Tag Archives: Publishers Weekly

Now Available: Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows

Brian Hauser’s Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows hits the streets today, and we think you’re going to love it. Here’s just some of the praise for Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows so far…

Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows by Brian Hauser

“…an engrossing, baffling horror debut that veers hard into the weird […]. Fans of the uncanny (and especially of Robert W. Chambers’s The King in Yellow, to which this work alludes) will find much to love and laud.” —Publishers Weekly

“Brian Hauser has crafted a tense, readable ride down a rabbit-hole that goes straight to Carcosa. […] The result is a book that feels vital, as deeply connected to people as it is genre.” –Carson Winter for Signal Horizon

“I want to tell you about Brian Hauser’s Memento Mori. I want to tell you about the fanzine that reopened the door, and the memoir, and the lost films. I want to tell you about the medium being the message. How that message is transmitted, and how it can be transformed through translation into different–new media. How the message is corrupt and corrupting, infected and infectious. I want to tell you about Tina Mori, and C.C. Waite and the disappearance of Billie Jacobs. I want to tell you these things and how they all spiraled together into a coherent wave of madness. But I can’t. Brian Hauser won’t let me. It’s not my place. I have seen–but you must see–must read–for yourself. Come and see. Say that you will. Please. Will you come?” –Pete Rawlik, editor of The Chromatic Court

“Brian Hauser’s Memento Mori is a mysterious deep dive into the dark waters connecting underground film, music and weird fiction. A fascinating blend of found footage, lost writings, and incantations, Memento Mori leaves its imprint on your psyche.” –John Palisano, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Ghost Heart, President of The Horror Writers Association

Ask for Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows where better books are sold, or order direct from Word Horde.

Cover Reveal: Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows, by Brian Hauser

Here’s your first peek at Matthew Revert’s cover art for Brian Hauser’s debut novel Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows. Coming May 28, 2019. Preorder your copy today!

Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows by Brian Hauser

Underground filmmaker Tina Mori became a legend in the late 1970s with a stolen camera, a series of visionary Super 8 shorts (The Eye, The Stairs, The Imperial Dynasty of America) and a single feature film, heralded as her masterpiece, Dragon’s Teeth. Then she disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Was it foul play, or did Tina Mori go somewhere else? And if so, where? Could it have been the otherworldly Carcosa so often referenced in her films?

Through many layers, including letters, a ‘zine made by a teenage horror film fan, and a memoir written by Mori’s college roommate and muse, film historian and debut novelist Brian Hauser delves deep into Tina Mori’s life and legacy, exploring the strange depths and fathomless shadows situated between truth, fiction, fantasy, and the uncanny.

Here’s what Publishers Weekly has to say about Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows: “Hauser delivers an engrossing, baffling horror debut that veers hard into the weird, its disturbing aspects enhanced by its faux-nonfictional structure. Hauser’s in-depth study of underground horror film visionary Tina Mori—[…] is so realistic that readers may start looking for the fictional Mori’s Wikipedia entry. […] Fans of the uncanny (and especially of Robert W. Chambers’s The King in Yellow, to which this work alludes) will find much to love and laud.”

Preorder your copy today!

Now Available: Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales, by Orrin Grey

Just in time for Halloween, here’s Orrin Grey’s latest collection, Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales, perfect for getting yourself into a spooky mood. Publishers Weekly calls Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales “a veritable smorgasbord of horrific thrills and chills,” and says the collection is “a must-read for hardcore fans of horror.” Signal Horizon says, “Guignol is fourteen stories of ‘fun horror.’ Think Tales From the Crypt, Twilight Zone, Hammer Horror, sci-fi monster flicks from the 50s. Orrin Grey takes the joy of macabre discovery, the energy and excitement of late nights and silver screens, and uses it as the seed to his fiction. In his stories, there is horror, but there is also the wide-eyed wonder of our inner child.”

Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales by Orrin Grey

“Enter this freakishly inventive cabinet of curiosities if you will, every story providing a redly drippy skull-window straight into the id-vortex of a modern horror master–gape in awe, laugh out loud, feel your mental mouth start to water.” –Gemma Files, from the introduction

Orrin Grey has a knack for cruel stories.

Contes Cruel, to be exact.

