Through the Woods, stories by Emily Carroll (Out July 15th from Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books). Graphic novels (in this case a collection of short fairy tale type stories) are not my normal kind of reading, but if they prove as effective and economical in their terror as Through the Woods, I […]
Book Review: WHISPERS FROM THE ABYSS – Lovecraft-inspired anthology edited by 01 Publishing
July 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Anthologies like WHISPERS FROM THE ABYSS don’t come around as often as they should. Edited by 01 Publishing’s Kat Rocha, this collection of “Lovecraft-inspired short fiction” is very atypical, for a few reasons. This collection comes at around 282 pages, not in itself unusual. But consider that this anthology sports a whopping 33 stories. Headlining these is […]
$.99 eBook Deals w/Mark Tufo, Michael Bunker and more
July 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
There are two authors with short term deals I’m compelled to share with you. Zombie Fallout 2: A Plague Upon Your Family by Mark Tufo I lose track of all the books this talented writer publishes, but I hear Zombie Fallout 8 is coming out soon. Of all the zombie fiction I’ve read, the main […]
Book Review: AUTHORITY by Jeff Vandermeer
June 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Jeff Vandermeer is back with book 2 of the Southern Reach Trilogy, Authority. In Annihilation (review here), Vandermeer introduces us to a team of nameless scientists who investigate an inhabited Gulf coast region called Area X. What follows is a psychological thriller as the scientists begin to lose their grips on reality. The key to understanding the […]
Book Review: THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M.R. Carey
June 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey Book Description: The Girl With All the Gifts is a groundbreaking thriller, emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end. Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two […]
Book Review: KOKO TAKES A HOLIDAY by Kieran Shea
June 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Kieran Shea’s first novel, Koko Takes a Holiday (Titan Books), is an extremely fast-paced chunk of science fiction space operetta with attitude. In common with its pulp fiction antecedents, it’s unapologetically fast, furious, big on action, thin on story, and low key on characterization. But, in truth, none the worse for that – the book […]
Book Review: The Irreal Reader: Fiction and Essays from The Cafe Irreal
June 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The Cafe Irreal is a literary website that’s been online since 1988. The website was an effort to bring together examples of non-realist fiction from all over the world. After going strong online for 15 years, a sort of “greatest hits” was released in collaboration with Guide Dog Books. Keeping in line with the short […]
Book Review: DEFENDERS by Will McIntosh
June 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Will McIntosh’s Defenders is unlike any alien invasion book I’ve read. It starts off with introductions to characters you immediately care for, revealing the strangeness and borderline horror of the world they live in. The Luyten are an alien species that has already almost won the war, combining their ability to read human minds with […]
Book Review: WAKING THE MERROW by Heather Rigney
June 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment
There’s a certain allure to debut novels. The more you read and come to know an author, the more you trust what they put out. Treading new waters, good or bad, is always interesting. WAKING THE MERROW, debut novel from author Heather Rigney, was an interesting experience. Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me, but I am still […]
Review: Women Destroy Science Fiction! Lightspeed Special
June 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment
When I was around 11 years old, a girl in our English class read aloud her creative writing assignment. It was about a soldier in the first World War, so badly wounded that he couldn’t stop the rats in his trench from chewing his feet off. The teacher, who had up until that moment been […]
