Well Worth a Read: FUGUE DEVIL: RESURGENCE Review

"This is one of the best collections I have read this year. If you love dark fiction in short story form as much as I do, you need to add this to your shelf."

"In 'Fugue Devil,' the new kid in town is told the local legend about a musician who summoned a demon that now reappears every 17 years. If you know about it, it knows about you! This is the year it is supposed to return. Is it real or just a myth? Two curious teens aim to find out...

"In its chilling sequel, 'The Devil's Eye,' a filmmaker has nefarious reasons for wanting to produce a movie about the Fugue Devil with the brother of one of the possible victims..."

A lovely review of Fugue Devil: Resurgence by Irene Cole at "Well Worth a Read." Read the whole review here.

A DISTURBANCE OF SHADOWS: From Creepy to Creepier

Sidney Williams' newest novel, a fairly short one titled A Disturbance of Shadows, begins on an intriguing note: Bryn and Reyes, on a trip to investigate a ghostly legend for their paranormal podcast, end up with their vehicle disabled, are found by a man who appears genuinely helpful, and are led to Lovegrove Farm, where help appears imminent. However, the house itself has a haunted history, which involves Aleister Crowley, so they turn their efforts from their original story to the house. As things begin to turn truly weird, it becomes clear they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Sidney Williams has an engaging authorial voice, and I loved following the characters as they make their way down increasingly intriguing—and menacing—corridors. We have some quirky (and a few dangerous) characters, a smattering of genuine surprises, and a powerful climax. A Disturbance of Shadows is a solid, well-crafted story, and I quite enjoyed it. My only real caveat is that the text is typo-heavy, occasionally enough to distract me from the narrative. Cleaning those up would help the reading flow.

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A Disturbance of Shadows by
Sidney Williams at Amazon.com

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Hellnotes Review of THE NIGHTMARE FRONTIER

"The pacing was flawless, the characters are a realistic cross-section of Appalachian townspeople, and the story kept me emotionally invested the entire way through. You may like, love, or hate the characters, but you will always have strong feelings regarding each of them. And that, my friends, is true brilliance."

It's always nice to see a complimentary review of one of my novels, and Carson Buckingham delivers one in Hellnotes to make me blush bigtime. Check it out... and check out The Nightmare Frontier, in ebook, audiobook, and now in paperback from Crossroad Press.

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Read Carson Buckingham's Full Review of The Nightmare Fronter Here

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A Fine Review of THE HOUSE AT BLACK TOOTH POND at Zombo's Closet

Another fine review of The House at Black Tooth Pond, this one by JM Cozzoli at Zombo's Closet!

“The House at Black Tooth Pond is filled with keep-turning-those-pages suspenseful chapters.... Rainey is one of a handful of writers who can give you the supernatural, the cosmic, and the eldritch terror in carefully measured doses that intoxicate you with their simple cleverness and absolute dread.”

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Zombo's Closet Reviews The House at Black Tooth Pond

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THE HOUSE AT BLACK TOOTH POND—A Starred Review in Publishers Weekly!

WOOT! Publishers Weekly gives my newest novel, The House at Black Tooth Pond, a starred review.

“Rainey brings Lovecraftian horror to rural Virginia in this chilling tale...the grounded and believable characterization of his protagonists makes suspending disbelief easy. This is cosmic horror done right.” Publishers Weekly

I know this week falls in the middle of the Amazon boycott, but if you'd like an autographed copy of the paperback, just shoot me an email at mark (at) stephenmarkrainey (dot) com, and I can almost certainly accommodate you. The audiobook has just come out from Audible, narrated by the inimitable Joshua Saxon; so when the boycott is over, please avail yourself...

In the meantime, here is a list of retailers where you can buy the ebook.

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The House at Black Tooth Pond Review at Publishers Weekly

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A Fine New Review of THE HOUSE AT BLACK TOOTH POND at CEMETERY DANCE!

Thanks to reviewer David Simms for the wonderful review! Check it out...

“Stephen Mark Rainey is one of the greatest unsung masters of the genre and has churned out solid, entertaining work for decades. From Deathrealm magazine in the eighties and nineties to several dozen short stories to many novels that both embraced the classics and pushed the envelope, he has carved out his own piece of horror history... Recommended reading from an author who always delivers.” 

