"The Revolution will have your heart - and all of it - or it will have none of it"

Open to almost any spot in Gautam Bhatia's speculative sci-fi novel The Wall, and you will find language that is both beautiful and heartbreaking. The entire book is filled with a strong sense of yearning amidst entrapment, and prose like poetry pours from the pages. The story, the characters, the conflicts - all feel timeless and yet incredibly timely.

The city of Sumer is enclosed by a massive Wall, and for 2,000 years no one has gone out or come in. Mithila, obsessed with knowing what lies beyond, resolves to breach the Wall with a band of like-minded companions. Unfortunately, there are many in the city who like life just the way it is, with its laws and hierarchies, and will do anything to stop her.

This is a story of layers, both in the complexities of the plot and in the world that Bhatia is building for us. It's a little confusing at first to keep it all straight. So many character names, rival factions, organizational features to the city, and so on. But thankfully the author provides a detailed map and character list at the beginning of the book, which were very helpful. And once you get a few chapters into the story it all starts to stick, and suddenly I found myself fully immersed. Bhatia does a fantastic job with this immersion, interspersing the main narrative with songs, poems, quotes, manuscript excerpts, and side stories - all from the history/culture of the world he has created. It made me think of RPGs like Skyrim (although obviously without the "open world" concept haha), where you're constantly coming across items/texts which reveal additional details that help flesh out the world.

I absolutely love the main character Mithila, whose passion is infectious and whose desire for truth, knowledge, and freedom is deeply relatable. I rejoiced in her successes and cried out in frustration at her setbacks (side note: I also appreciate the inclusion of same-sex relationships where the emphasis is entirely on the relationship and not the fact that it's same-sex). There are a lot of great side characters as well, but Mithila will always have my heart as we are kindred souls of a kind.

Honestly, because there is so much going on in this book I could write pages for this review. To put it briefly: the characters are compelling, the mythology/lore is intriguing, the concept of the city is unique, and even though there's a lot of political subplots and meetings-in-forums they are never boring (actually, for someone who normally doesn't care for such, I was super engaged during those moments). The ending of the book is both perfect and perfectly frustrating (as epic cliffhangers go), but from what I understand this is just the first part of a larger story and I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Massive thanks to the author for sending me a copy all the way from India in exchange for an honest review!

I really love the set up of this story! It has many of the classic coming-of-age tropes, but it revisits them with a queer ghost story twist. Our narrator is a shy, quiet teen who works at a vintage clothing store and has yet to experience a romantic relationship. One night while walking home he chances upon the ghost of a dead high school boy, and a supernatural bond is formed. The ghost becomes his first crush, his first kiss, his first lusty encounter. He's falling in love, but the ghost may have more sinister motivations...

Berman does an excellent job capturing the naive awkwardness of young love/lust, and the turmoil of emotions that one experiences in their teenage years. So many moments in the story had me flashing back to my own high school years (especially those mentions of Hot Topic haha), and the characters are very realistic and believable. The narrator and most of the supporting cast are written with a great sense of empathy and sensitivity to their hopes and fears.

Though it's a love story of boy-meets-ghost, I honestly wasn't expecting many scares. While it's true that much of story focuses on the drama, there are some parts that are quite dark and, to my pleasant surprise, quite terrifying. When the relationship between the narrator and the ghost takes an unexpected turn, I was constantly on edge, skin crawling, for the next moment the ghost would pop up and what would happen next. And that scene with the baby doll and the bounding thing in the cemetery? Creepy stuff.

My only complaint is that the story meanders a lot, especially in the middle and second half. I didn't necessarily mind all of the subplots, but the book loses some momentum and I kept wanting to get back to the main story line. Thankfully it returns at the end for a climax that is tense and emotionally charged.

Vintage has great characters, a unique plot, and an underlying creepiness that rears its head in several scenes. I really enjoy Berman's writing style. It is easy to fall into the story and the head of the narrator. Despite some tangents, the overall story is compelling and deeply moving. Certainly a recommendation for fans of ghost stories, coming of age, and queer representation in literature!

