Beware The Shadows

Thanks to everyone for an amazing 2013!

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 150,000 times in 2013. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 6 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Listed below, in no particular order, are my favorite reads of 2013. Some of these books were published last year. Others have been around for a while. They are all, in my view, worthy of the highest praise.

1. The Immortal Body by William Holloway — One of the best Lovecraftian books I have ever read, Holloway creates a world of cosmic horror that would have chilled the blood of Lovecraft himself. Holloway has a new book coming out soon–The Song of the Death God–that is even better.

2. High Moor 2: Moonstruck by Graeme Reynolds–With this high-octane followup to my favorite werewolf book of all time, Reynolds has set the bar high for the final book in the series. No pressure or anything…

3. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon–Spinning away from horror for a moment, this was a terrific little book that I enjoyed far more than I expected. Not an easy read, but worth the effort.

4. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel–Beautiful. Challenging. Engrossing. Uplifting. Confusing. All of these words could be used to describe Kafka on the Shore, but there is one that I think can’t be denied–masterpiece.

5. Steel Breeze by Douglas Wynne–A brilliant story of death, revenge and redemption that grabs hold from word one and does not let go. Proof positive that Wynne’s fantastic Devil of Echo Lake was no fluke.

6. Special Dead by Patrick Freivald–Another sequel that I loved, Frievald is writer with a delicious and devilish wit who deserves a look by any fan of horror.

This is pretty much how it went.

Seventeen years after the end of the Great War, twenty-five after A-Day, and the Shepherds are out hunting…

Coming Spring, 2014.

It’s that time of year, and I’ve been busy submitting recs for the HWA’s Bram Stoker Awards. I was on the Long Fiction Jury in 2012, so this year I tried to read anything but long fiction. Some of the books I’ve recommended include the fabulous sequel to High Moor, High Moor 2: Moonstruck. I thought the first one was amazing and was shocked when the sequel was even better. If you haven’t read it, do so, whether you are in the HWA or not. Another sequel I loved was the YA novel Special Dead, the brain-blasting follow-up to Twice Shy. I also loved Steel Breeze, the non-sequel offering from Doug Wynne. In the first novel category, Whisper by Michael Bray got a rec. A truly creepy haunted house story—and you know how I love those.

I hope you will check out some of these great books, and if you have something up for the Stoker Award, shoot me an email if you want me to check it out. Can’t guarantee a rec, of course, but I can promise you I’ll read it with great interest.

I’ve also got my own offering up for the Stoker this year—The Sacrifice, a long-fiction piece from the shared-world anthology, Limbus, Inc. If you want to read The Sacrifice or any of the wonderful stories from Limbus, Inc., just let me know and I will get you the PDF. 

Coming 2014…

I gotta say, on this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for this roller coaster ride I’ve been on these last few years.

“The world is a stage, life is a play, and we are the puppets. It’s better not to ask who pulls the strings.”

How lucky do you feel?

That question echoed through the world’s underground, scrawled on bathroom walls, spray-painted across subway tunnel exits, written on paper that fluttered through bleak side-streets in the winter wind, printed on cheap business cards tacked to corkboard displays in darkened hallways. But always beneath one name—Limbus.

Matthew Sellers revealed the truth of Limbus, Inc. to the world, and in his tales of time travelers, intergalactic beings, and human sacrifice, he thought he had told it all. But the story of the shadowy employment agency that operates on the edge of the abyss, always finding the perfect person for the perfect job—no matter what the cost—had only begun.

This shared-world anthology continues the story of Limbus, Inc., as told by five masters of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. But beware, for once you learn the truth of Limbus, Inc., your world will never be the same. So it’s time to ask yourself . . .

How lucky do you feel?

Coming Spring 2014…

I hope that one day I can bring as much joy to people’s lives as this guy does in two minutes. The best part is when he is sitting there getting ready to start. And the hugging people as he walks down the steps. Just amazing. World needs more of this stuff. Man, I miss Boston.

Hey guys. It’s that time of year again. Go over to Goodreads and write in Limbus, Inc. in the Horror category on the Goodreads Choice Awards.That will make me love you.

The Void is still on sale for 99 cents, and now you can add Limbus, Inc. to the sale list as well! 99 cents on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. And considering that you are getting stories from true horror heavyweights Jonathan Maberry, Joseph Nasisse, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, and Anne Petty (not to mention me), I don’t know how you can pass it up.

The Void

You know, like most proud parents, my first is my favorite (sorry to break this to all of you second and third children). So sometimes, I lavish all my praise on That Which Should Not Be while ignoring my other children. Well, now it’s time to celebrate The Void! So starting today and through the Halloween weekend, pick up The Void for only 99 cents for your Kindle or your Nook. I promise you won’t regret it.

Hard to argue with this analysis, particularly the “hot” part.

Check it out here. The discussion starts around the 38 minute mark. (h/t to Sean on Goodreads)