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Cemetery Dance Review:
The House at Black Tooth Pondby Stephen Mark Rainey

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5-Star Advance Review of The House at Black Tooth Pond at Hellnotes

The first advance review of The House at Black Tooth Pond, due in February from Crossroad Press, is up at Hellnotes. Five stars from reviewer Carson Buckingham!

"I read The House at Black Tooth Pond in one sitting — it was that exciting and that frightening. Think of a traditional haunted house story but on LSD..."

Read the full review here.

The ebook and paperback editions are now up for pre-order. The audiobook, narrated by Joshua Saxon, will be released in February as well.

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Preorder The House at Black Tooth Pond here.

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Advance Review Copies of The House at Black Tooth Pond from Crossroad Press

CALLING ALL REVIEWERS: You can get an advance review copy of The House at Black Tooth Pond (due February 11, 2025) at no charge from Crossroad Press here: crossroadpress.com/review-arcs/

(Please note that Crossroad Press requests that you include reviewer/review information to verify you intend to review the book.)

The Fisherman by John Langan

John Langan's The Fisherman is what I would call a genuine weird tale, an appealing blend of cosmic and folk horror in an epic-sized novel. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Danny Campbell, whose spot-on presentation made for an engaging, oftentimes gripping listening experience.

The Fisherman, as has been frequently noted, unfolds with slow deliberation, establishing character and atmosphere with vivid, colorful prose. The story opens with narrator Abe, a recent widower, becoming enamored of fishing. He develops a friendship with one of his co-workers, Dan, who is also a recent widower. Together, they share a few enjoyable outings at various rivers and creeks throughout upstate New York, and eventually seek out a new location for a fishing trip, the innocently named Dutchman's Creek, which connects the century-old Ashokan Reservoir with the Hudson River.

At this point, the novel becomes a narrative within a narrative by way of a story related to Abe and Dan by one "Howard" at a local diner (Langan's description of Howard's physical resemblance to H.P. Lovecraft is hardly coincidental). Howard relates the lengthy story of several families in the early twentieth century, whose lives are intertwined by their connections to the construction of the reservoir. Suffice it to say that complications of the preternatural variety affect each of the characters, oftentimes to profound degrees.

This secondary narrative initially feels more than a bit jarring because it interrupts the story's dramatic flow at what seems an inopportune moment and, rather unexpectedly, becomes the novel's lengthier and deeper focus. Still, once past my initial bemusement, I became immersed in the wandering, sometimes unsettling detour. The narrative's beats in many ways echo those of Lovecraft's "The Colour Out of Space," although Langan presents us with far more kinetic action than Lovecraft would have ever dreamed of penning, while also imbuing his characters with greater depth and poignancy than any the Old Gent ever seemed capable of conceiving.

Eventually, this verbally related "folk tale" finds its climax, and attention returns to Abe and Dan, whose ventures into the land around Dutchman's Creek begin to mesh with those in Howard's tale. Make no mistake, that Howard could have told such a lengthy, detailed account from such an earlier time defies logic, and Langan addresses this issue with masterful aplomb. The now-continued primary narrative spins its own web of disturbing threads that finally lead to a wonderfully satisfying conclusion, creating what I would call a story far stronger than the sum of its various parts. While not what I would call a perfect novel, The Fisherman hits enough perfect notes throughout its length that it could indeed be considered a pivotal work in the realm of cosmic horror.

Four and a half out of five Damned Rodan's Dirty Firetinis.

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The Fisherman by John Langan
at Amazon.com

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Hellnotes Reviews Fugue Devil: Resurgence

Hellnotes reviewer Carson Buckingham gives Fugue Devil: Resurgence a big thumbs-up! A lovely review indeed.

"This collection from Stephen Mark Rainey is among the best ones I’ve read. Each story is a shining gem and if you enjoy Lovecraftian horror, there is much that will please you here... 5 stars—Highly recommended. Buy one for yourself and one for a friend."

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Fugue Devil: Resurgence Review
by Carson Buckingham at Hellnotes

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Hellnotes Review of Deathrealm: Spirits

A very nice review of Deathrealm: Spirits by Carson Buckingham at Hellnotes!

“There is something for everyone here; so whether you enjoy splatter, suspense, or paranormal, you can’t go wrong with Stephen Mark Rainey’s DEATHREALM: SPIRITS...”

