2024 Splatterpunk Awards Nominees Announced

Due to the fact that I am traveling (see tomorrow's post on RA for All), there is no #HorrorForLibraries Giveaway today, but I do still have a great post for those of you who expect something new here each Thursday. It is the full list of the 2024 Splatterpunk Awards nominees which were released earlier this week.

Click here to read all about it.

And remember, awards lists are one of my favorite RA Resources, and you can click here to learn more through my ongoing series, "Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool." 

Click here to see all the nominees

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway #39: StokerCon Librarians' Day Featured Author Tim Waggoner

It's #HorrorForLibraries Giveaway day, but it is also a special mini-series within the larger giveaway series. Today and for at least the next 3 weeks, I will be giving away books by authors who are appearing at StokerCon Librarians' Day. Plus I have a special multi-book giveaway set for LIVE during Librarians' Day [courtesy of Nightfire]. So you are going to want to enter now.

Click here for all of the details about this event. It is only $75 and you get to go to the entire StokerCon for that price, not just Librarians' Day.

Details on this week's giveaway below but first...

Here is a refresher on the basic rules to enter:

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

Click here to see giveaway #38. Our winner was John from Chattahooche Public Libraries [GA]

Today I have the latest novel by Tim Waggoner. Waggoner is the author of  Writing in the Dark which I reviewed in Library Journal last year, it is nominated for a Stoker Award, and is in my new book and on the blog as one of my go-to resources. This is an author you need to know about.

Waggoner is appearing on the first panel of the day at StokerCon Librarians Day: 

10-11 The Appeal of a Good Scare: Moderated by Becky Spratford  -- Tim Waggoner, Grady Hendrix, V. Castro, Jessica Guess, John Fram, Emily Hughes [Nightfire].

We will be talking about why people love horror. And we have a nice range of authors and horror professionals. 

But that's all focused on Waggoner the writing instructor. This is about his latest novel, Your Turn To Suffer. I have a full review posted on Goodreads here.  

This is a great example of a storyteller who understands his audience, gives them what they want, and yet still keeps them on the edge of their seat constantly guessing. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: mix of weird fiction and extreme horror, original storyline, deeply unsettling.

My review has way more detail and readalikes. 

This giveaway is a finished, hard cover copy courtesy of the publisher, Flame Tree Press. You can read it AND add it to your shelves immediately. 

Good luck. And next week I will be offering 2 books by a different panelist. Enter once and you are entered going forward. 

2021 Splatterpunk Award Nominees

2 weeks ago, the 2021 Splatterpunk Award Nominees were announced. The full press release is below,  but before I post that, here are three important points for library workers specifically. 

First, Extreme Horror is a huge trend in Horror right now, especially the "Splatter Western." Some library workers shy away from the term "Splatterpunk" thinking it will be "too extreme" for a general collection. To this I say no on two fronts. 1. Do you have erotica in your collections? I don't actually need you to answer because I know the answer is yes. If you carry Erotica, you can carry Extreme Horror. and 2. These are the VERY BEST of the subgenre, so you have a "resource" to back up your purchase.

Second, the biggest growth in this subgenre is from women and people of color. 

Third, I am on the record as saying that Awards Lists make for the very best RA Tool. I keep a permanent page of the Horror Awards I trust in the right gutter of this blog.

Now, here is the 2021 Splatterpunk Award Nominees official press release:

February 17, 2021

Best-selling authors and Splatterpunk Award founders Wrath James White and Brian Keene are proud to announce the nominees for the 2021 Splatterpunk Awards, honoring superior achievement for works published in 2020 in the sub-genres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror.

The nominees are recommended by readers, fans and peers. The nominees are as follows.

BEST NOVEL

1. Pandemonium by Ryan Harding and Lucas Mangum (Death’s Head Press)
2. Tome by Ross Jeffery (The Writing Collective)
3. Dust by Chris Miller (Death’s Head Press)
4. Slaughter Box by Carver Pike (Self-Published)
5. Gone To See The River Man by Kristopher Triana (Cemetery Dance Publications)
6. They All Died Screaming by Kristopher Triana (Blood Bound Books)
7. The Magpie Coffin by Wile E. Young (Death’s Head Press)

