Review: The House At Black Tooth Pond by Stephen Mark Rainey

The House at Black Tooth Pond by Stephen Mark Rainey Crossroads Press (February 2025) Reviewed by Dave Simms Stephen Mark Rainey is one of the greatest unsung masters of the genre and has churned out solid, entertaining work for decades. From Deathrealms magazine in the eighties and nineties to several dozen short stories to many novels … Continue Reading! “Review: The House At Black Tooth Pond by Stephen Mark Rainey”

Review: Family by Ian Rogers

Family by Ian Rogers Earthling Publications (October 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms When is a haunted house story not a haunted house story? Earthling Publications knocks it out of the park with this novel by Ian Rogers. Comparisons will be made to the classics such as The Haunting of Hill House and newer entries like A … Continue Reading! “Review: Family by Ian Rogers”

Review: Night of the Long Knives by Tyler Jones

Night of the Long Knives by Tyler Jones Earthling Publications (December 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms Another Earthling Publications book, another head-spinning tale that combines several genres and spits out a brutal novel that lingers like a scar on the soul. Tyler Jones is already known as a smart writer, able to weave together the … Continue Reading! “Review: Night of the Long Knives by Tyler Jones”

Review: The Soul of Wes Craven by Joseph Maddrey

The Soul of Wes Craven by Joseph Maddrey Harker Books (June 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms From Last House on the Left to Scream, Wes Craven had been a staple of horror. He rubbed dark souls with John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper, carving out his own legend in the Mount Rushmore of the genre. Fans … Continue Reading! “Review: The Soul of Wes Craven by Joseph Maddrey”

Review: The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks edited by Tom Deady

The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks edited by Tom Deady Thomas E. Deady (September 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms Who in their right minds (okay, readers of a certain age) hasn’t been excited to walk into a drug store or supermarket to find THE rack. That spinning metal beast of wonder that held … Continue Reading! “Review: The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks edited by Tom Deady”

Review: Lexie by F. Paul Wilson

Lexie by F. Paul Wilson Crossroad Press (September 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms Recommending an F. Paul Wilson novel is akin to saying oxygen might be good for you. Over the course of his career, there hasn’t been a bad book in his vast catalog. Lexie is no different — it’s the stunning second book … Continue Reading! “Review: Lexie by F. Paul Wilson”

Review: The Damage Done by Tony Tremblay

The Damage Done by Tony Tremblay Haverhill House Publishing (July 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms Old-school horror. It’s a term that’s tossed around lightly these days but many are unfamiliar with that entails (save for those who lived through the first golden age of paperbacks). What it truly means to many is a solid scary … Continue Reading! “Review: The Damage Done by Tony Tremblay”

Review: Sarafina by Philip Fracassi

Sarafina by Phillip Fracassi Earthling Publications. (September 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms Phillip Fracassi has emerged as a force in horror over the past few years, as his Boys in the Valley rocked the genre, and rightfully so. After a pair of solid follow ups (Gothic and A Child Alone with Strangers), he’s hit another home … Continue Reading! “Review: Sarafina by Philip Fracassi”

Review: When You Leave I Disappear by David Niall Wilson

When You Leave I Disappear by David Niall Wilson Shortwave Media (August 20, 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms When can a novella be accurately described as a mindf**k? One can imagine David Niall Wilson arching his fingers and giggling like a cartoon villain, just waiting for readers of When You Leave I Disappear to have their … Continue Reading! “Review: When You Leave I Disappear by David Niall Wilson”

Review: Chisel the Bone by Renee S. DeCamillis

Chisel the Bone by Renee S. DeCamillis Encyclopocalypse (July 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms When I first read The Bone Cutters by Renee S. DeCamillis a few years ago, I was impressed by the brutal talent of the author in a way that knocked my psyche out of my comfort zone — in a very … Continue Reading! “Review: Chisel the Bone by Renee S. DeCamillis”

Review: The Upwelling by F. Paul Wilson

The Upwelling by F. Paul Wilson Crossroads Press (July 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms F. Paul Wilson has been a grandmaster of horror, thrillers, science fiction, and medical mysteries, but it somehow feels natural when he slips into this mythos that he’s built for decades. Beginning with The Keep, and through the Adversary series, which … Continue Reading! “Review: The Upwelling by F. Paul Wilson”

Review: Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman Del Rey (June 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms The early buzz about Josh Malerman’s newest novel was high. Yet, an eight-year-old narrator? How is that scary? How could he pull off detailed, intense scenes with a sense of dread through an entire novel? I wish I knew, but … Continue Reading! “Review: Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman”

Review: All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker Crown (June 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms This novel just might be this year’s Whalefall, a story which defies true categorization but is full of darkness, mystery, and enough emotion to bring a lumberjack to tears. 2024 is shaping up to be even better than last … Continue Reading! “Review: All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker”

Review: The Gathering by C.J. Tudor

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor Ballantine Books (April 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms Full disclosure here: not a vampire fan, because most fiction and movies aim for the tried and true tropes rather than injecting new blood into the subgenre. Once in a while, a novel changes that view. The Gathering is one of those, … Continue Reading! “Review: The Gathering by C.J. Tudor”

Review: Necrotek by Jonathan Maberry

Necroteck by Jonathan Maberry Blackstone Publishing (May 2024) Reviewed by Dave Simms Military science fiction crossed with Lovecraftian horror with a cast of offbeat characters in an adventure that begs for a film adaptation? Yes please! Jonathan Maberry has conquered a bit of everything in his career, from the straight-up horror that won him a Bram … Continue Reading! “Review: Necrotek by Jonathan Maberry”