Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Country Books are reissuing one of the seventy novels written by the prolific and mysterious nineteenth century author of horror and crime fiction, Richard Marsh. Marsh was incredibly popular in the early part of the twentieth century with his novel The Beetle outselling Bram Stoker’s Dracula until 1940. The reissue features a foreword with research on the mysterious author, conducted by Shaun Cooper. This introduction tells of his time as a penny dreadful writer under the name of Bernard Heldmann, as well as his mysterious disappearance in 1883 and his time in Maidstone gaol where he served a sentence of hard labour for fraud. Anyone interested in learning about the history of Marsh or simply curious to read the work of one of horror’s earliest writers can find the release information here.
Award-winning Portsmouth writer David E Gates goes back to his roots
Horror writer David E Gates has just released a new novel, The Wretched, based on folklore and sceneries from his native Portsmouth. The story unfolds around the experiences of a teenage boy who explores the forbidden areas of his hometown, only to encounter a vengeful spirit. Locals of the south coast town will find the story particularly interesting, while any horror readers can find The Wretched and David’s other work at his website here.
Cemetery Dance Publications happily announced this week that the new collaborative novella between horror legends Stephen King and Richard Chizmar are now printed and available. Sold in a beautifully presented hard cover edition, King has described the story (the first to be set in Castle Rock for more than a decade) as one that he was struggling to finish when Chizmar approached him and “showed him the way home.” The book has already been well received by readers and critics alike and is available to buy here.
KEV HARRISON