J-F. Dubeau has firmly established himself as a skilled practitioner of the long form. To hold multiple narrative threads together at length without losing the reader or sacrificing rhythm is no small feat, as any writer can tell you. The artfulness with which he slips the reader into this rich tale of darkness and magic… Continue reading Review: A God In The Shed by J-F. Dubeau
WHY I WRITE HORROR by Israel Finn I’ve always wanted to tell stories. I remember when I was about seven and sitting on the floor with my best buddy, Mark Benningfield. Our trusty GI Joes were there between us, their expressions remaining calm and resolute even in the face of certain death. I recall Mark… Continue reading Guest Blog: Author Israel Finn
Visceral and unsettling, A Life of Death is an artfully developed novel featuring many relevant themes in regard to young adult readers. The nature of life and death is explored, as is the horror of physical/emotional abuse, the importance of family, and the meaning of grief. Through our narrator, Alex, who finds himself gifted with… Continue reading Review: A Life of Death by Weston Kincade
Mind-rape is perhaps the most fitting description of this book. Ms. Runge holds nothing back as she walks the line between poetry and pornography. (I was reminded of "Heat" by Denis Johnson - "...this exhaustion mutilated to resemble passion...") Here we explore the haunted nature of lust, focused at a remove through a desperate lens… Continue reading Review: Seeing Double by Karen Runge
A dark tour de force, The Infernal Clock offers up twenty-four devilishly twisted explorations into the nature of madness, abomination, death, limbo, and Hell. Featuring a top notch lineup of diverse, seasoned voices, the collection deserves a high place among the most promising efforts of 2017. Sporting not only a novel concept for an anthology,… Continue reading Review: The Infernal Clock
Writing effective, evocative short stories is a challenge for any writer, no matter the genre—but one can argue that it is exceedingly difficult for the writer of horror. There is a certain amount of requisite detail, a balanced level of development in regard to mood and setting that is key to successfully drawing a reader… Continue reading Review: Dreaming At the Top of My Lungs
Reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s work. Hitchman is fluent in the language of mood and emotion, a deep wellspring of feeling bubbling up through her rich, lustrous prose. One feels at home in the writing, which displays a great depth of understanding in regard to psychology and interpersonal relationships. Indeed, so much of Hitchman’s power lies… Continue reading Review: Child of Winter by T.R. Hitchman
A deep, dark dive into the bitter moat of the soul. Peel Back the Skin offers fifteen tales of physical and spiritual degradation that shed terrible light on the darkest reaches of the reader’s psyche. Here the line between justice and revenge is blurred, the guilty and the innocent alike executing their black designs. Unreliable… Continue reading Review: Peel Back the Skin
This is a truly dark concept for an anthology, and for someone who’s struggled with his own addictions over the years it was a nightmarish walk down memory lane. I will admit I was unfamiliar with most of the artists in the collection, save for Jack Ketchum and John F.D. Taff—I knew Mr. Taff from… Continue reading Review: Garden of Fiends
I can taste the talent! Five deliciously twisted and varied voices united by one truly chilling refrain make up this thrilling and highly original collection of modern horror. Artists will know that the moment of inspiration can come at anytime, anywhere—as simple as hearing a snippet of hushed conversation, catching a fleeting glimpse of something… Continue reading Review: I Can Taste the Blood
Dark Hall Press 