misbehave dreadfully and have a wonderful time doing so. These Children of the Night run amok, gleefully […]
Book Review: Ichthyic in the Afterglow by Jason Wayne Allen
October 23, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Ichthyic in the Afterglow is the kind of book that the subgenre “bizarro” was invented for. It uses the mythologies of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert W. Chambers, but it isn’t really horror. It takes place in a dystopian future, but it isn’t really science fiction. Its story is driven by factions of warring cults, but it’s […]
Audiobook Review: The Undying: Shades by Ethan Reid (Narr. Candace Thaxton)
September 23, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Undying: Shades is a strong improvement from book one in an already good option for fans of post-apocalyptic horror. The character-focus engaged more, and strengths in the first book showed maturity and fine tuning. The series still lacks a little in so far as it isn’t among the best post-apocalyptic horror I’ve read, but […]
Audiobook Review: THE UNDYING by Ethan Reid (Narr. Candace Thaxton)
August 5, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Undying fulfilled most of the expectations created by its Eiffel Tower surrounded by undead hands lifted and ready to feast. Ethan Reid wrote an apocalyptic experience in France as authentic as I could have hoped for. The narrator, Candace Thaxton, vocalizes French accents with flair and keeps us grounded in each character’s personality. When […]
Book Review: Private Midnight by Kris Saknussemm
July 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment
I first came across Kris Saknussemm’s work in The Bizarro Starter Kit (Purple). His contribution was a novella called Sparklewheel, which I described in my review as a “psycho-sexual fever dream.” It’s no surprise, then, that Saknussemm bills his second novel, Private Midnight, as “a pschoerotic noir fairytale.” Sparklewheel was a sort of picaresque that moved […]
Book Review: Terra Insanus by Edward Lee
July 3, 2015 by Leave a Comment
I’ve read three of Edward Lee’s novels and enjoyed them all. They were schlocky, exploitative and fun to read. Before mass market horror collapsed, Lee’s novels pushed the boundaries of good taste and earned him a spot as as a leading name in the splatterpunk movement. Outside of the mainstream, Lee was publishing even more […]
Reviews: The Beauty and The Bridge
May 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
This time I am reviewing two works: a novella, The Beauty by Aliya Whitely; and a short story, The Bridge by Angela D. Mitchell. Both are distinguished by highly original, unusual storytelling and beautiful prose. In The Beauty by Aliya Whitely, a group of men and boys who have escaped their failing city gather around […]
Book Review: Positive by David Wellington
April 23, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Positive by David Wellington About the Book In the bestselling vein of Guillermo Del Toro and Justin Cronin, the acclaimed author of Chimera and The Hydra Protocol delivers his spectacular breakout novel—an entertaining page-turning zombie epic that is sure to become a classic. Anyone can be positive . . . The tattooed plus sign on […]
