Not a Speck of Light is the fifth collection of short stories by Laird Barron and contains tales in his Old Leech mythos as well as in his Antiquity universe. Simply put, he's the preeminent horror short fiction author of our times. This collection is stunning in its dark imagery and oozes horror from its pores. I generally enjoy psychological horror more than gore and Barron excels at the gentle dance between the two. If you enjoy shorter reads with eldritch gods, entities from the ichor of nightmares, and characters who are at battle with themselves, you'll want a copy of Not a Speck of Light.
One of Paste Magazine's "Most Anticipated Horror Books of 2024"
It’s about to get very dark.
Bram Stoker Award-winning author Laird Barron returns to the dark and dreadful with his fifth horror collection, which weaves sixteen weird tales into a mosaic of the bloody and the macabre.
"good night, sleep tight", is another collection of short stories but this time by the masterful Brian Evenson. What horrors can be conjured from a book? It's simply a set of pages bound by glue and set on your bedside table, right? Wrong. Evenson evokes such a visceral response in me when I read his work that I quite literally need to break and digest what I've just consumed. He is beyond whatever margins the word *talented* can describe and his work is both paradoxically unique and integral to mainstream horror.
“Perhaps tomorrow I will wake up another person. Perhaps tomorrow I will wake up not a person at all.”
From the “master of literary horror” (GQ) comes a collection of new stories tracing the limits and consequences of artificial intelligence and “post-human” relationships. Populated by twins stepping into worlds of absence, bears who lick their cubs into creation, and artificial beings haunted by their less-than-human nature, each page sketches a world where our all-too-real feelings of isolation and ecological dread take on an otherworldly tinge.
In Good Night, Sleep Tight, Brian Evenson deftly weaves ethical dilemmas, maternal warmth, and echoes…
*Love Is a Crematorium* by Mercedes Yardley is a haunting and lyrical exploration of love, loss, and the human soul’s resilience in the face of devastation. In this darkly beautiful novella, Yardley masterfully weaves a tale where love is not just a source of warmth, but also a force of destruction—burning as fiercely as it heals. The story follows characters navigating a world of broken hearts and fractured realities, where the boundaries between life and death blur, and emotions run as deep as the grave.
Yardley’s prose is sharp and poetic, cutting to the core of human experience while immersing readers in a dreamlike atmosphere that is as unsettling as it is enchanting. Themes of grief, desire, and redemption simmer throughout, making the book not only a dark fantasy but also a raw meditation on the fragility of life and the transformative power of love.
For readers who appreciate the eerie beauty of stories like *The Night Circus* or *This Is How You Lose the Time War*, *Love Is a Crematorium* promises a poignant journey that lingers long after the final page is turned.
A woman builds her lover from carefully scavenged pieces and parts. A young girl is groomed for madness by one who loves her most. A neurodivergent boy organizes his life, and loss, by the ticking of a clock. And love can be the most splendid and destructive force in the entire world. Love is a Crematorium and Other Tales is a collection of seventeen stories that are both bleak and beautiful, devastating and sweet. Enter the crematorium to experience grief, starlit nights, and gorgeous tragedy that make our souls burn from the inside out.
*The Tides of Nirvana*, the breathtaking conclusion to Martin Kearns' *Valor of Valhalla* trilogy, plunges readers into the heart of a world on the brink of destruction. As the ancient prophecy of Ragnarök looms larger than ever, the fragile alliance between gods, mortals, and mythic beings begins to unravel. With realms collapsing and monstrous forces rising from the depths of the cosmos, the battle for survival reaches a fever pitch.
In this final chapter, the broken warriors of Valhalla must confront their greatest fears and darkest truths. Betrayals cut deep, loyalties are tested, and sacrifices are inevitable. As they fight to prevent the end of everything they know, they are forced to question whether the cycle of war and death can ever truly be broken—or if fate has other plans.
*The Tides of Nirvana* delivers relentless action, gut-wrenching twists, and a sprawling mythological landscape that expands the lore of Kearns’ universe. It's a visceral tale of redemption, power, and the thin line between salvation and ruin. Fans of epic battles, complex characters, and a world steeped in Norse mythology will find themselves riveted by this thrilling and emotionally charged finale. Perfect for readers who crave intense, character-driven fantasy with a dark edge.
