David A. Riley's Blog, page 17

Day Ten of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: A Saucerful of Secrets by Andrew Darlington

 Artwork by Vincent Chong

Day Ten of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications brings us to Andrew Darlington's amazing collection of short stories A Saucerful of Secrets, first published in March 2016.

Andrew Darlington has had masses of material published in all manner of strange and obscure places, magazines, websites, anthologies and books. He's also worked as a Stand-Up Poet on the ‘Alternative Cabaret Circuit’, and has interviewed very many people from the worlds of Literature, SF-Fantasy, Art and Rock-Music for a variety of publications (a selection of favourite interviews collected into the ‘Headpress’ book ‘I WAS ELVIS PRESLEY’S BASTARD LOVE-CHILD’). His latest music biography is ‘DON'T CALL ME NIGGER, WHITEY: SLY STONE & BLACK POWER’ (Leaky Boot Press).

Contents are:
The Strange Laudanum Dream of Branwell Bronte
London Bridge is Falling Down, Falling Down
Thuesday to Fryday
The Door to Anywhere
Beast of the Baskervilles
Derek Edge and the Saucerful of Secrets
Refuge
The Non-Expanding Universe
Gender-Shock
Big Bad John
Terminator Zero and the Dream Demons
A Grotesque Romance
This World Holds Space Enough
And the Earth Has No End

The Strange Laudanum Dream of Branwell Bronte was first published in Tigershark #3, 2014
The Door to Anywhere was first published in Worlds of the Unknown #1, 2014
Beast of the Baskervilles was first published in Tigershark #5, 2014
The Non-Expanding Universe was first published in Hellfire Crossroads #5, 2015
Gender-Shock was first published in Tigershark # 2, 2013

You can order this book direct from us on this link, post free.

Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com   

Day Nine of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Moloch's Children

 

Day Nine of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications brings us to my horror novel Moloch's Children, which received some favourable reviews including in Dark Discoveries magazine.

Elm Tree House had a sinister history but few realised the true demonic power that lurked within its forbidding depths till it was taken over by a cult determined to make use of its horrendous secret.

Reviews: 
"A modern day Dennis Wheatley yarn that the old master would have enjoyed. The protagonists have to endure some horrendous experiences within a pentacle in a scene that ramps up the horror. Written with pace and panache by the very accomplished David A Riley. A real page turner. More, please." Amazon review

"What a fantastic book! Take a Bow Mr. Riley! I could not put down the book for a moment till I finished it. Great level of detail, vivid imagery, likable characters, not too original but engaging plot nevertheless, this is the kind that engaging horror is made of! I hope there are more such books from Mr. Riley's pen that come out soon." Amazon review

Reviewed by Stuart Conover (Dark Discoveries magazine)
"What can I say aside from David A. Riley’s Moloch’s Children short of the fact that if you love the idea of a haunted house, a writer with an overactive imagination, Satanists, and so much more – you will love this book! Honestly even though it took place in more modern times it felt like a throwback to the slow build suspense work and the strong hints of Satanism that were both quite popular in the 60’s and 70’s. Riley knows not only how to strikingly set the mood but build upon that foundation to have an entire story weaved together which will keep you wondering what will happen next.
The main focus on the novel is the Elm Tree House which has a long and sordid history. Or should I say that the grounds it stands on do and it has acquired it by association. That hasn’t stopped Oliver Atcheson who is recovering from the loss of his wife to purchase the property. His dream for it is to create an artist’s colony there and with the steal he purchased the mansion at it seems like a dream that will easily be made a reality. That is of course until the repair bills start piling up as well as what the locals think about the place.
We also get to learn about others who are both interested in Oliver’s project or have become associated with him. Of course anyone who knows anything about the house seems to be holding some of the information back and we have plenty to discover as the pages turn.
They’ll be turning quickly too because for everything question that is answered, two more pop up. In a move where the suspense constantly builds as well there is no way to put the book down until you get to the bitter end.
In some ways I was reminded of Ti West’s film The House of the Devil though there really is no direct comparison between the stories. Still, much of the way I felt the mood and descriptions worked here really seemed to apply to both the film and novel."
 You can order this book direct from us on this link, post free. 
 amazon.co.uk  amazon.com

Day Eight of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: And Nobody Lived Happily Ever After by Kate Farrell

Day Eight of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications brings us to Kate Farrell's debut collection in December 2015 And Nobody Lived Happily Ever After, with an Introduction by Reggie Oliver. The cover artwork is by Vincent Chong.

