Is there a supernatural creature Anne Rice hasn’t written about? Though she’s best known as the queen of the vampire genre, Anne Rice has written novels about witches, mummies, angels, and now werewolves. The Wolf Gift is the first book in one of Rice’s relatively newer series, having come out back in 2012. Somehow, I’d never heard of this series until I stumbled upon it in the library, but I decided to give her werewolves a shot.
Reuben Golding is an up-and-coming journalist who’s been assigned to do a story on a grand mansion in California that’s being put up for sale. When he visits with the mansion’s owner, Marchent Nideck, and tours the house, Reuben falls in love with the place, wishing he could buy it for himself. But the house has some dark secrets: Marchent’s uncle, the original owner, went missing many years ago, leaving behind strange manuscripts and ancient artifacts from his research. After Reuben survives a brutal attack, he discovers that he’s inherited not just the house, but a mysterious Gift, as well. By night, Reuben transforms into a wolf-like creature and feels compelled to hunt down evil-doers. Could this gift be related to the disappearance of Marchent’s uncle? Will he find answers about what he has become at the Nideck estate? Continue reading Review of The Wolf Gift—Anne Rice’s Werewolves
It’s the little things that will drive you mad.… “The Gown” is a brand new short story by musician-cum-author Emilie Autumn that explores the concepts of madness and obsession. Over the past couple of years, Emilie Autumn revamped and re-released her pseudo-autobiographical novel The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, which combines an account of her experiences in the psychiatric ward of a hospital with a dark tale of her fictional Victorian alter-ego trapped in an abusive asylum. (I reviewed the interactive ebook of TAFWVG back in August.) In February, Emilie Autumn surprised her fans by releasing a new short story that presents similar themes. “The Gown” is available now on Amazon as either an ebook or paperback. Continue reading Review of “The Gown”–Emilie Autumn’s Short Story
Who’s ready for Round 2 of a three-day gothic party? Last year, I attended the very first Dark Side of the Con, a dark alternative convention in New Jersey, hosted by VampireFreaks. This week, Dark Side is back and it’s darker than ever. The biggest difference this year is that VampireFreaks split with Jeff Mach after the latter was accused of a number of problematic behaviors earlier this year—so now Dark Side will be run solely by Jet and his VF team. Another big difference is that this year, I’m doing a bunch of panels! The convention is this weekend, March 16-18, at the Radisson Hotel in Piscataway, NJ. You can find more information and buy tickets at the Dark Side of the Con website. For a preview of the panels I’ll be running and the other aspects of the con that I’m looking forward to, read on!
I’ll be on four different panels at this year’s Dark Side of the Con. If you like the type of content that I post on this site, then you definitely don’t want to miss my first two panels! On Friday at 7:45pm I’m doing a panel called “The Literary Roots of Goth,” in which I’ll take you through the history of the Gothic literary movement. The next morning at 11:00am, I’m getting a little more in depth with “Gender & Sexuality in Gothic Literature.” This panel will explore the complicated relationship that this genre has had with gender and sexuality since its inception, and the way that these themes play out in individual works and the genre as a whole. For something a little more lighthearted, I’ll be moderating a “Vampires vs. Zombies” debate on Saturday at 5:00pm, in which writers MJ Brad and Tamsin Silver will argue over the merits of their preferred supernatural entity in pop culture. Lastly, you can catch me on Sunday at noon on a panel about “Corporate Goth.” There will even be some great panels at Dark Side that don’t feature me. I’m particularly excited for the “Paranormal” panel, which will be led by the Morris-Jumel Mansion’s professional paranormal investigator, Vincent Carbone.
There are a whole bunch of amazing bands that are going to be at the convention. This year, for real, I am finally going to see Ego Likeness. I keep saying that every time they’re at the same convention I am, yet somehow it never works out. This time, though, they’re a top priority. I’m also excited to get a second chance to see Xentrifuge. I was supposed to see them over the summer when they were performing in New York City but things didn’t work out, so I definitely want to catch them at Dark Side. There’s also an electro-goth-rock band called Spider Lilies, whom I had never heard of before but whose music sounds right up my alley, so I’ll definitely have to check them out! And of course, there are a few of my old favorites like Psyche Corporation and The Long Losts.
One of the dance nights from last year’s Dark Side of the Con
Apart from panels and performances, there are a lot of other things that will be going on over the weekend. Central to Dark Side of the Con are the DJed dance nights. Friday night, there’s two different dance parties going on: Cybertron, where the DJs from this well-known NYC club night will be spinning industrial, synthpop, and electro; and The Black Shamrock Ball, where a number of other DJs will be spinning goth, post-punk, and new wave. On Saturday night, DJs Jet and Swabby will be spinning emo, pop-punk, and 2000’s alternative for my new favorite dance event, The Black Parade. They will also be bringing back the Villains Ball and costume contest from last year. If you’re looking for me after midnight, I’ll probably be at one of these dance parties.
