Undivine Interventions: Reviews of Horror Novels, Past and Present.

What a blessing it is to be me. To find a publisher like Bloodshot Books, who is committed to putting out the best horror fiction there is, to the masses. To read authors like Justin M. Woodward, who writes books that pull the heartstrings, turn the stomach and terrify the reader. There's a whole lot of people stuck reading whatever is stuck on Target endcaps, and to be immersed in such killer novels makes me feel lucky. It gives me a reason to continue to keep this blog going, and posting reviews on the standard sites, to somehow contribute to this wonderful art. To spread the gospel of the modern horror novel in 2018, not under the guise of "dark fantasy" or "paranormal thriller", but HORROR, is only worthwhile when there are books being produced that are, in fact, worthwhile. If there's a book that's worthwhile, it is absolutely Tamer Animals. Buy it, read it, own it and be blessed like me. Tamer Animals is the third novel by Woodward, but the ...

Let us start with some reality. The blog has gotten to the point where I am getting daily requests for review of books. Many of them are self-published and I am totally into that. I think, by and large, the future of horror fiction lie within the underground. How cool would it be for me to find THAT one up-and-comer who is selling a billion books with movie deals and all that cool shit in a few years, when way-back-when my little ol' blog was one of the first places to give them a look!? Very cool, indeed. However, I started thinking about this while reading Finale, and cemented the thought yesterday when I got three review requests in the same day. So... here it goes... I love reading. I love reading horror, almost exclusively. I love sharing my thoughts on these books with the world. I've heard countless times now that I have inspired people to add books to their to-be-read pile. That is amazing. AMAZING. Literally, the only reason to do this is because A. I love the ge...

It's a pretty loud non-secret of mine that since running the blog, and digging more deeply into the obscure titles of Horror fiction, my favorite discovery has been R. Patrick Gates. I try to read one of his books quarterly, as I make my way through his back catalog, trying to maintain fairness to all the other books on my to-be-read list, but often times, I get a bit greedy and need to catapult one of his books to the top of my list. His fourth novel here, Deathwalker, is a shining example of why. Gates' writing style is just a perfect match for me as a reader. It's fast, frenzied and no-holds-barred. When I pick up a R. Patrick Gates book, I am married to it in ways that few other writers can muster. Despite my adoration, I heed absolute warning to readers new to the author. He goes places that other writers will not, often in violent and perverse ways, that will absolutely alienate some. I would be lying if there weren't strange pangs of guilt tapping on my skull ...