Sardonic Tales like the fourteen collected here, ready to wrench the reader’s emotions, tantalize, and terrify. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Roger Corman, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, the Theatre de Grand Guignol, Universal’s monster movies, Hammer horror, kaiju flicks, and more, all while creating something unique, intoxicating, and, yes, cruel.

Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales has something for everyone… even the most jaded readers.

Ask for Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales where better books are sold, or order direct from Word Horde.

This Is Horror and Publishers Weekly rave reviews for The Human Alchemy, PW reviews Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales

Michael Griffin’s new collection The Human Alchemy is out now, and picking up rave reviews, like these from This Is Horror and Publishers Weekly:

The Human Alchemy is a thing of beauty, a showcase for a writer who is in possession of a startling array of skills. Clean yet lyrical prose, a drive to explore what story can do and become, and a real sense of an artist following his muse. Though each piece is distinctive and original, there are obvious links and thematic resonances across the varied narratives; realities that crumble, dreams intruding on waking life, unreliable narrators and memories, cults, esoteric books and artefacts, the search for the numinous, for something beyond cold, solid reality. That he manages all this while still presenting the reader with examinations of characters and lives that are recognisable and realistic, ordinary and—at least initially—grounded, is a testament to his talents.” —This Is Horror

“These works challenge the reader to consider worlds of alternate and potentially transcendent possibilities that impinge upon our own. […] [Griffin’s] stories are fantastical and horrific, and their outcomes are refreshingly unpredictable.” —Publishers Weekly

The Human Alchemy by Michael Griffin

And Orrin Grey’s forthcoming collection Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales has picked up a PW review as well:

“In this career-spanning collection, Grey (Painted Monsters and Other Strange Beasts) assembles 14 peculiar tales of horror into a veritable smorgasbord of horrific thrills and chills. […] This collection is a must-read for hardcore fans of horror…” –Publishers Weekly

Order The Human Alchemy today. Preorders for Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales coming soon!

Publishers Weekly reviews David Peak’s Corpsepaint

Publishers Weekly reviews David Peak’s apocalyptic black metal novel Corpsepaint this week, calling it a “visceral, folkloric horror tale” and saying, “Peak uses nightmarish imagery, slowly building a sense of brooding, creeping dread. No one is innocent in Peak’s carnival of horrors, and readers hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel won’t find it, but those who appreciate moody, nihilistic horror will be rewarded.” Read the full review at this link.

Corpsepaint by David Peak

Other recent reviews of Corpsepaint include the following:

“David Peak captures the apocalyptic tension gripping the world today, one that is also expressed on several levels by the microcosm he has chosen to focus on: black metal.” —Invisible Oranges

“…a novel which throbs in astonishing levels of darkness right until its brutal and shocking apocalyptic ending, which fits uncomfortably within the broken world of today. A truly outstanding novel.” —HorrorTalk

“To anyone who enjoys bleak, innovative tales of impending anti-cosmic evil, this is a pretty sure bet.” —Aaron Besson

Have you read Corpsepaint yet? We’d love to hear what you think: Post a review, share a link, make a recommendation. Help us spread the weird!

Now Available: She Said Destroy, by Nadia Bulkin

Nadia Bulkin’s debut collection She Said Destroy landed this past weekend at NecronomiCon in Providence, arriving on what would have been H. P. Lovecraft’s 127th birthday. Filled with thirteen weird and wonderful stories (including three Shirley Jackson Award nominees!) and an introduction by Paul Tremblay, She Said Destroy is now available where better books are sold. Here are just a few of the glowing reviews that She Said Destroy has received so far…

“…a debut collection that will surely be recognized as one of the year’s sharpest.” —Tor.com

“Most of the stories hit the ground running and don’t slow down…” —See the Elephant

“Bulkin serves up cerebral horror with plenty of bite.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Order your copy of She Said Destroy today!

If you’ve already picked up a copy of She Said Destroy, show us your #bookface! Just snap a photo like the two attached to this post (Thanks, Katie and Amber!), and email it to us at publicity[at]wordhorde.com, and/or post it to your own social media with the hashtag #SheSaidDestroy and tagging @WordHorde. On October 1, 2017, we’ll pick our favorite and send the winner a very cool prize!

