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The Bog Wife: A Novel (2024) by Kay Chronister
Spoiler Alert: OK, not a true spoiler–this book is too complex to have a simple ending that can be “given away.” Still, the review may tell you more than you want to know. No big deal. Read it anyway. Kay Chronister’s The Bog Wife: A Novel (2024) is Frankenstein meets We have Always Lived in…
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My Death (2004) by Lisa Tuttle
As a reader of horror, I rarely encounter tales of time travel and its effects on subjectivity, topics typically reserved for science fiction and fantasy. While I usually steer clear of these genres–just my preference and not a pronouncement on their quality–I suspect that I might enjoy them if their tropes were stripped of techno…
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Consumed: A Novel by David Cronenberg (2014)
If there is a cosmic force out there distributing talents, it seems to have given them all to David Cronenberg. His debut novel, Consumed (2014), demonstrates that, not only is he an amazing filmmaker–the genius behind masterpieces like Shivers (1975) and The Brood (1979) among many others–but he’s also an incredibly talented writer. Consumed offers…
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Exhumed (2024) by S.J. Patrick
As soon as I saw the title and cover art of S.J. Patrick’s Exhumed (2024), I knew that I had to read it. To me, an ornate toe-pincher wrapped in chains is the visual promise of a great vampire novel. The book isn’t quite that. Its characters are simplistic and the temporal scope of the…
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The Apparition Phase (2020) by Will Maclean
You’ve got to love a horror novel that begins with an action item list, and that’s exactly what Will Maclean’s The Apparition Phase (2020) does. In the first chapter, the British narrator provides a neat inventory of what were–when he was a teen–his three favorite spirit photographs, each of which he says “will be instantly…
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Day of the Arrow (1964) by Philip Loraine
Day of the Arrow (1964) by Philip Loraine (a pseudonym for British author Robin Estridge) exemplifies the genre principles of folk horror; and, in many ways, that’s part of its problem. For the modern genre fan who is familiar with folk horror’s tropes of sacrifice and fertility, the novel’s plot is too predictable. Indeed, by…
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Horror Movie: A Novel by Paul Tremblay (2024)
I don’t know what comes after the postmodern horror novel and, if his latest work is any indication, neither does Paul Tremblay. And that’s OK with me because Horror Movie (2024) demonstrates that–in the hands of this author at least–postmodern techniques continue to generate interesting insights. Foregrounding the artifice of narrative and the indeterminacy of…
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Rouge: A Novel (2023) by Mona Awad
Mona Awad’s Rouge (2023) is part of a trend in horror fiction that explores the scary side of beauty. Tracing a line between self-care and self-destruction, novels on this theme consider what happens when techniques for improving the body become torture in the pursuit of an unattainable ideal. Awad’s contribution stands out because it demonstrates…
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The Witch and the Priest (1956) by Hilda Lewis
If you like “authentic” representations of the occult in fiction and film, then you’ll appreciate Hilda Lewis’ The Witch and the Priest (1956). The novel falters with a clumsy framing device and a writing style that’s too minimalist for the time and subject. Still, these missteps are more than balanced by a careful attention to…