Adam L.G. Nevill's Blog, page 26

NEW FOREIGN EDITIONS OF ADAM NEVILL NOVELS – IN FRENCH AND RUSSIAN.

A few new foreign editions of my novels have been released since I last posted on here – in January 2019. Catching up here, but my copies of the Russian edition of LAST DAYS arrived. Nice PLC hardback. I open the book and was startled by the endpapers. Published by Astrel.

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A new edition of Le Rituel has also erupted from French soil. Published by Bragelonne.

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FREE AUDIO SHORT STORY AT PSEUDOPOD – ‘HIPPOCAMPUS’

Want to listen to a macabre story about a derelict ship? It’s one of my most unusual short stories – ‘Hippocampus’ – from my second collection ‘Hasty for the Dark’. Now available at Pseudo Pod in audio and printed online.

The audio story has been used by kind permission of Christopher C. Payne​ of JournalStone; the company who have produced the audio book editions of my two collections of selected horrors.

Link HERE. It’s free. Dive in.

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HYPNOGORIA – THE NOVELS OF ADAM NEVILL PART 3

Jim at Hypnogoria has kindly gone back into my horrors and produced a third chapter of analysis of my novels. Very grateful to get so much time and so many thoughts from one horror site. You can access parts 1 & 2 of this feature from this page.

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INK HEIST – NEW ADAM NEVILL INTERVIEW. “It Dances in the Shadows Pt2”

Endings, creatures, locations, my new book, crossing over, horror book recommendations, research, my loathsome emergence, bleakness …

Tony Jones and I cover a lot of ground over at Ink Heist.

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INK HEIST – CRITIQUE MY BOOKS. “It Dances in the Shadows Pt 1”

Been a while since I have posted on this blog – it keeps getting hacked! I lost the will with dealing with it earlier this year, but have rolled up my sleeves and made even more changes to the security. Anyway, here is an in-depth investigation of all 8 of my novels, aimed at new readers and the curious from one of our leading horror critics, Tony Jones. Who also ranks the books by personal preference, which I always find intriguing.

A rough pattern develops here and elsewhere. I find some regular readers lean to my weirder spectrum, ‘A16’ and ‘House of Small Shadows’, while most lean to ‘Last Days’, ‘NOGOA’ and ‘The Ritual’. But great for me to see ‘Lost Girl’ ranked so highly, my most overlooked book.

There are also reviews of my two short story collections and my free book (available from the homepage of my website).

Very grateful for the time and your thoughts, Tony Jones. Much appreciated and in the attic the withered pale things have all risen and whispered your name (hungrily). I will endeavour to keep hitting the mark for my ideal readers – the most precious metals for writers in the literary cosmos.

Article here.

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MY MIXTAPE IS UP AT VOICE OF CASSANDRE – METAL & PUNK PLAYLIST

As a teen I made scores of mix tapes, anthologies of metal and heavy rock compilations on cassette (often using 4 packs of C90s from Woolworths). I even made covers with photos from Kerrang! I spent hours doing this. Years!

In 1999 the two vinyl cases, that were like briefcases, and that were filled with all of my mixtapes, were stolen from the boot of my car in London. I still mourn their loss and actually feel acute anguish when I think of those treasures lost, inc’ a vast set of live shows from Tommy Vance’s Rock Show that I listened to weekly. What I fantasised about doing to the thieves I will not repeat here.

But, I do believe, this is the first mixed tape I have created since the arrival of the compact disc. My Voice of Cassandre mixtape is up and dancing at this link. I really enjoyed compiling the playlist and if I ever had a radio show it would go something like this.

There is an odd intro jingle the show uses with a women speaking Japanese over Jazz piano (wtf is this false metal? I thought) and then my music starts at around 1 min 40 secs.

Tracklist :

Hell Destroyer – Cage (from Hell Destroyer)

Ze Nigmar – Rotting Christ (from Rituals)

Arctic Leech – Darkthrone (from Arctic Thunder)

Moon Above, Sun Below – Opeth (from Pale Communion)

Ulvinde – Mareridt (from Myrkur)

Piss – Ministry (from Animositisomina)

Sucker for the Witch – Clutch (from Psychic Warfare)

Let it Go – Godsmack (from When Legends Rise)

Make It Out Alive – Rancid (from Troublemaker)

Descending Angel – Misfits (from Famous Monsters)

I Was Wrong – Social Distortion (from White Light, White Heat, White Trash)

Cold, Dark Place – Mastodon (from Cold, Dark Place)

Call Me a Dog – Temple of the Dog (from Temple of the Dog)

Black to Blue – Alice in Chains (from Black Gives Way to Blue)

 

MY VIEWING & READING HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2018.

In 2018 I watched watch far more films than I usually manage, and I also read far more for pleasure – though watching films and reading for pleasure are also vital for inspiration and to recharge the batteries of my imagination. But as a result of so much cultural consumption, I’m now able to pass on my 2018 film, TV and book recommendations; works that may be of interest to those of you who shares my dark, and sometimes peculiar, tastes.

The films that I found most affecting in 2018 that are, predominantly, horror, or at the very least dark, weird, horrifying, or pertaining to the numinous were:

Hereditary and The Little Stranger were my two favourite horror films from 2018. But from the more recent releases I watched, I also highly recommend: What Keeps You Alive, February (aka The Blackcoat’s Daughter), Revenge, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Annihilation, They Remain, The Endless, A Quiet Place, Birdbox, You Were Never Really Here, Apostle, Hold the Dark, Possum, Cold Skin, A Ghost Story, Colossal, Thelma, Mowgli, The Captain.

Films aimed at youngsters: Coco, Christopher Robin.