Kristi DeMeester’s Beneath Now Available / John Langan’s The Fisherman Wins the Stoker

Happy Book Birthday to Kristi DeMeester, whose debut novel Beneath hits the streets today. If your Walpurgisnacht weekend reading includes Beneath, please help us spread the word by posting a photo on your social media feed, and posting a review at Goodreads and/or Amazon once you’ve finished the book. Here’s just a bit of the critical acclaim Beneath has received so far:

“This novel is going to propel DeMeester onto that list of authors you’ll want to follow.” —John Boden, Ginger Nuts of Horror

“…one of the most upsetting and horrifying tomes of dark fiction in recent memory.” —This Is Horror

Beneath by Kristi DeMeester

“…genuinely shudderworthy […], and the sweaty, gritty Appalachian setting is full of religious fervor and salacious secrets…” —Publishers Weekly

Order your copy of Beneath from Word Horde today, or ask for it by name wherever better books are sold.

And congratulations to John Langan, whose novel The Fisherman took the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel at last night’s StokerCon awards ceremony. It was an amazing pack of nominees this year, and an incredible honor just to see The Fisherman nominated. Thank you to everyone who recommended the book. Thank you to everyone who voted.

The Fisherman by John Langan

Get Ready to Ragnarok with Christine Morgan’s The Raven’s Table

Our first book of 2017, Christine Morgan’s Viking-themed collection The Raven’s Table, just received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. “These original stories of Viking adventure ring with historical glory and drama, rising and falling in the rhythms of legends and myths passed down over the generations. Thriller and fantasy author Morgan (Murder Girls) taps into the power of fireside tales in a collection that is steeped in tradition and yet completely fresh. […] These works have the sure, solid feel of a talented author deeply engaged with her source material and genre. They’re an excellent read for those who enjoy myths and legends of all kinds.” Read the full review at this link.

The Raven's Table by Christine Morgan

Listen…

The furious clangor of battle. The harrowing singing of steel. The desperate cries of wounded animals. The gasps of bleeding, dying men. The slow, deep breathing of terrible things–trolls, giants, draugr–waiting in the darkness. The wolf’s wind howling, stalking like death itself. The carrion-crows, avaricious and impatient, circling the battle-ground, the Raven’s Table.

Listen

The skald’s voice, low, canting, weaving tales of fate and heroism, battle and revelry. Of gods and monsters, and of the women and men that stand against them. Of stormy Scandinavian skies and settlements upon strange continents. Of mead-hall victories, funeral pyres, dragon-prowed ships, and gold-laden tombs. Of Ragnarok. Of Valhalla.

For a decade, author Christine Morgan’s Viking stories have delighted readers and critics alike, standing apart from the anthologies they appeared in. Now, Word Horde brings you The Raven’s Table, the first-ever collection of Christine Morgan’s Vikings, from “The Barrow-Maid” to “Aerkheim’s Horror” and beyond. These tales of adventure, fantasy, and horror will rouse your inner Viking.

Preorder The Raven’s Table today!

In other news, we are quite pleased to see John Langan’s The Fisherman and Livia Llewellyn’s Furnace on the Locus Recommended Reading List, alongside a bunch of other great books. Check out the full list at this link.

And we also note that author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley died on this day in 1851. Check out our tribute to her: Eternal Frankenstein.

There’s Still Time to Read the Best Books of 2016 Before the End of the Year

If a Word Horde book was one of your favorite reads of 2016, we hope you’ll help us tell the world by sharing a link, posting a review, telling a friend, or nominating for an award.

And with that, here’s our 2016 lineup. Books make great holiday gifts! Thanks for helping us make 2016 our best year yet!

