31 Days of Horror: Day 13 -- What I'm Reading: Locke and Key 4

Anyone who reads either of my blogs know that I am a huge Joe Hill fan.  In the new book, I outright proclaim him as the 21st Century King of Horror.  Here is what I have said about Hill on NoveList:

Joe Hill writes novels, short stories, and graphic novels. His work features extremely flawed but genuinely likable protagonists who are forced to confront their dark sides as they battle evil. A Hill tale also sets the stage with a menacing atmosphere from the first lines. Readers are also drawn to Joe Hill because he mines their modern lives for fear. Hill captivates readers with this ability to use the best of the time-tested horror traditions while injecting a shot of the new to keep things freshly frightening.

 Recently I read the newest entry in his Locke and Key series, Keys to the Kingdom. Keys to the Kingdom also garnered Hill a 2011 Eisner Award for Best Writer.

Here is the gist of the series.  It follows the three Locke children as they deal with their father’s murder, their alcoholic mother, and a supernatural being who is stalking them. These are typical 21^st Century American kids; they listen to iPods and text each other, but they also live in a creepy, isolated, old house, filled with keys that can do magical and dangerous things. While they live in modern times, the feud between their family and the supernatural being out to collect all of the keys and destroy them has been going on for generations.

Click here to access my horror review index which includes my reports on the first three entries in the series including readalike options.

Specifically, Keys to the Kingdom continues where we left off, with the Locke children using the keys they have found to battle a force out to destroy them however, in this installment the kids finally figure out that the physical manifestation of this force is masquerading as their best friend. The kids also begin turning on each other throughout the course of the book.  The biggest key of them all is in play and causing problems, and things turn much, much darker.

This books packs a punch.  It also takes a drastic and absolutely terrifying turn in the final pages.  I was shocked and got chills.  This is a big deal because at this point, it takes quite a bit to shock me.

As usual, the illustrations by Gabriel Rodriguez are gorgeous. The drawings and the over all visual feel of Keys to the Kingdom has a darker palate that also underscores the overall change in the series' tone.  The wonder and awe that marked the start of the series as the kids discovered the power of the keys, best illustrated in Vol 2: Head Games, is gone.  The rich and colorful drawings that accompanied that volume are replaced by grays, black, and lots of red blood.  But it makes sense because the burden of the keys and the peril faced by the Locke family are all building to a climax.  The illustrations perfectly reflect the overall feel of the book.

As I was reading Keys to the Kingdom, I was not enjoying it as much as the first 3.  It felt plot heavy for the first 2/3's.  But when I finished it, I totally  understood what Hill was doing.  He purposely ropes you into complacency thinking that nothing new is going to happen and then...BAM!...everything we knew and counted on is changed...for the worse.  It was brilliant and shocking.  This is horror storytelling at its best. I loved it.

I cannot stress enough how much darker the series has become.  Yes, it has always been a horror series, but you always felt that good would win out in the end.  After Keys to the Kingdom, I am not so sure about that anymore.  For me, this is fine.  It actually will add to my enjoyment as I continue to read the series, but for some readers, it may be a bit too much to take.

Three Words That Describe This Book: dark, compelling, unsettling

Readalikes:  Specifically for Joe Hill, I suggest the following in the new book:

Fans of Hill’s writing who want to read more may also enjoy the horror novels of Jonathan Maberry, Stephen King, and Peter Straub, who are also highlighted in this chapter.  These horror authors all write character centered horror that is rooted in the reader’s real-life experiences.  The chilling suspense of Tom Piccirilli is also a great choice for Hill readers.  Piccirilli began as a horror writer and has continued to keep a supernatural element in his works.  Like Hill, Piccirilli has flawed but sympathetic protagonists, placed in frightening situations, with modern details.  Another whole collection option for Hill fans is the psychological suspense of Peter Abrahams.  Like Hill, Abrahams excels at leading his protagonist into a bad situation, while readers squirm as they watch it all spin out of control.  The ultimate question with both of these authors is whether or not the protagonist will make it out alive. It is important to note here that both Piccirilli and Abrahams are NOT horror authors, but they would still greatly appeal to fans of Hill.

In my review of the 3rd book, Crown of Shadows I said:

The graphic novels of Hill's father's Dark Tower books make for a good suggestion here. Also anything by Neil Gaiman from Sandman to The Graveyard Book (and everything in between) would work for fans of the Lock and Key Series. Also try Alan Moore and Frank Miller in graphic novels, and Bentley Little, Robert McCammon, or Peter Straub in novels.

I would also suggest the new graphic novel series, American Vampire by Scott Snyder, Stephen King and Rafael Albuquereque (which I will review in  a few days), Jonathan Maberry's Pine Deep Trilogy, or Leopoldo Gout's Ghost Radio. All three of these suggestions are original horror stories which push at the edges of horror conventions to extremely successful results.

For more graphic novel options that are original, dark, and compelling, I would also suggest that you try the Chew series of graphic novels which follow Tony Chu, a detective with the power to receive psychic impressions from whatever he eats or the Y Last Man series of gns by Brian K. Vaughan set in a time when a plague of unknown origin kills every mammal with a Y chromosome, Yorick Brown discovers that he is the only male left and embarks on a transcontinental journey to discover why.

31 Days of Horror: Day 7-- Review: Locke And Key 5: Clockworks

I have great love for the Locke and Key series by Joe Hill and 
Gabriel Rodriguez.  Click here to access my review index and read detailed reviews of the first four installments in the series.

