(The following book reviews are taken from the first 16 issues of THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW.  We've reviewed many novels, anthologies, novellas, and chapbooks since 2003, and the following are some of our favorites.  Unless otherwise noted, reviews are by Nick Cato).

DEEP IN THE DARKNESS by Michael Laimo (2004 Leisure Books)

Although a bit similar to Simon Clark's Darkness Demands, Deep in the Darkness holds it's own, and manages to provide plenty of scares.  A young doctor and his family move from Manhattan to a small New England town.  Dr. Michael Cayle soon sees gold-glowing eyes staring at him from the woods.  Before long, he learns that he and his family are being held captive by an obscure race of small creatures known as Isolates.  In fact, they have the entire town (and four surrounding towns) under their control, and no one can leave alive.  The creatures use Dr. Cayle for their own purposes (most importantly to heal their sick and deliver their babies).  The you-know-what really hits the fan when Michael discovers his wife has been impregnated by an Isolate demon.   Deep in the Darkness is loaded with chills, gore, and lots of tension.  The ending will leave you feeling most dismal . . . hence a great, horrific read.

IN SILENT GRAVES by Gary A. Braunbeck (2004 Leisure Books)

Originally published in the small press as The Indifference of Heaven, Gary Braunbeck's In Silent Graves will leave any reader who's thirsting for something different completely satisfied.  Part horror, part literary dark fantasy, Braunbeck's writing alone puts him among the best in the field; and anyone who has children will find it almost impossible to not feel emotionally connected to protagonist Robert Londrigan, and I'm willing to bet that by the time you get to the 100th page, you will have both a) been strongly disturbed by the whole concept of the story, and b) have shed at least one tear (yes, this book is that powerful).  If you're not a parent, I don't know if the story will affect you this much, but I still highly recommend you at least give this sad (though engrossing) novel a try.

When his wife and unborn daughter die, events beyond belief come into Robert's life.  And when a peculiar character named Rael comes into the picture, things really begin to get strange.
In Silent Graves is one of the most intense, unique, and darkly disturbing novels you're likely to read this year . . . make that this decade.  Braunbeck has created a moody, atmospheric, and heart-felt horror yarn that also makes you think.  Michael Marano's introduction is also a great little treat, and something I wish more publishers would include in their mass market editions.

LONG HORN, BIG SHAGGY by Steve Vernon (2004 Black Death Books)

Subtitled A Tale of Wild West Terror and Reanimated Buffalo, Steve Vernon proves himself to be a gifted writer with this exceptionally bizarre, side-splitting tale.

Ghosts, zombies, Indian spirit gods, reanimated buffaloes, reanimated cowboys, and reanimated body parts are just some of the strange characters (and creatures) in Vernon's extremely wild Western.  The writing here is top notch, going from some very disgusting scenes of horror to serene dreams and visions, and much of the dialogue is done with a sharp sense of humor.  Add a major plus here for the neatest use of a severed head since John Carpenter's The Thing.
Long Horn, Big Shaggy, though short, has cult classic written all over it, and is loaded with very memorable scenes, dialogue, and characters.  This is must reading for fans of super-unique zombie tales and Westerns that truly stretch the genre to it's farthest, darkest regions.  104 pages of pure horrific bliss.

THE EYES OF THE CARP by T.M. Wright (2004 Cemetery Dance / Novella Series #15)

T.M. Wright is one of horror fiction's true originals.  The Eyes of the Carp is a very creepy and unsettling story told in journal form by Kevin, who moves with his wife Janet into a secluded house in Maine.  Needless to say, strange things start happening.  Janet complains of a presence in the house which she calls "William," a fence Kevin tears down reappears around a mysterious house on their property that wasn't their before, and Kevin slowly reveals himself to be disturbed.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Wright tackles his story with great courage, dropping the reader in a pinball machine and smacking them around wherever Keven feels like going.  Memory, time, and truth are fed into the blender and it's up to you to piece things together.  This is not a book for lazy readers.  Wright, like all great writers, doesn't do all the work for you.  You are actively involved in the narrative.

