“Get street level in crazy town. Limbus, Inc. finds a new kind of noir.”
Brian Knight, author of The Phoenix Girls, Book 1: The Conjuring Glass, on Limbus, Inc.
“Limbus, Inc. is one of the strangest, creepiest things I’ve read in a long time. Guaranteed to send all you conspiracy theorists out there into paroxysms of paranoid delight! Well, you did warn us.”
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Harry Shannon on Limbus, Inc.
“Listen up, fans. Limbus, Inc. is a delight. Remember all those alternate universes suggested by classics such as The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone? Turns out they’re for real. Only one sinister corporation controls all of the entrances–and there are no exits.”
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Review of Limbus, Inc. From One of the Most Respected Names in the Business
The first review of Limbus, Inc. is in, and it’s from Michael Collings, one of the most respected names in the business. The review speaks for itself, but here’s a preview.
Stories within stories, truth within truth…even truth within lies. Everything from aliens to ancient gods, time-travel to space-travel. All fascinating tales and, within the purview of art, true.
Highly recommended.
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Pre-Order Your Special Edition Copy of Limbus, Inc. NOW!
Hello everyone. I’m getting very excited about the upcoming publication of Limbus, Inc., the shared-world novel that I co-wrote with Jonathan Mayberry, Joe Nassise, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, and Anne Petty. It’s becoming clear to me that we have something special on our hands, and the buzz is only continuing to grow. But don’t take my word for it. Here are some endorsements we have already received from some of the biggest names in the business.
“Limbus, Inc. is a brilliant concept that lets writers share a world while allowing their imaginations free rein. Ethridge, Mayberry, Nassise, Petty, and Talley take full advantage of all that creative elbow room and serve up some tasty stories. Do not miss this.” – F. Paul Wilson
“Listen up, fans. Limbus, Inc. is a delight. Remember all those alternate universes suggested by classics such as The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone? Turns out they’re for real. Only one sinister corporation controls all of the entrances–and there are no exits.” – Harry Shannon, Stoker nominated author of Dead and Gone and The Hungry
“Limbus, Inc. is one of the strangest, creepiest things I’ve read in a long time. Guaranteed to send all you conspiracy theorists out there into paroxysms of paranoid delight! Well, you did warn us.” – Brian Knight, author of The Phoenix Girls, Book 1: The Conjuring Glass
“Get street level in crazy town. Limbus, Inc. finds a new kind of noir.” – Weston Ochse, author of Seal Team 666.
“The five novellas in Limbus, Inc. are the kind of horror fiction I love most: Smart, scary, funny, edgy, melancholy, and set in a world I recognize all too well. The most frightening elements here aren’t alien princesses with insatiable appetites, ancient murder cults, or shapeshifting assassins, but desperation, hunger, neverending wars, and a wealthy class all too eager to prey on the rest of us. Limbus, Inc. isn’t just kickass – it’s five kinds of kickass.” – Lisa Morton, four-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Castle of Los Angeles
“Limbus, Inc. is the best shared world anthology I’ve come across in the last twenty years. It was absolutely outstanding – five perfect stories from five of the top names in the business. Even the best shared world anthologies can, at times, play a little fast and loose with continuity, but not so Limbus, Inc. Editor Anne C. Petty has put together such a flexible, yet finely realized world here that the five voices she’s brought together sound like a choir warmed up in hell. This book is going to set the bar for shared world anthologies for a long time to come. Mark my words.” – Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Inheritance
You can pre-order the book now, and we’ve also decided to do a special, limited edition version of the book, with tons of extra features, art work, and even a brand new story from Jonathan Maberry! Only 250 of these numbered, signed, limited edition books are being produced, so get in now if you want one. Well worth the price.
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My Recommendations for the Bram Stoker Award in Long Fiction
I find that one problem with voting in the Bram Stoker Awards is that I rarely have the opportunity to read all of the entries. I usually read several, but not them all, no matter how much of an effort I put forward. But this year I am in a rare spot when it comes to the Long Fiction category. I had the honor of serving on the Long Fiction Jury and thus I read just about every piece of long horror fiction that was written in the last year. I’ve blogged about some of my favorites before (you shouldn’t have to scroll down far to find them), and today I wanted to share my recommendations from the preliminary ballot. First, here’s a list of the ten works that made the shortlist. By that virtue alone, they are worthy of a read.
