Fiction – Page 8 – Ring Reads

‘Salt’ a ‘Heavy’ Horror Novella with Unexpected Lightness

If you can get through those scenes, there’s something tender waiting at the end. Khaw could have sent us into a tailspin of blood of gore, and it wouldn’t feel out of place. Instead, we get a far more gentle adieu to this kingdom of blood and ash.

‘Shutter’ a Mystery Marred by Blur

Shutter has the makings of a fantastic story that takes its character far beyond the tropes of a typical murder mystery protagonist, but by the climax, I only felt exhausted.

‘Rose House’ Chilling in its Plausibility

This is not a horror novel, but its premise manages to be spine-tingling for the picture it paints—not bleak, exactly, but pragmatic to the point of irrationality, yet difficult to argue with.

‘Killers’ a Romp with a Razor-Sharp Edge

Killers of a Certain Age is a book about aging and killers and betrayal, but its heart is oddly wholesome and comforting. While I wouldn’t call this a cozy read, it’s one that makes me look at the people around me a little more positively—and at the objects around my house as so many potential murder weapons.

‘Drowning’ A Classic Summer Read

If you distill the most quintessential parts of summer and turn it into ink, the book that ink would write would look a lot like Christine Lynn Herman’s latest novel, The Drowning Summer.

In ‘Linghun,’ Ghosts Haunt More than Houses

In Linghun, the refusal to grow after tragedy is almost tangible, bringing with it cascading tragedies. There is no happy ending with a setup like that, but there is one that is as tender as it is tough to swallow.

‘How to Be Eaten’ A Fairy-Tale Feast

Although most of the stories don’t involve talking furniture or little, burger-scented men falling from air vents, seeing stories about strangers warping and reshaping around us in ways that may or may not be true is a fact of daily life.

‘Build Your House’ Rewards Patience

There are no twists of the traditional sort in Violet Kupersmith’s debut novel, Build Your House Around My Body, but there are a stack of stories that weave themselves around each other before ultimately tying a knot that can only truly be appreciated on the reread.

‘Spear’ Hits Its Mark

If you have the least bit of interest in swords or knights or daring deeds, you can’t miss with Spear.

‘Puppets’ a Refreshingly Light Read

Part reverse-Pinocchio, part science-fiction Stardust, Puppets is another entry into the growing cozy SFF genre that is a welcome change from the usual fare.