Tag Archive for: horror fiction

Fall Reads

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Ahh, fall. The weather is crisp, the leaves are falling, the boots are out, everything is pumpkin flavored, and the jack-o’-lanterns are glowing. And for readers, the book releases and fall themed reading lists are aplenty. As one of fall’s biggest fans I can’t help but look at a fall curated reading list and pick out a book or two to fit the season. I’ve already been enjoying reading with the season and have listed some of my recent fall reads. I’ve placed them in a range from cozy fall mystery to hair-raising horror.

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

I’ve read all of Young’s young adult novels and this was the first adult novel of hers I’ve read. Set on a fictional Pacific Northwest island, the atmosphere of Spells for Forgetting will shove fall down your throat (in the best way). The island is foggy, small-town, and forested, its community centered around the apple orchard on the island. There’s also an apothecary shop, a tea shop, and the women of the island often possess magic (what’s the word I’m looking for….oh right, FALL). Main character Emery Blackwood lost her best friend Lily in a mysterious murder 14 years ago, and although never proven, the town blames August Salt, friend to Lily and boyfriend to Emery. August left the island soon after Lily’s death, leaving Emery behind and broken-hearted in more ways than one. Now August has returned to the island for the first time since Lily’s murder, awaking unsolved questions and stirring up new ones, as well as stirring up feelings Emery has tried to bury deep. I enjoyed Young’s character development in this novel, and I liked the magical elements. The island itself felt like a character and the atmospheric setting of it all was itself magical. I would suggest this fall read for cozy mystery readers that enjoy a fantasy and romance twist.

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Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

I enjoy a good dark academia read in the fall. Add in vampires, revenge, misunderstood villains, and romance, and I’ve got my bookmark ready. We meet the main character Kidan, an orphan, after her sister has been taken by a vampire while Kidan was not there to protect her. Kidan’s grief and rage over her missing sister fuel this novel; it leaps off the page, it feels real, and the unapologetic feminine rage was something I loved about this novel. To find and save her sister Kidan turns into a version of herself that becomes quite monstrous. Following her only clue, a name, Kidan enrolls in an elite university populated by humans and vampires and must live with the very vampire she is looking for: Susenyos. Tensions (and violence) are through the roof, but Kidan cannot take revenge against Susenyos without jeopardizing information about her sister. Kidan is singular in her goals, infiltrating an arcane society to find answers, yet Susenyos is complex and perhaps more than he seems. This novel is Girma’s debut. An Ethiopian author, Girma’s passion for West African myths and culture is a recurring aspect of the novel. I think this is a different take on the vampire dark academia novel, with an interesting vampire political system. This is a good fall read to sink your teeth into if you’re a dark academia fantasy reader.

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My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen

Last on my list is my favorite horror novel I’ve read so far this year. Set in the early 1950s this novel jumps between a psychiatrist’s session notes with patient Roos and flashbacks of Roos’s story. Roos’s story begins living with her mother and acting as the medium for seances. Some of the things Roos does are for show, like when her mother forces her to squeeze under the floorboards and pull ropes attached to objects in the room. But Roos isn’t all show. She has a spirit companion only she can see: Ruth. Ruth came to Roos under the floorboards one day and hasn’t left her side since. She protects Roos and is her only friend, and when Roos allows it, Ruth possesses her. After they receive new patron Agnes to their seances, who is trying to communicate with her recently deceased husband, Roos is sold by her mother to live with Agnes in one of the most gothic houses you can imagine. It’s eerie and dilapidated with odd sounds at night, and is home to Agnes’s sister-in-law, who is dying from tuberculosis. Roos and Agnes begin to form a bond that surpasses friendship, and secrets come out and events begin to unfold that had me slightly nervous to listen to the audiobook at night. Drenched in the macabre, van Veen references H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe as some of her inspirations, and that really comes through in this novel. I really enjoyed the shocking twists and turns, and van Veen’s writing was so compelling and fitting for the story. You might consult the content warnings on this one. My Darling Dreadful Thing is perfect for readers that enjoy gothic horror with sapphic romance. 

