My original title for this post was “Why is Horror Fiction Relevant in 2020?” But I quickly realized that the answers are the same for me as they’ve always been. Still, they bear revisiting:
We really ought to start by answering with another question. Why is horror’s relevancy so often called into question? There seems to be an assumption that horror is somehow a lesser genre than all others, when the truth is that it’s just as prone to excellence, mediocrity, and dreck as every other genre.
Horror is broad enough to contain the full range of human emotions, to an extent that other genres routinely struggle with. It can be fantastic or realistic, thrilling or moody, sad or humorous, romantic or mysterious, quiet or extreme. The sky’s the limit, in other words. Try slipping an axe murder into a bodice ripper, on the other hand … It’s not that it can’t be done, but I’d want to be awfully careful.
Perhaps more than any other literary genre, horror has the potential to illuminate what we have in common as a species, regardless of differences. How so? Because it tends to bring diverse groups together to face off against a common enemy, whether it’s a monster, an environmental anomaly, or a human killer. When we come face to face with a true Other, we’re given the chance to see that the otherness among us pales by comparison to our commonality. Robert McCammon’s Stinger is a fantastic example of this precept in motion. On the surface it’s a science fiction story about one alien chasing another alien across space until they both end up in Texas, where the predator puts up a force field around a small town to prevent his quarry from escaping. But really it’s a horror novel, because the inhabitants of the troubled little town of Inferno are also trapped as a result.
How can we expect to confront the deepest, darkest problems of our times if we fail to address them in our art? Don’t get me wrong. Not all fiction needs to confront violence, racism, end times, etc., but much of it should. There’s a lot of darkness in the world, and it seems to me that if we want to move toward the light, we need to be able to recognize, and avoid, its opposite. Know your enemy.The late Jack Ketchum had it right when he said in a workshop I attended that if you’re going to bring violence into a story, you’d better be prepared to go all the way. I also once attended a reading by Steve Rasnic Tem in which he mentioned that his abhorrence toward all types of violence was the impetus behind his novel Ubo.
These points aren’t meant to serve as an outline of rules. That’s another great thing about the horror genre. Just when you think you’ve pinned it down, a visionary comes along and changes things up. Mary Shelley set a certain standard, of course, by making her monster in Frankenstein sympathetic (another science fiction novel that’s really a horror novel, by the way). Some hundred and seventy years later, Clive Barker would take this thinking to new heights. Others have been redrawing the boundaries of the genre in recent years as well: Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Paul Tremblay, to name a few.
Do I see these things at play in my own work? I think I do. I hope I’m not overly conscious of them while I’m writing, but I think the above observations show themselves in my collection Jagged Edges & Moving Parts, for instance. My next two or three books will not be in the horror genre, but when I return with a planned collection of all-supernatural tales of terror, you can bet some of the ideas touched on here will be on my mind. May they haunt you pleasantly as well.
Thank you Pete for a great guest post and for sharing it with us here at One-Legged Reviews.
Today we have a Guest Post from Brian Fatah Steele, author of the upcoming release CELESTIAL SEEPAGE. This new novel will be release on Oct. 18th from Alien Agenda Publishing.
I really enjoyed Brian's last novel BLEED AWAY THE SKY, and am looking forward to this new release.
Brian's post gives you 10 more works of Cosmic Horror to check out. Just click on the book title to be taken to the works Amazon page.
I would like to thank Brian for joining us today and make sure to pre-order CELESTIAL SEEPAGEnow.
TOP 10 FAVORITE COSMIC HORROR NOVELS
by Brian Fatah Steele
I have my own cosmic horror novel coming out this October from Alien Agenda Publishing, but more on that later. Let’s talk about some other amazing works, books written in the last ten years or so. Cosmic horror novels that I have loved, that I love to talk about. While I’m a fan of Lovecraft’s work, these are all ones that have created their own mythos, so no homages here. Also no novellas or collections, but I do enjoy genre-bending stuff, so don’t be surprised to see some titles other purists might not necessarily consider cosmic horror. In no particular order...
