Celebrate Independence Day with a true Independent! Why follow the herd? Join the Horde!
Use coupon code INDIE to SAVE 15% on your purchases (excluding Scratch & Dent) July 4-7 at wordhorde.com!
If you’re looking for other fantastic indie presses, visit the Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic at weirdandfantastic.com! We’re running the same deal—save 15% on books in our Small Press section, including Word Horde titles (but without the ebooks/bookplates).
As first revealed on the Night Worms blog today, Word Horde proudly presents DRILL, the new novel of cosmic horror/occult ritual from Scott R. Jones, author of Stonefish, featuring another fantastic cover from Matthew Revert!
Preorder today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive a bookplate signed by Scott R. Jones, and a free eBook.
Here’s just some of the advance praise for DRILL…
“Scott R. Jones is a master of creating fully-realized characters who must navigate worlds where the unimaginably weird has become disturbingly normal for them… His autofictional narrator’s conversational, sometimes confessional stream of consciousness gels into a dark and strange personal history tainted by horrors both otherworldly and all too familiar. DRILL twists family conflict, religious fervor, and ravening cosmic forces into a richly-detailed and compelling novel of loss and vengeance, resonant and deeply felt.”
—Erica Ruppert, author of Imago and Other Transformations
“…this work is among the most unabashedly unique reading experiences I’ve had in quite some time. It’s an angry book, depicting the traumatic effects of cults on family dynamics across generation lines, but there’s an undeniable righteousness to the rage, a sympathetic vulnerability, and a desire to either destroy or heal—tied as that is to the novel’s supernatural underbelly and existential stakes. I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything quite like DRILL.”
—Cody Lakin, author of The Family Condition
“DRILL is a literary sigil and hyperstitional wave generator in the form of a weird fictional and metafictional autofiction that seeks by its own direct avowal to serve as the author’s Moby Dick by way of Philip K. Dick and William S. Burroughs, with a pervasive infusion of religious and occult obsession.”
—Matt Cardin, author of To Rouse Leviathan and What the Demon Said
“Having gnawed away the rotten roots of orthodox cosmic horror until the way was cleared for new growth, Jones comes at us in his final form with DRILL… and all that came before seems so quaint before such a pyrotechnic display of batshit insane ideas and intimate, lacerating characterization. This one will leave a hole in your head and heart you could drive a car through.”
—Cody Goodfellow, author of Unamerica
“DRILL is a dense yet mystical cosmic horror novel serving as a meta mask for an elaborate magical ritual… Scott R. Jones is a sorcerer and DRILL is him flexing his literary muscles and crafting a narrative that will leave an everlasting imprint on your psyche.”
—Grant Wamack, author of Bullet Tooth
Cover Design by Matthew Revert
Pub Date: August 6, 2024
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-956252-09-5
Format: eBook
ISBN-13: 978-1-939905-76-5
Great stuff coming from your favorite indie publisher of weird fiction!
August 2024: DRILL, Scott R. Jones
Magical mailman kills God in this novel of cosmic horror/occult ritual from Scott R. Jones, the author of Stonefish.
September 2024: Around Eldritch Corners, Christine Morgan
Christine Morgan’s Cthulhu Mythos and Lovecraftian cosmic horror come to life in this arcane volume. With tales ranging from the humorous to the horrific, Around Eldritch Corners would be sure to make H. P. Lovecraft shudder.
October 2024: Glowing in the Dark: Collected Writings on the Horror Film 2011-2023, Orrin Grey
A nonfiction collection of more than a decade of Orrin Grey’s best writing on film, including reviews and essays. Titles considered under Grey’s microscope include The Andromeda Strain, The Mad Magician, and The Dunwich Horror.
Stay tuned for cover reveals, preorder announcements, and more coming soon!
You may have heard this was coming. You may even have seen the starred review in Publishers Weekly. We’ve been a little quiet as we worked to get all the moving pieces into place. But we couldn’t be prouder to make this announcement and show off this cover. Dropping imminently (May 30) is the debut collection from Lambda Award and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Robert Levy, No One Dies from Love: Dark Tales of Loss and Longing. This collection includes twelve tales of horror and desire (one never before published), an introduction from Paul Tremblay, and a gorgeous cover design by Matthew Revert (reworking Carl Goos’ 1830 painting Orpheus and Eurydice).
