protean depravity

Here's my latest wrap up; enjoy! The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata Zapata's debut, The Lost Book of Adana Moreau very elegantly and very skillfully braids the intersecting lives of a myriad of people, concentrating on a frame story revolving around Chicagoan Saul Drower and Maxwell Moreau, grandson of the late ingenious science fiction writer Adana Moreau. It is a love letter to science fiction, parallel universes as well as storytelling in general and really has the potential to enchant you. I'm a sucker for the "story-within-story" technique, so was really delighted Zapata uses it so masterly here. Unfortunately I did not read it in print, I listened to the audiobook. And the thing with audiobooks is that if you don't click with the narrator it can substantially reduce your enjoyment of the book and that happened to me here. I might try reading it in print at a later stage maybe. Love in the Time of Dinosaurs by Kirsten Alene When a few m...

I have a new favorite horror author who has me in a proper frenzy - a Hailey Piper frenzy. Within the last month I have read three novellas by her ( Benny Rose, the Cannibal King; The Worm and His Kings; The Possession of Natalie Glasgow ) and can't get enough of her writing, she's that good. Even though I didn't always like her choice of stories, that's not the case with The Worm and His Kings , which I would say is the best horror book I have read this year so far - this book blew-my-mind! We follow the story of Monique, who lives in the tunnels under New York City after she and her girlfriend Donna lost their jobs and became homeless. But that’s not the biggest of Monique’s troubles; Donna disappears without a trace too. Word is under the streets that there is a talon-ed and absolutely huge creature called “Grey Hill” lurking underground snatching women and Monique is convinced that Donna was taken by this monster. But it turns out Grey Hill is nothing but ...

Elizabeth Hand is one of those veteran authors that genre aficionados know and appreciate but who has never made it completely into the mainstream. Honestly, this is a big shame, because every single book by her is a professionally written world of its own - well crafted, well researched, always with an extra mile beyond the ordinary story line. Her Locus and Shirley Jackson nominated latest book Curious Toys is no different; it combines elements of historical fiction, crime fiction and horror in a way that will keep you up at night turning the pages. I for my part enjoyed reading it so much that I carefully rationed the pages so that I wouldn't devour it within a couple of days in my haste and in order to prolong my enjoyment. Truth is, this isn't only a book. This is a captivating time capsule that will carry you away to the early 20th century and that definitely lives up to its title! It's August 1915 and the Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago features many curiosit...

Photo by Felix Mooneeram I'm always excited about new horror movies and right now I'm downright psyched there are so many new pictures I can watch for my upcoming lockdown spring film festival at home. Unluckily, the release dates of some movies I have been dying to see have been postponed AGAIN (looking at you handsome Sir Gawain, sigh) making it impossible for me to watch them in the near future. But as another Sir once said you can't always get what you want, so let's take a short look at the movies I do have a very probable chance of seeing this spring.

Here are the reviews for some more of my latest reads. I am recently really trying to diversify my reading and not to get stuck on horror alone. That's why miraculously there are two regular fiction and one science fiction books among this week's short reviews. Enjoy! 

  She-Pack (2018), courtesy of FGBFF  So, it has almost been two weeks since I had the pleasure of having the great Final Girls Berlin Film Festival (FGBFF) in my own living room. Although it was a weird feeling to attend an online film festival, it was also much cooler than I had expected it to be. I had no doubts that the selection of the organizers would be flawless, but what about the lack of chit-chatting in foyers, showing up for one movie but then spontaneously deciding to stay for a discussion too, buying yet another FGBFF t-shirt or bag, and the whole atmosphere? Well, unfortunately not this year. Or at least not this year in February, because there will hopefully be a second festival around Halloween at the City Kino Wedding - for the moment being that is nothing but a utopia in which we'll all be vaccinated... So, some of the charm of the festival wasn't there this year, but I found lots of joy in other things. There is, for instance, something extremely cozy in be...

Your favorite electronicon-storytelling project from Norway is back! And they're sponsored now, I can't believe it!! Check out this trailer (!) and the declaration: 

Here are the new short reviews! Unluckily, this time it is all about books that I would rate as average except for Negative Space and Crossroads which are very solid stories. I don't know, maybe it's the lockdown winter or maybe it really is the books, but this time I found it hard to feel much excitement for the books I've read. I still hope you enjoy them.

  In my ears the new year's fireworks were a starting signal for a project I have been longingly waiting for the last few months: the opportunity to read and review the complete “Rewind or Die” series for the Otherland Newsletter; a sum total of 23 retro-horror paperbacks (I recently realized that the series isn't even complete yet, so it's still counting!) inspired by 70s, 80s and 90s horror movies. Ever since I first saw and read Cameron Roubique's Disco Deathtrap from this series I am dreaming about these colorful little books with amazing cover art and extremely over the top story lines. Tongue-in-cheek, bizarro, absurd, gore-splatter, wild ride or pulpy are terms that come to mind describing this incredibly fun series that I will happily read and discuss for you guys in the near future. Recycling alarm - before you all jump on me; yes, I have already reviewed the first book and published it here among the short reviews last month, so sorry for that. To my defense,...