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Ice Cream Man, Vol 2 manages to retain the many elements that worked so well in the first volume while simultaneously expanding and improving on them. The result is a collection of stories that are vicious and horrifying to behold, and yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away. From its startling opening to its shocking finale, this next volume in the series is a thrilling and unforgettable experience. In fact, as soon as it concluded I scoured the pages again to discover any clues I may have overlooked concerning the engaging overarching narrative. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: the Ice Cream Man should be a pop culture icon in horror comparable to the likes of Freddy Kreuger or Pinhead, and I cannot wait to see where his story goes in the third volume!

Full review available at Beyond the Veil (https://gobeyondtheveil.co.uk/comics/icecreamman-vol2-review)!

Wow, this is only my second favorite book by Janz and I can already tell he’s going to be one of my favorites. He has such a clear, vivid, and easy writing style. Plenty of tension, scares, gruesome violence, and humor. If there were any deficits I blew right past them because I was having so much fun!!

The story immediately throws you immediately into the inciting incident and the craziness just continues to build from there. Basically our protagonist Joe stops a lady from beating her small child at a gas station. Said lady stalks him and eventually commits an act of self-immolation. Unfortunately for Joe she was tied up in a deadly fire cult, and now they have their sights on Joe and his family for their next “ceremony”.

The story is perfectly paced, with plenty of tense and creepy moments. The scene in the Black Chapel had me biting my nails. And it all leads up to an explosively violent and terrifying climax. Like seriously violent. Dismembering, maiming, bloody mayhem. Does it fit the tone of the rest of the book? I don’t really care, because it’s AWESOME.

Also the characters are fabulous. Joe is the father and husband I aspire to be, and his playful banter/budding friendship with the police chief is great. His wife Michelle is pretty awesome as well. And the rest of the cast sucks because pretty much everyone is a part of this freaky cult

Took a chance with this debut collection because it was getting some major hype online, and it did not disappoint! Allow me to add to the hype haha.

First of all, I desperately want to read more works by indigenous authors, so when I saw this was an indigenous horror collection I immediately locked in. Not saying that's the only reason to read it, but it is very cool how the author's research and insight into indigenous customs, beliefs, and current realities influences all six of the stories here. I also LOVE when authors include story notes on their inspiration/development of the various stories, and so I was excited when I saw Shane Hawk includes those at the back of the collection.

Anoka is a small Minnesotan city that has been called the "Halloween Capital of the World". All six of the stories are set in this city and focus mainly on members of the Dakota, Ojibwe, and Lakota nations. Despite all being set in the same location, I really enjoyed the variety of horror subgenres represented here (eco-terror, witchcraft, demonic changelings, ancestral ghosts, vicious werewolves, and so on).

Here is a brief look at each of the stories presented in this collection:

"Soilborne" - Extremely short and unsettling story told from the perspective of new parents; eco-horror and shocking twist ending.

"Wounded" - A man is haunted by the death of his sister and, in his descent into pills and booze, finds a strange book in his grandfather's shed; haunting look at loss and grief with a demonic/Necronomicon spin.

"Orange" - Narrator is suffering from loss and dealing with depression; great voice but more journal entry style and less of an actual story; cool line from the guy who keeps knocked out teeth from fights he wins "I earned those teeth".

"Imitate" - Something is wrong with Tate, and as his father begins to notice the changes things quickly spiral out of control; super creepy opening and a shocking ending; a demon possession/changeling tale.

"Dead America" - Chaska, an established memoir writer in the native community, is struggling with writer's block and terrifying spider-filled nightmares when he is suddenly visited by his long-dead grandfather; topics of heritage, identity, and spiritualism; super gross and frightening scenes with spiders infesting one's body (awful for someone who hates spiders); possibly my favorite from the whole collection though!

"Transfigured" - An intriguing werewolf story with underlying questions about gender and queer identity; also, vicious and violent.