Preorder today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive a signed bookplate from Robert Levy, and a free eBook in your preferred format.. Here’s just some of the advance praise for No One Dies from Love…
“Levy delivers a viscerally unsettling collection of 12 horror shorts rooted as much in human psychology as in the fantastical and speculative… Levy’s stories are made all the more powerful by his unwillingness to shy away from the illicit. By embracing the taboo with the tools of horror and speculative fiction, he at once demystifies these subjects while imbuing them with a magic of his own… The result is a triumph.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Robert Levy’s No One Dies From Love may well end up being the book of the year for me. There is a frankness, a boldness, and a compassion in these stories that give real weight to the darkness they hold. It’s easy to caricature human pain and vulnerability in service to a horror story, but Levy writes with honesty and depth, and it makes all the difference. I saw some of my own dark corners reflected back to me in this book, and felt the peace that comes from recognition. And that, to me, is what stories are all about.”
—Nathan Ballingrud, author of The Strange and North American Lake Monsters
“Robert Levy’s No One Dies From Love is a masterful collection of dark fiction—a consecrated and intimate ceremony of human loss and longing. With sumptuous prose and a keen understanding of how grief reshapes us, it’s impossible to not be enthralled with Levy’s macabre vision.”
—Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since Last We Spoke
“No One Dies From Love is one of the most original collections I have read in recent years. Again and again I found myself stunned by Levy’s stories: their depth and range at making the heart expand to encompass the wonders of the world.”
—Morgan Talty, National Bestselling author of Night of the Living Rez
“Shocking, erotic, and horrific. Robert Levy proves that, one way or another, love will be the end of us all.”
—Priya Sharma, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of Ormeshadow
Cover Design by Matthew Revert
Pub Date: May 30, 2023
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-956252-06-4
Format: eBook
ISBN-13: 978-1-939905-75-8
The next two titles from Word Horde are about to go to the printer, and to celebrate that, we’re bringing you this tandem cover reveal—a pair of haunted houses!
First up, and just in time for Halloween is Orrin Grey’s latest collection How to See Ghosts & Other Figments, with cover art by Nick “The Hat” Gucker. Chock full of stories to tantalize and thrill, extensive story notes, and an introduction from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, How to See Ghosts is the perfect collection to kick off your spooky season.
Following that is the debut novel from S. L. Edwards, In the Devil’s Cradle, with a cover by Yves Tourigny. In the Devil’s Cradle is a captivating haunted house story where the house is an entire country, a nation coming apart due to influences both internal and external, both natural and supernatural. Booklist calls In the Devil’s Cradle “A chilling story that holds appeal for a wide audience, but especially for fans of The Hacienda, by Isabel Cañas, Frankenstein in Baghdad, by Ahmed Saadawi, and Wonderland, by Zoje Stage.”
Preorder your copies of How to See Ghosts and In the Devil’s Cradle today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive a signed bookplate from the author, and a free eBook in your preferred format.
Word Horde is proud to present the latest from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Nicole Cushing, Mothwoman, a novel about family, grief, aliens, mental illness, trauma, sexism, the Mothman legend, Covid, and the encroachment of unreality into American political life.
Preorder your copy today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive a signed bookplate from Nicole Cushing, and a free eBook in your preferred format.
Mothwoman combines the style and playful dark satire of A Sick Gray Laugh with the grimness and relatively quick pace of Mr. Suicide.
Cover Art and Design: Matthew Revert
Pub Date: October 11, 2022
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-956252-04-0
Format: eBook
ISBN-13: 978-1-939905-73-4
The moment you’ve all been emailing and messaging us about has arrived! Preorders are now live for John Langan’s new collection Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies, as well as the new Word Horde edition of his long out-of-print debut collection Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters.
Preorder your copies today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive signed bookplates from John Langan, and free eBooks in your preferred format.
Word Horde proudly presents And at My Back I Always Hear, the new collection from World Fantasy Award-winning author Scott Nicolay. In these eight contemplative tales of the macabre and uncanny, Nicolay demonstrates why he has been called a master practitioner of the modern Weird Tale.
Preorder your copy today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive a signed bookplate from Scott Nicolay, and a free eBook in your preferred format.
