As of today, it has been exactly six months since I first launched this blog. Can you believe it? It seems like only a few weeks have gone by to me. I’d been dreaming of starting a blog forever, but back in June I could hardly imagine finding the time and inspiration to write once … Continue reading The Gothic Library is Six Months Old!
Dangerous mine shafts, an abandoned ski resort, families feuding for generations, and ghosts galore—the town of Glazier’s Gap has enough fodder for a whole string of Gothic novels. And that’s the idea. Ghosts of the Forbidden by Leanna Renee Hieber is the first book in the new Glazier’s Gap series published by Castle Bridge Media, … Continue reading Review of Ghosts of the Forbidden—Gothic Romance Is Back!
Looking for something short and sweet that will scratch that itch of wanting to run away into the woods with a forest spirit? Then may I recommend the Greenhollow Duology by Emily Tesh. These two novellas, Silver in the Wood and Drowned Country, came out in 2019 and 2020 respectively. But I just read them … Continue reading Review of the Greenhollow Duology: Silver in the Wood and Drowned Country
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned”—But what if the one who is supposed to absolve you is even more guilty? This is an idea explored in quite some depth and from a variety of angles throughout Gothic literature. The Gothic has had a very complicated relationship with religion, and Christianity in particular, from its … Continue reading Gothic Tropes: Corrupted Clergy
It is now September, and I know for many of you that means it’s time to go back to school. It’s become a yearly tradition for me to put together a reading list of Gothic works you may encounter on your English syllabus. So far, I’ve done my initial Back to School Reading List of … Continue reading Back to School Reading List: Poetry Edition
You are getting very, very sleepy … and also a bit murderous. Mesmerism, also called animal magnetism and later hypnosis, spread in popularity throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries as doctors, hobbyists, and stage performers demonstrated their ability to control the actions of others through mere suggestion. The Victorians and Edwardians were fascinated by … Continue reading Review of Death by Suggestion–A Hypnotic Anthology
The organizers of Dark Side of the Con are bringing us a brand-new steampunk convention! The aptly named Steampunk Con will take place this weekend, June 21–23, at the Radisson hotel in Piscataway, New Jersey. This debut convention represents a branching out for VampireFreaks, who have been bringing us the goth convention Dark Side for … Continue reading Preview of Steampunk Con
As you splash in the waves this summer, just remember that the ocean’s depths hold all sorts of horrors. And not least among them are … mermaids. That’s right, these mythical fish folk aren’t necessarily as cute and cuddly as Disney has led us to believe. Mermaids, and their singing sisters the sirens, have long … Continue reading Tales of Monstrous Mermaids
I can never resist a new anthology by Ellen Datlow. If you’re unfamiliar, Datlow has put together about ninety different anthologies of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, including The Best Horror of the Year, The Doll Collection, and Children of Lovecraft. Earlier this year, I reviewed a Halloween collection she did with Lisa Morton called Haunted Nights. When I … Continue reading Review of The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea
There are many books out there about kids who discover magical worlds and the wonderful adventures they have there. But what happens afterward, when they come back through the rabbit hole and have to return to their normal lives? In Every Heart a Doorway, these children go to a special boarding school where they can share their … Continue reading Every Heart a Doorway Review—Macabre Fantasy and Representation
