Uzumaki is deserving of its accolades… With incredible artwork, genuinely frightening moments and scenes and events that will stick with me forever (and I know for a fact it will inspire my own writing), I urge all fans of horror or dark manga to give this a go.
Horror
Review: Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire #1) by Jay Kristoff
Empire of the Vampire is sensational; a deliciously bloody slice of dark fantasy that leaves you thirsting for more. Vampires, violence, sex, drugs, and characters you can sink your teeth into come to a head in this epic story of love, friendship, loss, and revenge. This is Kristoff at the top of his game, and is only just the beginning of Gabriel de León’s story.
Review: The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
It’s spooky season, y’all! Set it off! If you are looking for a great thorror (I have said it twice now, so that officially makes it a thing, right?) to get you in the mood, read The Last House on Needless Street. It has definitely set the tone for me.
Review: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Certain Dark Things is the new, sharply set, novel from Silvia Moreno-Garcia; it bares its fangs right away with action scenes in fast beats under the glow of the neon lights. It’s what twilight would be if it was dark and riddled with bullet holes, if the vampire families were warring drug cartels, not welcome by the human ones that inhabit, run and rule Mexico City. This alternate reality where ten types of vampires will come for you in the night, or day, is sure to keep you gripped.
Review: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
o in conclusion, not one for me. But if you’ve never read horror or just starting out, and love short stories with a strong-internal-dialogue-prose driven narrative, then Nothing But Blackened Teeth might just be a great novella for you.
Review: The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater
Review: The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales by Eric LaRocca
LaRocca’s writing is mesmerising. He takes the weaknesses that he finds in everyday individuals and injects it into his fiction. He uses it to spur an authenticity into his stories. The way the author has used trauma and tragedy into his narration is real and awful and so perfectly written that your own emotions are on a rollercoaster. Each individual plot is intricate, outraging and deeply sad. It felt so amazing to engage myself in Eric’s writing once more – he’s on fire!
Review: The Wood Bee Queen by Edward Cox
The Wood Bee Queen by Edward Cox is a standalone fantasy reminiscent of old folktales sprinkled with classic fantasy tropes and some Ancient Greek/Roman mythology homages (or Easter eggs if you like). It is also a portal fantasy, which I haven’t read in quite some time, and that definitely catered to some of the nostalgia from my early teens. Through it, Cox tackles timeless themes of good vs evil, blind religious faith, petty/whimsical gods, and the importance of stories, as well as making one’s own decisions without letting others sway you for their gain.
Review: The Book of the Baku by R. L. Boyle
The Book of the Baku follows Sean, a teenager who has been through something so traumatic that he is mute. We follow his story both in the present day and in the past as he tries to stop what is happening to him and his Grandad. While dialogue is minimal in the book (after all Sean is mute for most of it) there’s still this real feeling of connection. From the moment Sean picks up The Book of the Baku his whole world starts to turn upside down and slowly things get creepier and creepier. The relationship between Sean and his Grandad goes through several different stages and while they may only have met each other I found myself really rooting for them both.
Review: Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4) by Jim Butcher
character, he’s a wizard-private-detective who’s stories are set in a realm filled with nightmarish creatures, and typically centered on a murder or investigation where the character slowly uncovers the clues while battling Vampires, goblins, faeries and probably every living thing you can think of. And this chapter in the entire series doesn’t disappoint.
Review: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
I read World War Z years ago and completely fell in love with it. The writing style, the story, the way it’s told, I just loved it. So when I saw that Max Brooks was coming out with Devolution I was stoked. Big Foot isn’t necessarily my favourite folklore creature but it’s also something I don’t come across often, so I was intrigued to see where this would go.
Review: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
The author is an abductor…he throws you in the boot of his car and drives you into the night. It’s futile to fight it. He dumps you into the unknown and leaves you to navigate the inky darkness alone. The author blew me away in a way that I didn’t think was possible. He’s created characters that are so endearing they spoke to soul. I closed the book feeling overwhelmed and edgy. The Master of Epistolary Horror.