S.J. Budd's Blog, page 2
November 30, 2022
My Top Twenty Horror Books of 2022
My Top Twenty Horror Reads of 2022
The following books are my top twenty horror reads in no particular order. This has been a great year for horror I have read only a fraction and can't wait to find more gems to reads. Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments section.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..."
Ancient beautiful Manderley, between the rose garden ad the sea, is the county's showpiece. Rebecca made it so - even a year after her death, Rebecca's influence still rules here. How can Maxim de Winter's shy new bride ever fill her place or escape her vital shadow?
A shadow that grows longer and darker as the brief summer fades, until, in a moment of climatic revelations, it threatens to eclipse Manderley and it's inhabitants completely...
Rebecca is a gothic masterpiece, a book that I make a point of reading each year, it's one of those rare magical books that seems to change with each read.
Get your copy of Rebecca here from Amazon
Kandisha Press proudly presents SLASH-HER. 21 women from across the world come together to explore the slasher sub-genre. Some embrace the tropes, some rip them to shreds. These powerful tales are provocative, contemporary and need to be told. Featuring own voices toy will discover the pen is mightier than the machete.Serial killers, revenge, lust and even the supernatural are just some of the elements in SLASH -HER. These stories are strong. They are bloody and they pack a punch.Are you ready?
This anthology was such a joy to read, its so much fun and full of female rage being born into the world.
Get your copy of SLASH- HER here from Amazon
The Burning Girls CJ Tudor
An unconventional vicar moves moves to a remote corner of the English countryside, only to discover a community haunted by death and disappearances both past and present- and intent on keeping its dark secrets - in this explosive, unsettling thriller from acclaimed author C.J.Tudor.
Welcome to Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake here. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And two months ago, the vicar of the local parish killed himself.
Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen year old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping to make a fresh start and find some peace. Instead, Jack finds a town mired in secrecy and a strange welcome package: an old exorcism kits and a note quoting scripture. "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known."
The more Jack and her daughter Flo get acquainted with the town and its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into their rifts, mysteries and suspicions. And when Flo is troubled by strange sightings in the old chapel it becomes apparent that there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.
But uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village where everyone has something to protect, everyone has links with the villages bloody past, and no one trusts an outsider.
Get your copy of The Burning Girls here at Amazon
Bottled by Stephanie Ellis
The house was his, an unwanted and unwelcome inheritance. As a child, Tyler Torrence spent many miserable hours beneath its roof, hating his grandfather and the man's housekeeper, Mrs Waites. His only escape during those visits had been via the impossible bottles created by his granddad; bottles holding miniature worlds in which he could lose himself for hours. Sometimes however he sensed something else living in the house and in the bottles and when he returned home, he took the nightmares with him. Now an adult, Tyler decides one last visit can do no harm, will allow him to finally shake off his nightmares. The bottles however, are waiting - and so is Mrs Waites. As both house and bottles gradually yield up their secrets, it is made clear to Tyler what is expected of him and what would happen should he fail. Is Tyler master or servant of the house?
Get your copy of Bottled via Amazon
For more than a decade, Jeremy Robert Johnson has been bubbling under the surface of both literary and genre fiction. His short stories present a brilliantly dark and audaciously weird realm where cosmic nightmares collide with all-too-human characters and apocalypses of all shapes and sizes loom ominously. In "Persistence Hunting" a lonely distance runner is seduced into a brutal life of crime with an ever-narrowing path for escape. In "When Susurrus Stirs" an unlucky pacifist must stop a horrifying parasite from turning his body into a sentient hive. Running through all of Johnson's work is a hallucinatory vision and deeply- felt empathy, earning the author a reputation as one of todays most daring and thrilling writers.
Featuring the best of his previously independently-published short fiction, as well as an exclusive, never before published novella "The Sleep of Judges" - where a father's fight against the denizens of a drug den becomes a mind bending suburban nightmare. Entropy in Bloom is a perfect compendium for avid fans and an ideal entry point for adventurous readers seeking the humour, heartbreak and terror of JRJ's strange new worlds.
Get your copy of Entropy in Bloom via Amazon
After receiving a frantic letter form her newly wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemi Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She's not sure what she will find- her cousin's husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemi knows little about the region.
