The Annual Marc awards!

 So 2025 has been a mixed year.  I managed 79 books- even managed to finish my NYE read on NYE so as to not complicate the count from year to year. There were  a couple of disappointments and two DNFs.

In the order that I read them, my top reads of 2025 were

1- The Constant rabbit - Jasper Fforde

This is a few years old, but my first time reading it. In a world where rabbits have gained sentience and grown to human size, is there any way that humans and Lupus can coexist?

This was a brilliantly funny way to discuss some hard hitting real life themes of xenophobia and acceptance.

2- A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World- CA Fletcher

Again, this book has been around for a few years, but it was my first time.

In a post apocalypse world where basically humanity faces extinction due to 98% infertility rates in men and women, mankind has separated into far distant communes. When the narrator's dog is stolen by a visitor to their island, they set out in pursuit to get their dog back, leading to a trek across a desolate future British Isles.

The imagination on display here is formidable and the writing is fantastic.  I felt every emotion the lead character felt. One of my favourite post apocs.

3- Thornhedge- T. Kingfisher

The story of Sleeping Beauty from the POV of the fairy with the sleeping princess as the villain in a humane cage.

This was just beautifully written and told. Toadling is such a great character I didn't want the book to end.

4-Miss Benson's beetle - Rachel Joyce

This probably looks like an odd choice in between all the post apocalyptic mayhem and high fantasy concepts but it charmed me completely.  I loved the characters and was totally caught up in their quest to find the beetle, and themselves. Gorgeous gorgeous book.

5- A song for Quiet- Cassandra Khaw

A mindblowing story about a musician who can change worlds with his music, and the eldritch detective chasing him to stop it happening. All told in Khaw's incomparable prose.

6- Grace - AM Shine

The latest book by the author of The Watchers. This totally caught me from left field with some of the plot turns. And they were all earned.  the clues had been there from the start.  Add to that, Shine's deeply atmospheric prose and this was a definite highlight.

7- King Sorrow - Joe Hill

King's son proves once again that he's just as good as his daddy.  This epic story feels like its a half of its 900 page bulk.  The eponymous dragon is probably the best villain of the year. There were plot turns in this that made my jaw hit the floor.  Again, they were all earned.

8- Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke- Eric LaRocca

My first LaRocca book but certainly not my last.  This drove the chill bone deep in the title story. Probably the most psychologically twisted thing I've read in years.

It's definitely my favourite title of the year too.

9- Boys in The Valley- Phillip Fracassi

Another new writer to me. and another where I've gone out to find everything I can that he's written. Everything about this book is perfect.  The claustrophobia of the setting, the depiction of the characters, the steady increase of threat until the final 200 page outburst of violence where it's unclear who, if anyone might survive the night.

10- Watching Evil Dead- Josh Malerman

A brilliant dissection of the horror genre and the nature of creativity through the lens of one night introducing his now wife to the classic film series that is The Evil Dead. I wasn't holding out much hope before I started this, but, as you can tell from its placement here, it well and truly won me over.

10- Good Boy- Neil McRobert

The eagle eyed amongst my readers might spot something strange here, but this was too good to leave off the list.

Honourable mentions go to Grady Hendrix's Final Girl Support Group, Guy Kay's Written on the Dark, Sonny Morraine's Your Shadow Half Remains, and Charles Lambert's Little Monsters.  It was close but I already had 11 in my top 10.

My DNFs were intermezzo by Sally Rooney- where I felt huge sections written by Yoda they were, I really just don't get on with her writing- and Satantango by Lazlo longnameIcantbebotheredwith- This dragged for me.  I'm not into sentencs that go on for two pages.  It felt as dry as one of Ghandhi's flip flops to me.

The worst books that I actually finished were When the Moon Hatched by Sara A Parker- dreadful faery porn with occasional dragons- A Cruel Fate by Lindsey Davies- this was a real shame because I liked the last of her books I read but luckily this was very short- and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Arnfield- there's a good idea or 6 floating around in that book, but I thought the execution was just dull as a vey dull thing.

Number 79- Good Boy- Neil McRobert

 

This isn't connected to the recent film of the same name (which is a good thing tbh) but is one more in the series of short books set in the North West of England.

A week after the disappearance of a young boy in a playing field near her house, Margie Jones witnesses a man digging in the spot where the boy was last seen. She goes out to confront him and finds that he is burying his pet dog.

