McBride’s utilization of all the elements of Weird Western really shines. From supernatural creatures to sinister humans to wild animals to the unfeeling wilds of nature, the threats are everywhere, and each is given due attention, all woven together to keep any single element from having all the fun—or bearing too much weight to make a satisfying story.
Tag Archives: Horror
‘Home’ More Heart than Haunted, In a Good Way
There’s just as much heart in Haunt as in any of Pinsker’s steady stream of excellent short fiction. I’d watch Haunt Sweet Home, but I liked reading about it even better.
‘Night Guest’ Preys on Fears of Self
The Night Guest is an unsettling story about who we are when our own backs are turned. In an era of butt-dialing, sleep-texting, Ambien Tweets, and the unofficial but far-reaching Mysterious Leg-Bruise Club, it’s a relatable fear.
‘Lone Women’ a Parable of Secrets and Prejudice in the Wild West
Although the town at the heart of Lone Women is made up of misfits, it quickly becomes clear that some fit in better than others. Secrets don’t stay secret forever, even if they’re locked up tight. The literal escape of Adelaide’s secret exacerbates tensions that were already fraying beneath the surface.
‘Good Bones’ a Charming Family Horror
The house is haunted in Good Bones, but the supernatural danger is far more interested the people than the structure in which they reside. Although, you know, that’s important, too. This is, after all, a haunted house story.
Beware the Shadows in ‘Keeper’
Ghouls and goblins are scary enough, but the real horror draws heavily from the worst parts of real life. That’s certainly the case in The Keeper, a graphic novel from power couple Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes that gives form to the amorphous threat of racism and generational trauma. Aisha’s luck could hardly be worse.Continue reading “Beware the Shadows in ‘Keeper’”
‘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.
‘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.
‘Reaper’ Brings More Gore to ‘Chainsaw’ World
Don’t Fear the Reaper is like an increasingly passionate correspondence with a long-distance lover. Also, the ink is blood and the paper is made from crushed-up bones.
‘Kaiju’ Highlights Fun in Scalzi’s Latest
Literature can be so many things, and The Kaiju Preservation Society reminds us in the best way that one of those things is entertainment.
Ring Reads 