I am all in on this series.  In fact, I went as far to proclaim national library conference back in March:

While there are physically more series, some of the best horror writing in general, series or not, is happening in the format of the graphic novel.  This has a bit to do with the fact that horror lends itself nicely to the visual form; you can say a lot with pictures in horror.  However, it is not only the fact that these works are illustrated that makes them better.  I have been finding that the most interesting characters and the richest story lines are coming out in the comic format.  I am not alone in this opinion.  Take for example the most recent Eisner Awards for the entire comics industry and click here to see that Joe Hill won for best overall writer of any comic, for his horror series, Locke and Key.  In my opinion, there really isn't a better horror series, in any format, right now than Locke and Key.

Now to Clockworks specifically.  This is the fifth installment in the series, and as Joe Hill announced, there will one more cycle of comics to be bound as the hardcover, Omega next year and then a 7th installment compiling all of the side, historical stories of the Locke family and their history with the keys (some of which I have bought on my own at my local comics store and read already).

Speaking of, that is what Clockworks focuses on--the history.  When we left the Locke family in the 4th volume: Keys to the Kingdom, Zack/Dodge has possessed the youngest Locke, Bode, although no one knows that; they all think they killed Zack/Dodge.  But Clockworks does not advance that story line at all.  Instead, Hill introduces a key that opens an old clock.  The clock takes the 2 older Locke children, Tyler and Kinsey, back to the past.  Interestingly, the clock only goes up to 1999, so the kids cannot see their future, which of course was their first instinct.

So as readers we not only go back with the kids to the start of it all, in the 1770s, but we also go back just one generation.  The story focuses on Ben and Miranda Locke (Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode's parents) in their own time.  The clockworks key allows all of us to see why Dodge turned bad, why Ben and Miranda ended up together, how the keys moved into the next generation, and why Tyler and Kinsey are running out of time to stop the insanity on and for all.

With Clockworks Locke and Key continues to be the very best horror series in any print format.  With this 5th book, Hill concentrates on character development.  By going into Ben and Miranda's story not only do we get valuable information about these key characters, but the story is advanced.  It takes a lot of discipline as a writer to hold off on many of the key details this long into a series.  But now, with only 6 chapters to go, the characters have all been given further depth AND the stage has been set for an epic showdown between the Locke kids and some seriously evil magic.

Locke and Key is also excellent because the story is not predictable.  Joe Hill is THE BEST horror writer today and this series solidifies that.  He adds things to his story lines that are unpredictable but not out of left field. Hill is able to honor the tropes of horror while adding his new spin. The main theme of the entire series is as old the horror genre--the seduction of evil magic.  Even though you want to use it for good, very bad comes when you unleash an evil power. We are used to this story line, but the way Hill executes it is unique and original.

Finally, as good as Hill's stories are, Rodriguez's art is amazing.  He is able to convey emotion in his drawings.  When you are dealing with supernatural elements, it is easy to go over the top, but his art is restrained, much like a good horror story.  We get enough to keep us unsettled throughout, and then he gives us the payoff at the big action moments with bright, complex drawings with enough gore to portray the horror, but nothing too gross.  I also love the way he has portrayed Kinsey's fear throughout the series.  These creatures come into play in this installment.  Which brings me back to Hill's awesome character development.  He is so good at writing complex characters, that even a main character's fear is a memorable character.

Three Words to Describe This Book:  compelling, complex characters, unsettling

Readalikes: You can use this link to see the numerous read alike options that I have given for this series in the past.  I have mostly given graphic novel suggestions, but today I want to offer suggestions for people who really like that the story is happening in both the present and the past.  So here are some other compelling, unsettling, and character centered novels that tell a story in 2 time periods.  All links are to reviews if available:

• The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff
• The Keep by Jennifer Egan (which I read before I started either blog)
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diana Setterfield
• Either Centuries of June or The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: King Sorrow (ARC) and Who Is the Liar (Finished Copy)

Today I am giving away 2 books to one winner: 1 is a title that everyone is excited about and 1 that you would be excited about if only you knew more about it.  Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American 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 for the previous giveaway. Our winner was Ellen from CT. Now on to today's giveaway.

First up, the first Joe Hill novel in 9.5 years. Here is my post from when the review was published in Booklist:

STAR

King Sorrow
By Joe Hill
Oct. 2025. 896p. Morrow, $38  (9780062200600); e-book (9780062200624). 
First published August 2025 (Booklist).

Hill’s first stand alone novel in nearly ten years, taking inspiration from Tolkien, introduces readers to Arthur, Colin, Allison, Donna and Donvan (twins), students at a small Maine college 1989, and Gwen, a high school townie, whose mom works for Colin’s wealthy family. When Arthur falls into debt with local drug dealers, the group tries to summon a dragon to take care of the problem. When King Sorrow actually emerges on that winter evening, the friends are forced to pay by providing the name of a person to be sacrificed to the dragon each and every Easter. Set between 1989 and 2022, readers are brought back every 5 years, watching the unintended consequences of their choices reverberate through time and space. Real history overlaps with unsettling verisimilitude as the six friends bear this secretive, unshakable burden, one that is not easy to hide. Hill’s remarkably well-paced character-centered epic, blanketed in unrelenting dread, escalating to pure terror every Easter is perfectly suited for this moment. Pitting the computer age vs folktales this is a story that seriously contemplates the costs of power. However, the real horror may be that there are plenty of dragons to go around. For fans of terrifying tomes like The Wanderers Duology by Wendig, or Our Share of Night by Enríquez.