When she takes him back to her house to rest and warm up, he tells her an incredible story of the field, the dog, and the thing that lives in the field.

I raced through this on New Year's Eve and it's actually a contender for best book of the year.

This book hit nearly every emotional spot with pinpoint aim. It features a genuinely scary monster, and also a moving story of a boy and his dog, laced with gentle humour and heartbreak.

I really can't praise this book too highly. Neil McRobert is a new name to me, but I will be seeking out more of his work for absolute certain. He has the deft easy touch with his writing that drags you in and makes you care for his characters, which makes it all the more upsetting when bad things happen to them.

There are 6 books so far in this series of novellas.  The three I've read have been very good, and this one excellent. The people at Wild Hunt Books really know what they're doing.

Number 78- A Christmas Ghost Story- Kim Newman

 

I read this during Twixtmas- those couple of "what the heck" days that happen between Christmas and new Year when it's beginning to feel notably less like Christmas.

The set up is simple initially.  Angie and Rust (don't call him Russel- he doesn't like it) live in an isolated house set just outside one of the most haunted villages in England. It's December and they've started with their unusual Christmas traditions. On the first of the month, an anonymous card arrives addressed to Rust. It contains a strange and vaguely threatening message.

Every day another card arrives, each with a threatening message. All this is mixed in with Angie's clear memories of a scary show she watched as a child, but which did not exist.

As the book moves on, things get weirder and weirder and the final section of this book might be one of the strangest things I've read this year.

Rust was a great protagonist, relatable and capable of genuinely funny humour that didn't detract from the escalating threat.

The prose is polished and easily readable.  I had good fun with this.  I've read a few of Kim Newman's books in the distant past and he's always a solid reliable read.  Check out his work as Harry Adam Knight as well, especially The Fungus. 

Number 77- The Off Season- Jodie Robins

 

I'm playing catch up on the books I read over Christmas.  This short novella was my Christmas/Boxing day read. It's one of a series of horror novellas set in the North of England and published by Wild Hunt Books.  I read one earlier last year - This House Isn't haunted But We Are- and it was very good indeed.

Tommy's marriage has broken down and he's returned to his native Blackpool somewhat against his will for a friend's funeral and to watch his recently widowed father.  It's fair to say his life is not going well.  It's the off season and the whole place is depressing. The story starts with him in a small café with his dad and a small group of friends.

A group of performers show up outside despite the dismal weather and set up their stalls. The café empties steadily as all those inside are almost bewitched by their presence.  Tommy and his Dad find themselves inside the throng of revellers. Old truths come to the surface and an old wish of his Dad's is discovered.

This is a well written book that builds the atmosphere steadily.  The last half definitely worked better for me than the first half. Once the story started moving I found this was a weird and wonderful piece of writing.  I did think it took a good chunk of the book to get going though.

It's well worth reading for those who like character and family studies dealing with grief and loss and eventual hope woven in with their wyrd tales. Fortunately, I am one of those people.

Number 76- The Society of Blood- Mark Morris

 

I left it far too long to pick up book two in this trilogy, because I could not remember what was going on or who most of the characters were at the start of this one.

Luckily there are some good recaps built in so I caught up fairly rapidly. It would have been nice to have a "previously" chapter at the start of the book though.

At the end of the previous book, Alex Locke was trapped in Victorian London without the magical Obsidian Heart and therefore no way to get home to the 21st century. He has a pair of capable assistants set there with him by a future version of himself and is struggling to care for a girl he rescued from a mad doctor at the end of the first book.

Can he retrieve the heart and return to modern Britain to rescue his captured daughter?

Morris manages to create a fantastic atmosphere through his writing.  the description of the London Smogs was so detailed I cold almost taste it.  

Alex is a good narrator, never making any horror novel choices, opting for the sensible choices uless circumstances dictated otherwise.

I thought there was a little bit of an issue with pacing.  There is an awful lot of contemplation on the nature of paradoxes and what might happen to his future if he changes the past etc. There were times when I wanted him to make a decision without a half a page of what-ifs. That's a minor point though and in general the book kept me wanting to know the answers. 

The final scene of the book definitely left me wanting to read the next book sooner rather than later. He didn't fall foul of the trap of just stopping randomly either.  Several book 2s of trilogies don't bother to close any storylines and just stop. The ending of this was damned good indeed and a fitting cap to the rest of the book.