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How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

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Louise never thought her family was weird, really. She’s always heard comments, even from her cousins, but Louise never agreed. Sure, her mom had an obsession, verging on unhealthy, with dolls and puppets. She packed their house full of them, various sizes and materials, and even created art with them, like when she recreated the painting of The Last Supper but with squirrel puppets coming out of the painting in place of the people. Louise, and her brother Mark, grew up with puppets as a big part of their lives, whether they always wanted it that way or not. When their parents unexpectedly die, Louise and Mark are forced to go back to their childhood home to take care of arrangements and sell the house. But when things start getting extra weird around the house, Louise can’t help but wonder: what is up with her weird family? This is the premise of horror author Grady Hendrix’s novel How to Sell a Haunted House.

When Louise is old enough she leaves home and moves across the country, getting as far away from her family as possible. She likes her reserved father well enough; it’s her mom that was always choosing Louise’s estranged younger brother, Mark, over Louise and insisting on filling the house with her weird art creations, puppets, and dolls that Louise couldn’t take any longer. Plus, her and Mark never get along, Louise annoyed by the way Mark always seems to get things handed to him so easily by their parents. Still, Louise loves her parents, despite their quirks. So when Louise gets an unexpected call from Mark telling her that their parents have died in a car accident, Louise is devastated.

Leaving her young daughter Poppy with her ex, Louise travels home to help Mark with arrangements. Louise is horrified to find that Mark has made all decisions and has arranged a company to come in and completely clean out their childhood home so it can be sold. Louise digs her heels in and insists on going through things herself, especially when she learns that all of her mom’s art collection has been left to her. Usually she would make a planned, organized list and get rid of the art, but because her and Mark are not getting along whatsoever she stubbornly refuses to get it done quickly (as only a sibling can). 

As Louise goes through the house questions begin popping up in her head. Why is her dad’s cane that he couldn’t get around without still in the living room? Why does the TV keep turning on with two of her mom’s dolls (named after Mark and Louise) sitting in front of it? Why is the attic access boarded up? One afternoon Louise falls asleep at the house, and wakes up to find one of the squirrels from her mom’s recreation of The Last Supper climbing onto the bed, and another curled around her throat. To be clear, these squirrels are not alive, but puppets. Louise attempts to rationalize what is happening, as our brains tend to do in high-stress situations, but after the squirrels attack Louise she isn’t sure if something is wrong with her and she is going through a mental break, or if something unthinkable is happening: haunted puppets. 

Louise gets her answer when their mom’s favorite puppet, Pupkin, somehow gets out of the trashcan Louise threw it in and attacks Louise, only to be saved by Mark. Now Mark and Louise must put aside their childhood dislike of one another and band together against the puppets, and ultimately learn how to sell a haunted house and confront their generational trauma. 

I appreciate the way Hendrix writes horror. He managed to make this novel spooky and funny and moving all at once. Rather than all scary all the time, Hendrix weaves in true to life emotions and situations for his characters, and adds a dash of humor. Part of the novel is horror and psychological thriller, yes – I mean come on, puppets that come to life? No thank you. However, the other part of the novel is about Mark and Louise reconciling with one another and traumatic experiences they had as children. They start the novel immersed in one set of emotions and opinions about one another, and those perceptions shift as the novel progresses. While some of the novel did read too slowly for me, I liked the combination of family dynamics and horror, and the dark humor sprinkled throughout. This is the first book I’ve read by Hendrix and it won’t be my last – I enjoy the way he navigates the genre of horror. 

