Sinister Reads – April 2011

Sinister Reads

Love Lies Dying
by Steve Gerlach
Legumeman Books
ISBN – 978-0987049681
RRP: AUD$23.95 (free postage within Aus.)

Available from (print) Legumeman Books and Amazon; (ebook) Smashwords and Amazon

She was on his sofa, reading a book. She was a complete stranger. And she was naked… Her name was Zoe, and she had survived a horrific ordeal. Fleeing from trouble and the threat of death, Zoe turned to her best friend, Helen. Driving for three days straight, she arrived cold and hungry on Helen’s doorstep. But Helen was at work. Leaving Helen’s husband, John, and Zoe together…all alone. Having escaped from a life of terror and violence, Zoe was sure she could hide out with them for a while. Just long enough to get back on her feet and her life in order again. John’s only mistake was to agree she could stay with them… Because Zoe’s past was fast catching up with her. And that past would draw them all into a game of life and death. By letting her stay, John had no idea of the horror that would be visited on them all…

For someone had a game to finish – a game that could turn very deadly indeed.

LOVE LIES DYING You always love, The ones you hurt…

***

“Love Lies Dying is a disturbing, twisted, sexually charged dark ride of suspense.” –Douglas Clegg, author of Neverland

“With Love Lies Dying, Steve Gerlach gives us a page-turning psychological thriller of bizarre twists and never-to-be-forgotten characters. Truly a terrific read. –Rain Graves, Author of The Gossamer Eye

“Love Lies Dying is a spare and fast-paced novel…erotic, bizarre and horrifying….drenched in gut-wrenching suspense and sexual savagery. –Cemetery Dance Magazine –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Hicky Knocky & Forsaken Blossoms
by Glenn Cannon
McKenzie Publishing
ISBN – 978-0-646-52363-7
RRP: AUD$19:99

Now available from: PolyEster Books

Hicky Knocky

Mother Nature now yearns for a great chunk of humanity to be annihilated.  Only then can she reclaim her majesty and balance.

This is the nightmare logic of Hicky Knocky, a poltergeist who views people as a cancer on the earth and instills a share house with its misanthropy.  As soon as Lee moves in, he experiences the menacing trances and hallucinations that grip the household.  Lee decides to restore his peace of mind, but not even his purification ritual of burning the house down abates Hicky.

Forsaken Blossoms

Ian is in a gang of high-school boys who form a creed against society’s materialism and hypocrisy. One day, his mother arranges a mentor for him, Gary, a martial arts instructor back in Melbourne after living in Japan.  At first, Ian idolizes Gary, but when the gang’s leader, Alpha, rules that Gary represents soft, New Age values – not manly virtue – the boys plan their retribution.

‘This is a quick read, a quick ride through madness.  The author, Glenn Cannon, takes you on a crazy and frightening journey where your adrenalin never stops.  It is an unsettling story at times, but the events unfold so quickly that the reader is swept along in the paranormal hysteria.’ ~    Wendy O’Hanlon (Acres Australia)

‘I’m not entirely sure if Forsaken Blossoms is a book that you can say you enjoyed, it’s not even a safe read in horror terms, but it’s certainly well written and has something to say. I was happy that I got a chance to be exposed to the ideas and writing style, and would recommend this one to those wanting something slightly deeper on their reading lists. Give it a go, every now and then it’s good to step beyond the simply dark and into more murky waters. I would certainly be up for reading some more from Glenn Cannon. ‘ ~ http://www.scaryminds.com

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Australian Hauntings: Colonial Supernatural Fiction
ed. James Doig
Equilibrium Books
ISBN – 978-1-921456-51-0
RRP: AU$29.95

Available from Equilibrium Books,  Angus & Robertson and Emporium Books

James Doig, critically acclaimed editor of Australian Gothic and Australian Nightmares, presents another collection of weird and supernatural fiction. Reprinted here for the first time since their original publication in long-forgotten books and magazines, these rare relics from Australia’s past will stimulate the imagination and keep you awake long into the night. Australian Hauntings completes an outstanding trilogy of gothic fiction, unearthing many classic tales from Australian authors.

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Stephen King: A Literary Companion
Rocky Wood
McFarland Publishing
ISBN – 978-0-7864-5850-9
RRP: US$39.95

Available from Amazon and McFarland

This companion provides a two-part introduction to best-selling author Stephen King, whose enormous popularity over the years has gained him an audience well beyond readers of horror fiction, the genre with which is most often associated. Part I considers the reception of King’s work, the film adaptations that they gave rise to, the fictional worlds in which some of his novels are set, and the more useful approaches to King’s varied corpus. Part II consists of entries for each series, novel, story, screenplay and even poem, including works never published or produced, as well as characters and settings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ghosts Can Bleed
Tracie McBride (Cover artist Molly Rodman)
Dark Continents Publishing
ISBN – 978-0-9831603-6-6
RRP: US$13.99

Available from Dark Continents Publishing

Alien landscapes and mythic societies…creatures of the night and the more terrifying monsters of the human psyche… Be warned: Ghosts Can Bleed… but it’s not just the blood you should be worried about…

By turns terrifying, darkly comic, surreal and stomach-churning, these forty one stories and poems from award-winning author Tracie McBride open the veins of the world to show humanity in a different – and much darker – light.

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Sinister Slices

Red on Red

by Jen White

Published in: Bewere the Night

Available from: Amazon

Listening to Tracy

by Jen White

Published in:  Dead Red Heart, due April 2011

Available from Ticonderoga Publications

Old Red

by Jen White

Published in: Ethereal Tales

Available from: Ethereal Tales

Cathedral Man and the Rare Twelve Inch

by Trost

Published in: Blue Crow Magazine #3

Available from: Blue Crow Magazine

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Sinister Awards

‘The Cloud’

by Paul Mannering

Finalist (Fan Award): Sir Julius Vogel Awards 2010

‘Doctor Who Season 3’

by Paul Mannering

Finalist (Fan Award): Sir Julius Vogel Awards 2010

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