“[Nicolay’s] perspective is always outsider-identified, entirely concerned with characters who refuse to settle, both literally and figuratively; his protagonists often hover on a knife’s edge, caught in some sadly inescapable moment of realization. They’ve failed and been failed, left discarded amongst the wreckage of systemic inequity. And now that they have nothing left to cling to, their inner eye pops open, suddenly able to see the darkness lurking inherent in every crevice, the emptiness revolving inside every atom.”
—from the introduction by Gemma Files
Cover Art by David Verba
Cover Design by Michaela Waltz
Pub Date: April 26, 2022
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-956252-02-6
Format: eBook
ISBN-13: 978-1-939905-70-3
In case you haven’t heard, we recently opened a book and game store in Petaluma, California where you can find not just Word Horde titles, but books from many of our favorite presses, small and large.
Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic is a “wonderfully curated” bookstore specializing in weird, horrific, fantastic, and speculative fiction for all ages, including a Spooky Kids Zone. We are the Bay Area’s home for the best in Independent horror and weird fiction, and possibly the largest collection of Penguin Classics.
We also carry RPGs, board games, puzzles, and gaming accessories, as well as tons of stickers, buttons, and pins, creepy decor, quirky collectibles, candles and bath goodies, over 40 different tarot decks, journals and stationery, plush monsters and guts, jewelry, art, oddities, and so much more!
If you’re in the Bay Area, stop by! We’re open Wednesdays through Sundays at 301 2nd Street at the corner of 2nd and E Streets.
Now you can also shop the Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic online at weirdandfantastic.com! Inventory is still being loaded, but so far our Small Press section is well stocked and worth exploring, as are Fiction/Horror and several Accessories categories. We offer shipping and local pickup, including curbside.
Note: Due to issues coordinating the store POS with the Word Horde website, there are currently two shopping cart systems. If you are only looking for Word Horde bundles of print, eBook, and signed bookplates, continue to use the shop here at wordhorde.com. If you are interested in all sorts of books and other fun stuff, try the new shop at weirdandfantastic.com. If you’d like to coordinate orders, please email us at emporium[at]wordhorde[dot]com.
It’s been a weird couple of years for publishing, from the pandemic and supply chain breakdown to rising paper prices. Nevertheless, we persevere. We’ve got some great books lined up for you in 2022, and we’re looking forward to bringing you your next favorite reads.
March: Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters, John Langan
Word Horde is excited to bring you a new edition of Bram Stoker Award-winning author John Langan’s long out-of-print debut collection, featuring the addition of an all-new story. Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters is a collection of tales both elegant and macabre, steeped in the tradition of the literary weird.
April: And at My Back I Always Hear, Scott Nicolay
From World Fantasy Award-winning author Scott Nicolay comes And at My Back I Always Hear, a new collection of eight tales of the macabre and the uncanny.
May: Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies, John Langan
John Langan returns with one new and ten previously uncollected tales of cosmic horror in Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies. In these stories, Langan continues to chart the course of 21st century weird fiction, from the unfamiliar to the familial, the unfathomably distant to the intimate. Includes extensive story notes and an introduction by Sarah Langan.
June: In the Devil’s Cradle, S. L. Edwards
Senator William Esquival is in a rush to save his family’s life. Fleeing political persecution, William takes his family from the capital and flees to the family stronghold of Rio Rojo, a town known as the birthplace of William’s ancestor, a powerful former dictator whose legacy haunts the nation of Antioch. But even as the Esquival family seeks refuge, the country continues to fray around them. As Antioch bleeds, ancient hatreds, secrets, and ghosts pour from its wounds.
August: Mothwoman, Nicole Cushing
From Bram Stoker Award-winning author Nicole Cushing comes a novel about family, grief, aliens, mental illness, trauma, sexism, the Mothman legend, Covid, and the encroachment of unreality into American political life. Mothwoman combines the style and playful dark satire of A Sick Gray Laugh with the grimness and relatively quick pace of Mr. Suicide.
October: How to See Ghosts & Other Figments, Orrin Grey
A new collection from the author of Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales and Painted Monsters & Other Strange Beasts. Orrin Grey returns with eighteen haunting stories of the strange and supernatural.
Stay tuned for preorder announcements!