Highly recommended, but you will definitely need to read the first book first.  This is not a jump in at any point story.

Number 75- The Final Girl Support Group- Grady Hendrix

 

Now this is an absolute blast from start to finish.

Lynette Turkington is a survivor. She's a Final Girl. She survived a serial killer - twice- in her youth. Now, a couple of decades later, her life is ruled by terror that it could happen again. 

Along with 5 other Final Girls, she's part of a support group of similar survivors. When the original Final Girl dies in violent circumstances, and all their lives are targeted, it seems like Lynette's fears are being realised.

This is a fantastic piece of writing.  Hendrix manages to simultaneously satirize the whole slasher genre whilst giving us a genuinely exciting and twisty turny slasher of his own.

There are a lot of Easter eggs for fans of the slasher genre.  All of the women in the support group are named after the actresses who played the Final Girls in the specific franchises that are referenced. 

It would be brilliant to see a movie of this book with the various actresses playing "themselves" so to speak.

There are red herrings and distractions galore. I'm normally good at spotting reveals well in advance but Grady got me with this one on a few occasions. 

I blazed through this book in two days although a two hour coach trip to Leeds followed by the return leg later in the day did give me a clear 4 hours uninterrupted reading time over the weekend. This is an insanely easy read, and even without knowing the films he's mocking/homageing, it will still be an exciting roller coaster of an adventure.

An easy contender for my book of the year.

Number 74- Before Your memory fades- Toshikazu Kawaguchi

 

Book three in this series gives us four more stories set in a café where you can travel in time to see your loved ones with very strict limits.

They can't leave the chair they're sat in, so they can only meet people who have visited the café. Nothing they do will change their present day. And they must leave before their coffee gets cold.

This time around, they're in a different café with the same type of ghost and time travel. I'm not really sure why they switched the location to Tokyo because the central cast are the same, watching over the premises for the owner while she's away, and every story beat is pretty much exactly as per the eight stories we've seen in the previous volumes. 

In the last volume, we discovered that travel is possible in both directions and the one thing that happens differently in this one is that, in at least one of the stories, there is a visitor from the past as well as the new supporting cast travelling backwards.

All the morals to the stories and life lessons learned seem to be much of a muchness.

It's all very nice and genteel and the translation is pleasant on the brain. Just, three volumes in, it's feeling a little bit samey. That won't stop me reading volume 4 when I'm in the mood for something totally unchallenging next year.

Number 71- Wolf- Mo Hayder

 

This is sadly the last of the Jack Caffery novels because of the death of Mo Hayder. And I know I've managed to do these write ups slightly out of order.

A family is taken hostage in their isolated home on the outskirts of a small village. One of the family manages to attach a cry for help on the collar of their pet dog and release it, but the message is compromised and the address details are lost.

Jack Caffery, through entirely unconvincing means, is given the dog and tasked with finding the source of the message. Can he track down the ownership of the dog and rescue the family before anyone dies? Will he be able to rid himself of his own personal demons?  This is a Mo Hayder novel so the answer to that last one is "probably not" even before the book starts.

Thankfully Flea Marley doesn't feature at all in this book past a brief mention early on. 

This is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some truly disturbing sequences. She manages to build serious levels of tension. However, Caffery takes the crown from Flea Marley as the least convincing cop in crime fiction in this book. The supernatural overtones with the Walking Man character spoil the narrative for me. The book is otherwise based in a very gritty reality and they really don't fit in.

Some of Mo Hayder's books have relied very heavily on coincidence and character stupidity for the plots to work.  I thought for a good third of this that she was doing it again, but she pulled off a quite shocking reveal that suddenly upped the stakes quite intensely.

This isn't up there with Birdman and The Treatment for me, but it is nonetheless a brutal and effective thriller even with the flaws.  Now I've finished this book, I can finally get around to watching the TV adaptation.

Numbers 72/73- Face in the Crowd/The Longest December- King & O'Nan/Chizmar

 

A bit of a cheat with 2 books in one but I need to get the numbers up before the end of the year.

Whilst watching the baseball, Dean Evers spots the face of an old acquaintance in the crowd.  The problem is, he knows that they have been dead for decades. This keeps happening and things get stranger.

This is a fairly slight story with a predictable ending but it's a fun and very quick read.  Dean is a nice old codger to spend an hour or so with. As per usual with King, he feels like an old friend by the end of the story.

It's never particularly scary, but it's a nice weird tale.