Noemi is also an unlikely rescuer; She's a glamourous debutante and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she's also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid. Not of her cousin's new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemi; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi's dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle he seems to want to help Noemi but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family's once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes but as Noemi digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemi, mesmerised by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
Get your copy of Mexican Gothic here via Amazon
Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste
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For fans of Mexican Gothic, from three time Bram Stoker Award- winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes a novel inspired from the untold stories of forgotten women in classic literature - from Lucy Westernra, a victim of Stoker's Dracula, and Bertha Mason, from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre - as they band together to combat the toxic men bent on destroying their lives, set against the backdrop of the Summer of Love, Haight-Ashbury 1967.
Reluctant Immortals is a historical horror novel that looks at two men of classic literature, Dracula and Mr Rochester, and the two women who survived them, Bertha and Lucy, who are now undead immortals residing in Los Angeles in 1967 when Dracula and Rochester make a shocking return in the Haight- Ashbury district of San Francisco.
Combining elements of historical and gothic fiction with a modern perspective, in a tale of love and betrayal and coercion, Reluctant Immortals is the lyrical and harrowing journey of two women from classic literature as they bravely claim their own destiny in a man's world.
Get your copy of Reluctant Immortals here via Amazon
Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper
Winner of the Bram Stoker Award.
Within 48 hours, Yaya Betancourt will go from discovering teeth between her thighs to being hunted by one of the most powerful corporations in America.
She assumes the vagina dentata is a side effect of a rare genetic condition caused by AlphaBeta Pharmaceutical, decades ago, when she and several thousand others were still in the womb.
But when ABP corporate goons upend her life, she realises her secondary teeth might be evidence of a new experiment for which she's the most adapted test tube...a situation worsened when Yaya's condition sprouts horns, tentacles and a mid of its own.
On the run and transforming, Yaya may be either ABP's greatest success, or the deadliest failure science has ever created.
Get your copy of Queen of Teeth here via Amazon
Below by Kev Harrison
Nick has revered his grandfather his entire life. The absent hero, his namesake, buried alive in his final act of courage an ocean and thousands of miles away. Jess has outgrown her status as an all action social media celebrity and the endless demands that come with it.
Adventure Travel TV has thrown this unlikely duo together, promising Jess the launchpad she craves and Nick the chance to tell his grandfather's story first-hand, in the newly uncovered mine that still holds his remains from the twilight days of the gold rush. Is it a dream come true or a nightmare as someone or something stirs...Below
Get your copy of Below here via Amazon
Marionette by Antonia Rachel Ward
On the run from a life of prostitution and poverty, exotic dancer Cece Dulac agrees to become the main attraction at an erotic seance hosted by enigmatic mesmerist Monsieur Rossignol. As the seance descends into depravity, Cece falls prey to Rossignol's hypnotic power and becomes possessed by a malevolent spirit.
George Dashwood, an aspiirng artist, witnesses the seance and fears for Cece. He seeks her out and she seduces him, but she is no longer herself. The spirit controlling her forces her to commit increasingly depraved acts. When the spirit's desire for revenge escalates to murder, George and Cece must find a way to break Rossignol's spell before Cece's soul is condemned forever.
Marionette is an erotic horror novella inspired by traditional folk tales and set in fin de siecle Paris
As the clock's pendulum steadily counts down towards the midnight hour, the growing scent of brimstone hangs heavy in the air. The universal symbol of all that is evil, the pentagram, or the inverted pentacle, has been carved in the hardwood floor. It's shape is often described as the goat of lust attacking the Heavens with its horns during the witches sabbat. Five obsidian candles flicker as the incantations begin. Who will be summoned during this unholy evening? Will it be Baphoment? Or Belial? Maybe even Lucifer himself? The roof timbers groan. Stressed plaster drops to the floor. The demon approaches, holding its ancient grimoire filled with evil stories, written in blood...and here they are
Get your copy of Midnight in the Pentagram here via Amazon
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
Following the "propulsive and mesmerizing" (New York Times Review) Things We Lost in the Fire comes a new collection of singularly unsettling stories by an Argentine author who has earned comparisons to Shirley Jackson and Jorge Luis Borges.
Mariana Enriquez has been critically lauded for her unconventional and sociopolitical stories of the macabre; populated by unruly teenagers, crooked witches, homeless ghosts, and hungry women, they walk the uneasy line between urban realism and horror. The stories in her next collection are as terrifying as they are socially conscious, and press into being the unspoken - fetish, illness the female body, the darkness of human history- with unsettling urgency. A woman is sexually obsessed with the human heart; a lost rotting baby crawls out of a backyard and unto a bedroom; a pair of teenage girls can't let go of their idol' an entire neighbourhood is cursed to death by a question of morality they fail to answer correctly.