While SanGiovanni has become famous for a number of excellent series she written, this stand-alone novel was the first I read by her, and remains my favorite. It captures the sheer majesty and insanity of the best cosmic horror, with insane asylums, dimensional portals, and gross monsters. The book is written in a style that makes it accessible to readers from any corner of the fandom, commercial yet true to the genre.
One of the most literary horror novels I’ve read in the past few years, this book straddles that line between cosmic and weird. A tale within a tale, everything within is gripping and tense, often off-kilter as the reader progresses further into the darkness. More subtle than some, the descent is still horrifying.
Readers of Barron will recognize the Old Leech Mythos from numerous short story tales, and that’s exactly how this novel is presented –as a series of connected shorts. Barron’s work is iconoclastic, with some portions exquisite and terrifying, while others dense and slow. Saturated with cosmic nihilism, it’s literary, yet fun, THE CRONING can appeal to a wider range of readers, people looking for something more in their horror than simply zombies and vampires.
Simply put, I’m jealous I didn’t write this book. I absolutely love it, and it’s one of my new favorites. Adventurous cosmic horror full of its own lore and unique characters, a tale both brutal and hysterical. Matthew Davis has created a wonderfully insane mythos all his own that continues on with more books in the series.If you’re looking for loser mages, fallen angels driving muscle cars, ancient books of evil, and zombie pigs, this book is for you.
Another author who made his name with astounding short story work, the book affects the reader in an almost synesthesia-like fashion. You feel the madness as you delve into the pages, deeper into the dark frontier. Smith writes in a style that makes the vile seem beautiful. It’s that illusion of beauty, of intimacy, that allows the horrors to flow so easily. Burroughs and the beat writers are not the only influences at play here, along with a healthy dose of H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker. RIDING THE CENTIPEDE is something unique, insane, and terrifying... something worth seeking out.
A genre-bending book that takes cosmic horror and throws in urban fantasy and historical fiction. Bizarre, dark, and often humorous, you have to wonder at the utter nihilism of this universe. The reader doesn't have all the information, but we are given enough clues, and enough insight to these characters and their strange corner of Victorian England to find the magic and mystery. Oh, plus Hawker and Boon are the best.
A stunning, character-driven tale that keeps you turning pages. A slow burn of heavy metal and cosmic horror, wonderfully told. Peak draws you in, and lets things unfold organically, almost as if you’re watching a documentary. At no point do you question the validity of events or motives, but simply accept this is all happening. When it all boils down, this is an untold tale of behind-the-scenes music industry and ancient, galactic monstrosities.
While some might not consider this cosmic horror, upon consideration, I find it hard not to. There are gods, cults, portals, and monsters! The Sisters Of Slaughter deliver a brutal and brilliant tale of mythological horror that’s hard to put down. Utilizing a fascinating archeological theory, they build on that to create a contemporary piece of extreme horror that will satisfy fans of many genres.
Another title that blends cosmic horror and urban fantasy, this book had a huge impact on me when I read it almost a decade ago. A trapped city, magic run amok, tarot cards revealing ancient gods, and a young woman with a secret past. The mythos here is quite original, the characters well developed and the genres blending perfectly.To me, GHOST OCEAN remains not only an influence, but a woefully overlooked masterpiece.
Now, if you dig any of these books above, let me tell you about mine.CELESTIAL SEEPAGE is a short novel of cosmic horror put out by Glenn Rolfe at Alien Agenda Publishing, edited by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi, with cover art by Don Nobel, and the kind support of Maurice Broaddus. It’s a stand-alone work about dimensional prisons, refugee gods, remixed realities, lunatic tyrants, ravenous hordes, and galactic genocide. All these incredibly talented authors above helped allow me to create this story in some way.
Sure, CELESTIAL SEEPAGE is about monsters and gross stuff, but I wrote it the first year after the last U.S. Presidential election. It’s also about greed, intolerance, and zealotry. The book is as much about higher entities making disgusting mixed drinks as it is about the collapse of the American town. A lot of cosmic horror deals with the unknowable, but this also has an urban fantasy vibe, filled with action, humor, and just plain weird stuff.
