Book Review: FRIGHT TRAIN
Fright Train The Switch House Gang (editors) Haverhill House Publishing (July 25, 2021) Reviewed by Elaine Pascale Train tracks are a source of wonderment. It is impossible to look at the stretches of steel and not image where the line begins and where it ends. Fright...
Book Review: WHERE ALL IS NIGHT, AND STARLESS
Where All Is Night, and Starless John Linwood Grant Trepidatio Publishing (July 9, 2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers While John Linwood Grant was well known to me as the esteemed editor of Occult Detective Magazine and many other fine collections, I wasn’t familiar with...
Book Review: SISTERS IN ARMS
Sisters in Arms Erica Ruppert Trepidatio Publishing (July 23, 2021) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Having grown up on Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” and related pastiches, I’m a sucker for stories of forlorn coastlines, desolate seascapes, and inhuman creatures...
Book Review: KEENING COUNTRY
KEENING COUNTRY Seán O’Connor Idolum Publishing (August 13, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen I was privileged to have received an advanced copy of Seán O’Connor’s first official collection of short stories entitled KEENING COUNTRY. What he can accomplish in the short form...
Book Review: A MAZE FOR THE MINOTAUR
A MAZE FOR THE MINOTAUR And Other Strange Stories Reggie Oliver (Tartarus Press, 2021) Reviewed by Mario Guslandi Actor, playwright, director, illustrator and award-winning writer of novels and short stories, British author Reggie Oliver is by far one of the very...
Blu-ray Review: THE DEAD ZONE
The Dead Zone Director: David Cronenberg Stars: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons When it comes to psychics it's hard to outdo Stephen King, author of Carrie, The Shining, Firestarter, Doctor Sleep, and more (including this...
Press Release: WE FEED THE DARK
Announces the Release of: WE FEED THE DARK: TALES OF TERROR, LOSS & THE SUPERNATURAL by William P. Simmons Horror has a price. Will you feed the dark? Fiction is the numinous side of truth. Writers and readers enact an insidious ritual, giving birth to terrible...
Book Review: THE LOST VILLAGE
The Lost Village Camilla Sten Minotaur Books (March 23, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen I have always been intrigued about civilizations or villages that just up and disappeared like the colony in Roanoke, Virginia, back in the day. Polish author Camilla Sten explores...
Book Review: STRANGE BEASTS OF CHINA
Strange Beasts of China Yan Ge Melville House (July 13, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen Yan Ge has created something I guarantee you have never read before. A surreal look at actual, monstrous creatures living amongst mankind during modern times—in this case, modern...
Book Review: WHAT BIG TEETH
What Big Teeth Rose Szabo FSG (February 2, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen One of the few good things to come out of the pandemic was a wealth of new fiction releases that includes many debut novels that really have made an impression. One of the best debuts of 2021 is...
Blu-ray Review: JAKOB’S WIFE
Jakob's Wife Director: Travis Stevens Stars: Barbara Crampton, Larry Fessenden, Bonnie Aarons Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons I love that 80s scream queen, Barbara Crampton, has returned to acting and horror in a big bad way. She's absolutely killing it, and never more...
Book Review: THE CHILDREN GOD FORGOT
The Children God Forgot Graham Masterton Head of Zeus (May 1, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen True master of horror Graham Masterton has been terrifying readers for decades, and during this time has created some of the most chilling horror and dark fiction in the genre. I...
Book Review: THE SHAPE OF DARKNESS
The Shape of Darkness Laura Purcell Penguin (June 1, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen British author Laura Purcell has quickly made a name for herself as a master of Gothic horror, and her latest release THE SHAPE OF DARKNESS continues that effort. Agnes is a silhouette...
Book Review: UNBURIED
Unburied: A Collection of Queer Dark Fiction Rebecca Rowland, Editor Dark Ink Books (May 29, 2021) Reviewed by Elaine Pascale My biggest regret is that I could not complete this review in time for Pride month. Perhaps that is a good thing, as Unburied is a powerhouse...
Book Review: MIRRORLAND
Mirrorland Carole Johnstone Scribner (April 20, 2021) Reviewed by Ray Palen The debut novel from author Carole Johnstone begins with quotes from two of my all-time favorite literary works—THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by Alexandre Dumas and RITA HAYWORTH AND THE SHAWSHANK...
