Weekend Shorts - Really and truly dead by Emma Burnett

Name - Really and truly dead

Written by - Emma Burnett

Published on - Flash Fiction Online October 2026

Well, to my understanding, this one has all the ingredients that make a flash piece shine and stay memorable long after it's read. There is somewhat unreliable yet sympathetic narrator, a suitable mystery and hints at poking jabs at our current reality with its problems despite its speculative setting.

Our narrator starts the story in a room full of dead and also ends it there. In between, by the use of an unusual second-person perspective, describe how the world around them has changed into something sinister.

I really loved this little paragraph, detailing how uncertain and illogical life under a fascist regime is for someone suddenly thrust into it, "You knew nothing about it until after the soldiers attacked, clearing out the people and claiming the resources in the name of a state that isn’t this city, but isn’t not this city. All the villages are being emptied out, their residents fleeing to the city. All the resources are now owned by the state, which feeds the city. You don’t understand how this helps anyone."

The story also features an interesting twist at the end, leaving the reader wanting to learn more about the character and their world.

This is an almost perfect flash piece, thus gets 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.

Weekend Shorts - The Not-Dog-Thing by Corey Farrenkopf

Name - The Not-Dog-Thing 

Written by - Corey Farrenkopf

Published on - Bourbon Penn August 2026 (issue 39)

That was a weird one. This short story was predictable where it was going almost from the start. Yet, Corey Farrenkopf somehow managed to create a unique tale that kept me interested all throughout with engaging prose and making me care for his characters. 

The story was a weird piece. Told through the form of an edited interview for an online forum in which a man talks about his missing father, mostly through the depiction of the TikTok videos he used to make to pass time after his wife died. There is a creepy not-dog creature that his father found in the woods which transforms into something sinister yet oddly familiar.

There is a keen sense of family dynamic dispersed between the weird tale, how they miss their dead loved one. How they fail to communicate their grief in a meaningful way, to get the closure they crave. I really liked these lines, "I don’t tell my father that every once in a while, I can almost picture Mom’s eyes in the face of a nuthatch, or a bluejay, or a wren. He wasn’t the only one allowed to see Mom in the wild."

Then comes the predictable yet finely executed ending leaving the narrator wondering if things could have turned differently if they just talked about how they felt. 

"There are too many questions. Not enough answers.

I wish my father had been better at talking to me.

Some things need to be discussed at length.

Not everything can be settled in silence."

That ending left me wondering if all that creepy creature stuff was just a metaphor that the author created to describe the darkness that grief, loneliness, and distance can bring in us.

I will give this one 4 out of 5 stars. Corey Farrenkopf has certainly become a writer to check out in the future for me.

New Book Review - A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-young

Name - A Plagued Sea

Written by - Kim Bo-young 

Translated by - Sophie Bowman 

Series - Lovecraft Reanimated 

Published by - Honford Star  

First things first, I got this book from NetGalley, so thank you NetGalley and Honford Star for this opportunity.

This one started so well, had so much potential, the main character was portrayed with such finesse, yet somehow did not achieve what it promised. The Lovecraftian atmosphere was created with perfect nuances, racial angles were explored a bit, and the twists were also utilized quite well. Yet it could have been so much more poignant with a bit more work.

Kim Bo-young is one of the most famous science fiction writers in South Korea, has received various awards in his country, and one of the few writers from Korea to be translated into English. As far as I am aware, she had two collections published in English prior to this; 'A Plagued Sea' is her first novella published by Honford Star.

This novella is part of The Lovecraft Reanimated project by Honford Star, which translates Korean speculative fiction writers reimagining the works of horror master H.P. Lovecraft, giving them their own unique signature updating these stories for modern sensibilities.

The author manages to capture the true atmospheric charisma of the Cthulhu mythos in her attempt at recreating a modern version of 'The Shadow over Innsmouth'. Her interpretation incorporates the truly horrifying existential dread of Lovecraft, with even modern technological forms of communication unable to alleviate the despair of being locked in isolation, abuse, and racism in the form of social media posts and the characters using internet forums to create awareness and propaganda regarding the mysterious incidence of Haewon village.

The character of Moyoung was a fine creation, with her desperation and anguish over not being able to save her niece, her almost illogical yet understandable hatred towards the infected, her inner struggle of not being able to become a member of the villagers nor being able to be a member of normal society, and her manic paranoia in trying to deal with the source of her calamities. But sadly the other characters didn't get as much attention and felt rather like placeholders compared to her.

The author touched on the sense of racism, social stigma, and uncalled for abuse towards the unfortunate infected, but didn't really elaborate on this aspect of the story much, which in my opinion could have elevated this retelling to a whole new level. Rather she focused on the grotesque and monstrous horror angles of the story, which resulted in a fun reading experience nevertheless.

