Gore with a pulse. Nunchaku with a point. Splatterpunk meets mother-daughter drama in Kumar Sivasubramanian’s Killarney Lake Massacre, a horror novel that subverts urban legend conventions with absurd humour and genuine emotional weight. When Nandini ventures into the woods to debunk the myth of Sally Pencilneck, a supernatural killer wielding nunchaku, … Killarney Lake Massacre Review: Why This Splatterpunk Novel Hits Harder Than Its Urban LegendRead more
Horror book
Bar Fridman-Tell’s Honeysuckle: A Flower Girl’s Gilded Cage needs final edirt
Bar Fridman-Tell’s Honeysuckle: A Flower Girl’s Gilded Cage A Review of the Dark Botanical Fantasy Taking Root in Readers’ Minds The most unsettling stories often start with the gentlest of premises. In her debut novel Honeysuckle, Bar Fridman-Tell presents a premise that could be plucked from a child’s sweetest daydream: a … Bar Fridman-Tell’s Honeysuckle: A Flower Girl’s Gilded Cage needs final edirtRead more
Dead Silence Book Review: A Strong Sci-Fi Horror Novel
A Haunted Spaceship, A Desperate Crew, and the Terrifying Reality of Corporate Greed Have you ever wondered what happens to the people society leaves behind when they are pushed to the absolute brink of survival? Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes answers that question beautifully. This sci-fi horror book takes the … Dead Silence Book Review: A Strong Sci-Fi Horror NovelRead more
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher: A Gothic Horror That Crawls Under Your Skin
The horror doesn’t jump. It settles in. And by the time you feel it, it’s already under your skin. Wolf Worm sits comfortably in the top tier of Kingfisher’s work. It shows an author who has refined her craft, who knows exactly what kind of horror she wants to write and … Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher: A Gothic Horror That Crawls Under Your SkinRead more
Beyond the Final Girl: 16 New Horror Books by Women Who Refuse to Look Away
Beyond the Final Girl: 16 New Horror Books by Women Who Refuse to Look Away We spend a lot of time talking about who dies in a horror story. The trope list is long: the first to have sex, the one who runs upstairs instead of out the front door, … Beyond the Final Girl: 16 New Horror Books by Women Who Refuse to Look AwayRead more
The Brentford Trilogy (All 9 of Them): A Resplendent Robert Rankin Retrospective
Robert Rankin called it a trilogy. He wrote nine books. He was right to do both Robert Rankin’s Brentford is a strange place. On the surface, it’s a quiet West London suburb. Below that surface, it’s a cosmic battlefield where aliens land, popes return from the dead, and the end … The Brentford Trilogy (All 9 of Them): A Resplendent Robert Rankin RetrospectiveRead more
Unshod Cackling and Naked by Tamika Thompson: 13 Short Stories That Refuse to Behave
Continuing my series of reviews that fell victim to my darkest depression days, today I bring back from the dead Tamika Thompson’s Unshod, Cackling, and Naked. In time for the release of her excellent debut novel, The Curse of Hester Gardens. And on the day we publish a fascinating interview … Unshod Cackling and Naked by Tamika Thompson: 13 Short Stories That Refuse to BehaveRead more
Nowhere Burning Review: Catriona Ward’s Brilliant Premise, But Blurry Execution
The concept burns bright. The novel, unfortunately, smoulders. The prose is beautiful. The thematic ambition is undeniably massive. The execution simply falls flat. Some sanctuaries demand a price in blood, and this one simply asks for too much of your patience. Nowhere Burning Review: Catriona Ward’s Brilliant Premise, But Blurry … Nowhere Burning Review: Catriona Ward’s Brilliant Premise, But Blurry ExecutionRead more
Wretch Review: Eric LaRocca’s Grief Horror and the Reverse Haunting
A grieving husband, an urban legend, and a descent into unforgettable darkness. That doesn’t stop it packing a punch though; if there’s one thing you can rely on from LaRocca, it’s that the killing blow isn’t action or gore, it’s the way you don’t realise he’s ripped your heart out … Wretch Review: Eric LaRocca’s Grief Horror and the Reverse HauntingRead more
The Butcher of Nazareth Review: David Scott Hay’s Violent Theological Masterpiece
What if saving the world meant killing its saviour? What happens when a man convinced he’s hearing the voice of God sets out to murder Jesus Christ before the ministry can begin? David Scott Hay’s The Butcher of Nazareth (check out our interview with David here) takes this provocative premise and … The Butcher of Nazareth Review: David Scott Hay’s Violent Theological MasterpieceRead more
Gothic Shadows and Stolen Voices: The Brides by Charlotte Cross.
A stunning debut of atmosphere and raw empathy. Cross understands that the deepest darkness often isn’t supernatural at all. It’s in the human capacity for cruelty, in the societal cages that predate any castle, and in the fragile, fierce love that fights to glow within them. She has written a … Gothic Shadows and Stolen Voices: The Brides by Charlotte Cross.Read more
The Shetland Witch by Kate Macdonald: A Calm, Confident Debut of Myth and Sisterhood
The Shetland Witch by Kate Macdonald: A Calm, Confident Debut of Myth and Sisterhood When a book arrives that promises to mix Shetland folk magic with the Greek Fates and a dash of Norse mythology, you have every right to brace for impact. The Shetland Witch by Kate Macdonald is … The Shetland Witch by Kate Macdonald: A Calm, Confident Debut of Myth and SisterhoodRead more
Bless Your Heart Review: The Cozy Horror Novel That Serves Blood and Sweet Tea in Equal Measure
Forget what you think you know about vampire fiction. The Evans women run a funeral parlor, bury the dead, and handle the ones that won’t stay down. The thing about small towns is that they all have a family people whisper about. The ones who’ve been there forever, who run … Bless Your Heart Review: The Cozy Horror Novel That Serves Blood and Sweet Tea in Equal MeasureRead more
The Memory Shades Review: David Watkins’s Best Yet Blends Ghosts and Worms
What haunts you when you can’t remember what you did? That question drives The Memory Shades, the latest sci-fi horror novel from Devon-based author David Watkins. In this The Memory Shades review, we examine a story that blends creature feature terror with psychological depth. Prisoners on a distant planet, their … The Memory Shades Review: David Watkins’s Best Yet Blends Ghosts and WormsRead more
Hysterical by Amber Dean: When Obsession Eats Itself Alive
She’s Not the Final Girl. She’s Why There Isn’t One. Amber Dean’s debut burns with the kind of dark energy that doesn’t ask for permission. This is not a book for everyone. It will bother some readers. It should. The kind of female rage explored here is not the kind … Hysterical by Amber Dean: When Obsession Eats Itself AliveRead more