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The Night Silver River Run Red by Christine Morgan | Review
Oh, holy hell, The Night Silver River Run Red has been the cataclysmic explosion of me falling into a Western Splatter rabbit hole! I’ve written in a previous review that women authors are writing the gory and dark with abandon. It’s in your face, it’s messy and it is completely unapologetic. Surely some things are worth a whipping, right? The opportunity to see the marvels of a travelling show is too much to bypass. Is it worth much more? Being torn to shreds, witnessing bloodshed beyond all their worst nightmares, a sleepy hollow of a town, ran red the gore as much of their history as anything that came before.…
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25 Gates of Hell by Brian Keene |Review
25 Gates of Hell is perpetually locked in the darkness. It is a frank and conclusive investigation of how dark humanity can be. 25 stories from 25 writers, each one steeping into the fires of hell unsure of whether they could escape again. As the title suggests, each story is focussed on the opening of hells gates and the implications upon mankind. Each one is gritty, dark as hell and it kept my black heart beating for a little while longer. 25 Gates of Hell reminded me just why I love Horror short stories. They are quick to the point, devastating to the point of despair and they can display…
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The Hobgoblin of Little Minds by Mark Matthews | Review
The Hobgoblin of Little Minds…just how on earth do you review something of such important magnitude? The implications, the research, and the depth of such a poetic narrative…it blew my mind. This is the type of book that authors spend their entire careers trying to pen. The depth of feeling took it to a higher level, the bar being set with flair and empathy. This is the kind of horror that gets my gears churning, there is nothing more horrifying than the human condition and Matthews handed me a hand grenade. The Hobgoblin of Little Minds was a journey. Get that seatbelt locked in tight because you will suffer whiplash…
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Monster Double Feature| Review
You know that feeling when an author just has a massively high standard right from the off? Ah you do, excellent…you will bear with me while I go off on a tangent about the sheer quality of writing and scare tactics employed from Mark Cassell. I will need to read more of his work sharpish to gauge just how high his bar of excellence stretches to. Whilst reading Monster Double Feature I got an insight into just how far Cassell is willing to go. The research and passion for his stories is obvious right from the kick-off. Each story delivered a swift kick to the genitals, but while wearing steel…
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A Song For The End by Kit Power | Review
Well, well well. Once in a while you pick a book, and it has the ability to knock you straight on your arse! That is exactly what A Song for The End did to me. Kit Power’s writing has the uncanny ability to create a scene and torch it into your memory. Everything was vivid and pulsating and undeniably gritty and dark. A Song for the end introduces us to Bill Cutter. A man that seems to be just going from one bad decision to another. Aged thirty-five and still only a supply teacher, he’s not exactly in a happy relationship and the one thing that gives him joy is…
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Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer | Review
Secret Santa was a mixed bag. A run of bad luck has hit Lussi Myer. She’s behind in her share of the rent, she’s lost her beloved editor role in a publishing house and she needs to find something fast! As you delve into this kind of dark comedy horror you realise that a lot of things aren’t as they seem. She lands the position of Senior Editor in the prominent publishing house of Blackwood-Patterson. Well, of course there is the small matter of her interview going horrendously and the boss taking a heart attack right in front of her. When she arrives at the hospital to visit him, she…