The prose was quite a delightful read; I simply loved the first chapter that introduced us to Muyoung and her niece, and also the chapter which revealed the new species. Sophie Bowman did a brilliant job with the translation, as I never really felt like I wasn't reading the book in its native form.

This was a fun read, made me interested in the Lovecraft Reanimated series as well as other stories from Kim Bo-young, but it also felt like a missed opportunity at creating the perfect Lovecraftian horror for the modern age due to its shortcomings.

3.5 out of 5 stars from me.

New Book Review - Abyss by Nicholas Binge

Name - Abyss

Written by - Nicholas Binge 

Narrated by - John Lee 

Published by - Tor Publishing Group

Audiobook by - Dreamscape Lore

Well, this one is almost like how it was pitched on the cover. A work inspired by Lovecraftian horror mixed with bits from the show Severance. I enjoyed my audiobook listen of this, while also wishing it had a bit more bulk and some well-developed characters.

Binge knows how to tell a fast-paced thriller with twists, which is quite apparent from the beginning of his newest novella. The protagonist gets suddenly thrown into this mysterious job and meets some unorthodox co-workers and slowly unravels the truth about his sinister employers.

The real world relevance of the main characters' predicament as well as his inability to have social interactions was quite relatable. Adding a mixture of cosmic horror bits into the setting was another fun element, but once again the author kept things a bit unexplained at times regarding the side characters.

And a special shout out to the narration by John Lee, which was quite soothing with his delivery and pacing and probably made me enjoy the book much more than I would have liked if I had read it.

As a matter of fact, the novella felt like the story really could have benefited from a longer length in explaining stuff and dealing with the side characters. And that's my main complaint with the otherwise enjoyable read.

I will give this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

New Book Review - The Bone Door by Frances White

Name - The Bone Door 

Written by - Frances White 

Narrated by - Honi Cooke 

Published by - Hanover Square Press 

Audiobook by - Harlequin Audio 

This one was quite a journey to listen to, emotionally draining at times, dealing with some hard and brutal stuff, quite a lot of twists and skillful unraveling of plot, but also a bit too long or over explaining at times. But overall, certainly one of the surprises of the year so far.

The story details the journey of Hop and the strange companions he picks up along a mysterious labyrinth while being chased by a dark being. The kids have all seemingly lost their memories, and throughout their journey they slowly regain knowledge of what they are and how they came to be trapped in the maze.

The characters are portrayed brilliantly and their emotional journey is sure to resonate with readers. But despite their age, this one is definitely a book for adults with its serious subject matter and depiction of mutilation and death all throughout. Yet, it is also a book of hope, of second chances and the fact that even the most hopelessly damnable character has some inner goodness.

Another strong point is the mesmerizing world building, keeping me guessing what might be in store in the next chapter. The heavy themes are present dispersed between detailed and deliberately slow reveals as the author attempted to continue enchanting.

Honi Cooke did a masterful job of narrating, creating distinct voices for each of the characters, giving them unique personalities, and also conveying the emotional content quite brilliantly.

My only real complaint is that some of the dialogues and interactions just seemed to drag a bit too much, unnecessarily lengthening the prose. About 100 pages could have been cut off, making the book a tighter and compacter experience; then again, maybe the author was trying to emphasize the emotional depth even further somewhat.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will give it 4 out of 5 stars.

New Book Review - Feral and Hysterical by Sadie Hartmann

Name - Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women

Writer - Sadie Hartmann

Published By - Page Street Publishing

This is the second book by Sadie Hartmann dedicated to creating lists of horror fiction recommendations. This time her focus is entirely on horror written by women and the book is arranged neatly into different topics listing her recommendations, each with a synopsis and her own thoughts about the books in a short review.

I really loved some of the creative list making and vibe selections and while like any normal reader wasn't much enthusiastic about a few categories. But therein lies the true depth on offer here, as the author really attempted to cater to almost every kind of taste that different readers have.

There are also five small essays by an interesting selection of authors shining even more light into female experience and expertise regarding understanding horror medium. These added a fine sense of variation among the lists and reviews.

Another great thing about the book is the great artwork on offer dispersed all throughout the book, almost perfectly conveying the mood for each list. In a reference book like this, these brilliant sketches really added an extra reason to keep coming back for more.

Hopefully she will keep writing this kind of books about books in the future, maybe about other genres, maybe about films or TV shows. I really like her prose style and her genuine sense of love for the works and her energetic approach.

I am gonna give this 4.5 out of 5 stars (mostly cause I liked the first one even more).