BEST NOVELLA

1. The Slob by Aron Beauregard (Self-Published) *
2. Bella’s Boys by Thomas R. Clark (Stitched Smile Publications)
3. Juniper by Ross Jeffery (The Writing Collective)
4. Red Station by Kenzie Jennings (Death’s Head Press)
5. True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik (Grindhouse Press)
6. The Night Silver River Run Red by Christine Morgan (Death’s Head Press)
7. How Much 2 by Matt Shaw (Self-Published)

BEST SHORT STORY

1. “The Incident at Barrow Farm” by M. Ennenbach (from Cerberus Rising, Self-Published)
2. “Full Moon Shindig” by Patrick C. Harrison III (from Visceral: Collected Flesh, Death’s Head Press)
3. “Phylum” by Tom Over (from The Comfort Zone and Other Safe Spaces, NihilismRevised)
4. “Footsteps” by Janine Pipe (from Diabolica Britannica, Keith Anthony Baird)
5. “Next In Line” by Susan Snyder (from Devour the Earth, Madness Heart Press)
6. “My Body” by Wesley Southard (from Midnight In the Pentagram, Silver Shamrock Publishing)
7. “The God In The Hills” by Jon Steffens (from The God In the Hills, Filthy Loot Press)

BEST COLLECTION

1. War of Dictates by John Baltisberger (Death’s Head Press)
2. Cerberus Rising by M. Ennenbach, Chris Miller and Patrick C. Harrison III (Self-Published) **
3. The Essential Sick Stuff by Ronald Kelly (Silver Shamrock Publishing)
4. Rhapsody In Red by Peter Molnar (Stitched Smile Publications)
5. Visceral: Collected Flesh by Christine Morgan and Patrick C. Harrison III (Death’s Head Press) ***
6. The Comfort Zone and Other Safe Spaces by Tom Over (NihilismRevised)
7. Blood Relations by Kristopher Triana (Grindhouse Press)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

1. Chew On This edited by Robert Essig (Blood Bound Books)
2. Brewtality edited by K. Trap Jones (The Evil Cookie Publishing)
3. Welcome To the Splatter Club edited by K. Trap Jones (Blood Bound Books)
4. Worst Laid Plans edited by Samantha Kolesnik (Grindhouse Press)
5. Crash Code edited by Quinn Parker (Blood Bound Books)
6. If I Die Before I Wake Vol. 3: Tales of Deadly Women and Retribution edited by R.E. Sargent and Steven Pajak (Sinister Smile Press)

7. Psi-Wars: Classified Cases of Psychic Phenomena edited by Joshua Viola (Hex Publishers)

* Qualifies due to being significantly revised from its original edition.

** Qualifies as a collection, rather than an anthology.

*** Qualifies as a collection, rather than an anthology.

A panel of judges composed of professionals, critics and scholars in the field will now begin the process of reading each nominated work, and selecting a winner for each category. Winners will be announced at KillerCon, taking place in Austin, Texas this August. If national health concerns prevent a physical convention, then the winners will be announced in an online ceremony instead.

In addition to the winners, author and editor John Skipp will receive the annual J. F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award honoring his significant contributions to the sub-genres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. Previous recipients are David J. Schow, David G. Barnett and Edward Lee.

Three notes of interest regarding this year’s awards:

While each category normally has five nominees (six if there is a tie), press will note that each category for this year contains seven. That is due to the overwhelming response in recommendations from the public this year. More new readers were engaged with Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror in 2020, leading to an increase in public response. As such, Wrath and Brian decided to extend the nominees to seven for each category, to better serve the community.

Building on a trend we pointed out in 2019, this year saw a continued significant increase in the number of women and authors who identify as female writing Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. The recommendation process evidenced readers and fans mentioning a number of new female voices.

Splatter Westerns (which combine elements of Splatterpunk or Extreme Horror with the traditional Western genre) were clearly a favorite among readers in 2020, as evidenced both in the nominees and in the recommendations.

Press inquiries can be sent to Wrath James White or Brian Keene

Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror Awards Announced

Go to Locus Magazine for the full list of nominees.

2020  Splatter Punk Awards Winners

Winners have been announced for the Splatterpunk Awards, “honoring superior achievement for works published in 2019 in the sub-genres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror.”

