January in Review
Whew. January 2025. That was a long year, huh? The last couple weeks, especially. And hey, how about that coup currently in progress, the pardoning of all the January 6 terrorists, Trump and Musk’s attacks on the FAA and the resultant plane crashes, Musk demanding access to the Treasury’s payment systems even though he’s not an elected official and Trump’s made-up appointments for him haven’t even been confirmed by the Senate and, as far as I know, don’t even really exist, the Los Angeles wildfires, the spread of bird flu and the destruction of public health agencies websites by the new administration, and and and and….
It’s safe to say January 2025 will certainly be one for the history books. You know, if they still make those things in another four years and, of course, presuming they’re even allowed to contain anything close to factual information lest they violate Trump’s demands for a bunch of made-up “patriotic” history.
But I digress. I really did not intend for this email to be a political screed, or more anti-Trump ranting. I do enough of that on social media. And besides, that’s what I wrote Friday Night Massacre for. And my novelette, Revolver, which is also collected in In the End, Nothing, with a whole bunch of other stories.
My main goal for 2025 was to try and keep my head down and lose myself in fiction as much as possible. Books, video games, movies — that’s how I want to spend this year, and the next four years at the very least. We all know what this prolonged second season of The Trump Show is going to look like, having already lived through a four-year-long sneak preview of it all once before. We know this sequel is going to longer, louder, brasher, meaner, crazier, and even more fascist, unhinged, insensitive, racist, sexist, and batshit insane than the previous nightmare, which was pretty goddamn awful in its own right. The safety rails have all been removed. There’s no seat belts and the brake lines have been cut, and everything is on fire (literally and figuratively). But, hey, that’s what so many of my fellow Americans wanted, I guess, so, yay, congrats, and good for them! Eggs are more expensive, Social Security and health care are in jeopardy, and a white supremacist Christofascist is leading the Department of Defense, but at least brown people are scared and being rounded up and on their way to a concentration camp at Gitmo. Enjoy! Way to go America! It’s like Germany, 1933 all over again.
Anyway. Yeah. Books. That’s my escape hatch, along with various other bits and pieces of non-reality based media to try and help keep me sane in an utterly insane country. Or at least from going any further insane as things rapidly spiral out of control. And maybe some writing, too. Hopefully I’ll have some news on a forthcoming and long-awaited book for you all soon. We’ll see.
In the meantime, how about some reviews?
My Avoid Reality 2025 project kicked off in high-gear, with January seeing seven (!) reviews for new and forthcoming releases hitting the blog. Here’s what you may have missed:
Needless to say, February will see more reviews coming your way. I intend to do these kind of mailers recapping review posts once a month. But by all means, be sure to check out the website regularly for updates. I might even start blogging if the mood strikes, but no promises there.
January 2025 also saw the release of the third, and I do believe final, entry in The Horror Book Review Digest series. If you’re unfamiliar with this series, each volume compiles a few years worth of my horror reviews into some pretty hefty volumes (thus defeating the purpose of a digest, but whatever… I liked the way it sounded).
Volumes I and II are currently available on Amazon. Volume III, however, is available exclusively on my website as a direct order EPUB-formatted ebook, mostly because Amazon refused to sell this entry and claim they are unable to confirm I’m the copyright holder of the reviews I have written. On the bright side, ordering direct from me means I get the full income and don’t have to split 30% of each sale with a billionaire.
If you’d like to support my work and this site, by all means, grab a copy at the link below!
Selling HBRDV3 direct means I have also reopened my webstore. Unfortunately, stock is pretty slim at the moment and is limited to this one digital ebook. But that’s gonna change soon! I do have some inventory to sort through and count, and once that’s done I’ll get the Store stock updated and will be able to sell signed physical copies of my work direct to you dear readers. Stay tuned!
The Horror Book Review Digest Volume III $4.99 “For the last few years, Michael Patrick Hicks has been my go-to for horror novel reviews.”
Tim Meyer, author of Kill Hill Carnage and The Switch House
In addition to crafting his own works of horror, Michael Patrick Hicks has been reviewing books for more than two decades and has written for such outlets as Audiobook Reviewer and Graphic Novel Reporter.
Now, he returns with The Horror Book Review Digest Volume III, his third collection of reviews covering some of the horror genre’s biggest releases and hidden gems from 2021-2024 from authors like Chuck Wendig, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Christopher Golden, Tananarive Due, TC Parker, Adam Cesare, Brian Keene, Stephen King, and many, many more.
This third volume of The Horror Book Review Digest features reviews of over 100 books that promise to give you chills and nightmares! Settle in, keep a light on, and find your next great read.
Readers will receive a secure link to the EPUB file lasting 24 hours after the first download. Add to cartI’ve seen a few other authors post some vital information in the following format and always find it kind of fun. So, I figured I’d rip-off borrow shit my betters have done ahead of me.
Currently reading: The Divine Flesh by Drew Huff
Currently watching: Crime Scene Kitchen, Season 3
Currently playing: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5)
Currently listening: Nine Inch Nails on shuffle while working out