 

Furnace, by Livia Llewellyn.

furnace“Beautiful and hideous in the same breath, its 13 tales of erotic, surreal, existential horror pack a logic-shattering punch. […] Llewellyn is steeped in the eerie tradition of H.P. Lovecraft and Thomas Ligotti, and a sympathetic sense of dislocation and dread permeates Furnace. […] Bursting with blood and shadow and dust, with horror and wonder.” –Jason Heller, NPR

 

The Lure of Devouring Light, by Michael Griffin

lure“Michael Griffin’s The Lure of Devouring Light is one of those rare first story collections that defines both the writer and the genre, with stories that linger long after the last page is turned. In a year already full of amazing collections from established as well as new writers, we feel this is one collection that will remain one of your favorites for years to come.” —This Is Horror

 

The Fisherman, by John Langan

fisherman“In his superb new novel The Fisherman, John Langan also manages to sustain the focused effect of a short story or a poem over the course of a long horror narrative, and it’s an especially remarkable feat because this is a novel that goes back and forth in time, alternates lengthy stretches of calm with extended passages of vigorous and complex action, and features a very, very large monster.” —The New York Times Book Review

 

A Brutal Chill in August, by Alan M. Clark

abcia“Everything about this novel inspires admiration. It reveals terrible things about the world of London’s poor, yet it is a work of great beauty, ceaselessly entertaining and compellingly readable. The rigging of a ship burning in the fire at the London Docks ‘sparkles like a spider web dripping with dew at sunrise’. When we finally meet Jack the Ripper, he emerges from the darkness like an ordinary man, smelling of sulphur and soap. A Brutal Chill in August is a triumph.” —Ripperologist Magazine

 

Eternal Frankenstein, edited by Ross E. Lockhart

frank“This impressive compendium contains a rich array of short stories inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. […] All of the writing is high quality, all the stories are suspenseful, and though most involve reanimation of the dead, the perspectives all differ, as do the historical time periods. […] The anthology would make an excellent college classroom companion to Frankenstein because of its relatable narratives interwoven with history and biography, as well as some vivid present-day tales (particularly Tiffany Scandal’s “They Call Me Monster” and Damien Angelica Walters’s “Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice”) that address bullying, loneliness, and body image.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

 

A shout-out to the crew at Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, CA for helping us show off our books.

 

PS: Just noted at Tor.com: John Langan’s The Fisherman and Livia Llewellyn’s Furnace make the list: Reviewers’ Choice: Best Books of 2016:

“Langan’s novel is deliberate, elegant, and beautifully written; the horror and trauma of these two men is explored to the bone, and in the end, knowing them so well only makes the horrors to come that much more terrifying. If you enjoy horror, I’d highly recommend this incredible novel.”

“…the collection that most stayed with me—I read it back in January—was Livia Llewellyn’s Furnace and Other Stories. Vicious, beautiful, and darkly erotic, these stories got under my skin in the best possible way.”

 

Giallo July

There’s something colorful in the air, things seem super-saturated, and a synthesizer soundtrack just cut in, so we are declaring this month to be Giallo July. To celebrate, we’ve dropped the price of the Giallo Fantastique ebook to just $2.99 (Kindle, Kobo, Nook) for the duration of the month. What’s your favorite shade of horror?

GialloJuly

An anthology of original strange stories at the intersection of crime, terror, and supernatural fiction. Inspired by and drawing from the highly stylized cinematic thrillers of Argento, Bava, and Fulci; American noir and crime fiction; and the grim fantasies of Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant, and Jean Ray, Giallo Fantastique seeks to unnerve readers through virtuoso storytelling and startlingly colorful imagery.

Table of Contents:

Introduction – Ross E. Lockhart
Minerva – Michael Kazepis
In the Flat Light – Adam Cesare
Terror in the House of Broken Belles – Nikki Guerlain
The Strange Vice of ZLA-313 – MP Johnson
Sensoria – Anya Martin
The Red Church – Orrin Grey
Balch Creek – Cameron Pierce
Hello, Handsome – Garrett Cook (audio at the link!)
We Can Only Become Monsters – Ennis Drake
The Threshold of Waking Light – E. Catherine Tobler
The Communion of Saints – John Langan
Exit Strategies – Brian Keene

“Lockhart translates giallo fantastique as weird crime, and each story, while very different in style and tone, melds crime and supernatural horror with panache and verve. […] The stories’ conclusions are never definitive, leaving the reader with a delicious sense of lingering unease.” —Publishers Weekly

“A lavish, sumptuous tapestry of luxurious surrealism and strangeness.” –Christine Morgan, The Horror Fiction Review

“…ultimately satisfying, with a few tales that skirt tantalizingly close to brilliance.” –Mer Whinery, Muzzleland Press