I talk a lot on this blog about the initial Gothic heyday at the turn of the nineteenth century, which sprung up after the publication of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto and brought us such authors as Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Lewis, and William Beckford. But these days when you mention the Gothic to someone not overly familiar with the genre, they may picture a more recent heyday: the boom of Gothic romance and suspense novels in the mid-twentieth century, many of them mass-produced by a handful of genre-focused publishers. These books are perhaps best remembered today for their evocatively illustrated covers that employed common visual tropes such as a fleeing woman in a diaphanous dress or nightgown, a looming manor castle in the background, and a single illuminated window peering out like an eye. The book most often credited with kicking off this boom is Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt. Continue reading Classics: Mistress of Mellyn
Month: June 2023
Review of Night’s Edge—A Vampire Pandemic
You’re not sick of pandemic books yet, are you? Liz Kerin uses the premise of a vampire pandemic—and the restrictions and lockdowns that come with it—to explore complicated family relationships in her sophomore horror novel Night’s Edge. The book, which follows a young woman who has devoted her life to being caretaker to her infected mother, comes out tomorrow, June 20. Continue reading Review of Night’s Edge—A Vampire Pandemic
Review of The Scourge Between Stars
“Don’t open the door.” This warning comes just a little bit too late for Jacklyn and her crew in The Scourge Between Stars, a stunning debut sci-fi thriller by Ness Brown that came out in April. This tense game of cat-and-mouse between a starship crew and unseen alien intruders lurking within the vessel’s walls is perfect for fans of the Alien film franchise who have been waiting for something new and fresh in that vein. Continue reading Review of The Scourge Between Stars
Review of Book of Night—Crime and Shadow Magic
It’s a bad idea to mess with those who have magic abilities you could only dream of. But Charlie Hall is full of bad ideas in Holly Black’s debut adult fantasy novel Book of Night, which came out last year. I’ve been a fan of Holly Black’s YA faerie books for many years, most recently enjoying The Cruel Prince and its sequels. But with Book of Night, Black takes a fresh approach to the fantasy genre and proves that she can write just as powerfully for adults as for kids and teens. Continue reading Review of Book of Night—Crime and Shadow Magic