I hope you’re all keeping wonderfully wicked and well. First things first, forgive my brief disappearance into the ether. I promise I wasn’t dragged into the underworld or claimed by some ancient seaside entity… I was simply out of the country for a week.
My husband and I escaped to Tunisia for a short break, sunshine (kind of) instead of shadow for once, and while I did schedule a couple of posts before I departed, they were but meagre offerings to keep the crypt door slightly ajar in my absence.
But fear not… I have returned.
I’m back at my desk, candle metaphorically lit, mind brimming with deliciously dark ideas for future posts. Expect the usual hauntingly cosy chaos, horror book reviews to devour, games to survive (or not), and films to either worship or lovingly tear apart.
As always, this little corner of the macabre is ours…So if there’s anything you’re dying to see me review drop your suggestions below.
I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but here in Scotland it’s been constant wind and rain lately which is perfect weather for getting curled up with a book. I’ve just finished The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones and wow… this one has really stayed with me.
“What I am is the Indian who can’t die. I’m the worst dream America ever had.” – Good Stab
I’ve read two of Stephen’s other works (The Only Good Indians and My Heart Is a Chainsaw, which I read on holiday last year) and, while I know I haven’t read enough of his back catalogue to really justify saying this… I truly think this is his masterpiece.
The novel begins in 2012, when a diary written in 1912 by Lutheran pastor Arthur Beaucarne is discovered hidden within the walls of a building. It’s passed on to his living relative, Etsy Beaucarne a failing academic desperately hoping to secure tenure. She believes transcribing the diary for publication might finally bring her the academic recognition she’s been striving for.
What follows is a story absolutely seeped in true horror. I will say upfront that there’s a lot to unpack here, and the following content warnings very much apply: graphic violence, death, racism, child death, rape, death by suicide, animal cruelty, animal death, and sexual content.
Through a nested narrative structure, we learn about Good Stab, a Pikuni man who finds himself turned into a vampire. As Good Stab tells his story to Arthur in the form of a confession, Arthur initially dismisses it as nothing more than a tall tale. But when a string of brutal murders begins happening outside the city limits, Arthur starts to question whether there may be some truth in his “confessor’s” stories after all.
I won’t give away the ending in case you choose to read it, but needless to say there’s a reason Good Stab has chosen Arthur as the person to confess his crimes to and it will (and should) make you deeply uncomfortable.
Stephen Graham Jones.
There’s nothing light about this book. There’s no happy ending. It’s steeped in, and woven directly into, real history involving the Pikuni (Blackfeet) people and the Marias Massacre. This is a novel about excavating truth and vengeance, even when doing so drags you further and further away from the person you once were.
It’s tragic. It’s gory. And the real horror lies in the fact that these things actually happened. This is genocidal history framed as horror and offers a fresh take on vampire lore which further leans into the loss of identity and ones self.
I’ve seen reviews from readers who found the prose hard to follow and ended up DNF’ing the book, while others said they simply didn’t “get it.” Personally, I think SGJ writes in an oral style which at times it feels like a stream of consciousness and I think that works incredibly well here.
SGJ doesn’t sugarcoat the brutality of the past to make it more palatable for a modern audience. He leans fully into it, and it leaves a mark. This is an incredible novel and one I implore you all to read. It gets 5 out of 5 skulls from me.
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read this one, so why not comment below.
Just to mix things up, I’m going to talk about one of my recent reads: Hideaway by Dean Koontz. I’ve read a handful of Koontz books before and found them a bit hit-and-miss. This one wasn’t much different, but at only £1 in a local charity shop, I had to pick it up!
The cover of version I bagged in the charity shop!
Published in 1992, Hideaway follows Hatch Harrison, who dies in a car crash (he’s clinically dead for 80 minutes) before being resurrected by a brilliant doctor and a team of specialists. After his return, he begins experiencing visions and images that seem to come from a killer calling himself Vassago.
As the story progresses, the connection between Hatch and the killer grows stronger, and Hatch becomes convinced that Vassago is coming for his family. Especially when people linked to him and his wife Lindsey start to turn up dead!
Of all the Koontz books I’ve read, I found the concept here genuinely interesting, and the characters are reasonably well fleshed out. The pacing works too, as we switch between key characters often enough that the story doesn’t ever feel like it’s dragging.
One of the standout chapters, in my opinion, is the one that reveals how and when Vassago first killed someone at the age of 12. Because it’s written from the perspective of a child, it feels incredibly unsettling and really amplifies the horror.