Bob and Katy Howard are your typical all American couple. They trundle through life with no real worries.  They're best friends with their next door neighbour.  He's even godson to their son. When the neighbour's face is all over the news as a serial killer, their lives change overnight.

This is a cracking little story that manages to ratchet up the tension effortlessly.  Told in first person from Bob's POV, we're treated to a very real feeling of what this type of news would feel like.

The guilt by association that the other neighbours throw at the family is almost palpable.  Chizmar keeps his cards close to his chest initially about whether James actually committed the crimes he's accused of, adding a whole next level of paranoia into the escalating tension.

This was my favourite of the two stories here by quite a distance. The fact that it's so grounded nd feels so plausible gives it the edge. It's a disturbing story expanded from a previously published novella (that I've never read before) called The Long December.

This double volume was a really good buy and well worth seeking out.

Number 70- A Man Called Ove- Fredrik Backman

 

Whoops, I'm playing catch up again

This is a knockabout comedy about a grumpy old man trying to die but the universe keeps stopping him.

Ove is an elderly curmudgeon who's decided that he's had enough. Un/fortunately for him, all his efforts are thwarted by fate, or his neighbours needing help and he is slowly but surely dragged back into a life worth living.

The opening chapters are a masterclass in the steady reveal of information. There are some lovely misdirections and reveals that grabbed my interest very effectively.

The translation on this is a little ropey in places but nothing unforgivable. Ove is an engaging character and the use of chapter titles starting "A Man Called Ove" or "A man who was Ove" to denote flashback chapters is a lovely touch.

The supporting cast is not as well drawn and does include a couple of broad stereotypes but Ove is our focus and by the end of the book, I realised I was quite emotionally attached to the old sod. 

I didn't find it laugh out loud funny very often but I did have a big smile on my face for most of it- and was suitably moved by the emotional bits.

This is the first book I've read by Backman and I would certainly not be averse to reading any of his other works.

Number 69- A Cruel Fate- Lindsey Davis

 

You can see from the front cover why I picked this up.  I was looking for a quick read, and i have read one of Davis's Didio Falco book and really enjoyed it, so this looked like a great choice.

However- I'm going there sorry- its A Cruel Fate indeed if someone makes you read this book.

I am grateful for having read it because I now understand what people mean when they make the "show don't tell" criticism.

It tells the story of a captured bookseller in the English Civil War and his time interred in a dungeon in Oxford Castle.  This is mixed in with the story of a woman looking for her brother, a captured soldier, also held in the Castle.

I know Lindsey Davis CAN write, and she can do it well. I have no idea why she doesn't here. This is told in the simplest terms possible.  There isn't a single simile or metaphor in the entire book. There's no imagery, there's no style to the writing.  

It's as if the writers of  Peter and Jane (or Janet and John depending on which country you read your preschool books) got together to tell a story about a torturer in the English Civil War being mean to his prisoners.  

The present tense narration makes it feel worse. I never realised how much prose is improved by comparisons and slightly more complex language than the Tiger Who Came to Tea. In fact The Tiger Who Came to Tea is a much better book than this since the writing has a rhythm to it which this book doesn't.

The editing on this book s sorely lacking too.  How else could writing as poor as this sneak through?

Given power, Provost Marshal Smith uses it with no restraint. Why should he? He behaves like this because nobody stops him.

For that "Why should he? to make the point the author wants to make, the previous sentence should say "Given power, Provost Marshal Smith makes no effort to show restraint." or words to that effect. 

Instead of showing us how letters were sneaked out of the prison, she tells us that "Somehow letters were delivered".  It strikes me that there might have been an interesting chapter regarding getting hold of writing materials and smuggling the letter etc. but instead we get one line to TELL us it happened. The whole book is like this.

I know that this book was written for a cheap giveaway, but she could have put some effort into it. If I'd never read anything else by this writer, I would assume she just couldn't write.  

This will be dropped straight back in the charity box I picked it up from a few weeks back. 

Number 68- Barrowbeck- Andrew Michael Hurley

 

From the author of Starve Acre comes this collection of loosely linked short stories all set in the Northern England town of Barrowbeck.

I wanted to love this book a lot more than I did. Hurley is a great writer and I love the weird town set up normally (witness Malerman's Goblin, CL Grant's many forays to Oxrun Station, King's Derry/Castle Rock etc)

Unfortunately this is a very mixed bag. Some of the stories are brilliant, but others are merely quite good and feel unfinished.

