Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Out today from writers Kevin Lucia, Jason Parent and Jeremy Bates, October’s End, the latest in the Dark Tide series from Crystal Lake Publishing
Three leading voices in modern horror take us on a journey through Halloween in the infamous town of Clifton Heights. ‘Daughters of the Mists’ by Kevin Lucia: Clifton Heights’ biggest classic horror movie cinephile finds himself plunged into the midst of his own personal horror movie nightmare, in which he discovers how savage the classic monsters actually are. ‘Once Upon a Halloween Night’ by Jeremy Bates: In the days leading up to Halloween night, two brothers will discover the worst kinds of monsters are often human. ‘Brothers’ by Jason Parent: Sometimes, bonds between brothers are thicker than blood. Rand wants nothing more than to be an Alpha, a member of the most popular fraternity on campus. He convinces his best friend, Henry, to pledge with him. Before they can join, Rand and Henry must follow the senior Alphas’ rule: a predicament that soon leaves them humiliated, victimized, and broken. Rand is left to face the torment alone but, hiding in the darkness, another is willing to share it with Rand, one who promises something more sinister than revenge…and a Halloween party the survivors of which will always remember. This book is perfect for fans of Halloween stories, classic horror, Mystery and suspense, small town horror, and thrillers. Released today in paperback and eBook, you can grab your copy here.
This Halloween season, Hawk and Cleaver’s The Other Stories takes you to The Toy Factory
After the success of last year’s The Witching Hour, 2020’s Old Mill Lane and 2019’s The Nest, the team at Hawk and Cleaver’s The Other Stories return with a new Halloween nightmare: The Toy Factory. Featuring a series of stories in the week leading up to Halloween night, you can watch the video trailer below and hit subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.
Arriving 10 October from author Lor Gislason and Dark Lit Press, Inside Out
Inside Out is an over-the-top tribute to the goopy, grimy and gross horror of the 1980s. After a mysterious infection spreads through the world, people and animals start melting into horrific monsters. This wild debut novella follows everyday people dealing with the new chaotic reality, from school children to scummy landlords to mad scientists. Featuring illustrations from horror artists such as Enuch Duncan, Matt Pierce, and SJ Miller, with cover art by Eduardo Valdés-Hevia. Barf bag not included. Available to pre-order now in paperback and eBook, with an audiobook version on the way, you can guarantee your copy here.
Arriving 4 November from editor Red Lagoe and Death Knell Press, Nightmare Sky
The very dust of the stars’ explosive pasts traveled lightyears across the unknown, and now that dust pulses through our veins, drawing our eyes up, back to our origins. Since the dawn of humanity, the stars have called for us to gaze upon their brilliance, and we sit around campfires making up tales of their histories. Tales which are often fraught with horror. Ranging from psychological to apocalyptic, sci-fi to bizarre, quiet to gruesome and all the horrors in between, these 28 dark stories and poems explore our awe-inspiring- and terrifying -human connection to the stars. Take a look through the eyepiece and into an astronomer’s failing mind. Observe an obsessed lover who can’t get enough of the celestial view. Board a space station as the last remaining people debate whether humanity is worth saving. And ask yourself… What will you do when the sky begins to devour us all? Available for pre-order in paperback and eBook, you can guarantee your copy here.
Throwing Shadows, the new collection from author Jerry Roth and Brigids Gate Press, coming 25 October
A woman develops an unhealthy obsession with a scarecrow. A boy plays with a Ouija board and receives a terrifying warning of murder. A down-on-his-luck father learns what happens when you die in your sleep. These stories and six more frightening tales await the reader within the pages of Throwing Shadows: A Dark Collection. Throwing Shadows will feed that hungry dark side that lives in your cellar. Available for pre-order now in eBook, with a paperback edition to follow, you can guarantee your copy now.
Out now from author Robert P. Ottone and Raven Tale, Nocturnal Creatures
Teenager Cassie, growing up on her family’s apple and peach orchard in upstate New York, was the first to see one of the terrifying, strange creatures from the woods around their property. Cassie’s crush, El Salvadorian Darwin, thinks it’s a Sisimito, a Central American creature of lore akin to the Yeti or Sasquatch. Then, the family sees more of the frightening beasts, and it’s not long before the creatures take aggressive action toward Cassie’s family. That launches a life-and-death battle that could have devastating consequences … Available now in paperback and eBook formats, you can grab your copy here.
KEV HARRISON
