That which is most alien and monstrous to us might actually have the most to teach us. This is part of the message at the heart of Charlie Jane Anders’s thought-provoking science fiction novel The City in the Middle of the Night, which came out in 2019. I don’t often review sci-fi on this blog, but when presented with a planet where half the world is eternally engulfed in darkest night and inhabited by giant tentacled monsters, I can’t deny how much science fiction often overlaps with horror. This novel in particular plays with how one situation can be experienced as horror by one person, but as something completely different from another perspective. Continue reading Review of The City in the Middle of the Night
Month: August 2021
Gothic Settings: Castles
I’m starting a new blog post series! Much like my Gothic Tropes series, these posts will highlight recurring elements that appear time and again throughout different works of Gothic literature. But rather than focusing on plot elements, motifs, or themes, the Gothic Settings series will examine the physical locations in which these stories are set. Of course, I had to start off this week with the most obvious classic setting for a Gothic novel: the castle.
Gothic Vocab: Liminal
Last year I started a series of posts highlighting vocab terms that will help you better understand the Gothic. So far, we’ve covered the sublime, the uncanny, and the grotesque. Today, I want to turn our attention to an adjective that is frequently employed to describe people, places, and situations in Gothic literature: “liminal.”
Review of The Haunting of Craigmorag Castle
Even Gothic romance authors deserve a Gothic romance of their own. Lisa Greer gets meta about the genre in her self-published romance novel, The Haunting of Craigmorag Castle, which came out earlier this year. If you’re looking for something fun to read this summer that blends the sweet and silly with the spooky and atmospheric, give this one a shot! Continue reading Review of The Haunting of Craigmorag Castle
Review of The Girl and the Ghost
Even malevolent spirits conjured by witches for the purpose of creating mischief can be changed by the power of friendship. This is the plot of Hanna Alkaf’s delightful middle-grade debut, The Girl and the Ghost, which came out last year. Inspired by spooky elements of Malaysian folklore, the novel uses the relationship between a girl and her ghostly companion to explore some rather dark themes ranging from bullying to death, grief, and complicated family ties in a way that is accessible and engaging for kids and adult readers alike. Continue reading Review of The Girl and the Ghost