I invite you to check out CELESTIAL SEEPAGE on Oct. 18th from Alien Agenda Press on Amazon. It’s available for pre-order now.
Today we are joined by author Tim Meyer. Tim is the writer of numerous books and has been included in several anthologies. His stories range from haunted house to creature features to his upcoming novel of cosmic horror.
Many authors like to think of their books becoming a movie, and Tim has put together a stellar cast wish list for the new novel 69.
It probably wouldn’t surprise you that I’m a huge fan of movies, but it might surprise you that I don’t fantasize (much) about my books being turned into movies. That said, I don’t usually think about which actor or actress would be right for my characters. I know some writers do, but I don’t - usually - until well after I’m finished. Usually when I don’t know what to write for some promotional post (ha!). I’ve always enjoyed visualizing my characters in their own image and not people I know or celebrities I follow. Sometimes it’s hard. Most of the time it’s not.
Anyway, if 69 were turned into a movie, here’s whom I would cast if given the choice.
Amanda Guerrero - Aimee Garcia - Garcia has a big list of TV credits and some movie credits, and I think she’s a superb actress, perfect for carrying any lead role. From what I’ve seen her in (Lucifer, Dexter) I’ve really enjoyed. She would be the perfect choice to portray Amanda, lead investigator for the CDC, and bring to life her intelligence, anger, and strong will. The character would benefit from Garcia’s range, as Amanda experiences so many different emotions while investigating the strange happenings at Spring Lake Assisted Living. Aimee Garcia is an actress on the rise, and, in general, I would love to see her in more stuff.
Joe Barnes - Brad Pitt - Okay. Well, I can dream, can’t I? Brad Pitt’s been one of my favorite actors throughout the years, mostly for what he brings to some of cinema’s most interesting characters. The role of Barnes would be awesome for him. Joe Barnes is a member of Amanda’s team, tasked with keeping his boss in check. Not to mention, the challenges he faces forces him to confront his own past, which would make Pitt an interesting choice for the role. Plus, it’s friggin’ Brad Pitt.
Phelps - Aubrey Plaza - Aubrey Plaza is one of my favorite actresses working right now, and she’s been in some great stuff lately (Child’s Play remake, Legion). I think she’d bring something special to the third member of Guerrero’s team, the analytical researcher who also must confront her history while dealing with the unsettling terrors hidden in Spring Lake.
Kim Charon - Gwyneth Paltrow - Paltrow has considerable range as an actress and the role of Kim Charon would probably require someone of her talents. Charon is the director at Spring Lake who wants to keep the strange happenings very hush-hush. She’s prone to angry outbursts and is overall very hostile toward her guests. I think it would be interesting to see Paltrow step into the role of Kim Charon, considering what she brings to the table as a performer.
Well, there you have it. The cast in 69 isn’t very large, and I’ve enjoyed experimenting with this small ensemble. I think it allows me to dive deeper into these characters’ headspaces and in a lot of ways I think that’s been pretty helpful. The novel I’m currently working on has a huuuuuuuuuge cast, and it’s been a challenge managing their point-of-views. Anyway, I really enjoyed writing 69 and I hope you consider picking up a copy when it drops on October 1st!
Just always keep in mind: The Field will remember. Everything is sixty-nine.
Today I am excited to have a Guest Post from Author Steve Stred. Steve has 9 books under his belt, including his newest release THE STRANGER, with new work on the way. You can visit his website HERE for loads of info on the author and his works. Steve is from the Great White North and today shares with us some of his writing inspirations.
How two Canadian’s made me a better writer
by Steve Stred
“So you’ve got a direction, but not a destination?” – Biker, One Week (2008) played by Gord Downie.
Hello. My name is Steve Stred and I am Canadian. We may already be friends or acquaintances
over on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. You may just be a fan of my work as a new indie author who writes dark, bleak horror. Or heck, you may even just be a fan of my reviews over on Kendall Reviews.
