The nitty-gritty: Creeping horror and sinister townsfolk await in Alan Baxter’s latest Tales From the Gulp, a wildly entertaining and delightfully gruesome series. “I killed Emil and incapacitated Icelynn. Sleeson is some kind of weird monster. I’ve got a pass card and I’m leaving.” She grinned. “That’s the fucking plan, Olaf.” There’s really nothing better […]
The nitty-gritty: A witchy, feminist fairy tale told with dazzling style and wit, A Forest, Darkly is full of unique magic and irresistible characters. “Witchcraft isn’t just potions and powders and spells. It’s whispers and gentleness, giving folk a sense they’re free to share their secrets with you—a feeling of a door left ajar, open […]
The nitty-gritty: A beautifully written story of survival and redemption, Yah Yah Scholfield’s weird, devastating and brutal Southern Gothic debut is a rollercoaster of emotions, both monstrous and beautiful. “It happened in the kitchen. Very germane—butchery in the cooking place, the cleaver and carving knife bearing witness. The tile, slick, grouted, was receptive to the […]
The nitty-gritty: A multilayered horror story set in a dangerous town, A Box Full of Darkness expertly mixes carefully drawn characters, emotional relationships and ghostly terrors. “This was Fell, the town of graves where they shouldn’t be and a missing girl’s shoes placed neatly outside her dorm room door. Fell, which had swallowed my little […]
The nitty-gritty: Stellar writing and characterization, imaginative world-building and unexpected emotional gut-punches make Outlaw Planet an unforgettable epic sci-fi adventure. “I made my life into a story and threw it into the well of my children’s hind-brains, so deep I couldn’t hear the splash when it hit. Some day they’ll need me, the story goes, […]
The nitty-gritty: Christina Henry masterfully tackles the haunted house trope in this riveting coming-of-age story, infused with otherworldly terrors and heart-wrenching emotion. “Nobody ever said the house was dangerous—that is, beyond the obvious fact that it was an old, rotting house. More than one kid needed an extra tetanus shot after going in there, but […]
The nitty-gritty: A bite-sized cozy fantasy with plenty of heart, A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence brings together folklore, friendships, and a touch of romance. Stephanie Burgis has written another delightful entry in her cozy supernatural series, and I can’t get enough of these characters. The basic set up is that Margaret and Lord Riven were […]
The nitty-gritty: Carnival horror meets gross-out humor in this wickedly funny, touching tale about memory, friendship and port-a-potties. “And you’re saying he’s coming in through the port-a-potties?” “Portal-potties. Sorta like Doctor Who, except the Tardis is a shitter.” “Tardis?” “Goddamn, Gaynes, like a time machine.” What if a port-a-potty was a portal-potty? That’s the idea […]
The nitty-gritty: Craig DiLouie uses music as a framework in this dangerous, outrageous good vs. evil headbanger of a story. “Whatever he turned out to be, you have to admit he had star power. Even if his playing drove people mad. Even though people died. The man could goddamn perform.” – Ramona Perez, drummer, the […]
The nitty-gritty: A thrilling and immersive adventure story, The Afterlife Project combines complex, thoughtful themes with relatable characters and bittersweet emotion. “And so, dear human reader of the future, I now commence the written record of an obscure, late-in-the-game, seaborne journey that has little chance of success. Although your own existence may be unlikely, I […]