Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Downwind, Alice, the new novella from CC Adams and Lycan Valley Press, coming 20 October
Meet Alice Morecambe. After two years away, a chance encounter with her ex-boyfriend Kieran proves awkward and sours when Alice lashes out at him, before storming off. An unfortunate turn of events that would soon blow over, right? Wrong. Because, unfortunately for Alice, Kieran is… different now. For the last couple of years, Kieran has kept a tight rein on more than his feelings – but now he’s going to do more than tell Alice how he really feels. He’s going to show her. And Alice won’t know what’s downwind until it’s too late. From CC Adams, author of Semen, Forfeit Tissue and But Worse Will Come, Downwind, Alice will be released on 20 October in paperback, eBook and audiobook formats, and you can pre-order your copy right now, here.
New horror podcast, At Your Peril, created by Arthur McBain and Owen Jenkins, available now
At Your Peril is a high end podcast anthology series that tells spooky stories for adults. Deliciously dark and frighteningly funny, each episode is a brand new original story by creators Arthur McBain and Owen Jenkins. After running for around two years, the latest episode, titled simply ‘The Tenth Episode’ is their first which blurs the lines between fiction and fact, with a focus on male mental health, as well as life after death. Featuring numerous guest stars and high production values, you can check out At Your Peril wherever you listen to your podcasts. Find them on Spotify, here.
Banished, the new release from writer Lou Yardley, available for pre-order now
Coming 10 November, Banished is the new novel from writer Lou Yardley (Darkened Wings Flutter). Welcome to the monstrous world of Venari. Try not to get eaten. Elkbury is an idyllic village, hidden away in a rural area of pseudo-medieval Venari. It’s a place free of death and disease due to a mysterious ceremony called the Banishment. It’s a secret system that has worked well for decades. But, secrets rarely stay secret forever. When Hedwin’s grandmother is about to undertake her own Banishment, he and his best friend Laura Beth decide to find out what their beloved Anastasia is about to experience. Just like disease, murder has no place in Elkbury, but it has wormed its way in. Wren Goodwort takes it upon herself to find the mysterious killer and clear her name in the process. Soon Wren, Hedwin, Laura Beth, and the rest of the villagers are thrown together to fight for their lives as deadly, monstrous, and hungry secrets are uncovered and Elkbury’s delicate balance is destroyed. “Banished” will introduce you to your new favourite monsters; some human, some not. Available in paperback and eBook formats, you can pre-order your copy now, here.
Twisted Fate Publishing to re-release Nick Stead’s Vengeance, the third part of the Hybrid werewolf series
Following on from the recently released revised and extended editions of Nick Stead’s debut novel, Hybrid and bloody sequel Hunted, Independent publishing company Twisted Fate Publishing have now revealed the artwork for Vengeance – the third book in the Hybrid series. After working on the first two novels in the series, author Nick Stead decided to revisit the third book and although it has not been extended, he has edited the story to coincide with the revised series to give the viewer a bit more of a bite. Captured by his enemies, tortured, and left for dead. This time, its personal. But that’s just the start of the twisted torments in store for this fledgling werewolf. He fears for lady Sarah and Selina’s fate, but Nick must place his trust in new allies now and rely on his feral animal cunning if he’s to have any hope of seeing them again. His path is paved with blood, death, and trails worse than any he’s faced before. He must be strong, for as his energy seeps away time is running out. Danger lurks around every corner and if he is to escape this deadly trap it will mean pushing himself beyond his limits and battling something truly horrifying. Vengeance was released on 26 September on Amazon and is available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and in paperback format.
From writer Tom Fletcher and Jo Fletcher Books, comes Witch Bottle, a novel of literary horror
Daniel once had a baby brother, but he died, a long time ago now. And he had a wife and a daughter, but that didn’t work out, so now he’s alone. The easy monotony of his job as a milkman in the remote northwest of England demands nothing from him other than dealing with unreasonable customer demands and the vagaries of his enigmatic boss. But things are changing. Daniel’s started having nightmares, seeing things that can’t possibly be there – like the naked, emaciated giant with a black bag over its head which is so real he swears he could touch it . . . if he dared. It’s not just at night bad things are happening, either, or just to him. Shaken and unnerved, he opens up to a local witch. She can’t t discern the origins of his haunting, but she can provide him with a protective ward – a witch-bottle – if, in return, he will deliver her products on his rounds. But not everyone’s happy to find people meddling with witch-bottles. Things are about to get very unpleasant . . . Witch Bottle is literary horror at its finest, perfect for fans of Andrew Michael Hurley’s The Loney and Starve Acre. Available 26 November in paperback and eBook, you can pre-order your copy here, now.
Tenth anniversary edition of Paul Kane’s The Gemini Factor, available now
It’s a miracle, pure and simple. The miracle of twin birth. But in the city of Norchester, being a twin also marks you out as a victim. Because someone is killing them and stealing their body parts. It’s up to Inspector Roy Mason and his Sergeant, Deborah Harrison, to track down the culprit before they can strike again. Their only lead? A man whose own twin was brutally murdered by the killer. A man whose brother is now helping him from beyond the grave. From the imagination of award-winning and bestselling author Paul Kane (the sellout Hooded Man, Before, Her Last Secret), comes a powerful novel, a supernatural whodunnit unlike any other – in which the very laws of the serial killer procedural are turned on their head. A novel which holds a mirror up to our very souls and asks us just who we are. You might not be quite ready for the answer… This very special tenth anniversary edition contains a brand new introduction by the author, the original introduction by Peter Atkins (Hellraiser II-IV, Wishmaster), the prequel short story ‘Gemini Rising’ and the script for a pilot episode of The Gemini Factor TV series. Available in paperback, eBook and hardcover editions, you can grab your copy right here, now.
KEV HARRISON
