Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Broken Things: A Tale of Durstan, by George Mann, available for pre-order now from PS Publishing’s new Absinthe Books imprint
The goddess Amaranth, Queen of the Broken, has been reborn for the first time in generations and now resides once more in her distant tower, observing the world through her strange, fractured eyes. Three pilgrims set out on the trail to find her, each for their own reasons: Pallor, the Knight of Perish, who wishes to die by a worthy hand and will challenge the goddess to a fight to the death; Nok, the tribal Wolkin, who carries her brother’s bones to beg Amaranth to restore him to the afterlife; and Ambrose, the monk, charged by his Order to seek the answer to the unanswerable question at the heart of his faith. Each of these pilgrims will be tested on the road to their inevitable convergence—and each will be granted answers, of a sort, from the Broken Queen. Available in a stunning hardcover edition by Daniele Serra, both unsigned and a signed edition limited to 100 copies, Broken Things: A Tale of Durstan is released in December and is available for pre-order now, here.
Volume five of Dark Moon Books’ Exploring Dark Short Fiction series, A Primer to Han Song, out now
Considered one of the three most important voices in contemporary Chinese science fiction (along with Liu Cixin and Wang Jinkang), Han Song is a multiple recipient of the Chinese Galaxy Award (China’s highest profile sci-fi prize), as well as the Chinese Nebula Award and Asian-Pacific Sci-fi Gravity Award. Song bridges new developments in science and subjects of cultural and social dynamics with stories of dystopia, governmental conspiracy, and subversive horror, earning praise for his work as “absurdly dark,” while also reigniting a science fiction renaissance. Including original English translations by Nathaniel Isaacson, PhD, Dark Moon Books and editor Eric J. Guignard bring you this introduction to Han Song’s work, the fifth in a series of primers exploring modern masters of literary dark short fiction. Herein is a chance to discover-or learn more of-the enigmatic voice of Han Song, as beautifully illustrated by artist Michelle Prebich. Available in hardcover, paperback and eBook, you can get hold of your copy right here.
The Other Side, the debut anthology from writer’ Daniel Willcocks’ Devil’s Rock Publishing, out now
When we breathe our last breath, where do we go? When the light appears at the end of the tunnel, and you take your first tentative steps towards your final chapter, what is waiting for you beyond the veil? The Other Side is the inaugural horror anthology from Devil’s Rock Publishing. Edited by bestselling author of dark fiction, and co-founder of The Other Stories podcast, Daniel Willcocks, this collection of harrowing tales showcases eleven of the finest short stories exploring the subjects of death, ghosts, and the afterlife. Dive into stories of witch-claimed cemeteries, ghosts of the mind, celestial voyages, forgetful realms, and forests of the dead. This Halloween season, the dead is presented to you in all its infinite glory… and not everything is always as it seems. Pick up these eleven bone-chilling tales in hardcover, paperback or eBook right now, here.
Dead and SudBuried, the annual horror film festival of Sudbury, Suffolk, UK, goes online
Due to the ongoing pandemic situation, 2020’s edition of Dead and SudBuried, Sudbury’s horror film festival has gone online. Taking place over the weekend of Friday 13 November to Sunday 15 November, the online festival, organised by $10 Chimp, the team behind the original festival, will feature a huge variety of films. Full details of of the program, alongside ticketing information can be found at the website, here.
A Krampus Carol, the sixth release in Burial Day Books’ Gothic Blue Book series, available for pre-order now
Released on Halloween, 31 October, Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol is a new anthology of short fiction and poetry from Burial Day Books, focussing on Christmas and winter traditions. Featuring thirty-one pieces in total, for readers to enjoy a single entry for each day of December (or to be devoured in a single sitting), the table of contents features such luminaries of modern horror and dark fiction and poetry as Sara Tantlinger, Laurel Hightower, Hailey Piper, Nico Bell, Shane Keen and many more. You can find the full table of contents here, while the book is available for pre-order in eBook format, the paperback coming soon, here.
The Five Turns of the Wheel, the new epic novel by Stephanie Ellis, coming from Silver Shamrock publishing 27 October
Stalking the landscape of rural England are the sons of Hweol, Lord of Umbra. Creatures with a taste for blood and death, they lead the Dance—five nights of ritual, the Five Turns of the Wheel. Proclaiming these events as a celebration of Mother Nature, the grotesque mummers troupe of Tommy, Betty and Fiddler, visit five villages on successive nights to lead the rites as they have done for centuries. In this blend of folk horror and dark fantasy, two women decide it is time to put a stop to the horrors committed in the name of the Mother. Liza and Megan, mother and daughter, fight back to protect the unborn and to weaken the power of Hweol. But will it be enough to destroy it forever? Featuring mesmerising worldbuilding and terrifying scenes of folk horror, The Five Turns of the Wheel is available for pre-order now, here.
New from Bram Stoker Award-nominated author Gemma Amor, Girl on Fire, available for pre-order now
Ruby Miller is free at last. Free from her past, her tormentor, her shitty family and the even shittier odds she was given at birth. But freedom has a price, and when the young girl hell-bent on starting a new life crashes her cherry red 1989 Pontiac Bonneville on America’s loneliest road, she finds out just how dear that price is. From the Bram Stoker Award nominated author of Dear Laura and White Pines comes a searing tale of fire, revenge and redemption, a coming-of-age tale with a bite, because, let’s face it…happy endings are for children, and some girls just want to watch the world burn. Released 31 October, you can pre-order your copy right now, here.
From writer Priya Sridhar and Unnerving’s Rewind or Die series, comes Offstage Offerings, coming 29 October
Vivian starts her summer counseling gig at the Haunted Basilio Theater, hoping all the ghosts are harmless. At first, the kids under her wing are more trouble than any random winds rustling the costumes or funny noises from rats. Then her mentor gets the boot, and the kids vanish into the dark recesses. The pigeons on the roof are hostile. The boss says ‘don’t ask questions,’ but Vivian wants answers. She just needs the courage to enter locked doors with the right keys. Released 29 October, you can pre-order your copy right here, now.
KEV HARRISON
