Pages

Thursday, April 11, 2024

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Midwestern Gothic by Scott Thomas

Today I have an ARC of a June release that I gave a STAR to in the April 2024 issue of Library Journal. Details below but first, the rules on how to enter:

  1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
  2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
  3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
  4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.
Click here to see the previous giveaway. Our winner was Jennifer from Grand Prairie Library System [TX]. Jennifer had been in the giveaway pool since almost the beginning-- just shy of 4 years! Now on to today's giveaway.

by Scott Thomas

Three Things That Describe This Book: strong sense of place, palpable dread, book within a book frame  

Draft Review: In this collection of 4 novellas, Thomas brilliant presents a volume that is not only dripping with overwhelming dread on every page, but also serves as a proof of concept for the Midwest Gothic itself. The novellas, all set in the fictional town of Blantonville, Kansas, are framed in some way by the works of his most famous characters, the authors from Kill Creek. The book within a book frame adds interest to the stories whether readers are familiar with the source material or not, while also allowing the author to explore different writing styles and subgenres across the volume. From Cosmic Horror to Folk Horror, a twist on the summer camp Slasher to a Hitchcockian psychological nightmare, each single sitting read stands alone as a fully realized, unnerving tale, expertly merging compelling storylines and fascinating characters.. However, it is the place that shines here, as Thomas presents the idea of the haunted land itself, the place of our American nightmares, illustrating that it is the vast, wide open prairie, not a crumbling mansion, which will turn against the characters and provoke terror in the reader. An immersive, chilling, and unsettling read that will put Blantonville on the Horror map right next to Castle Rock. 

Verdict: A must buy title that updates the enduringly popular Gothic from a new perspective, like Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia or The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson while also adding depth to the horror uniting Thomas’ literary universe similar to Goblin and Spin a Black Yarn by Josh Malerman. 

Thank you to Inkshares for the ARC but please note, it says it will by out in April but it has been pushed to June so you still have time to order a copy for your shelves.

Remember, enter once and you are entered going forward. I have 2 copies of the upcoming Paul Tremblay, the July SGJ, and more, including some new voices and even a YA. All coming soon. You will want to be in it to win it!

Good luck this week!

No comments:

Post a Comment