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Waylon’s Top Seven Best Horror Books of 2021!

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Ugh, 2021 has been a hell of a year. It seems like no matter how far ahead we get, the farther we’re behind. We’re all looking for a port in the storm. For me, that port has always been books. I love to get lost in a story. It’s like finding my way into someone else’s mind if only for a few hours. There’s power in the written word, especially when it’s used to terrify and make us uneasy. The best horror books are the ones that stay with us long after the final page is turned.

Despite its worst, 2021 brought us a hell of a selection of great horror books, especially where the independent presses were concerned. Small presses showed up and showed out this year with everything from haunting ghost stories to body horror potent enough to make your skin crawl right off your body.

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Here are my top seven horror books of 2021 in no particular order. Let me know yours in the comments on social media!

Waif by Samantha Kolesnik

Author Samantha Kolesnik turned pages and our stomachs with her sophomore novella. Waif is a treatise on queer love, body modification, extreme underground porn, and chosen families. It is the kind of book you’d expect from the author of True Crime if she threw caution to the wind and gambled on the sheer weight of her talent to make readers take a journey designed to make them squirm.

It worked. I’ve read it once. I may never go there again, but I read it once and I’m glad I did.

Dirty Heads by Aaron Dries

Aaron Dries is the kind of storyteller whose worlds are so real they border on harmful to the reader and Gods I love him for it. Dirty Heads is no different. Dries flips the script on coming-out-coming-of-age horror by focusing inward instead of outward.

Heath had an almost perfect life as far as he knew until an interaction with a girl changes the course of his life. The sheer terror of his worldview being ripped from under him summons a voracious creature from another dimension that will destroy his family and set him on the run. Set in a world of VHS horror and classic terror art, Dirty Heads is a one-sit read that will turn your stomach and make you think. Read it. You’ll thank me later.

Shelter for the Damned by Mike Thorn

Mike Thorn like to push his readers buttons in surprising ways. I’ve never read two stories by him that were really alike and yet there exists a quintessential Mike Thorn story. Shelter for the Damned is a prime example of his artistry.

Young Mark is a troubled teen who can’t seem to stop causing chaos. When he and his two best friends stumble upon an abandoned shack, they sneak inside to smoke cigarettes. They emerge, but something inside the shack is alive and it has recognized the darkness within Mark. It draws him back again and again and soon he learns that he must feed it to maintain the euphoria it provides.

This bold character study of adolescent rage and the pressures of “being a man” on the young is as harrowing as it is enlightening and deserves a place on any horror fan’s bookshelf.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Stephen Graham Jones continues to impress with My Heart is a Chainsaw, an homage to the classic horror we love. The story centers on Jade Daniels, a half-Indian teenage girl on the precipice of adulthood. Her life was saved in a sense by horror movies and slashers especially.

Soon Jade begins to see signs around her. Could she be living in the buildup to a real-life slasher? Is there something really haunting the lake? Is the pretty new girl from across the lake a legit final girl? If she is and if they are, then Jade is going to make sure everyone is prepared whether they like it or not.

There is a brutality and gore-level to this book that will draw in even the most hardcore horror fan, and will them to finish. But, don’t take my word for it. Read it yourself!

Immortelle by Catherine McCarthy

Best Horror Books 2021 Immortelle

Welsh author Catherine McCarthy crafts a gothic horror tale worthy of Shirley Jackson and Daphne du Maurier with Immortelle, the story of a mother, Elinor, whose daughter is found mysteriously poisoned. After the girl’s death, Elinor, a ceramic artist by trade, crafts a gorgeous immortelle to sit atop her daughter’s grave.

Captivated by its beauty, villagers begin requesting she make immortelles for their own lost loved ones. The more she makes, the closer to her daughter and her daughter’s killer she feels.

It’s one of the most captivating, unnerving novellas of 2021 and should be at the top of your reading list if you haven’t already partaken of McCarthy’s stellar work.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

It amazes me that so many people have heard of Summer Sons, the debut novel of Lee Mandelo, and yet so many people have slept on it. It is easily one of the most gut-wrenching, genre-blending books of the year wrapped in the beautiful and atmospheric southern gothic tradition that is uniquely American.

Andrew and Eddie were more than mere best friends so when Eddie leaves Andrew behind to begin his graduate studies at Vanderbilt, the rift between them is intense. Moreover, when, just days before he was supposed to join his friend in Nashville, Eddie shockingly kills himself, Andrews’s world is shaken to the core.

What lies beyond that premise will challenge you as a reader and test your spine. It is easily one of the most awe-inspiring, fear provoking books of 2021 and has rightfully appeared on numerous “Best of” lists because of it.

In Darkness, Shadows Breathe by Catherine Cavendish

Best Horror Books 2021 Catherine Cavendish

Catherine Cavendish may be the greatest British ghost story writer of the 21st century thus far. Her novel, In Darkness, Shadows Breathe is a testament to her gifts as a purveyor of horror, but it also proves her ability to keep her audience on its toes.

It’s a novel that’s difficult to discuss without spoiling so I’ll only say that it revolves around a hospital where unspeakable horrors once took place and where the lines between one dimension and the next have been permanently ripped open because of them. Beautifully non-linear in places with twists born of the most clever plotting, In Darkness, Shadows Breathe will prick at every emotion from fear to rage as you turn its pages. It is easily one of the best horror books of 2021. Read on, readers, read on.

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‘Alien’ is Being Made Into a Children’s ABC Book

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Alien Book

That Disney buyout of Fox is making for strange crossovers. Just look at this new children’s book that teaches children the alphabet via the 1979 Alien movie.