Apparently the 1995 film adaptation was so bad, Koontz tried to have his name removed from the credits!
There are also lots of references to religion and religious iconography. Having been raised Catholic, much of it felt familiar to me, though some readers might need to do a little digging to catch all the nuances. Still, I don’t think it detracts from the story or its impact, so if you have NO knowledge, you’ll be fine.
That said, the last few chapters felt really rushed, and the ending was, in my opinion, incredibly anticlimactic and the resolution was a little cheesy and made my eyes roll. It was quite disappointing after what had been an otherwise solid read.
I’m giving this one 3 out of 5 skulls because I did enjoy the majority of it, it was just the ending where it fell flat.
Have you read it? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so why not comment below.
Here I am again with another post, only this one is a little different. Instead of talking about a book, I’m going to be talking about some of my favourite podcasts and YouTube channels. During the day when I’m working, I like to stick YouTube or a podcast on in the background as it allows me to focus on the story whilst I work. It’s something I’ve done since I was younger. I know some people can’t focus on work if there are any distractions, but for me, it takes away the feeling of the task at hand being so mammoth. And when I go to bed, I like to listen to a podcast. Something which my husband doesn’t always appreciate given the content.
It won’t surprise most of you to know that I like horror and all things spooky. But I also find true crime interesting as well as podcasts/videos about some of my interests like Buffy, True Blood and books. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite podcasts and YouTube Channels.
Podcast – CaseFile This is one I’ve been listening to for years. It’s an Australian True Crime podcast, narrated by a man who remains anonymous. The great thing about this podcast is the writing. The story flows naturally and looks at the victims prior to their death, the murder and investigation and what happened afterwards. Before each podcast the narrator will give a warning about the types of things that will be discussed so that you have the option to turn off, if you find the content too triggering.
Podcast – The NoSleep Podcast I’m sure plenty of readers may already be familiar with this one. This is an anthology horror fiction podcast that was created from the popular subreddit NoSleep. The stories are narrated by voice actors, which makes it more immersive and production quality is incredibly high. You can tell alot of care goes into these episodes. Sometimes, they’ll feature one lengthy story for an episode and they never disappoint. In fact, if I’ve piqued your interest enough, I highly recommend listening to the 25th Episode of Season 12 – Whitefall It’s one I’ve listened to multiple times and the sense of tension and horror is palpable.
Podcast – Truest Blood Now this one won’t be for everyone, but personally I loved the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris and really enjoyed the TV show True Blood. This is a weekly podcast hosted by Kristin Bauer van Straten (who played Pam) and Deborah Ann Woll (who played Jessica) as they watch an episode and dissect it, alongside a special guest star who is usually linked to the show. I really enjoy hearing the women talk about their experiences and you can tell that they really loved working on the show. If you’re a Truebie, this is a good one!
YouTube – Coffee House Crime It’s crazy to think this channel has only been going a year, but Adrian (the host) posts solved, unsolved and strange true crime cases, weekly. One of the things I love most about this channel, is that Adrian always spends the last few minutes of the episode speaking about the victim. I often find that some people romanticize true crime (don’t even get me started on the weirdos who fancy serial killers) but he focuses on the life of the victim and the people they left behind. He also posts “espresso” videos which are shorter and good to watch if you’re on a coffee break.
YouTube – Emmie I stumbled across this channel around a month ago when I was looking for book recommendations. And I fell in love, it’s like sitting with a friend. Emma reads books of all genres and speaks about them so eloquently, that there are a few I added to my wish list. Really worth a watch if you’re looking for books!
YouTube – Kendall Rae Kendall is another true crime youtuber and like Adrian, she focuses a lot on the victims and the families of the victims. She speaks with compassion and even works with families to help them gain exposure for the case, in the hope of bringing them justice.
YouTube – MrBallen I first came across Mr Ballen on TikTok during the start of the pandemic and quickly viewed his YouTube channel. Since then, I’ve watched every video he’s posted. A gifted storyteller of the dark, strange and unusual, his narrative style is compelling. I’d be surprised if you don’t know of him already, and if not, you really should check him out.
Do you have any recommendations? I’d love to know about them, so why not comment below.
The weather has been changing here all day, we’ve gone from clear blue skies and sun, to overcast, to drizzly and windy! I’m hoping the weather clears for the weekend as I want to go for a walk along the beach.
I’m here again with another book review and this time it’s with another book by Jack Ketchum called The Lost. It follows the story of Ray who coldly shoots two girls dead with his two friends Tim and Jennifer, assisting him. So when I say the book starts off with a bang, I mean it.
