2017's Horror Highlights

Between a new Anno Dracula novel, short fiction from some of the genre’s best writers and a Lovecraftian twist on everyone’s favourite detective, there was plenty to keep you sleeping with the lights on in 2017! Check out some of our favourites here:

Anno Dracula – One Thousand Monsters by Kim Newman (published October 2017)

In 1899 a group of vampires, exiled from a Great Britain ruled by Prince Dracula, arrive in Japan. They are welcomed in Yōkai Town: the district of Tokyo set aside for Japan’s own vampires – an altogether strange and less human-seeming breed than the nosferatu of Europe.

Genevieve and her undead comrades are forced to face new enemies and the horrors hidden within the Temple of One Thousand Monsters…

Hekla’s Children by James Brogden (published March 2017)

 

A decade ago, teacher Nathan Brookes saw four students walk up a hill and vanish. Only one returned – Olivia – with no memory of where she’d been. After a body is found, it is first believed to be one of the children, but is soon identified as a Bronze Age warrior. Yet Nathan starts to have terrifying visions of his students. Then Olivia reappears, desperate to return the corpse to the earth. For he is the only thing keeping a terrible evil at bay...

New Fears, edited by Mark Morris (published September 2017)

 

FEAR COMES IN MANY FORMS

The horror genre’s greatest living practitioners drag our darkest fears kicking and screaming into the light in this collection of nineteen brand-new stories. Numinous, surreal and gut wrenching, New Fears is a vibrant collection showcasing the very best fiction modern horror has to offer.

Relics by Tim Lebbon (published March 2017)

 

Beneath the surface of our world, mythological creatures still exist—people pay fortunes for a sliver of dragon bone, an angel's wing. Angela Gough is a criminology student whose fiancé Vince disappears. Her investigation leads her into a black market of arcane relics. Mary Rock is a criminal who also wants to find Vince, to kill him. Angela and her team must stop this horrific trade, yet they face a growing menace as the creatures begin to fight back.

Dark Cities, edited by Christopher Golden (published May 2017)

 

An anthology of horror stories in urban settings—whether back alleys, crumbling brownstones, gleaming high-rise towers, or city hall.  Terrifying urban myths, malicious ghosts, cursed architecture, malignant city deities, personal demons (in business or relationships) twisted into something worse…virtually anything that inspires the contributors to imagine some bit of urban darkness.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthlhu: The Adventure of the Deadly Dimensions by Lois H. Gresh (published July 2017)

 

A series of grisly murders rocks London. The son of the latest victim seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, who discover a common thread that  ties together the murders--and the persons responsible. Bizarre geometries--based on ancient schematics--point to members of a secluded cult who are gaining so much power that even Moriarty fears that his empire is at risk—to the point that he seeks an unholy alliance with his eternal foe.

What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong (published October 2017)

 

It’s the story “They” don’t want you to read. Though, to be fair, “They” are probably right about this one. No, don’t put the book back on the shelf – it is now your duty to purchase it to prevent others from reading it. Yes, it works with ebooks, too; I don’t have time to explain how. Your first impulse will be to think that a story this gruesome – and, to be frank, stupid – cannot possibly be true. That is precisely the reaction “They” are hoping for.