Reviews

"Malorie" By Josh Malerman

July 21st, 2020

Any time there’s a hit book or film, there always comes the question: when do we get a sequel? And more often than not, a sequel will come, whether or not the original creator of said book or film ever planned to continue the story (and sometimes whether or not the original creator wants to participate in the sequel-making).

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"Final Cuts: New Tales Of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles" Edited By Ellen Datlow

June 16th, 2020

Six years ago, an anthology of film-themed horror stories crept into readers' hands, and their nightmares were never the same. Now...it’s back.

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"A Sick Gray Laugh" by Nicole Cushing

November 8th, 2019

Those who have encountered Nicole Cushing's works may very well think of these three things: mentally unhinged characters; unsettling, transgressive scenarios that, depending on the reader, pick and peel at the skin of comfort zones; and extreme violence. (If you're not familiar with her, here's my LitReactor review of her Stoker Award-winning Mr.

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"Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race" by Thomas Chatterton Williams

October 15th, 2019

Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race is Thomas Chatterton Williams’s second memoir, but it’s not a typical memoir. Because Williams is trained in philosophy, I’m tempted to call it the memoir of a philosopher, but that doesn’t do it justice either. Really, it’s the memoir of a philosophy, Mr. Williams’s philosophy on race and racial identification, one I suspect is controversial enough to arouse very strong reactions from certain readers.

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"Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear" by Margee Kerr

October 10th, 2019

What scares you? It might not be the same thing that scares me. According to sociologist Margee Kerr, after years of coding responses to the question What’s your biggest fear?, being trapped alone tops the list.  In Kerr’s non-fiction book Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear, the author explores exactly that – what makes people scared. Following being trapped alone, Kerr also found that death, the dark, drowning, and the loss of a loved one rounded out the list of what people cite as their biggest fears.

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Chuck Klosterman's "Raised In Captivity" Kills The Short Story

September 12th, 2019

The best part about Chuck Klosterman writing a new book is that I get to hear him on a bunch of podcasts. Well, no, that’s not true. The best part of Chuck Klosterman writing a new book is the new Chuck Klosterman book. But hey, I’m a fan. There can be more than one good thing.

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Indie Comics Review: 'Serious Creatures' by Tony McMillen

September 4th, 2019

Images courtesy of Tony McMillen “Would you review my indie comic,” might be the scariest request a book reviewer gets. Comics are tough. Before you even think about matters of taste, there are the very basic questions about whether the book is read-able, whether the art is comprehensible, and whether the two can not only co-exist, but enhance each other. It’s like reviewing an art installation that boasts some visual art, some soundtrack, and a book of poems you’re meant to read in conjunction with certain pieces.

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"Recursion" by Blake Crouch

June 11th, 2019

Blake Crouch seems to have mastered the art of blending complex science fiction, mystery, human drama, and psychological horror with his latest novel Recursion, available now from Penguin Random House.

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"Inspection" by Josh Malerman

April 24th, 2019

The release of the Netflix original adaptation of Bird Box sealed Josh Malerman's status as a major horror author. And that much he is, a writer with a seemingly innate knack for playing into humankind's universal fear of the unknown, including the dark mysteries residing within our own hearts and minds. This talent is on full display in Malerman's latest novel, Inspection, out now via Del Rey Books. 

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"I Dream of Mirrors" by Chris Kelso

February 12th, 2019

Photo courtesy of Chris Kelso Comparisons to famous authors have always struck as one of those occasional evil necessities of reviewing. On one hand, they are too easy to come up with and somewhat reduce the voice of an author. On the other, they are a very easy way to tell readers a writer's style will appeal to them if they are fans of another author. In the case of Chris Kelso's I Dream of Mirrors, the writer who constantly came to mind for me was William Burroughs.

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