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!

“At once sly and grim, soberingly real and darkly fantastical, the story of the Waite sisters will haunt readers like an eerie old folk song.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“In this uncanny world, the darkest moments don’t come from the supernatural horror but from the realization that the Waites’ underlying dysfunction is a near and dear part of our own.” —Foreword Reviews (starred review)

“A Hawk in the Woods is wonderfully dark and spellbinding, mixing the road novel, family drama, time travel, cosmic horror, and maybe even a little Heathers. Carrie Laben is an original, compelling new voice. Consider me a fan for life.” —Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts

“Ride or die sisterhood, conjured from the bones of H. P. Lovecraft.” —Molly Tanzer, author of Vermilion and Creatures of Will & Temper

“A Hawk in the Woods is a stunning, chilling masterpiece by one of the best new voices in literary horror. Searingly intelligent, gorgeously wrought, this gripping tale of two gifted, haunted sisters begins as a classic get-away story and soon unfolds into a terrifying excavation of the American dream of unbridled power. Carrie Laben writes with a ferocious grace; a master of the gothic pastoral, of the slow burn, of surprise. Carrie Laben is a monster–they don’t even make writers like this anymore. You will be reading her name for decades to come.” —Cara Hoffman, author of Running and So Much Pretty

“A Hawk in the Woods is an excellent book that I couldn’t put down. The interesting characters and twisty plot created a mystery that will keep you constantly guessing at what will happen next. Laben’s strong prose and expert handling of dual storylines is mesmerizing. This book will sink its hook into your flesh and won’t let go until you finish the last word.” —Matt Brandenburg, High Fever Books

“A Hawk in the Woods can stand on its own as an excellent debut. I can’t wait to read more from Carrie Laben in the future. If you enjoy family rooted witchcraft, you are going to want to pick this one up.” —Book Den

“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

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!

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!

In other news, David Peak’s black metal novel Corpsepaint has been reviewed by This Is Horror, who say, “Bleak is a word used to describe so many releases within the horror and dark fiction worlds… With Corpsepaint, David Peak seeks to raise the bar in the reader’s understanding of what bleak really means.” Read the full review at this link.

And an interview with David Peak is featured this week at Hellnotes, where he talks about the origins of Corpsepaint, black metal, misanthropy, and Romanticism (among other things). Read the full interview here.

Can we speak with the spirits of the dead? Is it possible to know the future? Are our dreams harbingers of things to come? Do auspicious omens and cautionary portents affect our lives?

Edited by Ross E. Lockhart, Tales from a Talking Board examines these questions–and more–with tales of auguries, divination, and fortune telling, through devices like Ouija boards, tarot cards, and stranger things.

So dim the lights, place your hands upon the planchette, and ask the spirits to guide you as we present fourteen stories of the strange and supernatural by Matthew M. Bartlett, Nadia Bulkin, Nathan Carson, Kristi DeMeester, Orrin Grey, Scott R Jones, David James Keaton, Anya Martin, J. M. McDermott, S.P. Miskowski, Amber-Rose Reed, Tiffany Scandal, David Templeton, and Wendy N. Wagner.

Here’s just some of the praise Tales from a Talking Board has received so far:

“Tales from a Talking Board (Word Horde) is a brilliant collection of 14 short stories by some of today’s greatest authors, centered around the theme of the Ouija board, in its various forms and incarnations […] It’s an eerie compilation of tales that belongs in the personal libraries and/or Kindles of everyone who loves the macabre.” –Douglas Cobb, What’s New in Book Reviews

“Tales from a Talking Board is a seasonal treat meant for crackling fires in the fireplace and dark spooky evenings. Enjoy.” –Marion Deeds, Fantasy Literature

“A blast to read.” –Rachel @ TheShadesofOrange

Don’t miss the Tales from a Talking Board launch party, this Friday night, October 27, at 7 pm at Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, CA. RSVP and details at Copperfield’s Books.

In other news, Nadia Bulkin’s She Said Destroy has just received a mention in The New York Times. In “A Roundup of New Horror, All Indebted to an Early Master,” Terrence Rafferty calls She Said Destroy a “striking debut collection,” praising the way Bulkin’s stories “examine political oppression and the terrible choices it imposes,” and, singling out story “Endless Life”, the way “Bulkin sketches a deft portrait of a wounded society.” Read the full review and round-up here.

In other news, Tony McMillen’s An Augmented Fourth just picked up a new review–in Russian–as one of RussoRosso‘s Top 8 Recent Horror Books. From what we’ve been able to figure out with the help of Google Translate, it’s a rave review. And, we’ve got to say, the title looks downright metal in Russian: Дьявольский интервал (Literally, “The Devil’s Interval”).

And finally, it looks like Amazon has a few Word Horde titles at deep discounts right now. Grab Livia Llewellyn’s Furnace for just $8.47 (43% off!), This Is Horror Award-winning anthology Cthulhu Fhtagn! for just $13.38 (33% off!), and Michael Griffin’s The Lure of Devouring Light for just $11.37 (33% off!). While supplies last, of course.

“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

“…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.

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!

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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.

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

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.

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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.”