“It feeds on the horrors we commit….” A malevolent, sentient house serves as the lively setting of Lacrimore, a debut Gothic novella by S. J. Costello. The book came out in 2020 and was a winner of the Independent Publishers Book Awards. Continue reading Review of Lacrimore—A Monstrous Mansion
Category: Review
Review of A Snake Falls to Earth
Can a snake save the world? Oli the cottonmouth snake spirit is determined to save at least his little patch of it in Darcie Little Badger’s YA fantasy novel A Snake Falls to Earth, which came out last fall. Inspired by traditional Lipan Apache storytelling, this book brings together the human world and the spirit world in a tale of monsters, magic, and family. Continue reading Review of A Snake Falls to Earth
Review of In the Vanishers’ Palace—Loving a Monster
In a corrupted and poisoned world, the worst diseases can only be cured with the aid of a powerful dragon. But a dragon’s help always comes with a price. Aliette de Bodard beautifully blends the post-apocalyptic genre with Vietnamese-inspired fantasy (and some spicy sapphic romance) in her 2018 novella In the Vanishers’ Palace. Continue reading Review of In the Vanishers’ Palace—Loving a Monster
Review of Beatrix Greene—A Spooky Fiction Podcast
When a fraudulent Spiritualist hosts a séance in a genuinely haunted house, she proves to be the key to unlocking the manor’s dark secrets. This is the premise of the fiction podcast Beatrix Greene. A short, nine-episode series produced by Realm and released last spring, Beatrix Greene is written by Rachel Hawkins, Vicky Alvear Shecter, and Ash Parsons, and features the skillful voicework of Shiromi Arserio and Alister Austin. If you love haunted houses, Victorian Spiritualism, and atmospheric horror, I highly recommend that you check it out!
Continue reading Review of Beatrix Greene—A Spooky Fiction Podcast
Ramses the Damned: The Reign of Osiris Review
What has the power to terrify an immortal? Only a god…. An ancient Egyptian king comes face to face with his one great fear in this latest installment of the Ramses the Damned series. Back in 2017, I reviewed The Passion of Cleopatra, Anne Rice’s first co-writing project with her son Christopher and an unexpected sequel to her 1989 novel The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned. Anne and Christopher Rice teamed up again for a third book in the series, The Reign of Osiris, which came out last week. Notably, The Reign of Osiris is also the first posthumous book to be published after Anne Rice passed away in December. Continue reading Ramses the Damned: The Reign of Osiris Review
Review of Death on the Nile
Can you believe I had never read an Agatha Christie novel before? As the reigning queen of the detective novel scene for much of the twentieth century, Christie’s contributions to the genre are immeasurable. She gave us two of the best-known detective characters after Sherlock—Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple—and some of her major works such as Murder on the Orient Express have been adapted so many times over that they’ve become cultural touchstones. Despite all this, and my love of mystery novels dating back to my earliest reading years, I just had never gotten around to picking up one of Christie’s classics. Thankfully, the Romancing the Gothic book club has been working hard to improve my literary education. Last month we read Christie’s 1937 novel Death on the Nile. And I have to say, I’ll definitely be coming back for some more Poirot! Continue reading Review of Death on the Nile
Review of Comfort Me with Apples
Catheryn Valente is known for drawing on fairy tales and retelling classic stories, such as in her Russian folklore-inspired novel Deathless. But her latest book takes quite a different approach, obscuring exactly which story it is retelling until the very end. Comfort Me with Apples, which came out just last week, is a bite-size horror novella that packs quite a punch for its small size. Continue reading Review of Comfort Me with Apples
Review of The Hypno-Ripper—Victorian Crime Fiction
What if the world’s most notorious serial killer never meant to hurt anyone at all? Jack the Ripper is probably the serial killer to most often appear in fiction, as the unsolved mystery has led writers to conjecture about his motives and identity for well over a century. Interestingly, some of the earliest of these conjectural works present the Ripper himself as a victim rather than a ruthless killer. The Hypno-Ripper, edited by Donald K. Hartman, collects fictional accounts contemporaneous to the killings that posit the murders were committed (at least in part) by someone under a hypnotic trance. The Hypno-Ripper is part of Hartman’s series on the portrayal of hypnotism in Victorian and Edwardian literature, serving as a sort of sequel to his earlier collection, Death by Suggestion, which I reviewed back in 2019. The Hypno-Ripper came out in May of this year and is perfect for those fascinated either by the Whitechapel murders or by the turn-of-the-century phenomenon of hypnotic suggestion. Continue reading Review of The Hypno-Ripper—Victorian Crime Fiction
Review of Nothing But Blackened Teeth
“It gets lonely down in the dirt….” Five young adults make the mistake of partying in a haunted, Heian-era manor in Cassandra Khaw’s hotly anticipated horror novella Nothing But Blackened Teeth. I had the pleasure of interviewing Khaw last month to get their thoughts on haunted houses and the horror genre. And then I devoured this bite-size novella in just a few sittings. If you’re looking for a horror story to eat like candy on Halloween, grab Nothing But Blackened Teeth when it comes out next Tuesday, October 19. Continue reading Review of Nothing But Blackened Teeth
Review of Lakesedge—Monsters and Magic in YA Gothic
What would you trade for the power to protect those you love? Violeta bargains with gods and monsters in Lyndall Clipstone’s debut YA novel, Lakesedge. Described as a “lush gothic fantasy,” Lakesedge comes out tomorrow, September 28. Continue reading Review of Lakesedge—Monsters and Magic in YA Gothic