The Grimm Reader...

Let Horror Fiction Reign…

“When it comes to the dark Fu*ckery of the human heart, there are no limits.” Stephen King

Many of us have a long-held curiosity of the macabre. What’s hiding under the bed or in the closet, what is looming in the shadows, who’s voice is hissing its whisper in our ear, who’s footsteps do we hear creeping up behind us. It’s both the question and the numerous potentially horrifying answers that cause our adrenaline to spike, our stomach to plummet, our heart to stutter, and our eyes refuse to shut.

Horror fiction, at its finest, feeds whatever crazed deviance you are exploring, or depraved hunger you are attempting to satiate. All can be found in a book. And those of us brave enough have an invitation to vicariously experience all our worst possible nightmares on those pages.

Sadly, many bookstores have removed the dedicated sections and publishers have left these novels to languish, often undiscovered, in the fantasy genre. Where am I, in my rock t-shirt, black jeans and cool kicks, to go to browse what has apparently been delegated by outside forces as my secret shame? How am I to follow my path to the dark Narnia? How am I to add to my coveted stack of scary delights kept in the corner? If you look hard enough you will see that horror is having a renaissance.

In my latest feature, I’ve got you covered, here we go...if you dare.

Master Of Puppets…

I’m pulling your strings, twisting your mind, and smashing your dreams…

Dead Eleven – Jimmy Juliano

In this phenomenal debut, we start off with a dear reader letter. One with a warning. That we won’t believe the story we are about to be told. That evil dwells in the places we least expect it. And that it will be revealed to us exactly the nature and depravity of that evil. We know within the first dozen pages or so that something is off about Clifford Island. There are strange things happening. The residents seem stuck in a time loop and have some rather odd superstitions. Everything must be precise and on schedule. The rules must not be broken. Anything that deviates from that will result in dire consequences. Those consequences will be revealed to us over the course of this story. And what a story it is my fellow readers!

You Like It Darker – Stephen King

With a title pulled from King’s response to demands from the Constant Reader, those of us lucky enough to call ourselves one knows we are in for some wicked fun. King’s latest brings us a new collection of stories that delve into the darkest parts of life, both metaphorical and literal. With themes that include fate, morality and luck, the reader is lured into the folds of a reality where anything can happen. Over the decades, King has given us a host of things to fear. His ability to bring us terror and solace in equal measure remains unsurpassed. This year, 2024, marks 50 years since King’s first book was published. Something that this reader will be celebrating.

Heads Will Roll – Josh Winning

After sitcom star Willow tweeted herself into infamy and stumbled blind-drunk into a swimming pool, her agent shipped her off to Camp Castaway. Tucked away in upstate New York, Castaway is a summer camp for adults who are desperate to leave their mistakes behind. No real names, no phones . . . no way to call for help. But whatever peaceful vibe she’d found is soon shattered when one of the campers vanishes and Willow finds a mutilated doll in her room with a threatening message in its mouth. With no phones, no feeds, and no way out, Heads Will Roll shows us how social media will make monsters of us all.

William – Mason Coile

Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after untold hours spent in his home lab, has achieved the breakthrough of his career, he’s created an artificially intelligent consciousness he calls William. No one knows about William. Henry’s agoraphobia keeps him inside the house, and his fixation on his project keeps him up in the attic, away from everyone, including his pregnant wife, Lily. When Lily’s coworkers show up, wanting to finally meet Henry and see the new house, the smartest of smart homes, Henry decides to introduce them to William, and things go from strange to much worse. Welcome to the house of your nightmares.

Family Business – Jonathan Sims

When Diya’s best friend Angie dies, it feels like her own life is falling apart. Wanting a fresh start, she joins Slough & Sons, a family firm that cleans up after the recently deceased. Old love letters. Porcelain dolls. Broken trinkets. Clearing away the remnants of other people's lives, Diya begins to see things. Horrible things. Things that get harder and harder to write off as merely her grieving imagination. All is not as it seems with the Slough family. Why won't they speak about their own recent loss? And who is the strange man that keeps turning up at their jobs? Unsurprisingly, death is a dirty business.

Incidents Around The House – Josh Malerman

To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: “Can I go inside your heart?” When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the question over and over, Bela understands that unless she says yes, her family will soon pay. Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. This book might in fact be the monster in your closet.

Sleep Tight – J.H.Markert

Beware the one who got away. Father Silence once terrorized the rural town of Twisted Tree, disguising himself as a priest to prey on the most vulnerable members of society. When the police finally found his "House of Horrors," they uncovered nineteen bodies and one survivor, a boy now locked away in a hospital for the criminally insane. Nearly two decades later, Father Silence is finally put to death, but by the next morning, the detective who made the original arrest is found murdered. A new serial killer is taking credit and calling himself the Outcast. Terrifying in every sense of the word.