As with pretty much all short story collections, some stories work better than others. I will say that all of them have left a strong impression in my mind though, and weeks later I'm still thinking about them. Author Shane Hawk has a strong and vivid writing voice, and he writes every story in a way that is easy to fall into and enjoy. This is such a great debut, and I cannot wait to read what Hawk writes next!

This story starts with a bang (literally) and is paced like wildfire, zipping through a tale of a young girl's burning fury being unleashed upon the world. Ruby's traumatic past haunts her still, and all she wants to do is see the world burn. She is the girl on fire, and her killing rage is both righteous and overwhelmingly destructive. Unfortunately for those around her it is only going to escalate.

I understand Ruby's pain, but after a few chapters I was afraid she was just going to be this angry, unstoppable force for the whole book (which, honestly, would become tedious). Thankfully the author begins to switch things up more in the second half. We begin to see cracks in Ruby's tough exterior. She briefly finds companionship, allowing us to see a more vulnerable side. Something is starting to go wrong with her awesome powers. And so on. All of these aspects add engaging layers to what could have just been a straight-forward revenge story, and they're what elevated this book to the next level for me.

There are also hints at a larger world of super human beings and unnatural oddities. These brief glimpses are a welcome addition, but unfortunately that's all we get. I absolutely need a sequel to this book, and it's certainly set up for one. In fact, no spoilers, but I loved the way this ended. It's a nice blend of tragedy and redemption.

Overall I really enjoyed this novella. I love the quick pace and laser-focused writing style, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice variety of perspectives. Some of my favorite chapters are ones told from other character's POVs, and seeing Ruby's destructive force from an outsider's eyes added an interesting dimension to the storytelling. There pretty much has to be a sequel, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Knocked this out in about an hour and really enjoyed it! Biggest takeaways for me, and what made this so great, are the edge-of-your-seat suspense and the wonderfully detailed imagery of the setting. This is a short read, and after a big of exposition it rips along at a break-neck pace. I was constantly fearing for the safety of our leads, and the author does an excellent job of ratcheting up the tension and the gore!

I also really enjoyed the setting of the summer camp (classic horror fare). The story did a great job of putting me right there in the moment and helping me picture exactly what was happening. Especially that scene in the dark pit of the amphitheater...oh man. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. I believe I was also having flashbacks to Boy Scott camp (which were less bloody, but sometimes just as horrifying).

The plot is fairly routine, which is mostly why I knocked off a star, but that doesn't make it any less fun. Reminds me of a blend of camp slashers, a little of Cabin Fever, and definitely some of Sean Seebach's THE BUCK STOPS HERE. All in all it was a blast to tear through and I would definitely recommend it!

In classic Junji Ito form, this story starts crazy and just continues to escalate in insanity from there. The fast approach of mysterious planet Remina, as it swallows stars and planets alike in its path to earth, actually filled me with a deep sense of dread. The fever and paranoia of the people nearing doomsday was thrilling and unnerving. I was terrified for Remina (the girl) and for what was ultimately going to happen to the planet.

As far as artwork goes, the story isn't as horrifying as some of Ito's other work, but it's certainly bizarre. Actually "bizarre" as a descriptor works pretty well for most of the chapters. Like, there's a moment when the hell planet is licking earth so hard it's spinning and the characters begin to float as gravity disappears. Bizarre.

It actually reminded me a little of Uzumaki in how the events are affecting so many people and how the story turns into people bounding miles through the air towards the end haha. Uzumaki is hands down a better story overall though. This one felt a little too short and falls a little flat in some areas. Too many questions go unanswered/unexplained. But even being one of the lesser works of Ito that I've read (so far) it is still very much worth your time reading.

3.5 stars, rounded up for Goodreads. Thanks to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! This collection of stories is fantastic! The five stories are billed as "slice of life horror" and I love that description. Basically each story has characters and circumstances that are very realistic and it deals with them in a very authentic way, while also adding in a heavy layer of dread and/or outright terror. It's real world issues mixed with otherworldly horrors, and I'm so down for it. Below is a brief rundown of each story (kept very short as to hide spoilers).

