Announcing a Brand New Annual Anthology! THE SPECTRAL BOOK OF HORROR STORIES Release date: September 2014 Published by Spectral Press, edited by acclaimed, award-winning novelist Mark Morris (Toady, Stitch, The Immaculate, Fiddleback and the forthcoming Obsidian Heart trilogy) and inspired by the Pan and Fontana books of horror and ghost stories, which were hugely popular in the 1960s and 1970s, The Spectral Book of Horror Stories will be the first volume of a non-themed annual horror anthology, showcasing all-original stories by the very best writers in the genre. Each yearly volume will contain around fifteen to twenty stories, and will be available in paperback and e-book format across all platforms. The cover for each volume will be a new and original work by multi-award-winning artist Vincent Chong. The Spectral Book of Horror Stories will be launched with a mass signing session at the 2014 British Fantasy Convention in York (September 5-7, 2014), though the book can be pre-ordered direct from Spectral Press at http://spectralpress.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/the-spectral-book-of-horror-stories-table-of-contents/ The final Table of Contents for volume one is:   ON THE TOUR – RAMSEY CAMPBELL THE DOG’S HOME – ALISON LITTLEWOOD FUNERAL RITES – HELEN MARSHALL SLAPE – TOM FLETCHER THE NIGHT DOCTOR – STEVE RASNIC TEM DULL FIRE – GARY McMAHON THE BOOK AND THE RING –…

A streetwise getaway driver… A drug raid that ends in bloodshed… A violent criminal hell-bent on revenge… A secret order of occultists… And something summoned from the darkest depths of nightmare. Who will survive this long, dark night, and how will it change them? And what kind of horror will be born from the chaos left behind? If the old adage is true and we reap what we sow, then only evil can be unleashed by Reaping the Dark. In a complete change of pace from my more recent reading, especially after the vast sci-fi steampunk epic that was In Dark Service, we have a short sharp shock of a horror novella from Gary McMahon. Clarke, our eponymous hero and getaway driver, owes more than a little to the likes of Ryan Gosling in Drive and the mighty Jason Statham in The Transporter. Like his celluloid forebears, he’s the consummate professional, all about getting the job done at any cost. He’s never let himself be bogged down by any sort of obligation or familial ties. Tough as old boots and always ready for action, he could easily be dismissed as a bit of a two-dimensional action hero, but Clarke is…

Keep repeating, it’s only a story, it’s only a story, it’s only a story… Welcome to Number One Oval Lane, the last house at the top of the hill. Robert Mitchell thought he lived there with his wife and children, but he doesn’t. Not anymore. A new family—the Corbeaus—has taken up residence, and they are on a deadly mission for mischief. Soon Robert will understand the true nature of ownership, and he will discover that real life is nothing more than a story…a horror story. We’re playing games now. We’re just beginning. Robert Mitchell is an everyman character; he could quite easily be you or me. I’m sure anyone could empathise with the situation he finds himself in. You get the feeling that he’s almost ill-suited to modern life. He has been ground down at every turn and has nearly reached his breaking point. He just wants to be left alone to live his life in peace, but the world wants to intrude and deny him that simple pleasure at every turn. Each time he thinks that things are taking a turn for the better something always manages to come along and ruin that feeling of calm. Then on the other…

According to the Mayan calendar we only have until 21st December 2012 until the world ends. With that in mind, and the fact that John Cusack hasn’t arrived with a limousine to whisk us off to safety just yet, I suggest we spend the time together reading some great new books. I could have easily included many, many more novels on this list but these are the baker’s dozen that I am currently very excited about. I have included cover images wherever I have been able to find them, click on the thumbnails to see them in their full glory. Hell Train by Christopher Fowler – I mentioned this one way back at the end of 2010. I was looking forward to it then, and even more so now. Roofworld is still a personal favourite and I always enjoy Fowler’s writing. Watch this space as I foresee a review in the very near future. The Faceless by Simon Bestwick – I’ve not read any of Simon’s work but I saw the cover and I was immediately intrigued. There is also a superbly creepy book trailer over on You Tube. I do so enjoy the promise of empty old buildings that…

