Book review: Blood type.

Like a Dead Man Walking, by William F. Nolan, Centipede Press, 2014. Cover art by David Ho, info and preview: centipedepress.com.

“Sherlock Holmes…Interdimensional demons…Aliens…Killers and child predators…Time travelers…Vampires…Even the end of the world, in more ways than one…All are contained within these pages. From the darkest corners of imagination to the precipice of human achievement, William F. Nolan delivers the goods in this assortment of recent works: his first all-new collection in his long and storied career. Working with editor Jason V Brock (Milton’s Children), Nolan brings to shocking life not only debauched murderers and depraved loners, but also fascinating portraits of personal reflection; the heroes of yore in poetry; pages from Nolan’s notebook; and an exclusive, intimate interview with his beloved friend, the late Richard Matheson (I Am Legend). Centipede Press is pleased and proud to offer this fantastic new assemblage of tales from an acknowledged master of the dark fantasy and science fiction genres, complete with insights into the stories, and a probing intrtoduction from editor Brock: This is not only Nolan’s most recent collection, but likely his very best. Come along for the ride and discover things that may (or may not) be Like a Dead Man Walking…You are sure to enjoy the journey. This signed limited edition is just 300 copies. The dustjacket is the work of David Ho. Each copy is signed by William F. Nolan, Jason V Brock, and David Ho.”

Weird Fiction Review #4, November 2013, edited by S.T. Joshi, Centipede Press, 2014. Cover art by Bob Eggleton, info and previews: centipedepress.com.

“The Weird Fiction Review is an annual periodical devoted to the study of weird and supernatural fiction. It is edited by S.T. Joshi. This fourth issue contains fiction, poetry, and reviews from leading writers and promising newcomers. It features original stories and essays by J. C. Hemphill, Donald Tyson, Mark Fuller Dillon, Ann K. Schwader, Michael Washburn, James Goho; a lengthy interview with Patrick McGrath; an 8-page full-color gallery of art by Bob Eggleton; regular columns by Danel Olson and John Pelan and much more.”

Contents:
Rare Breeds, Short fiction by J.C. Hemphill
Lunguistica Obscura, Short fiction by Lynne Jamneck
HPL and WHH: Ships in the Night, Essay by Sam Gafford
Stranger On a Bus, Short fiction by Donald Tyson
The Pukey, Classic short story by Nigel Dennis
The Twilight Zone: American Alien-Nation, Article by Christopher Cappelluti
The Vast Impatience of the Night, Fiction by Mark Fuller Dilon
Halsey and the Padre: A Fourteen-Year Old’s Perspective on Henry S. Whitehead, Article by David Goudsward
Wales and the Weird Tale, Article by Mark Howard Jones
Heh, Heh, It’s Jack Davis, A look at the classic E.C. Illustrator by John Butler
This Red Night, Fiction by Michael Kelly
The Tell-Tale Offal, Fiction by Clint Smith
The Haunted Wood: Algernon Blackwood’s Canadian Stories, Article by James Goho
Artist Portfolio, Eight pages of stunning full-color works by Bob Eggleton
The New Monster Magazines, Article by John Butler
Forrest J Ackerman: Fan Zero, Article by Jason V. Brock
An Offer You Can’t Refuse, Fiction by Michael Washburn
Dennis Etchison’s The Dark Country: After Bradbury, Article by Simon MacCulloch
Through Haunted Minds: An Interview with Patrick McGrath by Danel Olson
Casket Letters, The Gothic Year in Review by Daniel Olson
Forgotten Masters of thr Weird Tale, John Pelan talks about Edmund Snell
Notes on Contributors

Poetry:
Leigh Blackmore
Philip A. Ellis
Angelee Sailer Anderson
Charles Lovecraft
Ann K. Schwader
Sam Middleton
Fred Phillips
Wade German

Nameless Digest Issue #3, edited by Jason V Brock & S.T. Joshi, Cycatrix Press, 2013. Info: jasunnistore.com.

“Nameless Digest is an exciting, outstanding biannual journal of the macabre and esoteric. It features articles, artwork, interviews, and fiction from some of the best in the fields of the Weird, science fiction, and horror, both classic and fresh voices, and all new. Nameless also presents outstanding reviews and scholarship of literature, cinema, and comics in a full-color, eye-catching format. The intended goal of Nameless is to meld divergent (even challenging) critical perspectives on a variety of subjects – fiction, music, art, film, social commentary – and present them with the best content (literary, artistic, and, in the case of the website, multimedia) we can muster. Nameless was conceived from the outset as a thought-provoking biannual print periodical, as well as a year-round online destination for the intellectually adventurous. We strive to achieve this via the alchemy of innovative discourse, high production values, and rigorous editorial standards. Though the focus will always be on the macabre, weird, uncanny and esoteric, Nameless will also be a bastion for the under-appreciated idea, the unexplored possibility, the poorly understood concept. We are not a home for the pedestrian, the obvious, the common. It is a state of mind as much as anything, and as such is accepting of anyone that is curious, thoughtful and rational.”

