Something is sapping the energy of the usually robust dancers of the Moulin Rouge … Zombies roam the streets of New York City … Clowns die in mysteriously humorous ways … Jack the Rippers crimes are investigated by a vampire …

Welcome to the horrific and poetic world of Sam Stone, where Angels are stalking the undead and a vampire becomes obsessed with a centuries-old werewolf. Terror and lust go hand in hand in the disturbing world of the Toymaker, and the haunting Siren’s call draws the hapless further into a waking nightmare.

Thirteen stories of horror and passion, and six mythological and erotic poems from the pen of the new Queen of Vampire fiction.

This collection is split into three sections. The first seven short tales fall under the banner heading of Lucrezia’s Stories. Lucrezia is the main character from another novel called Futile Flame, which is part of the Vampire Gene series. The second section, called Other Bloody Jottings contains six one off short stories. The collection is rounded off with six poems

Of the thirteen stories that make up the main body of the anthology my personal favourites are listed below.

Fools Gold – I have to admit that I’m a bit of a sucker for stories set in Victorian London. Add to that the mystery that surrounds the legends of Jack the Ripper as well as a vampire-cum-detective and you have successfully caught my attention.

Lead Poisoning – Another story that has a definite nod to the detective genre. In this instance however the action takes place in modern day Los Angeles but also has one foot firmly in the past.

Zombies in New York – I don’t want to say too much about this, as it would spoil the surprise, but imagine if 28 Days Later had vampires in it. Zombie purists may disagree a bit with the title though.

Clown Addict – In a collection of macabre and quirky stories I think Clown Addict wins the prize for being the oddest. A civil servant who works in the security services develops an attraction to clowns. Rather than fearing them, Coulrophobia fact fans, he lusts after them. This is definitely one of the stronger stories in the collection. It was nice to see a horror mainstay, the scary clown, de-constructed and stood on its head.

Chillers and Breathers – Two cops hunt down a killer, one is a ghost while the other is alive. I like the premise of this story  - an alternate Earth where ghosts and the living co-exist. I could quite happily read an entire novel that further explores this mythology.

Each story in the collection ends with some additional thoughts from the author. I’m undecided how I feel about these inclusions. In a couple of instances the additional notes do prove to be insightful but on other occasions I think that certain stories may have been better served by leaving them to speak for themselves.

Zombies of New York and Other Bloody Jottings certainly acts as a perfect introduction to Sam Stone’s work. If you enjoy the likes of Laurell K Hamilton’ Anita Blake series then I think it may be worth your while checking this out. The short stories that take up the first half of the book do offer a tantilising glimpse into the Vampire Gene universe.

Overall I found this collection to be a bit of a mixed bag. The stories I highlighted above captured my imagination and were a great deal of fun to read but some of the others left me a little cold. In fairness I don’t think I am necessarily the target audience for this collection. The inner cover mentions, “Chick slash has never been so entertaining”. I think based on the fact that I had to go and look up what Chick slash meant this would suggest that I’m not the novel’s intended target.

I also have to be honest and admit that I didn’t read any of the poetry. My experience with poetry is limited and I fear I could potentially do the author’s work a disservice by attempting to write/review an art form I am largely ignorant of.

Stone is undoubtedly passionate about her work and I think I would recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys his or her horror with a lustful or obsessive edge and is willing to give something new a try.

Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings is published by Telos and is available now.

See larger image Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings (Paperback) By (author) Sam Stone List Price: £12.99 GBP New From: £9.19 In Stock Used from: £11.03 In Stock

Some houses appear to be haunted: their ruined facades and fabled pasts lead to stories of haunts and spirits. Some houses are legitimately haunted: ghosts that refuse to leave this world behind roam their rooms and hallways trying to recapture the life that has been taken from them. But there are some houses that go beyond these simple haunts. There are some houses that hide secrets so dark and grisly that the very essence of evil seeps from their walls. One of these houses sits tucked away in the quiet woods of southern Virginia in the sleepy little town [...] Continue Reading…

See larger image The Bleeding Room (Paperback) By (author) Barry Napier List Price: £9.80 GBP New From: £8.07 In Stock Used from: £9.73 In Stock

Not all haunting is supernatural…

Rita is a teenage mother who has managed to survive everything life has thrown at her. After finally escaping her abusive, drug-addicted boyfriend, Rita thought she’d found reprieve in her new home, away from the beatings and the constant humiliation. But her nightmare was just about to begin.