From the library of Penguin House’s classic Little Golden Books comes A is for Alien: An ABC Book.

Pre-Order Here

The next few years are going to be big for the space monster. First, just in time for the film’s 45th anniversary, we are getting a new franchise film called Alien: Romulus. Then Hulu, also owned by Disney is creating a television series, although they say that might not be ready until 2025.

The book is currently available for pre-order here, and is set to release on July 9, 2024. It might be fun to guess which letter will represent which part of the movie. Such as “J is for Jonesy” or “M is for Mother.”

Romulus will be released in theaters on August 16, 2024. Not since 2017 have we revisited the Alien cinematic universe in Covenant. Apparently, this next entry follows, “Young people from a distant world facing the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

Until then “A is for Anticipation” and “F is for Facehugger.”

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Holland House Ent. Announces New Book “Oh Mother, What Have You Done?”

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Screenwriter and Director Tom Holland is delighting fans with books containing scripts, visual memoirs, continuation of stories, and now behind-the-scenes books on his iconic films. These books offer a fascinating glimpse into the creative process, script revisions, continued stories and the challenges faced during production. Holland’s accounts and personal anecdotes provide a treasure trove of insights for movie enthusiasts, shedding new light on the magic of filmmaking! Check out the press release below on Hollan’s newest fascinating story of the making of his critically acclaimed horror sequel Psycho II in a brand new book!

Horror icon and filmmaker Tom Holland returns to the world he envisioned in 1983’s critically acclaimed feature film Psycho II in the all-new 176-page book Oh Mother, What Have You Done? now available from Holland House Entertainment.

‘Psycho II’ House. “Oh Mother, What Have You Done?”

Authored by Tom Holland and containing unpublished memoirs by late Psycho II director Richard Franklin and conversations with the film’s editor Andrew London, Oh Mother, What Have You Done? offers fans a unique glimpse into the continuation of the beloved Psycho film franchise, which created nightmares for millions of people showering worldwide.

Created using never-before-seen production materials and photos – many from Holland’s own personal archive – Oh Mother, What Have You Done? abounds with rare hand-written development and production notes, early budgets, personal Polaroids and more, all set against fascinating conversations with the film’s writer, director and editor which document the development, filming, and reception of the much-celebrated Psycho II.  

‘Oh Mother, What Have you Done? – The Making of Psycho II

Says author Holland of writing Oh Mother, What Have You Done? (which contains an afterward by Bates Motel producer Anthony Cipriano), I wrote Psycho II, the first sequel that began the Psycho legacy, forty years ago this past summer, and the film was a huge success in the year 1983, but who remembers? To my surprise, apparently, they do, because on the film’s fortieth anniversary love from fans began to pour in, much to my amazement and pleasure. And then (Psycho II director) Richard Franklin’s unpublished memoirs arrived unexpectedly. I’d had no idea he’d written them before he passed in 2007.”

“Reading them,” continues Holland, “was like being transported back in time, and I had to share them, along with my memories and personal archives with the fans of Psycho, the sequels, and the excellent Bates Motel. I hope they enjoy reading the book as much as I did in putting it together. My thanks to Andrew London, who edited, and to Mr. Hitchcock, without whom none of this would have existed.”

“So, step back with me forty years and let’s see how it happened.”

Anthony Perkins – Norman Bates

Oh Mother, What Have You Done? is available now in both hardback and paperback through Amazon and at Terror Time (for copies autographed by Tom Holland)

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Sequel to ‘Cujo’ Just One Offering in New Stephen King Anthology

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It’s been a minute since Stephen King put out a short story anthology. But in 2024 a new one containing some original works is getting published just in time for summer. Even the book title “You Like It Darker,” suggests the author is giving readers something more.

The anthology will also contain a sequel to King’s 1981 novel “Cujo,” about a rabid Saint Bernard that wreaks havoc on a young mother and her child trapped inside a Ford Pinto. Called “Rattlesnakes,” you can read an excerpt from that story on Ew.com.

The website also gives a synopsis of some of the other shorts in the book: “The other tales include ‘Two Talented Bastids,’ which explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills, and ‘Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,’ about a brief and unprecedented psychic flash that upends dozens of lives. In ‘The Dreamers,’ a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored while ‘The Answer Man’ asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.”

Here’s the table of contents from “You Like It Darker,”:

  • “Two Talented Bastids”
  • “The Fifth Step”
  • “Willie the Weirdo”
  • “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream”
  • “Finn”
  • “On Slide Inn Road”
  • “Red Screen”
  • “The Turbulence Expert”
  • “Laurie”
  • “Rattlesnakes”
  • “The Dreamers”
  • “The Answer Man”

Except for “The Outsider” (2018) King has been releasing crime novels and adventure books instead of true horror in the past few years. Known mostly for his terrifying early supernatural novels such as “Pet Sematary,” “It,” “The Shining” and “Christine,” the 76-year-old author has diversified from what made him famous starting with “Carrie” in 1974.

A 1986 article from Time Magazine explained that King planned on quitting horror after he wrote “It.” At the time he said there was too much competition, citing Clive Barker as “better than I am now” and “a lot more energetic.” But that was almost four decades ago. Since then he’s written some horror classics such as “The Dark Half, “Needful Things,” “Gerald’s Game,” and “Bag of Bones.”

Maybe the King of Horror is waxing nostalgic with this latest anthology by revisiting the “Cujo” universe in this latest book. We will have to find out when “You Like It Darker” hits bookshelves and digital platforms starting May 21, 2024.

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