No matter how we met or became friends, whether in real life or through social media, you’ll more
than likely know that I am a proud Canadian. I grew up in the super small, unincorporated community of Burton, British Columbia. Approximate population - 100 people. Sometimes more,
sometimes less. We were roughly thirty minutes from the town of Nakusp and three hours from
Kelowna. (Google it – go ahead I’ll wait. Yeah, see how small it is? Now you zoom in – see that
ball field in the middle? My childhood home is the one just to the right of it. When you zoom in as far as you can and it says Burton Main Rd – our home is just to the right of ‘Rd.’ That’s my mom’s car all blurry. She still lives there.)
I loved my childhood. I spent a lot of time by myself in the woods behind our house and really
learned to utilize my imagination to create different games etc. I also loved playing sports and enjoying the outdoor offerings, which has been a big inspiration on my writing. I recently revisited my hometown while at my Grandpa’s memorial and I was struck with just how many of my stories, novels, and novellas are based on places and things from there.
But I didn’t really grow up wanting to be a writer. It was a combination of two other Canadians;
Gord Downie and Andrew Pyper who gave me the confidence to pursue writing.
For those who don’t know, Gord Downie was the lead singer for the Canadian rock band The
Tragically Hip. I discovered The Tragically Hip on Much Music. The song “Ahead by a Century” from the album “Trouble in the Henhouse” blew my mind. It was Canadiana through and through and haunted my brains. To this day, when I hear this song, it sticks in my head for weeks.
The Tragically Hip – Ahead by a Century
Though this came out in 1996, I didn’t explore much more of the Hip’s music until I heard “Bobcaygeon” from the album “Phantom Power” released in 1998. The lyrics to this song are few powerful and allude to a different moments in Canadian history.
Not only is ‘One Week’ one of my all-time favourite movies, it also inspired my short story ‘Jim’ from my collection Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery. The premise of the movie and my story – where one day you simply find out you have a terminal disease and don’t have much time left really gets to me. More so now that I have a young son, but I think it’s a frightening thing that could happen. And yes I do dwell on this frequently.
Oddly enough, there is a horrible, strange connection between ‘One Week’ and Gord Downie. You see, Mr. Downie appears in the movie as Biker Guy. Joshua Jackson, yes of Dawson’s Creek and Fringe fame, plays the main character Ben. So Ben heads West and along the way runs into everyday Canadians. One such character is Biker Guy who Ben meets at a motel. That meeting leads to this interaction;
Biker Guy: “You know they’ll approve Medicinal Marijuana for Cancer treatment.”
Ben: “Why did you bring up Cancer?”
BG: “I had an ass-load once.”
Ben: “So you got treatment?”
BG: “Actually... it went away on its own.”
Ben: “Seriously?”
BG: “Nah, I’m just shitting you man. I got treatment.”
On May 24, 2016, Gord Downie was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Brain Cancer.
Now you are asking yourself – where does Andrew Pyper fall into this equation?
Great question. Let me tell you.
I’ve been reading horror/thrillers for almost 30 years, ever since my mom’s friend, our neighbour let me borrow some of her Stephen King books. I stuck to the tried and true and mostly read King for many years.
Then, in 2015 I was in a Walmart in Abbotsford, BC and I was looking through their paperback section where they typically have 2 for $15. I’ve told this story a number of times, but it really is a in key moment both my journey as a reader but also as a writer.
In the 2 for $15 section that day, I spotted ‘The Demonologist’ by Andrew Pyper and ‘The Troop’ by Nick Cutter. I read the synopsis for both and was very intrigued. I also saw that both of them were Canadian. I went into shock. I’d been a pretty sheltered horror reader for many, many years and to see that not one but two authors from Canada had books out like this, really threw me for a loop. To see a Stephen King blurb on Nick Cutter’s book and to read that Pyper’s book was an International Bestseller was amazing to my Canadian reader’s brain.