 

’Tis here: Book Review: Deathrealm: Spirits

TERRIFIER 2

Some years ago, writer/director Damien Leone’s All Hallows Eve (2013) introduced me to Art the Clown, and I think it’s fair to say I found Art one of the most disturbing horror characters in existence — particularly those of the clown persuasion. Clowns have never frightened me per se, but I can readily admit that some have unsettled me (my daughter once had this cast iron clown coin bank that “ate” coins, which did none of our sensibilities any favors). With All Hallows Eve, Art kind of messed up my head because, in the situations in the movie, he was simultaneously funny as hell yet altogether terrifying. Knowing that his appearance to someone was a harbinger of personal doom — a horrific doom, at that — effectively creeped me out.

The first Terrifier (2016) followed along the same lines. It felt a little more over-the-top, but it still disturbed me on a level that most horror/slasher movies do not.

Last night, I took the opportunity to watch Terrifier 2. It offered quite a few brilliant, scary moments/scenes, such as the Clown Café dream scene with its catchy, whimsical tunes. (In fact, I quite enjoyed the music throughout the movie, particularly the techno dance stuff.) Art provided several horrific moments worthy of his earlier film appearances. And the introduction of Creepy Little Demon Girl made for an entertaining touch. For the sake of continuity, I appreciated the references to Art’s first two adventures.

Overall, though, I didn't much care for this one. First and foremost, the running time is way too long — 138 minutes vs. 83 minutes for both All Hallows Eve and the original Terrifier. All those extra minutes added nada, zip, absolute jack shit, and — worst of all — introduced the element of boredom. Bzzzt, wrong! The movie’s surreal, dreamlike moments worked well enough, yet almost all of the “real-life” events dragged on to the point of tedium and frequently dove straight into the realm of the asinine rather than the frightening.

No. No, thank you.

So, Terrifier 2 is a mixed bag, and its most effective moments might be considered classic Art. Sadly, though, the crap weighs too heavily in the bag, and thus it gets a rating of only two out of five Damned Rodan’s Dirty Firetinis.

Boo!

Fugue Devil: Resurgence: A Breath of Fresh, Foul, Fetid Air

With the kind permission of author Katherine Kerestman (www.creepycatlair.com), I'm posting her review of Fugue Devil: Resurgence in its entirety, which prompted an uncharacteristically wide smile from the old dude.

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"Reading Stephen Mark Rainey's Fugue Devil: Resurgence (Black Raven Books, 2022) was a breath of fresh (foul? fetid?) air for this voracious reader of dark literature. I had approached this new collection of horror stories hoping for an above-average sophistication of style, a deliciously morbid atmosphere, and some enthralling plots — and what I found exceeded my wishes. Rather than relying on the usual blending of graphic violence and the cheap thrills of gore with supernatural elements, Fugue Devil: Resurgence faces the unutterable horror of human existence in a malevolent universe, Rainey's compelling style drawing the readers into the gaping jowls of a dismal world.

"Fugue Devil: Resurgence is an outstanding work, in that it achieves this outcome with a singularity of grace and style. Throughout the collection, a sustained dread of our most evil imagined outcomes is contrasted with Rainey's melodic prose. In 'Threnody,' you can almost hear the strains of the cosmic music beyond the spheres, which conjures horrific beings. I found myself breathless as I read 'Masque of the Queen' — I had literally been holding my breath, unawares — a tale which takes place in a deadly dimension of mystical beauty, strange gods, and weird planets. 'Fugue Devil' left me physically numb with fear. 'Hell’s Hollow' carried me into a world of rural woodland terror.

"Tinting a Lovecraftian world view with a psychedelic patina, Fugue Devil: Resurgence is the most original volume of horror stories I have read in a long time. The alluring quality of its description magnifies the horror of the dark and rapacious void it depicts. I read most of it in one sitting, unable to put it down."

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Order Fugue Devil: Resurgence here.

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Really Gorgeous, Really Well-Done, Really Good Stuff...

Author/reviewer Christine Morgan’s review of Fugue Devil: Resurgence makes my day and re-ignites my creative energy. Thank you, Christine's Horror Fiction Reviews!

The review originally appears at Christine's Horror Fiction Reviews website (February 2023, scroll down to the review).