Retro Book Review - Hell Hound by Ken Greenhall

Name - Hell Hound 

Written by - Ken Greenhall 

Published by - Valancourt Books 

I never would've even known about this book if I hadn't read about it in 'Paperbacks from Hell's by Grady Hendrix and '101 Horror Books To Read Before You're Murdered' by Sadie Hartmann, so I'll begin with thanking these two great connoisseurs of great horror fiction.

This book is a weird little piece of vintage horror from the late 70's. It has a brilliant mixture of psychological horror interspersed with unusually written creature feature with some soothing yet quite crisp and often frightening prose. His descriptions and dialogue create a sense of unease making the readers think more than comfortable while keeping them interested in what is to come next.

The characters are far from one dimensional and the multiple viewpoints bring that much more depth into the overall experience and sense of unease. I especially loved getting into the mind of Baxter and wished we could get more chapters from his perspective.

The small little twists and unusual actions of the characters kept me entertained till the last chapter and I will most definitely read more from this author in the future.

I will give this one 4.5 out of 5 stars.

New Book Review - How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Name -  How to Sell a Haunted House 

Writer - Grady Hendrix

Published By - Berkley Books

Grady Hendrix can write in a very engaging style; with his unique mixture of horror and dark humor; his relatable, interesting and well developed cast of characters and his unique knack of using well used tropes in fun ways to entertain. But unlike his previous writings this one does drag a bit in the middle and might have done well with cutting out 100 or so pages. 

After their parents' sudden death Louise must deal with the house they left behind and her complicated relationship with her brother Mark, while also dealing with something sinister that also inhabits their childhood home. Throughout the story we get to slowly learn more about the eventful history of the house and her family. 

The prose by Hendrix was as enjoyable as ever, with his unique style of slowly divulging information and coloring his characters. I especially enjoyed how he brilliantly transformed Mark from an annoying and selfish prick into someone who is quite smart and thoughtful and sympathetic person. 

Despite the strength of the characters, the story really suffered from the plodding pace during the second half the book. It does pick up its tempo closer to the ending, but by then finishing it felt like a bit of a chore. 

I will definitely check out future works by the author, especially because I really like his character building and sense of humor. I just really he keeps things a bit more compact and focused. 

This was a mixed bag, 3 out of 5 stars from me. 

Short Story Review - The Pram by Joe Hill

Name -  The Pram

Writer - Joe Hill

Series - Creature Feature 

Published By - Amazon Original Stories 

Despite meaning to check out his works for a while, this is my first foray into the writing of Joe Hill. And I am quite glad that I did read this one and am thankful that Amazon Original Stories for publishing these short stories that can read in a single or few sittings. 

The Pram deals with the story of Willy and his desire to have a son. It begins with a saddened atmosphere as we come to know the circumstances leading to Willy's anguish and resentment and then slowly builds into the horror of what it might finally lead him to. 

The character of Willy is the main focus and Hill does an admirable job of letting readers ease into his psyche and personality. None of the other characters were much fleshed out due to the shirt scope of the story, but Hill's uncanny ability to create relatable and realistic characters are clearly visible through the small glimpses on offer. 

The story progresses gradually and almost effortlessly into a crescendo and ends in a veritably shocking and explosive ending. And the aftertaste left made me immediately interested to check out more from the author and also from other stories in the series. 

A job well done, 4.5 out of 5 stars from me. 

New Book Review - 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered

Name - 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered

Writer - Sadie Hartmann

Published By - Page Street Publishing

Well, if you are like me and have gotten into the intriguing world of horror fiction in the last few years after traversing through other branches of genre fiction, this book is specifically curated for the likes of you. If you are like me, you have often wondered if it was possible to ignore the vast richness of the past works of horror fiction and check out the good stuff from the last decade this book is for you. If you just want to test out the different sub-genres of the immensely versatile world of horror for the first time, well, what do you know, this book is also for you. 

'Sadie Hartmann' did a brilliant job of just taking post 2000 books and making a huge list putting in varied tastes of modern readers into consideration. There are also some delightful author spotlights focusing on some lesser known yet highly imaginative authors who are emerging into the genre as future giants. Also some short non-fiction pieces from some of these authors. 

I really loved the way Sadie arranged her recommendations into various sub-genres (would have loved a few more like space horror, medieval horror, etc. though) and then listed them with not only a synopsis type post but rather her take on the novel or collection. I loved her little at a glance feature below the review particularly. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this to people like me who love books about books, and also to people looking for some solid modern horror recommendations and also to people who are trying to get into the genre. Solid and thoroughly enjoyable reading material. 

I'll give this one full marks, 5 out of 5 stars.