Book Review: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic by Catherine Lundoff Per the author’s introduction, the style of stories in this volume were inspired by her love for the artwork of Edward Gorey and Victorian ghost stories. And so we have a dozen short stories of horror and dark fantasy. “The Mask and the… Continue reading Book Review: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic
Tag: mediums
Magazine Review: Strange Tales September 1931
Magazine Review: Strange Tales September 1931 edited by Harry Bates Strange Tales was published as a direct competitor to Weird Tales, the top fantastic/occult story pulp magazine of the time, starting with this issue in 1931. It had more of an action slant to its editorial policy as compared to the more idea-heavy stories of… Continue reading Magazine Review: Strange Tales September 1931
Book Review: Stone Mad
Book Review: Stone Mad by Elizabeth Bear This is the second in the “Karen Memory” series, and this review may have some spoilers for the first volume, also titled Karen Memory. Karen Memery and her boon companion Priya have bought a little ranch house outside of Rapid City in Washington Territory, and are moving in together. … Continue reading Book Review: Stone Mad
Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales
Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz The definition of “thriller” is a little loose in this fun anthology, though most of the stories do have at least some suspense. It feels more like the compiler picked a bunch of the public domain stories he liked, but didn’t have a strong… Continue reading Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales
Book Review: The Tuesday Club Murders
Book Review: The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie Author Raymond West has what he thinks is a smashing idea. A series of Tuesday night gatherings where the six people present discuss mysteries they’ve run across, particularly juicy murders. In addition to himself, there’s an artist, a lawyer, a clergyman, a retired Scotland Yard commissioner,… Continue reading Book Review: The Tuesday Club Murders
Book Review: The Witch of Lime Street
Book Review: The Witch of Lime Street by David Jaher In the wake of World War One, Spiritualism, a religious movement centering around contact with the dead, was on the rise. With this came a fad for mediums who claimed to be able to channel those unquiet spirits, both for the knowledge they had and… Continue reading Book Review: The Witch of Lime Street
Manga Review: The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 14
Manga Review: The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 14 story by Eiji Ohtsuka, art by Housui Yamazaki It’s finally out! To recap for newer readers, the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is five students at a Buddhist college that each have skills or talents related to the dead. They form a small firm that fulfills the last… Continue reading Manga Review: The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 14
Book Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Mad
Book Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Mad by E. Randall Floyd American history is full of offbeat people, some downright weird. The author was (like many a lad) fascinated by their stories when he was young. Then he got to interview Erich von Daeniken (Chariots of the Gods) and decided to make writing about… Continue reading Book Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Mad
Book Review: From Ghouls to Gangsters: The Career of Arthur B. Reeve Volume 1
Book Review: From Ghouls to Gangsters: The Career of Arthur B. Reeve Volume 1 edited by John Locke Arthur B. Reeve (1880-1936) was a newspaper reporter who decided to try his hand at writing fiction. As it happened, he turned out to be very good at it, making a huge hit with his most famous character,… Continue reading Book Review: From Ghouls to Gangsters: The Career of Arthur B. Reeve Volume 1
Book Review: Pearlhanger
Book Review: Pearlhanger by Jonathan Gash Lovejoy is a “divvy” (presumably from “diviner”), a person who can just feel if an antique is genuine by standing near it. This is a great help in his career as an antiques dealer. But just because he’s got a gift of his own doesn’t mean he believes in anything… Continue reading Book Review: Pearlhanger