book reviews
Book reviews for horror fans; weather a sleepless night with literary accounts of hauntings, possessions, zombies, vampires and beyond.
Obscure Non-Spoiler Reviews “14″
What I love about this book: It’s neo-Lovecraftian horror that somehow manages to feel very light, like an episode of friends that takes an unexpected hardcore turn into Cthulu-Ville. I also love its ensemble cast of characters who are all compelling in their own ways. Finally, and the biggest reason I love this book, I’m enchanted by the vocal talents of its narrator, Ray Porter, for the audiobook edition—yes, I’m one of those.
By Kevin E Carlson5 years ago in Horror
"A way to Horror Fiction"
Horror is a peculiar genre. If it’s meant purely to scare, then some of the heftier books on this list would have wracked up a body count, terrifying readers to death over 700 pages or more. And what is scary? What might shock one reader is laughable to another. Ghosts, serial killers, great heaving monsters, the loss of self-control, plagues, impossible physics and a creepy clown all figure into our countdown, with entries spanning from the 1800s to the last few years. One (obvious) author makes five(!) appearances, and easily could have qualified for a few more; another has written just one novel during his decades-long career. We narrowed our focus to prose novels, so please don’t ask after The Books of Blood or Uzumaki. And while we kept an eye on the diversity of our featured authors, the inclusion of women, authors of color and queer creators came naturally as we gathered the best of the best. We’re prepared for you to question our choices, we ask only that you leave the chainsaw at home before doing so. Without further ado, we present our choices for the best horror novels of all time.
By shyam sapkota5 years ago in Horror
Who Was (Or Is) Dracula?
Created in 1897, in the novel “Dracula”, Bram Stoker named him “Vlad.” He was the start of the whole horror / vampire ‘world’ in film and thousands have enjoyed being scared to death, reading the novel over and over again. A purely fictional character, the only connection with the ‘real world’ is his name Vlad, which is connected to Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia or Vlad the Impaler.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in Horror
11 YA Vampire Novels That Don't Suck
Vampires just don’t know how to die, do they? Since the 1819 story Vampyre by John Polidori, these fanged bloodsuckers have sunk their teeth into our literary history. As if each reboot ques them to rise from the grave once more and flood our mainstream media. The 2020 release of Stephanie Meyer’s latest novel, Midnight Sun only serves as proof. Within the first week of sales over a million copies were sold, showing how very alive or rather undead Team Edward is.
By Emilia the Bat5 years ago in Horror
Nature Is Terrifying! 3 Horror Books You Should Read This Spring
It’s Spring! For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the weather has started to turn, the flowers are blooming, and the Sun has finally stopped being shy. But if you’re an avid horror fan like me, then all this pleasantness doesn’t stem your desire for dark, creepy, or gory stories. With that in mind, I’ve created a list of excellent horror books you should read in Spring.
By Nancy Driver5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "Earthlings" by Sayako Murata
I have read some pretty disturbing books in my time. From Chuck Palahniuk’s “Haunted” to Bret Easton Ellis’s “American Psycho”, from “The Girl Next Door” by Jack Ketchum all the way back to “120 Days of Sodom” by the Marquis de Sade. These books are some of the more extreme ones I have read. When we come more and more into our own times we see names such as Stephen King, we see names such as Lionel Shriver - author of the traumatising novel “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and we also see the more recent works of Cormac McCarthy. From the Sci-Fi terror of Harlan Ellison to the disturbing love stories of Vladimir Nabokov, Iain Banks, Joyce Carol Oates, V.C Andrews and many more - the world of the psychological thriller is filled with intense stories of absolute horror. But, I have to say that one of the most disturbing things I have read in the last five years has got to be “Earthlings” by Sayako Murata - the author of the famed “Convenience Store Woman”. It is not only a psychological thriller, it is a post-apocalyptic dystopian nightmare, it is a political system which regards itself as an overlord of the planet, it is a fight for survival when one defers from the path given to them. From murder to incest, from cannibalism to rape - this book is quite possibly one of the most disturbing things you will read to date. Her is a tip for doing so: make sure you are not eating anything at the time.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Horror
Reed's Literary Horror Review 'At The Gates of Chaos' (2021) Edited by Scott Dyson.
I think the first thing that was really fetching about this anthology wasn't just the solid collection of stories, but also the fantastic collection of artwork proceeding each story. Kinda gives it the feel of a Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark, except for adults. The artwork was fascinating and I appreciate the added effort.
By Reed Alexander5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "The Dangers of Smoking in Bed" by Mariana Enriquez
“The Dangers of Smoking in Bed” is the second anthology I am reading by Mariana Enriquez and though I would not say it was better than “The Things We Lost in the Fire” - I will have to say that some of the stories inside were somewhat better or just as good. Now, I have read a lot of the gothic in my time and honestly, I cannot remember reading very much of the Latin American Gothic apart from some of the themes within Isabel Allende novels. Mariana Enriquez is a fresh, astounding voice of the new world of the Latin American Gothic and deserves far more recognition than she is getting at the moment. With these anthologies under her belt, she is proving to be a great and grand force of literature that will make for classics of our own times come the future.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "The Last House on Needless Street" by Catriona Ward
I love gothic novels with weird twists. In my time, I have read a lot of gothic crime novels and have managed on some occasions, to guess the twists when they come around. More often than not, I take off marks if I am able to guess the ending and so, beforehand, I always write down my predictions so that I don't change them halfway through the book. When I predicted what was going to be the twist of this book, I thought I was right when I hit about a quarter of the way through. Then I realised I was wrong and finally, by the end of the book I do not think I could have been further from the truth if I had tried. When I say I was terrified, I mean it. I did not get anything right when it came to predicting the twist - not a damn thing. And guess what? I loved it.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "The Dominant Animal" by Kathryn Scanlan
I have read some pretty uncomfortable books in my time, including the infamous short story collection entitled "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk. I've read a lot of Stephen King, Peter Straub, Paul Tremblay and Shirley Jackson. Well, if you took Virginia Woolf's writing style, mixed it with the unease of Stephen King's tension narratives and then reduced the size to a short story and blended in some body horror and psychological distress a la Daphne Du Maurier, you're going to end up with this book by Kathryn Scanlan - "The Dominant Animals". A nod to the culture of the plain uncomfortable, this book is written in the most realist and ordinary of ways. Kind of like what would happen if Hemingway and Bret Easton Ellis made some kind of collaboration (but alas, Hemingway did not live that long). Here is a professional life tip for all of you: make sure you’re not eating anything whilst reading this book. You’re going to have a hard time keeping it in afterwards.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Horror
