Vortex

A quick heads up on a new book that might be of interest. Regular readers will know how much I rate Robert Dunbar's fiction. Well now he's written a non-fiction book about the origins of horror, and very interesting it looks too:

They say a basis in fact underlies most legends. They say it all the time, all those Wise Elders in all those old horror films, the high priests, the scientists, the gypsy fortune tellers. On this single issue they agree unanimously. Deep currents of tradition and superstition swirl through most classic works of horror fiction. They spring from deep within us, these nightmares, these folktales. They speak of our deepest needs, the ones we have all been taught since childhood never to put into words, because dreams reveal our other face, the one we keep hidden, the Hyde to mankind’s collective Jekyll. Our most primitive ancestors never died, the ones who killed with rocks and clubs and clawing hands. No, they remain within us still. And when we sleep, they speak.

Vortex is out in paperback from Amazon (UK | US)

Coming Soon: Falling Over

Exciting stuff: Falling Over, my collection of stories from Infinity Plus, will be out in June.

I'll be talking about this a lot I'm sure, but for now I'll whet your appetite with the scrumptious cover art and description below:

Sometimes when you fall over you don’t get up again. And sometimes, you get up to find everything has changed:

An ordinary man who sees his face in a tabloid newspaper. A soldier haunted by the images of those he has killed from afar. Two petty criminals on the run from a punishment more implacable than either of them can imagine. Doppelgängers both real and imaginary. A tranquil English village where those who don’t fit in really aren't welcome, and a strange hotel where second chances are allowed… at a price.

Ten stories of unease, fear and the weird from James Everington.

“Good writing gives off fumes, the sort that induce dark visions, and Everington’s elegant, sophisticated prose is a potent brew. Imbibe at your own risk.” Robert Dunbar, author of The Pines and Martyrs & Monsters

“Everington is excellent at evoking a mounting sense of unease, turning to dread, that close, oppressive feeling when everything is still and ordinary, but the whole world is filled with the sense that something huge and terrible is just about to happen.” Iain Rowan, author of One Of Us and Nowhere To Go

Check out the Infinity Plus site for details of their other books out in June (oh, and their back catalogue is pretty tasty too).

Fifteen Minutes in The Sirens Call

A quick update to say that a new story, Fifteen Minutes, is available in the latest issue of The Sirens Call.

As you might guess from the title, it's a story about the desire to be famous - specifically the desire for that strange, modern type of fame, where people are famous for being famous, rather than for actually being talented...

It's also got that whole weird what's-real-what-isn't thing that I'm drawn to so often going on.

I'd love to know what you think of it; Sirens Call #8 is available to download for free from their site.

Review: Anatomy Of Death

Anatomy Of Death is an anthology of five stories, selected and edited by Mark West. The theme of the books is Mark’s first love in horror: “slim, gory, gruesome paperbacks with vividly livid covers” from the 70s/80s. Obviously a bit different in tone from the more literate ‘weird fiction’ I normally review on here, but it’s a style I've been thinking about a lot recently with the death of James Herbert. Let’s face it, for most of us our first experience with horror isn't going to be The Haunting Of Hill House, it’s going to be The Rats, handed round the playground at far too young an age, with dog-eared pages where the naughty or violent bits are. At least, it was for me. 

 

So this anthology came along at exactly the right time. I'm always going to prefer Aickman, but sometimes we all need horror that’s less existential angst, more worry about if the psycho-knife-man will get you.

 

But! The first story in the book - Pseudonym by Stephen Bacon – is not so much written in the “sleazy horror” style but a meta-tale about an author of such books. The author in question is old and hasn't published for decades, but bizarrely he suddenly accedes to an old interview request – which becomes confession as much as interview. Until the end it’s pretty restrained, and as much like an MR James story as James Herbert. I liked it.

 

By contrast, The Cannibal Whores of Effingham by Johnny Mains isn't restrained – there’s nothing metaphorical about this title. The story starts with a pretty gruesome and explicit death and doesn't relent from there on in. This one is written with a sense of fun and, I suspect, with tongue firmly in cheek. It’s tone somewhat jars with that of the previous story, but it’s no less compelling for that.

 

Out of Fashion by John Llewellyn Probert is different again, a historical tale where the horror seems to be a blend of Lovecraft and the body-horror of Cronenberg. It tells of an Edwardian doctor with shades of Sherlock Holmes about him, and a patient who visits him with a very odd affliction. This is the only tale in the book whose ending took me completely by surprise, partly due to the time period it’s set in – you’ll see what I mean if you read it.

