Wyrd and Wonder seems like a long-ago dream, but there’s time for more fantasy flailing before year’s end. We’re delighted to confirm Spooktastic Reads will be back to venture into the darker reaches of fantasy for 13 days leading up to Hallowe’en. Are you brave enough to join us?
things that go bump in the night
Agent Hamed has heard of haunted public buildings. Haunted homes. Even a haunted mausoleum. But a haunted tram car is unusual – and this case will test his ingenuity (and his budget) to its limits…
For Dr Stephen Pearce, it’s a boyhood dream come true: he’s joining an expedition attempting to scale one of the world’s unconquered peaks. But Kanchenjunga has the reputation of a killer, and Stephen will face its deadly secrets alone…
October is here. The pumpkins have begun their annual supermarket takeover. And starting next weekend your #WyrdAndWonder crew will be back for our 13 day mini-season of #SpooktasticReads!
Doctor Faraday has been obsessed with Hundreds Hall since he was a child. Now he’s the Ayres’ family doctor, watching as the crumbling Hall devours their fortune, their sanity and their lives. As strange and threatening events multiply, Faraday insists on rational explanations. Is he right? Or will Hundreds Hall be the death of them all?
Iris Villarca is an only child, kept isolated from friends and servants. Her father wishes only to protect her, but she dreams of stories where headstrong daughters seize their freedom. There is no freedom for a Villarca. Villarcas sicken if they leave Rawblood. Villarcas die young. And so do those they love.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, in which we all talk about a bookish topic and have fun making lists. This week we’re getting in the mood for Hallowe’en.
Brilliant science and human idiocy brought on the zombie apocalypse; a generation later, the population still lives behind walls. Intrepid bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are the rare exception – they’ll chase a good story wherever it leads. When they’re invited to join a Presidential campaign, their ratings are guaranteed. But politics can be as merciless as the walking dead…
There are no vampires in Mexico City: the sanitation squads and the human gangs keep the city clear. That makes it either the safest or the stupidest place for a vampire on the run – but Atl is out of options. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s narco-vampire noir never misses a beat.
The third instalment of Seanan McGuire’s Incryptid series moves the action to a new location and introduces Alex, Verity Price’s older brother. Smart, quiet and Devoted To Science, he’s as well trained as his little sisters – which is just as well given what’s about to go down in Columbus, Ohio…
Jenny has special dietary needs. Her hot dates all have dark thoughts and violent tendencies. They have no idea what’s coming for dessert.
Bonus bite: it’s the Nebula Awards this weekend, so you get an extra review! Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers sits on the borders of horror, subverting our sympathies right from its American Psycho opening scene.
Jess Moulson accidentally killed the wrong person. Wracked by guilt, she’s already on hunger strike when she’s sent to high-security prison Fellside to serve her sentence. But the dead need Jess Moulson’s help, and she’ll have to face her demons if she’s going to atone for her sins.
America, present day. The military have found a mysterious virus that accelerates healing. They test it on death row inmates in an underground bunker, documenting the unexpected side effects. They have safeguards in place. Nuclear failsafes. Because if the subjects escape, nothing will be able to stop them.
Obviously it’s going to go wrong.
I have a soft spot for vampire novels, as long as they’re not paranormal romance. I have strong opinions about vampires and faerie being dark and terrifying; I can accept alluring and seductive, but not sparkly gushing. That said, I didn’t realise The Quick was a vampire story when I picked it up – it is described as modern take on gothic horror, and for some reason I thought it was going to be about magicians.
Author David is on the verge of his big break when he bumps into a stranger who follows him home – a stranger who is insistent that they have met before. Catherine Warren is being stalked, but when she asks ex-cop John to investigate, he slows realises that the truth is more complex – and more terrifying.
