The nitty-gritty: Nicholas Binge combines cosmic horror with biting commentary on big corporations in this short and entertaining novella. Nicholas Binge is such a good writer, and Abyss was a fun, mind-bending story with some Lovecraftian horror elements, hence the tentacled creature on the cover. It’s also a cautionary tale of corporate greed and how […]
The nitty-gritty: A promising, fast paced debut, Morsel is big on folk horror atmosphere but tried to do too much to be completely successful. Morsel is a strange little book that started out very strong, but at some point it took a weird turn and ended up in a place I wasn’t expecting. And I’m […]
The nitty-gritty: Despite a solid story idea and plenty of tension, Crawlspace didn’t deliver on the horror. Crawlspace had so much potential, but unfortunately the execution did not work for me at all, which resulted in a slow paced space thriller with very little scares. It was also bogged down with page after page of […]
The nitty-gritty: Insect horror and Gothic mystery combine in T. Kingfisher’s latest, a tense and disturbing horror story with the author’s trademark humor and quirky characters. T. Kingfisher never disappoints, and in her latest she returns to the horror genre, although she manages to inject plenty of humor into the story as well. If you […]
The nitty-gritty: A dark homage to Peter Pan, Nowhere Burning explores the terrors of childhood and the uncertainty of growing up. “Change means fear and loss,” Noon says. “But it is the only way.” She leans in and embraces Riley. “Children are sacred,” she murmurs. Every hair on the back of Riley’s neck thrills. “Growing […]
The nitty-gritty: A killer is on the loose in a retirement community in Philip Fracassi’s latest, a “slasher light” serial killer story with unexpected heart and humor. Who would think that a serial killer story set in a retirement home would work, but Philip Fracassi has proved the universe wrong and written a tense, horrifying […]
The nitty-gritty: Chuck Tingle mixes absurdity and heartfelt emotion in this story about saving the world, a weird (and sometimes confusing) mash-up of sci-fi and horror. Chuck Tingle always comes up with unexpected ideas, and Lucky Day might be his most original and unusual book yet. First a confession: I nearly set this book aside. […]
The nitty-gritty: The dark academia trope is turned on its head in Cassandra Khaw’s latest, a bloody feast with Gothic imagery, lush prose and ravenous characters. “Oleander and nightshade grew in pastel eruptions, Rosary peas sprawled everywhere, ladybug-patterned in their gray husks, vivid as a fresh heart. No small amount of the school’s namesake bloomed […]
The nitty-gritty: A weird, thought-provoking alien invasion story, Overgrowth won me over with its ideas but suffered from inconsistent pacing. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Overgrowth, which I’ll attempt to explain below. Overall, this was one of the most unique alien invasion stories I’ve read in quite some time. Mira Grant, who […]
The nitty-gritty: A young boy navigates the unexpected return of his dead father in this short, sharp horror story. Mapping the Interior was originally published in 2017 by Tordotcom, and this year it’s being rereleased in a beautiful new package by Tor Nightfire. I actually own the original edition, but for whatever reason I never […]