The Eyes of the Carp is one of the most challenging and original pieces of dark fiction you're likely to read this year. -Josh Boone

IN THE MIDNIGHT MUSEUM by Gary A. Braunbeck (2005 Necessary Evil Press)

After trying to overdose on prescription medications, Martin Tyler finds himself in the Cedar Hill Mental health Association Emergency Stabilization Center (!), and begins and odyssey to find out if he's losing his mind or if those strange creatures watching him from across the street are real and not a figment of his imagination.

Dark, emotional characters and dialogue, much food for thought on the notion of growing old, plenty of clever symbolism involving paintings and a poem, plus a brutal (yet artistic) scene at a circus all lead to a very atmospheric time when we finally get to the Midnight Museum.  I would dare say that even if you're not particularly fond of horror that's a bit on the depressing side, this is one story that will keep you glued to the pages.

In the Midnight Museum is an unforgettable tale that fans of intelligent dark fiction will savor again and again.  Upcoming writers would do good to pay attention to Braunbeck's style, technique, and amazing character development.  This guy keeps getting better and better.

THE TURTLE BOY by Kealan Patrick Burke (2004 Necessary Evil Press)

Before you open up The Turtle Boy, let me make one suggestion: make sure you have no plans for the next hour or so, because once you start, you are not going to be able to put this book down.

Kealen Patrick Burke has written a story of quiet terror at its best.  This one's about a young boy named Timmy Quinn and his best friend Pete.  Summer has just begun and the two begin to look for adventure in their small town.  They find themselves at Myers Pond where they come across a strange looking, dirty kid sitting near the water.  Something isn't right with him, and the two friends get scared and run away.

They boy will become the focus of their summer, and their fear will even consume their parents who forbid them of going back.  And this boy will change everything in their lives and make them face fears they never could have imagined.

Burke does a wonderful job moving the story along and keeping us in chills all the way.  Timmy Quinn is a great character with all the wonderful attributes of every best friend we ever had.  The only problem with this book is you'll wish it could continue.
-Stephen Alba

THE ABANDONED by Douglas Clegg (2005 Leisure Books)

A gruesome, weird, and extremely gory entry in Clegg's Harrow House series, and hands down the best so far.

A man known as "The Nightwatchman" moves to Harrow and begins to prepare women to birth an unexplainable evil.  In a nearby town, residents have gone berserk, the victims of intense darkness that is now leaking from the Harrow House itself.

Although it may take a bit to become familiar with the many characters here, The Abandoned quickly moves from a supernatural tale to a no-holds barred splatter-fest.  A good deal of the story takes place in the chaotic town, reminding me of classic horror films I Drink Your Blood, The Crazies, and  even Night of the Living Dead.  Comparisons can also be make to Richard Laymon's One Rainy Night, yet Clegg's beautiful prose (in spite of the jaw-dropping scenes of carnage) makes this novel stand by itself.
One scene dealing with ghosts (or are they live people?) trapped under an ice-floor will chill you to the bone, and fans of axe-wielding mayhem are in for a treat and a half as one of the main characters gets quite busy with this fundamental horror-story weapon!
Despite a rather sudden ending, The Abandoned is must reading for horror fans who like their horror served up raw and to the point.  Here's hoping for another equally-as-intense Harrow installment.

GRAVE MARKINGS by Michael A. Arnzen (1994 Dell Abyss)

A lunatic named Kilpatrick is trying to make his mark on the artworld.  His tools?  Unwilling people who become living canvas' to his tattoo needle.  This psycho inks people up with detailed, one-of-a-kind morbid artwork that leaves the city baffled.

Although some may look at this as a standard psycho-on-the-loose story, Grave Markings' several surreal, eerie flashbacks--as well as the grim attack scenes--easily place it on a level much spookier than your regular cop-chases-psycho yarn.

