A man in a remote locale is driven insane my personal demons, delves into strange artistry, and turns on his family. Oh, and he needs to keep an eye on a potentially explosive boiler too. No, it’s not Stephen King’s The Shining, though Brian James Freeman has a character-driven, flashback-obsessed style similar to King’s.… Continue reading The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman
Geoff Cooper and Brian Keene know their stuff. Cooper’s Retribution Inc is one of the finest rock-n-roll horror stories I’ve read. And Keene’s The Rising and Terminal are two of the best novels written in years, both within the horror genre and without. Shades is a nice combo effort from Keene and Coop. Coop… Continue reading Shades by Brian Keene and Geoff Cooper
Sometimes good writers produce crappy novels. Such is the case with William Peter Blatty’s Elsewhere. Blatty is a master of supernatural and horror fiction. Hell, Stephen King might have remained a high school English teacher if Blatty hadn’t kicked the door to the horror genre open with The Exorcist in 1971. Blatty’s Legion is… Continue reading Elsewhere by William Peter Blatty
Minnion’s supernatural police procedural reminds me of the work of Graham Masterton. Minnion’s characters may no be wholly original — the emotionally unstable cop, his doting ma, his long-suffering gal, his trusted partner — but they’re lively, engaging, and they keep this story humming along. Kudos to Minnion for coming up with a truly creepy… Continue reading The Bone Worms by Keith Minnion
I wanted to like this book, because I like Graham Masterton. This British wordsmith has been cranking out tales of horror, mystery and suspense for close to four decades. The Manitou is a classic in the horror genre, and Masterton always crafts his stories with folklore, fairytales, and gritty characters. All those elements are in… Continue reading The Sleepless by Graham Masterton