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Review by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

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Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova is a book that has stuck with me. If you are a reader you likely know what I refer to – a book that lingers after you’re finished reading, one that leaves a mark. Monstrilio is that for me. In a past book review I mentioned that I have been exploring horror fiction, a genre that until recently, I didn’t really pick up. I’ve read a handful so far this year, Monstrilio being the most recent, and I am becoming more and more content with my new reading exploration. A debut novel, Monstrilio is a horror novel with literary leanings released in 2023 by Mexico City author Córdova. I think there are a lot of ways to describe this unique novel, it runs the gamut of emotions, but in essence this novel explores extreme sorrow and immense love through the story of a boy that becomes a monster that becomes a man.

The novel is told in four parts by four different main characters. It opens with Magos on the most devastating day for a parent: she and her husband, Joseph, lose their 11 year old son, Santiago, who dies from complications of living with one lung. In her grief, Magos opens the body of her son and removes a chunk of his lung. “One believes the stupidest things in grief,” Córdova writes, and this is one of those things. Magos believes if she cares for and feeds the piece of Santiago’s lung he will come back to her.

Much to her family’s surprise (and horror), it works…in a way. From the piece of lung grows a black furred, ferociously hungry being, or monster, if you’d like. However, he is not Santiago, although he carries some likeness in addition to the lung. Magos calls him Santiago, while Joseph and Lena (a good friend to Magos and Joseph) call him Monstrilio. 

What follows are short segments moving forward in time as Monstrilio matures, learning to adapt to his circumstance and live like a human. Following Magos’ narration is Lena’s, the friend and doctor in love with Magos who often helps care for Monstrilio’s not-so-human health. Then, Joseph takes over narration. Monstrilio is now a young adult living with Magos and going by his new name, M. Joseph and Magos have very different views on who M is, and have been separated since the death of Santiago. Yet something they have in common is their fierce love for M. 

Finally, the last part of the novel is told by M. The sections leading up to M’s are a slow burn, and M’s narration was my favorite part of the book. M is trying to figure out where he belongs in the shadow of someone else, but M has the added obstacle of not being completely human. He is battling his ever-present hunger for humans, the expectations of his loved ones, his desire to understand humans, and generally fitting in a world not created for him. M is the result of a monstrous decision made by someone else, in the throes of monstrous grief, and he does not know if he is M, Santiago, Monstrilio, a combination, or someone else entirely. 

Monstrilio is a stunning novel that wraps its characters in grief, love, and the persistence of both. It examines the lasting effects of grief and how, if we let it, our own grief can affect those we hold most dear and even turn us monstrous. The novel also explores the binding results of loyalty and acceptance of those we love. Monstrilio features dark themes and is the most gory horror novel I’ve personally read (I haven’t read many). That might be an immediate “no” for some readers, and an immediate “yes” for others; either way, the part horror, part literary meditation on emotions that makes up this novel was unexpected, unsettling, and simply wonderful. Córdova comes out swinging with this debut and I am looking forward to what he releases next. While Monstrilio did make me sad, it is a book that I won’t soon forget. 

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Review written by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

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A halt to her archeological dig and the vague mention from her brother that something seems off with their mother send Sam Montgomery across the country to her mother’s house in North Carolina.

The house on Lammergeier Lane was never her favorite place to be. It used to belong to Sam’s grandmother, Gran Mae – a harsh woman with exacting standards. When Sam was very young, her family lived with her grandmother briefly. Sam only has limited memories of that time, all unpleasant.

Her grandmother had strict rules for their behavior, requiring that they appear “nice and normal,” like a sitcom family. She used to threaten her grandchildren with stories of underground children who would come for them if they misbehaved. Her only joy came from her meticulously kept rose bushes.

When Sam arrives at her mother’s home, Edith does seem off. Her usually peppy mother is jumping at shadows, they now have to pray before dinner, and Edith will not hear a word against Gran Mae – who has been dead for many years.

The house itself is also different. When Edith moved in, she repainted all of the rooms and redecorated the house to match her own warm, chaotic style. Sam notices immediately that the house looks almost exactly the way it did when her grandmother was still alive: white-walled and sterile, devoid of all personal touches from her mother. There is also a large vulture living on the mailbox.

