David A. Riley's Blog, page 64

Marked to Die - a tribute anthology to Mark Samuels

PaperbackSnuggly Books in the United States have published a paperback and limited edition hardback of stories in tribute to British writer Mark Samuels (who, under the pseudonym of Richard Staines wrote England 'B': Ninety Minutes of Hell , published by Parallel Universe Publications).



Marked To Die - A Tribute to Mark SamuelsEdited by Justin Isis
We are pleased to announce the publication of “Marked to Die, A Tribute to Mark Samuels”. The book is being put out in two formats, a royal octavo paperback and a limited edition hardcover. The hardcover is case laminated (i.e. no dustjacket) and has a completely different cover than the paperback—that is a nightblack cover with, in snow white gothic lettering, the word “MARKITTY” written up top. Only 100 copies of the hardcover will be printed, and of these only 75 offered for sale to the public.
About the BookMark Samuels—“the contemporary British master of visionary weirdness”, as Ramsey Campbell has called him—stands at the forefront of 21st century Horror, combining an unparalleled understanding of the Weird Fiction tradition with his own modern take on cosmic dread. An acknowledged influence on numerous writers in the field, his stories depict the isolation and despair of urban life giving way to vistas of universal alienation and, on occasion, spiritual transcendence.Now, in this collection of original works inspired by Samuels’ writing, his characteristic themes are extended into previously undreamt-of settings: the hull of a Russian nuclear submarine headed to the heart of Chaos; the compound of a Japanese death cult with designs on the human race; a hospital run by the Men with Paper Faces; the Crying Rooms of London’s secret Reverse; the far reaches of the collapsed future and even the private thoughts of St. John of the Cross. Fed by the “strange tales” of the 19th and 20th centuries but firmly rooted in the present, Marked to Die is a digest of urban terror shot through with intimations of a monstrous Sublime.
Featuring contributions from: Mark Valentine, Reggie Oliver, Colin Insole, Daniel Mills, Adam Nevill, Justin Isis, DF Lewis, John Mundy, Kristine Ong Muslim, James Champagne, Brendan Connell, Quentin S. Crisp, Thana Niveau, Simon Clark, Stuart Young, John L. Probert, Ralph C. Doege, Yarrow Paisley, Jon Paul Rai and David Rix.
Table of Contents:The Shadowy Companion, foreword by Mark ValentineRapture, Reggie OliverThe Golden Dustmen, Colin InsoleCanticle, Daniel MillsWhite Light, White Heat, Adam NevillThe Black Mass, Justin IsisThe Big-Headed People, DF LewisAttraction, John MundyThe Early Signs of Blight, Kristine Ong MuslimChaoskampf, James ChampagneA Bad Un to Beat vs. The High Gate Waterman:
It’s All About the Benjamins, Brendan Connell and Quentin S. CrispLanguage of the City, Thana NiveauThe Singular Quiddity of Merlin’s Ear, Simon ClarkThe Carnivore of Monsters, Stuart YoungThe Men With Paper Faces, John L. ProbertEmpty Houses, Ralph C. DoegeReinformation Theory, Yarrow PaisleyPrison Inquieta, Jon Paul RaiSlag Glass Lachrimæ, David Rix

My print copy of Sanitarium magazine arrived today

Very please to get my print copy of Sanitarium magazine through the post this morning, containing my story Dead Ronnie and I.

Great 5-star review of The Return on Goodreads

Very pleased with a recent 5-star review of my crime noir Lovecraftian horror novel The Return on Goodreads by Darrell Grizzle: "A gritty noir novel that combines the best elements of crime fiction with genuinely frightening Lovecraftian horror."

Classic Weird 2 published by Parallel Universe Publications

Classic Weird 2 is now available as a trade paperback and as an ebook within the next day or two.

This 298-page volume contains weird tales by some of the classic authors of the genre, including J. Sheridan Le Fanu (An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street), E. F. Benson (The Judgement Books), Vernon Lee (Oke of Okehurst), Vincent O'Sullivan (When I was Dead), Edith Wharton (The Eyes), W. C. Morrow (A Story Told by the Sea), Irvin S. Cobb (The Unbroken Chain), Edith Nesbit (From the Dead), Robert Murray Gilchrist (Witch In-Grain), Amyas Northcote (The Downs), and J. H. Riddell (The Uninhabited House).