Highlights include a disturbing scene at a tattoo convention and a great character named Corky (who is a tough-as-nails, old-school tattoo artist).  And although we know who the killer is early on, Arnzen's well-paced prose keeps things interesting at every turn.

Seek out and find Grave Markings; it's a wild change of pace for serial-killer fans, and for horror fans who want to meet one unique villain.

SHE LOVES MONSTERS by Simon Clark (2006 Necessary Evil Press)

Jack Calner learns he has inherited a share of a long lost cult film directed by Christopher Lake, a man who has been compared to legends such as Lon Chaney and Tod Browning.  With dollar signs in his eyes, he sets out to find the film with the intention of finally releasing it theatrically and on DVD.  But while he's on the ride to Mr. Lake's estate, a nude woman slams into his car while running away from something, cracks the windshield . . . then vanishes from the scene.
Calner arrives at the isolated mansion where Lake (recovering from a nervous breakdown) lives with his beautiful sister and their handyman / gardner nicknamed "Bunny."  Before long, Calner discovers that lake's lost epic, titled Vorada, was "lost" for a good reason.  Lake's sister, Venus, seems more interested in finally getting the film released than her brother is, but she doesn't want to immediately hand the reels over . . . and things begin to get really strange when Venus spikes Calner's dinner with LSD.

This novella hits harder than most NOVELS even try to.  I've been a Clark fan for several years now, and with She Loves Monsters, he has reached that certain level as a writer that few do; when a story refuses to leave your head, that's talent.  That's something special.  That's something horror fans crave.  That's She Loves Monsters.  Easily Clark's finest piece of work to date.

A CHOIR OF ILL CHILDREN by Tom Piccirilli (2004 Bantam Spectra)

The year long wait for the paperback release was well worth it (last June, Night Shade Books published a sharp-looking hardcover edition which we thought featured 2003's best cover in HFR #2).  One of the best things about this novel (it is almost impossible to pinpoint one) is the atmosphere: Piccirilli writes with such intense detail, you'll be swatting flies from your face and turning the A/C on, believing you are actually in a Southern swamp.  The next thing that strikes you is the characters; the only way to explain some of them is ERASERHEAD meets 2000 MANIACS on the set of SANTA SANGRE!
Thomas (who has inherited a mill {built by his father} in the small town of Kingdom Come) cares for his triplet brothers (who are joined by their foreheads and share the same brain (!)), and faces off against a psycho who tried to kill him twenty years ago.  He spends much of the novel searching for answers in his mother's mysterious disappearance, and trying to understand his father's obscure suicide.  Along the way, Thomas meets the aforementioned cast of colorful characters, who will keep fans of bizarre horror tales glued to the pages, and provide writers with much inspiration.
Piccirilli's writing is simply...breathtaking.  The author of two poetry collections, his prose is unique, and almost every chapter features and concludes with language that is elegant and poetic.  When Thomas finally discovers what happened to his mother, my heart sank in a way that I've seldom experienced in a novel before.
A Choir of Ill Children  is a masterpiece, combining elements of horror, mystery, Southern gothic, and cult-type storytelling rarely displayed outside of an artistic midnight cult film (Canadian director Guy Maddin's l988 Tales from the Gimli Hospital comes to mind).  All this, and Piccirilli still manages to add plenty of dark/dry humor;  one side-plot involving someone kicking all the town's dogs had me in stitches.
This may be Piccirilli's greatest piece of work to date, and horror fiction fans looking for something different will savor every single word.