"Stephen Mark Rainey has a solid reputation in cosmic horror circles for very good reason, and this collection shows exactly why it’s so well-deserved. These stories, many of them interconnected in their own shared universe, hit just the right balance of melding our understandable everyday reality with the greater otherworldly eldritch, done with an approachable, readable style that brings them close to home..." Read more here: Christine’s Horror Fiction Reviews

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Fugue Devil Resurgence at Amazon.com

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A Wild Western Adventure Rooted in Medieval Legend

Guns of the Waste Land: Departure
by Leverett Butts
The first of four books in author Leverett Butts’s Guns of the Waste Land series, Departure takes off at lightning speed, introducing in its opening chapters a set of fascinating characters, whose roots in Arthurian legend eventually become clear. The novel’s structure—the narrative sometimes unfolding in first person, sometimes in third, sometimes in flashbacks—at first might seem a little jarring, but it not only holds together, it deepens the vivid character portraits.

Butts's painting of characters is priceless, with engaging dialogue, aptly accented for the time period and setting. Genuine laugh-out-loud moments during the interactions of Percy Murratt, Gary Wayne Orkney, Boris McAllister, Ardiss Drake, and others, are not rare; nor are passages of deep poignancy, expressed by an assured authorial voice.

Departure is not a long novel, but it is rich and jam-packed with both action and character-driven drama. I'm now anxious to dive into the following books in the series—Diversion, Dispersal, and Desinence. Departure feels very much like the prelude to an epic work, worthy of both admiration and study.

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Order Guns of the Waste Land: Departure from Amazon.com here.

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Tales My Grandmother Told Me by Heather Miller

Chills That Span Generations

In Tales My Grandmother Told Me, author Heather Miller presents thirteen tales whose roots stem from one of her most valued family traditions — storytelling. As this volume’s title suggests, most of these stories are variations of tales told by Ms. Miller’s grandmother. Some of the terrors found within are supernatural in origin, while others are purely human-bred evil. As the author states in her introduction, the predominant tone is reminiscent of campfire tales — a combination of fun and fright. It’s for this reason, I believe, that many of these stories resonate strongly with me.

The book opens with “Vice,” a story in which death comes for its victims based on their personal vices — in this case, smoking. As with most of these tales, its ending is essentially inevitable, yet the narrator’s engaging style and vivid imagery overcome its predictability. Thus, the book takes off on a high note. Several more stories follow a similar path. Although it’s certainly unintentional, “Burglar Man” takes a cue from Manly Wade Wellman’s “The Desrick on Yandro,” in that greed motivates the antagonist, and, in the end, his reward could hardly be more fitting. “Cries from the Attic” is a genuine ghost story, compelling due to its creepy atmosphere. Conversely, “Up All Night” may be the tale most deeply rooted in “real-life” terror. Again, no great surprises here, but plenty of tension due to the emotional urgency Miller evokes.

I would have to call “Fiery Eyes and Bloody Bones” my favorite piece in the book. Although tales of vile cretins receiving their just deserts tend to become tiresome, once in a while, they turn out to be just the ticket. Such is the case here. It’s lengthier than most in the collection, and the characters — even young Zeke, the troublemaker in the cast — are perhaps the best drawn. “Fiery Eyes” makes for a perfect Halloween yarn, with vivid seasonal atmosphere and that gripping sense of impending doom (a dramatic aspect at which Miller again proves herself adept). As the unlikeable Zeke continually misbehaves, lies, and sets himself up for his inevitable fall, a terrifying something takes notice of him. This is just the kind of tale that scared the crap out of me at summer camp when I was a kid, when our counselors told us scary tales around the campfire at night. As the story creeps toward its conclusion — a literal countdown to doom — it’s hard not to feel sorry even for Zeke the reprobate.

Yes indeed, the best tale in the book.

“The Cold Man” also offers rich Halloween atmosphere, with a menace not too far removed from Freddy Krueger. “Beneath the Bed” shares a few “real-life” elements with “Burglar Man,” but with a bit more creepy color. And in “The Creature That Drains the Blood From the Sheep,” Miller explores the effects of fear — on individuals as well as a community — by way of a hideous critter. It’s another fairly lengthy tale, set in New Mexico. It takes its time getting to its fearsome crux; maybe a little too much time. Still, as the climax draws near, it manages to pack a fair wallop.

In “Two Heads Are Better Than One,” we have what might — or might not — be a bloody chronicle of a psychotic break. The story’s apt, nightmarish coda elevates this one beyond the inevitability of its climax.

Another favorite in the book, “Safe House” tells the story of the main character inheriting her grandparents’ house — as well as a frightening entity within. Miller gives her protagonist a strong emotional tie to the place (an aspect with which I readily identify) as well as a vague fear of it. Dread of darkness and that which lurks within plays a large part in the tale’s unfolding.

