book reviews
Book reviews for horror fans; weather a sleepless night with literary accounts of hauntings, possessions, zombies, vampires and beyond.
Sophie Draper - 'Cuckoo' (Book Review)
Despite being released to largely positive reception in late November 2018, I only came across this book by accident. Scrolling through AmazonUK looking for new books, or anything that took my fancy. Down to £2 for the paperback delivered to my door, I thought why the hell not.
By Tom Sturtridge6 years ago in Horror
The Greatest Ghost Stories Ever Written
Ghost stories are often called some of the scariest pieces of writing of all time, and they make up a great majority of the horror genre. Written from the beginning of literature onwards, people have always been interested in the movements of those who are already gone and have written many stories for and about them. Some are based on real experiences, some are completely fictitious (well, you better hope they are) and some have grounding in historical or fantastical realities.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Horror
Stephen King's 'Doctor Sleep'
Stephen King's Doctor Sleep: A Book Review "Dig if you will, this picture..." (Prince—"When Doves Cry") A loner with amazing powers but a dark and tragic past finds himself the unlikely mentor and protector of a young girl with powers similar to his own. Now he is in a race against time to fend off an evil organization who wants the girl and others like her for their own nefarious ends.
By Michael Bauch6 years ago in Horror
100 Horror Books to Read for the Halloween Season
Halloween is right around the corner and, with the holiday season presenting many spooks, I think it’s good to remember the literature that can also scare the living hell out of us too. There are many ways I like to celebrate Halloween, and one of them is by reading and re-reading some of my favourite scary reads on the way up to the special day. Others ways I like to celebrate are watching scary films and making some seasonal bakes such as things pumpkin flavoured and biscuits normally containing dark chocolate, raisins and toasted nuts. I’ve always been a big fanatic of Halloween because I love dressing up even if I’m not going anywhere. I like to make cookies and give them creepy aspects. Last year, I made my brother a cookie shaped and decorated like the Slenderman. Anyways, this list is meant to be a bit of fun, so we’ll go through one hundred books you can read to celebrate this holiday season. I’ll talk about ones that are particularly special to me. Before you ask, I only ever include books I’ve actually read myself in lists like this, so you can talk to me about any one of them if you’re having a hard time choosing (I don’t blame you because they’re all so good). I’ll mark some of my favourites with a (*) as well, so make sure you look out for them! Oh, and lastly, these books are in no particular order either.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Horror
Reed Alexander's Horror Review of 'The Second Shred' (2019) by DLW, Published Through MHP
DLW never fails to grab me by the balls and drag me kicking and screaming though her writing. I'm never sure if she's intentionally fucking with the audience, or if her writing is just naturally chaotic/evil and reading it causes insanity.
By Reed Alexander7 years ago in Horror
Author Spotlight: Frank LoProto
It came from 1954. The beast of Sunny Florida. The thing from another world. No, these aren’t movie titles. They’re proper introductions for the first of many authors I hope to spotlight. He’s a horror factory from the East Coast, a lover of the supernatural, and a master of the written word. While you will know him as Frank LoProto, I call him dad. It may sound corny to spotlight a relative, but as I still struggle to find myself as a writer, it seemed appropriate to start this series off with an individual that means so much to my own career.
By Mark LoProto7 years ago in Horror
Horror in a 'Heart Shaped Box'
As an avid reader, I can easily go through three or four books a week, particularly during the summer months, and this particular book came into my possession as an impulse buy at my local second hand market. I had never heard of the author, or the title before, however while the brief synopsis on the back cover gave little away, the contrasts between the basic plot and the seemingly innocuous title—Heart Shaped Box—was enough to get my attention to give Joe Hill's debut novel a try.
By Becky Jimenes7 years ago in Horror
The Best Horror Writers of All Time
Who Are the Best Horror Writers? Most fans of horror writing would agree that one of the best horror authors of all time is Stephen King. King has written more than 58 full novels and hundreds of short stories that have enjoyed for decades, ever since his first published novel, Carrie, arrived on the scene in 1973. Despite being his fourth actual novel, it was the first one put out by a significant publisher and received high marks from critics and readers. King has won countless awards and prizes for his writing. He is often called the “King of Horror.” Several of his novels have been turned into big-screen hits, as well.
By Donald Jefferson7 years ago in Horror
'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley (Pt. 3)
The first text we're going to use is a controversial one. Heart of Darkness was written by Joseph Conrad in the year of 1899. There are multiple quotations in the text that suggest that Marlow has a lot more control over the narrative than Frankenstein in his text. Frankenstein's motives are controlled by his emotions, this can change events and retellings of other people's stories. Whereas, Marlow is able to control the emotions of others using the story. The most notable of these incidents is when he tells Mrs. Kurtz what Kurtz's last words were; of course, he doesn't tell her the truth and says that he said his wife's name instead of "The Horror! The Horror!"
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Horror
'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley (Pt. 2)
"During this short voyage I saw the lightning playing on the summit of Mont Blanc in the most beautiful figures. The storm appeared to approach rapidly, and, on landing, I ascended a low hill, that I might observe its progress. It advanced; the heavens were clouded, and I soon felt the rain coming slowly in large drops, but its violence quickly increased… While I watched the tempest, so beautiful yet terrific, I wandered on with a hasty step."
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Horror