I talked about it so much my wife finally told me to go back and just buy them, so I did. Don’t get
me wrong, I absolutely love ‘The Troop,’ but it didn’t speak to me like ‘The Demonologist’ did.
Pyper embraced being a Canadian and actively includes Canadian locations in his books. I’d
never experienced it before and it left me thrilled (and my wife a bit annoyed at how much I kept talking about it.) I grabbed Pyper’s other books ‘Lost Girls’ and ‘The Damned’ next and when I began reading ‘Lost Girls’ and it was set in Northern Ontario I could have cried. I’d finally found my author.
As I started my writing journey, I knew that it was ok for me to base my stories around my
childhood haunt in Burton. I try not to ever use specific locations as I like to leave some
ambiguity as well as to allow the reader to use their imagination and place the location somewhere they’ve been, but all of my releases have been based on real places, real locations in and around Burton. I have a few upcoming releases that aren’t, but for the most part – anything wilderness related I’ve released – Burton.
By Andrew Pyper showing that it was ok to embrace Canadiana and use real Canadian locations I was able to write how I wanted to write. After all, if my favourite author (and bestseller) can do it, then why can’t I?
I spent the month of May celebrating my love of Pyper and it’s still ongoing, but I had the chance
to interview Andrew via email. I’ll remember it forever and can’t thank him enough. I even made sure to ask him about any difficulties he’d come across from being a Canadian author and was happy to see that it wasn’t anything major. (Condensing his reply – essentially everyone thinks Canada is really far away.)
But my Gord Downie – Andrew Pyper connections don’t end there. I really respected just how much Mr. Downie spoke out about reaching people and fighting for the rights of the less fortunate. He became an advocate for Aboriginal Rights and spoke out about environmental issues frequently.
After his diagnosis The Tragically Hip announced a farewell tour, which culminated with their last
performance, a home town show that was also aired live on our national television channel, the
CBC. I had hoped to get tickets for me and my father in law Peter in Calgary, but sadly they sold out in minutes.
On August 20, 2016 the band performed one last time in Kingston, ON. It happened during the Summer Olympics and CBC cut through coverage off to go live and showed the entire concert commercial free. I watched it while my wife puttered around the house (we were only a week
away from our son joining us at that time.) I cried pretty much from the opening song (Fifty-Mission Cap) to the last song from their encore, which you may have guessed was Ahead by a Century.
“I write every day. I walk around in silent conversation with my latest unfinished songs.”— Gord Downie, 2009.
While the quote discusses Downie’s approach to songs, it’s how I’ve always approached my stories. It’s how my brain works and functions.
As I continued writing I kept Downie’s words front of mind and my belief that is was ok for me to be a Canadian Horror Author. I wrote a blog once called “I’ll never be a bestseller... and that’s ok,” and I still stand by that sentiment. I write stories I want to read, stories that I need to tell, stories
from where I’m from. I believed this because Andrew Pyper was Canadian and his books connected with me, which meant just maybe my stories might connect with others as well.
After those first three Pyper releases, the next book of his that I read was “The Wildfire Season.”
The story follows a chief of a forest fire brigade. I smiled frequently while reading this book, as
Pyper mentioned numerous small towns in Western Canada that I’d visited. I was also intrigued
as the story itself is set in Ross River, in the Yukon, which is very rare to read Yukon based thrillers.
On October 18, 2017, I was in Peace River, Alberta for our regional clinic for work. I finished reading ‘The Wildfire Season’ as we flew up. Just before lunch that day the news began to trickle out that Gord Downie had passed away at the age of 53. As we always do in Peace River, we ate lunch at Tim Horton’s. The reason Ben decides to ‘go West,’ in the movie – a Tim Horton’s Roll-Up-the-Rim cup has it printed on the inside. When me and my colleague had finished lunch, he drove me up to an overlook so that I could see the town and the mighty Peace River. I’d never been in the town before and wanted to check it all out. As we drove up the winding road the local radio played “Ahead by a Century.” Part of their ongoing tribute to Mr. Downie that day.