The last story in the volume, “Crybaby Bridge,” engagingly told in the first person, might be considered autobiographical, as Miller bases it on her personal history. At the story’s heart, we find a common trope, but the author’s compelling voice provides a sense of immediacy and authenticity. Again, the Halloween atmosphere permeates the tale — and rightly, as Halloween plays a crucial narrative role. At the end of the story, after a fashion, Miller reveals the origin of her proclivity for writing.

With Tales My Grandmother Told Me, author Miller bundles numerous previously told tales and makes them her own. While not all of them work on every level, certain stories hit on all cylinders — sometimes hard enough to blow the engine. With her appealing authorial voice, Ms. Miller, like the raconteur at a campfire gathering, offers the reader a passel of fearsome fun.

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Buy Tales My Grandmother Told Me
at Amazon.com here.

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The Second Shooter by Nick Mamatas

Enigmatic characters, conspiracies on top of conspiracies, and mysteries within mysteries make author Nick Mamatas's The Second Shooter one of the most engaging books I've read this year. Investigative reporter Mike Karras, on the hunt for the elusive "second shooter" — a shadowy but ubiquitous figure at countless mass-murder scenes — finds himself embroiled in one web of intrigue after another as he closes in on the truth behind the reports of countless, disparate witnesses.

Enterprising and tenacious, Karras embeds himself in various families and groups of witnesses, whose bizarre personalities — and fantastic ideas about what's "really" behind the second-shooter phenomenon — endlessly complicate his quest. To top things off, Karras ends up facing a formidable personal nemesis in the form of conspiracy theorist and podcaster Chris Bennett, whose far-out ideas make Alex Jones sound like Walter Cronkite and whose reach extends into literally every aspect of Karras's life.

As one might expect from this author, no thread in The Second Shooter leads you quite where you expect — I would even say a long way into "who'd have bleepin' thunk it?!" territory.

Mamatas's assured authorial voice makes The Second Shooter a gripping, noirish story that doesn't let go even when it soars clean over the top. Four and a half out of five Damned Rodan's Dirty Firetinis.

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Pick up The Second Shooter by Nick Mamatas
at Amazon.com

Readers’ Favorite: Five Stars for Fugue Devil: Resurgence

Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
“Fugue Devil: Resurgence is a collection of works of horror fiction, aimed at mature readers, penned by author Stephen Mark Rainey. The collection contains twelve horror stories, including the classic “Fugue Devil” and its sequel, “The Devil’s Eye.” Each is an evocative tale of dread exploring original ideas that will inspire terror in the reader as they follow protagonists falling under spells, fighting off madness in the face of the impossible, venturing into the darkness to investigate things best left alone, and hearing sinister voices where there ought to be nothing but white noise....”

Read the full Readers’ Favorite review here.

PLUS: You can win a free Kindle edition of Fugue Devil: Resurgence at Readers’ Favorite by entering here: readersfavorite.com/book-giveaway/fugue-devil

Venomous Words by Jeff Oliver and Gordon Reilly

Amazing Photography, Pulse-Pounding Poetry

First and foremost, the macro photography by Gordon Reilly in Venomous Words is remarkably beautiful and oftentimes disturbing, especially given the venomous nature of so many of these subjects. The accompanying descriptions and lyrical depictions, by Jeff Oliver, of how you're going to suffer and die from some of these lovelies might make you start checking the floors, windows, and corners of your dwelling place — perhaps even under your covers before you get into bed. The close-up images of these critters convey the intricacy of nature you can rarely see with the naked eye. Venomous Words is an all-around killer.

Check out Venomous Words at Amazon.com here.

A Bouquet of Viscera by Bridgett Nelson

Bridgett Nelson’s debut fiction collection, A Bouquet of Viscera, presents a set of horror tales that range from the darkly fanciful to the most deeply, personally disturbing. There's not a single tale that doesn't hit most or all of the right notes. Many of the stories draw upon her real-life experience in the medical field to build a believable — and usually unsettling — backdrop. Apart from a scant handful of issues that a little editing would fix, Nelson's prose is assured, powerful, and immersive. Standout stories include "Aura," "Cooked," and "Jinx"; and their companion tales are scarcely less noteworthy.

The cover, by Lynne Hansen, couldn't capture the overall feel of this collection any better. Good stuff all-around.

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Check out A Bouquet of Viscera at Amazon.com