Three Words The Describe This Book: epic in length but moves well; blanketed in unrelenting dread; the horrific costs of power

That is a picture of me interviewing Joe Hill at ALA Annual on June 30th. 

This book is almost 900 pages but it is worth your time. I am sending that giant honker of a book which I read for my review to someone today. 

But wait! There's more!

The giveaway will be off the next two weeks while I am on vacation, so while you wait, I am adding a book by an author who is a legend in the Bizarro genre-- Laura Lee Bahr. The Wonderland Book Award is the highest honor in that genre. Click here to see a list of winners, which includes Gabino Iglesias and Bahr. Haunt, one of Bahr's award winning novels is consider a favorite Bizarro novel of all time by many readers and writers. 

Well she has a new mainstream novel that just released, Who Is the Liar:

An ingenious novel of suspense about sisterhood, innocence, murderous games, and how far we’ll go to protect the ones we love.

In a tight-knit town in the 1980s, a child-killer is on the loose. And Topaz’s parents are on edge. At ten years old, Topaz is so vulnerable. But she has nothing to worry about. Her eldest sister, Ruby, has made sure of that. Swearing Topaz to secrecy, Ruby reveals she has trapped the monster in their root cellar. 

Bound and bloodied in the cold space is kindly Brother Johnson from the Church. Pleading with Topaz to cut him loose, he says her reckless sister is a liar. Brother Johnson is right about that: Ruby does lie. She also likes to scare people. Still, even Ruby wouldn’t lie about this. Would she? The game—and the secret—is in her hands. But Topaz just wants to do the right thing.

Let Brother Johnson die in the cold space? Or try to set him free—and then see what happens next?

The August issue of Booklist even had a glowing review here. An excerpt from that review:

Bahr’s twisted tale, told solely from Topaz’s point of view, is an unnerving walk in the shoes of an impressionable child who has no one to trust. At times a coming-of-age story and at times pure suspense, this dark and disquieting book will keep readers off balance all the way to the last page.

This book will have wide appeal for general library audiences. This is for fans of Zoje Stage, Catriona Ward, and Sarah Pinborough.

With a Booklist Review and my seal of approval, you should be able to order this for your collections. But one winner this week will get a finished copy to add to their collections in the same package as the Joe Hill ARC.

That's 2 books for 1 winner!

Enter once and you are entered going forward, and forward is full of great books. I have the giveaway set up for the rest of September already.

Good luck!

Oh and one last thing, if you have a moment, click on over to RA for All to watch the unboxing video for my book.

31 Days of Horror Day 3-- Revamped and More Useful Review Index

This first week of October I am focusing the blog-a-thon on how to get the most out of me and my expertise now and all the year through.

Today I am focusing on my long standing and constantly updated Review Index which I have made even more useful. Here is the direct link to the NEW AND IMPROVED Horror Review Index, but I have also attached it below.

There is nothing more important for me to do than make sure you know about as many books as possible. Over the years I have heard from library workers, readers, and authors that my professional reviews, in official library journals, have gotten those titles on library shelves. I have seen data that shows that before I reviewed a book it was in 10 libraries nationwide and then after my review.... 50 the first month after, and hundreds more a few months out.

I am not writing this to brag, not at all. In fact, I am writing this to let you know I wish I could give you more options, but I am only 1 person and reviewing horror is only part of my job. I already do 3-6 titles a month. However, I can give you more official and professional options for reviews both to develop your collections AND to give you as many suggestion options at your fingers tips as I possibly can.

That is what I have done with the Horror Review Index. Today’s post is to remind you to use it to find suggestions and to let you know I have made it even more useful by quickly routing you to many more titles by reviewers I trust. They have the Becky seal of approval.

Now get out there and start suggesting scary reads. It’s October 3rd already. I know they are just beginning to shamble in.  Soon, the hordes will be descending. I’ve got your back though.

HORROR REVIEW INDEX:

Here is an author index to all of the reviews appearing on this blog (or before this blog began on RA for All) with the links leading you to the review itself.

But, because I am only 1 person, and I cannot possibly get to every book that could be a good fit for your patrons, I also offer the following links to Becky approved horror reviews:

• This Is Horror’s review archive: This British based site is the best regular review source for horror. Sometimes their titles overlap with mine, but because all they do is horror, they are able to get to many more than I can.
• Tor.Com’s Horror coverage contains many reviews and not just about books they have published. This link will also lead you to essays about horror, essays that also will give you more titles to suggest.
• LitReactor’s Bookshots reviews are amazing, and while they are not all horror per se, they are almost all titles with an oppressive atmosphere. Most of the reviews here are horror or horror -adjacent. But these reviews are also super useful to you, the library worker because they directly address who the title is best for by using a question and answer form. You can literally read the review to your patron in 2 minutes or less and decide together if it is a good choice. Bookshots are also a great conversation starter if you don’t know how to talk to your horror patrons. Try it out for yourself.

Between this index of my reviews [below] and the links to the others [above], you have thousands of choices of excellent terrifying reads for your patrons. No more excuses that you just don’t know what to suggest. I have given you plenty of options for every type of potential reader.

And remember, it doesn’t matter how old the book is. A great title from 5 years ago is still a good read for someone. Dig through the backlist. Here’s an example.

