Set in the barren hills of the countryside, this sinister dystopian novel is a compelling read that explores the power of words. When everyday life has been thrown to the wind and an existence rooted in violence and survival takes over, The Last Good Man is a gritty look at what happens when a community
George Saunders, lauded for his short stories and winner of the 2017 Man Booker Prize for Lincoln in the Bardo, has been a teacher on the Syracuse University MFA creative writing program since 1997. This book is based on one of his Syracuse courses on Russian literature. A Swim in a Pond includes seven classic
An author that I’ve read a lot of previously in horror anthologies, Israel Finn, releases his very first short story collection and boy was the wait worth it. This collection is truly masterful. I loved everything about this collection. Finn has collated twelve stories that will entertain you, shock you, beat you down and then
Subverting genres and challenging expectations, Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi is the ultimate fantasy-mystery hybrid. The reader gathers information as Piranesi uncovers secrets about himself and the mysterious place he inhabits. Clarke blends classical iconography with a fresh, lyrical prose. The novel is immersive and addictive, and I finished it in just two sittings, struggling to tear
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Zero Saints, in my humble opinion, is just that little bit better than Coyote Songs. I bloody loved Coyote Songs, but this one is just off the chain, crazy good! Please don’t hit me in the face (I know Coyote Songs holds a
Little Paranoias is a short story collection form horror author Sonora Taylor, a collection that is gripping, original and bang on the money for those that prefer the dark slice of horror. What I loved about the collection is that it is a mixture of short stories and flash fiction and this device that is
‘Some people were born just so they could be buried.’ The Devil All The Time is a sprawling, gritty, powerhouse of a book that follows the lives of a handful of characters as they fight to survive in the town of Knockemstiff and the surrounding towns of Ohio and West Virginia. The opening of this
Nocturnal Blood is book one in the Nocturnal series and judging by book one this is going to be one hell of a ride. Nocturnal Blood is a vampire book, no, don’t you shrug your shoulders, it’s not a vampire book about teenage angst and shiny vampires with oiled muscle and chiseled good looks, it’s
Penelope Greensmith, a divorced, cardigan-wearing, lonely bio-librarian, is responsible for a vast seed bank made possible by the mysterious Vice she inherited from her father. One day she receives an unexpected visitor: the charming Horticulturalist, who wants to see her collection. He thinks it could hold the key to stopping a terrible plague, which turns
A mothers grief is something even the devil should fear. This is my first experience of Laurel Hightower and it will not be my last. Crossroads is a sensational, emotionally shredding, grief riddled nightmare of a book. The story is one that will affect you for long after reading (whether you are a parent or
