THE GUNS ABOVE By Robyn Bennis Tor Books 351 pages We love this book! The reasons for this overwhelming reaction are many and we’ll happily elaborate for your edification. Years ago, while still in high school, we discovered the works of British writer C.S. Forster and his clever navel hero,
SKELOS 2 The Magazine of Weird Fiction and Dark Fantasy Edited by Mark Fin, Chris Gruber, Jeffrey Shanks Skelos Press 202 pages Last year we had the pleasure of reviewing the first issue of this terrific new fantasy journal and gave it a resounding welcome. Imagine both our surprise and
THE WINTER FAMILY By Clifford Jackman Doubleday 329 pgs Any reviewer will tell you, the real joy of this job is being surprised by a new writer who puts forth something radically different from anything you’ve ever read before. Now we’ve read our share of western titles from traditional pulp
THE ADVENTURES OF LAZARUS GRAY Vol 2 Die Glocke By Barry Reese Pro Se Press 169 pgs. This is the second collection of stories featuring the reborn hero, Lazarus Gray. A one time member of the all powerful secret cabal known as the Illuminati, Gray arrived in Sovereign City washing
THE DAMP FEDORA By Kate Pilarcik Down & Out Books 114 pgs Stream of consciousness writing is the process by which a writer jots down words faster than the output of a Thompson submachine gun. It is not easy to do, as often what ends up on the paper is
QUARRY IN THE BLACK By Max Allan Collins Hard Case Crime 209 pages Release Date – Oct 4, 2016 Regardless of one’s opinion of the new “Quarry” Cinemax TV series, it has shined a light on these fantastic books and that is a benefit worth applauding. As Collins says in
CIRCLE CITY SHAKEDOWN (A Phillip Chandler Mystery) By Bill Craig Whiz Bang LLC 274 pgs Bill Craig can knock out a half dozen crime thrillers faster than most established writers can do one. The amazement is, they are all damn good books. With “Circle City Shakedown,” first released in 2014,
SINGULARITY Rise of the Posthumans Edited by Jaime Ramos & Wayne Carey Pro Se Press 164 pgs. Shared world anthologies are always fascinating and at the same time a really challenge to pull off properly. In this wonderful book from Pro Se Press, editors Jaime Ramos and Wayne Carey have
THE MYTH HUNTER Curse of the Necronomicon By Percival Constantine Nifty Entertainment 145 pgs Of the various series created by new pulp scribe Percival Constantine, our favorite is his Myth Hunter books starring beautiful Elisa Hill; a trained archeologist who travels the globe in search of arcane artifacts often believed
THE MIDNIGHT GUARDIAN (Hour of Darkness) By John C. Bruening Flinch! Books 408 pages The traditional classic pulp novels that appeared in the 30s magazines generally ran 60,000 words. In them one would find a fast paced narrative that would explode across the pages in colorful, purple prose. Over time
BIG TOP TALES Edited by Jim Beard & John Bruening Flinch Books! 168 pages This is such a fun anthology and we want to applaud editors Jim Beard and John Bruening for not only bringing together a half-dozen truly exciting, fresh stories but for coming up with the concept in
HUNT AT WORLD’S END (A Gabriel Hunt Novel) By Nicholas Kaufman Titan Books 269 pages We recently participated in an on-line round table forum on how to avoid clichés when writing mystery fiction. Webster’s defines the word as “…a hackneyed expression or idea.” Hackneyed in that it has been repeated
