Killer mermaids. That’s all you really need to know. If you didn’t think mermaids could be scary, Mira Grant is here to prove you wrong with Into the Drowning Deep. A few months ago, I’d shared with you all a whole list of Tales of Monstrous Mermaids. This week I want to take the plunge and explore the scariest of those books in depth. Seanan McGuire (who uses the pseudonym Mira Grant for some of her novels) has been one of my favorite authors since I read her spectacular Wayward Children fantasy series and came across a few of her short stories in Ellen Datlow’s horror anthologies. But Into the Drowning Deep was the first time I read one of her full-length works or horror, and nothing could have prepared me. Continue reading Review of Into the Drowning Deep–Mermaid Horror
Tag: horror
Dead Girls Don’t Love Review
There’s nothing I love more than a haunting little horror anthology—especially when it introduces me to an author with whom I was previously unfamiliar! Dead Girls Don’t Love by Sarah Hans surprised and delighted me from the first story onward. The collection brings together a dozen different tales that show an impressive range of style, genre, and source material. If you’re already looking for some reading material to get you into the Halloween spirit, Dead Girls Don’t Love would be a great place to start! Continue reading Dead Girls Don’t Love Review
The Overlap of Sci-fi and Horror
Gothic literature—and thus the more modern horror genre that grew out of it—was initially created as a reaction against the Age of Reason. Over the course of the 18th century, an intellectual and philosophical movement swept across Europe that emphasized logic, rationality, and scientific advancement. Enlightened thinkers sought to banish outdated superstition and believed that all of life’s great questions could be answered through the use of experimentation, observation, and reason. You can see how this philosophy would give rise to science fiction—a genre of literature which predicts scientific advances not yet achieved and imagines how they might change or shape society. But first something else was born: a genre that would look back to a time before the Enlightenment and revel in unexplained mysteries, heightened emotions, and a disconcerting dearth of logic or reason. These two genres at first seem fundamentally incompatible, and yet they are not so separate as you might think. To understand why, we’ll need to take a look at the history of how they overlap. Continue reading The Overlap of Sci-fi and Horror
Review of Winter Tide—Subverted Lovecraft
*A version of this review first appeared as an article in Auxiliary Magazine*
Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys is the perfect book for lovers and haters of Lovecraft alike. H. P. Lovecraft, often considered the father of modern horror fiction, is famous for inventing the Cthulhu Mythos, which was been continued by many others in decades’ worth of novels, movies, games, and pop culture. But he’s also notorious for his rampant racism and serious lack of female characters. In Winter Tide, Ruthanna Emrys takes the amazing world that Lovecraft created, but subverts his negative aspects by using her story to explore the complexities of race and gender in post-World War II America. Winter Tide was published last year, but its sequel, Deep Roots, will be coming out in July. Continue reading Review of Winter Tide—Subverted Lovecraft
Lovecraft’s “Supernatural Horror in Literature”—A Survey of the Genre
H. P. Lovecraft is best known for his short stories and elaborate mythos of eldritch gods and unspeakable horrors. But we sometimes forget that writers don’t create in a vacuum. Before being a world-famous writer of horror fiction, Lovecraft was first a fan of the genre, reading everything from his predecessors and contemporaries that he could get his hands on. Much like what I do here on The Gothic Library, Lovecraft put many hours into researching the history of the genre and developing his own philosophies about how to define, categorize, and evaluate it. The fruits of his labor became the essay “Supernatural Horror in Literature,” which was first published in 1927 in the one-issue magazine The Recluse and subsequently updated and republished several times throughout his life.
I was recently sent an annotated edition of this essay by Hippocampus Press, a small publisher that specializes in works related to Lovecraft and other classic horror and sci-fi writers. This annotated edition comes with an introduction by Lovecraft scholar S. T. Joshi, an extensive bibliography, and plenty of explanatory footnotes. Reading Lovecraft’s essay combined with this supplemental material was a truly informative experience. Continue reading Lovecraft’s “Supernatural Horror in Literature”—A Survey of the Genre
Review of The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea
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 heard that she had just put out a horror anthology themed entirely around the ocean, I knew I had to add it to my list. The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea came out in March and contains a fantastic collection of all-new short horror fiction by authors both well-known and unfamiliar. Continue reading Review of The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea
Ink Stains, Vol. 6–A Dark Literary Journal
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure to meet N. Apythia Morges, the head of Dark Alley Press. Among other publishing projects, N. Apythia edits a recurring series of dark literary anthologies called Ink Stains. Released quarterly, each volume includes a collection of unconventional short stories in a variety of genres from black comedy to paranormal fantasy and dark literary fiction. I just picked up the most recent volume, which came out back in October, and found it to be an interesting exploration of short form gothic fiction. Continue reading Ink Stains, Vol. 6–A Dark Literary Journal
The History of Horror
Sometimes, we just love to be scared. Especially this time of year, when Halloween has us ready to meet some monsters and explore that flimsy boundary between life and death. But fear is only fun when you’re not in any real danger. That’s why horror fiction is so popular and enduring. But how did this tradition start? Today, I want to take you through the history of the horror genre.
Back to School Reading List: Short Story Edition
This time of year will always make me think of getting ready to go back to school, despite the fact that I’m no longer a student. One of my favorite things about the beginning of the school year was looking over the syllabus to see what new books and stories we’d be reading in English class. Last August, I wrote up a basic primer of five Gothic novels you might find on a high school syllabus. This year, I want to do the same for short stories. If you’re heading back to school this fall, check your reading lists for these stories to see if you’re in for a treat! And if your school days are long behind you, see if you missed out on any of these great reads. It’s never too late to read a classic! Continue reading Back to School Reading List: Short Story Edition