BECKY’S REVIEWS

• Adams, John Joseph and Douglas Cohen, eds. What the #@&% is That?: The Saga Anthology of the Monstrous and the Macabre (2016)
• Anderson, Kevin J.  Death Warmed Over (2012)
• Baker, Jacqueline.  The Broken Hours: A Novel of H.P. Lovecraft (2016)
• Barker, Clive. Scarlet Gospels (2015) [guest post by Jack Phoenix]
• Barlow, Toby. Sharp Teeth (2008) ed note: scroll to middle of post for review 
• Barron, Laird. Swift to Chase (2016)
• Bell, Alden. The Reapers Are the Angels (2010) 
• Boone, Ezekiel.  Skitter (2017)
• Brogden, James.  Hekla's Children (2017)
• Browne, S. G. Breathers: A Zombie's Lament (2009) 
• Browne, S.G.  I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus (2012)
• Burke, Kealan Patrick.  Kin (2012)
• Chesterton, R.B.  The Darkling (2013)
• Chizmar, Richard.  A Long December (2016)
• Colon, Christopher, ed. He is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson (2009)
• Cronin, Justin.  The City of Mirrors (2016)
• Cronin, Justin. The Passage (2010)
• Cutter, Nick.  Little Heaven (2016)
• Cutter, Nick.  The Troop (2014)
• Davidson, Andy.  In the Valley of the Sun (2017)
• Datlow, Ellen, ed. Black Feathers: Dark Avian Fiction (2017)
• Datlow, Ellen, ed.  Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror (2016)
• Datlow, Ellen and Lisa Morton, eds. Haunted Nights (2017)
• Deady, Tom.  Haven (2016)
• Donohue, Keith.  The Motion of Puppets (2016)
• Dunbar, Robert.  Wood (2012) 
• Duncan, Glen.  The Last Werewolf (2011) 
• Ethridge, Benjamin Kane.  Bottled Abyss (2012)
• Everson, John.  NightWhere (2012)
• Faherty, JG.  Ghosts of Coronado Bay (2011)
• Farris, John. High Bloods (2009)
• Ford, Jeffrey. A Natural History of Hell (2016)
• Forry, Lauren.  Abigale Hall (2017)
• French, Aaron, ed. The Gods of HP Lovecraft (2015)
• French, Aaron.  The Time Eater (2017)
• Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book (2008)
• Garza, Michelle and Melissa Lason.  Those Who Follow (2017)
• Girard, Geoffrey.  Mary Rose (2017)
• Girard, Geoffrey.  Project Cain (2013)
• Golden, Christopher.  Ararat (2017)
• Grant, Mira.  Blackout: Newsflesh Trilogy Book 3 (2012) 
• Grant, Mira.  Deadline: Newsflesh Trilogy Book 2 (2011)
• Grant, Mira. Feed: Newsflesh Trilogy Book 1 (2010) 
• Gout, Leopoldo. Ghost Radio (2008)
• Hill, Joe. Horns (2010) 
• Hill, Joe. The Fireman (2016)
• Hill, Joe. Strange Weather (2017)
• Hill Joe, and Gabriel Rodriguez. Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft (2008) 
• Hill, Joe and Gabriel Rodriguez. Locke and Key: Head Games (2009)
• Hill, Joe and Gabriel Rodriguez. Locke and Key: Crown of Shadows (2010) 
• Hill, Joe and Gabriel Rodriguez.  Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom (2011) 
• Hill Joe and Gabriel Rodriguez.  Locke and Key: Clockworks (2012)
• Hill, Joe.  NOS4A2 (2013)
• James, Russell. Q Island (2015)
• Janz, Jonathan.  Children of the Dark (2016)
• Jodan, Lee F.  Coronation (2012)
• Keene, Brian. Castaways (2009)
• Keene, Brian.  Pressure (2016)
• Kenyon, Nate. The Bone Factory (2009) 
• Kenyon, Nate. Sparrow Rock (2010) 
• King, Stephen.  Doctor Sleep (2013)
• King, Stephen.  Full Dark, No Stars (2010) 
• King, Stephen.  Joyland (2013)
• King, Stephen and Richard Chizmar. Gwendy's Button Box (2017)
• Klinger, Leslie S. The New Annotated Frankenstein (2017)
• Kozeniewski, Stephen.  Hematophages (2017)
• Kraus, Daniel.  Rotters (2011)
• Lansdale, John L.  Zombie Gold (2016)
• Littlewood, Alison.  A Cold Season (2013)
• Limbus Inc. (2013)
• Lukavics, Amy.  The Women in the Walls (2016)
• Maberry, Jonathan.  Dead of Night (2011)
• Maberry, Jonathan. Ghost Road Blues (2006) ed note: scroll to bottom of post for review
• Maberry, Jonathan. Patient Zero (2009) ed note: scroll to bottom of post for review 
• Maberry, Jonathan.  Rot and Ruin (2010)
• Maberry, Jonathan and George A. Romero.  Nights of the Living Dead (2017)
• MacLeod, Bracken.  Come to Dust (2017)
• Malerman, Josh.  Bird Box (2014) 
• Mamatas, Nick.  I Am Providence (2016)
• Manderino, John.  But You Scared Me The Most (2016)
• Marion, Isaac. The Burning World (2016)
• Marion, Isaac.  Warm Bodies (2011)
• Masello, Robert. Blood and Ice (2009) 
• Masterton, Graham. Basilisk (2009)
• Masterton, Graham.  The Devils of D-Day (1978)
• McCammon, Robert.  The Last Train From Perdition (2016)
• Merbeth, K.S. Bite (2016)
• Mitchell, David.  Slade House (2015)
• Morris, Keith Lee.  Travelers Rest (2016)
• Morton, Lisa.  Netherworld (2014)
• Oates, Joyce Carol. The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror (2016)
• Ohno, Nuzo. The Sleepless (2016)
• Owen, Lauren.  The Quick (2014)
• Percy, Benjamin.  The Dark Net (2017)
• Percy, Benjamin.  Red Moon (2013)
• Pessl, Marisha.  Night Film (2013)
• Phoenix, Jack.  The Tormentors (2013)
• Rawlik, Pete.  Reanimatrix (2016)
• Rector, Jeani.  What Fears Become: An Anthology From the Horror Zine (2011)
• Roux, Madeleine.  Allison Hewitt is Trapped (2011)
• Seeley, Tim and Mike Norton. Revival Vol 1 (2013)
• Seeley, Tim and Mike Norton.  Revival Vol 2 (2013)
• Silverberg, Robert, ed. This Way to the End Times: Classic Tales of the Apocalypse (2016)
• Snyder, Scott, Stephen King and Rafael Albuquereque.  American Vampire (2010)
• Snyder, Scott.  American Vampire 2 (2011)
• Sokoloff, Alexandra. The Unseen (2009)
• Stratford, Sarah Jane. The Midnight Guardian (2009) 
• Trombetta, Jim.  The Horror! The Horror! (2010)
• Vandermeer, Jeff.  Annihilation (2014)
• Whitehead, Colson.  Zone One (2011)
• Wilson, F. Paul.  The Tomb (1998, edited reprint) 
• Wilson, Jeffrey.  The Donors (2012)
• Wilson, Jeffrey.  Fade to Black (2013)
• Wolff, Nicholas. The Binding (2016)
• Wynne, Douglas.  The Devil of Echo Lake (2012)
• Zeltserman, Dave.  The Caretaker of Lorne Field (2010)