Stress about her mother’s condition and an inexplicable swarm of ladybugs in her bedroom have Sam on edge. She is not sleeping well, and she has been having strange dreams about someone whispering in her ear.

Determined to help her mother, Sam begins poking into her own family history. She discovers that her great-grandfather was a notorious “sorcerer” in his day, with correspondents with whom he discussed creating human life through magic.

Sam cannot imagine her straight-laced grandmother having anything to do with these fantastical beliefs. In fact, when she was alive, Gran Mae had a feud with a neighbor that she only referred to as “that old witch.”

The neighbor, a lovely woman named Gail, has befriended Edith since she moved back to town. Afraid that her mother may be developing dementia, Sam goes to Gail, hoping to get some insight into her mother’s condition.

Instead, Gail assures Sam that magic is real, her mother is perfectly in control of her faculties, and something evil is inhabiting her grandmother’s house.

A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES by T. Kingfisher is a horror novel with a modern Southern Gothic flair. The atmosphere is perfect for a haunted house story. Much of the suspense is drawn from the reader knowing that there really is a malevolent presence in the house, while Sam steadfastly refuses to believe it.

Sam is certain that there is a mundane answer to her mother’s distress right up until the moment her grandmother’s ghost appears at their dining room table.

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Book review by Alyssa Berry, Technical Services Librarian

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

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I typically do not drift into the world of horror fiction because, in short, I’m a chicken that scares easily. Horror movies are not for me, either. I feel as if I am missing out on a chunk of literature that offers talented writers and grand stories, so to that end, I’ve been stretching my comfort zone and reading some horror fiction here and there. I say that cautiously as light horror has been my aim, I am in no means ready for something like Stephen King’s It, but perhaps one day. Something that I love about reading is the opportunity to explore and try new things, and to answer to no one but myself with what I choose.

Enter my most recent read: Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. In learning more about this novel before reading it I saw some websites describing it as horror and thriller fiction, but what initially drew my attention was the interesting plot surrounding a strong theme of grief.

Our Wives Under the Sea is a split narrative, short and easy to listen to (I opted for the audio version) that follows couple Leah and Miri.

Leah and Miri used to have a happy marriage filled with fond memories that Miri reflects upon frequently. They met, fell in love, and were married. Leah’s work as a marine biologist would sometimes take her away on trips, Miri missing her dearly, but they would always come together again and pick up where they left off.

Until the last trip Leah went on: a voyage to the depths of the ocean with two other researchers to gather information, on what is not made clear, funded by a mysterious company. Alternating chapters between Miri, who is narrating in the book’s present time, and Leah, who is narrating by way of a journal kept during this research trip, it is revealed that this research trip did not go at all as Leah and Miri thought it would.

Both Leah and Miri are unreliable narrators for several reasons, but prominently because they are both struggling through grief, loss, and love. Miri is realizing that the life she once knew with Leah is no longer reality. She struggles with worry for Leah (who has come back different than she left), sorrow for herself, and questions that have no answers. Miri spends hours on the phone trying to contact the mystery agency that sent Leah and her two comrades on a submarine into the ocean, attempting to find out why the 3 week research mission turned into 6 months, and how to help Leah, who is changing more and more with each passing chapter of the book. Leah won’t respond to Miri’s questions, even in the therapist sessions they attend together, and Miri stops asking or really talking much to Leah, finding it so increasingly difficult to do so. Miri is not perfect in her care for Leah, but it is clear that Leah is all she really thinks about. Miri bounces between extreme grief and hopelessness, and glimmers of love and hope when thinking of her past life with Leah or when Leah gives just a little hint of who she used to be.

When Miri is contacted by the sister of one of Leah’s fellow researchers she becomes hopeful that perhaps she’ll finally know more about what happened to Leah and what she went through, but the answers she does receive just provides further murkiness to the situation. As the novel progresses Leah’s state declines, and Miri’s grief is palpable.

