REVIEW: ”Dark Stars” EDITED by John F.D. Taff
This book is a view into diverse worlds and important themes. There are world builders here, and these stories would last you an entire summer if you give them the time they deserve.
Category Archives: Lovecraftian Reviews
Pete Rawlik reviews “MALINAE” by Josh Schlossberg
In some ways, this is an incredible book about growing old with the one you love.
Then things get weird.
I was particularly pleased with the description of two senior citizens struggling against an ocean enraged by both a hurricane and the presence of a nascent elder god.
There are relatively few books in which the elderly function as protagonists, and Schlossberg not only makes you care for the pair of them, but also makes their plight and actions in the face of a personal apocalypse feel perfectly appropriate and natural.
Revisiting Comic’s Horror Heyday with “Roots of the Swamp Thing”
Roots of the Swamp Thing, though it is a horror comic, is one of the most vibrant and colorful collections I own. Though we no longer have Saturday morning cartoons, anytime I have that yearning, I know how to satisfy it. With a solid dose of grimness.
Gou Tanabe Delivers Stunning Manga Adaptations with “H.P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories”
Dark Horse has provided us with a chance to experience the work of a contemporary Japanese master, working at the peak of his form, adapting the work of one of our own beloved past masters.
James Champagne Pens a Love Letter to Providence & Lovecraft with “Harlem Smoke”
HARLEM SMOKE is an ambitious novel. Within its covers one will find eldritch horrors, magical rituals gone horribly awry, serial killers, horrorcore rap, you name it, it’s in there… it is not only an engrossing read but also a manual of great art, literature, music and philosophy wrapped within entertaining covers.
Eric Stener Carlson Delivers Gripping, Intelligent Horror with “Muladona”.
Carlson’s work grapples with larger themes of historical pressures without resorting to the easy relief of societal approved scapegoats and ready made bogeymen. Carlson’s use of separation, be it of time, subject matter, or genre expectations allows him to tread Huysmans’ second highway with ease while engrossing the reader in a compelling narrative.
Avalon Brantley Carries the torch for American Decadence in “Descended Suns Resuscitate”
Avalon Brantley’s work is addictive because it is the combined result of a profound knowledge of humanity’s past, an exquisite prose style and a deep love for the act of storytelling. More than anything it is an all-consuming love of writing that lends its luminosity to DESCENDED SUNS RESUSCITATE.
Levenda Delves Deeper into the Secrets of the Cthulhu Cult with “Dunwich: A Novel”.
These novels stand just slightly off the beaten path awaiting discovery, yet when the right audience stumbles across them and begins to unravel the myriad threads Levenda has woven throughout, a devoted and multi-faceted fanbase will emerge. I’d snatch these hardcovers while you can.
Ramsey Campbell starts the ‘Three Births of Daoloth’ cycle with “The Searching Dead”
To read The Searching Dead is to relax comfortably in the knowledge you are in the presence of a master storyteller at the apex of their craft, one who has studied and absorbed the works of past masters and brings those insights to bear with a thoughtful dignity.
Swan River Press Craft an Object of Physical Beauty with “The Scarlet Soul: Stories for Dorian Gray”
THE SCARLET SOUL is a testament to the love and dedication Swan River Press put into their craft and they should be applauded for the physical allure alone. This is a book one can see becoming an heirloom object. My advice would be to snap up a copy of The Scarlet Soul while they are still available and keep an eye out for future releases by Swan River Press, while their price range is affordable their books are imminently collectible.
Avalon Brantley and Zagava offer a reading experience like few others with “The House of Silence”
I closed THE HOUSE OF SILENCE with a grateful sigh, knowing I would pull it from my shelves again and again with the eagerness I greet a long-lost friend.
Hippocampus Press Fills A Void with “William Hope Hodgson: Voices From Beyond the Borderland”
With WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON: VOICES FROM THE BORDERLAND Hippocampus Press once again proves why they hold such an esteemed position within the world of weird fiction. As I continue through their Library of Criticism I am continuously impressed with the rigorous standards of scholarship, craft and dedication evident within each volume.
Sam Gafford Delivers Otherworldly Terror and Suspense in “Whitechapel”
I recently had a conversation with a friend where we discussed the idea that terror is the emotion one feels preceding an event and horror is the emotion one feels witnessing the effects of that event. Gafford employs both to devastating effect within Whitechapel, building a foreboding sense of malaise and then, most importantly, delivering when called upon.
African Horror Returns with Nuzo Onoh’s “Dead Corpse”
Read Dead Corpse for the wonderful fiction and let its deeper truths settle into your soul.
John Darnielle shows the power of voice within “Universal Harvester”
UNIVERSAL HARVESTER makes one understand prey animals that stand absolutely still as their doom descends — yet all the while as you are experiencing that slow sense of mounting dread and menace you cannot identify, there is still that all pervading wise and reassuring voice.
The Lovecraft eZine 