Girl in Ice by Erica Ferencik

Valerie “Val” Chesterfield is a linguist trained in the most esoteric of disciplines: dead Nordic languages. Despite her successful career, she leads a sheltered life and languishes in the shadow of her twin brother Andy, an accomplished climate scientist stationed on a remote island off Greenland’s barren coast. But Andy is gone: a victim of suicide, having willfully ventured unprotected into 50 degree below zero weather. Val is inconsolable—and disbelieving. She suspects foul play.

When Wyatt, Andy’s fellow researcher in the Arctic, discovers a scientific impossibility­—a young girl frozen in the ice who thaws out alive, speaking a language no one understands—Val is his first call. Will she travel to the frozen North and meet this girl, try to comprehend what she is so passionately trying to communicate? Under the auspices of helping Wyatt interpret the girl’s speech, Val musters every ounce of her courage and journeys to the Artic to solve the mystery of her brother’s death.

The moment she steps off the plane, her fear threatens to overwhelm her. The landscape is fierce, and Wyatt, brilliant but difficult, is an enigma. But the girl is special, and Val’s connection with her is profound. Only something is terribly wrong; the child is sick, maybe dying, and the key to saving her lies in discovering the truth about Wyatt’s research. Can his data be trusted? And does it have anything to do with how and why Val’s brother died? With time running out, Val embarks on an incredible frozen odyssey—led by the unlikeliest of guides—to rescue the new family she has found in the most unexpected of places.

Val is a brilliant linguist, grieving the loss of her twin brother, and struggling with anxiety that is not fully addressed by her medication. There are very few places that she is comfortable enough or even able to force herself to go. Her life is basically work at the university, visiting her dying father, and home. But when she gets an email from her deceased brother's mentor that includes a recording of a girl he claims was frozen solid and defrosted alive in the Arctic, she decides to get on a plane not only to see if she can interpret this girl's language but to visit the place of her bother's death and find out what truly happened to him.

The small cast of characters being basically trapped together in a desolate sub zero setting created an instant atmosphere of dread and cabin fever. Add to that the mystery of how a child could be defrosted alive and the sci fi  sub plot of climate change leading to people all over the world being flash frozen and I was hooked on this thriller from the start.

4 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

Get a copy

About the author

Erica Ferencik is a graduate of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Boston University. Her work has appeared in Salon and The Boston Globe, as well as on National Public Radio. Find out more on her website EricaFerencik.com and follow her on Twitter @EricaFerencik.

 

Midnight From Beyond the Stars edited by by Kenneth W. Cain

There’s life out there… and it’s coming for you! 
It starts as a mild rattling of the windows disturbing your pleasant dreams. Then the trees outside your bedroom rustle from a mysterious celestial wind. When the neighborhood dogs erupt in a cacophony of terrified barking, you’re jerked from your peaceful slumber. Through bleary eyes you look at the display on the nightstand. Midnight. A roar cracks the obsidian night sky as a ball of blinding light streaks out of the heavens, crashing with an earthshaking explosion on the other side of the hill. Racing to the open window, you smell the electric scent of charred ozone in the night air. The pulsing glow in the distance mesmerizes your senses. There’s something pulling you from its rhythmic humming. Something too enticing to resist. Something’s out there, and it has a story to tell. Lots of stories. You slip on your shoes and make your way for the door…

I have enjoyed the previous horror anthologies published by Silver Shamrock, but I had put off reading this one for a while. I do love short horror stories but the title and the cover made me think this one may be just a little too outer spacey and sci fi for me. Well I'm here to say I was wrong. There were some stories that were not my cup of Tang, but most are full of terror and suspense that occur right here on earth. In fact you need not venture further than your local diner or hair salon for some of these spine tinglers.

My many favorites were-  

Abduction Annie by Ronald Kelly in which a meddlesome mother in law finds out whether her daughter in law was truly abducted by aliens.

Unravelling by Stephanie Ellis, about a mother's boundless love.

Snow Blind by Kristopher Triana, in which a woman seeks shelter on the road from a brutal storm.