So as not to reveal too much I won’t write anything further about what happened to Leah while under the sea, or what she goes through when she returns. Armfield does an excellent job of revealing Leah’s story bit by bit to the reader in a manner that is suspenseful and at times, horrific. I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and picked up this book. It was creepy and gothic enough to lend itself to the horror genre tag, but not overly so. Armfield’s writing is strong and oftentimes poetic, creating a heartbreakingly beautiful story. I was really feeling for and with the characters, and I think this novel lends itself well to different interpretations depending on the reader. This is a fluid novel that left me with more questions than answers, and it is one of my favorite reads so far this year.

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Review written by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

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For as long as she can remember, Alex Stern has been able to see ghosts. For most of her life it has been an inconvenience at best, but now it has gotten her a fresh start in life and a free ride to one of the most prestigious colleges in the world.

Last summer Alex woke up in a hospital bed after surviving a horrific attack at her home. There she is visited by Dean Elliot Sandow; he knows about her ability to see ghosts and he wants to offer her a position in one of the nine houses, secret societies on Yale’s campus.

Eight of the houses are essentially fraternities, run by the children of the rich and powerful – who were themselves members of these houses. Within these groups, members perform magical rituals: some predict the future, others change themselves into animals. In one Alex witnesses a famous musician undergoing a ritual to sing more beautifully.

The ninth house, Lethe, serves as a watchdog for these other houses. Lethe makes sure their rituals do not get out of hand and that the societies do not reveal themselves to the general public. Alex’s abilities will make her a valuable asset in this group.

All of the members have their own part to play within Lethe. Alex is an apprentice member, working under the direction of Darlington – Daniel Arlington – an upperclassman known and respected around campus. Darlington went missing earlier in the year when Alex saw him pulled into a portal to hell. Alex is driven to bring him back, despite everyone telling her that he is dead.

Lethe also has an Oculus, someone dedicated to recording and gathering information, and the Centurion, a member of the local police who can alert them if a crime scene seems magical or cover up something that the houses will deal with on their own.

Initially, Alex feels isolated in this group. Darlington is jealous of her innate ability to see ghosts. Pamela Dawes, the Oculus, seems offended by Alex’s presence. And the Centurion, Detective Turner, suspects that Alex may have been involved in the grisly murder she escaped in California.

Alex herself is difficult to get along with. She actively opposes the polite facade that has kept the balance between the houses and she is disgusted by the rich kids who play with magic without understanding the dangers. Back in California she was a high school dropout with an abusive drug dealer boyfriend. She knows this is an entirely different world, but she refuses to bow to its conventions.

Midway through her first semester, Alex is sent to the scene of a possible homicide. A young woman from New Haven has been found murdered. Detective Turner is eager to turn Alex away, the woman and her boyfriend are known criminals and he is already in custody, but Alex cannot shake the feeling that something is off.

As she follows up on her suspicions, Alex uncovers a string of similar murders going back decades. And if these are some kind of secret ritual gone wrong, Alex is going to get to put a stop to it.

Bardugo is an expert at crafting a satisfying antihero, Alex is a protagonist that the reader cannot entirely trust. She is complicated, secretive, and more likely to punch someone in the gut than walk away. Alex has had a hard life, but she will do anything to protect her friends – whatever the cost.

Leigh Bardugo’s NINTH HOUSE is a bit of a puzzle box. The novel jumps around through time; flashing back to scenes from Alex’s training with Darlington and keeping certain details hidden from the reader until just the right moment. There are layers of mysteries that build over the course of the story. Most of those mysteries are concluded by the end of the book; others are resolved in Hell Bent, the sequel that came out earlier this year.

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Book review by Alyssa Berry, Technical Services Librarian

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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As the title implies, MEXICAN GOTHIC by SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA is an homage to the gothic fiction novels of the 20th century, but one set deep in the mountains of Mexico rather than the English countryside.