The book then moves to years later, with Ray still roaming free and no charges against him, despite one cop knowing in his stomach it was Ray who did it. We learn more about Ray, by all means an arrogant, egotist with short man syndrome. He’s really unlikeable so it makes the desire for him to be exposed and caught, all the more believable.
I won’t sit here and say that all the characters are fully formed, likeable or particularly memorable, but the story still packs something of a punch. Though I did find the ending a little flat.
I’d say I preferred Off Season more than this, but there’s no denying that Jack Ketchum wrote Ray as someone to be hated and that comes off the page loud and clear.
Have you read this? I’d love to know your thoughts, so why not leave a comment below.
How are you all feeling? Well, I hope?! Today is one of those days where I really appreciate coffee. I currently have a mug in front of me and just the smell is giving me the energy I need to get through the day. I think we all get a little sluggish sometimes, so take this as a reminder to do something that perks you up and make sure you’re taking screen breaks from your work! That’s what I’m doing right now!
Well, not strictly taking a screen break but I am taking a break from work, I’ve been a little guilty recently of working right through and not even taking a proper lunch break. And I need to stop! So here I am taking a moment to write up a review about one of my recent reads, as it’s something I find enjoyable.
If you’re not familiar with the film Carrie or have never seen it, it’s still one of those things that has become part of popular culture. The name instantly brings to mind the image of a wide eyed girl covered in pigs blood at her prom. And if it didn’t before, it probably does now.
I’ve always been someone who likes to read the book before the film, but Carrie is one of the few cases where this didn’t happen. I bought this with some book vouchers I got for my birthday. I really fell in love with the cover and thankfully the content didn’t disappoint.
This wasn’t my first journey into reading Stephen King, having read The Shining and Salem’s Lot previously. I have to say, I really enjoyed Carrie. I really feel that I got better understanding of Carrie and the relationship with her mum and her treatment at school. Early in the book, I really found myself empathizing with her and just wanting to befriend her. As the story progresses we see Carrie building her strength as she becomes more aware and familiar with and of, her powers.
It’s hard to sit here and say she was right to cause so much destruction and death, but I can understand why she ended up doing what she does. Even if it was, dare I say, overdramatic? Overkill? Either way I didn’t finish the book hating her, if anything I liked her. And I think that’s what makes this book, one of Stephen King’s best in my opinion. Of course, looking at his body of work, I have barely even scratched the surface, so who knows?!
I really did enjoy this and devoured it in pretty much one night (I started reading late and got too tired, this time sleep won) so it’s also a good one if you’re looking for a classic horror to get yourself out of a reading slump.
Have you read this? Or is there a better title by Stephen King I should read? Please leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.
As I write this the sun is shining outside and the air feels different. The process of seasonal change, is hinted very subtly on the air. The smells of freshly cut grass and BBQ as people move outdoors to feel warmth on their skin after so much cold.
My reading bug has well and truly returned and I find myself falling into stories whenever I have a spare moment, so allow me to share my thoughts with you on Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. I think I bought this novel as it appeared on someone’s list of disturbing reads and I was intrigued.
The story starts when seventeen individuals decide to attend a secret writers retreat similar to the infamous Villa Diodati retreat. However they find themselves locked inside an abandoned theatre by the retreats organizer Mr Whittier, informing them they have three months to write the greatest work of their writing careers. What follows is 23 short stories, told by the various individuals that all tie back into the main story in some way.
The characters believe that to make their stories more interesting they need to up the stakes, so pretty soon they start sabotaging their survival by destroying food and utilities. And the acts become more depraved and desperate. If you’re looking for something that’s well written as an introduction to a “dark” read, this may be for you.
For some reason, one of the stories that stuck out for me and still stays with me, is a story told by Saint Gut-Free (all the characters have nicknames, I don’t think we actually learn their real names) about an incident involving a pool filter. The thought of it makes me feel sick. This book is not for those with weak stomachs, you’ve been warned!
If you’ve read it and know what I’m talking about, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below. Did the same story stay with you? Or was it another one?
I’m in good spirits and back with another book review. This one is very different from my previous entry and I will give you a heads up that if you’re squeamish, this one may not be for you.
Off Season by Jack Ketchum is about an editor from Maine who hires a remote cabin in the woods to edit her latest assignment. The peace and quiet the seemingly idyllic setting for her to do her work. But, there’s something lurking in the woods.
Cuddled in an Oodie with a book = Bliss!