Paperback:
Amazon.co.uk  £8.99
Amazon.com  $11.99

Ebook: (available soon)
Amazon.co.uk  £2.99
Amazon.com  $

Cthulhu Monopoly game just arrived today

This little beauty just arrived today. Looking forward to playing it, though I can't help but wonder what HPL would have made of it!

Great Review for His Own Mad Demons on The Slaughtered Bird website

Dave Dubrow gave His Own Mad Demons: Dark Tales from David A. Riley a great review on The Slaughtered Bird website.

REVIEW: His Own Mad DemonsPublished May 16, 2016 | By FolkloreReview by- Dave Dubrow.
‘His Own Mad Demons’ is an anthology of short stories written by David A Riley, who’s been an active horror writer since he published a story in the eleventh volume of the legendary Pan Book of Horror Stories in 1970. The tales in Riley’s His Own Mad Demons are all set in the English moorland town of Edgebottom, where the supernatural lurks in every shadow. Riley’s gritty, descriptive prose and fundamental themes are timeless, making this collection a must-read for true fans of horror.
The first tale, His Own Mad Demons, follows the travails of petty criminal Nobby, who’s been given a relatively simple job to do. After things go pear-shaped, Nobby’s attempt to go on the lam is beset with obstacles both natural and supernatural.
In Lock-In, a group of old men calling themselves the Grudgers find that leaving their favorite pub isn’t anywhere near as easy as getting in. A gory piece of psychological horror mixed with Lovecraftian elements.
The Fragile Mask on His Face has a dream-like feeling to it in that the reader knows that something terrible is in store for the protagonist, but is powerless to stop it. A story with twists and turns and a most unusual antagonist.
For a slow burn building to a horrific climax, The True Spirit is a tale that shows you the face of evil, making you hope against hope that the poor characters catch on before it’s too late.
The anthology ends with The Worst of All Possible Places, as apt a title as you’d want. Though the prologue is a bit unnecessary, the remainder of the story is the most frightening in the entire collection, even with as unlikable a protagonist as Bill the drunk.
If you’re looking for message fiction, you won’t find it here. This is good old-fashioned horror, a collection of scary stories told well. It’s these kinds of tales that brought so many of us to horror literature in the first place, and it’s refreshing to see that they’re still relevant, still frightening.
Review by- Dave Dubrow

Birthday picture from Joe Young

Many thanks to Joe Young for this birthday picture, which goes along so well with the pressie I got from my daughter and her husband last night.

Glenn Strange's Frankenstein monster

As my birthday present from my daughter, Cassie, and her husband, Alan, I got the Glen Strange Frankenstein monster, completing my collection. The three Karloffs, Chaney and Lugosi had a party last night.


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Dead Ronnie and I published in Sanitarium Magazine

My zombie story, Dead Ronnie and I, set in the Isles of Scotland, is in issue 44 of Sanitarium Magazine.



Sanitarium Magazine Issue #44: Bringing you the Best Short Horror Fiction, Dark Verse and...Welcome to the Sanitarium The perfect length for your in-between reading/ you’ll love the portability of this little slice of damnation as you tremble while you wait for the…amazon.co.uk

Andrew Darlington's A Saucerful of Secrets gets 5-star review in The Zone

Andrew Darlington's A Saucerful of Secrets gets a five-star review in The Zone.

"Like entering a twilight zone for the loading of genre-literate humour, and unloading of predictability for tragedy and vivid lyricism, A Saucerful Of Secrets takes us across multiple thresholds between compelling realism and sophisticated imagination, with sublimely witty references and hefty riffs aplenty, adding a weight and philosophical depth few can match. This is a veteran writer's first collection of short fiction, and it's frequently steeped in traditional SF tropes but with post-modern twists and beguiling absurdism. Through the looking-glass, or down rabbit holes, these are stories penned with unusually poetical intent. The info-density and wordplay seems, at a first glance, like old lead, but, scratch the surface contours and it's revealed to be gold of a Brit-Lit wealth."  Read the full review here.