The Fear of Fallen Leaves by James Newman takes place in my favorite time of year, but Halloween is rough on a single mom who has a phobia of fallen leaves.

The Bulge by Rob E. Boley is a darkly humorous bit of body horror in which a man fears he has caught a "sex disease" but then probably wishes it was that simple.

Skin-Wrapped Gift by Chad Lutzke in which a lonely old man receives a gift that can end the world.

Too Many To Count by Jeremy Hepler in which a quiet evening at home is interrupted by strange creatures.

A Cat Named Sue by Jennifer Soucy begins with a girl who is desperate to keep her cat alive after it tried to defend her from her abusive step father.

 The Sky and Above by Patrick Lacey is about a man who would do whatever it takes to get his missing girlfriend back

Skin Tags by Vivian Kasley is another really fun but gross body horror that begins innocently enough with a hair cut.

Whatever You Want Most by Megan E. Hart is about a lonely widow who drowns her sorrows in alcohol and edibles while raising her kids alone.

So whether you do like tales of life from other planets or whether you just enjoy straight up horror as I do, I think you will find this anthology to be an out of this world read.

My thanks to Silver Shamrock Publishing for the review copy.

Get a copy

Contents

Introduction by Richard Chizmar
“Attack of the Killer Tumbleweed!” by Antonia Rachel Ward
"Abduction Annie" by Ronald Kelly
“Roadkill” by Samantha Kolesnik
“Embryo” by Tim Curran
“Scan for Life” by Jason Parent
“Unravelling” by Stephanie Ellis

“Snow Blind" by Kristopher Triana
“Death and Decay” by Shelly Campbell“The Fear of Fallen Leaves" by James Newman
“The Bulge” by Rob E. Boley
“Phantom Limb” by Kay Hanifen“Incident on Saddle Road” by Brian Moreland
"Skin-Wrapped Gift” by Chad Lutzke
“We Still Have Time" by Amanda Headlee
“I Will Meet You There” by Brennan LaFaro
“A Monstrous Hunger" by Simon Clark
“To Sing with the Choir Invisible” by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
"Too Many to Count" by Jeremy Hepler
“A Cat Named Sue” by Jennifer Soucy
"The Bluehaul" by Lee Murray
“The Little Voice” by Gabino Iglesias
"The Sky and Above" by Patrick Lacey
“Count Backward From Ten” by Meghan Arcuri
“Midnight Dreary” by Owl Goingback
“Skin Tags” by Vivian Kasley
"Virescent Sky” by Tim Meyer
“Sometimes All of Our Thoughts are Misgiven" by Janine Pipe
“Whatever You Want Most” by Megan E. Hart
"Who Built the Moon?” by Tyler Jones
"Stasis" by John Lynch
“Fourteen Gallons” by Red Lagoe
“Broken Star” by Lucas Milliron
"Chittering" by Bob Pastorella

Sundial by Catriona Ward

 

Sundial is a new, twisty psychological horror novel from Catriona Ward, internationally bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street.

You can't escape what's in your blood...

All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind.

She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice.

Callie is worried about her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely, and speaks of past secrets. And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive…

The mother and daughter embark on a dark, desert journey to the past in the hopes of redeeming their future.

The description and the fact that the author's previous book was in my best of the year list for 2021 made me excited to read this book. My excitement began to dwindle within the first few chapters due to the slow pace and unlikable characters. 

 Rob is married to an abusive man with whom she shares two daughters. One of the daughters has strange mannerisms and frightening habits.

I understand there are a great many women who stay trapped in abusive relationships but Rob did not  share any of the reasons a woman would usually stay. Rob has access to money and a car and a job and the ability to leave. Most abusers start out sweet as pie, but Rob's husband Irving was an obviously creepy person long before she married him and she knew it. By the time the reason for her marriage is disclosed the book is over. 