A hidden cave by the ocean is home to a primitive family of humans who hunt and feed on other humans. When the editor is visited by her sister, boyfriend and some friends, she thinks it will be a weekend of drinking by the fire and catching up. But pretty soon, they are being taunted and hunted like animals.
This book isn’t particularly unpredictable, you realise very early on what’s likely to happen, but what Ketchum does so brilliantly is build the tension. And then he savagely attacks you with disturbing imagery and moments that will make your stomach turn. Personally, I had to put the book down at one point and physically squirmed. As I said, it’s not for those with sensitive stomachs.
The ending left me feeling exhausted, as I was hoping for a different outcome for the hunted, but I think that’s what makes this a good book for horror/gore horror fans. There’s blood on everyones hands.
If you’ve read this before, I’d love to know your thoughts, so please leave a comment below.
Nice of you to join me again. I don’t know about you but I absolutely love this time of year because I feel it’s the perfect time to snuggle up with a good book. I know I’m not alone in thinking that at this time of year and the approach to All Hallow’s Eve, you can’t go wrong with a book that has a creepiness to it, or is just outright horror!
That’s why I recently settled down to read Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (author of the highly successful Convenience Store Woman) And this definitely has similar themes to those in Convenience Store Woman but it’s a lot more detailed and a lot more warped. It’s a classic example of a book cover being misleading. I mean look at the front…A cute little hedgehog? Yes please.
It’s one of those books, that’s hard to talk about, because it sounds crazy and also because the amount of things the book covers are disturbing. We’re talking rape, child abuse, incest, murder and cannibalism. It’s not the darkest thing I’ve read, but it’s definitely up there as one of my most uncomfortable reads.
That aside, it is really easy to fall into this story. Told from the perspective of Natsuki, who has always felt like an outsider, she tends to feel as though she doesn’t belong with her family and believes she must be a witch or an alien. It’s only her cousin Yuu who seems to understand her, and she only gets to see him once a year during the Summer, on the family trip to Nagano. However a series of events, mean the pair may never see each other again and so they make one last promise to each other, to survive, no matter what.
Natsuki, now fully grown and in an asexual marriage, enjoys a quiet life. But her family and society have other ideas, they wonder why she hasn’t had a child yet and Natsuki feels a familiar pressure weighing on her. In the hope that some time visiting Nagano might help, she sets off to the hills with her husband in tow and about reunited with her cousin Yuu. And it’s here that things get even weirder. Which is saying something, because there’s A LOT of weird and uncomfortable stuff before this.
It’s like reading a bad dream, a sense of unease and nausea fill you, but you keep on reading because in spite of some Natsuki’s faults and bad decisions, there’s also something loveable about her too. It’s a book that looks at the pressures of society and expectation of women to be mothers. It’s a book about people who choose to not walk the path set out for them in life. It’s about the victims who go ignored or don’t react the right way. It’s a lot and it’s hard but it’s worth it!
Dark, disturbing but insanely well written. Uncomfortable to read? Yes. But worth reading? Hell yes!
I’d love to know if anyone else has read this and what your thoughts are, so please comment below.
When you were a child, did you ever pretend you were invisible? As I mentioned in my last post, I thought closing my eyes and holding my breath would make me invisible to the lady in the black dress. But what would happen if you were really to vanish without a trace? You’re there one second and gone the next, but you had no memory of where you’d vanished to…Sound interesting?
Well then, you may enjoy House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. It was one of my recent spooky reads and I have to say, I loved it…Devoured it. It follows the story of three sisters who, 10 years ago, vanished from an Edinburgh street on New Years Eve. Their parents Cate and Gabe frantically searched for their daughters, but there was no trace of them anywhere…Until, they reappeared in the same street a month later. Only this time, they were naked and had no memory of where they’d been.
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
When the sisters returned, their hair had turned white, their eyes black and they all had a strange crescent shaped scars on their necks. Pretty soon their father feels they’re not…right. The book gets even more interesting when, 10 years later, Grey (the eldest of the Hollow sisters) fails to meet up with her other two sisters Vivi and Iris. Worried, the girls go in search of Grey and find a trail of clues she’s left behind. All whilst being trailed by a mysterious man who wears the skull of a bull.
There are plenty of twists in this book that add to the air of mystery and there’s an almost ethereal quality to the world Krystal has created. It’s a perfect and easy spooky read for this time of year. If you’ve read the book, I’d love to hear your thoughts, so why not leave a comment below?!
If you’re worried about losing yourself, try black tourmaline to keep you feeling grounded.
☽ SpookyGee ☾ 