Title: The Summer Fun Massacre

Author: Craig DiLouie

Release date: June 16th, 2026

*Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this one!*

Of all the subgenres of Horror and Dark Fiction, one of my least favorites is the slasher. I’m not sure why, it’s just never been one I’ve enjoyed, and that even extends to movies. A lot of the lauded slasher films of the 80s that are considered horror classics today didn’t grab my attention back then and even now, I’m kind of meh about them.

Saying that, there’s always been a few that have managed to break through my hardened exterior and though I typically stay away from reading slasher books, when one of your favorite authors has a slasher horror novel coming out, you take a chance with it, hoping their steady hand will break through that previously mentioned exterior.

DiLouie’s writing has always connected with me, and he’s written three of my all-time favorite books. ‘Suffer the Children’ and ‘One of US’ are masterpieces, but it’s the third book of those three that had me take a chance on this slasher. ‘Episode Thirteen’ was a revelation, and as a reader who dislikes most mixed media/epistolary stories, DiLouie managed to take those aspects and transform them into a book I absolutely loved. So, with that in mind, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give this one a chance.

What I liked: The novel throws us into the deep end immediately. 1992. Summer Camp. And teen campers are being slaughtered. Tom, a local police officer, was just there, and found nothing from the initial call. When a second call is made, he thinks somethings up and returns, finding chaos, carnage and a sole survivor – Laura. Shades of a similar summer camp massacre in 1982 come racing back and when Laura tells him that a man wearing a rabbit head mask was behind it, he knows somethings up.

From there, DiLouie showcases the struggle that Tom goes through internally and externally. On one hand, his former girlfriend, Mary, was the lone survivor of the ’82 murders. Since then, she’s lived on the periphery of society, angry that the police didn’t help her back then. That event was his kick in the pants to become a police officer. He doesn’t believe the rumors of ‘The Hungry Hare’ that surround the town. Suggesting that a huge rabbit lurks in the woods and kills those who sing his rhyme. Though that’s who both Mary and Laura claim was behind the murders. His boss – and fellow officers, a rag tag mix of members – all want to wrap things up in a neat bow, there’s an election coming after all, but Tom doesn’t see how the man they’ve targeted as the suspect was the one who did it. But looking deeper into the clues only gets him in trouble from all ends.

Tom’s battle between what feels right and what he should be doing as an officer becomes the major narrative for the majority of the novel. DiLouie uses it perfectly to force the reader to ask themselves what they’d do in a similar situation.

The final quarter of the novel is pure cinematic glee. We get twists, turns, reveals, acceptance and resolution. DiLouie even manages to pack in some unseen backstory twists that add a layer of craziness, while also pushing Tom further in one direction, before he needs to head back in the other. It makes the ending a very solid, complicated affair where we learn some truths while also coming to grips with the ‘why.’

What I didn’t like: I don’t think this is spoilery, but for me, I wished there was significantly more about The Hungry Hare. It felt like it was going to be a major part of the novel itself but felt minimal overall. That could be explained, or expanded upon in the sequel coming later this year, but as a singular novel, I just wanted much, much more.

Why you should buy this: If you love slasher novels/movies, this one will be right up your alley. If you enjoy police procedurals, this also ticks all those boxes. And if you love layered, twisty novels that make you second guess everything every few chapters, this one’s perfect for you. DiLouie has delivered another fantastic novel, one filled with fun, gore and difficult decisions, which has become a bit of his trademark it seems.

And once again, he’s managed to make this jaded reader enjoy a book he wasn’t so sure about. Well done, Craig.

Title: The Thirteenth Mark

Author: James Lincoln

Release date: November 13th, 2025

*Huge thanks to James for sending me a digital review copy of this one!*

Some time ago, I received a DM on Instagram from a reader who’d read my Father of Lies compendium and let me know they really enjoyed it. I thanked them and shared that ‘When I Look…’ is related to that, they let me know they were snagging it, and then, as two book fans often do, we went on our way, liking some posts by each other.

Recently, they DM’d me again (and I’m hoping you don’t mind me sharing this!) and they mentioned that their husband had released a novella and asked some questions about ways to increase visibility etc. etc. Now, if you’ve been following me for any length of time – and this goes all the way back to my time with the mighty Kendall Reviews and even my feature there, Books From the Crypt – I love reading and reviewing and promoting books that haven’t been plastered everywhere. You know the ones I mean. Books From the Crypt was focused on sharing books with less than 50 Goodreads ratings. There’s an entire world of books waiting for readers to discover that don’t have big press push and influencer posting. And by all means – read those books, post those books, love those books. Big books are as amazing as little books. But if I can share some of my online platform space by showcasing those other books, I will.

And ‘The Thirteenth Mark’ is one of those books that I hope I share, one of you buys it, loves it, recommends it and more and more people find it, because this is a book worthy of being on all of our horror shelves – digital and physical.

After receiving that DM, I mentioned a few different ways that they might increase visibility, but then also offered to review it. I wasn’t sure when I’d get to it, but wanted to try and get in read sooner. Then, the other night, I had a bit of insomnia and cracked it open on my Kindle. 50% later, I forced myself to go to sleep, knowing that if I didn’t close my Kindle cover, I’d have to finish it.

What I liked: Is Liminal Isolated Forest Horror a subgenre? I know I’ve kind of tried to write some stuff that borders on that description before, but I can’t think of anything that even came close to what I read in this one.

