Book Review: CRIMSON KING
Crimson King J. B. Rockwell Bizarro Pulp Press (October 29, 2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Crimson King starts with a simple premise that will seem very familiar: a ten-year-old boy named Casey is sent to spend the summer on his grandparents’ farm. Casey’s not a...
Book Review: HORSEMAN
Horseman Christina Henry Berkley (September 28, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen There are few literary works that can lay claim to helping create the modern tradition we know as Halloween like Washington Irving’s classic story, THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW. It is this...
Book Review: STORM SHADOWS
Storm Shadows Kenneth W. Cain JournalStone Publishing (November 12, 2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Nita is a teenager who has just moved to a new town with her parents. In addition to dealing with all the trials and tribulations of moving to a new school, trying to...
Book Review: THIS THING BETWEEN US
This Thing Between Us Gus Moreno MCD X FSG Originals (October 12, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen I admit to not being familiar with the work of author Gus Moreno, and was eager to read his highly acclaimed full-length debut novel entitled THIS THING BETWEEN US. My...
Book Review: MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW
MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW Stephen Graham Jones Saga Press (August 31, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen In recent years, Native American author Stephen Graham Jones has really made a name for himself with a string of horror novels that offer incredibly unique characters and...
Book Review: BLUE HELL
Blue Hell Greg F. Gifune & Sandy deLuca JournalStone (March 5, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen Greg Gifune is a horror writer I have seen much praise for, but whom I never had the pleasure of reading. That was rectified with my opportunity to read and review his...
Book Review: IN CONTROL
In Control Kyle Wright Bizarro Pulp Press (September 24, 2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Katherine is most definitely NOT in control of herself in Kyle Wright’s new short novel In Control. She is a young woman in a big city, going to college, trapped in a dead-end...
Book Review: NOTHING BUT BLACKENED TEETH
Nothing but Blackened Teeth Cassandra Khaw Nightfire (October 19, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen This short novel, NOTHING BUT BLACKENED TEETH, from author Cassandra Khaw packs in some horrifying images and ideas that are all deeply steeped in Japanese folklore. Like...
Book Review: DEMONIC VACATIONS
Demonic Vacations: Go Home Already (Demonic Anthology Collection Book 5) JM Paquette, Editor 4 Horsemen Publications (October 15, 2021) Reviewed by Elaine Pascale Everyone has a vacation nightmare story. Vacations are never what you hope they will be. Your...
Book Review: THE RUN FANTASTIC
The Run Fantastic Luke Kondor Bizarro Pulp Press (August 27, 2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Looking for a surreal comedy about death and the afterlife? Look no further than Luke Kondor’s The Run Fantastic. This is a quick, fun read, that amuses—and yes, makes you...
Book Review: OF ONE PURE WILL
Of One Pure Will Farah Rose Smith Trepidatio Publishing (September 10, 2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Farah Rose Smith’s weird fiction collection Of One Pure Will has just been re-released by Trepidatio, and I’m happy that it will now reach many more readers. On...
Book Review: Terror Tales of the Scottish Lowlands
Terror Tales of the Scottish Lowlands Paul Finch (ed.) Telos Publishing (2021) Reviewed by Mario Guslandi If I’m not mistaken, this is volume 13 in the successful series edited by Paul Finch, collecting horror stories set in different areas of the United Kingdom....
Book Review: MALIGNANT
Malignant Michaelbrent Collings Written Insomnia Press (October 25, 2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Michaelbrent Colings is a reliably fun crafter of horror thrillers; some rely on supernatural elements and others are content to showcase man’s inhumanity to man...
Book Review: SIX DREAMS ABOUT THE TRAIN AND OTHER STORIES
Six Dreams About the Train and Other Stories Maria Haskins Trepidatio Publishing (August 13, 2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Single-author collections from authors who haven’t yet achieved the name recognition they deserve are sometimes hit-or-miss: they can be...
Book Review: GORY DAYS
Gory Days (Rock & Roll Nightmares ‘80s Edition) Edited by Staci Layne Wilson Excessive Nuance (2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers This is the third (and for now, final) volume in Staci Layne Wilson’s series that combines rock & roll with horror, with each...