 

And then there's The Arselicker – Stephen Volk. Um. I'm not sure what to say about this one – possibly my favourite story in the anthology, and certainly the most memorable. It reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk at his most uncompromising – there’s a story of his, Guts, that’s achieved a certain notoriety, and Volk's tale is very much in the same territory. I won’t say much about it, for fear of diluting it’s impact for readers. If you're the kind of person who can't help grinning when a story you think couldn't get more outrageous suddenly does, you'll love this one.

 

Mark West’s own contribution, The Glamour Girl Murders, is set in the 70s and, as you might guess from the title, about a seriously sleazy murderer, as well as a photographer who is, in his own way, equally sleazy. I always like Mark’s no-nonsense prose style and it fits perfectly here – the longest story in the book and a fitting end to a strong collection.

Get Anatomy Of Death here (UK | US)

I'm In The Sanitarium

A quick note to say my story Mirages In The Badlands is now available in Sanitarium issue 8 - you can purchase it in various ways on their site and also on Amazon (UK | US). I believe it will also be available in paperback format soon.

Sanitarium have also released a free preview issue, with five stories from their first eight issues, of which mine is one - also available on their site.

The story itself was an attempt to write a zombie story a bit different to all the rest I was seeing at the time, according to the rules I set myself in this blog post here. To recap, the 'new zombie story rules' were:

New Zombie Story Rule#1: no using the basic narrative structure of modern, civilised society being gradually swept away by a zombie outbreak. The setting can be post-apocalyptic but the story can't be about how that situation came to be.

New Zombie Story Rule #2: the story cannot be centred around a disparate group of plucky survivors.

New Zombie Story Rule #3: it is not original to have the same old story but with a 'zombie with a twist' (like fast zombies - for fuck's sake) or a different setting (zombies at Buckingham Palace etc.)

New Zombie Story Rule #4: neither can originality be gained by having a pseudo-scientific explanation for the zombie outbreak.

New Zombie Story Rule #5: zombie's are the risen dead, but they don't have to want to eat us 

New Zombie Story Rule #6: symbolism - zombies as a symbol for mindless consumerism was an original idea when Romero did it. It isn't now. Nor is the idea that zombies are symbols (used consciously or otherwise) for our fears of super-flu etc.

New Zombie Story Rule #7: zombies don't have to hang around in big groups.

Depending on your point of view, I stuck to five or six of those rules. Have a read and see if you agree.

Urban Occult Review / Shelter PB

Urban Occult is a new(ish) anthology from Anachron Press, featuring fifteen short stories about magic and ritual in an urban setting. Unlike a lot of anthologies there's little to no deadwood here - all the stories are well written and worth a read. I've picked some favourites below, but that shouldn't be taken as a sly dig at the others. In fact, this is probably the best Anachron Press title I've read (and I say that having featured in one).

Just Another Job opens the book, and it's a typically dark tale from Gary McMahon; I'm sure you all know how bloody good McMahon is at short stories, right? There's some truly creepy imagery here (it reminded me of the Silent Hill games, for some reason) and an unrelenting atmosphere from the get go.

Spider Daughter Spider by Jennifer Williams. So how do you follow McMahon? Well, with another excellent story with some more truly, truly creepy imagery. Good god, Jennifer Williams, that final scene of yours will stick with me awhile, I can tell you.

Ren Warom's The Ghosts Of My City Walk. A story of lives wasted and an abandoned tower block, this was probably the bleakest story in the whole damn book - no easy achievement. It starts of building up the atmosphere... and then moves into a breathless final third. I really liked this one.

The Remover Of Obstacles by James Brogden. A bit of dark comedy to break up your horror anthology reading experience? Certainly, Sir. But I must warn you we do serve our comedy very dark here... Why, by the end, some people aren't laughing at all.

The Witch House - God-damn you, Mark West. On first reading, this story annoyed the writer in me because I couldn't see how it worked. It's a relatively simple story, archetypal maybe, and you just know it's going to end badly (kids breaking into a rumoured witch's house - like, duh), so why is it still so scary? After reading it a second time, I still don't know how it works, I just know that is does. God-damn you, Mark.

Finally, I'd like to mention The Strange Case Of Mrs West & The Dead by Sarah Anne Langton - a funny story about an exorcism of a most unconventional kind, and it works almost solely because of the author's skill in first person narration, it's that good. She also did the excellent cover art, I hear. Hats off, madam, hats off - to you and all the fabulous writers in Urban Occult.

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And a quick note to say that, as well as The Other Room, I've now released The Shelter in paperback format. So if paper's your thing, fill your boots: Amazon UK | US | Createspace.

Scarfolk Council

Not quite sure what this site is, but it's ace.