Written against the backdrop of contemporary Argentina and with resounding tenderness towards those in pain, in fear and in limbo, this new collection from one of Argentina's most exciting writers finds Enriquez at her most sophisticated, and most thrilling.
Get your copy of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed here via Amazon
Awake in the Night by Shauna McEleny
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Jessica and Nicole think they've finally found their dream house- by the sea, in the West of Ireland. 17 Montpellier Street has history, character...and so many rooms you could easily lose your way if you don't tread carefully.
It has memories, too - so many memories. The new owners haven't learned them yet. But the girls who lived there decades before, when the church used Montpellier Street to hide away its secrets- they've never forgotten.
The ones who survived, anyway.
Montpellier Street remembers everyone of those horrors those girls suffered at the hands of the priests, nuns and doctors who should have been their carers. And Jess and Nicole...they're about to start reliving them, night after night.
Sleep may never come easily again.
This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau
This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau, author of Palimpset: AS collection of Contemporary Horror, follows the gut-wrenching journey of Miller and her estranged mother, Sylvie, who have always had a tense relationship.
After Miller's father dies, she agrees to a girls' vacation away from the city to reconnect with the only family she has left. Although she's eager to make things work, Miller can't help but worry that her mother is seeing the countryside retreat as a fun weekend getaway instead of what it reallt is; a last ditch effort to repair their relationship.
Unfortunately, that quickly becomes the least of Miller's problems.
Sylvie's trapped in the past and if Miller's not careful, she will be too. A cross between Stephen King's Misery and Stephanie Wrobel's Darling Rose Gold. This is Where We Talk Things Out explores the horror of familial trauma, mother-daughter relationships, and what happens when we don't let go.
Get your copy of This is Where We Talk Things Out here via Amazon
Sundial by Catriona Ward
Sundial is a new, twisty psychological horror novel from Catriona Ward, internationally bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street.
You can't escape what's in your blood...
All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it too; a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of a family she left behind.
She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice.
Callie is worried about her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely, and speaks of past secrets. And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive...
The mother and daughter embark on a dark desert journey to the past in the hopes of redeeming their future.
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
Out story begins in 1902, at The Brookhants School for Girls, Flo and Cara, two impressionable students, are obsessed with each other and with a daring young writer named Mary MacLane, the author of a scandalous bestselling memoir. To show their devotion to Mary, the girls establish their own private club and call it The Plain Bad Heroine Society. They meet in secret in a nearby apple orchard, the setting of their wildest happiness and ultimately their macabre deaths. This is where their bodies are later discovered with a copy of Mary's book splayed beside them, the victims of a swarm of angry yellow jackets. Less than five years later, The Brookhants School for Girls closes its doors forever-but not before three more people mysteriously die on the property, each in a most troubling way.
Over a century later, the now abandoned and crumbling Brookhants is back in the news when wunderkid writer, Merritt Emmons, publishes a breakout book celebrating the queer, feminist history surrounding the "haunted and cursed" Gilded-Age institution. Her bestselling book inspires a controversial horror film adaptation starring celebrity actor and lesbian it girl Harper Harper playing the ill fated heroine Flo, opposite B-list actress and former child star Audrey Wells and Clara. But as Brookhants opens its gates once again, and our three modern heroines arrive on set to begin filming, past and present become grimly entangled - or perhaps just grimly exploited- and soon its impossible to tell where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins.
Get your copy of Plain Bad Heroines here via Amazon
Piece of Me by Steve Stred
Over a decade ago, Kari's husband and son went hunting and never returned.
As she prepares for another long winter she longs for their return.
Then one day things change. The night creatures who live in the dark have visited the day and a mysterious figure who arrives may hold the key to reuniting her with her family.
For Kari the question becomes - just how far will she go to be reunited.
Get your copy of Piece of Me here via Amazon
Dracula by Bram Stoker
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes a series of horrific discoveries about his client. Soon afterwards, various bizarre incidents unfold in England: an apparently unmanned ship is wrecked off the coast of Whitby; a young woman discovers strange puncture marks on her neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the "Master" and his imminent arrival.
In Dracula, Bram Stoker created one of the great masterpieces of the horror genre, brilliantly evoking a nightmare world of vampires and vampire hunters and also illumination the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.