31 Days of Horror Day 12: 31 Days of Horror Day 11: Why I Love Horror by Ladies of the Fright Podcaster and Author Lisa Quigley

Yesterday and today I am featuring the women behind the amazing podcast, Ladies of the Fright. This is a horror podcast that all library workers should listen to, and I am not just saying that because they have had me on as a guest [episodes 13 and 14].

Lisa Quigley and Mackenzie Kiera met in their MFA program [where they were taught by the incomparable Stephen Graham Jones]. They are writers, yes, but there are also huge readers. Their podcast features author interviews, but they also talk to editors, reviewers, and librarians. However, the best thing they do for you, the library worker who helps leisure readers, is that they regularly have discussions about books they have read- books new and old.

I want to especially point those of you who don't really want to read horror yourselves to these episodes of the podcast because they go into such detail about the books that you don't have to read them in order to learn about them. Listen to their discussions and I promise, you will be able then to turn around and confidently suggest that book to a patron. All without scaring yourself too much.

I asked Mackenzie and Lisa to participate both as readers and writers. They are newer horror authors just starting to get their stories into magazine and anthologies, so keep an eye out for them in the future. But as horror readers, women who love dark fiction, all of you can learn so much from them as they share their love for horror. Why they enjoy reading it gets at the heart of why many of your patrons do too.

Today it is Lisa Quigley's turn:

Lisa Quigley is a writer, mother, wife, and irreverent witch living in New Jersey. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of California Riverside’s low residency program in Palm Desert. She reads and writes horror and dark fantasy because that’s what makes her feel the most raw. Her work has appeared on The Manifest Station and Dwarf + Giant. She has a background in magazine publishing, and she is a professor of literature.

☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠

Because I Want to Know 
By Lisa Quigley 

I was traumatized by Jaws at six years old and subsequently, couldn’t take baths without my baby sister. Thinking back, it was kind of messed up. If I was so afraid that a shark would come bursting up from beneath the tub to shred my flesh, why would I subject my little sister to that same fate? But I was a kid, and terrified, and having company in the tub helped me feel more grounded in the real world, and less vulnerable to the torments of my imagination. 

I watched Carrie at a sleepover when I was thirteen and didn’t think it was all that scary until after we went to bed. Those horrible white eyes on the creepy Jesus statue were seared onto the backs of my retinas. The Exorcist is another movie that made me laugh in the moment. I proclaimed it cheesy and said the special effects were terrible (was that pea soup?) Later, alone in my room and unable to sleep, I couldn’t get the demon’s voice out of my head. I had to sleep with the lights on for weeks. I saw The Ring with my best friend in an empty theater after ten p.m., and afterward, she made endless fun of me for being afraid of the long blonde wig that hung on my coat rack in my bedroom. All that tangled, disembodied hair unsettled and disturbed me after watching that terrible, stop-motion girl climb out of a well and through the television screen. 

So, you might ask—and many do—why am I a fan of horror if it terrifies me so? 

The answer to that question is not simple. For many years, I couldn’t consume any horror at all. 

Since I was seventeen years old, I have suffered from a severe form of sleep paralysis. This is a sleep disorder in which the sufferer becomes conscious while their body is still in REM sleep. When we dream, our bodies are paralyzed so we don’t act out our dreams. During an episode of sleep paralysis, our mind is awake but our body is still paralyzed. The inability to move or speak is terrifying enough, but a large majority of people with this disorder also experience auditory, visual, and tactile hallucinations. In other words, the sufferer might see, hear, and feel things that aren’t really there. 

