Week of August 20, 2023 What a week, am I right? I had trouble keeping up with all the amazing releases and I don’t want you to have any either. That’s why I’m here. Every Sunday, to help you out. So, let’s see what was shaking this past week.
MAINSTREAM
SPIN A BLACK YARN - Josh Malerman
Josh Malerman is a master weaver of stories—and in this spine-chilling collection he spins five twisted tales from the shadows of the human soul:
A sister insists to her little brother that “Half the House Is Haunted” by a strange presence. But is it the house that’s haunted—or their childhoods?
In “Argyle,” a dying man confesses to homicides he never committed, and he reveals long-kept secrets far more sinister than murder.
A tourist takes the ultimate trip to outer space in “The Jupiter Drop,” but the real journey is into his own dark past.
In “Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer™,” a trendy married couple buys the latest home gadget only to find themselves trapped by their possessions, their history . . . and each other.
And in “Egorov,” a wealthy old cretin murders a young man, not knowing the victim was a triplet. The two surviving brothers stage a savage faux-haunting—playing the ghost of their slain brother—with the aim of driving the old murderer mad.
THE LONELY LANDS - Ramsey Campbell
The latest bestseller from the ultimate craftsman of the dark fantastic, Ramsey Campbell. Joe Hunter has begun to adjust to the loss of his wife when he hears her calling from beyond, “Where am I?” His urge to help leads him into her afterlife, which is made up of their memories.
Even the best of those is no refuge from the restless dead, and Joe can only lure them away from her. Soon they begin to invade his everyday life, and every journey he makes to find her leaves him less able to return. When her refuges turn nightmarish, he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep her safe…
INDIE
THIS DAMNED HOUSE - Robert Essig
This Damned House is a collection of four novelettes bound with a wraparound story of the strange man who lives in the house upon the hill, forever obsessing over the people of Greenwood Planes.
Clean Freak Growing up in filth can make a clean freak out of anyone, but what can even the most avid housekeeper do against a verminous invasion that seems to come out of nowhere?
Behind the Greasepaint Brazzy the Clown is a drunk. After another abysmal birthday party, she decides to finally commit to killing herself, only she finds that Death doesn’t want her yet.
As I Lay Rotting What happens when a couple of aging goths start to rot from the outside in? Can they get away from the threat at their door that wants their putrid flesh?
Photo-Graphic Content
It started with a picture of his son molesting the family dog. Then more pictures showed up. Then videos. Soon a tight-knit family of four turn on one another as horrific secrets are unveiled.
(un)broken - Mike Ennenbach
life has a way of shattering us, yet through every fracture, a part of us remains (un)broken.
GODLESS
IT WAS ALL A DREAM: AN ANTHOLOGY OF BAD HORROR TROPES DONE RIGHT - Brandon Applegate
Tried and true or done to death? There are plenty of tropes we’d like to see rot in their graves, but they keep coming back from the dead. In this book, horror's most devious minds subvert, reclaim, and double down on what you know too well, giving even the most done-to-death tropes new life. From alien abductions and werewolves to creepy dolls and Lover’s Lane killers, these tropes claw their way back from the grave to take their rightful place in your nightmares. Featuring stories from: Erin Keating, Cormack Baldwin, Eric Raglin, Die Booth, Laurel Hightower, LC von Hessen, Taylor Rae, Lyndon Nicholas, Alex Woodroe, Tom Coombe, Patrick Barb, Nikki R. Leigh, J.V. Gachs, K.A. Wiggins, Madison McSweeney, Helena O'Connor, Belicia Rhea, Angela Sylvaine, Gabino Iglesias, Gemma Files, Erin Brown, Edward Lodi, Drew E. Huff, Danielle Davis, Wendy N. Wagner, and Hailey Piper
GRUESOME FUTURES (TALES TO MAKE YOU VOMIT 4) - editor J. Manfred Weichsel
The librarian is back with her first misanthropic anthology!
When three brave astronauts embark on a trip to the moon, little do they know that a hidden purpose awaits them—an alien signal detected from the moon, shrouded in secrecy to prevent panic on Earth. The lunar module is damaged upon landing, stranding the astronauts on the moon's surface, with no hope of returning home. Determined to fulfill their mission, they follow the mysterious signal to a crater, leading them beneath the moon's surface and into an enigmatic library.
Here they meet the Librarian, a seemingly harmless elderly woman with a nefarious agenda. The bilious bibliosoph has decided to put humanity on trial by forcing each astronaut to read a sickening science fiction book from her liverish library. If just one can read a book without throwing up, the earth will be spared. But each time one of the astronauts gets green around the gills, the librarian will launch, by catapult, a giant rock at the earth, which will, upon impact, cause massive loss of life. As the bizarre book bazaar unfolds, the astronauts face an unsettling realization—the final rock will bring about the destruction of Earth.
Along with the frame narrative by J. Manfred Weichsel, Gruesome Futures features stories by three acclaimed authors renowned for their ability to invoke revulsion, dread, and a dark fascination.
They are:
Misha Burnett!
With a penchant for crafting unsettling narratives, Misha Burnett’s latest tale, It Only Hurts When I Swallow, promises to take you on an emotional journey of grotesque beauty. In this slice of new wave fiction, Burnett’s twisted imagination births scenes of judicial punishment that will be difficult to digest.
Max Gunssler!
Prepare to be ensnared by the putrid pulp of Max Gunssler, for in The R*** and Annihilation of Babe Babylonia, he weaves a story of future professional wrestling that will disturb the depths of your puny human psyche. Gunssler’s uncanny ability to write gonzo, off-the-wall action scenes will leave you breathless, and empty your stomach.
Todd Love!
In The Secret on Subfloor 82 of Serenity Station, Todd Love offers readers an unforgiving plunge into the darkest recesses of the human condition. In this piece of Grimdark MilFic action, Love’s exploration of the grotesque serves as a reflection of our own flawed existence, challenging you to unearth the true horrors that lie within… within your gut, that is.
AUDIOBOOKS
MR. JACOBS VS. DEMONIS CLOWNS FROM THE GREAT BEYOND - Jeff Folschinsky
The doorway to the great beyond has opened at a children's birthday party long enough to possess four party clowns. Driven by the desire to bring their master, the Great Shadow Overlord, into this world, they embark on a bloody quest to find the three keys of the ancients to open the doorway permanently. The only one in their way is the children's paranormal television show host, Mr. Jacobs. Time is running out, though, as these party clowns of doom are getting closer to their final objective: ending all life in this world and ruining Mr. Jacobs's zombie-making vacation to Nantucket.
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