Animalistic, thrilling, and intense, Tim Binding’s Beneath the Trees of Eden contains a plethora of beautiful and complicated relationships, set against the real and raw portrayal of death. Our characters skirt the fringes of society and live on their own terms – but at what cost? Binding challenges us to reconsider what ‘Eden’ really is,
Reality, and Other Stories is a gathering of deliciously chilling entertainments – stories to be read as the evenings draw in and the days are haunted by all the ghastly schlock, uncanny technologies and absurd horrors of modern life. The above is the blurb that accompanied John Lanchester’s latest offering, a short story collection that
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
What came first the chicken or the egg? That’s something that has plagued me whilst I was reading Folklore by Mitch Sebourn. Not the chicken, or the egg for that matter, but as I was reading this book, I had the feeling that I’d read something very similar before. It wasn’t until the final third
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
If you’re looking for an exciting detective story, heaped in nostalgia and classic quips, Shills Can’t Cash Chips certainly won’t disappoint. Erle Stanley Gardner – known for his master storytelling skills and talent for unfolding mystery – entices with a well-paced, unexpected and bite-sized novel, complete with quality characters and unique zest. As someone not