There are a variety of writing styles on offer, matching the shifting timeframes. We start with a strong folk horror aspect to the founding of the town, things living in the ground granting permission for the settlers on the run from Viking raids.

We move through the middle ages and witchcraft trials before hitting the 20th century and finish off in the near future with environmental catastrophe.

My favourite in the collection is Natural Remedies set in 1938 where a childless couple is offered assistance of a supernatural nature. This was shocking and quietly heartbreaking in only a dozen or so pages.  The Strangest Case- telling about a murder trial in 1792 was another highlight.

The biggest problem with the stories being themed around the town is that there seemed very few links between the tales other than the town. Given the dramatic nature of the founding of the town, it would have been reasonable to expect those powers at work to be referenced again but they didn't seem to be. s the stories were set closer together in time in the latter half of the book, there was an occasional namecheck, or a mention of driving past a location from an earlier story, but that was pretty much the limit of it.

Overall I really enjoyed it.  there isn't a bad story in the book, but the standouts are good enough to make the others pale a bit too much in comparison. With several of the stories I was hooked throughout, with great character build up, great momentum and then they just kind of stopped rather than ended. I can't fault his style of writing, just his endings don't always land for me in these stories. When they do, they really work brilliantly. 

Number 67- The Night watch- Sarah Waters

 

This is the last of the 4 books I read last week. This one took about a day and a half when I had nothing else to do.

I read Fingersmith a few years back. After a twist I didn't see coming a third of the way through, I thought it descended into entirely predictable melodrama and was underwhelmed. I did like her writing style, but the story was somewhat lacking.

It's taken a while to try her writing again. 

This one is set in 1947, 1944 and 1941 in that order. It follows a loosely connected group of characters in the aftermath of WWII in London, and then takes us back to the events which shaped their lives.

This leads to some quite major narrative issues.  Because we never return to the 1947 timeline, I would have liked to see some endings to their storylines. Duncan has a loose ending to his story, but he's the only one. All other characters are just left at random stages in their relationships with no resolution to any plot points.

The reverse chronology is interesting in that it lets us fill in gaps as we read, but it's the only real point of interest in the narrative. Run in the usual order, this would be a perfectly standard story of assorted relationships. I was never bored reading this, but I did find myself wondering, about 200 pages in, when the story was going to start.  When I got to the end of the book, I'm not entirely sure it ever had done.

The section with the backstreet abortion is shocking and graphic in its detail and really does open a huge unanswered question about why she is still with the father of the baby in 1947. 

One of the biggest questions running through the book is why was Duncan in prison? In 1947 he's been released, in 1944 he's incarcerated but near the end of his sentence. The section in 1941 that explains it should be a dramatic highpoint of the book.  Instead it's one of the most ridiculous things I've read in years. It is truly farcical on what, in skilled hands, should have been an emotionally charged finale to his storyline. When dealing with the subject matter at hand in a serious novel, this chapter is almost offensively played for laughs.

People talk about men not being able to write women. This book pretty much demonstrates that Sarah Waters is very bad at writing men.

Her prose is nice. Her stories so far have done very little for me. I'm not sure when, if ever, I will return to her books.

Number 66- Watching Evil Dead- Josh Malerman

 

Last week I read 4 full books in 5 days.  This week I'm struggling to find the time to read one short book, let alone catch up on doing the write ups.  This was book 3 of the 4.  It was also the quickest of the week.

When I heard about this book (I follow Josh on his socials, so that was well over a year ago) I did wonder if I would like it, or even find it interesting.  But Josh has a habit of taking subject matter that I think doesn't sound promising and turning it into great stories by force of his writing. (who else could make a telepathic killer pig into one of the most terrifying literary villains I've read in recentish years?)

This is non fiction. Its the story of the night he introduced his then girlfriend (now wife) to the cinematic treat that is The Evil Dead. 

Part love story, part treatise on the creative process, part commentary on the genre, part confessional, part film analysis, part relationship drama, all driven by a manic energy that drags the reader (this one at least) through the book at a rate of knots.

The only thing I can really compare this with is Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing. King's Danse Macabre is a close relative but not really comparable IMHO. I actually felt the prose was reminiscent of Bradbury quite frequently while I read this. That's one of the greatest compliments I can pay to a book.

