Book review: Slugs – Shaun Hutson

There are a couple of horror authors that I never got around to reading. One of these is Shaun Hutson, and the other is Richard Laymon. I’ve remedied the Hutson omission here with Slugs, and I will be trying a Laymon book later in the year. Slugs is described as “The classic horror story from the…

Book review: Lucifer’s Star – C. T. Phipps & Michael Suttkus

My second Charles Phipps book in as many weeks and Lucifer’s Star is another fantastic read. This time, Phipps has teamed up with Michael Suttkus to bring us a thrillingly dark space opera right out of the top draw. Though very different from The Tower of Zhaal (reviewed here ), Lucifer’s Star is the story of Cassius Mass…

Interview: Luke Walker talks to the Grim Reader

On June 3rd, Luke Walker releases his latest novel, Ascent, published by Crowded Quarantine Publications. I am a big fan of this publisher, owned and operated by Adam and Zoe Millard. They have put out some wonderful books by Rich Hawkins in the form of his Plague trilogy and also one of my favourite books…

Book excerpts from Dominic Stabile: Stone Work and Stone Wall

Last year I read one hell of a fun book in Stone Work by Dominic Stabile. It had everything: electric pacing, monsters, a bad-ass mercenary lead in Stone and an intriguing world in which he roams. Sometimes you come across something that just kicks your ass and that is exactly what Stone Work did. I…

Book review: Embers – Kenneth W. Cain

I’ve read many, many short story collections over these past few years. Some good, some great and some that are just okay. So, where does Embers by Kenneth W. Cain sit? Well, Crystal Lake Publishing very rarely drop the ball with their releases. They are one such publisher I know I am going to get a…

Interview: Getting weird with Andrew Hilbert

Originally from Long Beach, CA, Andrew Hilbert now calls Austin, Texas home. Owner of a terrific beard, Andrew has been writing poetry and fiction for some time. His work has appeared in numerous journals and websites. He is the author of the novella ‘Death Thing’, ‘Bangface and the Gloryhole’, ‘Toilet Stories from Outer Space’ and…

Book review: Invasion of the Weirdos – Andrew Hilbert

Well, this is certainly one of the most absurd books and I’ve read in quite some time. Andrew Hilbert’s ‘Invasion of the Weirdos’ takes place in his home town of Austin, Texas and reads like a mash-up of TV show ‘My Name is Earl’ and Kevin Smith’s ‘Mallrats’.  Austin, Texas is a crazy place. I’ll…

Interview & book excerpt with Alan Baxter

Alan Baxter kicks ass! As well as writing incredible speculative fiction, Alan has over 30 years of martial arts experience and he also runs the Illawarra Kung Fu Academy! Alan has been a pretty busy chap in recent time. His Alex Caine trilogy of books are now available worldwide, late last year saw him release…

Interview: J.S. Breukelaar talks travel, writing, Lit Reactor, weird fiction and her new novel Aletheia.

  07-04-17 J.S. Breukelaar is the author of ‘American Monster’ – published in 2014 by Lazy Fascist Press and more recently the supernatural thriller ‘Aletheia’ – published by the excellent Crystal Lake Publishing. Her work has been shortlisted, nominated for numerous awards including Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror List. However, fiction is only a small slice…

Book review: The Stars are Legion – Kameron Hurley

This is my first novel by Kameron Hurley and it’s a bit of a ripper. ‘The Stars are Legion’ is a mash-up of sci-fi, fantasy and even horror that worked on every level for The Grim Reader. Told through two main characters in Zan and Jayd, the story follows both as they travel different paths,…