EDITOR'S NOTE: Norman Rubenstein penned this review of on the eve of its publication by Humdrumming last year. Because of his enthusiasm for the project, I looked forward to running this along with my interview with co-author Michael Kelly. Then the unthinkable happened: at the very last minute, Humdrumming folded, leaving Ouroboros without a home. In a rare instance of a reviewer taking action into his own hands, Norman presented the material to Larry Roberts at Bloodletting Books. Roberts acquired the novel, which also led to a stint for Norman as an associate editor at Bloodletting. Because Norman had become involved in the book's publication, I decided to run his review - which ... (more…)

It is always an exhilarating experience coming across a new writing talent, an author new to you whose work is fresh, exciting, and brings something new to the reading experience. Such is certainly the case with Joe McKinney and his paperback novel for Lachesis Publishing, titled Quarantined. The novel is as contemporary and relevant as the Swine Flu (H1N1) virus. Fear Zone has recently provided both an Interview with the novel's author, Joe McKinney, and also provided an excerpt from Quarantined. It is my pleasure to follow these up now with a review of the novel.

Quarantined is set in the San Antonio Texas of tomorrow, or next week, where a recurrence of an old virus that had previously ... (more…)

Back on December 28, 2007 I reviewed right here in the hallowed pages of Fear Zone Michael Louis Calvillo's first novel, I Will Rise. I found the novel eminently worthwhile and Calvillo to be a promising writer. The Horror Writer's Association membership agreed, as I Will Rise was subsequently nominated for the 2007 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Of course, regular Fear Zone readers will recognize Michael's name as he has been providing highly entertaining columns here on videogames and other topics for quite some time now.

Roy K. Robbins' Bad Moon Books has just released Calvillo's second novel, As Fate Would Have It. The book is available, in typical BMB ... (more…)

REVIEWS OF CHILDREN OF THE NEW DISORDER BY TIM LEBBON & LINDY MOORE, THIN THEM OUT BY KIM PAFFENROTH, R. J. SEVIN, & JULIA SEVIN, AND MARQUEE BY JOHN PAUL ALLEN

Happy 2009 to you all. The new year brings with it a bunch of new books and so I thought I'd start the year by bringing you news of three interesting new releases. The first book, Children of the New Disorder, is a novella co-authored by Tim Lebbon and Lindy Moore and is being published this month by R. J. and Julia Sevin and their Creeping Hemlock Press, in a deluxe leather-bound limited edition of four hundred and fifty copies ($35.00).

Children of the New Disorder is a fascinating and eminently readable story of a dystopian ... (more…)

Bad Moon Books is set to release the second book under its new "Eclipse" Imprint, a limited edition hardcover of approximately eighty pages total, titled Little Graveyard on the Prairie (LGOTP) by horror genre veteran author, Steven E. Wedel. In addition to the title novella, which could perhaps, with equal justification, have been labeled and referred to as being of novelette length, the book contains two additional short stories by Wedel, REUNION and NOCTURNAL CARESS, as well as a discerning Introduction by eminent author Steve Vernon and interesting artwork by artist Paul Groendes.

Many of you might well recognize Steven E. Wedel's name, as he has written, among many other books, a ... (more…)

Shane Ryan Staley's Delirium Books recently released Ronald Damien Malfi's Passenger both as a 150 copy signed limited edition hardcover, and also as its September 2008 Delirium Book Club trade softcover featured selection. Malfi is known both for his short fiction, and for his four previously published novels, including The Fall Of Never and Via Dolorosa , and has a number of forthcoming novels that are under contract over the next two years.

Passenger concerns a nameless protagonist in his early thirties who suddenly awakes on a city transit bus in Baltimore, MD. He realizes that he has no memory as to his identity, where he is, where he is going, where he lives, his past, what has ... (more…)

MACABRE MUSINGS: FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE ADVENTUROUS - BOOK REVIEWS OF MIRANDA BY JOHN R. LITTLE AND VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE: DESCENT INTO CHAOS BY DEREK GUNN

Roy Robbins and Bad Moon Books are set to release a unique and fantastic new novella by esteemed veteran author John R. Little titled Miranda. Basically this is the tale of one Michael Johnson, who literally lives his life backwards, in reverse, starting from the day he died back to the date of his birth.

As eminent author Gary A. Braunback notes in his wonderful Introduction, such stories of the sub-genre known as "slipstream fiction" are generally deemed to have begun with author Robert Nathan's 1940 novel, Portrait Of Jennie, and ... (more…)

As a preface, I recently read and reviewed for Fear Zone, Gabrielle S. Faust's wonderful first novel, Eternal Vigilance. This is a truly remarkable and memorable piece of writing. It is not all that common to experience such an artistic talent, and it is therefore worth highlighting and emphasizing when encountered. In my experience, to immediately prior or subsequent to such a fine literary discovery also come upon a second work of similar artistic and creative merit is exceedingly rare. Yet, that is just what has happened to me. Just prior to my receipt of Gabrielle S. Faust's already discussed Eternal Vigilance, I received a package from Paul Miller at Earthling Publications which,... (more…)

Celebrated author and screenwriter Harry Shannon wrote the original screenplay for the recently released direct-to-DVD film titled DEAD AND GONE. The film/DVD was reviewed on Fear Zone last month by no less a personage than Ye Olde Editor, Greg Lamberson, himself. I viewed the DVD and read Greg's review of the film, and (luckily for me and any prospective future descendants of mine) I agree with Greg's analysis of the film.

Harry Shannon, not surprisingly, also wrote a tie-in novelization of his film, which has just been released by Shane Ryan Staley's Delirium Books as a reasonably priced trade paperback edition and as the featured selection for August in Delirium's softcover Horror Book ... (more…)

Macabre Musings - Book Review: All The Lonely People by David B. Silva

June 2008, Delirium Books

Those unfortunate enough to know me well have endured with varying degrees of patience and enthusiasm my periodic musings upon the vastly beneficial impact on the Horror Genre of Shane Ryan Staley and his Delirium Books publishing company, presently one of the biggest and best specialty Horror presses in the world. Between space constraints and concerns for your sanity, I shall spare you, Gentle Readers, from such today. However, I feel compelled to at least make you all aware of one of the finest ongoing collection of books, and best values extant today within the Horror Genre - The Delirium ... (more…)