A life affirming story of the roots of creativity. I loved this far more than I ever expected to.  Once again just down to the power of Malerman's writing. This is probably going to be in my top 10 for the year. An easy 8.5 or maybe 9/10

Number 65- Written On The Dark- Guy Gavriel Kay

I somehow managed to go from the middle of June until last week with this book on my selves without reading it. That's the longest a GGK book has lingered unread on my shelves for a very long time.

It was well worth the wait as usual.  This time the setting is based on medieval France. 

Thierry Villar is a poet in the taverns of the city of Orane. He finds himself conscripted by the King's Provost into helping investigate the sudden violent death of the Mad king's brother and regent, the Duke De Montereau. Because he is a well known face in the taverns, he is ideally placed to ask questions and people will answer him.

He finds himself entangled in the political fallout from the death of such an important member of the aristocracy.  Combined with a possible invasion from nearby Anglcyn and the threat of civil war, he's in deep over his head.

This is written in Kay's usual smooth and hypnotic prose. There is virtually no traditional fantasy element in this book. There's no magic or mysterious powers or unexplainable events further than one character with visions.

It's shorter than many of his recent books, but no less effective for it. A worthy addition to his volume of work.

Number 64- Oktober - Stephen Gallagher

This book has been waiting around in my TBR for several years. For obvious reasons I had to, at the very least, start reading it in October. I started on the 29th (playing catch up here on quite a scale) and finished on Monday this week - 3rd November.

I love that cover, but it has almost nothing to do with the story inside.

Jim Harper is a tutor to a spoilt rich girl. When she goes to a ski resort next to an experimental facility run by her family business, Jim tags along. He injures his arm and accidentally wanders into the facility where he's assaulted by a member of staff.  To try to save his life, they inject him with an experimental stimulant they're working on.  This apparently fails and they leave him for dead and try to cover up the incident.

He's not dead though and recovers with no memory of what happened. Unknown to him, the company is still watching him and the drug they gave him may have side effects they never expected.

There are some nice ideas hidden in this book.  However it takes forever to get to them. I wasn't particularly taken by his writing style. The prose is pedestrian in the extreme and very jump-cutty (if that's not an actual word I don't care, it describes how I felt about the writing). Too much of the action happens off screen and mentioned in passing. I don't think he achieved much of an atmosphere for most of the book, where some authors would have the pages dripping with paranoia. 

There is a strong focus on the office politics of the company whose research has led to all of this in the middle section of the book.  Unfortunately, it doesn't make for the most thrilling content.

The ending of the book is rather excellent though. It more than makes up for the rest of the book. This is where pretty much all of the horror appears. If only the rest of the book had been as effective as the final couple of chapters, this would have been an easy 9/10 read. However, I struggle to award this more than 6.5 because of the slog to get through to those last pages.

Number 63- The Fisherman- John Langan

 

Another recommendation from a Facebook group and thanks again to that group.

This isn't a book that makes me realise why I love horror fiction so much, but it is a good solid read that's alternately moving and pretty damned scary.

Abe and Dan are both young widowers who work together in upstate New York. For companionship, they fish together. When Dan hears about Dutchman's Creek, near a reservoir upstate, and the things to be found there other than fish, he persuades Abe to go there on their next trip. 

After 60 something pages of good character development, the two men are told a story of the origin of Dutchman's Creek, mysterious happenings at the clearance of the villages in the path of the new reservoir, and a villainous man known as the Fisherman.  This story takes up the next 200 pages of the narrative before returning us to Abe and Dan for the last 100 pages. 

It's an interesting structure for the book, but could have been balanced slightly better.  Parts of the story within the story could certainly have been trimmed. It did seem to go on for longer than it should have IMHO.

The story moves from personal grief to cosmic horror with links to old testament and earlier mythological monsters. 

I found the Abe and Dan sections were better than the very long middle section. Abe's voice as narrator was affecting, and  could hear the new York drawl in his voice as I read it. The whole book is slow burn and atmospheric horror. When things get scary, they genuinely do raise the pulse rate (mine at least) and some of the ideas and concepts on offer are pretty disturbing.

The only flaw is that the middle section does meander more than the creeks and rivers it describes in such gorgeous detail. On the strength of this I will definitely be reading more by this writer.

Number 62- Your Shadow Half Remains- Sunny Moraine

 

This was a completely random choice for me on the strength of that gorgeous cover. 