"The Girl in the Fields" - Frankie is growing up on a farm and her parents don't understand her lesbianism. She meets a girl on the other side of the fence, but we only see her eye through a hole in the board (it's crazy how much emotion can be drawn from a single eye). She ends up climbing the fence, and what happens next completely shocked me. No spoilers, but if you're familiar with the boneless haint from the series Harrow County there is a bit of that here.

"Mattress, Used" - Christina, stressing with college and life, finds a mattress on the side of the road. Despite her roommate's warnings she brings it home, and some gross, freaky body horror ensues. Again, surprising stuff and left me feeling a bit sick to my stomach.

"The Boy From the Sea" - A young girl named Nia is playing on the beach when she meets a young boy named Gregory. He shows her how to do magic with the water, but Nia's older sister doesn't approve of him. The perspective then switches to that of the older sister as she tries in vain to reconnect with and protect her younger sibling. The ending is dark, cold, and left me hurting.

"Our Lake Monster" - A family has a monster living in the lake out back that years ago brought them fame and fortune, but has now grown too big and dangerous. The daughter feels like she still has a connection with the beast, and one night she takes her little brother out in a boat to meet it up. The next scene had me gasping in horror, and the second half of the story goes real brutal real quick.

"Kindred Spirits" - An old woman lives alone in a remote area and is visited one night by a voiceless bog woman (i.e. someone who died out in the bog). She befriends the creature and the next night more bog women show up to her house. It's a very bittersweet story, wit the old woman realizing she's afraid of dying alone and, because no one wants to be with her, finds solace in the company of these strange figures.

Each story in the collection was a five star read for me! They all got under my skin and creeped me out in different ways, and they all ended with a punch to the gut (usually an emotional one at that). I don't even think I can pick a favorite. And I really liked the black and white art style. It's somewhat like Junji Ito, but less bizarre and with more heart and humanity. This is the first time I've read anything by Abby Howard, and now I want to read everything she's done!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you’re a fan of the survival horror sub-genre then this book is definitely for you! But even if you’re just a fan of horror in general I guarantee you’ll find things you like here.

Editor Aric Sundquist (also owner of the publisher Dark Peninsula Press) writes in the introduction how he loved the glory days of survival horror video games and was wondering if the sub-genre would translate well to story form. Well, I’m happy to report it very much does!

There are twelve stories here, all fairly different in terms of plot and horrors (aliens, sentient robots, monsters, murderers, the apocalypse, etc). Honestly I don’t think I rated any story less than four stars, but here are some stand outs for me:

⭐️”Luminescence” by Scotty Milder (@scottypotty2317)
A few months into a sea monster apocalypse; beautifully descriptive, unnerving, and gory cosmic-type horror

⭐️”Puzzled Pieces, Locked-in Places” by Amelia Gorman
A woman trapped alone in a blizzard fights for survival against beings made of ice and light; terrifying in its imagery and incomprehensibility

⭐️”Rhapsody in Flesh” by Maggie Slater
A woman is trapped in the sleeping quarters of a space station while a ghastly, multi-limbed alien tries to get in; traces of The Thing

⭐️”Midnight, Off Arkansas River Trail” by Eric J Guignard (@eric_j._guignard)
Three friends cross the wrong old lady in the remote nighttime woods; a fast-paced and vicious possession story

⭐️”The Artist and the Muse” by Jay Wilburn (@amongthezombies)
In a post-apocalyptic setting, a mysterious “artist” is leaving “gifts” for a woman in the form of horrifically mutilated (and often intertwined) human and animal bodies; like the most disturbing of Clive Barker tales, it’s a story so vividly unsettling you just have to read it yourself to fully understand

From looking at the number of reviews online I can tell this book is grossly underrated and unread by many, and I’m hoping this changes over time. Seriously, check it out! There are stories here that will haunt me for years to come