⭐⭐⭐ When I first read The Lost World years ago, I remember absolutely tearing through it. I loved it almost as much as Jurassic Park, which is no small thing. At the time, it felt like a worthy continuation: more dinosaurs, more danger, more of that Crichton techno-thriller momentum that made his work so addictive. … Continue reading A Nostalgic Reread That Doesn’t Quite Hold Up
⭐⭐⭐⭐ I never thought I would say it, but it was a real pleasure to read a story from the perspective of someone so utterly unhinged. Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito is not your usual historical novel – it’s a dark, twisted character study wrapped up in lace, corsets, and all the suffocating etiquette of … Continue reading A Fascinating Descent into Madness
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Lamb by Lucy Rose is one of those books that creeps under your skin almost from the first page, and once it’s there, it refuses to leave. It’s hard to believe this is a debut because the voice is so assured, the world so fully realised, and the atmosphere so thick with tension … Continue reading A Feast of Darkness, Beauty, and Motherhood
The Shivers Collection is a compilation of five short stories, each penned by a prominent name in contemporary horror: Joe Hill, Stephen Graham Jones, Grady Hendrix, Catriona Ward, and Owen King. Each story runs around 40–50 pages, so they’re substantial enough to feel like more than just a glimpse into the author’s world, but still … Continue reading A Mixed Bag of Short Stories
Mona Higgins lived on Willow Crescent, in one of those neat little post-war houses where the hedges were clipped straight and the curtains were drawn at half-past six sharp. It was 1963, and her world moved to a clockwork rhythm: Her husband, George, left for work at the insurance office each morning at seven; she … Continue reading The Dial Tone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Don’t Let the Forest In is one of those books that sneaks up on you. At first, it feels like a quiet story about grief, family, and the lingering ache of loss, but before long, it grows into something much darker, stranger, and more unsettling. C.G. Drews has a real talent for weaving emotion … Continue reading Haunting, Lyrical, But Just a Little Uneven
The bathroom always smelled faintly of lavender and damp. Not fresh lavender, but the cloying, synthetic kind that tried to cover mould and failed. It clung to the cracked tiles, the rust-flecked radiator, the blackened corners of the old tub. Hannah didn’t love the bathroom. But then again, she didn’t love the house, either.Still, it … Continue reading Bath Time
The Video Vault appeared overnight.Where once stood a shuttered butcher’s, its tiles still stained from a long-forgotten trade, now sat a glowing front of VHS promise. Neon script buzzed in the fogged windows: Be Kind, Rewind. Below that, a sandwich board proclaimed NEW RELEASES! in chalky capitals. It was the sort of place that didn’t … Continue reading This Tape Belongs To…
⭐⭐⭐ Little Jar of Teeth by A.L. Hatcher is an odd, eerie, and often intriguing collection of short horror stories that thrives on the strange and unsettling. It’s the kind of book that draws you in with its title alone — that perfect mix of creepy and curious — and for the most part, the … Continue reading Bite-Sized Chills with Mixed Results
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Never Flinch by Stephen King picks up where Holly left off, and it’s great to see Holly Gibney back in action—older, wearier, but still as sharp and stubborn as ever. This latest instalment doesn’t quite reach the emotional heights of her previous outing, but it’s a solid, chilling continuation of her story, and Stephen … Continue reading Holly’s Still Standing: “Never Flinch” Brings Her Back With Bite
Gareth Ellis - Author 