Older titles that I watched for the first time in 2018 and that left a strong impression were: The Rover, Creepy, Don’t Blink, Nature’s Grave, Yellow Brick Road, Leaving DC, These Final Hours, We Go On, Black Mountain, The Unfolding, I Remember You [with thanks to Jeff Stevenson on many of these].

Television Recommendations: Sharp Objects, Handmaid’s Tale S:2, The Exorcist S:2, Succession, Billions S:2, Sinner S: 1&2, Better Call Saul 1 – 4, Narcos – Mexico (S:4)

Books.

After investigating my reading diary I was pleased to discover that I managed to read 105 books in 2018 (reading remains my favourite past-time). So, for fiction highlights, I think the two most engrossing and impressive novels I read in 2018 were The Lost Country by William Gay and  The Little Stranger  by Sarah Waters.

Other exceptional works read in 2018 that I highly recommend are:

Novels & novellas (all genres, but horror novels first):

The Way of the Worm – Ramsey Campbell. Born to the Dark – Ramsey Campbell. Nyctophobia – Christopher Fowler. Little Eve – Catriona Ward. You Should Have Left – Daniel Kehlman. The 37th Mandala – Marc Laidlaw. Subterranean Season – Dale Bailey. We Eat Our Own – Kia Wilson. The Feathered Bough – Stephen J. Clark.  I’ll Bring You the Birds from Out of the Sky – Brian Hodge. The History of Mr Polly – H. G. Wells. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath. The Dig – Cynan Jones. The Voyeur – Alain Robbe-Grillet. The Lighthouse – Alison Moore.

For younger readers: Long Lankin – Lindsay Barraclough. The House at Pooh Corner – AA Milne (reread). The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling (reread). Brendan Chase – BB.

Short Story Collections: The Dummy – Nicholas Royle. Ornithology – Nicholas Royle. Picking the Bones – Brian Hodge. The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 1 – 6 & 10 – Ed’ Ellen Datlow.

Non-fiction – The Inner Level – Wilkinson and Pickett. Goodbye to All That– Robert Graves. Down and Out In Paris and London – George Orwell. The Classical Age – Robin Lane Fox. A Writer at War – Vassily Grossman. Storm of Steel – Ernst Junger. Ardennes: Hitler’s Last Gamble – Anthony Beevor. D Day – Anthony Beevor. The Second World War – Anthony Beevor.

My album of the year was probably Behemoth’s I Loved You at Your Darkest.




































I think that’s enough to be going on with. Meanwhile, allow me to finally wish you and yours a healthy and happy new year. Keep those horns raised in 2019!

ESSENTIAL READING: ‘THE INNER LEVEL’

Goes some distance into explaining why we are where we are, right now, in the West, both as divided societies and as anguished individuals within these societies.

A revelation on every page about the catastrophic damage that inequality (particularly status inequality) is inflicting upon our minds, health, behaviour and the environment.

What I really like about Pickett and Wilkinson’s angle, is that they are epidemiologists, scientists who study diseases, their outbreaks, spread, but also their prevention. An expertise they have turned upon the spread and consequences of inequality in society. Their ‘Spirit Level’ book is also a game-changer and essential reading.

In our culture of speedy SM newsfeeds, flashing screens and apps, the book was also an important reminder to me of how books remain an essential load-bearing beam in a civilised society. They reflect, they examine, they still the mind, they open eyes.

Most important non-fiction book I read in 2018. Could not have been published at a better time.

 

THE RITUAL SCORE AVAILABLE ON VINYL (AND TO UK CUSTOMERS).

Ben Lovett’s awesome ‘The Ritual’ score is now available on vinyl for UK customers as well as those in the US (and I contributed some sleeve notes). https://mondotees.com/collections/music/products/the-ritual-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-lp

From Lakeshore and Death Waltz Records:

“Death Waltz, in association with Lakeshore Records, is proud to bring you the score to The Ritual. The Ritual is part of the new wave of folk horror films (The VVitch, into darkness as four friends travel to Sweden to go camping and pay tribute to a fallen friend.As they get deeper into the woods they discover strange symbols etched into trees, a gutted Elk and an empty cabin filled with Ritualistic artefacts. Someone (or something) is in the woods watching over their every move and a quiet creeping dread begins to descend on the party eventually giving way to an all out attack on the sense as the film races toward its inevitable climax.

Ben Lovett’s score (featuring woodwind, strings and the occasional synth) captures the mood of the forest perfectly, It is both tribal and haunting. The score runs a range of emotions; One minute it is reflective and relaxed the next sinister and terrifying. Absolutely essential stuff from one of the most exciting composer working today”

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FILM RECS: “I HORROR” – I’M READY FOR YOU.

Couple of outsiders, and I’m keeping all of my eyes on India for a bright future in supernatural horror. The opening 5 mins of ‘The House Next Door’ resembles a terrible pop video, but stick with it. The film is a fairly slick study and emulation of ‘The Exorcist’ with big J Horror influences, but given an Indian and Chinese spin (which it needed far more of – less soap, fewer Western leanings and more indigenous culture and mythology, I felt). Some affecting scenes pushed my weird button – I rewound a couple of scenes to make sure that I had actually seen … that …

The Ghoul’s first episode disappointed, but 2 & 3 grew on me. I give this mini-series points for originality because amidst the endless masked killers chasing high school kids, home invasions, etc, someone had a go at terrorism and state-sanctioned torture, and populist right movements backed by the military, but in horror, and underwritten with ancient Aramaic magic. Not sure I’ve seen horror go there.

Surely India is a country loaded with horror potential, as well as a huge film industry? A matter of time before we get an Indian ‘Ringu’.

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