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

Get a copy

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.

Get a copy

About the author

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

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

Paul and Tina Nimos are like a lot of young married couples, they’re madly in love but finances are putting a strain on their relationship. Their home renovation business is struggling, and with a new baby in the house, bills are piling up. When Paul finds a cheap house to buy and flip, he thinks their problems are solved. It’s an older New England home, with plenty of history and once it’s repaired it should command a great price.

But as Paul and Tina begin the daunting task of restoring the new house, they struggle with the reconstruction. It seems the home doesn’t want to be repaired. As they fall behind in their renovation they realize that unexplained forces are conspiring against them and that helpful friends might not be who they seem.

Soon the couple realizes that a Crone could be the source of their troubles. But it might be too late, as the house and the Crone prepare to extract a horrific toll from Paul, Tina, and their baby. Will they be able to fight back against a centuries-old evil? The Crone, don’t ever let her in.

Paul and Tina Nimos are house flippers, but not the kind that are getting rich off a real estate boon. They and their young daughter move from one fixer upper to the next, renovating and moving on to another dilapidated home every few months. Paul is sure that the next house will be their gold mine, but Tina is fed up with chasing the rainbow for the pot of gold that never comes. Finances are the biggest fight in their marriage. That, coupled with a tragic incident in their past would be more than enough to break some marriages. When Paul sees "Hex House," he is compelled to buy it even though they are already deeply in debt. When he shows the house to Tina, she also falls under it's spell, and they agree to make this their forever home. Creepy happenings ensue!

This book would fit right in with old school 80s horror and I loved it. The struggling family and marriage issues are totally relatable. The ancient witch who preys on their vulnerabilities makes for a classic good vs. evil story which is one of my favorite horror tropes. The dark past of Hex House is steeped in folk horror and the spooky atmosphere made for a shivery good time without an excess of gore. I couldn't put it down and nearly let my Thanksgiving potatoes boil over because I just had to read one more page. Read this book when you can devote all of your time to it because you won't be able to focus on anything else until you reach the end.

My thanks to Kevin Bachar.

Get a copy

About the author