 Rob had a very unconventional upbringing but I will not go into detail because I don't think you are meant to know about it until the middle of the book, which was another problem for me. The pace is slow, and the book is made even longer by the fact that Rob likes to write stories, using the names of her family, which she will go back and change later. Rob is not a great writer so there was no enjoyment in being made to read her fantasy novel or whatever it is she is working on. At first I forced myself to pay attention to them in case there were important clues to why or how she got herself into this situation but after the third or fourth time these stories seemed to be an unnecessary interruption so I skimmed them. This book would probably have been better off without them since it would have been less long and drawn out and draggy.

You may enjoy it more than I did, but this one just wasn't for me.

2 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

Available for pre-order

About the author

Faster by Calvin Demmer

 

Brock Johnson made a deal to return home from the war—alive. It’s a contract that follows him throughout his days, a contract he can’t escape. Or can he? One night on the road, he must decide whether to keep running or surrender. . . Either choice has its price.

As Brock Johnson lay dying, he was offered another chance at life. He's been on the run from the terms of that contract ever since.

Calvin Demmer's short story "Faster" is a new take on the deal with the devil trope, with a clever twist. Is there ever a way to get out of the deal once you've signed away your soul? Brock thinks he has found a way to keep the devil at bay... but at what cost?

I've been a fan of Demmer's short stories for years. They're always entertaining and pack a punch in a small package. This was no exception. I can't say this one was particularly scary but it was still a hell of a good time.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy

Get a copy

About the author

The Wakening by J.G. Faherty

 

A team of paranormal investigators, a priest and a defrocked priest with a dark secret join forces to combat of a vengeful ancient demon, and the evil spreading throughout a small New York town.

Fifty years ago, Father Leo Bonaventura, a young exorcist, cast a demon out from a young boy in Central America. The demon, Asmodeus, vowed revenge. Now the demon has returned, in the same town where Bonaventura is a retired priest nearing the end of his life. In a series of not-so-coincidental events, the possession of a young girl brings together an unlikely group of people, all of whom are linked in their pasts in some way: A group of paranormal investigators, including twin psychics. Robert Lockhart, a defrocked priest with a dark secret that only the twins know. A father whose dead wife was a college girlfriend of Robert’s and once conjured an evil spirit with him through a Ouiji board. Now they must all join forces and help Father Bonaventura rid the town not only of Asmodeus, but also the plague of poltergeists that have followed the demon into our world.

Half a century ago, a young priest was called to the jungle to help with an exorcism. Though he was successful, the demon vowed to come back for Father Bonaventura someday.

30 years ago, a group of friends attempted a séance in a haunted dorm and woke a sleeping evil.

One year ago, little Abby Rawlings began suffering the torments of unseen forces. Unable to cope, her father calls for help, bringing in a group of paranormal experts who do not believe in demons but intend to either debunk these supernatural goings on or possibly clear the home of poltergeist activity.

A little slice of hell has come to the town of Hastings Mills and it's growing day by day. Before long the non believers will be forced to face the truth. Whatever is tormenting Abby is not confined to her and they can not handle this alone. Father Bonaventura has grown old and frail, but he may be the only hope.

There are a lot of characters to unpack and get to know here. It took me some time to get everyone straight. I did once have to flip back closer to the beginning to get the names of those who were present at the séance to make sure I was clear on the attendees, so pay attention there, it matters later on, these things are all connected.

 I don't think I have been so freaked out since I read the story that inspired a head spinning Linda Blair to visit my nightmares in my teens. The earlier events in the book that introduce the characters and set the scene are chilling enough, but as the book progresses into full throttle hell on earth it makes those earlier incidents seem mild by comparison. This is a good vs evil story of epic proportions. The action just never lets up.

5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

Get a copy

About the author

Hope Wharf by Mark Towse

 

Hope Wharf is an idyllic town surrounded by crystal blue waters and home to approximately two hundred residents, including best friends Ryan and Zac. There’s only one road in and one road out, and the locals like it that way, happy to cater to the tourists during the holiday season and keen to get their idyllic town back in the off-season. It sounds perfect, but there’s a catch. The last time a local allegedly tried to leave town, they were found on the side of the road with mist coming out of every orifice. Tourists can come and go as they please, but it’s forbidden for locals to leave, and from an early age, children are told about what happens if they try, poor old Tommy Nicholls used as an example. Ryan and Zac are keen to uncover the town’s secrets and arrange a midnight stroll down Mulville Road to test the rumours out for themselves.