I do hope everyone is having a relaxing festive season, I know I am. Some new reviews on the way next week but until then how about a public service announcement from the dark forces behind the rather splendid Anarchy Books. I’ve added in a link to the original reviews for the titles I’ve read. Hopefully that will help you make an informed decision. Personally I’d take em all! Press Release – Anarchy Books – FREE BOOK PROMOTION – 29.12.11 That’s right, Anarchy Books have a very special New Year gift for all you lucky shiny new Kindle owners. During the next 4/5 days over the New Year period, a selection of Anarchy Books titles will be offered completely FREE! So if you fancy any of the following novels, get yo ass over to Amazon and stock up your Kindle with Anarchy for the New Year…. Participating titles: GIG (Mik and Kim) by James Lovegrove Monstrocity by Jeffrey Thomas New York Nights by Eric Brown Rain Dogs by Gary McMahon SIM by Andy Remic Serial Killers Incorporated by Andy Remic The Black Seas of Infinity by Dan Henk The Office of Lost and Found by Vincent Holland-Keen   All free! Have a HAPPY ANARCHY NEW YEAR!!   www.anarchy-books.com

2011 has been another great year for books. First off a few stats – I have managed to read eighty-two novels which works out at over six and a half books a month. After a swift and very rough calculation that works out at approximately 6,150000 words. Some were bad, some were good and some were even great. I thought it would be nice to round off this festive season with a little bit of review. Firstly, my books of the month January – December 2011. There is a mixture of new releases and others that have been around for a while. Each and every one was a genuine pleasure to read, and I recommend them all heartily. Jan  – Point by Thomas Blackthorne Feb – Vegas Knights by Matt Forbeck Mar – The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie Apr – Vampire Warlords by Andy Remic & Serial Killers Inc by Andy Remic – I dont feel too bad about a tie here as both books are by the same author (prolific sod that he is) May – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Jun – The Watchers by Jon Steele Jul – Tourniquet by Kim Lakin-Smith Aug – Outpost by…

Due to Werewolf Appreciation Month I’ve unfortunately not had time to read the latest release from Anarchy books. Luckily for me Tony (@iuchiAtesoro) Lane has. Here is his review. Guy Renford is fresh out of prison. His life in ruins, he is estranged from his wife and daughter. So he returns to the Yorkshire town of Stonegrave to try and recover what he once held dear. But a presence is watching from behind the endless rainstorm, something that wants revenge… and has not come alone. Rosie sees ghosts. She has since childhood. These sorrowful visions of drowned schoolgirls are linked to a past she fled to America to escape. But you can never run from destiny, and something is calling Rosie back to rainy Stonegrave, the home of her worst nightmares… Slowly, the lives of these two people are drawn together in a town cut off by floods, and at the height of the storm they will be forced to battle a relentless foe that uses the deluge as cover, stalking them from within a merciless onslaught of rain… First up I’d like to thank Paul for asking me to guest post on his blog. As a regular reader I’m quite chuffed. The…

Imagine a place where all your nightmares become real. Dark urban streets where crime, debt and violence are not the only things to fear. Picture a housing project that is a gateway to somewhere else; a realm where ghosts and monsters stir hungrily in the shadows. Welcome to the Concrete Grove.  This deprived area is Hailey’s new home, but when an ancient entity notices her, it becomes something much more threatening. She is the only one who can help her mother as she joins in a dangerous dance with loan-shark Monty Bright. Only Hailey can see the truth of Tom’s darkest desires as he tries to become part of their family. And only Hailey can lead them all to the heart of the estate where something older than this land stirs and begins to wake… Hailey and her mother, Lana are trying their best to get by. They have fallen on hard times after a family tragedy and each have ended up way out of their depth. Hailey is in thrall to the strange powers that control the Grove while Lana has fallen foul of the local gangster, Monty Bright. Lana is put through the emotional and physical ringer as…

Rob and Becky bought the old place after the death of their son, to repair and renovate – to patch things up and make the building habitable. They both knew that they were trying to fix more than the house, but the cracks in their marriage could not be papered over. Then they found the Quiet Room. Written by Gary McMahon What They Hear in the Dark is an intimate tale about love and loss. Rob and Becky have suffered a terrible tragedy and are trying to put the past behind them and continue with their lives. They have a new home, and hope to make a new start. It quickly becomes evident, however, that neither of them has been able to move on. When the story begins Becky and Rob have reached the stage where they are barely able to communicate with one another. The spirit of their murdered son seems to hang in the periphery of their lives. The story takes a turn when they discover a strange windowless room in their new house that is utterly quiet. Becky and Rob have very different perspectives of the Quiet Room. Becky is reassured, feels at peace and closer to the…