Midnight Vintage by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola

 

A collection of haunting short stories that delve into the darker sides of the human soul, this horror book explores raw emotions of desire, despair, and obsession. Each tale is set in an atmospheric world where shadows loom large, and the pursuit of unattainable goals leads characters to face terrifying consequences. Whether it’s the unsettling grip of supernatural forces, the harrowing effects of self-destruction, or the chilling embrace of violence, these stories invite readers to explore the depths of horror, grief, and madness. With unique and frightening twists, these tales will keep you on edge long after the last page is turned.

Step into the unknown, if you dare!

This is that lovely time of year when I barely know what day it is and my thoughts do not connect in ways that make sense. So for that reason, I just have a few words to say about this book.

Midnight Vintage is a gold mine of folk horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. A few of my favorite stories were :

The Bidden-  A farmer and his wife suffer the consequences of his insecurities in this glorious and gruesome bit of folk horror that would do the Brothers' Grimm proud, or make them cringe I'm not sure which. 

Bright Rain - A scientific breakthrough goes from miraculous to deadly in this apocalyptic tale.

The Devil's Reel - A demon opens a movie theater and preys upon the children in a local church. One of my favorite horror tropes is creepy kids so this was a big hit with me.

Eunoch's Code -An experimental surgery aims to make the meek more aggressive but things go awry in the first human test subject.

The Climb Up To Hell-  Three friends will regret trying to prank the new kids with a scary story and a dare. Again, the more creepy kids the better. I love these kinds of stories.

Many Carvings- I don't know how to say much about this one without spoiling it, except yay for more creepy kids. Just go in blind like I did. 

My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing.

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The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

 

Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic.

And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the questions: Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him?

Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, THE BUSINESS TRIP takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?

This book started out strong. We first meet Jasmine as she is smack in the middle of sneaking away from her abusive boyfriend. It reminded me of The Invisible Man. Not the original, the new version where she tries to escape in the night without waking him. It was so suspenseful, and I was holding my breath every time she made the slightest noise.

From there, we meet Stephanie as she prepares for a business trip. These women have never met and have polar opposite lives but they will meet on the plane, with shocking consequences.

I usually have no problem with stories that are told from multiple points of view, but this seemed excessive to me. There is Jasmine's point of view, her boyfriend's point of view, her friend's and a coworker at the bar. Then there is Stephanie's point of view, her neighbor's, several of her co-workers, a person at the hotel, a couple of police press conferences and combined with some flashbacks of Jasmine's teen years it was just too much switching around for me.

I enjoyed the beginning and the clever ending of this book but I was frustrated and sometimes bored with the middle. The parts of the book about the newsroom, the convention, and meetings in the hotel were too long for me. I know that some of it was necessary to the plot, but I wanted to get back to the suspense.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press for the invitation to read this book.

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Hotel Macabre Vol.1: Tales of Horror Edited by Joe Mynhardt

 

Step into the halls of Hotel Macabre, where horror meets innovation.

Where horror knows no bounds…

And every turn reveals a new nightmare.

Hotel Macabre Vol.1 is not your typical horror anthology. It’s an immersive experience that breaks the boundaries of conventional storytelling. This one-of-a-kind collection gathers the chilling voices of horror’s most imaginative minds, presenting a rich blend of flash fiction, short stories, poetry, a suspenseful play, a novella, and even an illustrated comic book section, guaranteeing a diverse feast for horror fans like never before.

Whether you crave the suspense of flash horror, the depth of a full-bodied short story, or the haunting rhythm of dark poetry, Hotel Macabre Vol.1 has it all. And for those looking for something truly unique, this anthology includes a link to an exclusive dramatic reading, bringing the terror to life in a way you’ve never heard before. Each story and poem opens a door to new terrors, while the comic and play sections add a visual and theatrical thrill, making this anthology a must-read for fans of horror anthologies and short horror stories alike.

Dare to enter Hotel Macabre and discover a groundbreaking anthology that will redefine your expectations of horror.

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

In this volume you will meet a killer who hides in plain sight, take a bus trip with some elderly folks, catch up with a pair of long lost sweethearts, get buried alive, visit a haunted house, and more.

I especially liked the story about a young man afflicted with a strange series of stretch marks that seem to be spreading for no known medical reason at an alarming rate, and the story about a murder of crows that seek vengeance on behalf of a woman who was kind to them.

I enjoyed this anthology, but to be honest, I am not the target audience for flash fiction. The longer stories and dark poetry were my favorite parts of this book. There is something for everyone in this eclectic mix whether you prefer your horror in small bite sized pieces or are looking for a full course meal of terror.

My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing.

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Nightmare Abbey 7 Edited by Tom English

Unlucky 7th mammoth volume of this critically-acclaimed horror magazine/book.

Ghosts, Gods, Ghouls & Grotesques!

11 terrifying tales by today's top writers

EC Comics' Ghoulunatics (The Hideous History of American Horror Comics #4)

Hammer Film's Greatest: The Devil Rides Out

New Horror Delve List: 13 Scariest Christmas horror tales ever

Heavily illustrated with photos and art

Illustrations by World Fantasy Award-winner Allen Koszowski

Latest report on Dear Abbey and the Hound from Hell

Don't miss out on this Special Edition!

Get it before IT gets YOU! 

This was my seventh visit to Nightmare Abbey, and as always I was entertained not only by the fiction, but also the articles. I especially enjoyed Matt Cowan's Horror Delve into the 13 scariest Christmas horror stories ever, which led me to do a bit of Christmas shopping for myself. I love Christmas horror so I searched out and purchased a collection that includes a story from this list. It always amazes me that even though I have read and watched so much horror over the years Nightmare Abbey manages to surprise me with information on old movies that I never knew about or stories that I missed reading.

