This was my first experience in the wonderful world of Adam Nevill, and it didn’t disappoint. Not. One. Bit.

The Reddening explores the English countryside in a mesmerizing way that truly transports the reader. More than just about any other book I can name off the top of my head, this one opens the pages a little wider and pulls the reader inside. Once in, there’s a plethora of caves and tunnels to explore, but you may not like what you find inside.

Nevill presents horrors that feel other-worldly, but this is the beauty of the set-up. Events (and people) that, on the surface, seem like they could never happen to us are dropped into such a compelling real-life setting that even the bravest of us will be looking around a little bit more at night, unsure of our surroundings, or a little more wary of that inexplicable creak coming from the top floor.

The Reddening is probably best-described as slow burn horror, although when things do kick into gear, it’s positively unrelenting. There is a scene involving Kat, one of the primary protagonists and her boyfriend about halfway through that I can honestly say will be stuck in my head from here on out. There are parts of this novel where you want to look away and Nevill simply won’t let you.

If you like longer novels that take their time to world-build, establish compelling characters, and deliver on the keep-you-up-at night frights, this is the one for you. My wife will be happy that I’ve finished and the cover won’t be gracing my nightstand anymore. This is an easy pick for one of the best books of 2019.

Wesley Southard is a writer whose name I keep seeing, and in the back of my mind, I kept meaning to get to one of his books. When this collection was released, the cover really grabbed my attention, so I gave it a go.

The collection is a bit...uneven. There are a fair few short pieces that really didn’t work for me. Some were due to an unclear tone, mixing humor with splatter, but not necessarily in a cohesive way. Some were flash pieces that might have worked better in a slightly longer form, but that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

So far this is reading like a 1-2 star review, but I went with 3. Why, you ask? A few of the stories were genuinely fun. Arrearages is the ultimate revenge fantasy, and is not for the squeamish. This is actually a case where inserting a bit of humor worked well. Home Invasion was written with Nikki McKenzie, and while it wasn’t a favorite, I did appreciate the way the two authors put their sides of the story together utilizing different locales. Lip Service should not have worked, but there was just something about taking a ridiculous idea and committing wholeheartedly that won me over.

Even if none of the short fiction is for you, the title novella, Resisting Madness, that wraps up the collection is a quick, very enjoyable read. It made me think that I just might enjoy other offerings from Southard in a longer form. This novella is every bit as brutal and gore-filled as the rest of the work, but it adds a bit of heart as well, something conspicuous in its absence from many other stories collected here.

For just a moment, can we step back admire the artistic endeavor that is the cover to Bottled by Stephanie Ellis? Drink it in, pun very much intended. Now onto the chilling vintage within.

This is something of a quiet horror novel, at least until it's not anymore. Our main character is Tyler, who finds himself needing to spend one night in his grandfather's house, as part of a stipulation in his will. We've definitely been down this road before in some way, shape, or form. I anticipated early on that the lion's share would take place during that one night, and Stephanie Ellis would be taking me through a Dickensian series of events to either shape or destroy the protagonist.

The atmosphere that Ellis creates here is bleak and tense, but also very thoughtful. From the outset of Bottled, we understand that Tyler's grandfather was not a good person and the grandfather-grandson relationship is necessarily complicated. As we make our way through the house, we encounter themes of fate, destiny, family, and evil. Our journey is rife with hallucinogenic horror, and leaves us questioning, and at times, doubting our narrator in a way that doesn't resort to tropes revolving around unreliable narrators.

The third act of Bottled doubles down on the grim, dreary tones explored early on. It then leaves the reader with a sense of desolation, as well as some seriously gruesome imagery that will imprint itself upon your psyche. Stephanie Ellis has crafted, top to bottom, a consistent portrait which fits nicely into the sub genre of gothic horror.

I was given an e-book of this title by the publisher for review consideration. 


There has been a lot of discussion in the horror community lately about trigger warnings contained in books labelled as horror. Whatever side of the fence you may fall on, Gemma Amor’s introduction serves as an establishment of theme, as well as notifying readers that potentially troubling subjects will be covered in the stories they are about to read. Amor gives us enough warning that any reader who find themselves wanting to avoid spoilers can get out before they arrive and skip right to the stories.

Personally, I loved the introduction. It caused me to think a little bit deeper about everything I was reading as I went through the collection. There are supernatural elements in some and hints sprinkled here and there in others, but the stories as a whole are very down-to-earth, and very human. Gemma Amor’s illustrations accompanying each story also add a very much appreciated personal touch, and give every entry their own unique character.

“Have You Seen My Dog?” is a strong opening story which makes us think: if we have a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s, are they restored when they pass? On the surface it’s a frightening story, inducing paranoia in the reader who waits for a surprise around every bend.

“Justine” was my favorite story in the collection. This is one of the prime reasons for the introduction Amor wrote, and although I’ve never personally experienced the events the titular character goes through, it’s all too easy to empathize with her plight. The vivid imagery contained on the character’s trip through hell was exceptionally well-detailed and conceived.

“The Strangler” was another favorite. Again, I can only relate from an outsider’s perspective, but having known women who experience postnatal depression, reading about a tangible vision of this depression and anxiety is difficult. Amor reaches into our chest with this one, grabs our heart, and shakes it around a bit for good measure. This is a great example of what I meant earlier when I wrote about causing me to think deeper. This piece brought out some serious feelings in me. I can only imagine how it might affect someone who had experienced it first-hand.