MOVE UNDER GROUND by Nick Mamatas (2004 Night Shade Books)

It's the year nineteen sixty-something.
Three classic beat authors (led by Jack Kerouac) head from the West coast to New York in stolen vehicles, attempting to save the earth from a Lovecraftian-invasion which has spawned a world-wide cult of fanatical followers.  Using 60's style beat-language, author Mamatas has skillfully constructed one of the strangest and most unique novels to hit the scene since Tom Piccirilli's A Choir of Ill Children.
Packed with bizarre creatures, interesting dialogue, and enough head-scratching symbolism to challenge even the most callous of dark literature fans, Move Under Ground is a guaranteed good read for those who like to see how far the horror genre can be stretched.  Nick Mamatas wields his words as a painter does his brush . . . and for lack of a more sophisticated term, this book, put  simply, is pure art.  A must read and one of the best novels of 2004.  (Visit www.nightshadebooks.com).

BLOOD RED by James A. Moore (2005 Earthling Publications)

This book is a total vampire rampage (would that be a vampage?).
The neatest thing about Blood Red was that it would have been a terrific story even without the vampires.  There's a small town full of secrets, and loads of fascinating characters with conflicts and problems.  From the sleazy drug dealer who pimps out college girls to the cop who lives for the words, "Can't we work something out, Officer?", from the nice guy next door with diabolical computer skills to the nanny who's got the hots for the dad of the family, Black Stone Bay is populated with as many racy and exciting subplots as any afternoon soap or primetime drama.
I would have read it avidly if only to find out what happened to all those people but then the vampires show up and it gets even better!  Best of all, these are absolutely wicked vampires.  Violent, inhuman, brutish monsters without an ounce of angst or compassion among the lot of them.  The vampire leader is extremely sexy, with the perfect touch of arrogant humor as he toys with human lives.  I won't give away what he does to the local clergyman, but it's quite the twisted tweak.
Blood Red juggles dozens of characters, and at times it gets a little overwhelming keeping track of who's who.  This is more than made up for by the fact that so many of them are memorable and fun . . . and they die in such lovely squishy-red ways.  Most of them even deserve everything they get.  This is one of those stories in which the goal of the protagonists isn't so much victory, or even survival, as it is to go fast and relatively clean before anything too awful can happen.
To everyone who thinks vampires have been (pardon the pun) done to death, I say that you need to pick up this book.  Its treatment of the vampire is traditional enough to be familiar, but fresh enough to make you enjoy it all over again.  I'd call this definite required Halloween reading for horror fans.
-Christine Morgan

NIGHT OF BROKEN SOULS by Thomas F. Monteleone (1998 Warner Aspect)

Several people around the world begin to have intense, realistic nightmares of being tortured and killed in Nazi concentration camps during World War 2.  A Manhattan doctor becomes aware of this phenomenon when a few of his patients come to him with similar testimonies.  Another doctor is forced by the CIA to check out a man who has seemingly gone off the deep end--when she discovers (much too late) that his body has been taken over by "The Little Angel," one of the more brutal maniacs who worked with the Nazi regime, who has now found a way to come back from the abyss--and continue killing those he has already killed (!).

Monteleone's premise may sound a bit hard to swallow, but in his hands the story becomes a believable, fast-paced, intelligent thriller sprinkled with some very horrific notions.
There's many characters, but I found myself caring for every single one of them--even one who is introduced in the fourth part of the story and then seemingly vanishes!
Night of Dark Souls is a brilliant novel, featuring an unforgettable plot and text-book perfect writing that will surely satisfy readers and inspire all who pen dark tales.  You'll love this one.

CITY OF THE DEAD by Brian Keene (2005 Delirium Books)

