The Ever-Changing Characteristics of Vampires

Vampires have been a staple of Gothic and horror literature since they first came to Western Europe’s attention in the mid-eighteenth century. And yet, they never seem to be depicted the same way twice. Can they transform into bats or pass through locked doors? Do they kill with every bite or coexist peacefully with humans? Every author that tackles the vampire must first lay out some ground rules, picking and choosing from contradictory elements of the vampire mythos. Below are just a few of the characteristics that vary from vampire to vampire:

Images of film versions of Dracula, Akasha, and Edward Cullen side by side Continue reading The Ever-Changing Characteristics of Vampires

Review of The Living Dead—A Posthumous Zombie Novel

The Living Dead coverDeath is not the end. George Romero, famed father of the zombie flick never quite got to lay out his full vision of the zombie apocalypse in film. Instead, he turned to writing and spent decades drafting and making notes for a grand zombie epic that wouldn’t be held back by budgets, producers, and the whims of Hollywood. Unfortunately, this magnum opus was left unfinished at the time of Romero’s death in 2017. That’s where Daniel Kraus came in. A life-long Romero fan and celebrated author (he recently co-wrote the novelization of The Shape of Water with Guillermo del Toro), Kraus sifted through all of Romero’s writings and notes, did an impressive amount of research, and worked to put together a finished novel that stayed true to Romero’s spirit. The result is The Living Dead by George Romero and Daniel Kraus, which came out from Tor on August 4. Continue reading Review of The Living Dead—A Posthumous Zombie Novel

Review of The Lawrence Browne Affair

The Lawrence Browne Affair coverA mad scientist locks himself in his tower in the Cornish countryside, until a rakish thief comes to steal his heart. The Lawrence Browne Affair by Cat Sebastian, which came out back in 2017, is a sweet and powerful queer romance set in the Regency era. I’m pretty new to the world of m/m historical romance, but the Romancing the Gothic book club seems to have fallen into this niche lately, and all of our picks have been quite good! This was definitely the kind of heartwarming read I needed as we head into another month of quarantine. Continue reading Review of The Lawrence Browne Affair

Review of Circe—A Tale of Monsters and Witches

Circe coverCirce the Enchantress, Witch of Aiaia, Daughter of the sun god Helios. Most of us probably know her from her dealings with Odysseus, as recounted in Homer’s Odyssey—how she was a powerful witch who turned Odysseus’s men into swine, until Odysseus’s charms won her over and he convinced her to restore them. But she was not always a powerful witch who held the fates of heroes in her hands. Madeline Miller explores the origin story of this unusual nymph and examines familiar Greek myths from a new perspective in her novel Circe, which came out in 2018. Continue reading Review of Circe—A Tale of Monsters and Witches

Review of Spectred Isle—A Romance of Green Men

Spectred Isle coverMany of my friends have been singing the praises of British romance author K. J. Charles for some time now, but I’ve only just hopped on that bandwagon. K. J. Charles currently has over two dozen books to her name, ranging from straight up historical romance to series more tinged with horror and fantasy, most with queer love stories. I decided (or rather, the Romancing the Gothic book club decided) to start with one of her more fantastical works: Spectred Isle, Book One in the Green Men series, which came out in 2017. Continue reading Review of Spectred Isle—A Romance of Green Men

A Summoning of Souls Review

Leanna Renee Hieber is back with a new book in her Spectral City series! In case you missed it last week, Leanna wrote a lovely guest post for us on the many possibilities of ghost stories in her works and in her life. In her Spectral City books, ghost stories help the psychic ladies of NYPD’s Ghost Precinct to solve mysteries and save lives! A Summoning of Souls is the third book in this trilogy, and it comes out tomorrow, July 21. WORD Bookstores will be hosting a virtual release party on their Instagram page tomorrow at 7:30pm EDT. Continue reading A Summoning of Souls Review

Leanna Renee Hieber on the Many Possibilities of Ghost Stories

Many of you know by now that Leanna Renee Hieber is my favorite author for spooky, specter-filled Victorian romances. But did you know that her interest in spirits isn’t limited to her fiction? As we gear up for the launch of A Summoning of Souls, the third book in her Spectral City series out next week, Leanna shares some thoughts on the roles that ghosts and ghost stories play in both her life and her writing. Keep an eye out for A Summoning of Souls in stores starting July 21, and feel free to share your own experiences with ghost stories in the comments!

Quote reading: "Just because one worked with the dead didn't mean they couldn't be frightening. Spirits were often creatures of startle and shock." - A Sanctuary of Spirits by Leanna Renee Hieber

*** Continue reading Leanna Renee Hieber on the Many Possibilities of Ghost Stories

Dark Wood Tarot Deck Review

I just bought myself the most delightfully gothic tarot deck! I’ve been dabbling in tarot for several years now, and you may remember my 2016 review of the Raven’s Prophecy Tarot by Maggie Stiefvater, the deck that first made things click for me. Since then, I’ve continued working with the Raven’s Prophecy deck, as well as with the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot by Lisa Hunt. But I’m always on the lookout for new decks that call to me and can help me connect deeper with tarot. Recently, in a moment of self-indulgent quarantine shopping, I found myself scrolling through the impressive selection of tarot decks available on Bookshop.org. I came across the Dark Wood Tarot, which had just come out in June. It takes the structure of a classic Rider-Waite-Tarot deck but places it in a fantasy woodland setting as a metaphor for shadow work. As soon as I saw the artwork on the cards, I knew that I needed the Dark Wood Tarot in my hands immediately. Continue reading Dark Wood Tarot Deck Review

Review of Widdershins—Gay Romance and Cosmic Horror

Widdershins coverDon’t you just hate it when all you want is to study dead languages alone in your office, but you’ve just discovered a dangerous cult that is trying to resurrect the dead and take over the world, and it’s up to you and a handsome detective to stop them? Percival Endicott Whyborne is a particularly reluctant hero in Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk, which came out back in 2012. This first book in Hawk’s lengthy Whyborne & Griffin series is a subversive take on Lovecraft’s cosmic horror mythos that centers a love story between two men. I adore it when writers take the world that H. P. Lovecraft created and use it to create stories that would leave the notoriously bigoted author turning in his grave. Continue reading Review of Widdershins—Gay Romance and Cosmic Horror

Review of The Quiet Gentleman—Regency Romance with a Gothic Flair

The Quiet Gentleman book coverWhen the black sheep of the family inherits the title and estate, you know some Gothic inheritance drama is about to go down. Gervase Frant has succeeded his father as Earl, only to find himself fending off attacks on his life while living amongst the family that always hated him in Georgette Heyer’s The Quiet Gentleman (1951). The Romancing the Gothic book club I’ve been participating in this summer recently introduced me to Heyer—the prolific twentieth-century British author who essentially established historical romance as a genre, specializing in the Regency romance. The Quiet Gentleman is a prime example of her work and also shows the clear influence that the Gothic often had on the budding romance genre. Continue reading Review of The Quiet Gentleman—Regency Romance with a Gothic Flair