This is the fourth installment of the Isaiah Coleridge series. Now, it’s always bittersweet to reach the back cover of one of Barron’s books, but in this series, I am always relieved when one of my favorite characters is still alive. Barron has conjured no less than four indispensable personas, and readers will be clawing at the arms of their chairs when they see what dangers he throws at them.
A horror writer above all, Barron delved into these alternate genres with the Coleridge series and showed no realm of fiction is off limits to him. There’s an artful shift that keeps me delighted with this series.
The Wind Began to Howl is a genre-bending masterpiece and worth every penny for readers who want suspense and noir.
The Strange is a science fiction/horror mashup. Ballingrud writes away from his breakout genre, but it's barely noticeable unless you’ve read Wounds and are privy to Ballingrud’s ability to throw a knockout punch. Ballingrud’s doesn't do scientific explanations, but this isn’t an Andy Weir novel, and Ballingrud artfully tells us to "go fish" on that front. I actually kind of dig it.
Where Ballingrud excels is in crafting his wild west world on the red planet. It’s easy to envision Mars as a wasteland and the travelers and colonizers making their way along the wastes in the hopes of making it to the next cantina by nightfall.
The spirit of Bradbury permeates the story, but he isn’t the only ghost we feel in the pages of The Strange. All of Ballingrud’s influences seem to hold this story on their mighty shoulders, and it comes through in the world-building. Part of me truly wishes there could be a sequel to this, but some novels are meant to standalone.
Ray Bradbury meets The Martian in this chilling page-turning tale of Mars' first colony, fallen to madness after all contact with Earth ceased, perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer.
Anabelle Crisp is fourteen when the Silence arrives, severing all communication between Earth and her new home on Mars. One evening, while she and her father are closing their diner in the colony of New Galveston, they are robbed at gunpoint.
Among the stolen items is a recording of her absent mother's voice. Driven by righteous fury and desperation to lift her father's broken spirits, Anabelle sets out to confront the…
I love Todd’s writing for, in particular, the darkness that flows from his pen.
This short story anthology is separated into three parts, which coincided with the title (Cold | Dark | Infinite), with each having its own sub-theme.
I will say I was most taken by the story “Afterbirth.” The name of the story belies Keisling’s intent to disgust readers, but I was still knocked on my ass by it. Readers who enjoy this collection will undoubtedly enjoy Todd’s other work.
With each story, Keisling begs to remind us that we are adrift in a sea of causality, and the undertow may take us at any time. Be sure to watch a rom-com after this one and sleep with the lights on for good measure.
Down here in the dark lies a vast and twisted landscape where the wicked, wistful, and profane coalesce. This is where the lonely and lost face their demons, where anxious paranoias are made manifest, and where mundane evil wears a human face. For readers, the sixteen stories found within Cold, Black, & Infinite serve as a harrowing glimpse into the nightmarish imagination of Todd Keisling, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Devil’s Creek and Scanlines.
Visit a town where the residents are slowly being replaced by mannequins in “We’ve All Gone to the Magic Show.” Go for a drive and discover…
The Valor of Valhalla is a mind-bending dark fantasy series that takes readers on a journey from the comforts of reality to the veiled realm beyond. In a world where boundaries are constantly shifting, a diverse group of unlikely heroes must confront extraordinary challenges and unlock the mysteries of existence itself.
Beneath the Veil offers an electrifying and intellectual exploration of what it means to exist, while thrilling readers with the beings from our dreams and nightmares. A supernatural mystery in a frightening and dangerous world, Kearns’s dark tale will keep you turning pages until the bitter end.
My son loves this book that’s a bit on the high-end for a five-year-old. It opens with a boy stumbling upon a master sculptor, and the artwork immediately pulls you into the story.
The boy is encouraged to try to sculpt and becomes discouraged because he’s not quite as good as he’d like to be. He quits but is told to try. I believe that failure isn’t failure but stepping stones to greatness and this book helps me turnkey this belief into my son.
We revisit this book often, and he’s even made me pick up sculpting clay to create his own sculptures. It’s pretty phenomenal.
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Trying
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This book is for kids age
4,
5,
6, and
7.
What is this book about?
How will you know what's possible if you don't try? This is a story for anyone who has ever felt like a beginner, or had doubts, or worried they weren't good enough. It's a story for those who have experienced the pain of trying something new and not having it turn out as they had hoped. Written by New York Times best-selling author Kobi Yamada, this captivating book celebrates the way failure is the just the beginning of the journey. With alluring black-and-white illustrations and a powerful message, this beautiful tale is about how failure has so much to offer--lessons…