Get your copy of Dracula here via Amazon
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
It was a cloudless summer day in the year nineteen hundred.
Everyone at Appleyard College for Young Ladies agreed it was just right for a picnic at Hanging Rock. After lunch a group of three of the girls climbed into the blaze of the afternoon sun, pressing on through the scrub into the shadows of Hanging Rock. Further, higher, till at last they disappeared.
They never returned.
Whether Picnic at Hanging Rock is fact or fiction the reader must decide for themselves.
Get your copy of Picnic at Hanging Rock here via Amazon
A 13 story collection of twisted tales, all featuring Killer women.
Supernatural creations hell-bent on revenge.
Cosmic terrors from beneath the surface.
Women with unusual afflictions.
The kind housewife with a collection of pickling jars.
The beginnings of a serial killer and more.
Villains, Vigilantes, Voyeurs and Vengeance.
You won't forget these women in a hurry
Her debut novella was released in November 2022 via Brigid's Gate Press
You can purchase a copy of Enter the Darkness here via Amazon
November 28, 2022
In the Grimdark Strands of the Spinneret: A fairy Tale for Elders by Keith Anthony Baird
Out now via Amazon
Betrayal brings grave ending to a noble bloodline. Forced to flee, its sole surviving heir is spared this fate by the timely intervention of a haunter of the wilds. In his charge, the maiden embraces the lore of the dark arts and rises to become the watch-keep of the woods. As decades pass, with her legend growing, the 'witch of root and earth' weaves subtle deceits in a tangled web of vengeance.
But will there be a fairy ending, or will poisoned legacies and pacts with dark forces see ambition unravel in her relentless pursuit of power?
Bloody and brilliantly realised, Baird's dark fantasy nightmare spins a lavish tale of dread, desire, and fantastical fury.
I'm not sure where to start with this review, other than it's absolutely fantastic. I'm really struggling to think of another book that it is similar too but can't. It's such an original book!
As a child I loved fairy tales, I really liked the dark ones such as Hansel and Gretal, Little Red Riding Hood, tales of children going off on their own in a bog dark forest full of magic and malevolence so this book, In the Grimdark Strands of the Spinneret was right up my street.
This book remains very faithful to the Grimm brothers and has none of the essence of Disney. This is a dark tale with the same heart wrenching brutality you'll find in the Game of Thrones franchise. This book is a relentless ride of dark and sinister imagery, vivid story telling and rollercoaster plot turns. This is one of those books that makes you want to read it again and again.
The language is really sublime and whisks you to a place of nightmares and dreams. This is a perfect book for horror and fantasy fans!
November 21, 2022
The Horror at Lavender Edge by Christopher Henderson
London 1971:
Harry Undine is psychic and its tearing him apart.
When his so-called gift kicks in, the pain can be deep and soul-wrenching - a pain nobody would understand, even if Undine revealed the truth. Which he won't. That sort of sensitivity might be considered 'cool' by hippies and New Age freaks, but its a million miles away from the tough Rat Pack image Undine aspired to when he was growing up.
So Undine keeps his mouth shut as he hunts for a cure- a personal quest more important than the research he is supposed to be carrying out as a paranormal investigator for the Corsi Institute.
Out in the suburbs, WPC Jo Cross is determined to do right by the terrified old lady she promised to help.
Jo approaches the Institute for assistance, and soon Undine's sixth sense is screaming a premonition of danger. But the location Jo describes is notorious, and the Institute team leaps at the opportunity to investigate Mitcham's most infamous haunted house. Undine cannot back out of the investigation, not without admitting his shameful secret.
Meanwhile, on the edge of South London, something more ancient and more horrifying than any of them could imagine has already begun to stir...
This is one of those books that has been in my TBR pile for a shamefully long time but I'm so glad I got round to reading it!
What really grabbed me other than the classic haunted house trope which gets me everything time, was that it was set in the 1970's London. involves a team of ghost hunters and draws from real events!
This tale has all the grittiness of life in 1970's London where men were expected to be tough as nails. I got a lot of vibes of Life on Mars, a British tv show based in the same era. I also think fans of the Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch would also really enjoy this.
Henderson does an amazing job of bringing his characters to life, they came across really realistic which amps up the tension as from page one there's a palpable sense of foreboding.