Contents:

Fiction & Poetry
Nicole Cushing – “The Mirrors”
Airika Sneve – “Abysmoira”
Nicole J. LeBoeuf – “Lambing Season”
K. M. Tonso – “Silver Hairs among the Gold”
Yancho Cholakov (Translated by Kalin M. Nenov) – “Asked the Soldier, “Who Called Me?”“
Mike Allen – “Monster”
Edward Morris – “The Part of Me They Could Not Kill Went On To Organize…”
David Agranoff – “The Classroom: A Vignette”
Therese Arkenberg – “The Witch Hunter’s Account”
JC Crumpton – Selected Poetry
Marc Venema – Selected Poetry
Ed Higgins – Selected Poetry
Kelda Crich – Selected Poetry

Nonfiction & Interviews
Hank Shore – Three Short Articles
Shade Rupe – Jean Rollin retrospective
Sam Gafford – The Man Who Saved (W. H.) Hodgson!
Jason V Brock – Bryan K. Ward (Interview)
Aaron J. French – Column

Artwork
Bryan K. Ward
Marc Bilgrey
Ron Sanders
Jason V Brock

Reviews by
Sunni K Brock
Stephanie M. Wytovich
Don Webb

Dead Reckonings No. 14, edited by June M. Pulliam and Tony Fonseca, Hippocampus Press, 2014. Info: hippocampuspress.com.

“A Review of Horror Literature.”

Wagner and Vincent on Simmons – Hank Wagner and Bev Vincent (Dan Simmons, The Abominable)
Ramsey Campbell, Probably: The Grin Beneath the Flesh
From Horror to Homage – Richard Bleiler (J. E. Mooney and Bill Fawcett, eds., Shadows of the New Sun: Stories in Honor of Gene Wolfe; Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., ed. The Grimscribe’s Puppets)
Joel Lane: In Memoriam – Robert Butterfield
Other Realities—Alternate Readings: Two Views on Jason V Brock (Jason V Brock, Simulacrum and Other Possible Realities)
Outlier – Jonathan Johnson
Brock as Intriguing New Voice – Darrell Schweitzer
Malignant Mothers – Richard Bleiler (John Boyne, This House Is Haunted, Sophie Hannah, The Orphan Choir)
What Happens After – Sarah Simms (Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, eds., After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia)
571 Forrester Lane Eats Babies – Matthew McEver (Sonja Condit, Starter House)
Triskaidekaphilia – Jonathan Johnson (Jonathan Thomas, Thirteen Conjurations)
Submitted: My Stamp of Approval – Tony Fonseca (Reba Wissner, A Dimension of Sound: The Music of The Twilight Zone)
Religious Fanaticism Run Amok – Antoinette Winstead (L. Andrew Cooper, Burning the Middle Ground)
Fifty Years of Ramsey Campbell – S. T. Joshi (Ramsey Campbell, Holes for Faces; The Kind Folk; and The Last Revelation of Gla’aki)
Two Veteran Storytellers Demonstrate How It Is Done – Robert Butterfield (Darrell Schweitzer, The Emperor of the Ancient Word; Tony Richards, The Universal and Other Terrors)
Zombie Scholarship Earns Respect – June Pulliam (Jennifer Rutherford, Zombies; Aalya Ahmad and Sean Moreland, eds. Fear and Learning: Essays on the Pedagogy of Horror)
Sequel Deserves to be a Forgotten Chapter – Braden Dauzat (James Wan, dir. Insidious: Chapter 2)
Haunted from Within and Without – Richard Bleiler (Ellen Datlow, ed. Hauntings)
A Darker Piece of Darkness – John Edgar Browning (Ellen Datlow, ed. The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 5 and Blood and Other Cravings; Laird Barron, The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All and Other Stories)
The Lovecraftian Magickal Mystery Tour – Leigh Blackmore (Peter Levenda, The Dark Lord: H. P. Lovecraft, Kenneth Grant and the Typhonian Tradition in Magic)
A Smorgasbord of Weird – S. T. Joshi (Lois H. Gresh, ed. Dark Fusions: Where Monsters Lurk!)
Portrait of the Mythos-Maker as a Young Man – Tony Fonseca (S. T. Joshi, The Assaults of Chaos: A Novel about H. P. Lovecraft)
Second Time’s the Charm – Leigh Blackmore (H. P. Lovecraft, The Ancient Track: The Complete Poetical Works)
Covens, Witchcraft, and Murder, Oh My! – Antoinette Winstead (Debbie Viguie, The Thirteenth Sacrifice: A Witch Hunt Novel)
Zombies Are People Too – June Pulliam (Jonny Campbell, dir., In the Flesh)
The Weird Scholar – S. T. Joshi
Notes on Contributors