I am in this camp. 

As a young adult, I experienced sleep paralysis at least once a month and as often as three times a week. It got especially bad during my early twenties, which was the first time that I had my own apartment. I lived in a small studio, and I could see the front door from my bed. During my episodes, I would wake up to “see” my front door wide open; I “heard” voices and laughter; I “heard” loud breathing near my head; and I “felt” malicious presences standing over me. And that’s just a bare bones description of the experience. 

I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I didn’t know if it was biological, psychological, or spiritual. I didn’t even really know what I personally believed the phenomenon to be. I was raised in a Christian household. At that time in my life, I wasn’t following my indoctrinated religion, but I also hadn’t fully worked out my own belief system. I wasn’t sure if I believed in God, or the devil, for that matter. Were these experiences demonic? I wasn’t sure if I believed that, but these experiences were horrific, and at the time, I believed anything was possible.

I was curious about the cause, but not enough to investigate. I was too close to the experience, and the overwhelming frequency of the episodes was diminishing my quality of life. I just wanted whatever was happening to stop. Consuming horror of any kind put me in a suggestible state of mind, in which I had difficulty separating fantasy from reality. I have always been susceptible to speculation about the supernatural. I have always had a wild imagination. But at that particular time in my life, and because I didn’t know what I believed, horror movies exacerbated my sleep disorder. I hit a point where I needed to work out my own personal belief system and spend some time away from horror, so that I could work through my sleep disorder and get a handle on my own fears and uncertainties. 

All this to say I understand why some people don’t watch or consume any kind of horror, or even why it might be difficult to fathom horror’s appeal. I get it. 

Even though I took a break from consuming actual horror, my love of the fantastical, the weird, and the supernatural persisted. Around this time, I discovered Neil Gaiman, and most of my adult reading life was spent immersed in science fiction and fantasy. What I didn’t understand at the time was how often these genres intersected with different styles of horror. 

When I started writing again as an adult, I knew I wanted to write some sort of speculative fiction. It took me time to discover my voice (and really, “my voice” is something that will always evolve.) But when asked what kind of fiction I liked to write, I struggled to articulate. 

It wasn’t until I was in my MFA program that I circled back around to horror. One of my professors in the program was Stephen Graham Jones. He always selected horror novels for our class group reads. I had gone so long identifying as a person who “didn’t watch or read horror” that I had just sort of adopted this motto as absolute truth. A major reason for this is that I didn’t yet have a full understanding of what horror truly was, and what it could encompass. 

What if I was ready for horror again? 

It was Stephen who recommended that I read Joe Hill. And that changed everything. 

I am one of those weird horror fans who discovered Joe Hill before Stephen King. 

The first Joe Hill novel I read was Horns. And, my god, it shattered my previous perceptions of the genre—this was horror? 

This was wonderful. This was what I had been looking for. This was the kind of book I wanted to write, the kind of story I wanted to tell. 

And it was horror. Was I a horror writer? 

I am aware that, while Joe Hill is shelved and marketed as a horror author, his work isn’t strictly horror. There’s a lot of genre-mashing in his stories—but that’s precisely why I love them. This diversity of possibility is exactly what I’ve come to love and celebrate about the genre. 

Joe Hill was my gateway drug to reading horror, and I haven’t looked back since. While I will often step outside of the genre, the majority of what I read skews dark and weird (whether it’s dark fantasy, supernatural, thrillers, true crime, dark YA, pure horror, or some weird combination of all of the above.) This genre allows us to explore what is possible on the spectrum of human experience. From the overwhelmingly good to the unimaginably terrible and everything in between, horror allows us to imagine the capabilities of the human spirit. 

I also need to address the monster in the room: horror still scares me. I still occasionally suffer from sleep paralysis, though not nearly as severely as I used to. I think a part of that is because, while I still don’t know exactly know what I believe of in terms of the supernatural, I know that I don’t believe in gods or demons in any traditional or Judeo-Christian sense. In learning to cope with the sleep disorder, much of my fear transmuted to curiosity. It’s still a terrifying experience when it does happen, but it doesn’t shake my foundation in the same way that it did when I was younger. 

My imagination is still unbelievably impressionable. I can’t really watch horror movies alone (I make my husband suffer with me.) After reading a lot of horror, the images begin to infiltrate my dreams. But I’ve reached a place in my personal life—as a reader, writer, and traveler of this universe—where I treat my fears as an investigative opportunity. The quality of my writing improves when I explore what scares me, because it’s coming from a place that’s raw and emotionally honest. 

These days, I’m not so much afraid of the dark as I am curious about what’s in it. 

So, I love horror precisely because terrifies me, and because I want to know why. What’s hidden behind my fears? What’s behind yours?

Review: The Fireman

The Fireman.
Hill, Joe (author)
May 2016. 608p. Morror, hardcover, $28.99
REVIEW. First published March, 1, 2016 (Booklist)

Today I am so excited that I can finally post the review I wrote for the forthcoming Joe Hill novel. I read the book back over the holidays and turned the review in promptly, but in order to best feature this FANTASTIC novel, the review was held until now. Here it is...