Will I see you at Dark Side of the Con? Are you coming to my panels? What events are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments!
In most good books, there’s always that fascinating side character that you wish you could learn more about, even though you know they’re not the focus of the story. That’s how I felt about Captain Melek, the mysterious female airship captain who features briefly in Ghost Machine by Kristen Brand, which I reviewed on this site just over a year ago. Lucky for me, my wish came true! Kristen Brand just released a new spinoff novel all about Captain Melek and her crew. Clockmaker: A Gothic Steampunk Novel comes out today, March 5, and is available on Amazon. Continue reading Review of Clockmaker—A Steampunk Spinoff
You may have noticed that there’s a new ad banner in the sidebar. The Gothic Library has been a project of passion for over two and a half years, but it has come time for me to monetize. Hosting paid ads will help me to pay for the upkeep of the blog and justify the amount of time I spend each week to bring you quality content.
The companies that advertise on this site will be carefully hand-selected by me and will be curated to match the interests of my readers. Currently, you’ll see an ad on the sidebar for Skullflow—a skull-themed shop for all of your spooky needs, from clothing and accessories to home decor. If that sounds up your alley, feel free to give them some love.
Remember the musical episode of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer? What if you could have a whole show like that? The Hunted: Encore is an indie-made musical web series about a team of vampire hunters living in New York City. The show is one of many spin-offs from the long-running web series The Hunted, but the first to take the musical approach. Producer Ned Donovan stars as a somewhat clueless newbie hunter who teams up with a badass vampire-slaying veteran played by Megan Dorn. Together, they crush villains and make allies while singing and dancing their way through original songs with music composed by Marcus Thorne Bagala. The minute I heard the words “vampire” and “musical” in the same sentence, they had my attention. Continue reading Review of The Hunted: Encore–A Vampire Musical
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Man’s best friend can also be his worst nightmare.… Most of us love dogs. They make great pets, as they can be playful, affectionate, and truly loyal companions. But when you remember that they are descended from wolves, you can’t help recognizing that, somewhere deep inside, even the most precious puppy retains a bit of the wild animal, a bit of the predator. And it is this aspect that makes dogs such a popular subject in horror literature. As we just passed from the Year of the Rooster to the Year of the Dog on Friday, according to the Chinese zodiac, I figured this would be an especially appropriate time to celebrate the creepiest canines in horror. Continue reading Dogs in Gothic and Horror Literature
With Valentine’s Day coming up, it feels like we’re getting constantly hit in the face with commercialized images of heteronormative romantic love. It’s enough to make anyone feel a little disenchanted, but I’ve always loved the holiday. For me, Valentine’s Day is about more than just purchasing materialistic expressions of affection for your significant other. It’s about celebrating love in all its forms. And, personally, some of the most important relationships in my life are my friendships with other women. Growing up, my female friends and I always took this time of year as an opportunity to send each other flowers, give out chocolate, and be extra vocal with our love and support. That’s why this Valentine’s Day, I want to take a moment to celebrate some of my favorite female friendships in Gothic literature. Continue reading Female Friendships in Gothic Literature
February is Black History Month, which we observe in the U.S. by celebrating the lives and achievements of African-Americans throughout the country’s history. In this vein, I wanted to highlight some of the black writers—particularly female writers—who have made significant contributions to the Gothic genre. The Gothic is generally regarded as a Eurocentric genre, created by upper class Englishmen in their extravagant estates and adopted by those who wished to imitate them. But like any good genre, the Gothic is adaptive. Its elements have been co-opted by American writers of urban horror, such as Edgar Allan Poe, and transformed into the unique subgenre of Southern Gothic by the country’s more rural authors. It is no surprise, then, that the black literary community has embraced the Gothic as well, though usually in forms less immediately recognizable than your typical tales of women in nightgowns fleeing from monsters in a castle. Read on for a list of prominent black authors who have incorporated the Gothic into their works. Continue reading African-American Writers of Gothic Literature
Is there a supernatural creature Anne Rice hasn’t written about? Though she’s best known as the queen of the vampire genre, Anne Rice has written novels about witches, mummies, angels, and now werewolves. The Wolf Gift is the first book in one of Rice’s relatively newer series, having come out back in 2012. Somehow, I’d never heard of this series until I stumbled upon it in the library, but I decided to give her werewolves a shot.