The book follows our unnamed main character, who awakens disoriented somewhere in a forest. He’s relatively unscathed, but doesn’t know his own name, where he is, why he’s there or even what he looks like. He starts walking. The forest around him is calm, quiet and unnerving. Is the forest even real? Is he?

Soon, he comes upon a cabin. The cabin seems familiar, but he’s not sure why. He thinks he’s been there before, but he can’t be positive. He enters and finds a place that’s walking the line between abandoned and lived in.

Lincoln does a great job of subtle sightline shifts. For a first release, his mastery of atmosphere is phenomenal and its that aspect that he slowly adjusts – to the readers frayed edges of anxiety’s detriment – as the novella goes on.

On its surface, the book is ‘simple.’ A sort of Ground Hog Day idea, where this character goes to sleep, wakes up, repeats. But there’s these unseen, but felt, volume adjustments to the tension with each passing page that really snap into you as you read.

We get the addition of a Polaroid camera and pictures left behind that seem to shift with each glance. We get a dense fog that arrive and noise within. We get shadows that suggest someone else is there. And we get a growing dread that when we finally get to the grand revelation, we won’t like what we discover.

I won’t share where this one goes – for me it was a fantastic ending, one that really does the idea the author was trying to accomplish justice – but I think even if you don’t like the ending, the story that leads up to it was absolutely captivating.

What I didn’t like: While this one grabbed me and never let me go, if you’re looking for a book packed with action and gore, you won’t find it here. Some readers will find this book doesn’t move along fast enough for them. This one is like a Skinamarink or The Backrooms style story set in the forest and if that doesn’t appeal to you, then this might not be a good fit.

Why you should read this: In his afterword, James doesn’t allude to any of his own personal influences in writing this, but the closest atmosphere I’ve come across to this one was in Adam Nevill’s ‘Last Days.’ A growing dread where each page feels heavier to read and every paragraph seems to stack another weight on your chest.

‘The Thirteenth Mark’ hits all the high-notes and for me it’s one that is easily a hidden gem. I’m hopeful more people discover this one because it was fantastic and I think it’s one that will grow and grow over the next few years as more readers find it.

Outstanding.

Title: Monsters: Unsettling Short Stories

Release date: October 6th, 2026

*Huge thanks to Rare Machines/Dundurn Press & Edelweiss for the digital ARC of this one!*

I think it’s safe to say that most people will know my interest in this anthology was purely based on the fact that this contains a new, previously unpublished Andrew Pyper story, ‘The Sanctuary.’ Prior to this release, the last time Andrew had a story in an anthology was way back in a 2012 Canadian Christmas anthology titled ‘Best Canadian Christmas Stories.’ I once asked Andrew about the lack of short story appearances over the last decade plus, and his reply was along the lines of he wasn’t overly interested in devoting time to short stories. Fair game.

When I saw the other contributors that Russell Smith wrangled up for this anthology, I knew this anthology was going to be a home run. And, after reading Russell’s introduction, the excitement ramped up even more.

I do want to note how engaging that introduction is. I often bypass mentioning forewords or introductions to books, simply because they’re all usually the same, but Russell took an education direction with this one, detailing the origins of the term ‘monster,’ the different ways it shows up and is used in literature and the various regional connotations of the word. He also did a splendid job of briefly sharing what to expect with each of the stories within while not falling into spoiler or platitude territory, which was nice.

What I liked: The anthology runs the gamut of what each writer themselves understood what a ‘monster’ is. We get some very straightforward entries, as well as some that defiantly fall into the speculative world. A number of the stories really stood out for me.

First up was Naben Ruthnum’s ‘The Lair.’ The story follows Mark, who fell in love with action figures and video games as a young kid. That love becomes his life and, after finding no direction and having no desire to achieve anything, his family holds an intervention. Instead of making progressive choices, Mark leaves, and moves into his grandparents place. There, he has a shed, which he transforms into his video game and online lair. Not long after, his grandma passes away and it’s from there that he discovers his grandpa’s newfound online habits. Naben does a wonderful job of making Mark both a character you want to sympathize with, while also making him one of the skeeziest characters you’ll come across. This one walks the line of ‘is he or isn’t he’ a monster so very well.

Next, was ‘Throne’ by Andrew F. Sullivan. A biting commentary on the ultra-rich’s quest for acceptance and finding one’s ‘tribe,’ the story follows 20something Murphy. She’s bounced from job to job, and after being let go of her most recent position, doesn’t know what comes next. Then her former coworker, Carrie, invites her to check out a hip new place called Yggdrasil, where a brother and sister having found a group of people willing to change their lives if they follow the groups instructions to prune and regrow. Murphy takes to it and soon becomes a class leader, holding sway over those who attend the classes and are willing to go the extra step for her. The socioeconomical examination within this one is fantastic, if not a little frustrating over its accuracy, and the subtle changes Murphy goes through really highlighted what a small dose of power can do to an individual. This was a cult story told with only the implications of it being so.

Pasha Malla’s ‘The Undreamed’ was perhaps the most speculative story of the anthology, which set it nicely aside from all the others. The only way I can really do any justice to this story without being a spoiler is this – Things appear in the bedroom. Sometimes they are only on the periphery of vision. Sometimes they seem to be tangible. But they infiltrate the lives of those within the story and good Lord is this one unsettling. Not to take away from the title of the story, but this was an excellent fever dream experienced through prose.