The story kicks off with a bang when Undine and his team are sent out one night to investigate strange goings on in a Soho theatre off Compton Street. The next day is when the real problems start when WPC Jo Cross enters their lives. She's got a case that goes beyond the powers of the Metropolitan Police.
Undine and his team aren't sure if they can take on the haunted house in Mitcham, South London, but this is the big one. It's their only chance at proving once and for all that ghosts do exist. But is a ghost they're dealing with or something much more powerful?
This book was great fun to read. Perfect for fans of really creepy haunted houses!
November 14, 2022
Awake in the Night by Shauna McEleny
Jessica ad Nicole think they've finally found their dream house- by the sea, in the West of Ireland. 17 Montpellier Street has history, character...and so many rooms you could easily lose your way, if you don't tread carefully.
It has memories, too- so many memories. The new owners haven't learned them yet. But the girls who lived there decades before, when the church-used Montpellier Street to hide away its secrets- they've never forgotten.
The ones who survived, anyway.
Montpellier Street remembers every one of the horrors those girls suffered at the hands of the priests, nuns and doctors who should have been their carers. And Jess and Nicole...they're about to start reliving them, night after night.
Sleep may never come easy again.
This book immediately jumped out at me, set in Ireland, an old creepy house with a dark past and strange goings ons which a nice new couple have moved into. I knew straightaway this would be a great read and I wasn't disappointed!
Awake in the Night has two narratives, the first is a present day narrative of Nicole and her wife Jess moving into 17 Montpellier Street with no idea what they have let themselves in for. I really loved these two characters straightaway which immediately creates tension as I didn't want anything bad to happen to then. And of course there's Susan who is one of the most wonderful characters I've ever met in a book! As the title of the book suggest the house seems fairly normal during the day but at night strange things hinting at the home's dark past begin to emerge.
The second narrative is set in 1955, also in 17 Montpellier Street. This narrative although gripping was so hard to read. I felt so angry at what these girls were made to go through. Events which did happen in the past.
Both these narratives work really well together and the paced in this book is fast paced and thrilling. Like with my previous book I stayed up really late reading this, telling myself I'll just read one more chapter and call it a night but before I knew it it was 2am!
This a horror book that has a lot of heart. There's some really gut wrenching events but also a lot of tender moments to balance it out. I also really loved the humour throughout this book. This is the first book I've read by Shauna McEleny and I can't wait to read more.
November 10, 2022
This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau
This Is Where We Talk Things Out
This Is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau, author of Palimpsest: A Collection of Contemporary Horror, follows the gut-wrenching journey of Miller and her estranged mother, Sylvie, who have always had a tense relationship.
After Miller's father dies, she agrees to a girls' vacation away from the city to reconnect with the only family she has left. Although she's eager to make things work. Miller can't help but worry that her mother is seeing their countryside retreat as a fun weekend getaway instead of what it really is: a last ditch effort to repair their relationship.
Unfortunately, that quickly becomes the least of Miller's problems.
Sylvie's trapped in the past and if Miller's not careful. she will be too. A cross between Stephen King's Misery and Stephanie Wrobel's Darling Rose Gold. This Is Where We Talk Things Out explores the horror of familial trauma, mother-daughter relationships, and what happens when we don't let go.
This was one of those book where I stayed up until 2am reading because I couldn't put it down!
The story starts with Miller and Florence who are getting married in two months. Miller is feeling rather self conscious that she has no family to invite and so when her estranged mother Sylvie invites her on a weekend away she says yes much to Florence's alarm.
I really felt Miller's vulnerability, you quickly get the sense she has been mistreated by her mother but at the same time she still dreams of the mother-daughter relationship she's always dreamed of.
As soon as she meets her mother in the parking lot there is a storm brewing which I thought was a prefect use of foreboding. At first through Caitlin Marceau's uncanny knack for amazing dialogue I was left wondering maybe the mother was actually ok and the issues were all in Miller's head.
After a couple hours of driving Sylvie takes her daughter to a remote cabin, the weather is getting worse and Miller fears that they'll be snowed in for weeks. However Sylvie refuses to postpone her weekend and so Miller is stuck with her mother in a region so remote there is no phone reception.
The pace of this novella is fantastic. It's fast paced building up to an almighty ending that ripped my heart out!
November 8, 2022
Reborn by Stephanie Ellis
What's it about?
Return to the Weald, the world Stephanie Ellis introduced us to in The Five Turns of the Wheel.
