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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query robert dunbar. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query robert dunbar. Sort by date Show all posts

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

31 Days of Horror: Day 16-- Robert Dunbar Guest Post

Today I am happy to welcome one of my personal favorite dark fiction authors, Robert Dunbar.  On top of writing entertainingly creepy books, Dunbar is also a big library supporter. In my book, I included Dunbar as a must have author for public libraries (in theHorror 101 Chapter), as well as including annotations for some of his work in the chapter on monsters [discounted copies of my book are still available].

Tomorrow, I will have a review of his novella, Wood, which, along with all ebooks under Dunbar's Uninvited Books imprint, is only 99 cents this month.

And now here is Robert Dunbar talking about why he writes dark fiction.

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When did the horror genre become so reactionary? Where did this mandate come from? The one stipulating that plots must concern vanilla families menaced by the unknown? I can't be the only one less than fully invested in the spectacle of the status quo being maintained.

True art seldom celebrates conformity. Literature should transgress, not reassure.

This is probably why I write about the most threatening kind of darkness … and the things that lurk within that darkness. It's the kind of reading material I've always been drawn to.

For me, the monster is always the lonely one, the unloved and unwanted. The outcast. And even as a child I knew where my sympathies lay. Always. Dracula wasn't a monster so much as a villain out of Victorian melodrama - foreign and sinister - a stale template even then. Of course, the hero would rescue the damsel. Was there ever any doubt? Ah, but with the Frankenstein monster … nothing could be certain. Adam was soulful. He was abject. He remains the classic outsider, the suffering archetype at the heart of so many truly great books. What could be more terrifying than all that pain? Even now the monster is among the most supremely tragic - and most intensely human - of literary characters. All he wants is to belong.

And he never can. No one will ever acknowledge his humanity.

He suffers because he's different.

Some of us can relate. Rarely are protagonists in real literature presented as idealizations of the average. That trope reigns only in the realm of the manipulative and the sentimental. You have to wonder how devotees of this type of fiction feel when encountering a work like my MARTYRS & MONSTERS with its queer hustlers and gallant junkies. Small wonder I'm forever hearing from consumers - I can't bring myself to call them readers - who say I shouldn't be allowed to write like this. (They say a lot of other things too.) Personally, I believe that if a book doesn't challenge preconceptions and stereotypes, even monstrous ones, the writer has failed. The role of art is to illuminate.

Our monsters are among our most important icons. Perhaps that's where the genre lost its way, this strange shift of allegiances, this veneration of the normal. How odd that one scarcely ever hears young writers discussing the supernatural tales of writers like E. M. Forster or Willa Cather. Rarely is there a mention of Gustav Meyrink or Franz Kafka or Yukio Mishima.

Perhaps if they'd written zombie romances …

No, let's not even go there. (My nerves can only take so much.)

This is why I started Uninvited Books. A chasm yawns between brilliantly cerebral dark fiction and manufactured product. Of course, it's not only my genre that's impacted. Take a writer like Ursula K. LeGuin, whose many fine Science Fiction novels have often been lambasted for being "too literary," a deadly offense apparently. Recently, I read an essay by Ms. LeGuin in which she lamented the fact that most science fiction fans read nothing but science fiction. "And many," she added, "read nothing at all."

I so get that. I've always been extremely lucky in the response from critics, but the reader comments on sites like Amazon or Goodreads can be very revealing. The woman who complained that my novel WILLY was too complicated to read in front of the television spoke unwitting volumes. So did the poor soul who bitterly resented that it took him over a year to wade through THE SHORE (not a particularly long book). And what's to be made of a statement like this one?

"I hate all that prose and literary stuff. I just wants me some horror."

So disheartening.

Yet I choose to interpret it all as a sort of reverse testimonial … because some of us don't hate all that literary stuff. Small wonder so many serious writers are prone to depression.

Still … rewards exist. When more evolved readers discover that my work speaks to them, their responses can be passionately appreciative. Over and over, I hear from readers who 'had just about given up' finding dark fiction intended for intelligent adults. This resonates. How could it not? I mean, what else does a writer live for? On so many occasions, I've been moved by these comments, and my feelings are only enhanced by the fact that such people tend to be articulate and sensitive - exactly the readership I've always sought. Sought? More than sought. Conjured. Evoked. Believed in as an article of faith. These are the readers I picture when I sit down to write. Whenever one of them declares some novel of mine to be the finest book they've ever read, it constitutes validation on a profound level … if only because there's not a vanilla character to be found anywhere in my work. It gives me hope.

 Such readers are a gift in my life. How fortunate I am. Perhaps the genre isn't as reactionary as it seems. Perhaps culturally we are emerging from a dark time, like some noble monster groping toward the light.

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Robert Dunbar has been called "the catalyst for the new literary movement in horror" by Dark Scribe Magazine, and his novel THE PINES has often been described as "a classic of modern horror." His most recent work is the novella WOOD. Learn more about his books by visiting his personal site at http://www.DunbarAuthor.com.



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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

31 Days of Horror: Day 17 Review and Giveaway of Wood

Yesterday, Robert Dunbar was guest on the blog.  Today I will offer a review of his novella, Wood.

But first, Dunbar is offering a free ebook of Wood to readers of this blog.  If you are interested, please email me at zombiegrl75[at]gmail[dot]com with "Wood" in the subject heading and you will be entered to win.  Deadline for submissions is Saturday 10/20 at 5 PM cdt.  I will notify the winner Saturday night and Dunbar will get in touch with you to send you the book.

Now the review...

I am a big fan of Robert Dunbar, and here is why.  He consistently writes tales that are high in fear and not gratuitous in gore.  He also employs a conversational style with humor, even when characters are in a fight for their lives.  But it is in his descriptions that Dunbar excels. He sets the stage so well, describing everything and every character with detail that somehow does not come off as wordy.  This description adds to the anxiety and eerie frame that take over his stories.

Dunbar also probes the idea of "the monster" in all his works.  He does not have zombies, vampires, or werewolves.  His monsters are almost more frightening because they are not easily identifiable.  He also often looks to myths and folklore for his monsters.  For example, in his first novel, The Pines (a must buy for every public library) he looks at the mythological New Jersey Devil for inspiration.  From my book:
In the mysterious and desolate New Jersey Pine Barrens, a legendary monster, the Jersey Devil, is on the loose.  This is a traditional story of a monster on the prowl in an isolated setting, but Dunbar manages to keep the plot and action fresh, frightening, and fun.  Do not go camping soon after reading this book.
Wood is true to Dunbar's proven style as outlined above.  Wood is also a novella which means it is shorter than a novel, but longer than a story.  The novella is a great format for the horror story.  First, it is long enough to develop meaningful characters that the reader cares about; characters they don't want to see die; characters that when they are pursued by monsters, the reader gets afraid. This is the key to creating an atmosphere of terror in the story, but it is sadly something many horror authors are not very good at.  Second, it is short enough that you can't get too scared.  You can read it in one sitting, close the book, shake off a few shivers, and go back to your day.  A perfect taste of the terrifying.

For the public librarian during the Halloween season, novellas (and to a lesser extent short stories) are a great option for our patrons who do not usually read horror, but want to try something scary this month to get into the Halloween spirit.  Stories often lack the character depth that novel readers are searching for (this is a common complaint I get at the library), but with a novella, a horror novice will get the character depth and the scares he or she is looking for.

Back to Wood in particular. The set up is classic for the monster story: a girl, just escaped from a juvenile detention center encounters a monster while on the run.  She seeks shelter from another outcast, Dick, who lives on the edge of the woods.  Together, these well developed characters, outsiders both, battle and control the monster.

The multiple points of view here include the monster's.  The shifting narration adds to the unsettling atmosphere which is one of the main reasons people read horror in the first place--to feel unsettled.  Seeing the monster's thoughts is a great addition here.

There is an overriding message of environmentalism is the story too.  Maybe we humans are encroaching too much on nature and as a result, we are disturbing things that are better left alone.  The ending definitely underscores this.  The immediate threat of the monster has been handled for now, but in the woods, there may be a new threat rising.  May be we should just stay where we are.

The Woods may be under 100 pages, but it packs a punch.  I would highly suggest it for anyone who wants to try Dunbar for the first time or for anyone looking for a terrifying story that they can read in a sitting or two.  Just don't plan any excursions in the forest preserve anytime soon.

Three Words That Describe This Book: unsettling, shifting point of view, humor

Readalikes: I want to begin with 2 books I thought of right away:

  • Castaways by Brian Keene because of its tongue in cheek humor, monster's point of view, and ominousness.  Click here for a full review.
  • Pine Deep Trilogy by Jonathan Maberry because together, the three books in this series make up the most compelling and terrifying monster story I have ever read.  The series tells the story of the residents of Pine Deep, PA, who thirty years ago vanquished a serial killer known as ‘The Reaper.’  Since then, the town has seen peace and fame as the Halloween capital of America. But as the series opens on another Halloween season, a new supernatural evil lurks on the outskirts of town, waiting to finish what The Reaper began. Click here to access a review of the first book in the series-- Ghost Road Blues.
A few of my other monster favorites that are described at length in the book and would fit as readalike suggestions are:
  • Dweller by Jeff Strand (monster in woods befriends a young boy)
  • The Woods Are Dark by Richard Laymon (much more violent, but a classic horror tale of the monsters that lurk in the woods)
  • Ancestor by Scott Sigler (for those who like the environmental themes; this one is a cautionary tale about biotechnology)
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Friday, September 21, 2012

Celebrate the Autumnal Equinox with a Free Book By Robert Dunbar

Dark fiction author extraordinaire Robert Dunbar not only writes compellingly terrifying books, but he is also a great guy and a friend to libraries.

He is a confirmed participant in my upcoming 31 Days of Horror too.  Beginning in just 10 days!

To celebrate the Autumnal Equinox, Dunbar and his publisher have some free offers and new content I wanted to pass on.
 
Uninvited Books, publisher of Martyrs and Monsters, Dunbar's critically acclaimed short story collection, is offering a FREE Kindle copy of the book beginning today and going through 9/25.  Click here to download your free copy. Thanks to Dunbar for including libraryland in the offer.

Dunbar's own site is here.

Dunbar also gave this interview to author Richard Schiver on his blog, Whisphers from the Abyss.

Finally, Dunbar got some of his friends together to start, Occupy Horror.  Here is his description of the project:
"The revolution is underway. The mindlessly commercial, the undistinguished and barely literate will no longer be allowed to utterly dominate the genre. Not without a fight anyway."
The series will feature author interviews and blog posts. Writers who have confirmed their participation in the weeks to come include, Laird Barron, Gary Braunbeck, Ramsey Campbell, Mort Castle, Greg Gifune, Ronald Malfi, Elizabeth Massie and Tom Piccirilli.  All big name, fabulously frightening authors.

Keep the Occupy Horror Series link to check out more as they are posted.
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Saturday, October 11, 2014

31 Days of Horror-- Day 11: Short Stories

Today’s post is a reminder about the satisfaction of horror short stories. Here is a link to every post I have tagged short stories.  I am trying not to repeat myself, so use that link for more.

Today I want to highlight 2 new collections that are solid additions to most public library collections.

The first is edited by one of my favorite horror authors, Robert Dunbar [click on his name for posts featuring him on this blog.]  His newest work is a collection he has edited entitled, Dark Forest.  From Goodreads:
Stay out of the woods. 
Something deadly lurks among the shadows, and the trees themselves seethe with menace. No one is safe.These classic tales of the malignant wilderness by master storytellers like Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, Ambrose Beirce, and E. Nesbit are annotated and introduced by contemporary talents, all of whom add their unique insights and perspectives. (The anthology also includes the novella WOOD by Robert Dunbar.) 
...We fear darkness. We fear eyes that watch from the foliage. Sometimes we fear the foliage. And perhaps we should. Long before haunted houses existed, haunted forests circled the globe. Homer knew it. The Brothers Grimm knew it. In legend, all the great mythic quests of self-discovery begin with a hero entering a forsaken wood. Some journeys also end there... 
These tales of the evil woods are introduced and annotated by Paul G. Bens, Jr., Ramsey Campbell, Sandy DeLuca, Robert Dunbar, James Everington, Greg F. Gifune, Kevin Lucia, Ronald Malfi, Lisa Mannetti, Elizabeth Massie, and B.E. Scully.
The second work I want to highlight is a collection I first previewed with this guest post by its editor, Richard Thomas.  The New Black is an impressive collection that I will be publicly advocating for in the October 15, 2014 issue of Library Journal.  Here is a preview of some of what I will have to say about this collection:
Short stories are often a great bet during the Halloween season because they offer the casual horror fan snippets of creepy fun. A great recent option is The New Black edited by Richard Thomas with an introduction by Bram Stoker Award winning author Laird Barron. Featuring tense, atmospheric, and twisted stories by acclaimed authors like Benjamin Percy, Roxanne Gay and Craig Davidson , these neo-noir tales merge literary fiction with any combination of dark genre fiction from crime and horror to fantasy and Southern Gothic with touches of the grotesque along the way. Readers who want to dip their toes in the forbidden depths of chills and thrills should start here for the best of today’s dark and twisted tales.
Finally, I want to end this post by reminding you all that the short story is a vibrant format in the horror world.  There are many amazing and wonderful works to be read. If you want to see a list of what the Horror Writers Association and its members deem the most worthy of your attention, click here for their public archive of recommended reads. Organized first by year, and then by format, quality short stories and novellas are well represented in these lists.
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Friday, October 21, 2011

31 Days of Horror: Day 21--Best Horror of 2011...So Far

Today I want to highlight the best horror books that have come out this year.  Some time this weekend, I will offer up the best horror on the horizon in the next few months.

For the record, as I mentioned previously, I still plan to review Zone One and What Fears Become before the end of the month, so they will not be included here.  Also, I want to remind you all that I keep a Horror Review Index sorted by author here.

Here are the links to the horror novels with 2011 copyrights which I really enjoyed and reviewed this year. I will tackle horror collections at a later time.  Click on each title for details:

Here are some more horror titles that I feel are among the best to have come out so far in 2011:
  • Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney.  This is the third installment in McKinney's excellent series which speculates that five hurricanes in a three week time span destroy Houston.  As a result of the disaster, a zombie plague infects the citizens.  McKinney, who is a police officer by day, is a rising star in the genre.
  • Bed Bugs by Ben Winters.  Winters is also an up and coming horror author.  He began his horror novel career with Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, but now he is back with an original tale of terror.  I am still on the hold list for this one, but it is getting great reviews and word of mouth. Here is the set-up: the perfect NYC apartment, but it is too good to be true.  The residents are being attacked by bed bugs, or so they think, until they find out the threat is much, much more sinister than they thought.
  • Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry. This is the sequel to Maberry's YA zombie series Rot and Ruin, which I read and loved here.  I am saving Dust and Decay for after Halloween when I have more time to enjoy it, but I have given it out to many patrons already and they have all loved it.
  • Willy by Robert Dunbar.  I really like Dunbar, and if you read this psychologically terrifying novel, you will see why.  Dunbar puts the reader completely into the head of a troubled boy and follows his terrifying interaction with his friend, Willy.  This is a dark and complex story. Don't be fooled by its short page count (under 300).  This is a book will stay with you.
  • Houdini Heart by Ki Longfellow.  This book has been a surprise to horror fans.  It is a haunting novel which harkens back to Poe, Lovecraft, and Shirley Jackson, but with a 21st Century feel.  I don't want to give too much away here, but this story looks at one writer's descent into madness. Or is she really the victim of supernatural forces?  I love these novels in which the reader is never sure if what the narrator is telling us is truly happening or if it is all in their head.  Here's another book like this which I loved. Terrifying.
  • Finally, here are a few debut novels that are getting a lot of buzz in the horror community. Click through to read more:
Let me know if I missed one of your favorites from the first 3/4 of 2011.  Still to come, the best story collections of 2011 and the best horror on the horizon.  Patience, I still have over a week of days to fill people.
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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Giveaway Winner

The winner of Wood by Robert Dunbar is Karen T.  Thanks to all for entering.

I have a huge 6 book giveaway by a big name author coming in just a few days.  Stay tuned!
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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Horror Readers' Advisory Book Update: Authors

When I first started this blog, I promised to use it as an update to my print book, and while everything I post technically adds to the value of the book, today's post is an actual update to the authors listed in Chapter 3: Horror 101: A Crash Course in Today's Tales of Terror.

In that chapter I break up today's need to know authors into a few categories. One of those categories is "Pulps Kings." These are horror authors publishing original paperback fiction whose books I feel every library with a known horror readership should own. In other words, these should be your go-to pulp horror authors.

The book lists: Brian Keene, Nate Kenyon, John Everson, Gary Braunbeck, Robert Dunbar, and Jeff Strand.  To this list I am updating with the following authors and descriptions.
J. G. Faherty writes character driven horror which often has an ancient evil setting and incorporates teenaged protagonists.  He often uses a mix of supernatural occurrences and beings to ratchet up the fear and his use of gore is moderate.  Of the better known authors, I would compare him to Peter Straub. Try Cemetery Club which  begins with 4 friends awakening an ancient evil that they contain but don’t defeat and then flashes forward 20 years when the friends need to reunite for a final showdown.

Gregory Lamberson walks the line between horror and not quite horror, but there is no denying his popularity with horror fan because his Jake Helman Files series is scary as heck. Jake resigns from the NYC police force and becomes a private detective specializing, by accident, in supernatural crimes.  These are gory and terrifying novels, but reviewers are constantly commenting on how imaginative and original the stories feel.  More horror than Huston’s Joe Pitt series, but still with a strong investigative element, Lamberson is an author to keep an eye on. Try the first book in the series, Personal Demons

Law enforcement officer Joe McKinney knows a thing or two about catching bad guys, but in his terrifying Dead World series, he imagines an evil much worse than a mere human criminal.  After five hurricanes in a row slam into the Texas Gulf coast, “from the rubble, a virus has been born that is reanimating the dead--thousands of them at a time!  Quickly, the virus spreads across the entire state of Texas, as hordes of hungry zombies begin taking over.  This is a terrifying and action packed series with a realistic premise.” The first book is Dead City.

Finally, I would like to add a list of newer authors, all who have been mentioned on RA for All: Horror previously, who are making enough of an impact that you should be on the look out for new titles by them. All links go to areas on this blog where the author was discussed and/or his book reviewed.
Now that my book is a year old, look for more frequent official updates to the print here on the blog.

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Monday, September 24, 2012

Stephen Jones' Favorite Horror Stories

We are leading up to October 1 and 31 Days of Horror.  Only a week away now.  I will be posting some teasers to get you ready.

But first, don't forget about the offer from Robert Dunbar that I posted on Friday.  There is still time to get your free copy of Martyrs and Monsters here (offer good until 9/25).

Today I have this list from Publisher's Weekly, where Stephen Jones, the multiple-award-winning editor and author of more than one hundred books in the horror and fantasy genres, shares his 10 favorite horror stories.

These tales should get you in the mood for Halloween right quick.
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Friday, August 20, 2010

Big Problems at Leisure Books

I normally have nothing but good things to say about Dorchester Publishing's horror arm, Leisure Books. For the last few years, Leisure has racked up the best consistent stable of horror authors, churning out good to excellent mass market horror titles at a furious pace. Authors like Brian Keene, Nate Kenyon, John Everson, Robert Dunbar, and Tom Piccirilli (just to name a few of my favs) published the bulk of their papberback novels through Leisure.

But then this week, Dorchester made this announcement:


Dorchester Transitions to E-book and Trade

Given the many changes in the publishing industry over the last several years, Dorchester has made the decision to more tightly focus its distribution models so that we may fully capitalize on the most profitable emerging technologies.
Starting with September titles, we will be moving from mass-market to trade paperback format. This will delay new releases roughly 6-8 months, but it will also open many new and more efficient sales channels.
And we’re pleased to say all titles will be available in ebook format as originally scheduled. The substantial growth we’ve seen in the digital market in such a short period—combined with the decline of the mass-market business—convinced us that we needed to fully focus our resources in this segment sooner rather than later.
Dorchester has always been known as a company ahead of the curve and willing to take risks. As bookstores are allocating the bulk of their capital to the digital business, it only makes sense that we do the same. Everyone keeps hearing that the industry has to change if it’s going to survive. We’re excited to be at the forefront of that change and will continue to keep you posted on further developments.
And to help answer some of the questions you might have: 
For readers:
How will I be able to get the new books?
From September through April, new titles will be available only in ebook.  You can find them in all major ebook outlets: Amazon, B&N, Books on Board, Sony, Overdrive affiliates, etc.  And we will have links for purchase at various vendors from our site as well.
Click here for the full statement.

In plainer English this means that the horror titles that were due out in the next 6-8 months will only be available in ebooks. How does this help my horror readers at the BPL? We stock quite a few of these Leisure titles and have decent circulation numbers to show for it. What are these readers going to do? The BPL's patrons are working to middle class, with a large new immigrant population. Many do not have home computers let alone ebook readers.

Also, from a purely selfish level what am I going to do? I almost always have at least one horror mass market pb in my purse and 7 times out of 10 it is a Leisure title. I can't whip out the Kindle I don't own yet and read the newest Nate Kenyon title on it at school pick up. It's bad enough that all of the moms think I am ignoring them on purpose when I am absorbed in a book, how arrogant does it look to do it on an iPad? How cumbersome too? Oh, and the fact that anything electronic is infinitely more interesting to my kids and I have to fend them off from trying to push its buttons. What's wrong with my paperback? (Click here for more of my ebook thoughts)

I am concerned that just as horror is breaking back into the mainstream that the most solid, well written, and well edited pulp titles are going to disappear. As my baby sister used to say, "This is not good like I thought."

If this was all not unsettling enough, Brian Keene released a statement hinting that the proposed switch to trade paperbacks will not be happening either. Editors at Leisure are being fired and authors aren't getting paid. He is blunt and pulls no punches in sharing his opinion:
What’s my advice to my fellow Leisure authors? Run. Get the fuck out and don’t look back. It is my opinion that we are screwed. At this point, you’re an absolute fool if you sign with them for anything else.
Click here for his full statement.

All I can add is, I am worried. I will be following this story and will pass on any news. 
 
***This is a cross post with RA for All
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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Resource Worth Your Time: Matt Molgaard's Horror Novel Reviews

Horror Novel Reviews:
Matt Molgaard has been a contributing writer for some of the world’s largest horror (and film in general) publications, including Fangoria, Horror Asylum, Relativity Media and (currently) Best-Horror-Movies. Horror Novel Reviews is a platform designed with the goal of sharing thoughts and analysis on some of today’s finest horror fiction with you, the reader and fan.
Click here to see the bios of all the contributors.

I was reminded of this resource by Robert Dunbar who passed on their article on the Top Ten Modern Gothic novels.

I also wanted to point out their staff picks of their favorite horror books.  Everyone is always asking me what my favorite horror novels are, but I am reluctant to share this information because since what people find appealing about horror is tied directly to what makes them feel scared, therefore what I like in a horror story, might not work for someone else.

However, readers love lists of favorites by those in the know. So here are even more opinions-- the Horror Novel Reviews' staff picks of their favorite tales of terror.

The entire site is worth a look, but while you are there, you can see that I am not the only one who was underwhelmed by Red Moon. Click here for my review, here for theirs.
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Tuesday, October 3, 2017

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
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Bram Stoker Preliminary Ballot Announced

Here is the link.  Details below.

For each category (Novel, First Novel, etc) there are potentially TWO ballots: one for the works that proceed from the recommendations (‘Recs’) ballot and one for the works that proceed from the Jury ballot.
A short explanation of the system for determining for the Bram Stoker Awards™ ballots appears at: http://www.horror.org/stokers.htm. As the preliminary ballot is designed to produce three works for the final ballot in a category from each of the “Recs” and “Jury” ballots, if there are three or less works qualified in a category, they proceed directly to the final ballot.
If you see four, five or six works in a “Rec” or “Jury” ballot below, that ballot will proceed to be voted on by Active and Lifetime Members and they are marked ‘Ballot Required’.

NOVEL:

    RECS:

    Ballot Required
    • Lamberson, Greg — Cosmic Forces
    • Longfellow, Ki — Houdini Heart
    • Malfi, Ronald — Floating Staircase
    • O’Neill, Gene — Not Fade Away
    • Warner, Matthew — Blood Born

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Conlon, Christopher — A Matrix Of Angels
    • Dunbar, Robert — Willy
    • McKinney, Joe — Flesh Eaters
    • Oliver, Reggie — The Dracula Papers, Book 1: The Scholar’s Tale
    • Thomas, Lee — The German

FIRST NOVEL:

    RECS:

    Ballot Required
    • Bird, Allyson — Isis Unbound
    • Lee, Frazer — The Lamplighters
    • Reynolds, Graeme — High Moor
    • Talley, Brett J. — That Which Should Not Be
    • Wagner, Jeremy — The Armageddon Chord

    JURY:

    No ballot required, the following works will proceed directly to the Final Ballot. Please note these works may not be described as Nominees until the Final Ballot is formally announced.
    • Jacobs, John, Horner — Southern Gods
    • Roche, Thomas — The Panama Laugh

YA NOVEL:

    RECS:

    Ballot Required
    • Faherty, J. G. — Ghosts of Coronado Bay, A Maya Blair Mystery
    • Holder, Nancy — The Screaming Season
    • Maberry, Jonathan — Dust & Decay
    • Matthews, Araminta Star — Blind Hunger

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Blake, Kendare — Anna Dressed in Blood
    • Kraus, Daniel — Rotters
    • Ness, Patrick — A Monster Calls
    • Oppel, Kenneth — This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein
    • Roth, Veronica — Divergent

GRAPHIC NOVEL:

    RECS:

    Ballot Required
    • Hill, Joe — Locke & Key, Volume 4
    • Maberry, Jonathan — Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher
    • Maberry, Jonathan — Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine
    • Mignola, Mike and Golden, Christopher — The Plague Ships
    • O’Reilly, Sean; Nassise, Joe; Weick, Halston — Candice Crow

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Brosgol, Vera — Anya’s Ghost
    • Fialkov, Joshua Hale — Echoes
    • Jensen, Jeff — Green River Killer
    • Moore, Alan — Neonomicon
    • Smith, John — Cradlegrave

LONG FICTION:

    RECS:

    Ballot Required
    • Breaux, Kevin James — Dark Water: Beaming Smile
    • Calvillo, Michael Louis — 7Brains
    • Little, John R. — Ursa Major
    • O’Neill, Gene — Rusting Chickens
    • Schwamberger, Ty — The Fields

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Hodge, Brian — Roots and All
    • Kiernan, Caitlin — The Colliers’ Venus (1893)
    • Lindqvist, John Ajvide — The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer
    • Shearman, Robert — Alice Through A Plastic Sheet
    • Straub, Peter — The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine

SHORT FICTION:

    RECS:

    Ballot Required
    • Bailey, Michael — “It Tears Away” (The Shadow of the Unknown)
    • Lillie-Paetz, Ken — “Hypergraphia” (The Uninvited, Issue 1)
    • O’Neill, Gene — “Graffiti Sonata” (Dark Discoveries)
    • Palisano, John — “X is for Xyx” (M is for Monster)
    • Warren, Kaaron — “All You Can Do Is Breathe” (Blood and Other Cravings)

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Ausubel, Ramona — “Atria” (The New Yorker Magazine, April 4, 2011)
    • Ballingrud, Nathan — “Sunbleached” (Teeth: Vampire Tales)
    • Castro, Adam Troy — “Her Husband’s Hands” (Lightspeed Magazine)
    • King, Stephen — “Herman Wouk Is Still Alive” (The Atlantic Magazine, May 2011)
    • Saunders, George — “Home” (The New Yorker Magazine, June 13, 2011)

SCREENPLAY:

    RECS:

    No ballot required, the following works will proceed directly to the Final Ballot. Please note these works may not be described as Nominees until the Final Ballot is formally announced.
    • Ball, Alan — True Blood: Spellbound (Episode #44)
    • Goodman, Cory — Priest
    • Nolfi, George — The Adjustment Bureau

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Gimple, Scott M. — The Walking Dead, episode 13: “Pretty Much Dead Already”
    • Gimple, Scott M. — The Walking Dead, episode 9: “Save the Last One”
    • Noxon, Marti — Fright Night
    • Ovrehahl, Andre and Havard S. Johansen — Troll Hunter
    • Sharzer, Jessica — American Horror Story, episode 12: “Afterbirth”

ANTHOLOGY:

    RECS:

    No ballot required, the following works will proceed directly to the Final Ballot. Please note these works may not be described as Nominees until the Final Ballot is formally announced.
    • Carbone, Tracy L. — NEHW Presents: Epitaphs
    • Hutton, Frank J. — Tattered Souls 2
    • Skipp, John — Demons: Encounters with the Devil and His Minions, Fallen Angels, and the Possessed

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Dann, Jack and Nick Gevers — Ghosts By Gaslight
    • Datlow, Ellen — Blood And Other Cravings
    • Datlow, Ellen — Supernatural Noir
    • Datlow, Ellen and Terri Windling — Teeth
    • VanderMeer, Jeff and Ann — The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities

COLLECTION:

    RECS:

    Ballot Required
    • Burke, Chesya — Let’s Play White
    • Connolly, Lawrence C. — Voices: Tales of Horror
    • Gresh, Lois — Eldritch Evolutions
    • Haines, Paul — The Last Days of Kali Yuga
    • Morton, Lisa — Monsters of L.A.
    • Ochse, Weston — Multiplex Fandango

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Fowler, Christopher — Red Gloves: The London Horrors
    • Kiernan, Caitlin R. — Two Worlds and In-Between
    • Llewellyn, Livia — Engines of Desire
    • Oates, Joyce Carol — The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares
    • Oliver, Reggie — Mrs. Midnight and Other Stories

NON-FICTION:

    RECS:

    No ballot required, the following works will proceed directly to the Final Ballot. Please note these works may not be described as Nominees until the Final Ballot is formally announced.
    • Bannatyne, Lesley Pratt — Halloween Nation: Behind the Scenes of America’s Fright Night
    • Mamatas, Nick — Starve Better
    • Mogk, Matt — Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Crawford, Gary William, Jim Rockhill, and Brian J. Showers, Eds. — Reflections in a Glass Darkly
    • Rupe, Shade — Dark Stars Rising
    • Shultz, David E. and S.T. Joshi, Ed. — Letters to James F. Morton
    • Tibbetts, John C. — The Gothic Imagination
    • Wood, Rocky — Stephen King: A Literary Companion

POETRY:

    RECS:

    Ballot Required
    • Alexander, Maria — At Louche Ends: Poetry for the Decadent,the Damned & the Absinthe-Minded
    • Clark, G.O — Shroud of Night
    • Borski, Robert — Blood Wallah and Other Poems
    • Simon, Marge — The Mad Hattery
    • Ward, Kyla Lee — The Land of Bad Dreams

    JURY:

    Ballot Required
    • Addison, Linda — How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend
    • Boston, Bruce — Surrealities
    • Marshall, Helen — Skeleton Leaves
    • Schwader, Ann K. — Twisted in Dream
    • Simon, Marge — Unearthly Delights
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