You can't write a sequel to a book.  It can't be done.  It will be compared to the first book and it can't be better than the original.  No one told Brian Keene the rules.  City of the Dead, a sequel to his great novel The Rising, is not only good, but it's a far better book.  I would call it one of the best apocalyptic novels since Robert McCammon's Swan Song.  Keene should become one of the top names in the genre with this amazing zombie tale.
If you haven't read The Rising, I don't want to ruin it for you.  It's basically the story of a father trying to find his son in a world where zombies have taken over.  Though readers loved the book, they felt the ending came too sudden and left too many questions unanswered...
...which brings us to City of the Dead.  The story starts off right where we left it; Jim Thurmond is searching for his son.  He has found a couple of companions on his trip, including a former junkie named Frankie and a Baptist minister named Jim Martin.  The three find themselves in front of the house where Danny, Jim's son, lives.  But they'll soon find that they aren't alone.  The zombies have been waiting for them.
In New York City, billionaire Darren Ramsey has created a building that can not be harmed.  He built Ramsey Towers after 9/11 and spent millions of dollars on it to make sure it could withstand any attack.  But now a different type of terrorist has arrived in the city.  The zombies have taken over Manhattan and Ramsey is trying to save as many of the living as he can...but he also wants to be worshipped and treated like a God.
The leader of the zombies is Ob and he has been sent to earth to destroy humankind.  He knows that the last of them have taken shelter in Ramsey Towers.  His zombie soldiers have brought in the heavy artillery.  The final stand between humans and zombies will happen in New York City.  The deathtoll is about to rise.
This is just a beautiful, relentless novel by Brian Keene.  It's like riding on a roller coaster for the first time, never knowing which way the turns will take you while waiting for the falls that will make you scream.  A wonderful collection of characters are built up so strongly that you're sure Keene won't let harm come to any of them.  Think again.
Brian Keene has found a place on my bookshelf.  For fans of the extreme, he is one you're gonna want to watch closely.  He is a great writer who writes fierce fiction and doesn't mind taking chances.  Great book.
-Stephen Alba

PRESSURE by Jeff Strand (2006 Earthling Publications)

Great Caesar's Ghost...this one forced my heart into my throat for more than half of it!  Forget Jeff Strand the funnyman (although some of the dialogue here is quite humorous); the author shines in his latest novel, which takes on a very serious tone.
After meeting in boarding school at age 12, Alex Fletcher and Darren Rust become friends...until Alex discovers some disturbing habits in Darren.  Flash forward to the college years, where the two meet up again...only this time Alex learns his old buddy has gone from dog-torture to worse.  In the third section of Pressure, Strand really lets the terror rip as Darren tracks down Alex, now living with his wife and young daughter.  What follows is nail-biting, non-stop suspense seldom seen in the small (or large for that matter) press.  By the time the real chaos goes down, you're so involved with all the characters it makes the bloodshed that much harder to deal with.  This sucker gets darker than midnight in a few scenes.
I can't say enough good things about Pressure, a novel that you'll find very difficult to put down . . . even for a minute.  I read it so fast I was looking for more.  Jeff Strand has left an unforgettable mark here; you'll be thinking about this one for days.  Includes a short but sweet foreword by Michael Prescott.

LEFT IN THE DARK: THE SUPERNATURAL TALES OF JOHN GORDON by John Gordon (2006 Medusa Press)

I hate having to admit I've never heard of a writer, especially one whose prose practically sweats originality and delivers the chills like John Gordon.  Yes, this man's new to me but I'm glad I made his acquaintance.  From the opening title track to the last tale, I see why he's so revered across the pond.  Not a word wasted, not a plot over-used, Gordon's magical and sometimes surreal stories kept me up into the wee hours.
Oh . . . did I mention these ghastly tales are geared for Young Adults?
Yup.  Sure are.  But I have to admit I enjoyed them as much as, say, the fine writings of Robert Cormier.
Children and teens in a Gordon story seem to cross a line they shouldn't, but that line is invariably drawn by adults--sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of evil--but in these stories, it's always with a shiver and a morally-correct message.
Now, don't get me wrong.  IF I had a kid who was interested and curious as to what "daddy" reads, I probably wouldn't let him near this book--it's rough . . . very rough.  But that's just me and maybe they make kids more durable in the UK.  But take the title story about a boy who, during the war, is sent with two other boys (supposedly "safe" from the bombings of his hometown) to a strange old house with a kooky old lady and made to sleep at the top of a dank set of twisting, turning stairs, no lights and a large wardrobe . . . that taps . . . C.S. Lewis as written by Poe.
Or, The Burning Baby, where a man rapes a young teen, knocks her up, kills her and hides her body in the middle of the town's yearly bonfire . . . the image Gordon has planted in my head of a staggering infant ablaze stumbling out of the inferno will always be stuck in my head.                                    
Thanks a lot, Mr. Gordon.
Or, Uncle Walter, whose title speaks for itself.
Other standouts for this reader were Bone Meal, Eels, Under the Ice, All the Children, Grandmother's Footsteps, and If She Bends, She Breaks . . . but every offering here is a zinger.
Gordon states that the no-man's land between childhood and adulthood is and will always be the perfect place and time for a writer to explore; the perfect setting for life choices, of a young adult facing his or her future, and, of course, horror.  I agree and I don't think I've read a finer collection of tales such as this, ever.
Decidedly English in execution and style, Left in the Dark again proves why our good friends across the Atlantic have the lock on literature the way it's supposed to be written--every word is perfect and fits like a tailored Armani.
Highly recommended for adults . . .and stout kids.
-Mark Tyree