Hope Wharf is a town with no theft, no murder, no crime, and no escape for the residents. Everyone knows what happened to the only person who ever tried to leave, and nobody has attempted it since. Best friends Ryan and Zac aren't so sure this is true and set out to test what would happen if they try to get out. After all, tourists are welcome and they flock to this seaside town in droves. They are free to go home when their vacation ends but there may be a nefarious reason for that.

All of the residents are in on an ominous secret and as Ryan and Zac begin to uncover it things take a very unexpected path. This escalated quickly from a story about a boy who just wanted to know what life is like outside of his small town to something much darker.  If you like small town horror as I do, then this is the book for you. You'll definitely think twice about your next summer vacation plan!

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

Get a copy

About the author

Gloria by Bentley Little

 

Considering she had just attended her mother's funeral, Gloria Jaymes never expected to see the woman again, but then her dead mom shows up at her house. Gloria's mom is... different. She's younger than when she died, dressed in clothes from the 1980s. And nobody else in Gloria's family seems to recognize her.

As Gloria tries to figure out the reason for her mother's reappearance ― and the odd behaviors the woman begins to exhibit ― other bizarre events occur. The changes to Gloria's world are small and subtle, at first... then they become much more startling.

The freaky situation might just be connected to a mysterious shed in a small California town. The strangers who gather around the shed seem to know Gloria's name... and maybe they aren't strangers after all.

With Gloria, Bentley Little presents one of his most complex and compelling novels ― one that is certain to surprise readers on every page.

This is a tough one to review. As a long time fan of Bentley Little I have read everything he has ever written. Generally he has a formula that he sticks to and those books are all recognizable by the word "THE" in the title. The Store, The Resort, The Consultant. The Bank, etc. all follow this formula. Occasionally he steps away from that, and those books can be recognized by lack of "The" such as "His Father's son" and "Death Instinct" and now "Gloria"

What all of his books have in common is over the top bizarre situations, but Gloria really takes the cake here. I didn't know what to make of it at first. It seemed like a big dose of crazy "what if's." 

What if your life was different? what if you had children? What if you didn't have children? What if you had a different job? What if your mom died? What if your mom lived? What if you had multiple siblings, no siblings, were wealthier, poorer, a stay at home parent.  What if all of your what ifs sucked and no matter how your life was different that was always the same. Always the grief and the suffering and the loss as if it were predestined no matter what you chose. Like a big case of do overs on ground hogs day. That is what I thought for over the first 150 pages and that's around the time I started getting fed up with it. It wasn't until around page 200 that these constant do-overs were explained but that made it no less crazy. The explanation is weak, and vague, and is never made any clearer.

At the beginning of the book I was all in on this. It was strange and creepy and some of these really bizarre scenes gave me chills. Unfortunately there is always that pesky little too much of a good thing, and I reached that point before the halfway mark.  It was just too much, and no longer enjoyable or unexpected. It started to feel like walking through a Halloween attraction and the way the first couple of times someone jumps out at you it's fun and scary, but by the tenth time it's expected and gone on for too long. There were also random acts of animal cruelty that were pointless. I think this was the author's attempt at a love story but by the end I wanted a divorce. 

3 out of 5 stars

Get a copy

Alfred Hitchcock's Witch's Brew--Eleven Stories About Magic, Witchcraft, and the Supernatural

 

Witches, sorceresses and a modern vampire feature in Alfred Hitchcock's cauldron of horrors. This hearth-thumping collection of stories, put together by the man who -till his death in 1980- was regarded as the master of terror, is guaranteed to give you the jitters!

This book says it is geared towards "young readers" but I would caution that does not mean children. The stories are definitely not childish, nor are they for those who have only just learned to read. There is no gore, but there is language unsuitable for young children. I would consider it more a young adult anthology or at the very least age 13 and up. Consider it a PG 13 rating.

I am posting a photo of the page which lists the included stories, authors, and original publication year. This anthology was originally published by Random House in 1977.

Even though it has long since gone out of print it is not difficult to find used copies in decent condition still floating around for sale at the second hand bookstores. I found my copy in very good condition at Thriftbooks.

I probably fell in love more with the artwork than the actual stories. The front and back cover art just screamed buy me. The inside cover is gorgeous too and there is also an illustration for every story.

My favorites were the stories by Robert Bloch and Shirley Jackson. They've got me in the mood to dig out my collections by both of them and just binge. I've never read much Robert Bloch before but it's worth noting that all of my favorite episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents were based on stories written by Bloch. Until now the only story I had read by Shirley Jackson was The Lottery and now I'm kicking myself for having waited so long to dig into more of her work. Her story in this anthology "Strangers in Town" is told from the point of view of the town busy body who claims she can not stand gossip all while spewing more of it than anyone. As she spies on her new neighbors they might actually give her something to talk about! This was a 5 star read for me.

'That Hell-bound Train" by Robert Bloch is about a young man who thinks he can outsmart the devil. Also a 5 star read for me.

The rest of the stories, while worth a read, were just not on the same level, but for me, Jackson and Bloch were worth the cost of admission.

Get a copy

Dancing With Tombstones by Michael Aronovitz

 

This new book from critically acclaimed genre author Michael Aronovitz collects some of his greatest stories that celebrate the beauty of the darkness in the world.

-In the section titled GIRLS, you'll learn "How Bria Died," and will also meet "The Sculptor" in the story that inspired Aronovitz's full-length serial killer novel of the same name.

-In the section featuring PSYCHOS, you'll feel the chill of the Anti-Christ in "Quest for Sadness," and fall prey to the most frightening circus creature on the face of the earth in "The Exterminator."

-In TOOLS & TECH, you'll find out the dark secret of "The Tool Shed," and will also experience the full-length ghost-novella, "Toll Booth."

-And finally, in MARTYRS & SACRIFICIAL LAMBS you'll experience hell on earth in "The Echo," and unwittingly release the darkest force of the forest in "The Falcon."

With Dancing with Tombstones, the author of Alice Walks and The Sculptor deliciously thrusts us down the twisted avenues deep inside the haunt of our most secret repressions.

"She Drags her jump rope on cement and calls you from the heating vent. Turn a promise to a lie and you will be the next to die."

Creepy right? 

I had never read any Michael Aronovitz before. I'm rather shocked by that considering how much I love short horror stories. Somehow I missed out on these in previous publications. These stories are quite dark and deliciously creepy. Several feature children, and those were my favorites because you just never know what children might do. They may have frightening events befall them or they may be the cause of terror. That is why I love them in horror, they are so unpredictable. I'm also a fan of ghosts, and you will meet some here, after all the dead can't rest if they are dancing with tombstones. I enjoyed all of the stories but these are the ones I can't stop thinking about.

The very first story "How Bria Died" in which a teacher regrets telling his class a scary story was one of my favorites.

"The Girl Between The Slats" was sheer brilliance. It led me down a totally unexpected path that there is no way for me to describe without spoiling it for you. Check out your face in the mirror after you read it and see how surprised you look.

In "Puddles" poor Doris Watawitz is in germaphobe hell and I really felt for her. This story was just a lot of gross fun.

"Soul Text" takes a look at the technology of tomorrow that is nearly the horror of today. Maybe we were better off when a tablet was just a pad of paper.

"The Tool Shed" is where siblings discover a gruesome secret.

In "The Falcon" an unusual child is born, grows up, and gets revenge.

"The Soldier" was another of my favorites not because of being scary but because I cared about the characters and it nearly made me cry. I don't expect to care that much about characters in a short story because I only meet them for such a brief time.

Highly recommended to all who love horror and dark fiction.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications.

Get a copy

Visit the author's blog