The photos and illustrations add to the immersive experience.

Then there are the stories, clever and dangerous little tales that crawled into my brain and stuck there. Does a locked room hold marionettes from a long forgotten stage show? Or does it keep a more sinister secret?  An alcoholic department store Santa has an unforgettable Christmas Eve, A content creator who often fakes the segments for a web series stumbles into something unbelievable. A man gets into an itchy situation when he becomes too acquainted with his weird new neighbors, a story about zombies, and more. 

Nightmare Abbey belongs in every horror lovers collection. It is a wealth of expertly crafted stories, knowledge, and entertainment. If you enjoy dark fiction and amazing artwork this is for you.

My thanks to Dead Letter Press.

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Strange Stones by Edward Lee and Mary San Giovanni

 

Professor Everard, weird fiction scholar and proclaimed critic of H.P Lovecraft's works, is no stranger to making people mad. Giving convention presentations on the triteness and melodrama of Lovecraft's work pays the bills, though. Sometimes he even gets laid.

When he angers a beautiful but dangerous witch and devotee of Lovecraft's work, she casts a spell on him, sending him to a dimension where Lovecraft's works are very real – and very deadly. Everard must find a way through this alternate dimension to get home, before the worst of Lovecraft's horrors prove what a master of monstrosities he really was.

Edward lee’s humorous transgressive style meets Mary San Giovanni’s literary touch to carve out the Lovecraftian dimensions that is Strange Stones.

A scholar of weird fiction gives a talk on his new book about the works of Lovecraft. Not in honor of his writing but to denigrate it. This offends most people in attendance, and ruins his hopes for any sort of sex-capades with attendees, but one in particular has the power to make him regret his words. 

Strange Stones presents us with the smarmy and unlikable character, Professor Everard. Normally, I would say that I can't enjoy a story if I don't like at least one character. This is the book that proved the exception to that rule. I did enjoy thinking to myself that the professor deserved what he got. 

When he angers a witch, he finds himself in a Lovecraftian multiverse from which he may never escape. 

I have not read a whole lot of Lovecraft so I was not familiar with all of the references. Still, I enjoyed this humorous and raunchy visit through the Mythos.

My thanks to CLASH Books

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Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan

 

A grieving mother and son hope to survive Christmas in a remote mountain cabin, in this chilling novella of dread, isolation and demons lurking in the frozen woods. Perfect for fans of The Only Good Indians, The Shining and The Babadook.

Two weeks ago, Christine Sinclaire's husband slipped off the roof while hanging Christmas lights and fell to his death on the front lawn. Desperate to escape her guilt and her grief, Christine packs up her fifteen-year-old son and the family cat and flees to the cabin they'd reserved deep in the remote Pennsylvania Wilds to wait out the holidays.

It isn't long before Christine begins to hear strange noises coming from the forest. When she spots a horned figure watching from between frozen branches, Christine assumes it's just a forest animal—a moose, maybe, since the property manager warned her about them, said they'd stomp a body so deep into the snow nobody'd find it 'til spring. But moose don't walk upright like the shadowy figure does. They don't call Christine's name with her dead husband's voice.

Christmas is not the most wonderful time of year when you're in mourning, and that is how we find Christine and her teenage son in this gripping story of grief horror. Christine blames herself for her husband's recent death. She insisted on helping him hang the Christmas lights. If not for that, they would be preparing to spend the holiday as a family, in the remote cabin he reserved. Instead, it's just Christine and her son Billy, along with the family cat headed into the mountains. The relationship between mother and son is strained, and she is sure that it's because he wishes it was her that died instead of his father.

I think you would need to be in the right head space to handle this book. It's not something I would recommend if you already have holiday depression. There is a lot of emotional pain and suffering in this novella. It's not your typical family stranded in the snow with possible monsters in the woods. It's no ordinary creature feature or slasher. There are supernatural elements, but the main focus is grief and guilt and loss. Christine is plagued by intrusive thoughts. She is starting to hear voices before their road trip even begins, and her grief is heavier than the snowfall that keeps them trapped at the cabin. Once there she begins to see a horned figure that shape shifts from semi human to possible animal. She has been warned about the dangers of moose in the area so she tries to convince herself that's what she's seeing. But the mind is a powerful thing, even when it's broken. Maybe even more so. I could feel how alone she felt, even with her son in the room. This was a quick read that left me unsettled and hurt my heart.

4 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to Titan Books.

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Best Horror of 2024

 I've made my list, I've checked it twice, the following books are more creepy than nice!

Another year of great books has gone by and I have been privileged to have a front-row seat for some fabulous reading. These are my picks for the Best Horror of 2024. The title links will take you to the book synopsis, review, author information if available on Goodreads, and Amazon page. If you're looking for something spectacular to read allow me to recommend any or all of these fourteen books. Yes you read that right, I could not pare the number down to my usual 12 top picks this year.

Behind by Bentley Little,  This Skin Was Once Mine And Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca 

Incidents Around The House by Josh Malerman,  Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer,  When The Night Falls By Glenn Rolfe

The Damage Done by Tony Tremblay,   The Darkest Night edited by Lindy Ryan

Killed By Death by Matthew Weber,   These Things That Walk Behind Me by David Surface

Down Into The Sea by Dan Franklin,   The Taste Of Tiny Bones by Vincent Heselwood

 

                                           We All Go Into The Dark by Kevin Lucia

                                            The Crone: Don't Ever Let Her In by Kevin Bachar