In this autofiction novel, Carolina Setterwall takes us on an intense, breath-taking journey through grief, motherhood, and love. This is a gut-wrenching novel which – on more than one occasion – left me close to tears and eager to cement those relationships that I have let drift away. Yet pity or sadness aren’t the only
This book quite literally blew me away, knocked the wind out of my lungs and had me crawling amongst my tattered dreams of wanting to be a writer – because, you see, Bryan Washington is the writer I want to be. Washington delivers a beguiling collection of intimate portraits of the lost and silenced voices
It must be difficult to write a short story, especially if you’re used to writing big blockbusters, such as these renowned authors: Jeffery Deaver, Val McDermid and Lee Child to name a few. Keeping the plot tight, but still trying to offer the reader the suspense and thrill of a longer form but tightly woven
An impressive debut novel that sees reality and fantasy entwine, Something Like Breathing proves that Readman has what it takes to produce a distinctive, full-length piece of work. However, her background as a short story writer features prominently throughout the book; each word, each image, each scene and minor character, has a heartfelt purpose. No
The Case of the Giant Carnivorous Worm (CGCW hereafter) is that rare breed of thing in the horror genre: an action comedy that is actually funny. While this is indeed more common in horror movies it is less frequently seen in the written word. Thomas E. Staples in his debut horror novel manages to pull
Tim Major has published numerous science fiction and horror short stories in magazines including Interzone; three novels, including Snakeskins, which was published this year to critical acclaim; and the novella Caius and Mitch, which is reprinted here in House Lights. This is his first short story collection. Most of the stories in this collection have
GumShoe Blues is Brit Grit and self-proclaimed “screwball noir” author Paul D. Brazill’s latest novelette, completed with a few short stories shedding light on some of the characters and events. The result is dark, witty, farcical and thoroughly entertaining. The story follows its detective anti-hero Peter Ord on his numerous missions. “Ordy”, as the unsavoury
A timely novel which makes the reader question their place in our modern, technological, world, Green Valley offers a unique comment on society via the use of its fast-paced plot and bold characters. As we begin to take a look at how and why we use technology within every aspect of our lives, Green Valley
I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of Nancy Stohlman up until a few weeks ago, you see I’m quite new to flash fiction, so I’m playing catch-up all the time, discovering new and brilliant voices daily. But a few weeks ago I had the chance to attend the Flash Fiction Festival in Bristol and
‘Melting Point’ is an odd collection, to say the least. Though here, ‘odd’ isn’t to be taken as a negative, rather, what makes ‘Melting Point’ so strangely enjoyable is its oddities – it’s whispered moments of surrealism and shouted moments of the humorous absurd. Magarian is a lyrical author, who fuses and blends his prose
