★★★★ out of ★★★★★
By taping into today’s horrifying zeitgeist, drug addiction, Clay McLeod Chapman give us a terrifying dose of what ails us all. Ghost Eaters is the perfectly flawed mirror image of our collective societal faults. But don’t fret, McLeod Chapman sprinkles in a little bit of hope too!
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
HP Lovecraft dug writing short stories. Edgar Allen Poe did too. Even the great Stephen King has been known to clack out a short story or two (hundred). Most horror writers have the keen ability to take a simple concept and extemporarily expound the idea in fairly concise and confined was. Sometimes this works and sometimes there’s a lot of questions begged and a lot more exposition that’s required.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
In the increasingly fast-paced world of horror sometimes it’s really nice to bathe in a simple and pastoral story. The intensity of fast zombies, flying chainsaws, and hyper-speed ghouls has a time and place, but it’s also a nice bit of calm when the characters and the story unfold in a relaxed and less apocalyptic way.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A determined novel that spans multiple time frames and plumb near covers every last aspect horror genre — except for UFOs and Bigfoot. That might sound like a stretch, but it ain’t. There’s witches. There’s ghouls. There’s 1970s grindhouse lore. There’s the conventions and their inevitable fan-boy hangers on. There’s even true crime podcasters. This book covers it all. Maybe that’s a good thing and maybe it’s not.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★ The perfect metaphor/antidote to 2020. Well-meaning people set out to change the world, lessen their foot print, and revel in their own brainy viewpoint. Only to be horrifically outdone by the unplanned mysteries of mother nature and her largely uncaring and brutish ways. Devolution is exists in a very real space with very real consequences. It’s everything that 2020 has offered. From the hopefully earnest to the horrifically primal.
★★★ out of ★★★★★ I mean, really, who are we to ever question the greatness of the great Charlie Kaufman. A visionary. A cinematic poet. A deep thinker that throws head-scratchers our way every chance he gets. A repertoire filled with unimpeachable films. One after another. BUT, he’s never really dabbled in the horror genre, nor has he dealt with a storyline so chilling, unnerving, and downright baffling. And it kind of shows.
An epic prank goes way off the rails in the upcoming novella, Night of the Mannequins.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★ It’s been known throughout the human experience that the journey is far more rewarding than the end point. For mountain climbers the peak is only the halfway point. Few endeavors have one introspectively looking solely at the terminus. For horror fans the end often isn’t entirely satisfying and the nostalgia for a film (or book) lies in the way the spooks and chills unfold along the way. Ian Reid’s 2016 novel, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, is the pure embodiment of this sentiment.
This was a herculean task. The public’s mind was so ensconced and involved with the original 1977 novel and the equally transformative 1980 film, that it was hard to envision a story line that would perpetuate this seemingly finite tale. In a classic case of “never say never” esteemed author Stephen King decided that it was time to give Danny Torrance his day in the sun.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Follow Penpal author Dathan Auerbach on a harrowing search for Eric in his latest novel, Bad Man.
Get ready to stuff your stocking with the new short story collection Hark! The Herald Angels Scream from Blumhouse Books.
★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Written by Joey Comeau
Pack your bags and get ready to head off to camp with The Summer is Ended and We Are Not Yet Saved!
★★ out of ★★★★★
Written by Ezekiel Boone
If the Overlook Hotel had an Alexa, you’d have The Mansion.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Written by Victor LaValle
“People who move to New York always make the same mistake. They come looking for magic…and nothing will convince them it isn’t here.”
★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Written by Paul Tremblay
“None of what’s going to happen is your fault…We need your help to save the world”
★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Written by Gemma Files
“It is always midday somewhere in the world…both day and night.”
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Written by Grady Hendrix
Throw up your horns, turn your speakers to 11, and get ready to rock with Grady Hendrix’s newest novel, We Sold Our Souls!
★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Written by Dathan Auerbach.
Knock, Knock!
You open the door.
“Hello there, have you read Penpal? No? Well let me tell you a little bit about it so that you too can accept Dathan Auerbach’s 2012 novel into the horror literature cannon”
