My #bookreview is brief/won't spoil, to spread good, great, & spectacular #horror#books far & wide.
CICADA is the latest installment (#4) in the "Killer VHS" series from Shortwave Publishing & Tanya Pell's bug-filled tale is a perfect blend of creepy creatures, compelling characters (that you'll love AND hate), and chitinous carnage; gleeful genre Horror that hits a home run. Out now ⬇️
“According to the environmental historian Chris Otter, Britain in 1930 ‘imported 99 per cent of the world’s exports of ham and bacon, 63 per cent of its butter, 62 per cent of its eggs, 59 per cent of its beef, 46 per cent of its cheese, and 28 per cent of its wheat and wheat flour’, despite having only 3 per cent of the world’s population. Malthus may well have helped build the infrastructure of this empire, but he would have been horrified by the way it enabled Britain to live beyond its means and to ignore a natural law designed to stimulate not gluttony, but self-reliance and restraint.”
“According to the environmental historian Chris Otter, Britain in 1930 ‘imported 99 per cent of the world’s exports of ham and bacon, 63 per cent of its butter, 62 per cent of its eggs, 59 per cent of its beef, 46 per cent of its cheese, and 28 per cent of its wheat and wheat flour’, despite having only 3 per cent of the world’s population. Malthus may well have helped build the infrastructure of this empire, but he would have been horrified by the way it enabled Britain to live beyond its means and to ignore a natural law designed to stimulate not gluttony, but self-reliance and restraint.”
Highlights from week ending 21st Sept are the intentionally very slow savouring of Gunnawah (advance order it / you'll not be sorry), and reviewing Kill Yours, Kill Mine and Southern Aurora.
"This is a delightful story about two students at a secondary school in Toronto... The short novel deals sensitively with differences, with grief, and with romantic feelings. beautifully written. an ideal novel for teenagers who feel different in any way. 5 stars."
When Goethe met Napoleon, 'the Corsican Übermensch gave the playwright a lecture on the shortcomings of Faust and offered helpful hints as to how to remedy them'.
One delightful nugget from John Banville's review of Goethe's Faustian Life by AN Wilson:
... great fearlessness - he isn't afraid to assault the reader with emotion and reaction. He always makes you think though, always makes you consider the story behind the facades that we see every day, and all too often, choose to ignore.
My #bookreview is brief/won't spoil, to spread good, great, & spectacular #horror#books far & wide.
💙📚 I didn't realize I needed a FEAR OF CLOWNS anthology, but I absolutely did and so do YOU. The 29 tales cavorting within this book will gleefully terrify, amuse, and unnerve, while the vivid variety will keep a smile plastered on your face. Kangas Kahn Publishing's clown compendium will creep you out! 🤡
"A YA sweet romance (kisses only) that I would confidently recommend to any reader over sixteen or caregiving adult for a preteen. It’s simply and charmingly about one sixteen-year-old beginning to accept himself. Recommended."
... more than KILL YOURS, KILL MINE (aka SEVEN SISTERS) playing into any wish fulfilment you might have, it's cleverly constructed, fast paced, bravely plotted crime fiction with twists and turns, and a kicker ending. Utterly compelling reading.
"For me a breath of fresh air in the world of classical science fiction. I love the writing style, the characters, the inclusivity, the mix between emotions and actions.
[..]
But I just hated having to read that last page because then I would have to let go and I wanted to stay in the orbit of Idari."
In other great news Verse Chorus will be publishing a series of short stories by Mary Fortune in Feb, titled "Nothing But Murders and Bloodshed and Hanging"
Timed to coincide with the release of a biography "Outrageous Fortune" Lucy Sussex, one of the editors of this collection, is an expert on Fortune & her life, much of which was spent on the Victorian Goldfields the setting for a lot of her fiction.
New: Rachel Langella's MM fantasy romance Airs Above the Ground.
As a member of the Flying Galliers in the Carnival of Mysteries, Mario Gallier has remained an eternally young and carefree teenager for over a hundred years. When the Carnival stops for a time on a magic-sparse world, Mario finally ...
Today's review! Mytho Coloring Book by TJ Nichols, illustrated by Sheilkuroi:
"Anyone who loved TJ Nichols’ Mytho series would adore this book... Highly recommended, for all lovers of coloring books and also just for enjoyment by anyone who loves the beings brought to life by the author."
@bookstodon My #review of The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia by Juliet Grames is now live! I found I was more drawn to the light and shadows of this town and its people than actually solving the mystery, which merely serves as the frame on which to hang everything else.
My #bookreview is brief/won't spoil, to spread good, great, & spectacular #horror#books far & wide.
FEVER HOUSE is a diabolic delight of deranged devilry. It's creepy & thrilling w savage stakes and chaos & gore, galore. Keith Rosson has written a terrifying, imaginative story w an occult mythos of mayhem & mischief that takes you on a hellish ride & leaves you wanting more.
My #bookreview is brief/won't spoil, to spread good, great, & spectacular #horror#books far & wide.
THE DEVIL BY NAME continues the apocalyptic story started in FEVER HOUSE and it's just as thrilling. The stakes (and story) remain savage, but between the chaos & carnage is an emotional tale of loss, hope, and sacrifice by Keith Rosson that brings the hellish hijinks to a satisfying end. (Penguin Random House)