Book Review: FAIRLIGHT
Fairlight Adrian Chamberlin Crystal Lake Publishing (November 7, 2023) Reviewed by Carson Buckingham “... and a child shall lead them.” I loved this book. It is a book about battles... on many different fronts. It is about good versus evil, adults versus children,...
Book Review: THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE
The September House Carissa Orlando Berkley (September 5, 2023) Reviewed by Carson Buckingham This debut novel by Carissa Orlando is an interesting take on a haunted house. The homeowners, a couple who despaired of ever finding their dream home, came across this...
Book Review: THAT WHICH GROWS WILD
THAT WHICH GROWS WILD Eric J. Guignard Harper Day Books (July 17, 2018) Reviewed by Carson Buckingham “Outstanding” is the only word that comes to mind when considering this collection of horror tales. Guignard has a seldom-seen, old world literary style of writing...
Book Review: ROGUE
Rogue Greg F. Gifune JournalStone Publishing (September 14, 2018) Reviewed by Andrew Byers The veneer of the American Dream—loving spouse, solid job, nice house, comfortable life—fractures catastrophically in Greg F. Gifune’s Rogue, revealing a narrative that...
Book Review: THE GOOD UNKNOWN
The Good Unknown and Other Ghost Stories Stephen Volk Tartarus Press (2023) Reviewed by Mario Guslandi A renowned, excellent author of dark fiction, Stephen Volk returns with a new short story collection featuring eleven tales, three of which previously unpublished....
Book Review: MIDNIGHT GODS
Midnight Gods Greg F. Gifune JournalStone Publishing (May 4, 2018) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Greg F. Gifune’s Midnight Gods unfolds as a chilling symphony of psychological horror, seamlessly weaving a narrative that resonates with contemporary anxieties and the...
Book Review: GOD MACHINE
God Machine Greg F. Gifune Cemetery Dance Publications (December 2023) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Greg F. Gifune’s God Machine is a haunting and atmospheric exploration of personal and cosmic horror that lingers in the mind long after the final page. Set against the...
Book Review: DEATHREALM: SPIRITS
Deathrealm: Spirits: A Horror Anthology Stephen Mark Rainey, ed. Shortwave Media (October 17, 2023) Reviewed by Carson Buckingham When reading an anthology, there are always hits and there are always misses, as taste among readership varies. The trick is to have more...
Book Review: SMOKE, IN CRIMSON
moke, In Crimson Greg F. Gifune Cemetery Dance Publications (November 10, 2023) Reviewed by Andrew Byers Greg F. Gifune’s Smoke, In Crimson is a mesmerizing descent into the abyss by a man named Deacon, who is forced to venture where the shadows of addiction, remorse,...
Book Review: SPEARFINGER
Spearfinger Rob Smales Bad Ideas Press (October 14, 2023) Reviewed by Elaine Pascale A serial killer is on the loose in North Carolina. This killer has an affinity for children and may be the first indigenous serial killer on record. Carl Spaberg, a reporter...
Book Review: TESTING THE PRISONER
Testing the Prisoner Phil Giunta Raging Seas Press (September 18, 2023) Reviewed by Carson Buckingham Daniel Masenda is haunted. He hasn’t always been—it’s a recent development and began just before his mother, whom he hasn’t spoken to in 14 years, dies and he goes...
Advance Review: FANTASMAGORIA DELUXE
Fantasmagoriana Deluxe Eric Guignard and Leslie S. Klinger, eds. Dark Moon Books (November 28, 2023) Reviewed by Carson Buckingham I’m here to tell you that 18th and early 19th century German ghost stories are a different breed of cat. Different, but most definitely...
Magazine Review: GWYLLION
Gwyllion Magazine Reviewed by N. Richards If you want to read something fresh and exciting, this is it! "Gwyllion" is a very old Welsh word; it is mysterious and has a variety of possible translations. Folklorist Wirt Sikes richly describes it as "female fairies of...
Book Review: A HAUNTING ON THE HILL
A Haunting on the Hill Elizabeth Hand Mulholland Books (October 3, 2023) Reviewed by Carson Buckingham When you have the hubris to take on writing a sequel of an iconic classic like Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, you better be able to deliver the goods....
Book Review: GHOSTWRITTEN
Ghostwritten Ronald Malfi Titan Books (October 11, 2022) Reviewed by Carson Buckingham Ghostwritten is a series of four novellas, all involving books... strange, ghastly, deadly books. It’s a terrific collection predicated on an ingenious idea and if you enjoy Stephen...