- Burke, Kealan Patrick – Thirty Miles South of Dry County (Delirium Books)
- Faherty, JG – The Cold Spot (Delirium Books)
- Giglio, Peter – Sunfall Manor (Nightscape Press)
- Ketchum, Jack, and Lucky McKee – I’m Not Sam (Sinister Grin Press)
- Malfi, Ronald – The Mourning House (Delirium Books)
- McKinney, Joe, and Michael McCarty – Lost Girl of the Lake (Bad Moon Books)
- Miskowski, S.P. – Delphine Dodd (Omnium Gatherum Media)
- O’Neill, Gene – The Blue Heron (Dark Regions Press)
- Prentiss, Norman – The Fleshless Man (Delirium Books)
- Thompson, Lee – When We Join Jesus in Hell (Darkfuse)
Of these ten, my favorites are “Thirty Miles South of Dry County” by Kealan Patrick Burke, “The Cold Spot” by JG Faherty, “The Mourning House” by Ronald Malfi, “Lost Girl of the Lake” by Joe McKinney and Michael McCarty, and “When We Join Jesus in Hell” by Lee Thompson.
These five are truly fantastic, but there are three that really stand out. If you read any long fiction this year, read “The Mourning House,” “When We Join Jesus in Hell,” and “The Cold Spot.” You can’t go wrong with those works, and I can honestly say they are some of the best pieces of writing I have picked up in a very long time. Check them out.
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The Burning Time by J.G. Faherty
Wanted to make you guys aware of a new release coming up that I think you will enjoy. It’s called the Burning Time, by J.G. Faherty.
Anyone who has ever read Faherty’s work knows that he is a real talent. I was delighted to receive an early copy of this novel, and I liked it so much I gave it the following endorsement.
“JG Faherty has delivered a fantastic novel that will delight fans of dark fiction. Horror drips from every page, and his mastery of folklore and the Cthulhu mythos adds an air of reality to THE BURNING TIME that’s impossible to ignore. I highly recommend it.”
Great book, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
5 Stars
Filed under My Reviews
Made Another Best of 2012 List
Several of them up on Circulating Ideas. Here’s the list. Some great company to be a part of.
The Walking Dead (graphic novel) by Robert Kirkman
The Void by Brett Talley
The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle.
Flesh and Bone (Rot and Ruin trilogy) by Jonathan Maberry
A Bad Day for Voodoo by Jeff Strand
Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel (Book Two in The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series)
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Seed by Ania Ahlborn
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Very Nice Words About Me from RA for All, an American Library Association Blog
In a post discussing 2012 in horror, RA for All was rather gushing about my publisher (Journalstone) and me. You can read the whole article here, but I cherry-picked the best parts (well, in my view at least…)
- But in print, this was a year in which it was easy to find a wide range of horror titles, one for just about every type of reader. I detailed these in Library Journal back in October, and you can use the link to see more, but from this group there are 2 standouts I want to mention:
- Brett Talley’s The Void. Talley is a new writer, only on his second book, but he is already a force to be reckoned with. The Void specifically harkens back to the science fiction tinged horror of H.P. Lovecraft. Enter a world were people can easily travel through space while sleeping. There is a catch however. Travelers are held hostage to their nightmares while in flight; nightmares customized to their own fears; nightmares that have been know to drive people mad. Six travelers, each with a secret encounter an abandoned aircraft, and bad things begin to happen. But is it a dream, their paranoia, or a monster? Talley creates a creeping sense of unease from the start ofThe Void, an anxiety that never lets up, continuously builds, and leaves the reader looking over his or her shoulder while frantically turning the pages to find out how it all ends.
And then this on Journalstone…
The real reason the paperback horror title returned from the dead in 2012 is because of the diligence of independent publishers. Leading the pack is JournalStone. I spent a lot of time talking about JournalStone during my 31 Days of Horror feature here, so click through for more details. But if you just want the short version, what JournalStone has done is to go out and find the best horror to publish and then they promote the heck out of it. In 2012 they got multiple titles in the hand of reviewers for BookList, Library Journal, and PW, with the spectacular Brett Talley leading the way in their catalog.
She’s right about JS. Great people, and I am lucky to be a part of that group.
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Terminal Island
I had the pleasure of receiving an early copy of Terminal Island, and I enjoyed it so much that I gave it an endorsement. I’ll begin this review by saying what I said there–“A psychedelic descent into madness and cultural insanity, Greatshell has given us a tale of ancient gods and nameless cults that practice their rites not in some wasted land far away, but right in our backyard. This book never slows down until the high energy climax.”
