Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

 

This "brilliant" (NYT) and Bram Stoker Award-winning novella opens with twelve-year-old Junior wide-eyed at his father's surprise visit to the family home late one night and increasingly desperate to make him part of their family again. The only problem, of course, is that Dad drowned eight years ago. When it's revealed that the cost of new life is far too high a price, Junior fiercely protects his mom and younger brother Dino, battling generational trauma and societal inequity alongside the supernatural. 

Walking through his own house at night, a young boy thinks he sees another person stepping through a doorway. The figure reminds him of his long-dead father, who drowned mysteriously before his family left the reservation. When he follows it, he discovers his house is bigger and deeper than he ever knew.

The house is the kind of wrong place where you can lose yourself and find things you'd rather not have. Over the course of a few nights, the boy tries to map out his house in an effort that puts his younger brother in the worst danger, and puts him in the position to save them . . . at a terrible cost.

"You can leave the reservation, but your income level will still land you in a reservation house, won't it?"

After the death of his father, Junior, his little brother Dino, and their mom have left the reservation. They've moved into a small rented modular home. 

Junior is a sleepwalker, and Dino has some learning disabilities that attract bullies, but Junior protects him as best he can.

"I was twelve the first time I saw my dead father cross from the kitchen doorway to the hall that led back to the utility room."

Mapping the Interior is a coming-of-age tale with a touch of grief and a generous serving of terror. When Junior first spots what he believes is his dead father, he takes it as a favorable sign of healing for his family. I was emotionally invested in that hope as well. I read this novella in one sitting because there was no way I was going to be able to function without knowing how Junior's dad died and whether this manifestation was good or evil. After racing through to the end, I was sorry that it was over. That's how much I was enjoying it. 

My thanks to Tor Nightfire for the paperback.

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Monster Bones edited by Stephanie Ellis and Noel Osualdini

 

Since time immemorial, humans have feared monsters. Whether they be real or imagined, stories of their existence have been told and retold, becoming either legend or urban myth.

Within the pages of Monster Bones are to be found the horrors that haunt the evil spirit, the revenant, the occult—creatures of different cultures who know no borders—as well as the monster made within ourselves. The rusalka who lurks in the water, the ghûl lurking in the graveyard, the cannibal skeleton, the geung-si, the anchimayen... the human. These are the monsters who seek to feed on us, suck the marrow from light and life.

But you can arm yourself against them, read their stories and learn from those who have gone before. You never know, it might save you one day. So, crack the spine, turn the page and dig in to Monster Bones...

Including stories and poems by Gwendolyn Kiste, David Wellington, Ben Monroe, Lisa Morton, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Maxwell I. Gold, Theresa Matsuura, Cindy O’Quinn, F. Paul Wilson, Stephanie Ellis, Joe R Lansdale, Kasey Jo Lansdale and Keith Lansdale, Eugen Bacon, Linda D. Addison, Lucy Taylor and Ai Jiang.

Published as a paperback and ebook

Features no fewer than 10 pieces of commissioned artwork from the award winning Luke Spooner.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Monster Bones contains a smorgasbord of stories, poems, and artwork that serve up a satisfying meal for any horror lover's appetite. Some have been previously published, but all were new to me. I did wonder why “The Companion” seemed so familiar to me even though I am positive I never read it before. Then I realized it had been turned into one of my favorite episodes of Creepshow a few years back. It was a treat to read it here.

There are familiar monsters including vampires and ghouls, and more unusual but no less deadly beings that I had never heard of such as the rusalka, a terrifying creature of Slavic folklore.

Gorgeous artwork and a slew of monsters from around the globe make this a fun and freaky read.

My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the e-ARC

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Urban Legends: Three New Tales of Terror (Dark Tide 20)

 

Dark Tide 20 takes you on a terrifying journey through some of the most unsettling myths and folklore, where terror lurks in the shadows and urban legends come alive in the most horrific ways. Prepare for twists, fear, and truths you may not want to know.

