This anthology is great because not only did it introduce me to a bunch of new authors, but it introduced me to the HOWL Society (the "Horror-Obsessed Writing and Literature" society) which I'm very excited to learn more about - and maybe join one day??

Man, what a fun collection of stories! There is so much variety presented here (body horror, sci-fi horror, folklore, occult/cults, cosmic horror, hilarious horror, demons, monsters, evil twins, etc). Seriously, there's definitely something for everyone here - and luckily for me almost all of it worked! It just seemed like everyone involved had a great time writing these twisted tales, and their enthusiasm and creativity spills from the pages.

And speaking of the writers, it was awesome getting to meet a huge cast of new (to me) authors! Lots of talent here for sure. Oh, and several of the authors also provide illustrations for the stories which were so cool! Like I said, lots of talent.

I really did enjoy most of these stories, but some stand out ones for me were:

"Manufactured Gods" by P.L. McMillan - an epic blend of sci-fi horror, tech horror, and Egyptian mythology where a group of scientists go to explore the ruins of Earth and find a truly unsettling monster deep below ground.

"Red Punch Buggy" by B.O.B. Jenkin - at first read I found it to be a funny and disturbing little tale, but it has since burrowed into my brain and I can't stop thinking about it. Much like Scott Cole's Crazytimes, it uses humor mixed with shocking violence to wonderful effect.

"A Fistful of Murder" by Lindsey Ragsdale - a story about a man who finds a dollar bill with the word KILL written on it, and every time he looks at it he is forced to do just that. It's a simple idea but structured and played out beautifully.

"Suspended in Light" by Alex Wolfgang - another one that got under my skin and I can't stop thinking about. Creepy story of a women reviewing old film reels and unleashing a haunting force. I didn't fully understand the ending, but I enjoyed the ride.

Review coming soon!

My own mortality was never on my mind as a child. Exuberance and life to the fullest for me. But the older I get the more I think about getting old. My own aging is disconcerting to me, but it doesn't hold a candle to the disturbing contents of Mark Towse's creepy debut novella.

Although I have fond memories of my grandparents, there is something subconsciously unnerving about old people. Here the fear of aging and the elderly is taken to the extreme. The story plays out mostly through the eyes of a 12 year old boy, trapped for the night in a suburban community where his Nana resides. There is something very wrong with residents, but the author allows the mystery to build until it reaches a breaking point in the final act. The book cycles through a large cast of characters in a relatively short amount of time, but I never felt lost or confused. Towse does a great job of painting them each with their own personalities and quirks. He also does a great job of describing the aging process in excessively gross ways. Thanks for the queasy stomach Mark!

I loved the restrained pacing of this one. It takes its time introducing you to the main characters as we follow the boy on his paper route around the community. Then we head off to a certain "community event" and that's when things really get wild. There are some moments that drag a little, but they are punctuated with enough shock and hilarity (seriously, laughed out loud in parts) that it didn't bother me too much. And the story builds to a climactic scene that simply has to be read to be believed. So get reading!

Review coming soon!

“I cover my head not because I am ashamed, forced, or hiding. But because I am proud and want to seen as I am.”

This book is a great example of why I love YA lit as well as novels written in verse!

Other Words for Home is a story told in six parts, as we see the character move through the spectrum of Changing, Arriving, Staying, Hoping, Growing, and Living. Jude is a 7th grader who has recently immigrated from Syria to America with her mother, and it's both heartbreaking and eye-opening seeing the world from her perspective. Seeing how she feels about the father and brother she's left behind, how she feels about her American family she is meeting for the first time, and how she feels about struggling to find her identity as a young women but also as a Muslim living in America. Jude's story made me feel the full range of emotions - from joy to hurt to anger to peace - and I loved every page of it.

The writing is easy to read and imagine what's happening, but in its simplicity hides deep complexity and significant insight. Many of Jude's brief observations about people and the world around her gave me pause as I considered the powerful truths contained therein. These nuggets of wisdom are scattered throughout a story that is compelling and engaging. I also appreciate that the author blends in a mix of Arabic words, phrases, and proverbs, and I also appreciate the glossary at the back of the book to help me understand said words.

Though it's ostensibly geared towards a younger audience, Other Words for Home is absolutely a book worth diving into for readers of all ages!

There was a lot to like here, all crammed in under 100 pages. Witchcraft, vengeance, vultures, diverse characters, and a cultural perspective actually written by an author of color. It’s fast-paced and occasionally very brutal, but it’s also sprinkled with character development and poignant moments.

For me there just wasn’t enough to fully stick the landing. The synopsis seems to promise an epic story, and I feel like we just got the highlights. In fact, when it really started getting interesting is also right when it decided to end. I certainly liked what I read, but I definitely wanted more!

Sidebar: still loving these covers by @justintcoons

What have you done today to deserve your eyes?