How to describe this book? A man decides to reconnect with his mother. Insanity ensues. Yep, that’s about all one can say without giving anything away. The book takes place on Catalina Island, and it is my impression that the description of the place is pretty accurate. For those who don’t know, Catalina Island is only a few miles off the coast of Los Angeles (I imagine folks from the area will find this book to be quite a trip.) Choosing to place the madness of the narrative so close to civilization is a brilliant choice by Greatshell.
I’m being vague–more so than I like in a review–so let me just say this. If you enjoy mysteries, if you like to have your mind blown, if you like to never know what is real and what is imagined, and if you like a touch of the Lovecraftian in your fiction, check out this book. I think you’ll enjoy it.
5 Stars
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Best of 2012 lists are flying around, and here is John Palisano’s. He lists some terrific reads here, including The Void by yours truly…
Some of my favorite writings of 2012.
Pitting artistic works against one another to find out who the ‘best’ is always rubbed me the wrong way. What speaks to me may not speak to you, and that doesn’t mean either is any better or any worse. So instead of saying these were the best of last year, how about knowing these were works I really enjoyed. There were a lot more I wanted to read during the year, but didn’t get a chance. I’ll make up for it soon, but there’s only so much time. Without further delay:
Lisa Morton’s amazing collection of work this year was unbelievable. “Trick Or Treat: A History Oh Halloween”, “The Legend Of Halloween Jack”, “Hell Manor” and “Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times”. It is awesome seeing just how multi-talented Morton is in many different mediums. Each of these is fantastic…
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The Best Horror Reads of 2012
In my view, there’s no better way to start off the new year than by reading some of the best works of the last year (and yes, I am only including books released in 2012. So even though I loved High Moor and read it in 2012, it doesn’t count. You should still buy it.) This is a tough one for me, as I read some really great books over the last 365 days. In fact, I’d say that 2012 was the best year for reading in my life. Below are my 10 favorite reads, divided between novels and long fiction (7500-40000 words). They are ranked one through five only for convenience sake; I’m not even going to try and rank these great books. If you enjoy horror, pick some of these up.
Novels
Twice Shy — I’ve been talking up Twice Shy for quite some time. It’s simply put one of the best zombie novels I have ever read. And strangely enough, it may be the best book about teen angst. Just a really great book.
The Croning — It’s hard to describe The Croning. It’s one of those rip-roaring, psychedelic tours through madness that really has to be experienced. It’s not for everyone, and there’s not shame in not getting it. But if you do, you won’t be disappointed.-
Terminal Island — I had the chance to read an early copy of Terminal Island and offer an endorsement. Here’s what I said. “A psychedelic descent into madness and cultural insanity, Greatshell has given us a tale of ancient gods and nameless cults that practice their rites not in some wasted land far away, but right in our backyard. This book never slows down until the high energy climax.” And it’s true. This book is crazy. I’m not saying you’ll love it, but you won’t think it’s ordinary.
The Devil of Echo Lake — Another fantastic book that puts a great spin on the old legend of Robert Johnson and the crossroads. But it’s so much more than that. Sometimes, there are things far worse than the devil.
The Donors — Last, but certainly not least, is The Donors by Jeffrey Wilson. A great, creature-feature that will make you think twice about going to the hospital. Jeff Wilson is a fresh face on the horror scene, and I hope he continues to put out such great stuff.
And now, long fiction.
The Mourning House — “The Mourning House” was, in fact, my favorite read of 2012. It is everything that horror should be, a nearly perfect story. I loved, loved, loved this book. As a bonus, check out the author’s “After the Fade.” Another great story.
When We Join Jesus In Hell — Lee Thompson’s long fiction masterpiece is a truly disturbing work. It’s the kind of punch in the gut story that sticks with you for a very long time and doesn’t want to let go. It’s a book I recommend by saying that I don’t recommend it to everyone. Enter at your own risk.
Subject 11 — I’ll say the same thing about “Subject 11” I said about Terminal Island. It’s a crazy, trippy story, and it’s not for everyone. But man, what a trip it is.
Night of the Scream Queen — What a wonderful romp “Night of the Scream Queen” is. Most of the entries above are very serious, very dark. Not so with this little jaunt. It’s a fun read and has some great and humorous moments. If you like your horror tinged with some lighter banter, this one is for you.
- I’m going to do something a little different for this one. Here’s a list of some more terrific long fiction. These are short and cheap, so you can read a lot of them. Lost Girl of the Lake. The Girl. Thirty Miles South of Dry County. He Waits. Without Purpose, Without Pity. Swamp Monster Massacre. Chorus of Dust. The Cold Spot.
So there they are! Pick some up and enjoy!
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Beware The Shadows 