Noemí Taboada is the strong-willed, somewhat-spoiled daughter of a wealthy family. She spends her free time reveling in the glamor and decadence of 1950’s Mexico City – dating men her father doesn’t approve of, and enjoying life.

As the book opens, Noemí has been summoned home from a costume party by her father. Expecting to be reprimanded for her choice of date, Noemí is surprised that her father instead wants to talk about her cousin Catalina.

Catalina was recently married following a whirlwind romance. She kept her relationship with Virgil Doyle a secret from everyone, and the two went back to Virgil’s ancestral home as soon as they were wed.

Noemí’s father has received a frantic, confused letter from Catalina claiming that the Doyles are poisoning her and mentioning ghosts. Fearing that either Catalina is in real danger, or that she may need some psychological help that her new husband refuses to provide, Mr. Taboada asks Noemí to visit her cousin and report back about the situation.

Arriving at the crumbling mansion known as High Place, Noemí is immediately at odds with the Doyle family. Virgil is brusque, dismissive, and unhelpful. Virgil’s aunt, Florence, keeps Noemí from visiting Catalina, who she claims has tuberculosis. And the Doyle patriarch, Howard, talks almost exclusively about eugenics.

Now a sickly, bedridden old man, Howard also tells Noemí about his deceased wives. They were a pair of sisters, both wards of Howard when he came to Mexico. He married the elder sister initially, but she died within the year, leaving Howard to marry the younger sister.

From one of the local people in town, Noemí learns about the fate of Howard’s children. Years ago, Howard’s daughter Ruth had fallen in love with a local young man. When the young man went missing following her father’s disapproval of the match, Ruth took a shotgun into the house and shot every member of her family, including herself.

Howard survived his gunshot wound, Florence and young Virgil were not in the house at the time; the three of them were the only remaining members of the Doyle family.

Noemí’s only ally at High Place is Florence’s son, Francis. It is through him that she learns much of the history of the mansion and the Doyle family.  He tells Noemí about his family’s mining business that built their fortune, which has since dried up, and the English cemetery that Howard had constructed – with dirt brought over from Europe – where the deceased Doyles have been laid to rest.

When Noemí is finally allowed to see her cousin, Catalina seems relatively normal. She does seem weak and tired, but more coherent than she was in her letter. Until Catalina tells Noemí that the Doyles can hear her through the walls.

Concerned for her cousin, but unable to convince Virgil to get help for her, Noemí resolves to leave High Place and get help. Up to this point, the Doyles have been creepy and off-putting, but as Noemí attempts to leave the mansion, things begin to get a lot more supernatural.

Moreno-Garcia borrows elements from the classics of gothic fiction, from Flowers in the Attic to Dracula. MEXICAN GOTHIC is a creepy, atmospheric novel. The reader feels a growing dread as the history of the Doyle family is revealed, and as they – along with Noemí – come to understand just how much danger the Taboada cousins are in.

Noemí herself is not a traditional amateur detective. She is focused, driven, and stubborn. But while she has the fashion sense and charisma of a teenage sleuth like Nancy Drew, she has no real interest in solving the case. Her whole focus is on helping her cousin, not piecing together any mysteries.

It is an unusual book, and there is more going on below the surface than I can convey. Once you finish the novel, I recommend seeking out interviews with the author – she has a lot to say about this book, and about the real mining town in central Mexico that inspired the novel.

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The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith

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THE LAST AMERICAN VAMPIRE by SETH GRAHAME-SMITH is an alternate history of America, from the colonies to the present, told by a person who experienced it all: Henry Sturges, the last American vampire.

Henry Sturges has been a major player in many key moments of American history. He came to America as a newly-married twenty-five-year-old Englishman, human and ready to start a new life. He and his wife were members of the Roanoke Colony, who built a fortified settlement in what is now North Carolina. Roanoke is infamously referred to as the Lost Colony – because its more than one hundred inhabitants disappeared without a trace.