Eric LaRocca has a way with words that I find disturbing, enthralling, and endlessly enjoyable to read. He's easily an auto-buy author for me, and he's just getting started!

With this story Eric turns his talents to the epistolary form; a medium that is underutilized, likely because it's so hard to get right. I mean how well can one create complex characters, inspire awe and dread in the reader, and convey a full range of emotions only through written correspondences (in this case emails and chat messages)? In this case, the answer is VERY well. Very well indeed.

The basic premise is that one character is wanting to sell an antique apple peeler, and the other character is an interested buyer. What follows is a tale of loneliness, codependency, and sadism that starts out innocently enough and turns into something truly horrific by the end. Eric takes his time with the pacing, allowing us to really get to know these characters and be pulled into their web of communication. And the times he shows restraint from graphic details only serve to make the times he doesn't that much more disgusting and alarming. Seriously, there is one scene in particular where I almost put the book down.

I loved this story, loved the way it was written, loved these sad characters, and loved the disturbing twists along the way. Highly recommend!

This book is both exactly what I thought it wanted it to be, but also so much more than that.

What I wanted: a tense and fun creature feature involving gigantic worms that eat people. That box is checked for sure.

What I got instead: the giant worms are there, but so are well-developed characters I actually cared about, as well as slower-burn beginning for world building and suspense. The book also takes a turn in the second half that I was NOT expecting. No spoilers, but my jaw literally dropped open when I realized where it was going, and I immediately messaged several people I know who've read the book so I could gush about it. Like the book is instantly elevated from amazing to top 10 reads of the year.

I absolutely love the post-apocalyptic setup for this book. One day it started raining and then it never stopped. Such a simple yet chilling premise. The book starts some 40 days in after the rain began, and is written from the perspective of an elderly man named Teddy. Like any good creature feature we're given unnerving scenes of mysterious incidents to build up to the terrifying reveal of the mammoth worms. It's so creepy, and at the same time it does such a good job of populating the story with multi-faceted and engaging characters.

Like I said, the book takes some turns that shocked and surprised me. It also does a good job of pulling back the curtain some to show destruction on a global scale, while also shrouding the life-altering events in mystery to keep you guessing. It's not necessarily a "fast-paced" read, but it never stops moving and there are plenty of scenes involving intense action and suspense to keep the pages turning. This is my first book by Brian Keene, though I've always known him to be an author whom many consider a master in the field of horror. After reading this I can certainly see why, and I will definitely be seeking out more of his work!

I'm a huge fan of science fiction and a decent fan of murder mysteries, and I'm beginning to realize how much I enjoy the merging of these two genres. For me Dead Space contained a lot of what I liked about both genres, and only a little of what I don't care for as much.

In terms of science fiction: it has the futuristic setting, the multi-planet spanning plot, the space stations and outer space exploration, the fusing and man and machine, and the excitement of artificial intelligence.

In terms of murder mysteries: it has, well, the mysterious murder, the cast of suspicious characters, the red herrings, the betrayals, and the numerous twists and turns.

The author does a good job of developing the characters and building the world(s) around them. I especially liked the Protagonist (a brilliant scientist-turned-lowly-security officer who struggles with her past defining her future), the Investigator (an calm and commanding Martian with a complex past I would love to learn more about), and the Lawyer (a disagreeable rich boy who actually has a heart of gold, er maybe bronze).

The book also engages with a lot of interesting concepts, including unchecked capitalism, corporate enslavement, scientific exploration, and the pros/cons of artificial intelligence. Even being set so far in the future, it felt a little too close to home with its portrayal of greedy, insensitive corporations and Earth as an uncouth antagonist of other worlds and species.

My main complaint is the overwhelming amount of exposition. Though a lot of the details relate to the characters and the setting, they still came across as bloated and overdone. Exposition is par for the course with science fiction, but here it just felt like much too much. Also, I had some minor quibbles with comically overdone action sequences involving robotic spiders.

Overall there's a lot to like here, from the compelling characters to the scenes of brutal violence to the surprising plot twists. There's also a nice bit of representation of the LGBTQ+ community and persons with disabilities, which was refreshing. It's a character-driven space murder mystery with elements of horror, and the second half especially had my flying through the pages.

(3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads)

Set in modern day Vancouver, THE DREGS is about one homeless man’s quest to find out why homeless people have started disappearing. Hooked on drugs and obsessed with detective stories, Marlowe finds himself caught up in a spiral of seedy characters and horrifying revelations.

The writing is smart, nuanced, and loaded with subtext. With a provocative concept and a sprawling storyline, the comic is based in real world issues but painted over with a darkly satirical brush. Coined as “the first homeless meta noir,” it’s a literary blend of Jonathan Swift, Raymond Chandler, and Warren Ellis (oh, and a dash of Bazterrica’s Tender is the Flesh