Bury Your Gays – Chuck Tingle

Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell. But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill off the gay characters, "for the algorithm," in the upcoming season finale. While he refuses, he soon discovers that monsters from his previous horror movies are stalking him, and he must put a stop to it before he can realize his dreams of being a superstar. Brilliantly bloody and wildly fun!

Good Dogs – Brian Asman

No one ever said being a werewolf was easy. Take Delia, for instance. She's spent much of her life fighting against her own nature, plagued by nightmares of childhood trauma, and trying to find her place in the world. Many werewolves are just like her: ostracized by their families, forced to live alone and in secret as they await those nights when the Change overtakes them. Becoming the den mother to an odd bunch of lycanthropes in Southern California isn't exactly the answer Delia was looking for. But under the strict rules of the house, they can manage the Change safely, and hunt without endangering their San Diego suburb. Until they can’t.

Greatest Hits – Harlan Ellison

An inventive and provocative collection of the best stories from an acclaimed author who shaped genre fiction. Eccentric and eclectic tales full of terror and just a little tomfoolery! Perfect if you like your horror fiction in small doses.

Sympathy For The Devil…

pleased to meet you, hope you can guess my name…

Ghost Station – S.A. Barnes

An abandoned plant. A hidden past. A deadly danger. Psychologist Ophelia has dedicated her life to the study of a disease that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she is assigned to a small exploration crew who recently suffered a tragic loss, it becomes clear they are hiding something. As they show more interest in the sinister planet they are inhabiting rather than opening up to her, she becomes worried that her worst nightmare is coming true…more deaths she is powerless to prevent. I never knew I loved Space Horror until I gobbled up this author’s debut novel. Neither is to be missed!

Middle Of The Night – Riley Sager

The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle happened in Ethan’s backyard. One July night Ethan and his best friend Billy fell asleep in a tent set up out back for a sleepover. The next morning, Ethan woke up alone. In the night someone had sliced open the tent and taken Billy. He was never seen again. Thirty years later Ethan reluctantly returns home and soon finds himself plagued by bad dreams and sleepless nights. Someone seems to be roaming the neighbourhood at odd hours and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing. Is this a cruel prank? Or something far darker? Sager makes things go bump in the night in his latest release!

Graveyard Shift – R.L.Rio

Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, a ragtag group of people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story. One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom? What happens when the gravedigger returns?

Such Lovely Skin – Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

When Vivian, a 17-year-old Twitch streamer, confesses to an "NPC" in a videogame that she killed her baby sister, she welcomes a demonic mimic into her life. This mimic is so accurate it can fool anyone, even her parents. It has ruined countless lives before Vivian’s, spanning back centuries. To stop it, or even just survive it, she will have to follow its chain of victims back and embark on a journey to meet its only remaining survivor before it destroys her life and the lives of everyone she loves. Maybe we should be a little more afraid on playing online games. Or a lot more.

Devils Kill Devils – Johnny Compton

When all hell breaks loose, you need a devil on your side. Sarita has been watched over by a guardian angel her entire life. She calls him Angelo and keeps him a secret. But secrets can’t stay buried forever. When Angelo murders someone she loves, Sarita begins to see what's really been lurking in the shadows surrounding her. And she will have to embrace the evil within if she hopes to make it out alive. Prepare to be introduced to a whole new roster of monsters! It’s going to grab you by the throat reader!

The Night Guest – Hildur Knutsdottir

Iounn is in yet another doctor’s office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that somethings not right, but no one can figure out what’s wrong with her. All her friends and family spew the usual refrain, get more sleep, eat healthier, exercise more, but nothing helps. Then one morning she wakes to discover she has walked 40,000 steps in the night. What is happening when she’s asleep? Why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? Warning, you may be afraid to close your eyes after you read this. Haunting and brilliant!

Don’t Eat The Pie – Monique Asher

When her mother-in-law falls ill, Sam dutifully moves her family to Camillia Island to care for her. The island residents, namely the older women, welcome Sam and her daughter Emma with open arms, endless cocktails, and plenty of superstition. It seems perfect until it’s not. The house next to her mother-in-law’s is creepy, not only that, but it’s also where Ben’s first wife died. It gets even worse when Emma starts to see things, knowing that there are ghosts trying to warn her of something, but what? What secrets are buried on the Island? And why are all the residents keen on keeping them quiet? Gothic and sinister!