"What distinguishes Kate Farrell’s work is the extraordinary accuracy and vividness with which she sets up her situations. She has an eye for detail and an outstanding ear for the way people think and speak. It is far from fanciful to see this at least partly as the product of her experience as an actress. In the theatre, a natural faculty for observing one’s fellow human beings is trained and honed. Listen to the narrator of “Waiting”. If you don’t know someone like that personally, you will have certainly heard her talking just behind you on a bus at some time. The intonation, the accent, the understanding, and the lack of it, are all so true to life. But the people Farrell evokes are not all from one social stratum, or one nation. Here is an ancient and corrupt Irish Priest (“The Way the Truth and the Life”), here is the wife of a notorious Argentinean dictator (“Las Cosas Que Hacemos por el Amor”), or the two Spanish schoolchildren in “The Efficient Use of Reason”, and they are all done with the same conviction, the same ruthless accuracy. Farrell’s eye is not heartless, but it is unclouded by any kind of sentimental affectation; her horrors emerge from what we sometimes call the commonplace. Very occasionally she touches on the supernatural, but when she does she does it superbly as in one of my favourites among her stories “A Murder of Crows” which shows that she can do an uncanny rural atmosphere with grim poetry as well as anyone. It is the gift of every worthwhile writer in this genre to make us realise that just beneath the surface of the banal and ordinary, there yawn great abysses of wonder and terror. I don’t know quite why this realisation, in the hands of a writer like Farrell, should be so thrilling, enjoyable even, but it is. There is not a dull page, not a dull sentence in And Nobody Lived Happily Ever After." From Reggie Oliver 's introduction to And Nobody Lived Happily Ever After

Contents are:
Introduction by Reggie Oliver
Mea Culpa
Helping Mummy
A Murder of Crows
No Junk Mail
All in a Row
Dad Dancing
The Way and the Truth and the Life
My Name is Mary Sutherland
The Efficient Use of Reason
How I Got Here
His Family
The Sands are Magic
Once Upon a Time
A. Reeves Tale
Las Cosas Que Hacemos por El Amor
Peacock Blue Dress
Alma Mater
Waiting

Mea Culpa was first published in The Eighth Black Book of Horror, 2011
His Family was first published in The Ninth Black Book of Horror, 2012
Dad Dancing was first published in The Tenth Black Book of Horror, 2013
Helping Mummy was first published in The Screaming Book of Horror, 2012
The Sands are magic was first published in Terror Tales of the Seaside, 2013
Waiting was first published in Kitchen Sink Gothic, 2015
Alma Mater was first published in The Eleventh Black Book of Horror, 2015

Day Seven of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: His Own Mad Demons

 

Originally published by Hazardous Press, (now gone) this was reprinted in April 2015 by Parallel Universe Publications with a new cover.
His Own Mad Demons contains 
Lock-In
The Worst of All Possible Places
The Fragile Mask on His Face
Their Own Mad Demons
The True Spirit This is a review published on amazon by the Ginger Nuts of Horror: 
Ginger Nuts4.0 out of 5 stars First Class Classic Horror Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 July 2013 "David A Riley, is one of those authors, whose name I was familiar with, but one whose work I wasn't really familiar with. So when David announced the release of this collection of five short stories / novella's I thought this is as good a time as any to sample his work. Was it worth it? You'll have to read on to find out.
 "Kicking of this collection is Their Own Mad Demons, in which career small time crooks Nobby and Stinko (a pair of brilliant names, I love it when criminals get proper criminal names) are hired to help out at a dodgy deal at a junkyard. When this goes the way of all things and torture and murder are added to the mix, Nobby finds himself haunted by a very peculiar spirit. Haunted to the point of desperation Nobbly must return to the scene of the crime and try to exorcise the stench of his past.

