Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Coming 13 February from author John Durgin and Crystal Lake Publishing, Conjuring the Demon
2024: Howie Burke swore he’d never go back to Newport after the childhood murders that shattered his life. But twenty-five years later, a desperate call from his mother drags him home—and straight into the horrors he thought he left behind.
The town feels wrong the moment he arrives. Old ghosts lurk in the shadows, and something far darker has been growing in his absence. The secrets he and his childhood friends uncovered were only the beginning.
1978: Jessica and Henry Black move to Newport searching for a fresh start. For Jessica, it’s a chance to escape her fanatical upbringing and finally choose her own path—but the town offers a new kind of faith: one built on secrets, sacrifice, and blood.
As the townsfolk take a chilling interest in her, Jessica begins to understand the truth: she isn’t just welcome here. She’s wanted. She’s chosen. She’s necessary.
Two timelines. One curse. And the only way out … is through the coven that began it. Available for pre-order now in eBook and paperback, you can guarantee your copy here.
Arriving 3 February from editor Eric J. Guignard and Dark Moon Books, Horror Library Volume 9
The +Horror Library+ anthologies are internationally praised as a groundbreaking source of contemporary horror short fiction stories–relevant to the moment and stunning in impact–from leading authors of the macabre and darkly imaginative.
Filled with Fears and Fantasy. Death and Dark Dreams. Monsters and Mayhem. Literary Vision and Wonder. Each volume of the +Horror Library+ series is packed with heart-pounding thrills and creepy contemplations as to what truly lurks among the shadows of the world(s) we live in.
Containing 30 all-original stories, read Volume 9 in this ongoing anthology series, and then continue with the other volumes. Available for pre-order now in eBook and paperback, you can guarantee your copy here.
Available 6 February from author Jim Ody, Dark Escape
Noah is a popular teen in England, but when his parents split up, he’s forced to move to America with his mum, leaving behind his girlfriend, his friends and everything he knows.
In the small town of Escape, Colorado, Noah is now the outsider, bottom of the social hierarchy and struggling to fit in. It’s not long before Noah is caught up in lies, backstabbing, and two very different women. Now, losing his identity, he downward spirals into experimentation, and anything that can numb the pain he feels inside.
But, the mysterious lake and hidden cave pulls him in, and somebody is watching his every move. Waiting in the shadows with a secret that could expose it all. Lies can come in pretty packages, and sometimes a teenager only realises it when he can no longer escape. Available for pre-order now in eBook, with other editions to follow, you can guarantee your copy here.
The UK Ghost Story Festival returns 27 February to 1 March
The UK Ghost Story Festival returns to Derby for the sixth time and this year will be moving back to its original home at QUAD for three days of exciting events!
Taking place from the 27th February to the 1st March, the Festival will be presenting a wide range of panels, writing workshops, performances and talks across all things supernatural and Gothic.
The weekend will also see the first running of the Dracula’s Bazaar alternative market, with stalls throughout QUAD over the three days that you can visit free of charge.
Event co-ordinator Alex Davis said: ‘I’m delighted to be bringing the UK Ghost Story Festival back to QUAD, its original home, and very excited with a line-up that features so much great national and local talent in the field! We’re going to have a very exciting three days of events, and with Dracula’s Bazaar bringing so much extra to the event it’s a perfect weekend for anyone interested in the darker side of things …’
Passes are available for the full weekend or the Saturday of the Festival, with tickets also available for individual events across the three days. For more information, or to book your tickets, visit UK Ghost Story Festival 2026 Archives | Derby QUAD
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KEV HARRISON