Joe Hill, is back with his original take on the apocalypse. Harper is a school nurse who fancies herself an American Mary Poppins, but when a deadly fungus starts infecting humanity, causing people to spontaneously combust, life as we know it ends and a fight to survive begins. Harper, now sick and pregnant, is just trying to make it until she can deliver, but when her husband tries to kill her, Harper is saved by the unlikely and mysterious superhero of this new age-- The Fireman-- who brings her to a community where the sick have learned to live symbiotically with the fungus. But is it really the safe haven it appears to be? Like NOS4A2, this is a long book, but with a curiously ominous tone set from the very first line, a brisk pace throughout, and dozens of detailed action scenes, readers will be hard pressed to stop turning the pages; add in the well developed cast of characters [both good and evil], fun pop culture references, and a satisfying but open ended conclusion, and this is a story that will infect you. Channelling Michael Crichton, Hill presents a strong scientific explanation for most of the dread, but also includes a healthy dose of the fantastic, arming the heroes with a dangerous power much like he did in Horns. Take the ideas, characters, and tone of Station Eleven and add a large helping of the action, villains, and unrelenting menace from Doctor Sleep and you have The Fireman, an excellent example of the very best that genre fiction has to offer all readers today.

Also, while I couldn't fit it into the review, if you have a fondness for the early days of MTV and/or Martha Quinn, this book is for you.

Put this book on hold now!!!! No seriously, stop reading my review and go place your hold. I'll wait.

Three Words That Describe This Book: unrelenting menace, nuanced characters, fun
--Note: yes I said "fun" and "unrelenting menace" are both key words to describe this book. There is a balance between terror and playfulness here that most horror authors cannot pull off without dropping the ball on one or the other. Putting together, those "two" words [I know it is 3 but work with me here] summarizes much of why someone would or would not enjoy this book.

Readadlikes: In the review I provided links to a few options. Please note that many of those links are to reviews by me which also contain more readalikes. You can have fun clicking your way down the suggestion wormhole.

The Fireman also reminded me of Zone One by Colson Whitehead and Flashback by Dan Simmons. All three are some of the most original and interesting post-apocalyptic novels novels I have read. All three are firmly "genre" in that the fear and terror sit center stage and they also have fantastic endings. Fantastic in the horror sense, by the way, which means the current conflict is satisfactorily resolved but the overall anxiety is still left open.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: 2 Books for 2 Winners

This week I am offering two books for two winners. One is my review ARC of book that comes out next week; it is the novel I am pushing this year to give to any reader who wants to try Horror; a book I had this glowing review of in the the July issue of Booklist. The second is an ARC of an essential story collection by a legendary bestselling author, out 10/7. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American 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 for the previous giveaway. Our winners in order were, Catherine from IL and Sarah from NC.

Now on to this week's giveaway.

First up is a book that you need to give out to anyone who wants to try horror. It is The Thursday Murder Club meets Scream. Seriously. From my post back in July:

The Autumn Spring Retirement Home Massacre

By Philip Fracassi

Sept. 2025. 416p. Tor Nightfire, $28.99 (9781250879066); e-book (9781250879073). 

 First published July 2025 (Booklist). 

Step aside, teenagers. Make way for Rose DuBois, a final girl for the over 70 set. Quick witted and active, Rose enjoys her full life at Autumn Springs surrounded by so many friends, especially her best friend, Miller. However, when two residents end up dead in quick succession, Rose starts to suspect that they were murdered, and she may be the only person able to stop the killings. Like the best slashers, this is an emotionally resonant tale, more about its characters than the violence being perpetrated against them (of which there is plenty). But it is also a well-paced, age appropriate, kick-butt, final girl story led by Rose’s point of view with cinematic, darkly humorous glimpses into the residents’ lives as they are about to be murdered. But at the horror at the heart of this story is the terrifying reality of how disposable society views mature adults. In the tradition of the Scream films, this story will appeal to fans of Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club and Hendrix’s Final Girl Support Group.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Slasher, Mature protagonists, emotionally resonant

Click here for more of my thoughts about this book. As I said above, it comes out next week and you need to make sure you have it pre-ordered. 

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the paper copy that I am giving away.

Next is a book from a smaller press that you might have missed but you need to get on it NOW. The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale with an introduction by Joe Hill:

In this career horror retrospective, World Horror Grandmaster Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep; Hap and Leonard) tackles racism and human cruelty as de­ftly as he conjures demon nuns and Elder Gods.

Featuring an original introduction from Joe Hill, this much-anticipated volume showcases the best of Lansdale’s terrifying short stories—menacing, astute, and wildly inappropriate. Bestselling author Joe R. Lansdale is known for his gritty mysteries and his eccentric horror.

As an eleven-time Bram Stoker Award winner, Joe Lansdale cooks up an inimitable recipe of Southern Gothic and Southern fried chicken that continues to delight his many fans and influence generations of horror legends.

Lansdale mashes up crime, Gothic, mystery, fantasy, and science-fiction, filtered through a raw, violent world of dark humor and unique characters. Lansdale is one of the early American horror writers to portray racism not as abstract but as realistic, intimate, and impossible to ignore.

In Lansdale’s nightmarish visions, you’ll discover psychotic demon nuns, a psychopathic preacher, cannibals, 80-year-old Elvis, undead strippers, ­ flying ghost fish, Elder Gods, possessed cars, and the worst evil of all: mankind. 

 This is one you NEED to order. Thanks to Tachyon for the ARC.

I will pull 2 winners this week and give these books away in the order they are listed here.

Good Luck.

Enter now and you are entered going forward.

Review: Locke and Key-Crown of Shadows

Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez have been collaborating on one of the best horror stories I have ever read, in any format for the last three years. Check that, the ongoing story of the Locke children is one of the best stories I have read anywhere.