Best Novel

WINNER: Lakehouse Infernal, Christine Morgan (Deadite)

• Carnivorous Lunar Activities, Max Booth III (Cinestate/Fangoria)
• Killer Lake, W.D. Gagliani & David Benton (Deadite)
• Reception, Kenzie Jennings (Death’s Head)
• Merciless, Bryan Smith (Grindhouse)
• Toxic Love, Kristopher Triana (Blood Bound)
• They Kill, Tim Waggoner (Flame Tree)

Best Novella

WINNER: One for the Road, Wesley Southard (Deadite)-- Becky's Review [I love this book]

• White Trash Gothic, Part Two, Edward Lee (Section 31)
• Saint Sadist, Lucas Mangum (Grindhouse)
• Weeping Season,Seán O’Connor (Uafas)
• How Much To...?, Matt Shaw (self-published)
• Paradise, Maine, Jackson R. Thomas (Alien Agenda)

Best Short Story

WINNER: “Angelbait”, Ryan Harding (The Big Book of Blasphemy)

• "Breaking the Waters:, Donyae Coles (Pseudopod 9/19)
• "Censered", Christine Morgan (And Hell Followed)
• "Shoulder Pain", Chandler Morrison (The Macabre Museum 10/19)
• "Param", Susan Snyder (Trigger Warning: Body Horror)
• "Norwegian Woods", Jeremy Wagner (The Big Book of Blasphemy)

Best Collection

WINNER: Dirty Rotten Hippies and Other Stories, Bryan Smith (Grindhouse)

• Dead Sea Chronicles, Tim Curran (Bloodshot)
• Various States of Decay, Matt Hayward (Poltergeist)
• Dawn of the Living Impaired, and Other Messed-Up Zombie Stories, Christine Morgan (Death's Head)
• This Is a Horror Book, Charles Austin Muir (Clash)
• Resisting Madness, Wesley Southard (Death's Head)

Best Anthology

WINNER: And Hell Followed, Jarod Barbee & Patrick C. Harrison III, eds. (Death’s Head)

• Dig Two Graves, Jarod Barbee & Patrick C. Harrison III, eds. (Death's Head)
• Midnight In The Graveyard, Kenneth W. Cain, ed. (Silver Shamrock)
• Polish Extreme, Edward Lee & Karolina Kaczkowska, eds. (Necro)
• The Big Book of Blasphemy, Regina Mitchell & David G. Barnett, eds. (Necro)
• The New Flash: A Literary Tribute to David Cronenberg, Sam Richard & Brendan Vidito, eds. (Weirdpunk)

J.F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award

• Edward Lee

The awards were presented online on August 8, 2020. Additionally, the J.F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for 2021 is John Skipp. For more, see the announcement.

31 Days of Horror: Day 6-- Understanding Some Current Trends

A few days ago I wrote about the current trend of the history of horror having a strong pull on the works of the present. Today, I wanted to point out a few more current trends in horror, and give you a link where you can read more about it.

First off is Cosmic Horror because it is similar to the Lovercraftian influences I talked about in that history post, but it is a bit different in that cosmic horror includes works that came before Lovecraft and those since which have taken it in a different direction that no longer points back directly to Lovecraft himself.

I have two resources here. First here is an excellent Intro to Cosmic Horror that was published by Book Riot. And second, if you want to learn about Cosmic Horror through a discussion of its works in many mediums [but mostly stories] listen to author Mary SanGiovanni's Cosmic Shenanigans podcast.

Another popular trend in horror right now is Body Horror, specifically how it is being used by female authors to reclaim the subgenre. You can read the wikipedia article on Body Horror but I especially liked this recent piece by author Julia Armfield entitled, On Body Horror and the Female Body, via PW.

Finally, Splatterpunk is a subgenre of horror that was popular, fell out of favor, and is making a huge comeback. This is Horror is starting a multi-part series on the subgenre that began with this piece outlining its history and listing some key titles. You can also use this link to pull up all of their posts about Splatterpunk in reverse chronological order.

Horror Review Index Update and Double Awards Final Ballot Announcements

Today I have some links and information to share.

First, I have done some updates to the Horror Review Index adding the following titles:

• Chizmar, Richard and Billy Chizmar. Widow’s Point (2018)
• Speegle Darren. Cries from the Static (2018)
• Malerman, Josh. Unbury Carol (2018)
• Thomas, Scott.  Kill Creek. (2017)

Second, on Monday the Bram Stoker Award Finalists were announced. I posted all the info on the main blog here. 

And finally, the Stoker’s are the best of mainstream horror, but Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror have been making a comeback recently, enough so that there are now awards.