The Roanoke Colony, including Henry’s wife, was completely wiped out by a vampire who had come to the New World in order to control it.  He is impressed by Henry’s spirit and decides to save him by turning him into a vampire.

The life of Henry Sturges follows the flow of American history very closely. He watches from a distance, trying not to attract attention, living independently from it until his friendship with Abraham Lincoln convinces him to take part.

THE LAST AMERICAN VAMPIRE is the sequel to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which details Henry’s involvement in Lincoln’s life – from the time when he was a young man to his assassination. The first book focuses on the events surrounding Civil War, with both sides backed by vampires.

Henry is one of the Union vampires, but the Union does end with the war. Vampires like Henry continue to fight to protect mankind at large. They still call themselves the Union far into the 20th century, though their numbers have dwindled considerably.

The novel jumps around through Henry’s history. The conceit of the book is that Grahame-Smith (whose fictional counterpart narrates the book) is pulling from diaries that Henry has kept through the years; he is picking out the most interesting parts and building a narrative of the power struggle behind the scenes of American politics – the strings of which are being pulled by vampires.

Henry spends time in both America and Europe meeting many notable figures throughout his life. Authors like Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe make appearances, along with John D. Rockefeller and Nikola Tesla. Henry and his allies fight against the villains of history, including Jack the Ripper and Rasputin – who are both vampires themselves.

As a result of his involvement as an advisor to Abraham Lincoln, Henry is coerced into working for multiple presidents and repeatedly conscripted into armies. The American government knows exactly what Henry is, and they rarely hesitate to use him. America wouldn’t be the same without Henry Sturges.

The book is filled with photographs, which add to its sense of historical weight. It contains letters, telegraph transpositions, newspaper clippings, and email. Excerpts directly from Henry’s diary are also used liberally, to get a sense of what Henry was feeling at the time.

The pseudo-realism of the book is very engaging, and although the book looks like nonfiction – right down to its footnotes – it reads like a novel.

The line between real and imaginary is thinnest at this time of year, and I think there are few better ways to embrace that than by reading supernatural fiction. This book is action-packed and fun, while also being somewhat gruesome (as most vampire fiction tends to be). So, if you’re looking for something to quench your thirst for the supernatural, give THE LAST AMERICAN VAMPIRE a try.

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Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

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Teenage sleuths are all well and good, but what becomes of them when they grow up?  In Edgar Cantero’s “Meddling Kids” we meet the Blyton Summer Detective Club – a group of grown-ups who spent the summers of their formative years solving mysteries in Blyton Hills, Oregon.

Thirteen years ago, they solved their final mystery: the case of the Sleepy Lake monster. Two boys, two girls, and one dog put a man in jail for impersonating a monster and attempting to steal the fortune said to be hidden in a local abandoned mansion. On that fateful night, they solved their case, but the deeper mysteries of the mansion have haunted them ever since.

Now in their mid-twenties, the four members of the Blyton Summer Detective Club have gone their separate ways; they lead broken, unstable lives in various parts of the country:

  • Peter Manner, the leader, moved to Hollywood and became a famous actor, but he was fighting his own demons and killed himself before the action of this book.
  • Nate Rogers, the resident supernatural expert, has spent the intervening years checking himself in and out of mental institutions. He is currently at an institution in Massachusetts, where he is hoping to rid himself of a hallucination of Peter’s ghost.
  • Kerri Hollis, the brains of the group, moved to New York where she works at a bar, plagued by nightmares and unmotivated to finish college.
  • Andrea (Andy) Rodriguez – the muscle – is a vagrant with active warrants out for her in multiple states, and an as-yet-unrequited, decade-old crush on Kerri.
  • Rounding out the group is Kerri’s Weimaraner, Tim, the great-grandson of the original mystery-solving dog.

Andy is convinced that something has cursed them, and that solving the mystery of the abandoned mansion is the only way for them to move on with their lives. She convinces Kerri and Nate to join her, and the three humans, one dog, and one ghost/hallucination make their way to the house in Blyton Hills where everything began.

“Meddling Kids” is a high-energy romp, complete with wacky hijinks and suspicious townspeople. It has mysterious messages, intricate traps, and secret passages. But it is also a horror story with actual monsters for our grown-ups to battle – and an evil force waiting to be set free. It’s Scooby-Doo in the world of Cthulhu.

The story moves forward at break-neck speed; the mystery getting more complicated at every turn. Cantero’s love of pop culture beats at the heart of this book, though some references are more subtle than other – I’m looking at you, Zoinx River.

Cantero bounces back and forth between traditional dialog and movie-script-style dialog (complete with stage directions) in a way that I found compelling. He plays with language throughout the book, making it clear that he had as much fun writing it as the reader does reading it.  I look forward to seeking out more of Edgar Cantero’s work, and I hope that you give “Meddling Kids” at try.

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Song for the Unraveling of the World by Brian Evenson

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Reading slumps aren’t uncommon. Lately, I’ve been starting books, only to return them unfinished. In times like these, I often turn to short stories to help me get back into the groove. Short stories take the pressure off of reading. I don’t have to track characters and plots for hundreds of pages. And this is where author Brian Evenson really shines. In his latest release, he builds worlds and characters in only a few pages.

SONG FOR THE UNRAVELING OF THE WORLD is a fairly short collection of stories at just over 200 pages. However, the collection contains 22 stories. I don’t have the space to review each story, but I’ve picked three that I think best represent this collection as a whole.

In the titular story, a daughter goes missing. Her father, Drago, searches the house but can’t find the little girl. Drago refuses to call the police for reasons the reader doesn’t immediately understand. But, as his search expands to include the surrounding neighborhood, the truth about Drago and his daughter is revealed. He will not call the police because he is living under a false identity. Why? Well, that would spoil the story.

“Room Tone” — Filip wants nothing more than to finish shooting his film. The only problem? The house he’s been using for filming has been sold and the new owner won’t let Filip in to complete the project. Filip isn’t happy with the sound of the film; the background noise is all wrong. He just needs in the house long enough to record a few minutes of silence. How far will he go to finish his film?

“The Hole” — A mission to explore a planet goes horribly wrong for those visiting the new world. Klim and the rest of the crew must search for Rurik, who has gone missing. Kim finds Rurik at the bottom of a large hole. There are only two problems: 1) Klim is also at the bottom of the hole and 2) Rurik is clearly dead, but still moving and talking. Can Klim escape? Even if he does, will he ever be the same?

Don’t go into this collection thinking you’re going to get answers. Much of the effectiveness of Evenson’s writing comes from what isn’t explicitly described in the stories. Evenson focuses in on the world of each story. With short stories, authors don’t have a lot of room for world-building. The challenge then becomes making these brief glimpses into the world fully believable. And this is where Evenson really shines.

Every story in the collection takes place in a distinct setting, each with its own history and set of rules. Even though several stories have similar themes or settings, Evenson made each one distinct. There seem to be nods to classic authors like Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson. (In fact, Everson was a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award in 2017.)

Evenson explores several themes throughout the collection. Identity and sense of self are perhaps the two most common themes. Can we change who we are? Is identity more than skin deep? Fair warning for the faint of heart, Evenson explores these ideas in a very literal sense. At times, he even uses a genre known as ‘body horror.’ If you’re not familiar with this genre, think of the movies The Fly and The Thing. 

Overall, I think this is a solid short story collection. Evenson’s masterful world-building goes a long way in making these stories successful. The stories overlap two of my favorite genres, Sci-Fi and horror, and though there aren’t any happy endings, this collection will make you think about bodies and identity in a whole new way.

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Book review by: Leslie Hayes