These Locke and Key comics come out all throughout the year and then IDW puts out a beautiful bound edition every fall. This edition, the third, is entitled Crown of Shadows. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Lock and Key storyline I will recap.  The 3 Locke children and their mother move back East to their ancestral home after their father is murdered. Turns out their father's murderer was put up to the job by an evil spirit who has been stalking the family for hundreds of years. The old family home is full of magical keys which the spirit is after. Each book deals with one of the keys.  Click here and here to read about the first two installments.This time, the key can be used to control the shadows in the house. In this case, they are used to try to destroy the kids. We also find a key to a cabinet that when you put something broken in it, the item will come out repaired. Which leads to a heart-wrenching scene when the mother puts the father's ashes in the cabinet.

The story is taking an even darker turn here.  The scene when the kids are battling the shadows is seriously scary. Kinsey, the sister almost dies in another scene, and the mother has hit rock bottom. The last installment, Head Games, was a bit more philosophical. The key there opened up people's heads and let them remove any bad thoughts. The characters had conversations about how important memories really are. To start this book, Kinsey has removed her fear in the last book and Bode, the little brother, has his memory of the war against the shadows removed for his own good.

We also get more into the history of the house and the Locke family at the end of this installment; more than we have ever seen before. This history also foreshadows the keys (and problems) to come. Things are going very badly for the Locke family, but I could not look away.

Here is an excerpt of what I said about the series when I read the second installment, Head Games:

Rodriguez's drawings are both beautiful and unsettling, sometimes at the same time. Joe Hill has written another compelling story and we are even treated to a bit of foreshadowing as to what keys may be found next. This is a clever, original, and unsettling graphic novel. There is blood, violence, and heartbreaking murders here; but the story is compelling and the Locke kids themselves will keep even a more timid reader turning the pages.

Crown of Shadows is a bridge installment of the story. I did not enjoy it as much as Head Games, but I understand that is because it is setting up future story lines.I appreciate that Hill is taking his time with the story, slowly revealing the details, and still entertaining me along the way. I am literally itching for the next one, but know I will have to wait another year. Arrrggggghhhhh.

The Locke and Key story is so appealing because it combines original story telling, compelling characters, a really scary, evil villain for whom time is not a factor, all with some of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching, and frightening drawings I have ever seen. The two parts of this story-- the words and the pictures-- perfectly play off of each other. I read a lot and can be picky, but I have rarely read anything as good as this series.

Three Words That Describe This Book: dread, original, compelling

Readalikes: As I said previously here:

The graphic novels of Hill's father's Dark Tower books make for a good suggestion here. Also anything by Neil Gaiman from Sandman to The Graveyard Book (and everything in between) would work for fans of the Lock and Key Series. Also try Alan Moore and Frank Miller in graphic novels, and Bentley Little, Robert McCammon, or Peter Straub in novels.

I would also suggest the new graphic novel series, American Vampire by Scott Snyder, Stephen King and Rafael Albuquereque (which I will review in  a few days), Jonathan Maberry's Pine Deep Trilogy, or Leopoldo Gout's Ghost Radio. All three of these suggestions are original horror stories which push at the edges of horror conventions to extremely successful results.

Becky on the Five Things to Know in Horror

Back in April I was part of a presentation on the top things to know in top genres for Booklist and NoveList. The genres were Thrillers, Horror, and Science Fiction.

The video is now available for anyone and everyone to view.

Click here for the video [horror is second]

Click here for the handout

This is an excellent resource for collection development for all three of these genres. I also provide a quick tutorial at the end of the genre specific presentations about how to use NoveList to stay up to date in ALL genres.

Finally, I have reposted my horror specific portion of the handout here on the horror blog so that it can be searchable in the future. I strive to make this blog a useful tool for those helping horror readers in a library setting. But please note, the written resource makes more sense if you watch the video too.

**********************************************

Becky Spratford on Horror: 

“Horror is a story in which the author manipulates the reader’s emotions by introducing situations in which unexplainable phenomena and unearthly creatures threaten the protagonist and provoke terror in the reader.”

Five Classic Authors 

* Stephen King (The Shining)

* Dean Koontz (Odd Thomas)

* Anne Rice (Interview with a Vampire)

* H P Lovecraft (Cthulhu Stories)

* Ramsey Campbell (Nazareth Hill)

Five Must-Read Books (To understand 21st Century Horror) 

* The Rising by Brian Keene

* The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle

* John Dies at the End by David Wong

* The Keeper by Sarah Langan

* The Terror by Dan Simmons

Top Five Trends in Horror 

*Weird Fiction Re-Emerges As a Subgenre: Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer; Kelly Link

*Science Fiction and Horror Team Up: Justin Cronin Passage Trilogy; David Wellington

*Horrific Women: Tananarive Due and Sarah Pinborough

*A Return to a Pulp Sensibility: Richard Laymon and Brian Keene

*Horror on Audio: Ghost Radio by Leopoldo Gout and Locke and Key by Joe Hill

Five Up and Comers 

* Joe Hill (NOS4A2)

* Jonathan Maberry (Rot and Ruin)

* Sarah Pinborough (Mayhem)

* Jonathan Janz (Children of the Dark)

* Paul Tremblay (A Head Full of Ghosts)

Becky’s Five Favorites [Besides NOS4A2] 

* The Ruins by Scott Smith

* House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

* Bird Box by Josh Malerman

* Anything by Shirley Jackson

*The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell