Horror round-up part 1 - Preview

As you all know I love Horror, so I thought it was time to share with you some details of the upcoming Horror and horror tinged novels heading our way over the coming months. So this is part 1, part 2 I’ll post on Friday.

A Dark Matter by Peter Straub - Published by Orion (March 2010)

I haven’t read a huge amount of Straub’s work, but what I’ve read has been exceptional. He has also written one of the books which creeped me out more than any other, a novel called Julia/Full Circle. I’ve made mention of A Dark Matter before as I’ve been looking forward to this for sometime now. In addition this book will be followed later in the year by A Special Place. I asked Peter about this on Twitter and he says “A Special Place is a narrative sliver removed from the hide of ASDM. It is deeply & truly & utterly NASTY.” Can’t wait!

Publisher blurb

The charismatic and cunning Spenser Mallon is a campus guru in the 1960s, attracting the devotion and demanding sexual favours of his young acolytes. After he invites his most fervent followers to attend a secret ritual in a local meadow, the only thing that remains is a gruesomely dismembered body-and the shattered souls of all who were present.

Years later, one man attempts to understand what happened to his wife and to his friends by writing a book about this horrible night, and it's through this process that they begin to examine the unspeakable events that have bound them in ways they cannot fathom, but that have haunted every one of them through their lives. As each of the old friends tries to come to grips with the darkness of the past, they find themselves face-to-face with the evil triggered so many years earlier. Unfolding through the individual stories of the fated group's members, A Dark Matter is an electric, chilling, and unpredictable novel that will satisfy Peter Straub's many ardent fans, and win him legions more.





The Passage by Justin Cronin – Published by Orion (June 2010)

A book about vampires receiving a lot of hype, surely not...This one does actually sound interesting though. Apart from the blurb, I don’t really have any other information at the moment, but rest assured you’re going to be hearing A LOT about this one in the coming months.

Publisher blurb

Amy Harper Bellafonte is six years old and her mother thinks she's the most important person in the whole world. She is. Anthony Carter doesn't think he could ever be in a worse place than Death Row. He's wrong. FBI agent Brad Wolgast thinks something beyond imagination is coming. It is. THE PASSAGE. Deep in the jungles of eastern Colombia, Professor Jonas Lear has finally found what he's been searching for - and wishes to God he hadn't. In Memphis, Tennessee, a six-year-old girl called Amy is left at the convent of the Sisters of Mercy and wonders why her mother has abandoned her. In a maximum security jail in Nevada, a convicted murderer called Giles Babcock has the same strange nightmare, over and over again, while he waits for a lethal injection. In a remote community in the California mountains, a young man called Peter waits for his beloved brother to return home, so he can kill him. Bound together in ways they cannot comprehend, for each of them a door is about to open into a future they could not have imagined. And a journey is about to begin. An epic journey that will take them through a world transformed by man's darkest dreams, to the very heart of what it means to be human. And beyond. THE PASSAGE.



Frankenstein Lost Souls by Dean Koontz – Published by Bantam (June 2010)

This is the first of a new cycle of Dean Koontz Frankenstein books, which will evolve across two subsequent books. Now may be a good time to catch-up with the previous trilogy as the film rights to those have apparently been acquired by X-men producers Ralph Winter and Terry Botwick. I was a big fan of Koontz back in the day, and Watchers is one of my favourite books. Some of his more recent efforts have been a bit hit and miss for me, but I’ve heard good things about the Frankenstein books. No blurb as yet, but Koontz has this on his site:

LOST SOULS will pick up the action two years after the close of the previous volume, as the characters are settled into new lives, the setting moves to the American West, primarily Montana, and a new villain who makes the original Victor Frankenstein look tame arrives on the scene. “I really enjoy writing this series,” Koontz commented. “Its special conventions allow me to explore the timeless themes of the Frankenstein story—man’s story—from an entirely fresh perspective.” Bantam Publisher Nita Taublib noted that “ Dean has clearly struck a chord with this terrific series--its deadpan wit, intricate plotting, and breakneck pacing have made it a smash hit and we're looking forward to taking it to an even wider audience.” Koontz’s longtime editor, Tracy Devine, will edit the new books.



Zombie Britannica by Thomas Emson – Published by Snow Books (May 2010)

I’ve not read any of this author’s previous books, but since the cover has caught my eye I think I might give this one a try

Publisher blurb

Cassie's day as a guide at Westminster Abbey begins badly when zombies storm into the building and eat the tourists. Carrie escapes - but finds London choked with the undead. She has no idea where they came from, no idea how to stop them - all she knows is she has to race through dangerous, gore-soaked streets and find her daughter. And her day doesn't get any better . . .



Ancestor by Scott Sigler – Published by Hodder (Aug 2010)

American Horror writer Scott Sigler is making quite a name for himself with his high-octane sci-fi Horror fiction, and there’s no reason to assume this one is going to be any less exhilarating.

Publisher blurb

On a remote island in Lake Superior, scientists struggle to solve the problem of xenotransplantation -- using animal tissue to replace failing human organs. Funded by the biotech firm Genada, Dr. Claus Rhumkorrf seeks to recreate the ancestor of all mammals. By getting back to the root of our creation, Rhumkorrf hopes to create an animal with human internal organs. Rhumkorrf discovers the ancestor, but it is not the small, harmless creature he envisions. His genius gives birth to a fast-growing evil that nature eradicated 250 million years ago -- an evil now on the loose, and very, very hungry.



Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan – Published by Gollancz (May 2010)

Now this one I’m really excited about. So you may have heard that werewolves are the new vampires, right?  Well if that’s so, then Viking Werewolves are surely going to push the zeitgeist to a whole new level. Part Historical Fiction, part Fantasy, and part Horror, this one is already receiving some excellent reviews. It’s going straight to the top of my reading pile when I finally get my paws on it; and if that doesn’t happen soon I’m likely to go a little berserk myself. Look out for a full review and an interview with M.D. Lachlan soon.

Publisher blurb

The Viking King Authun leads his men on a raid against an Anglo-Saxon village. Men and women are killed indiscriminately but Authun demands that no child be touched. He is acting on prophecy. A prophecy that tells him that the Saxons have stolen a child from the Gods. If Authun, in turn, takes the child and raises him as an heir, the child will lead his people to glory. But Authun discovers not one child, but twin baby boys. Ensuring that his faithful warriors, witness to what has happened, die during the raid Authun takes the children and their mother home, back to the witches who live on the troll wall. And he places his destiny in their hands. And so begins a stunning multi-volume fantasy epic that will take a werewolf from his beginnings as the heir to a brutal viking king, down through the ages. It is a journey that will see him hunt for his lost love through centuries and lives, and see the endless battle between the wolf, Odin and Loki - the eternal trickster - spill over into countless bloody conflicts from our history, and over into our lives. This is the myth of the werewolf as it has never been told before and marks the beginning of an extraordinary new fantasy series from Gollancz.



In Horror round-up part 2: A Matter of Blood, Apartment 16, and a few more besides...