"This is great start to the collection, with a perfect mix of gangsters and ghosts, David A. Riley has created a wonderful gritty tale full of great characters and an excellent twist on vengeful spirit. This story gets right up your nose in the best possible way.

"To most blokes being trapped in a pub is probably a great thing, free beer and as many bags of peanuts you could eat is my idea of heaven. However after reading Lock -In, I now no longer wish this to be this case. This is a very claustrophobic tale thats takes a well used theme of lurkers in the dark and shapes it into an original and truly tense story.

"The Fragile Mask On His Face, is perhaps the most shocking and horrific tale in this anthology. This is definitely not a tale for those of you with a weak stomach. This story returns to the town of Edgebottom, and in particular The pub of the previous story, and features another fabulous Black magician, this time one with a penchant for skinning faces, glorious stuff.

"The True Spirit, after a terrible massacre that left ambulance driver Harold Briscombe so traumatised that he suffered a breakdown and never returned to work. Now years later the only pleasure that Harold has in his life is his allotment and his cat loving wife Alice. When two of her cats go missing the the prime suspect of their angry neighbour. But soon he is found dead at the bottom of his stairs apparently the victim of a silly fall. To make things worse Harold's allotment gets vandalised. However when a mysterious and charismatic stranger arrives and promises to out things right. Harold suspects there is more to this young man than meets the eyes, so he decides to follow him one night, is this just what was intended to happen all along?

"This is a brilliant story that captures a that unsettling and terrifying feeling of many great horror stories of the 1970's. This is the sort of story that would have been a highlight in such films as From Beyond the Grave.

"The Worst Of All Possible Places is the final tale is the final tale in this excellent collection.
Bill Whitley only has two options left to hom, become homeless or take up residence in the dumping ground for all of Edgebottom's undesirables, Daisyfield House. The house itself has been witness to many tragedies, built on the site of a church that was the scene of a mass killing, this a place where the dead don't stay dead, and where real horror stalks its corridors.

"This is a fitting end to a remarkable collection. Robert Rankin has his Brighton, Terry Pratchett has his Discworld, and so David A. Riley has his Edgebottom, and I for one know which of these worlds I would like to take a return trip to. In an era where so many authors are trying to find a unique twist on the horror the story, at the expense of a well written story, it is a refreshing to come across an author who understands how to write a scary, gripping and down right entertaining story. His Own Mad Demons is what I like to call good old fashioned horror, and this is a shining example of that.

"I can't wait for the release of David's latest collection later on this year."

You can order this book direct from us on this link, post free.  Amazon.co.uk 
Amazon.com      

Day Six of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Kitchen Sink Gothic

 

Day Six of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications:

Kitchen Sink Gothic selected by David A. Riley and Linden Riley:
Coined in the 1950s, Kitchen Sink described British films, plays and novels frequently set in the North of England, which showed working class life in a gritty, no-nonsense, “warts and all” style, sometimes referred to as social realism. It became popular after the playwright John Osborne wrote Look Back In Anger, simultaneously helping to create the Angry Young Men movement. Films included Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The Entertainer, A Taste of Honey, The L-Shaped Room and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. TV dramas included Coronation Street and East Enders. In recent years TV dramas that could rightly be described as kitchen sink gothic include Being Human, with its cast of working class vampires, werewolves and ghosts, and the zombie drama In the Flesh, with its northern working class, down to earth setting. In this anthology you will find stories that cover a wide range of Kitchen Sink Gothic, from the darkly humorous to the weirdly strange and occasionally horrific.

Cover artwork by Joe Young.

You can order this book direct from us on this link, post free. 

 amazon.co.uk  
amazon.com    Kitchen Sink Gothic includes:

1964 by Franklin Marsh
Derek Edge and the Sun-Spots by Andrew Darlington
Daddy Giggles by Stephen Bacon
Black Sheep by Gary Fry
Jamal Comes Home by Benedict J. Jones
Waiting by Kate Farrell
Lilly Finds a Place to Stay by Charles Black
The Mutant's Cry by David A. Sutton
The Sanitation Solution by Walter Gascoigne
Up and Out of Here by Mark Patrick Lynch
Late Shift by Adrian Cole
The Great Estate by Shaun Avery
Nine Tenths by Jay Eales
Envelopes by Craig Herbertson
Tunnel Vision by Tim Major
Life is Prescious M. J. Wesolowski
Canvey Island Baby by David Turnbull

Day Five of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Classic Weird

 

Day Five of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: 

Classic Weird, published in May 2015

Classic Weird contains:
The Monster-Maker by W. C. Morrow
The Man Who Went Too Far by E. F. Benson
The Interval by Vincent O'Sullivan
The Doll's Ghost by F. Marion Crawford
The Dead Smile by F. Marion Crawford
The Ghost-Ship by Richard Middleton
The New Catacomb by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Lost Stradivarius by John Meade Falkner
The House of the Dead Hand by Edith Wharton
A Wicked Voice by Vernon Lee
Phantas by Oliver Onions

You can order this book direct from us on this link, post free.

 amazon.co.uk
amazon.com         

Day Four of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Their Cramped Dark World & Other Tales

Cover artwork: Luke SpoonerDay Four of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications in April 2015 is Their Cramped Dark World, originally published by the now long disappeared Hazardous Press. Fortunately I was able to re-use the original cover by artist Luke Spooner.

Table of Contents: 
Hoody (first published in When Graveyards Yawn, Crowswing Books, 2006)
A Bottle of Spirits (first published in New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural 2, 1972)
No Sense in Being Hungry, She Thought (first published in Peeping Tom #20, 1996)
Now and Forever More (first published in The Second Black Book of Horror, 2008)
Romero's Children (first published in The Seventh Black Book of Horror, 2010)
Swan Song (first published in The Ninth Black Book of Horror, 2012)
The Farmhouse (first published in New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural 1, 1971)
The Last Coach Trip (first published in The Eighth Black Book of Horror, 2011)
The Satyr's Head (first published in The Satyr's Head & Other Tales of Terror, 1975)
Their Cramped Dark World (first published in The Sixth Black Book of Horror, 2010)


You can order this book direct from us on this link, post free. 

Amazon.co.uk 
Amazon.com 

Day Three of Showcasing the books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Things That Go Bump In The Night edited by Douglas Draa and David A. Riley

 

Day 3 of showcasing books published by PUP:

Things That Go Bump in the Night edited by Douglas Draa and David A. Riley was published as a trade paperback and kindle eBook in January 2015. 365 pages long, this bumper volume contains 19 classic weird stories by Sir Hugh Clifford, Edward Lucas White, William Hope Hodgson, George Allan England, F. Marion Crawford, Frederick Marryat, E. F. Benson, W. C. Morrow, Amyas Northcote, M. P. Shiel, Lord Dunsany, Perceval Landon, Robert E. Howard, G. G. Pendarves, Henry Brereton Marriott Watson, Irvin S. Cobb, Huan Mee, Abraham Merritt, Nictzin Dyalhis, and Edith Wharton.
The Ghoul Sir Hugh Clifford
The House of the Nightmare Edward Lucas White
The Voice in the Night William Hope Hodgson
The Thing from Outside George Allan England
For the Blood is the Life F. Marion Crawford
The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains Frederick Marryat
The Room in the Tower E. F. Benson
His Unconquered Enemy W. C. Morrow
The Late Mrs. Fowke Amyas Northcote
Xélucha M. P. Shiel
A Narrow Escape Lord Dunsany
Thurnley Abbey Perceval Landon
The Black Stone Robert E, Howard
Werewolf of the Sahara G. G. Pendarves
The Devil of the Marsh Henry Brereton Marriott Watson
Fishhead Irvin S. Cobb
The Black Statue Huan Mee
The Pool of the Stone God Abraham Merritt
The Sea-Witch Nictzin Dyalhis
The Lady’s Maid’s Bell Edith Wharton

You can order this book direct from us on this link, post free or, alternatively:

Amazon.co.uk 
Amazon.com 

Day Two of Showcasing the books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Black Ceremonies by Charles Black

 

For Day Two we have Black Ceremonies by Charles Black:

Those that participate in the thirteen strange dark rites that comprise Black Ceremonies find themselves at the mercy of sinister forces. Make an invocation to evil. Witness the horrors of war. Hear the sound of death. Feel the hand of vengeance as it reaches out from the grave. Are you ready to join the doomed and the damned?

“When it comes to dark and twisted tales, they don’t come much darker and more twisted than this. If you have a taste for the macabre, you really will be biting off as much as you can chew with this exciting debut collection from renowned editor and creator of the Black Books of Horror, Charles Black.” Anna Taborska, author of For Those Who Dream Monsters 

“Charlie’s yarns are very entertaining.” Johnny Mains, editor of Best British Horror

This collection includes the following stories: 
The Obsession of Percival Cairstairs
Call of the Damned
The Revelations of Dr Maitland
Tourist Trap
Face to Face
The Coughing Coffin
The Madness Out of the Sea
Death on the Line
The Necronomicon
A Bit Tasty
A Fistful of Vengeance
To Summon a Flesh-Eating Demon
The Strombolli Collection

You can order this book direct from us on this link, post free. 

Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

Day One of Showcasing the books published by Parallel Universe Publications: The Heaven Maker & Other Gruesome Tales by Craig Herbertson

This is day one of showcasing the books published by PUP that are still available.Day One: The Heaven Maker and Other Gruesome Tales is Edinburgh born Craig Herbertson’s first horror collection. There has been a revival of the old style horror exemplified by the gory Pan Horror collections once commonplace in newsagents and train station kiosks throughout the UK. “The Heaven Maker”, published in 1988, was one such story; at last it is once again in print along with some unseemly and dreadful companions. Also on the menu are stand alone excerpts from the critically acclaimed dark fantasy novel, “School: The Seventh Silence”, followed by an aperitif of dark songs from Herbertson’s extensive traditional repertoire. Bizarre philosophical discussions alternate with episodes of fantasy, horror… and occasional whimsy… The images and ideas come thick and fast. A very enjoyable read, perfect for lovers of fantasy that’s a bit different.

Includes:
Timeless Love (originally published in Big Vault Advent Calendar 2011)
Synchronicity (originally published in Filthy Creations #2)
The Glowing Goblins (originally published in Auguries #16)
New Teacher (originally published in The Seventh Black Book of Horror)
The Janus Door
The Heaven Maker (originally published in The 29th Pan Book of Horror Stories)
The Waiting Game (originally published in Back from the Dead: The Legacy of the Pan Book of Horror Stories)
The Art of Confiscation
Gertrude
Not Waving
Spanish Suite (originally published in The Sixth Black Book of Horror)
The Anninglay Sundial
Soup (originally published in The Fourth Black Book of Horror)
A Game of Billiards (originally published in Tales from the Smoking Room)
The Navigator (originally published in Big Vault Advent Calendar 2011)
The Tasting
Steel Works
Liebniz's Last Puzzle (originally published in The Fifth Black Book of Horror)
Big Cup, Wee Cup
Gifts (originally published in Big Vault Advent Calendar 2011)

Here is a link to a detailed review of Craig's collection: Review.


Trade paperback:
amazon.co.uk  £11.99
amazon.com  $12.99          Barnes & Noble $12.99

ebook
amazon.co.uk  £2.99
amazon.com  $3.99