Below I have pasted the official press release, including the links to the 2 novels I reviewed. Look I know that not all Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror will work for a public library collection, but a lot of it will. This finalists list is for libraries with a good sized horror collection to consider purchasing. At the very least, you should have the Janz and Kozeniewski titles which I reviewed in IndiePicks Magazine as suitable for all libraries.

But even those of you who don’t have a huge horror collection, but do have enough horror readers that you follow this blog so that you can know what is going on in the genre, you should be looking over this list to familiarize yourself with the authors and publishers listed. These subgenres are only getting more popular and this list is a great way to stay in the know.

Click here for the official announcement or see below.

-------------------------------------------

For Immediate Release — 2/5/2018

Splatterpunk Award founders Wrath James White and Brian Keene are pleased to announce the nominees for the 2018 Splatterpunk Awards, recognizing works of superior achievement in Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror that were published in 2017. The nominees are:

BEST NOVEL

CONTAINMENT by Charlee Jacob (Necro Publications)
EXORCIST FALLS by Jonathan Janz (Sinister Grin Press)
THE HEMATOPHAGES by Stephen Kozeniewski (Sinister Grin Press)
SPERMJACKERS FROM HELL by Christine Morgan (Deadite Press)
WHITE TRASH GOTHIC by Edward Lee (Deadite Press)

BEST NOVELLA

THE BIG BAD by K. Trap Jones (Necro Publications)
DAMN DIRTY APES by Adam Howe (Thunderstorm Books)
HEADER 3 by Edward Lee and Ryan Harding (Necro Publications)
KILLER CHRONICLES by Somer Canon (Thunderstorm Books)
THE LUCKY ONES DIED FIRST by Jack Bantry (Deadite Press)

BEST SHORT STORY

“Dirty Desk” by Jeffrey Thomas, from Chopping Block Party (Necro Publications)
“Extinction Therapy” by Bracken MacLeod, from Splatterpunk Fighting Back (Splatterpunk Zine)
“Melvin” by Matt Shaw, from Splatterpunk Fighting Back (Splatterpunk Zine)
“Molly” by Glenn Rolfe, from Splatterpunk Fighting Back (Splatterpunk Zine)
“The Tipping Point” by Jeff Strand, from Everything Has Teeth (Thunderstorm Books) 

BEST COLLECTION

2017: A YEAR OF HORROR AND PAIN, PART ONE by Matt Shaw (Amazon Digital Services)
EVERYTHING HAS TEETH by Jeff Strand (Thunderstorm Books)
THE GARDEN OF DELIGHT by Alessandro Manzetti (Comet Press)
GORILLA IN MY ROOM by Jack Ketchum (Cemetery Dance Publications)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

CHOPPING BLOCK PARTY, edited by Brendan Deneen and David G. Barnett (Necro Publications)
DOA III, edited by Marc Ciccarone and Andrea Dawn (Blood Bound Books)
SPLATTERPUNK FIGHTING BACK, edited by Jack Bantry and Kit Power (Splatterpunk Zine)
VS:X: U.S. VS U.K. EXTREME HORROR, edited by Dawn Cano (Shadow Work Publishing)
YEAR’S BEST HARDCORE HORROR VOLUME 2, edited by Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax (Comet Press)

J.F. GONZALEZ LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

David J. Schow [The man who coined the term Splatterpunk; seriously, he’s cited for inventing it on the OED. --added by Becky]

Congratulations to all! Works on the ballot were selected by fans and readers. Winners in each category will be voted on by the 2018 Splatterpunk Awards jury. 

The winners will be announced the the inaugural Splatterpunk Awards ceremony, taking place August 24th through the 26th at KillerCon in Austin, Texas. For more information on the convention and the awards, click here.

31 Days of Horror: Day 24-- Reviews by Me

Yesterday's and today's posts could have both been titled, "stop what you are doing and read/order for your collections what Becky is telling you to.” Seriously,  listen to me, I literally wrote the book on this-- how to help you help horror readers.

Today I have 4 more suggestions- plus all of the readlaikes I provide too; that makes 10 recent books for you to buy and suggest to your readers in two days!

The first book is a reminder that Joe Hill’s newest release, Strange Weather, comes out today. I cannot overstate how great this collection of 4 short novels is. Seriously, I expect a lot from him already, and when I read this back in June it blew me away. Here is my starred review from Booklist. with more details from me. This is a collection that should not only be given to horror readers; it is something many readers will enjoy especially fans of King, Gaiman, Mieville, and even Murakami. Yes, Murakami, especially “Aloft.” My experience helping readers is that just about everybody likes one of those authors.

Now on to my three reviews from the first ever print issue of IndiePicks Magazine. You can click here to read today’s post on the general blog about IndiePicks and even get a free copy of our first digital issue, but here on the horror blog, I have just the horror reviews. And like my Booklist reviews, I will add bonus content here on the blog.

And, you can always see my IndiePicks reviews by using the IndiePicks tag here on the horror blog. That tag will be a good quick way to pull up indie press horror that are good for general library collections, but it is not every good horror book. My Horror Review Index is the best place to find good "Horror For Libraries” options.

Full site

Short, Thought-Provoking Scares

In his remarkable, character driven, debut collection of nine horror stories, BEHOLD THE VOID [JournalStone, $18.95, 9781945373497], Philip Fracassi demonstrates that horror can still be thoughtful and lyrical even while it probes our deepest, darkest, most brutal fears. The stories within contain cosmic horror and weird fiction elements and feature an intensity of atmosphere juxtaposed by a restraint in advancing the action, a masterful storytelling skill rarely seen in the genre. Tension and unease build in these stories until they literally burst open. This makes the stories compelling but it is the intimate, familial relationships and the people entangled in them at the heart of these stories that makes them stand out. Take the previously published and already cult hit, “Altar” for example, a story about a brother, sister, and mother on a summer trip to the local pool, a common memory shared by most readers, but Fracassi slowly adds in layers of strangeness and terror, as this ordinary day builds to a horrific conclusion. Or the new and more subtle story, “Fail-Safe” which shows a loving family facing a very difficult decision in this original take on the well-tread monster trope. These are engrossing and detailed stories about flawed people put into extraordinary situations. Do expect to enjoy the ride, but don’t expect any neatly tied up happy endings along the way. As Laird Barron, in the introduction to this collection, sums it up, “Nobody is safe and nothing is sacred.” This is a perfect title to pair with 2016’s critically acclaimed A NATURAL HISTORY OF HELL: STORIES by Jeffrey Ford.

Becky’s Bonus Blog Content

Further Appeal: These stories are strange, but in a good way. Strange because they are beautifully written, yet the dread builds to almost unbearable limits. It is a very cool reading experience for readers who like that sort of thing-- like me! But seriously, all of your domestic suspense readers who don’t mind a speculative element and want the dread kicked up a notch-- these stories are for them.  

I cannot stress enough how these stories are so familiar at their start but then turn terrifying very quickly. It’s like Shirley Jackson times 50. Fracassi is able to tell a story with the style and skill normally seen in “literary” writers, but these are 100% genre tales. He is yet another example of why those who disparage “genre” writers are ignorant buffoons.  

Three Words That Describe This Book: thought-provoking, lyrical, atmospheric 

Readalikes: Award winning speculative fiction author Jeffrey Ford is a great readalike author here. And the link in the review goes to my Booklist review of his most recent and now award winning collection. Laird Barron, who wrote the introduction is also a good readalike. Use this link to read more about Barron from me.

I would also suggest this collection to people who have enjoyed Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado which i just gave a star review in Booklist and is a finalist for the National Book Award. Fracassi’s book does not have the feminist and LGBTQ frame of Machado’s, nor is it as experimental in style, but the feel of the stories, how they build, how they are beautifully written, and how they incorporate a menacing speculative element that overtakes you, are very similar. That review also has more readlike options. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if this collection was nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award [another resource you could use to find readalike options].

The Horrors of Reality TV

SplatterPunk meets satire in the bloody, frightening battle of ancient evil versus reality TV in Daniel I Russell’s ENTERTAINING DEMONS [ApexBook Company, $15.95, 9781937009564]. Molly is not your typical English teenager. She lives alone with her grandfather, her mother is institutionalized, and her father, well he’s been missing most of her life. But that’s just the beginning of her problems.  Molly is also newest star of the popular reality TV show, “PI: Paranormal Investigations, ” but unlike some of the fake paranormal experiences followed by the show, Molly is living a 100% real nightmare on view for the world to see. What begins with strange noises and things that go bump in the night quickly escalates as Molly is being targeted by a very real and dangerous ancient evil, one that has survived millenia by any means necessary. With an alternating point of view between our protagonists and the demons who are descending upon Molly’s small British town, this is a non-stop, edge of your set, bloody thriller. But it is also a darkly humorous and sharp witted send up of modern media, reality TV, and humanity’s wrongly placed attentions. The demons have been observing, interfering with, and even altering human history for far too long to be fooled by this new obsession. Molly, her family, and friends are heroes you can believe in and root for, but the demons have centuries of experience and absolutely no morals. ENTERTAINING DEMONS has all of the violence, gore, and satire of Brian Keene’s classic, CASTAWAYS mixed with a similar frame and storytelling style of Benjamin Percy’s recent, THE DARK NET; both titles that are popular with a public library audience.

Becky’s Bonus Blog Content

Further Appeal:  I need to stress how this book is in equal turns a hilarious and biting satire AND an extreme horror thrill ride. There are graphic scenes of sex and violence, but they are part of the subgenre tropes within which this story is written. So, if you don’t like SplatterPunk, this book is not for you. But it is also not so over the top that libraries should’t carry it. This is a perfect extreme horror title for libraries because it will satisfy fans of the subgenre while also enticing new readers.

Back to the humor-- the satire of modern human existence and specifically the skewering of reality TV is very funny-- again funny with the disclaimer that amidst the humor there is carnage. The demons are VERY evil but they also have a unique take on humanity having been around for millennia.

This is a great title to try if you want to see what all the extreme horror fuss is about. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: Extreme Horror, Satire, Dark Humor

Readalikes: If you use the links to the two readalikes in the review, you will go to my reviews which both have even more readalikes.  

Also, SplatterPunk is making a comeback in general, a trend you should be aware of.  One of the best current practitioners of this subgenre is Wrath James White. Speaking of, White, along with the aforementioned Brian Keene,  just founded the SplatterPunk Awards for the Best in Extreme Horror. Click here for details. Once they have a long list,  you can start using that for readalikes too. 

The Devil Inside

When William Peter Blatty published THE EXORCIST in 1971 he started a brand new subgenre of horror literature that, while waxing and waning in popularity over the years, has never completely disappeared. However, very few have lived up to the evil and terror of the original, until now. Jonathan Janz is a horror star on the rise and in EXORCIST FALLS [Sinister Grin, $18.99, 9781944044510], which includes the previously published novella prequel, “Exorcist Road,” Janz puts a 21st Century spin on the demonic possession story and puts his talent for entertaining and frightening through his prose on full display. Chicago is being held hostage by the Sweet Sixteen Killer, who targets, violates, and then brutally murders young women of all races and classes, just as they turn sixteen. Jason Crowder is a young priest in Chicago who is called to the home of a wealthy parishioner after their son begins acting weirdly. He is clearly possessed, but he also knows way too much about the serial murders. In the struggle for his soul, the demon enters Crowder, but that is just where our story begins.What follows is a bloody and graphic tale part demonic possession story, part mystery, and part family drama. An intense first person narration allows for the reader to see Crowder’s struggle with the demon inside him as he tries to maintain moral control of his body while also, at times, allowing the evil to surface if it will help him to catch the human killer. Janz keeps readers turning the pages as they root for Crowder while still being utterly appalled by him. This is the perfect read for people who loved HORNS by Joe Hill, another tale where readers root for a protagonist who is controlled by the devil. And with the popular TV series, “The Exorcist” back for a second season, there will be an increased demand for the demonic possession tale.

Becky’s Bonus Blog Content

Further Appeal:  As I mention in the review, The Exorcist television series is very popular right now, so expect this subgenre of horror to make a comeback. You need to be ready with suggestions for fans of the show who want more possession tales, and this title is an excellent place to start.

The intense first person is very cool here. It keeps you riveted and has you fluctuating between rooting for and being disgusted by the protagonist. That alone keeps you on edge the entire time-- and horror fans want to be on edge.

Also, the thriller aspects of how the story is told will appeal to many readers of that genre as long as they don’t mind the supernatural aspects. The cat and mouse game between Crowder and the killer is very well done.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Demonic Possession, Intense 1st Person, Thriller-esque

Readalikes: Besides the books and TV show listed in the review, ARARAT by Christopher Golden which I reviewed here would be another good recent suggestion.

You can also use this link to see other books I have reviewed which use the devil as a frame. Plus I have an entire chapter on the subject in my book.