Recently, I was back in Peace River for work again and wouldn’t you know – I was reading “Trade
Mission,” by Pyper. This odd Canadian connection continues.
I hope one day to meet Andrew, shake his hand and thank him for inspiring me in a way I didn’t know I needed. I’ve been fortunate now to strike up a casual social media friendship with him, messaging occasionally and getting butterflies when I see that he’s taken the time to reply. I never like to feel like I’m bothering anybody, so I need to keep myself in check from not messaging him every day.
When it came time for me to really look at writing my newest release “The Stranger,” I had the
confidence in myself to pursue the environmental and bigotry story lines because these two Canadians laid the foundation down for me to be confident. I thought about Gord Downie’s work with Aboriginal rights and people. I looked at Andrew Pyper’s scope of work and his dedication to not being afraid of saying he’s Canadian in a literary world populated with Best Sellers from other countries.
And I looked at myself and thought about the road I’d taken to get here.
They did it before me.
I knew I could do it.
So I did.
And I can’t thank them enough for making me believe in my Canadian-ness.
“I love this country. I love my idea of this country.” — Gord Downie, 2012
* Thanks Jim & One Legged Reviews for all your support and for inviting me to contribute a guest column!
It has been a busy week here at One-Legged Reviews as we relished in the light of the Full Moon and celebrated Werewolf Week.
Today we are joined by author and publisher Glenn Rolfe. I have been a big fan of Glenn's work for some time and he has contributed to our site in the past. I was very excited when he was able to closeout our week with his look at his love of werewolves.
Also I wanted to mention that THE BEAST OF BRENTON WOODS by Jackson R Thomas, one of my favorite books from last year, will be released in Audio Book format of April 16th from Tantor Audio and featuring the voice talent of Joe Hempel.
If you have not read it yet make sure to check out my past review and add it to your TBR list.
Now let's finish out our howling-good week and welcome Glenn Rolfe.
WOLFING OUT
by Glenn Rolfe
My obsession with the werewolf actually began in the early 80s when I saw Michael Jackson’s video for THRILLER. Man, that opening scene scared the bejesus out of me! Like lots of things when I was between the ages of 5 and now, despite the fear, I kept going back for more. Yeah, back in the day, we didn’t own a VCR. We would go down to the Home Vision Video store and rent one of the Quasar VCRs that you loaded the tape into the top. I remember when Jackson released the “Making of Thriller” VHS. I got my dad to rent it for me again and again. Seeing how they applied Michael’s make up made it all less frightening, but I was amazed (and stilled scared whenever I watched that opening scene).
After that, my brother introduced me to SILVER BULLET. Still one of my favorites. Thinking of a kid stuck in a wheel chair and discovering who the town beast was? Man, that was powerful stuff for a kid. Then he faces him down?
When I decided to try my hand at writing, I noticed that there weren’t too many cool werewolf books. It was mostly zombies and vampires. I had an idea for one and I went for it!
The result was BLOOD AND RAIN(Cemetery Dance Publications). First picked up by Samhain Publishing, BLOOD AND RAIN was a hit for me straight out the gate. When Samhain crumbled, well, it eventually (as in just last month) landed with Richard Chizmar’s Cemetery Dance Publications.
In my story, we have a sheriff, Joe Fischer, that makes mistake after mistake trying to do what he thinks is right. He’s a flawed individual with a good heart and seemingly everyone’s best interests in mind. Unfortunately, he screws up as much as he gets it right. BUT does he save his town? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
Last year, I started publishing a few titles for some friends. One of those books is another werewolf story, THE BEAST OF BRENTON WOODS, from Jackson R. Thomas. In that story, a teen named Ben Cutter has a strange connection to a local legend, The White Wolf. I did say “legend”, right? Or is it? When bodies start piling up, Ben feels closer to what’s happening than he should. A small town with many secrets is about to explode.
I love werewolf stories. And if you do too, you should check out these other amazing titles:
