Book Review: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts is good. Very good. Like, Books of Blood good. Like, Night Shift, andSkeleton Crew good. Even the stories in this collection that don’t aim to deliver more than a plot twist and a good scare are polished gems. And some pieces qualify as priceless masterpieces. (read full review… Continue reading Book Review: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
My review of Taff collection, Little Deaths Little Deaths by John F.D. Taff is a strong collection of creepy tales, served up in a variety of literary styles. Taff experiments with different storytelling techniques, sometimes cribbing prose styles and themes from grand masters of the genre. In lesser hands this work would be hack, but… Continue reading Book Review: Little Deaths by John F.D. Taff
Check out my review of Fritz Leiber’s Conjure Wife. 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… Continue reading Book Review: Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber
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
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
I’m always the last one at the party when it comes to hot trends. I don’t jump on the bandwagon—I follow well worn ruts down a deserted highway. So when I found a battered copy of Stieg Larrson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on vacation this summer, I decided to see what all the… Continue reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson
We’ve all read gritty, NYC crime dramas and police procedurals before, but Joseph M. Monks’ Torn to Pieces, hits harder and cuts deeper than most. The chemistry between Detectives Jack Whelan and Burton Carver is similar to Joe R. Lansdale’s brilliant Hap Collins and Leonard Pine novels; I hope Monks has more Whelan/Carver tales to… Continue reading Torn to Pieces by Joseph M. Monks
Brian Keene has been both praised and criticized for writing books that read like the novelizations of yet-to-be-made B-horror movies. Giant bugs, weird aliens, zombies, and action, action, action — a Keene novel is like a raucous night at a ’70s drive-in creature feature. Personally, I like Keene’s style, maybe because I like bad B-horror… Continue reading Kill Whitey by Brian Keene
Scott Nicholson often writes about the strange burgs and creepy backwaters found along the Appalachian Trail, and Burial to Follow is no exception. I’ll admit, I didn’t understand everything that was going on in this novella – something about helping recently departed souls cross over by eating memorial pies – but Nicholson’s ability to create… Continue reading Burial To Follow by Scott Nicholson
Joe Lansdale is a master storyteller and Waltz of Shadows is no exception. Like many of Lansdale’s novels, this is a tale of family, and the bonds that tie us to one another. It’s also the story of death-defying thrill seekers, cheating husbands, corrupt cops, child pornographers, and a henchman with horrendous body odor. It’s… Continue reading Waltz of Shadows by Joe Lansdale