I could write a discourse on every story in this bunch. There’s not a bad one in here, and when a story collection doesn’t have any skips, it’s pretty much an automatic 5 star for me. It’s a rare occurrence. I will highlight some other favorites before I leave you to order it from Amazon or straight from Giles Press, though. “Pure Water” is a quick fun read that reminded me of something from an early Stephen King story collection. “Rat Girl” is a poignant story that gets more empathy out of the reader than the reader might expect to give up. “Heart of Stone” covers a lot of potential themes, and I found myself examining the events of the story in a multitude of ways.

Maybe someday I’ll read something by Gemma Amor and find it worthy of less than 5 stars, but it’s not today.

I was given an e-book by the publisher for review consideration

When Grindhouse released the cover for True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik, it caught the attention of just about everyone in the horror community. Seriously, it’s a thing of genius. Go ahead, scroll back up and look. I’ll wait.

No matter how good the cover, the blurb from Brian Keene, and the synopsis are leading you to believe this book is, it’s better.

True Crime focuses on Suzy, and sets the tone for what she’s been forced to live with up to this point by page 5. It’s not easy to wade through, and it doesn’t get any more palatable as it goes. At its’ heart, this book tells the story of a broken human being. Two kids that have been driven to become monsters, and never had a chance.

At various points throughout the story Suzy, and her brother Lim, make choices that don’t make sense to the reader. Rather than try to put myself in the mindset it might to take to make a similar choice, I accepted that the characters I was following had been dealt a broken moral compass by circumstances in life, and this was not something I’d be able to understand. Honestly, comprehending this concept broke my heart. Littered throughout the book, Samantha Kolesnik provides some creative and telling examples and demonstrations of Suzy’s lack of self worth.

At 143 pages, this is hypothetically a book you could read all the way through in one go, but it’s simply so unrelenting, I needed to put it down around the midway point and digest. It’s fascinating to observe how Kolesnik deals with opportunities for redemption and change, and the character study contained within these pages is of the highest degree of quality.

I anticipate, and sincerely hope, that True Crime is going to be one of the most well-received books of early 2020. If you have not yet pre-ordered a copy, do so immediately. Despite the fact that this book has yet to officially come out as of this writing, I am champing at the bit for the next offering from Samantha Kolesnik.

I received a copy of this book from the author for review consideration.

“Sleep will not come but maybe a little rest”

Bless John Boden for giving us a phonetic pronunciation for the title of this book(Spun-gun-yun), lest I spend the whole experience calling it “Sponge Onion”. Also bless John Boden for pouring his entire heart and soul into every story he puts to page. One imagines that when he’s finished, he must need a cool down period, to let the gears and pistons settle before embarking on another journey.

And this book is a journey, make no mistake. We meet and instantly love Deke, a lifelong trucker who found a perfect woman to settle down with, only to have her life stolen while he’s on the road. Don’t worry, that’s not so much a spoiler as the back-cover synopsis. Deke sets out on a journey (there’s that word again) to find the person responsible for her death and hold her responsible.

This is where the magic happens. Deke must follow a series of clues to help point toward the murderer. The characters who assist him along the way are fantastic. Not meaning just great, though they are that, but fantastic as in, larger-than-life, bordering on mythic. The story takes on something of a bizarro-Tolkien quality in its’ second half.

John Boden is an absolute master of the novella, at least in my experience. Walk the Darkness Down, Out Behind the Barn (written with Chad Lutzke), and Spungunion all fit magnificently into this length. The stories are complete, and although I may have wanted to stay longer, I’ve never once felt like I needed to spend more time to get the full intended impact. The characters are always fully fleshed out, and we’re invested in their outcomes within pages of beginning their course.

My apologies for allowing a review of Spungunion to turn into a review of John Boden, but the point is I will be picking up his other titles because I know I can trust him to tell a phenomenal story with vibrant characters in a world I can lose myself in, if only for an afternoon.

Spungunion is out January 15, 2020.



I received an e-book from the author for review consideration.


I just can't say enough good things about Gemma Amor. Dear Laura was one of the strongest novellas I read last year. Till the Score is Paid was one of the best collections of short fiction to come my way in 2019, and it has some quality competition. Truth is I knew I'd love this before I even opened it.

Grief is a False God is a novelette about 50 pages long, which include gorgeous illustrations by Anibal Santos. The artwork makes opting for the paperback over the e-book an utter necessity. It's a dynamic compliment to Amor's storytelling, and I do hope they'll consider teaming up again.

The content itself is a bit tough to describe. Part of me wants to tell you you're about to read an allegory. There's a lot of depth in the biblical names, meaning behind the character's actions, and of course, Baal, the antagonist. Baal is the stuff of your deepest, darkest nightmares and the depictions as envisioned by Anibal Santos only fuel that that image. As I was saying, you could make a case for allegory, but this is such a very real story with real people.

One thing I loved about Till the Score is Paid was the depiction of how down-to-earth the stories were, and Grief is a False God is just another example of how talented this author is at crafting a story in this vein.

This story is emotional, it's raw, and it's also very scary. Both in the sense of classic horror, and valuing the people around you who mean the world to you. What could be scarier than knowing bad things could happen to your loved ones, and you might be helpless to change the outcome. Grief is a False God captures this exquisitely.