(The following review will be published in THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW #17, due out sometime in 2007)

HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill (2007 William Morrow)

After creating an amazing buzz with the great short story collection 20th Century Ghosts (see our review in HFR #14), Joe Hill delivers his first full-length novel.
Aging rock star Judas Coyne collects some very weird things in his spare time; occult objects, books, a hangman's noose--and he even managed to get his hands on an authentic snuff film.  When his manager Danny finds a most unique item up for bid on an e-bay-wanna-be website, he informs Judas, and in no time becomes the owner of a dead man's suit...but the seller has also promised that the suit comes along with her stepfather's ghost.
The premise may sound like a modern version of the old ghost-story, but it's so much more; simple (but effective) plot twists are at every turn, Hill's hand-full of characters are all believable, interesting and memorable, and the ghost himself (named "Craddock") is a nice cross between Freddy Krueger and that crazy shrink from Dean Koontz' underrated classic False Memory.
By now you all know who Joe Hill's father is (and if you don't, you're much cooler than I am).  Suffice it to say this guy has a bright future ahead of him, and has surely made his old man proud.
Heart-Shaped Box is a near-perfect debut, and features a few of the creepiest opening chapters in recent memory.  Let's just hope he sticks to horror for a while before tampering with other genres!  One of the more satisfying mainstream releases I've read in a while.

Other Novels / Anthologies Recommended by THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW

BORN BAD by Barry Hoffman
DEAD BITCH ARMY by Andre Duza
THE HALLOWEEN MAN by Douglas Clegg
BLOOD CRAZY by Simon Clark
DISPATCH / THE STORE / THE REVELATION (all by Bentley Little)
EYES EVERYWHERE by Matthew Warner
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR Jack Ketchum
FLESH GOTHIC Edward Lee
NIGHT SHOW Richard Laymon
THE UNDEAD: ZOMBIE ANTHOLOGY (Permuted Press)
CORPSE BLOSSOMS (Creeping Hemlock Press)
STAINED by Lee Thomas
PERSONAL DEMONS by Gregory Lamberson
HEXES by Tom Piccirilli
SINGLE WHITE PSYCHOPATH SEEKS SAME by Jeff Strand
WET WORK by Philip Nutman

LIKE DEATH by Tim Waggoner

SCISSORS by Ray Garton

DESOLATION by Tim Lebbon

DRAWN TO THE GRAVE by Mary Ann Mitchell

THE PINES by Robert Dunbar

FEAR OF GRAVITY, THE CONQUEROR WORMS (both by Brian Keene)

THE OATH by Frank Peretti

THE BLACKBURN & SCARLETTI MYSTERIES by Karen Koehler

THE RED CHURCH, THE HOME (both by Scott Nicholson)

THE NIGHTMARE FRONTIER by Stephen Mark Rainey

THE MEMORY TREE by John R. Little

THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS by Harry Shannon

WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks