You’ve Got Read on You: Fiction Spotlight (Dec 2020)

‘Tis the season for roaring fires and lazy days cuddled up with a good book. We’re here to help you give yourself the gift of great horror fiction.

Do you hear it? The eldritch croons coming off the intercoms of every store we enter. The inescapable swansongs to the dying year. Do you hear it? The incantations repeated over and over again, calling forth the Old Ones in their jolly suits. The end is nigh. And so we must seclude ourselves away from the mindless hoard of caroling zombies at our doors, at our chimneys. In these dire times, I come with four more horror tales in which to distract ourselves from the outside world.

1. Fairest Flesh by K.P. Kulski

In 16th century Hungary, Countess Erszébet Báthory commits acts of legendary bloodshed, but she is not working alone, and the reality is worse than anyone dare imagine.

The debut novel by Kulski takes what we know of the real-life monster Countess Elizabeth Bathory and retells it in the way of the Brothers Grimm. The author does a magnificent job creating layers and intrigue to a character whose legend has grown into massive proportions. Kulski manages to add a sense of awe and wonder to the cruelties presented here. Released December 1st through Rooster Republic Press/Strangehouse Books, this is a definite must read for fans looking for a new take on the legendary Blood Countess.

You can get the paperback edition of Fairest Flesh here. 

2. The Gatherings: An Apocalyptic Short Story by Jeremy Ray

The Gatherings were supposed to bring world peace. What they brought was the apocalypse.

The Gatherings is a short, fast, and intense read. At 74 pages, Ray establishes the main narrative (as told through a journal entry being written by the main character) and goes on to give us a wild ride. Well-written with some fun and grotesque imagery, The Gatherings manages to crawl under the skin all within the short number of pages.

You can get the Kindle or paperback edition of The Gatherings here. 

3. Home by Lillian Rubio

Home is a place where we should feel at our safest. The comfort should be unparalleled to the rest of the world. For many, it is. Carolyn soon realizes that even the sweetest dreams can turn to sour nightmares. All you ever wanted comes with a price, your past and future will always come back to haunt you, and there truly is, in the worst way, no place like Home.

A book that has gone vastly underappreciated, originally published in September of 2019, Home is a story of insurmountable dread. The author fills every bit of the page with a looming sense of anguish that drives the character’s actions, be them rational or not. The story is unique, tackling subject matters that are not often talked about, as well as the ensuing aftermath to them. For those addicted reading doom and gloom, this dread filled atmosphere of the book is a definite pick-up for a time where the only sanctuary is our home.

You can get the paperback edition of Home here. 

4. Bizarre Messaging by Joey Del Duca

You have tuned to the channel of Bizarre Messaging where readers can expect to experience a vast palette of worlds both familiar and unrecognizable.

A unique book that may fall into a love it or hate it category, Del Duca’s Bizarre Messaging is a collection of snippets. Formatted into a newspaper ad style, the author has put together a book composed of flash fiction. The pieces range from all styles of horror, providing bite-sized chunks for anyone that may not have the time or patience to go into a full novel length story.

You can get the Kindle or paperback edition of Bizarre Messaging here. 

Dear readers, I hope these stories will be able to help stave off insanity as 2020 comes to its close. Though the horizon seems dark and bitter, I believe this is not the end. Will you not follow me over these mountains of madness and into the next year? Will you not succumb to brand new horrors? Happy Holidays to you all, and may we meet again in crazier times.