Reborn is the story of Cernunnos, the Father of all, who has risen. Born of the blood offerings, he travels to the Layerings - one of those places, like Umbra, which sit just beyond the human veil.
Reborn is the story of Tommy, Betty and Fiddler, the infamous troupe whose bloody rituals were halted by Megan, Tommy's Daughter. Rendered weak by Megan's refusal to allow them to hunt in the human world of the Weald, they seek their rebirth and forgiveness from the Mother and Cernunnos.
Reborn is the story of Megan, who follows Cernunnos and Hweol's sons on a pilgrimage of hope - one that would see her husband restored to her and the dark presence of Hweol removed.
Ultimately, though, Reborn is the story of Betty, the most monstrous of the three brothers. He is Nature, red in tooth and claw. He is what the Mother made him. And who are we to judge?
With Reborn, Eliis delivers another powerful tale of folk horror that will captivate the reader from the first page until it's final bloody climax.
Stephanie Ellis is the Queen of British Folk Horror, over the years I've read lots of her short fiction and its always left me terrified, especially her novella Bottled which I loved!
Reborn id the sequel to The Five turns of the Wheel, which I thoroughly enjoyed! It was like nothing I had ever read before. A novel where Steph Ellis takes the quaint and idyllic nature of rural life and infuses it with gripping toe curdling horror so visceral it will give you nightmares.
Reborn follows Megan's story after she attempts to take down the Lord of Umbra, she's paid a big price and her life is in ruins, but she is stronger than she looks and still full of hope.
Although this is a sequel I think it works really well as a standalone novel but you'll be missing out if you don't read The Five Turns of the Wheel! Stephanie Ellis has a really unique voice in the folk horror scene, her world building is simply magical yet horrific at the same time. There's a big sense of realism in her tales that will have you believe that this is really happening somewhere in some rural isolated community forgotten by the wider world.
This is a must read for all fans of folk horror!
S
October 31, 2022
Throwing Shadows by Jerry Roth
The Blurb!
Throwing Shadows is a collection of 9 creepy stories that have something for everyone.
A woman develops an unhealthy obsession with a scarecrow. A boy plays with an Ouija board and receives a terrifying warning of murder. A down-on-his-luck- father learns what happens when you die in your sleep. These stories and six more frightening tales await the reader within the pages of Throwing Shadows: A Dark Collection.
Throwing Shadows will feed that hungry dark side that lives in your cellar.
This collection of horror, thriller and science fiction has something for readers seeking tales of suspenseful fiction. With a vintage paperback feel, along with a modern sensibility, these short stories will take readers down a dark path of pulp dread.
I have never read any fiction by Jerry Roth before but with Brigid's Gate Press putting out so much amazing fiction I had really high expectations, and Jerry Roth certainly delivered. This was a great collection.
This is a collection of nine short stories and each one really went on a journey. The stories did not follow the path I though they would go which made them all really exciting to read. There's a lot of horror in these tales but at the same time they can be really heart warming and comforting before the horror once again is ramped up to the max. These stories are steeped in realism, they all start in everyday situations which makes the terror feel very real. Each story is a rollercoaster of emotions and fear! I can't wait to read more from Jerry Roth!
A Woman's Strength
Throwing Shadows starts off really strong with this first tale, it's hard to predict where this tale is going to go, everything seems perfect in Sara's life until it suddenly isn't. I really loved this tale!
Sara has married the man of her dreams. She has found her happily ever after, moving from the cold cruel city to lush countryside. Now she lives on a thriving farm surrounded by cornfields. Sara has just given birth to her first child, a beautiful baby girl called Shelly. Through her marriage she's gained a perfect mother in law to help her transition to motherhood but quickly she is struck with post natal depression. Her mind begins to wander to dark places, she seeing things that aren't there, doing things she's not aware of, is it really her, or the scarecrow that watches their farm house? The only thing that can save her is her strength.
Always Say Goodbye
Rummaging around their attic, Matt's family come across unexpected treasure. The lost writings of the revered Spiritualist, Merill Emerson, the inventor of the Ouija board. Matt's dad also finds a very rare Ouija board and decides to show his son how to play it. As long as you follow the three rules, it's perfectly safe. Always say goodbye.
But Matt is soon drawn in by the Ouija board he plays it night and day after making contact with someone from his past, someone it is impossible for him to say good bye to.
This tale had it all for me, Ouija boards, ghosts, a cold sense of dread! I had no idea where this would go but the ending was epic!
