It’s a horror classic, so I wanted/needed to read it. Fritz Leiber’s Conjure Wife is listed on every “Masterpieces of Classic Horror” list out there, so I was eager to experience it myself for the first time. But this tale of witchcraft in the world of academia left me with some unsettling questions, like, “What… Continue reading Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber
Veteran editor Paula Guran has put together a comprehensive “year’s best” collection that includes some true gems. All eyes will be drawn to Stephen King’s entry, “The Dune,” and Big Steve delivers a satisfying—if quaint—E.C comics-style chiller. But King’s story is far from the best in this collection. My vote would be for Stephen Graham… Continue reading The Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2012, edited by Paula Guran
The Girl on the Glider introduces us to one of Brian Keene’s most interesting and complex characters—himself. Keene’s foray into metafiction is a successful one. The Girl on the Glider chronicles Keene’s personal ghost story, as well as his private struggles as a husband, a father, and a cult horror writer with a big fan… Continue reading The Girl on the Glider by Brian Keene
One of the drawbacks of the ebook revolution is the lack of used bookstores. What was better than searching the shelves for second-hand bargain reads? You could walk out with a big bag of books for twenty bucks. Awesome! Fortunately, Brian James Freeman has made the hunt for ebook bargains a breeze. Check out these… Continue reading Horror! Mystery! Cheap! Free!
Lansdale rules!
This novel doesn’t have the same bare-knuckled emotional wallop of The Road, but it still qualifies as a modern masterpiece. Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West is an old West cowboy novel, full of strange-yet-authentic language and characters. Like good concrete poetry, McCarthy’s work reflects the world he creates. A long ride… Continue reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
The Road humbles me with its greatness. It is one of the most amazing novels I’ve ever had the uncomfortable pleasure of experiencing. McCarthy creates a post-apocalyptic wasteland that is as desolate and terrifying as any ever imagined. The hardships and tribulations faced by the nomadic father/son team in the novel (The Man/The Boy) are … Continue reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Joe Konrath (aka Jack Kilborn, aka J.A. Konrath) is a kind of folk hero to struggling authors everywhere. His blog, A Newbie’s Guide To Publishing, outlines his success as a self-published novelist, and encourages others to follow a similar path. He makes a compelling argument for DIY book publishing, and the demise of the industry’s… Continue reading Afraid by Jack Kilborn
While Garton and Lansdale bring lighthearted EC-style chills to their Halloween tales, Stewart O’Nan takes it to a deeper and darker place in his coming-of-age tale, Monsters. O’Nan gives us some meat to chew on in this short tale—the lost of innocence, the power of guilt, the purpose and function of religion and prayer, and… Continue reading Monsters: A Halloween Short Story by Stewart O’Nan
Will Castleton is US Marshall with psychic abilities, and David Bain is the community college English professor who created him. Both seem like interesting characters; Castleton with his sometimes-too-late “visions” of crime victims, and Bain with his ability to carve out a niche for himself in the self-pubbed crime fiction genre. Island Ghosts is a… Continue reading Island Ghosts: A Will Castleton Adventure by David Bain
