Author Archives: Robert Morrish

Deadfall Hotel by Steve Rasnic Tem; Centipede Press; 2011; 400 pgs; $65.00 US

“A curtain of gnarled skeleton oak and pine hides it from the rest of the world. The hotel is not well-lit, there is no sign, and night comes early here. The main highway bypassed its access road nearly half a … Continue reading →

Terra Damnata by James Cooper; PS Publishing; 2011; 75 pgs; £11.99 UK

When I reviewed James Cooper’s The Beautiful Red several months ago, I briefly lamented the fact that the stories contained in that collection were for the most part surreal in nature, while I preferred Cooper’s work that features more of … Continue reading →

Lest You Should Suffer Nightmares: A Biography of Herbert van Thal by Johnny Mains; Screaming Dreams; 2011; 89 pgs; £12.99 UK

The Pan Book of Horror series ran for 30 volumes, between 1959 and 1989, with the first 25 installments edited by Herbert van Thal.  The series was notable both for its emphasis on contes cruels (and some would say too … Continue reading →

Quiet, Keeps to Himself by Michael McBride; Quiet, Keeps to Himself; 2011; 322 pgs; $45.00 US

I purchased a story from Michael McBride for Cemetery Dance, I wrote a very positive review of his novel Remains, and I’ve enjoyed several other works of his, most notably Bloodletting. So it’s probably no great surprise to learn that … Continue reading →

Skullbelly by Ronald Malfi; Delirium Books; 2011; 135 pgs; $25.00 US

Like the taut belly-flesh of its eponymous creature, the plot of Ronald Malfi’s novella Skullbelly is downright skintight, weighing in at a lean, mean 135 pages. Seattle-based private investigator John Jeffers has been hired to determine what happened to three … Continue reading →

The Abolisher of Roses by Gary Fry; Spectral Press; 2011; 22 pgs; $8.00 US

Gary Fry’s The Abolisher of Roses is the second title from the UK chapbook publisher Spectral Press. Fry is known for his publishing and editing work (as a co-owner of Gray Friar Press) but also increasingly for his fiction, which … Continue reading →

The Light is the Darkness by Laird Barron; Infernal House; 2011; 182 pgs; $175 US

I’ve been a huge admirer of Laird Barron’s short fiction for a while now — among many highlights, “Old Virginia” is the creepiest story I’ve read in the last few years — and was thus very intrigued to see his … Continue reading →

Frankenstein’s Prescription by Tim Lees; Tartarus Press; 2011; 277 pgs; $50.00 US

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a title from Tartarus Press, the UK-based publisher of fine limited editions and winner of three World Fantasy Awards and a Stoker. My reintroduction to the press came in the form of the … Continue reading →