The Keepsake
Rachel and Marie are thrust together as step-sisters when their parents marry. Their parents are so excited for their new future together, even Marie who is still coming to terms with her mother's death. However Rachel will not allow anyone to steal her thunder, particularly Marie. However her plans to ruin Marie won't come easily. Marie's late mother was a witch who kept a keepsake box containing all her spells and curses.
Whispers from the Cellar
When Tabitha moves to a new home after her mother remarries it's not the new life she was dreaming of. Still, she mourns for her father who died last year. She had hoped she would finally be allowed a pet but Eli says no. He lays down the law but there's one thing he can't control, the whispers from the cellar. This was such a dark disturbing story!
The Idiot Box
Jeff has lived his whole life without watching television but when he breaks his leg in a car accident he decides to give it a go. What's the worst that could happen?
The Teddy Bear
When a little child goes missing, two detectives enlist the help of a psychic to help find him, but it will come at a cost. This tale was so dark!
Ice Cream Man
An ice cream man is down on his luck, he's stuck in a rut and he's lost his girlfriend. He decides to change his ways and win back his love.
My Soul to Take
I really enjoyed this tale, it was so unique. I really felt for the protagonist despite his obvious character flaws. In this tale our protagonist signs up for medical experiments as he needs to provide for his estranged daughter with disastrous consequences. This tale stayed with me long after I read it. Poignant and horrific!
Lightning Crashes
Cate is recently married to the man of her dreams, she has it all until she falls pregnant, she's not sure she's ready to become a mother, she's only got a few months to prepare for the big day. This one gave me all the creeps!
October 12, 2022
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
Welcome to Buenos Aires, a place of nightmares and twisted imaginings, where missing children come back from the dead and unearthed bones carry terrible curses.
Thrumming with murderous intentions, family betrayals, and morbid desires, these stories shine a light on a violent city gripped by urban madness; giving voice to the lost, the oppressed, and the forgotten. Lucid and darkly poetic, unsettling and otherworldly, these tales of revenge, witchcraft, and fetishes are a masterpiece of contemporary gothic and a bewitching exploration of the dark inclinations that threaten to lead us over the edge.
This was one of those books that I just can't stop thinking about. I was worried I'd feel disappointed after reading as this book has had so much praise and adoration but after I read it, I realised the hype was real. It me just a day to finish and five minutes before I decided to read it again straightaway. The second read was just as scary as the first. Mariana Enriquez is an author I want to read over and over again to try and find the secret to how her magic works. She is truly such a spell binding author.
These stories are genuinely scary! These stories are tender, heart breaking mysterious and grotesque. Adult fairy tales to help with the navigation of life in the cities of the world. To read this book is to feel cold dread building up into a crushing crescendo. The horror contained within these pages are not otherworldly, they feel too real like they walk among us unseen.
It's impossible to pick a favourite from this collection. Each story is utterly unique, each tale stands out in a collection that deserves all the awards in literature and horror! The horror in these tales starts off quiet, but like an infectious disease left untreated it quickly spreads until its too strong to eradicate. Each story builds up to a terrifying conclusion when the reveal comes. What I really like about these stories are that there are little clues dropped in here and there that can be pieced together to form an unholy conclusion.
There are no jump scares or spooky monsters to be found here. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed reignites our childhood fears of the unknown. What's really buried at the back of the garden? Do ghosts walk among us? Are there unknown forces watching us, making their foray into our world.
I could really talk about this book for days and honestly anyone who hasn't read this book is missing out!
October 7, 2022
Iron Maidens by Sarah Jane Huntingdon
The Blurb!
A 13 story collection of twisted tales, all featuring killer women. Supernatural creations hell-bent on revenge. Cosmic terrors form beneath the surface. Women with unusual afflictions. The kind housewife with a collection of pickling jars. The beginnings of a serial killer and more.
Villains, Vigilantes, Voyeurs and Vengeance. You won't forget these women in a hurry
Straightaway I knew I would love this collection of short stories when I read the introduction. Particularly in the horror genre it is always the women who suffer the most particularly when faced with being the final girl but here in this anthology the women rise up and take their revenge against the world, taking down the patriarchy one by one!
In Iron Maiden we meet women who are broken down but then they rise up stronger than ever returning the hate dealt out to them. Sarah Jane Huntingdon is an incredibly powerful story teller. Very quickly the reader is completely absorbed into the mind of a predator. In each story I really felt like I had gone through the sufferings of each character. Each tale is really different and unique I really enjoyed the ride!
There wasn't one tale I didn't like in here. There's many different styles of horror, occult, cosmic and much much more. My favourites included;
Gods and Monsters - Ida Lambert is a lonely schoolgirl sent away to boarding school. A group of girls decide to make her life hell, but Ida has a very unusual talent that she uses on them. A really heart breaking tale.
Women of Fire and Vine - This is a story unlike anything I've read before! This is a really ambitious tale executed brilliantly.
Headaches - A tale of darkness rage and survival. This is the first tale of the collection and starts with a bang. A young woman recently released from prison starts to experience headaches that quickly take over her life.
Father Dearest - I found this tale so heart breaking. A young girl is desperate to protect her siblings against their abusive father.
October 3, 2022
Rookfield by Gordon B. White
The blurb!
When Cabot Howard's ex-wife, Leana and their son, Porter, flee the pandemic to the backwoods town of Rookfield, Cabot sets off after them. Once there, however, Leana is in hiding, her family won't hand Porter over, and the townsfolk are deadly serious about always wearing masks. The children all dress like little plague doctors and the adults are hellbent on getting Cabot out by nightfall.
Despite being alone and under attack, Cabot won't leave without his son. Nothing - not ex-in-laws, not the sheriff, not even whatever monstrosity might lurk in the woods behind the barn- will stop Cabot from getting them out of ...Rookfield.
Cabot is on a mission to find his son and bring him home. Set during the pandemic Cabot doesn't care about the virus and certainly not the lockdown rules and regulations. It doesn't take long to conclude he's a bit of an arsehole. He's furious that his ex wife Leana has taken their son away from the city and back out across country hundreds of miles away back to Rookfield a small town in the middle of nowhere where his ex wife family hails from. However due to the pandemic his lawyer advises him there's not much he can do other than wait it out.
Cabot refuses to wait so he sets off, driving non stop until he finds Rookfield. Gordon B. White does an amazing job of quickly establishing some seriously weird vibes about this town. If it were me I'd leave straight away.
Even visiting the local shop seems fraught with danger but Cabot doesn't seem to notice any of this, he's too busy being an arsehole! He's a deeply flawed man, he's rude, and aggressive and mostly self centred but he loves his son. After a close shave he finally manages to locate the remote location where his son is being held .
Porter is drastically changed. His ex-wife's family are very reluctant to talk to Cabot. Leana refuses to come out and speak with him. He can't quite put his finger on his son's new appearance and things get even worse for Cabot, he's clearly not welcome in this little town.
We begin to learn that Cabot has been an absent father and even though Rookfield is a small out of the way town laced with danger and uncertainty, Porter doesn't want to leave. There's no sign of the ex wife and Cabot grows worried for her safety too. Nothing is what it seems in this town far from civilisation. No one is willing to help him not even the law. The town is hiding secrets from the rest of the world but Cabot is determined to find answers and protect his son.
Cobat has a lot of problems, it's so easy to not like him, he's domineering husband and absent father but you can't help but admire his tenacity of refusing to leave until he's sure both Porter and Leana are safe. Through his troubles he comes to realise that he really does love them both but is it too late for them to be a family once again?
I loved the fast paced action of this tale. There is absolutely no filler in these pages. Rookfield is a multi genre mash up of thriller, folk horror and mystery mixed together to create a really unique tale. There are some really chilling moments in this tale whilst also being a really tense and gripping read.
I loved the ending too, Rookfield goes out with a bang and the ambiguous ending really fits in with the mysterious town of Rookfield and its strange macabre customs. We never really know what happens to Cabot and will always be left wondering what happened to him.
Overall, this is an incredible debut released by Trepidatio Press. I can't wait to read more from Gordon B. White.
About Gordon B. White
Gordon B. White is the author of the horror/weird fiction collection As Summer's Mask Slips and Other Disruptions and the novellas Rookfield (Oct. 2021) and In Her Smile, the World (with Rebecca J. Allred, Feb. 2022). A graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop, Gordon's stories have appeared in dozens of venues, including Nightmare, Pseudopod, The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 12, and the Bram Stoker Award® winning anthology Borderlands 6. He regularly contributes reviews and interviews to outlets including Nightmare, Lightspeed, and The Outer Dark podcast. You can find him online at www.gordonbwhite.com.