“Knock on Wood” by Leigh Kenny: If he knocks, it’s too late. He’s already inside. 

The house on Hawthorne Avenue has an unfortunate past. The adults think it's just bad luck. The kids believe it's something worse. Sometimes truth is scarier than legend.

“Nesting” by Dan Franklin: Amanda can’t shake the idea that her newborn baby isn’t hers…and maybe isn’t a baby at all.

Not even one full day postpartum, and Amanda can’t shake the certainty that the baby isn’t hers. The charts say he is, the nurses and doctor all agree, but in her heart she can’t help but know better. His hair is wrong. He doesn’t quite smell right…and he has a tooth.

“Poltergeist Password” by Nick Roberts: “Have you heard of Poltergeist Password?

A reporter presents the unedited transcript of the final episode of the Broadcasts from the Grave podcast in which three hosts test an urban legend known as “Poltergeist Password.” Whether it’s real or an elaborate hoax, three people remain missing. You be the judge. 

Urban Legends contains a trio of chilling tales from three authors who understood the assignment to bring on the scares.

First up, Knock on Wood by Leigh Kenny revisits the childhood fear of monsters in the closet. It begins in an asylum, which holds a man accused of killing his family. But did he really do it or is Mr. Upside Down to blame? When a new family moves into the murder house, they will find the answer. This is one to read in the light of day, especially if you live in a house with wood that creaks or pipes that knock. For reasons unknown to me, my freezer sometimes makes a knocking noise and I about jumped out of my skin when it happened while reading this story. 

 Maybe poor Amanda is just overly stressed out in Nesting by Dan Franklin.  There is nothing I love more in horror than creepy kids. Lets face it, kids are scary anyway. But is there a Changeling?  Amanda has always wanted to be a mother. It's what she dreamed of from the time she was a little girl. All she ever wanted was a baby. Now at last, she has one. But is it really hers? Things get creepy from the moment she is dropped off alone at the hospital door to give birth, and a pervasive sense of unease turns to all-out terror once she brings her baby home.

Last but not least is Poltergeist Password by Nick Roberts, about the mystery of three missing persons who were never seen again after their final podcast. At first it seems like a silly bit of fun. They decide to live broadcast themselves taking part in the legend of Poltergeist Password, a ritual that is alleged to summon poltergeists to manifest. What could go wrong? Was it all an elaborate hoax? A reporter presents the full transcript of that final terrifying night, and I felt like I witnessed it live.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing.

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Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey

The Labasques aren’t like other families.

Living in a shack out in the swamps, they made do by hunting down alligators and other animals. To the good people of Jacknife, Louisiana, they are troublemakers and outcasts, the kind of people you wouldn’t want in your community.

So, when Cutter Labasque is found face down in the muddy swamp, no one seems to care, not even her two brothers. The only person who questions the official verdict of suicide is Cutter’s childhood friend, Loyal May, who has just returned home to care for her mother. When she left town at eighteen years old, she betrayed Cutter. Now with a ragtag group from the local paper where she works, Loyal goes in search of answers, uncovering a web of deceit and corruption that implicates those in town. It may be too late to apologize to Cutter, but Loyal has restitution in mind.

Weaving through the swamps and bayous of rural Louisiana, Our Last Wild Days is an atmospheric, smoldering suspense about our darker impulses—and how to set things right.

A reporter returns to her childhood home in Jacknife, Louisiana, to care for her mother. Word around town is that she's gone crazy. People like to gossip in Jacknife, and they all have their opinions, but not many are interested in talking when a body is found face down in the swamp. Most chalk it up to a girl who lived a rough life and died the way that she lived. 

"Some people go through life like broken bones that haven't been properly set, never really getting better, just slowly racking up damage for later down the line."

Our Last Wild Days pulls the reader deep into the mosquito-infested swampland of Louisiana, where hunting alligators or choking on fumes from the factory can mean the difference between a meager existence and starvation. Evocative prose, intriguing characters, and intense situations kept me glued to the pages. 

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Atria Books

Available for pre-order