The Eleven – Kyle Rutkin

For years, rumors have circulated amongst the Hollywood elite, whispers of a mysterious symbol veiled beneath the glitz and glamor of this town, XIIX. Many believe that the symbol leads the seeker to greatness, to golden statues, and unparalleled riches. The chance to become a Hollywood god. Others claim that the symbol brings tragedy and destruction upon those it finds. That it is a mark from the devil himself. When a tabloid journalist is assigned to investigate the disappearance of an actress, we will all have to decide for ourselves what’s at play, good or evil.

Craft: Stories I Wrote For The Devil – Ananda Lima

At a Halloween party in 1999, a writer slept with the devil. She sees him again and again throughout her life and she writes stories for him about things that are both impossible and true. Full of strange and haunted tales that will keep you up way past your bedtime.

The Devil By Name – Keith Rosson

Five years after the event that drove most of the global population to madness, the world is overrun with the “fevered”—once-human, zombielike creatures drawn indiscriminately to violence and murder. In Portland, where it all began, guilt-ridden detective John Bonner scours the city’s darkest corners for clues to humanity’s redemption. He seeks out a sixteen-year-old girl with a disturbing and powerful gift that may be key to humanity’s salvation. Think The Stand for the punk rock crowd.

Highway To Hell…

season ticket on a one way ride…

The Queen – Nick Cutter

On a sunny morning in June, Margaret wakes up to find a new iPhone on her doorstep. She switches it on to find a text from her best friend, Charity. The problem is, Charity’s been missing for over a month. Most people in town, even the police, think she’s dead. They have been lifelong friends, sharing everything. They know the most intimate details about each other, except for the destructive secret hidden from them both. And now Charity wants to make sure Margaret knows all about it. Taking place over the course of a single day, this is a feverishly paced thrill of a read!

Horror Movie – Paul Tremblay

In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick. The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot. There is only one surviving member of the cast, and he remembers all too well the secrets buried in the original screenplay. A chilling twist on the cursed film trope.

Out There Screaming – Jordan Peele

A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be, that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds created in Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and like his spine-chilling films, its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Cuckoo – Gretchen Felker-Martin

Something evil is buried deep in the desert. It wants your body. It wears your skin. In the summer of 1995, seven queer kids abandoned by their parents at a remote conversion camp came face to face with it. They survived, but at Camp Resolution, everybody leaves a different person. Sixteen years later, only the scarred and broken survivors of that terrible summer can put an end to the horror before it's too late. Mesmerizing and terrifying masterwork of body horror. Make sure you have the stomach for it!

Bitter Is The Heart – Mina Hardy

Tamar fled an abusive mother when she was eighteen, running away from home to find a better life elsewhere. She has lived in freedom from her mother, Ruth, for decades, until one night she wakes to find her now-elderly mother standing over her bed, disoriented and confused. When Tamar reluctantly takes in her mother, strange events start happening inside her home: the house is oppressively hot, lights flicker, and cupboards open and shut on their own. Whispers filter beneath her bedroom door. What is there is something much worse than her mother lurking in the shadows.

The Chamber – Will Dean

Six experienced saturation divers are locked inside a hyperbaric chamber. Calm and professional, they know that rapid decompression would be fatal and so they work in shifts, breathing helium, and surviving in hot, close quarters. Then one of them is found dead in his bunk. With four days of decompression to go before the locked hatch to the chamber can be safely opened, the group must watch one another’s backs at all times. And when another diver is discovered unresponsive, everyone is on edge. What…or who…is taking them out one by one?

The Underhistory – Kaaron Warren

Pera was nine the day the pilot intentionally crashed his plane into her family's grand home, killing everyone inside. She was the girl who survived the tragedy, a sympathetic oddity, growing stranger by the day. Over the decades she rebuilt the huge and rambling building on the original site, recreating what she had lost, each room telling a piece of the story of her life and that of the many people who died there, both before and after the disaster. Her sister murdered a hundred miles away. The soldier, broken by war. Death follows Pera, and she welcomes it in as an old friend. And while she doesn't believe in ghosts, she's not above telling a ghost story or two to those who come to visit Sinclair House. Chilling and haunting.

Your Shadow Half Remains – Sunny Moraine

One look can kill. Riley has not seen a single human face in more years than she can count. No faces, no eyes. Not if she wants to survive. But when a new neighbour moves in, her need for human contact makes her throw caution to the wind. Somehow in this world where other people can mean a gruesome and bloody death, somehow Ellis makes her feel safe. But as they grow closer, her grip on reality starts to slip and soon all she can think about is that she wants to look. Unnerving and absolutely oozing with dread.

All This & More – Peng Shepherd

Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsh is convinced she’s missed her chance at everything and is desperate for a do-over. She can’t believe her luck when she’s selected to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the chance to revise their pasts and change their present lives. It’s Marsh’s only shot to seize her dreams, and she’s determined to get it right this time. But turns out she’s not in control of the choices she makes, we are!