The basic plot is a variation on Bird Box but instead of weird creatures , it's humans- specifically the eyes- that send people into their murderous and suicidal rages. 

The story starts a couple of years after the madness took hold. Riley is living in the secluded house by a lake where her grandparents slaughtered each other. She hasn't seen a human in as long as she can think. 

The time is the near future where it seems deliveries and food production have been automated. Deliveries are becoming more sporadic and more expensive, but they are still somehow happening. The electricity supply is still on as is the internet to allow her to order. 

Why there's no reference to growing her own food, I'm not sure.  This is the least self-sufficient apocalypse survivor I think I've read for some time. 

That's not a major fault though, since the book is rather brilliantly written.  The observations I just made did not occur to me in the slightest while I was reading it.

A new neighbour moves into a house down the road, throwing Riley's life into chaos. This is an exploration of grief, survivor guilt and loneliness. With some evil crows thrown in for good measure.

The biggest flaw with this book is that, despite the trips up the garden path on the way there, it did finish almost exactly as I thought it would. Is that inevitability or predictability? In this case, since I did enjoy the journey as much as I did, I'll be generous and say it's more inevitable.

The prose is fluid and Riley is a great creation.  She makes a fully sympathetic and relatable protagonist.

Another great read in my October horror marathon.

Number 61- Boys In the Valley- Philip Fracassi

 

Last year I read an advance copy of Gothic and liked it enough that I went out and bought this by the same author.  I've seen this recommended on several Facebook horror groups  so I thought it was a good choice.

I'd like to thank everyone that recommended it. The second book in a row where I can use the phrase "Books like this are why I read horror fiction".

The year is 1905 and in a church run orphanage in a remote Pennsylvania valley, the coming winter will be dangerous for more than just the sub-zero temperatures.

In the middle of the night, the Sherriff and two deputies arrive with a dying man in tow. The man was shot whilst performing a horrific ritual. HIs flesh is covered with arcane symbols, and on his death something is unleashed. 

The boys start behaving strangely, forming rival groups, and dying violent deaths at the hands of their friends.

This is about as claustrophobic as horror gets. The orphanage is miles from anywhere and escape is next to impossible.  Once the violence begins, the book becomes almost unputdownable. Fracassi has created characters that you genuinely care about so when he put them under threat, the tension is unbearable.  The last 150 pages of this book are genuinely stress inducing in the best possible way). 

Although one of the priests is cruel in his treatment of the children, Fracassi thankfully never gives in to the lazy clichés that seem to be compulsory in stories about priests and young boys these days.  The terror of what happens once whatever was in the dying man is released is more than enough.

If the ending of this doesn't raise a tear or two, then there is something wrong with you. This is an easy 9/10 for me. go out and buy it.

Number 60- Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke- Eric LaRocca

 

Now books like this are the reason I read horror fiction.

This is my first taste of Eric LaRocca but it is certainly not going to be my last.

This is a collection of three novellas/short stories.

The title story is certainly the highlight of the three.  It may well be the best piece of epistolary fiction I think I've ever read. All three stories are excellent.  But this one is just a level above.

We read the emails and Instant Message threads between Agnes and Polly, starting with a simple advert trying to sell an antique apple peeler. things quickly descend into one of the most uncomfortable pieces of fiction I've read in years.

The depiction of codependency  that builds up is masterly. The little vignettes that are dropped into the narrative are perfect little horror stories in their own right. in this story, they are stepping stones to a whole new extreme of psychological harm.

What have I done today to deserve my eyes?  I'm not sure, but I don't think this story is going to leave my brain for a long while.

The Enchantment- the second story in the book is a more straightforward narrative topped with an "oh my god how did I not see that?" revelation. 

A couple move to a remote island to try to recover from the suicide of their teenaged son. The death of the son is the only sticking point in the whole book.  His chosen method of suicide is not entirely practical, or possible to do by yourself. But that's a minor issue.

On their first night on the island, they're visited by a mysterious young man. From then on, things become more disturbing. Who is the young man?  What is his purpose? The answers are beautifully revealed.

The final story- You'll Find It's Like That All Over- is a clever little tale of social discomfort leading to something really quite nasty.

One of my favourite things about this collection is that it manages to shake this particular reader to the core without any excessive gore or any unnecessary violence. There are some unpleasant descriptions of death, but no overt gore. This is psychological horror at its finest. 

I love it. I will definitely be seeking out as much of his writing as my psyche can stand.