Next up, I loved Emily Weedon’s ‘The Golem Suit.’ And while the title does suggest what is going to happen in here, the delivery mechanism and story vehicle reinvents what I expected to read. Following Felix, a man with a predatory mindset, he becomes a working crew member in the film industry which gives him access to women who sometimes believe if they scratch his back, he’ll scratch theirs allowing for career advancement. But it’s in these moments of vulnerability where Felix’s darkest predatory mechanisms come to the surface and he does what he will, rougher and more violent with each passing year. That is, until he meets a traumatized woman who seems to be his match. Weedon masterfully makes you despise Felix while also forcing you to stay for the ride and see how it ends. Unflinchingly impactful.

The last story that stood out for me was Andrew Pyper’s ‘The Sanctuary.’ Truth be told, I read this one first, then went back and reread all the stories, finishing with this one a second time. The story takes places in a remote wooded ‘campground,’ which continues Andrew’s examinations of such locations. In fact, Andrew first based a story in a summer camp back in 1994’s ‘Camp Sacred Heart,’ which was republished in his 1996 collection, ‘Kiss Me.’ His 1999 novel ‘Lost Girls’ mentions a summer camp, and we see a revisit to an area very similar to ‘Camp Sacred Heart’ in his 2019 novel ‘The Homecoming.’ And, an unpublished novel of Andrew’s also focuses on a similar style location. Throughout his literary career, remote wooded locations were settings Andrew utilized time and time again, and with ‘The Sanctuary’ he bolstered the oddness of where it takes place by having it occur in a sort of Canadian version of Bohemian Grove. If you’re unfamiliar with Bohemian Grove, it is a private campground in California where the elite of the elite congregate and take place in discussions and debauchery. The story follows a young man, who gets a summer job with his friend Ty, while at University. Once there, they learn their roles, and our main character is ‘befriended’ by The Secretary, a mysterious older man who seems to know everyone and everything that’s going on. Andrew warns us to not walk down the paths surrounding the campground at night, yet our character still does so, and it’s here where the monstrous revelation arrives. This one has all the classic hallmarks of a Pyper story, and told with the prose that only Andrew was capable of.

What I didn’t like: As always in an anthology some stories just didn’t connect with me. While I enjoyed every story, some were a bit on the nose and didn’t feel as impactful as they could’ve been. But as always, those might be the stories that you enjoy the most!

Why you should buy this: Filled to the brim with phenomenal stories, this anthology curated by Russell Smith will undoubtably have something for every reader. Taking the simply idea of ‘what is a monster,’ the authors of each story really out did themselves with the variety of subject matter we get. Fans of each of these writers will snag this to experience what they created, and will most likely find another new-to-them writer to check out more of their work.

This is a fantastic anthology collecting some of the most exciting Canadian writers creating dark fiction today, and throughout the stories tackle some very bleak subject matter really well. I for one am glad I read this, and as a Pyper super fan, this anthology will always hold a special place for giving me one more piece of his fiction to read and to cherish.

Title: Windigo Plague: Fort Saskatchewan Volume 1

Author: MJ Preston

Release date: April 29th, 2026

*Huge thanks to MJ for sending me a digital ARC of this one!*

I’m a huge sucker for historical horror that’s based on real events, especially when they took place near where I’m currently living. When MJ reached out about this book, I was swamped, but so very, very intrigued, I agreed to fit it in.

Based on the true story of a Plains Cree trapper named Ka ki si Kutchin who was the first person legally executed by hanging for cannibalism in Canada at Fort Saskatchewan, on December 20, 1879. The English translation of his name was Swift Runner. Preston uses that as the back drop for the story, and because of that, you know you’re in for a dark ride.

What I liked: The book begins in early 1879, when Swift Runner stumbles into town, claiming his family have all perished during the harsh winter prior. After a bit of prodding, it’s revealed that in order for him to survive, he consumed his family, shocking those who learn this truth. Saying that, they suspect Swift Runner maybe under the influence of a dark traveler, a Windigo who has taken up residence within the man and is giving him his lust for blood.

From there, Preston details the search for Swift Runner as he’s kicked out of town and what happens to those who come into contact with the man. It’s a really well laid out mix of historical fact and author fictionalization of events.

Because of that, we get some truly blood-curdling moments, where Preston is able to unnerve even the most stoic of readers. One particular moment early on, where Swift Runner is trying to lure some local kids away with him was pristine, and even near the end, when a man (I won’t name him to prevent spoilers) arrives to search for his friend, after receiving a letter from them, will stay with you after you finish. The description of what happens to him when he encounters two other figures was horrifically perfect.

One thing I really enjoyed was the attention to detail and research Preston did, which he lays out nicely after the book is done. It was great to see his own notes on how he used some of the details on the public record, which helped to highlight the disturbing nature of this case as well as the timeframe it took place in.

What I didn’t like: I’ve never been a reader who processes dates well, so when each chapter begins with a date, it’s often lost on my reading brain. And though that is necessary for the historical fact aspect of this book, it wasn’t something that heightened the tension of the events anymore than if it was simply ‘chapter one,’ ‘chapter two’ and so on.

Why you should buy this: MJ’s done a wonderful job of taking a horrific true story and turning it into a dark, bleak thriller that had me captivated. As we get new characters introduced and their part in the story takes place, they’re given depth and weight, making sure they have purpose and are not simply a Redshirt character.

For fans of historical horror, this one hits all the high notes and you’ll be greatly rewarded. But beware, this one doesn’t hold back. Which makes it that much better.

