Well, we’re nearly halfway through 2025, but I’ve just finished reading Ellen Datlow’s 2024 collection of the best horror short stories published in 2023, or in other words: The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Sixteen. Ellen Datlow is one of the most celebrated editors and anthologists in the horror genre, and I have particularly enjoyed her themed horror anthologies like Haunted Nights and The Devil and the Deep. Short story anthologies are a wonderful way to discover new writers and plumb the diversity of a given subject or genre. But “best of the year” anthologies have the added benefit of highlighting particular trends or preoccupations that emerge in any particular year. The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Sixteen, is the perfect example of this. Continue reading Review of The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Sixteen
Tag: book review
Review of Murder by Memory—Cozy Sci-fi
The “cozy” label for subgenres has been tossed around a lot lately, ever since the success of Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes series kicked off a fervor for “cozy fantasy” and discourse began over what other genres might get in on the hype. But Olivia Waite takes the term right back to its roots by simply transposing the tropes and trappings of the original cozy genre—cozy mystery—onto a science fiction setting. I’ve found for several years now that Olivia Waite’s historical romance novels (like The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows and The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics) make for perfect comfort reading. So though Murder by Memory is her first foray into both sci-fi and mystery, I believe, it’s no surprise that she would find her home amongst the cozy. This bite-sized novella (it’s barely one hundred pages) came out last month and appears to be the first in a series, so I look forward to seeing cozy sci-fi become a growing trend. Continue reading Review of Murder by Memory—Cozy Sci-fi
Review of They Bloom at Night—Algae Horror
You’ve heard of mushroom horror? Well, make room for its new cousin: algae horror. Anyone who has experienced the notorious “red tides” off of the United States’ southern coasts knows just how harmful, creepy, and off-putting large-scale algal blooms can be. But Trang Thahn Tran (author of She Is a Haunting) takes the red tide to new supernatural heights in their latest YA horror novel, They Bloom at Night, which came out earlier this month. Continue reading Review of They Bloom at Night—Algae Horror
Review of Beneath the Poet’s House—A Poe-inspired Thriller
It’s not unusual these days to see modern horror stories inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Here on The Gothic Library, I’ve reviewed such books as T. Kingfisher’s fantastical reimagining of “The Fall of the House of Usher” and a YA anthology that retells a variety of Poe stories for the next generation. But Christa Carmen takes this idea a step further by drawing not just on Poe’s fiction but also from his real life—and even more obscurely, his romantic and literary relationship with the poet Sarah Helen Whitman—in her suspense novel Beneath the Poet’s House, which came out back in December. Whether you’re a hardcore Edgar Allan Poe nerd or you just like your fiction paired with fun facts about fascinating historical figures, Beneath the Poet’s House is a great way to learn some literary history while also experiencing some serious thrills and chills. Continue reading Review of Beneath the Poet’s House—A Poe-inspired Thriller
Review of The River Has Roots—Magic and Murder Ballads
If you’re into folk music or murder ballads at all, you have probably heard at least one version of the classic ballad sometimes known as “The Two Sisters” or “The Bonny Swans.” The song has many variations, but the lyrics generally tell the story of one sister who drowns the other out of romantic jealousy. The body of the dead sister is then made into a musical instrument and sings out her accusation of murder. Amal El-Mohtar takes this ballad as inspiration for fantasy novella The River Has Roots, but flips the story to explore both sisterly and romantic love in a bite-sized tale with beautifully lyrical prose and a fascinating magic system. The book comes out next Wednesday, March 4. Continue reading Review of The River Has Roots—Magic and Murder Ballads
Review of Dark Archives—Macabre Nonfiction
Books bound in human skin—it’s a gruesome image and one most often tied to legends of occult treatises or murderous keepsakes. But are all of the macabre legends out there really true? How can you tell the difference between leather made from human skin and that made from animals? And, historically, what kind of books have actually gotten this treatment? Megan Rosenbloom, the world’s foremost expert on the subject, explores these questions and more in her book Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin, which came out back in 2020. I don’t breeze through nonfiction books quite the way I do with fiction, but I’ve long appreciated Megan Rosenbloom’s work with the Order of the Good Death and I can never resist a good book about the history of books. Though it took me a while to get around to it, I found Dark Archives to be fascinating, informative, and definitely worth the read! Continue reading Review of Dark Archives—Macabre Nonfiction
Review of The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years—Multi-faceted Hauntings
Looking for a beautiful, lyrical haunted house story unlike anything you’ve read before? The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan came out last January and was first on my list most anticipated 2024 reads, but I didn’t get to it until the end of the year. However, I’m glad I waited until I was able to take my time and savor this slow and atmospheric story! Continue reading Review of The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years—Multi-faceted Hauntings
If I Stopped Haunting You—Horromance
What better way to fall in love than by running through the halls of a haunted house together? I have been absolutely sleeping on the horrormance subgenre, which combines—you guessed it!—horror and romance. At first glance, you might think these genres are complete opposites and wouldn’t blend well. But when you think about it some more, it makes sense: Both horror and romance are about putting characters in extreme situations to explore particular emotions at their heights. If I Stopped Haunting You, a debut horrormance by Colby Wilkens that came out in October, has completely sold me on the genre combo! Continue reading If I Stopped Haunting You—Horromance
Review of The Spite House—An Emotional Haunting
Need a good haunted house book for Halloween that will genuinely send shivers down your spine? Johnny Compton’s debut horror novel, The Spite House, which came out last year, features a desperate dad who moves with his two daughters into a strangely built house haunted by a handful of ghosts and generations of spite. Continue reading Review of The Spite House—An Emotional Haunting
Review of The Marrow Thieves—Indigenous Dystopia
Would an apocalyptic future cause history to repeat itself? Cherie Dimaline explores this question in terms of the persecution of Canada’s indigenous peoples in her YA dystopia novel The Marrow Thieves, which came out back in 2017. Continue reading Review of The Marrow Thieves—Indigenous Dystopia