Columns

Storyville: 10 of the Scariest Moments of 2015

October 23rd, 2015

In the spirit of October and Halloween, here are my scariest moments of 2015.

Read Column →

5 Scary Books to Read This Halloween (Plus 100 more)

October 22nd, 2015

With Halloween right around the corner it’s inevitable we’re going to be inundated with ‘top horror’ and ‘scary story’ lists. I’m adding to the noise with my own recommendations, but am hoping to provide you with something a little different.

Read Column →

The Undead Don't Need Hall Passes: 7 YA Zombie Novels

October 22nd, 2015

October is the month to honor things that go bump in the night, and what better way to celebrate than by delving into the world of the undead? There's no lack of young adult novels dealing with zombies, with gems from authors like Courtney Summers and Jonathan Maberry. There’s something for every horror fan, from humorous tales of zombie infestation to gory accounts of undead attacks. There’s no doubt about it; when it comes to young adult literature, zombies are hot.

Read Column →

How Libraries Acquire Books (Because Most People, Including Digital Piracy Advocates, Don't Seem To Understand This)

October 21st, 2015

A few years ago I wrote an editorial for this site about why digital piracy is super not okay. The TL;DR version is: If you steal art, that means you think art has no value, which means you are a jerk. Since art is not something you need to survive, you are also greedy. So if you pirate you are a selfish jerk. 

Read Column →

Splatterpunks, Expanded Universes and 'Book of the Dead'

October 21st, 2015

Splatterpunk is a term that gets thrown around casually but isn't often clarified. It sprung out of the 1980s when “punk” was the term of choice, catching on with William Gibson's cyberpunk craze and rolling forward with K.W. Jeter’s coining of “steam-punks” in a 1987 letter to Locus magazine. While those two, and others, have kept ahold of certain niche fandoms, splatterpunk's popularity dwindled in the late 1990s. The genre, defined by one of its forefathers David J.

Read Column →

10 Well-Written Horror Films Part III: Season of the Witch

October 20th, 2015

header image courtesy Slant Magazine We've come together again in this the tenth month of the year, with All Hallows' Eve just around the corner. We shall thus gather 'round the glowing box of moving pictures and partake of ghastly cinematic delights whilst gorging our stomachs with pumpkins of mellowcreme and other sweets guaranteed to later conjure such bellyaches of pure torment. We have been here before. We will always be here.

Read Column →

LURID: Bible Bloodshed - 5 of the Goriest Episodes in Scripture

October 19th, 2015

LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading.

Read Column →

How to Make the Internet a Less Scary Place: Three Rules for Writers

October 19th, 2015

Internet fury has become a commonplace of our daily lives, so ubiquitous that Jon Ronson wrote a book about it, so routine that this same book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, was one of the books we talked about on our return episode of the Unprintable podcast. In Shamed Ronson talks to people who have experienced the internet in full-on cobblestone-hurling riot mode and lived (some just barely) to tell the tale.

Read Column →

The Many Movie Incarnations of Peter Pan

October 16th, 2015

J.M. Barrie was a literary genius. His Peter Pan is the single-most romantic adventure tale for children ever created, and he's inspired countless adaptations through the years since the book's 1911 publication. What little girl, who's found reason to be pissed off at her parents, doesn't want to be swept away in dramatic style by a mysterious boy who can fly? And what little boy doesn't want to stay a little boy forever? Gah! I know I surely wanted both!

Read Column →

The Best Horror Book Covers. Ever!

October 15th, 2015

The best horror book covers. Ever. How can I deliver on my pitch without upsetting a ton of people while doing it? It's impossible. Part of me just wants to post some really goofy 90s paperback covers and call it a day, but I have to be brave. These are my choices for best horror book covers of all time. Here goes. Witness me.

Read Column →