Want something different to read? Today we bring you news of eight books with it all – weird portents, a horror film tribute, essays on supernatural fiction, an eerie and literary novella, Afrikan historical fantasy, warped psychological horror, the weird West, and the scary fantasy of black Atlanta. Phew! Yes, dear listener, it’s a quick round-up of recent releases from small and independent presses, which ought to be enough to keep you busy.
‘Son of Mfumu: A Changa’s Safari Adventure’ by Milton Davis
Milton Davis finally completes his Changa’s Safari series, an enjoyable alternative to Medieval Europe-type fantasy books.
From the frigid steppes of Mongolia to the illustrious heart of the Songhay Empire, Changa has sailed the high seas and trekked across treacherous landscapes. He has battled men and monsters, the living and the dead, survived countless perils, acquired and lost fortunes, commanded armies and allied with demigods. All along he pursued profit and adventure for the sole purpose of quenching his thirst for vengeance in the blood of the ruthless sorcerer who killed his father. Now, Changa finds himself alone, bereft of his faithful companions and the resources he intended to finance an army to help him seize his vengeance. Changa’s safari finally leads him back to his homeland, back to the place where it all began. And this safari is the most dangerous of all….
Book 4 of 4 in Changa’s Safari (4 Book Series)
from MVmedia
‘Of Doomful Portent’ by Matthew M. Bartlett (Author), Yves Tourigny (Illustrator)
First released as a limited edition, Of Doomful Portent is now available generally in paperback, a great little (nasty) book to browse. Fabulous black and white illos throughout.
Pope Sevenius. The Segmented Man. Mister White Noise. Hurt Me Henry. These are just some of the monstrous characters you’ll wish you hadn’t met in the countdown to a catastrophic Christmas storm in Of Doomful Portent: An Advent Calendar of Grotesque Horrors
from Gare Occult
C.H.U.D. LIVES!: A Tribute Anthology
Today’s top Horror and SF authors pay tribute to C.H.U.D. film in this anthology of original fiction. C.H.U.D. is a genre defying, cult classic film featuring monsters living in the sewers below New York. The stories in this anthology expand the world created by the film and add depth to the C.H.U.D. universe like never before. From stories of apocalyptic horror and all out monster action, to tales of underground parties interrupted by uninvited guests and evening strolls that end in death, this anthology will leave you both smiling and breathless. Also features in-depth interviews with Andrew Bonime (producer) and Parnell Hall (screenwriter).
from Crystal Lake Publishing
Universal Link: http://getbook.at/CHUD
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39327851-c-h-u-d-lives
Press release / Webpage: http://www.crystallakepub.com/chudlives/
FB event: https://web.facebook.com/events/232533167483283/
Official Webcomic: https://tinyurl.com/Chudonline
‘The Three Books’ by Paul StJohn Mackintosh
A disturbing novella which explores the rare creations of a reclusive author.
“Tragedy, urban legend, Gothic romance, warped fairy tale of New York: it’s all there. And of course, most important of all is the seductive allure of writing and of books – and what that can lead some people to do. You may not like my answer to the mystery of the third book. But I hope you stay to find out.”
from Black Shuck Books
The Black Pilgrimage & Other Explorations’ by Rosemary Pardoe
Essays on supernatural fiction from the scholarly and widely read editor of Ghosts & Scholars.
The celebrated writer M. R. James (1862-1936) is the most significant author of ghost stories in the world. His macabre work has terrified and fascinated readers for over 100 years. Now collected in one volume, 29 essays on his ghostly tales and themes by editor and James scholar Rosemary Pardoe
In addition, a further eight essays on other authors, including Fritz Leiber, Arthur Machen, E. G. Swain and Many Wade Wellman and a fascinating miscellany of nine additional pieces on a variety of topics.
from Shadow Publishing
https://www.shadowpublishing.net/shop
‘Trade Yer Coffin for a Gun’ by Mer Whinery
A foray into a sub-genre with a growing body of work, the Weird Western.
In the chaotic years following the end of the Civil War, Little Dixie is a brutal no-man’s land where life and death are dictated not just by gangs of lawless thugs, but by far more sinister things as well. Shadowy beings that walk the line in the dirt separating Jesus from the Devil, writing their names in blood, terror, and human suffering. Such is the woeful condition of Coffin Mills, a town cursed by a history of dark arts and shameful secrets. Something wicked has been stealing the town’s children, something not of this world, or even the next.
Salvation arrives in the form of a trio of mysterious gunslingers known throughout the South as the Haints, a legendary band of bounty hunters specializing in tracking prety of a supernatural variety. They kill monsters, plain and simple.
from Muzzleland Press
‘House of Sighs’ by Aaron Dries
Board for free. But the cost might be your life.
Local bus driver, Liz Frost, pulls the gun from her mouth and decides to live with her loneliness for one more day. She dresses, combs her hair, and goes to work. Nine souls board her route that fateful morning in rural Australia, nine souls who Liz drags back to her home against their will. She wants to build a new family from these passengers, men and women who are willing to kill to avoid becoming her kin. The bus leaves a trail of carnage in its wake as it rockets towards a house that has held its secrets for far too long, a place where crows now gather, ready to feed on whatever is left behind.
This award-winning, psychological experience is back in print, and includes the exclusive sequel The Sound of his Bones Breaking, a novella that will leave you leave you truly shaken.
from Crystal Lake Publishing
Amazon: http://getbook.at/HouseOfSighs
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40037614-house-of-sighs
Web page: http://www.crystallakepub.com/house-of-sighs/
‘Terminus’ edited by Milton Davis
Another anthology for which we received the ARC. Very different takes on Atlanta, from light urban fantasy to gritty detection work, by a range of black writers.
Atlanta. ATL. The Rising Phoenix. The City too Busy to Hate. The Black Mecca. Capital of the Deep South. There, between flitting shadows and full moons, exists another world filled with dark creatures, demons, and immortals. Only a thin veil separates the Atlanta you know from this mysterious realm. Nine brave authors risk it all to reveal the crossroads of Southern charm and the Black Fantastic. Y’all ready?
“In the end, it becomes obvious that it doesn’t matter what country, culture or colour with which you identify – this is a lively anthology with some powerful moments and some wry laughs vying for your attention.”
John Linwood Grant
from MVmedia
USA Pre-Order Only at the moment
http://mvmediaatl.com/index.html
That’s it for today, but more features in a day or so, including a return to our marking of 100 years since the death of William Hope Hodgson. And possibly something light-hearted thrown in as well…