Title: Carry Me to My Grave

Author: Christopher Golden

Release date: July 21st, 2026

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC!*

Though I’ve not read near enough of Golden’s books (I think this is my 6th?), every book I have read has been a lot of fun. When the publisher sent me an email asking if I’d like a digital ARC, I jumped at the chance. I was very intrigued by the synopsis and considering ‘Road of Bones’ had a snow-skull cover and this one has a smoke-skull cover, I figured I’d be in for a fun ride.

What I liked: The story takes place during the mid-century, in the US. Malcolm is a Korean war vet, living back at home with his sister-in-law, Violet and his mother Maggie. Maggie has a reputation and there was a childhood rhyme about her – ‘Maggie Wise will take your eyes.’ Townsfolk believe she’s a witch. Malcolm always scoffed at those words and that thought, but right before she dies, she gives him specific instructions – bring her body back to Maine where she was born and bury her before sunrise within a few days or the world as we know it will cease to exist.

Golden takes us on a rampaging ride once Maggie dies. Strange figures appear and attempt to thwart Malcolm and Violet’s journey. They manage to get on a train with Maggie’s coffin, but still the bad guys arrive. And within all this, Golden introduces us to Root, a nightmarish creature hellbent on retrieving Maggie’s body before she can be buried.

I loved the action within this one. Each scene was vibrant and cinematic, and thankfully Golden doesn’t shy away from carnage and brutality. Nothing is watered down here and nobody is safe. As the book progresses, things get darker and darker and as the truth about Maggie is revealed and more of Malcolm’s family appear, things grow complicated. It’s within those complications that the emotional weight of the book exists and its those emotional weights that lift this book up a notch from similar books.

The ending works really well considering the journey the characters go on. Thankfully, it wasn’t a case of 300 pages to get to the climactic moment, only to have things wrap up in two paragraphs. Golden took his time finishing this one and this reader greatly appreciated it.

What I didn’t like: For me, I found one moment of slowdown that I wasn’t sure worked for me. It took place right after a train crash, where Malcolm and another character end up incarcerated for a brief time. As I was reading it, it kind of sucked some of the momentum out of the story for a short few chapters. That very well might’ve been Golden’s decision, to have a pause there considering the pedal-to-the-metal nature up to those scenes, but for me, it felt jarring.

Why you should buy this: This novel takes a really fun premise – bury a body to save the world – and then escalates the stakes within a few short chapters. Golden’s writing is world class and the pacing throughout was fantastic, practically forcing me to read ‘just one more chapter’ every night. If you’ve never read a Golden book, this would be a really great spot to jump in. If you’re a long time fan of his, you’ll be very happy with the book he’s delivered.

Title: The Horrors of Rejection

Author: Radar DeBoard

Release date: June 9th, 2026

*Huge thanks to Radar for a digital ARC of this one!*

I connected with Radar a number of years back and have always enjoyed the content he’s been releasing on various social media platforms, as well as his support to many authors. A few years back, I had the pleasure of reading his book ‘Drowning in the Drink’ and really enjoyed it, but I haven’t managed to read anything else from him. Recently, I saw him post a Tik Tok looking for reviewers for his upcoming release ‘The Horrors of Rejection.’ A short story collection compiling all of the stories he’s submitted over the years that were rejected for one reason or another, I reached out to see about a review copy. Radar kindly emailed one over and while I was wrapping up ‘The Dorians,’ I dove into this between chapters, flying through it.

What I liked: Every author out there has tens, if not hundreds of short stories that they’ve submitted over the years that for some reason, were not accepted for publication. It’s the nature of the game and a cold reality you need to accept if you want to try your hand at having work accepted and published outside of the DIY/Indie route. Radar lays this out in the introduction before we dive into the stories that comprise the collection.

The stories ranged in length, from poetry, to a page, to novelette length, but each one was a lot of fun and though the stories were written with the purpose of submitting to various open calls, it was interesting to see a bit of a few themes emerge when all was said and done. We had a number of stories set in/around the water and similar with the woods.

The stand out stories for me were a trio that hit hard and were very snappy.

First was ‘Show Some Teeth.’ This story followed an employee, struggling to deal with a horrendous boss at work, while realizing the crows outside are acting strangely. The story was a lot of fun and went from brooding to dark very quickly. My favorite story within.

Next was ‘From a Bathtub to the Ocean.’ This story throws us into the middle of an extreme situation where a man has abandoned ship after a fire started and he’s coming to grips with what happened, his role in it and what that means for his life. Really engaging.

And the third was ‘Immurement.’ If not for ‘Show Some Teeth’ this would’ve been my favorite of the collection. This one picks up with Thomas, trapped in something and trying to fight his way out. The story begins as a very claustrophobic tale, before we learn the ‘why’ of his predicament and we realize just how awfully dark this story really is.

What I didn’t like: While it might’ve been an almost impossible task, I would’ve loved to have seen a brief note prior to each story mentioning what the open call was. Not so much to whom the story was being submitted, but what was the theme or submission requests. IE – 1,500 word limit for grief horror. Or, 3,000 word limit for nautical survival. I think that would’ve helped a few of the stories have a bit more context and work better as to why Radar did what he did in the chosen word count, otherwise some of the stories you’ll be wondering why things were rushed or felt unanswered. Often in submissions, you’ll have a specific constraint that will always make you decide on doing something (either limit characters or details etc.) and I think knowing some of that would’ve allowed some of the stories that didn’t hit as much with me make a bit more sense.

Why you should buy this: Radar’s a very talented writer and a number of these stories are superb. I’m actually a bit surprised a few of these haven’t been picked up somewhere, but that’s the frustrating reality of the anthology world. This was a short story collection that’ll have something for every reader and is a fantastic way to introduce yourself to his writing if you’ve not read anything of his yet.

Title: The Dorians

Author: Nick Cutter

Release date: May 19th, 2026

*Huge thank you to Edelweiss, the publisher and the author for a digital ARC of this one!*

Back in 2015, I discovered Nick’s massive novel ‘The Troop’ at the same time I found Andrew Pyper’s ‘The Demonologist.’ The two books are very far apart in terms of content, but both launched each author into another realm of popularity and in the following decade, until Andrew’s passing away, the two developed a great friendship.

Through Andrew, I connected with Nick (and for the few who still don’t know, his real name is Craig Davidson, and yes you should go read his books as Craig, but also his books as Patrick Lestewka if you can find those) and we’ve developed a burgeoning relationship.

When ‘The Dorians’ was announced, I was very excited. The synopsis alluded to a mix between ‘The Troop’ and a little bit like his book ‘The Preserve’ as Lestewka, which was released in 2004.

Knowing Nick’s penchant to start the journey in one direction only to pivot and go in a very different direction, I was keen to see just where this one went.

What I liked: The novel follows a group of senior citizens, all at the end of their lives, all choosing MAID to wrap things up. Only, each of the people are given a life-line at the last minute. A phone call from a young female doctor. One offering them the potential of immortality.

Each accept and each finds themselves heading to a remote compound in the Canadian north, where a research laboratory has been created with a seemingly blank cheque. Here, they meet Astrid, a hyper-driven woman who has figured out not only how to halt death in its tracks, but how to also de-age those who join her program and have something implanted into them.

What could go wrong, right?!

From here, Nick introduces us to two Indigenous jack-of-all-trades who are keeping the facility running smoothly, but also watching what’s happening with the wolves who’ve also been implanted.

As things progress, we see the toll that eternal youth takes on each of the elderly who’ve accepted the implant, but also the physical weight on those around them and those running the program.

Cutter does a wonderful job of asking a lot of very pointed hypothetical questions. Questions that we’ve all asked ourselves at some time and as somebody who is soon turning forty-five, they’re not questions that often stray far from my mind.

This novel felt like a mix between the literary beauty of the writing within the Davidson books and the brutally harsh Splatterpunk writing within the Lestewka and early Cutter novels.

The ending is bleak, harsh, definitive (to a degree) and though it is expected, it still is startling.

What I didn’t like: Oddly, I didn’t feel a single connection to any of the characters. With the setup and the descriptions and the way the book begins, it’s written with the expectation that each reader will connect and hold onto at least one, if not multiple, characters so that when the shit hits the fan, we get that emotional reaction, but in this case, I just didn’t have that. Not sure why, but because of that, I think I missed a lot of the emotional weight and depth Nick was trying to create.

Why you should buy this: While reading this, I got the sense it was a spiritual sequel to ‘The Troop’ and in the afterword, Nick even mentions that writing it, it felt like that. We have similar settings, similar groups with the various dynamics and we get a really gross, ever-evolving parasite wrecking havoc. The difference here is that ‘The Troop’ was teens and ‘The Dorians’ was elderly people. It felt like the time had passed and we were getting a look at how things would’ve played out in ‘The Troop’ in a different scenario.

Nick has really delivered a thoughtful look at aging and what it means to different people with different backgrounds while also giving us a novel that’s full of bleak, awful decisions and moments. Paired together it works perfectly to unnerve and unsettle the reader while also causing you to squirm all over again.

At least this time there’s no turtles.

Title: Monumental

Author: Adam L.G. Nevill

Release date: April 2nd, 2026

*Huge thank you to Adam for the digital ARC of this one!*

First, huge huge apology to Adam for not getting this one read and reviewed before release date! I thought my time management was totally on track, but alas I messed up! So, my apologies Adam!

Second, I have a theory about this novel after having read it, which I’ll share later down below, but outside of that, going into this, ‘Monumental’ was ticking a lot of boxes off for me for things I love in books. Great cover? Check! Adam Nevill as the author? Well, duh, check! Remote, isolated location? Check! Folklore content? Check! I mean, at this point, Adam could essentially turn a fast food restaurants menu into a folklore novel and I’d be glued to my Kindle!

And while Adam’s last novel took a detour away from isolated folklore – ‘All the Fiends of Hell’ was PHENOMENAL FYI – it always felt like he’d return to writing something such as this, so it was no surprise that he did. Saying that, if you follow Adam on any social media platform, you’ll undoubtably see his love of all things kayaking. Much like when Tim Lebbon writes about running/marathon’s in his books, it absolutely elevates the ‘realness’ of the events and Adam bringing kayaking into this novel worked so very very well.

What I liked: The novel follows a group of kayaking pals as they make their way to a remote estuary. A place that is supposed to be a ‘no-go’ area, they foolishly believe that they can make their way up stream and camp on the outskirts, nobody wiser regarding their intrusion. Made up of a variety of skill levels and fitness levels, they’ve gone on a number of paddles together, but nothing like this before.

Once on land, Marcus starts to set up his tent while dealing with others egos, an older woman’s struggles and his growing feelings for Jane. He doesn’t notice Jane wander off – none of them do – until she screams in pain. Once found, she’s in rough shape and Marcus knows they must get her help.

This is the point of no return in this novel. Once Marcus and two others – Nigel, the husband and Sophie, the wife – head off to find help, leaving Jane with the older woman, Mary and the other male, Julien, in the group, things continue to get weirder. They find stuff hanging in the trees, they find rocks and ruins and they come upon finely manicured farm land. And then they encounter the man who owns the estuary – Clement Colman. A former tech bro billionaire, he’s crafted a cult from former addicts, and insists that they’ve found a God deep below the building in the middle of their farm land.

Nevill has a gift of making every branch eerie and every shadow creepy as hell. And when scales start scraping the rock walls and the air grows heavy and rancid, every reader understands that all hell is about to break loose and Nevill won’t be holding back.

And Christ-all-mighty he doesn’t hold back.

We get bone clubs, Little Priests, an arthritically, twisted old woman and the reality that the estuary sits equally between here and there, between this realm and the next and with each time Jane is mentioned and she rambles in the throes of crossing over, her comments only work to confirm that nothing good comes from over there. Or from up there.

And I can’t state enough that while the God within this book is never fully ‘described,’ that’s the perfection of what makes this thing so terrifying.

The final quarter of this book is a pure sprint – or rather paddle – of survival. We see some glimmer of hope and some slight lightness at the end of the tunnel, though even that is left more to the readers interpretation.

The ending of this is bleak and solidly horrifying, letting the taste that we develop in our mouths to remain putrefying on our tongues after the last page is turned.

What I didn’t like: There was two things that I noticed, but both were really my own issue than anything of note!

The first – well, I found there was a lot of internal discussion happening for each character. It seemed that every other chapter a character would spend a solid few pages just going over the situation again as well as where they found themselves. I got that it was Nevill showing their deterioration, but I found it slowed a bit of forward momentum in later chapters. How many times could Marcus go over his own personal decisions from the weeks and months prior to this trip?

Second thing – there’s a moment where Marcus is essentially home free and could leave and survive and he decides to turn back and try and find his friends. I wanted to reach through my Kindle and strangle the man. Leave. Get help. Return. Instead he returned to the belly of the beast. Good grief, haha!

Why you should buy this: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’ve never read an Adam Nevill story (no matter the length) that doesn’t make me feel dirty and stained. As though what I’ve read has bleed through my device and coated my skin and bones. It’s a perpetual trademark that his writing has and I think it’s a combination of his prose and story structure.

‘Monumental’ is just that, another amazing vessel where Adam showcases his prowess to throw a group of people into the middle of nowhere and then beat them down blow-by-blow.

And as for my theory I mentioned before? Well, I felt like I read Adam’s take on a Conan tale. A horror novel that was really a sword-and-sorcery fantasy novel. We have a warrior – Marcus, who battles a force of evil – Clement, who has called forth a dragon – the God. Marcus needs to save the damsel in distress – Jane, and in this book, Marcus literally uses a sword against the Little Priests. Throw in the fact that he has a faithful steed – his kayak, and needs to travel across an inhospitable landscape – the Wyrm valley, and I rest my case. I’m probably wrong, but throw on some Iron Maiden as a soundtrack and I feel like you’ll get where I’m going here!

Once again, Nevill delivers a dark and wicked novel, one that will keep many readers up late at night, as only he can.

Fantastic.

Title: The Rise – Five Tales From the Gulp

Author: Alan Baxter

Release date: February 13th, 2026

Back in 2021 & 2022, Alan Baxter gave us two memorable collections of novellas – first with 2021’s ‘The Gulp’ and ‘The Fall’ coming the following year. It introduced us to the odd and quicky (and mysterious) remote own of Gulpepper, Australia and the folks who inhabit it – some by choice, others involuntarily.

The stories of what took place within and around The Gulp were all fantastic, all cosmically charged and the mythos the Alan infused in each story made me want more. After finished ‘The Fall,’ I kind of assumed that Baxter was done (to a degree) with the world of ‘The Gulp,’ but then earlier in 2025, Alan messaged me to ask if I’d have time to beta read the third entry in the world. Unfortunately (and sadly on my end!), I simply didn’t have the time needed to devote what Alan would adequately need, as one doesn’t simply read the stories set in the world of The Gulp – insert Sean Bean meme here if you want – one lives and breathes them. And though I couldn’t beta read the collection of five new novellas, I preordered the Kindle edition and jumped in as soon as I could, once it loaded onto my e-reader.

What I liked: As mentioned, ‘The Rise’ contains five novellas of new stories taking place in The Gulp. This one is comprised of the first four being interconnected – both in location (duh!) and in narrative – before arriving at the fifth novella which combines everything that’s taken place and wraps up the insanity that built in the first four.

The first novella is ‘Strange Leaves,’ which was hands down my favorite of the batch, purely because it starts kind of hilariously and then goes bonkers. We follow two stoners, Adam and Neil, who accidentally kill the guy they buy pot from when they confront him over him selling them weed cut with junk. Not sure what to do, they decide to dispose of the man’s body in the middle of nowhere. Things take a turn when something happens to one of them and from there, The Gulp begins to unfurl its odd ways and Baxter kicks things off with a bang. This novella sets up the rest of the stories so very well, but is also a perfect opener to ease us readers back into the world and what awaits.

The next novella is ‘Sunlight on Clear Water,’ which was another very solid entry. This one atmospherically felt at the far other end of the spectrum from ‘Strange Leaves.’ This one follows Will, who is newish to living in Gulpepper. After answering an ad to come and be trained as a woodworking craftsman, he’s fallen head-over-heels with the owners daughter, Beverley. On this particular day, she takes him to an off-the-beaten-path reservoir to do a bit of skinny dipping and to enjoy a picnic basket. Of course, with this being The Gulp, some things are revealed and the true nature of what the job posting was all about takes a wild turn. This is a classic Baxter story.

The third novella is ‘Vitulinum’ and this specific one comes with some very pointed trigger warnings prior to it beginning. Should you choose to proceed, the story follows teen boy, Connor, who lives in an abusive household. His father’s a homophobic bigot and his mother’s no better. Between Connor’s older brother, Brendan and himself, they do their best to protect their little sister Serena from their father, Frank. As the abuse rockets ever worse, we get our first introduction to the strange suit wearing character known as Winterbourne. He offers Connor a decision and because of everything that’s been going on, it appears to be a lifeline. Connor’s best friend, Lauren, is there for him and the two of them have each others backs, though Lauren’s life is very, very different. It all comes to a head when the boys have to stand up one more time for Serena and Connor is forced to decide about Winterbourne’s offer.

This novella is powerful, grotesque and a sad reality when considering a lot of the world isn’t far off from how Frank and Lydia are.

The fourth novella is ‘The Gulpepper Institute of Health and Wellbeing,’ and if you’ve ever watched or read any horror in the past that involves anything with a title close-ish to this, you’ll know things are never going to be on the up-and-up.

The story follows international superstar musician Eevie Chill, who checks in to the newly opening institute to get help for their spiraling life. Within moments of being admitted, she realizes things are not what they seem and from there Baxter lets carnage and chaos reign. This was a lot of fun and when it ended, I wondered just where things could go from there.

And that brings us to the fifth and final novella in this collection. Simply titled ‘The Rise,’ we see everything that was building through the first four come together – both in Winterbourne’s plan, but also with Chrissy, the woman tasked with ensuring the strange energy and way of The Gulp is maintained and confined. We get a return of Blind Eye Moon, the famous band from The Gulp, and we see different characters from the first four novellas band together to protect the people and the place that is Gulpepper. Once again, Baxter does an amazing job of keeping all the moving pieces in order and tying it all together to see an epic finale come to a close.

The world that Baxter’s created within The Gulp and the mythos around it always feel fresh and familiar and always deliver the perfect amount of insanity us readers expect from stories focused on world’s such as these.

What I didn’t like: As mentioned, you may decide to bypass the ‘Vitulinum’ novella,  which considering the subject matter is understandable, but also does create a bit of a character plot issue when we get to the final novella. If you’ve skipped, you’ll not have much understanding about Lauren and what she brings to the table. It’s a tough one to truly navigate, because on one hand, that novella is very, very powerful. On the other hand, it wouldn’t have near the impact if it was PG13’d for readers and Connor’s decision would’ve been rather meh. I’m not sure what the answer is, but I also think you could sneak past that novella and be confident that Lauren is a resourceful character when she arrives in the final novella.

Why you should buy this: I think it goes without saying that if you read and enjoyed the first two entries into this world, getting the third is a no-brainer.

If you’ve not visited Gulpepper yet, this is your sign to grab all three and dive into a wonderfully weird and twisted world, where the sky is always swirling and the energy is palpably different. Baxter’s done the literary world such a huge favour by creating this world and these characters and continuing to deliver such richly rewarding stories. All while creeping us out with each and every entry.

Phenomenal. And fingers crossed a fourth set of stories is coming some time down the road.

Title: Driven

Author: Mason Coile

Release date: September 8th, 2026

*Huge thanks to Edelweiss & the publisher for a digital ARC of this one.*

‘I had found the dream I was meant to live, and it was the life I was already living. And then it was over.’

When’s a book not just a book?

It’s a question I’ve asked myself before, both internally and out loud to the wider world. It’s a question scholars have asked for hundreds of years. And it’s a question that’ll be pondered as long as we have books – in some form or another.

I imagine when Andrew wrote the short story and screenplay that became his first novel as Mason Coile, the wonderfully tech-savvy ‘William,’ that his intentions weren’t to write a trilogy that mapped out his final days metaphorically and with such aplomb.

No. I imagine back then, he was looking at writing what he called, ‘shorter, snappier thrillers.’

‘William’ kicked things off. And, I’ll admit with a bit of ‘for the record’ reader/reviewer/superfan pride, that after I posted my review of ‘William,’ not only did Andrew publicly confirm my theory of what that book was truly about, but we had several in depth conversations about that book itself.

While that book – on the surface at least – tells the story of a brilliant engineer with crippling agoraphobia who must confront his affliction when his AI creation goes off the walls, it was a metaphorical telling of Andrew’s world during the Covid-19 pandemic/lockdown.

Next up, we received the claustrophobic nightmare that was ‘Exiles.’ Again, when taken at face value, tells the story of astronauts sent to aide in the set up of the initial Mars colony, but when they arrive the three robots there are in the midst of a meltdown causing the base to be mostly destroyed. I’ve read the book three times now and had my suspicions this was another of Andrew’s metaphorical examinations. Diagnosed at this point with terminal cancer, the story maps out Andrew’s treatment journey, his body the base, the doctors and modalities the astronauts and robots, all ultimately failing to figure out a way to make things right and give us the happy ending we all so desperately hoped for.

Which brings us to his third novel as Mason Coile. ‘Driven.’ By all public accounts, this is the finale of the Mason Coile books. Andrew’s swan song with his pseudonym.

Yes, we got the final (with Andrew Pyper that is) Oracle audiobook, that release finished by the amazing Craig Davidson. And while I know of two other unpublished Pyper books – one stand alone and one co-written with Craig (though, I’m not sure if it’s under Craig’s name or as Nick Cutter) – those I’ve asked are unsure if they’ll ever see the light of publishing day.

I finished this one last night and I couldn’t sleep after. I made notes. I reread a few spots I’d marked. I wanted to email Andrew all my thoughts and questions and wanted confirmation about my theories.

If you’ve read any of my other reviews, understand this one’s going to take a different format. Let’s call it an examination, if you will. And hopefully I’ll do this book the justice it deserves in showcasing why you need to read it and why this three AI arc of books Andrew released as Mason are just as important as his arc of five books examining grief earlier in his career.

On the surface, ‘Driven’ tells the story of Jamie. Defeated and alone, he’s haunted. His wife and daughter have left him and his life around him has fallen apart. He’s moving from shit hole apartment to even shittier hole apartment, trying to outrun the terrifying ghoul that continuously pops up and chases him from each place. Home. That’s what he longs for but knows he can never find again. Not with his wife and daughter gone. Not with the ghoul always on his heels.

Hoping his haunting is purely quantified by four walls around him, he decides to buy a Lion, a fully autonomous car. He plans to live in the car, letting it drive him to wherever it wants to drive, so that he can get some sleep and hopefully some mileage between himself and the ghoul.

Of course, this is a horror novel, even with all the tech flashiness of the cover and hashtags and marketing that’ll accompany it, and things go sideways, leading us to several revelations. He buys the car from an odd, rich guy, one he knows to be untrustworthy. After waking, he discovers the hood of the car is dented and what appears to be blood on the windshield. From here it becomes a mix of what happened and what’s next. The pace increases, Jamie learns what happened and decides to make some of his own moves, in the hopes of making things from the past right. It turns into a surreal cyberpunk sleuth novel, where we get threats, actions, and an unlikely friendship.

But I can’t read this book purely on the surface. And I imagine if you know my love of Andrew’s work, and how much I cared for the man himself, you’ll know that I read this with my Pyper Superfan cap on. And for those of you who’ve been reading Andrew since his first collection in 1996 came out, you’ll understand just what Andrew was doing within this book.

You see, Andrew was saying goodbye to us all.

And he was saying goodbye to his family.

Within this book are Easter eggs to each of his previous books. Knowing how cerebral Andrew was with his meticulous plotting and connecting the dots, I’m confident this isn’t me searching for things that weren’t there. No, as the book went on, I found myself grinning frequently, when little details popped up.

I’m going to do my best to remain spoiler free here, but no promises.

The biggest connection throughout his books and this one, is the ghoul-type figure that haunts Jamie. A ghoul-type figure is mentioned in all but two of Andrew’s novels in his career, something that became a bit of a staple in his writing.

For his 1999 debut, we get a ‘Lost Girls’ connection with Jamie having been a lawyer before his life spiraled, harkening back to when Bartholomew Crane arrived on the literary scene. Of course, this wouldn’t be an Andrew book without it being set in Toronto, which ties into almost every of his other books. We see a connection to ‘The Damned’ with a scene between Jamie and his mom. We get noted ‘The Killing Circle’ and ‘The Guardians’ Easter eggs with some very specific locations. And of course we get the tie in of technology with ‘The Homecoming,’ ‘William,’ and ‘Exiles.’

But the book that we get the most connectivity with is ‘The Demonologist.’ We get Jamie going into a cellar, we get him longing to be reconnected with his daughter, we get a description of wall colors and most notably, we get what appears to be an ending that mirrors – though more defined – than what happens in ‘The Demonologist.’

Throughout this novel, Jamie is saying goodbye to his loved ones. And frankly, it was hard to read. Because I knew who was writing those words.

In my years of friendship with Andrew, nothing was more apparent than his love for his wife and kids. And within this book, that love is almost palpable on the pages. We read about the little moments between Jamie and his wife, Lauren, that reinforced his love and remained imbedded deep within his brain. I wouldn’t be surprised if all of those moments were from Andrew’s real life. We read about the small, tender moments with Jamie’s daughter, Olivia, and we’re reminded about how much Andrew loved being a father. And when the revelation of ‘why’ they’ve left arrives… it’s a hard section to get through.

If this is the finale of the Mason Coile AI-tech novels, Andrew has done a stellar job of showcasing the terror that can take place when AI begins to think for itself and stop listening to those who’ve created it, but also highlighting the dependency and intangible connections humans make with those devices. We’ve already started to see it in commercials, of people using smartphone AI options as though it was a real, living, breathing friend. And Andrew dissected the why and wrote three books about what happens when we allow it to get out of control.

At the end of the day, ‘Driven’ showcases everything that made Andrew’s books so special. It is the story of a man, trapped in a car, wondering what comes next. A story that mirrors Andrew at the end of his life. A man trapped in his body, losing control, desperately wanting to remain forever with his family. Desperately wanting to live a longer life at the place that means more to him than any other place ever could.

Home.