protean depravity

Every now and then there comes a book that I read digitally and feel so strongly about that I'll want to own a physical copy. I recently found that book in a wonderful, allegorical novella about identity, aggression, estrangement, inner conflicts, desires, solitude and maybe even a little about hope and despair: One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve. I just loved it. 

Alright, here are the short reviews of the last month or so. I have the feeling that I read a little less than usual, but I guess it was only a little less horror than usual and a whole lot more thrillers, most of which I didn't end up enjoying but maybe you like them? Have a look and see yourself!

The weather is warming up and what better story is there to read in these early days of spring than Hex , the story of a witch being awakened from her centuries long hibernation? Dutch author Thomas Olde Heuvelt's breakthrough novel has been quite the talk of town ever since it was first published in 2013, mainly because of its USA version for which the author decided to re-locate the story to the USA instead of originally Netherlands and to re-write the ending for the American audience. Whether you think it is the ultimate witch novel and Katherine van Wyler one of the scariest monsters of modern times or you think a re-write was unnecessary and turn up your nose on the US version - I guess the whole back story is a little sensation itself that probably did good advertising for this eerie slice of small town horror and enhanced its fame as the horror novel that was too scary for Americans (just kidding!).

Spring and summer time are also awards time and it is exciting to watch the ballots of all major horror and SFF awards slowly trickling in. A couple of weeks ago the first Bram Stoker preliminary ballots and later the final lineup were announced and that lineup is, together with the Shirley Jackson lineup as well as recommendations from my network of fellow horror fans and friends, one of the major sources from which I make my tbr-list. So naturally I wanted to take a closer look at the nominees and the books who got "so close": the books that will be competing for the titles of superior achievement in bold and below them the other shortlisted books that haven't made it into the top five. In my experience these titles are almost always just as good and if you ever wonder what to read next you can without hesitation grab one of them. There are quite a few titles I have already read and reviewed here, so I'll just link those to the corresponding Protean Depravity review...

Photo courtesy of Kate Heartfield Kate Heartfield is the author of the award winning historical novel Armed in Her Fashion and the exciting Alice Payne time travel novellas. A couple of weeks ago she celebrated the publication day of her latest book, The Embroidered Book , a historical fantasy set in the time before the French Revolution. I'm very glad to have a chance to talk with her about her writing, The Embroidered Book and her forthcoming work which is set in the universe of the Assassin’s Creed videogames. 

It's time for my latest reads again, yay! I felt a little weary of horror in the abiding February darkness and have been reading lots of world literature, books on nature and even one self-help book instead. I was feeling a little guilty that I neglected horror in this time but while writing these reviews I just realized that's not the case at all - luckily I have enough material for my wrap-up. That being said, here they are, I hope you enjoy the short reviews!

Not for the squeamish or faint of the heart, but oh, so cathartic. While all horror fiction gets my unconditional love, things get a little tricky when it comes to body horror, not to mention extreme horror. These are subgenres that at times I can react to a little too intensely and although that itself is a desired effect, and as Ellen Datlow puts it, oh so cathartic, it is also something I struggle with. Hence it is important to me to feel that I am in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing, someone who deals with the subject in a respectful manner. There is a lot of writing out there produced for shock value only, violence for violence's sake, but a few of them can do more and move you on a different, deeper level. I am convinced that Datlow can find exactly those writings for her collection and that is the reason why I went into this book with the confidence of trust. And wasn’t disappointed at all.

Unfortunately, in my various horror book clubs, reading groups and monthly reads it is perpetually difficult to enforce the nomination and selection of books written by women. Yes, we have come a long way already and more and more women authors dare to write horror. But it is a sad truth that women are seriously underrepresented in the genre, as it is the case in speculative fiction in general. To even out this disadvantage each February we celebrate women in horror month and you can read the whole story of the initiative here . So, for this occasion I have decided to present my top 10 women horror authors here and my favorite book by them. Maybe and hopefully one of these books catches your eye and you may want to try and read it. Happy women in horror month!

Here's my wrap-up of last month's reads - I will try and include as many short story collections as possible in 2022, plus, since last year I discovered that I really enjoy reading a good thriller, that streak will continue too. Enjoy!