The pod drifted in orbit around the dead star, a shard of black ice against the infinite black. Its light was fractured, reflecting in jagged shards across the pod’s surface. I stared out the viewport, waiting for relief, for a sense of safety. There was none. Only the hum. It was subtle at first, a … Continue reading The Archive – Chapter One: Juno
Horror is a genre I cannot seem to leave behind. I might stray into other territories—comedy, science fiction, even the odd experimental piece—but horror always remains the gravitational centre of my writing. It pulls me back, again and again, in a way that feels almost inevitable, as though some invisible force constantly tugs at my … Continue reading Why I Keep Coming Back to Horror – A Personal Essay on Horror and What Draws Me to Unsettling Stories
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
⭐️⭐️ Incidents Around the House was my first Josh Malerman book. I’ve heard good things about his writing, so I went in with fairly high expectations, thinking this would be a great introduction. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work for me, and I came away feeling pretty underwhelmed. The premise itself has a lot of potential—a … Continue reading A Disappointing First Encounter with Malerman
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
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book floored me. I went in expecting a fun slice of horror and came out the other side completely obsessed. The Haar has everything I want in a read: eerie atmosphere, creeping dread, sudden bursts of nastiness, and at the same time, a real emotional core that caught me off guard. Sodergren has … Continue reading Creepy, Atmospheric, and Surprisingly Emotional
⭐️⭐️ I’ve always enjoyed Grady Hendrix’s books — they’re usually sharp, witty, and imaginative with just the right balance between horror and humour. How to Sell a Haunted House was one of my most anticipated reads, but sadly it fell flat for me. This one felt oddly lazy, as if it were rushed out without … Continue reading Repetitive, Overblown, and Nowhere Near Hendrix’s Best
⭐⭐ I went into Overgrowth by Mira Grant with high hopes. The premise was strong, and the opening chapter had a tight atmosphere and a hint of something bigger beneath the surface. I was genuinely intrigued for a while—it felt like it might evolve into something creepy and original. But sadly, it didn’t. What started … Continue reading A Promising Seed Choked by Its Own Vines
Hello. I’m the mug. Not chipped. Not novelty. Not one of those gaudy, slogan-slapped things that scream “World’s Best Writer” like a curse. I’m classic. Ceramic. Weighty. Deep red glaze, almost blood-dark in low light. A gift. From their mum. A Christmas morning. Hands trembling with emotion that never quite made it to speech. Wrapped … Continue reading The Mug on the Desk (And the Darkness It Holds) – Memoirs from the Edge of the Abyss
Gareth Ellis - Author 