It started with simple intimidations; a bump in the night, strange scrawling on the front door, sinister ornaments left in the garden. At first, she thinks it’s neighbourhood kids playing tricks on her, but it soon becomes apparent that something is eerily amiss in the area. Raving lunatics [...] Continue Reading…

See larger image Someone's in the House (Paperback) By (author) Samuel Bonner List Price: £7.99 GBP New From: £5.18 In Stock Used from: £6.12 In Stock

A bit of news to cheer you up on a damp January morning.
Press Release
20th January 2012 ~ For Immediate Release
 
Angry Robot Announces Strange Chemistry Launch Titles
 

Strange Chemistry – the YA imprint of award-winning indie genre fiction publisher Angry Robot – has announced two deals that will help launch the list into publishing super-stardom.

In a post on Strange Chemistry’s website – http://strangechemistrybooks.com – imprint editor Amanda Rutter has revealed that Strange Chemistry’s first two titles will be…
Shift by Kim Curran

About The Book: When your average, 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, e learns he’s [...] Continue Reading…

A brutal murder. An ancient temple. A long-lost treasure.

Buried deep under Istanbul, a secret is about to resurface with explosive consequences…

Sean Ryan arrives in the ancient city to identify the body of his friend and colleague Alek Zegliwski. Alek has been savagely beheaded, his body discovered near the sacred archaeological sit of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Aided by British diplomat Isabel Sharp, Sean inches closer to snaring Alek’s assassin. Evil is at work and when a lethal virus is unleashed on the city panic spreads fast. Time is running out for Sean and Isabel. They must catch the killer [...] Continue Reading…

See larger image The Istanbul Puzzle (Paperback) By (author) Laurence O'Bryan List Price: £6.99 GBP New From: £2.53 In Stock Used from: £2.57 In Stock

400,000 years have passed since the last known Human was exterminated, and Dezmara Strykar can’t remember anything before the moment, eight years ago, when she woke up in an abandoned space freighter. But in that time, she has come to realize three things: she’s the best pilot and smuggler in the universe, she can handle herself in a fight, and she’s Human.

A race of creatures called the Durax rule the universe using their savage mind powers, and the remaining free people have two choices: join the Dissension Army and fight, or struggle to survive in the cutthroat world of [...] Continue Reading…

See larger image Death Drop (The D-Evolution) (Kindle Edition) By (author) Sean Allen Release date October 1, 2011.

A review earlier this morning and some news now. Two posts in one day! Are you mad Cheesecake? Probably, but that’s not really relevant. I like to promote local book related goings on when I can so when the following popped into my in-box I felt compelled to share.

Ghosts to haunt Leicestershire pub

Everyone loves a good chilling tale. Now a remote Leicestershire village pub is set to host an evening of ghost story readings and spooky goings on in March.

The genre-based multi-media blog Un:Bound Video Editions is teaming up with celebrated genre publisher Newcon Press to put on the [...] Continue Reading…

Last year I had the good fortune to read The Kill Crew and then Meat by Joseph D’Lacey. Each were superb examples of the horror genre, both are darkly bleak but utterly compelling. D’Lacey’s latest publication is Snake Eyes, a single volume split into two separate novellas. This is a slight departure for the author as the first story moves into the realms of science fiction while the second has a more fantastical tone.

A Man of Will and Experience – Robert Johnson dreams of spiders, thousands of them. When he wakes, the true nightmare begins: a tube has been attached [...] Continue Reading…

Zombie gunfighters, insane cherubs, government sanctioned torturers, bright orange snot and steam-punk thugs are just a few of the delights you’ll find amongst the pages of the latest short story anthology from Anarchy Books. It contains twenty-two, yes you read that correctly twenty two, short stories that range from the sublimely horrific to the ridiculously evil. At the princely sum of just eighty-nine pence that works out at roughly four pence per story, damn good value in these trying economic times.

The collection begins with the following advice -

…Vivisepulture is not a read to be taken lightly. No. You must dim [...] Continue Reading…

See larger image Vivisepulture (Kindle Edition) By (author) Guy N. Smith, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Gary McMahon, Steven Savile, Colin Harvey, Stan Nicholls, Neal Asher, Tony Ballantyne Release date December 17, 2011.

Imagine there was a supernatural chiller that Hammer Films never made. A grand epic produced at the studio’s peak, which played like a cross between the Dracula and Frankenstein films and Dr Terror’s House of Horrors…

Four passengers meet on a train journey through Eastern Europe during the First World War, and face a mystery that must be solved if they are to survive. As the Arkangel races through war-torn country side, they must find out:

What is in the casket that everyone is so afraid of? What is the tragic secret of the veiled Red Countess who travels with them? [...] Continue Reading…

See larger image Hell Train (Paperback) By (author) Christopher Fowler List Price: £7.99 GBP New From: £2.19 In Stock Used from: £2.00 In Stock