Black Static

Listed below are the books received for review since the last update, which was back on 16 September.

Plenty of interesting stuff coming in, and two titles that in particular caught my eye were Hungry Hearts and Different Skins, both by Gary McMahon. The former is the latest volume in Abaddon's Tomes of the Dead zombie series, while the latter consists of two novellas. Regular readers of my reviews will know that I've long been an admirer of Gary's work, and it's good to see him ascending the publishing ladder. I've read and enjoyed both of these books, and I'm delighted to say that Gary will be our featured author in the December issue of Black Static, with in-depth reviews, an interview and probably a kitchen sink if Andy's budget extends that far.

We've also received a care package of three story collections from Australia's Brimstone Press. With one title released in February of this year and another from March 2008, I'd normally consider these too old for review, but we've been getting a lot of interest from 'down under' recently - Stephen Irwin is also an Australian writer, and I have a book by Kaaron Warren in the TBR pile and have been promised an anthology by another Australian publisher. So, just this once I'm tempted to abandon standard operating procedure and include these titles in a feature on Australian Horror. We'll see.

The Irwin book, The Darkening, is especially interesting on another count. It's an ARC, and for those who're not familiar with ARCs, sometimes the publishers print on the back what they consider are the selling points of a book. According to the blurb, this book will 'appeal to fans of Sphere's blockbuster debut The Birthing House (by Christopher Ransom) which has sold over 140,000 copies to date', while supernatural suspense is identified as a 'newly thriving area of the market with huge demand and potential cross-over from thriller fans'. Early days yet, but is horror the new black in publishing circles?

Two titles in from new kid on the block, Manchester based Nightjar Press, which is run by Black Static contributor Nicholas Royle. Nightjar's mission statement involves the publication of standalone short stories, and their two launch titles are by Michael Marshall Smith and Tom Fletcher.

Curiously, we've started to receive books - the McNish and the Priestley - whose target demographic is children. Have publishers finally caught on to the fact that my tastes are distinctly juvenile?

The Standard Offer and Disclaimer - If anyone wants to query with me the suitability of their book(s) for a review in Case Notes, then I can be contacted by writing to whitenoise@ttapress.com and, as ever, an expression of interest in seeing the book does not guarantee that a review will be done.

February 2010

• Cliff McNish - Savannah Grey - Orion Children's Books paperback (ARC)

December 2009

• Stephen M. Irwin - The Darkening - Sphere paperback (ARC)
• Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - Burning Shadows - Tor hardback (ARC)

November 2009

• Gary McMahon - Hungry Hearts - Abaddon paperback
• Ryan David Jahn - Acts of Violence - Macmillan New Writing hardback

October 2009

• Adam Roberts - I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas - Gollancz hardback
• Shaun Hutson - Last Rites - Orbit hardback
• Chris Priestley - Tales of Terror from the Tunnel's Mouth - Bloomsbury Publishing hardback

September 2009

• Dacre Stoker & Ian Holt - Dracula: The Undead - Harper paperback
• Gary McMahon - Different Skins - Screaming Dreams paperback
• Rhys Hughes - Mister Gum - Dog Horn Publishing paperback
• Michael Marshall Smith - What Happens When You Wake Up In the Night - Nightjar Press paperback
• Tom Fletcher - The Safe Children - Nightjar Press paperback

July 2009

• Edited by Pete Butler - Triangulation: Dark Glass - Parsec paperback
• Shards - Shane Jiraiya Cummings - Brimstone Press paperback

February 2009

• Edited by Angela Challis - Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror: The Year's Best Short Stories Volume 3 - Brimstone Press paperback

March 2008

• Edited by Shane Jiraiya Cummings - Black Box - Brimstone Press CD (stories, music and art on two disks)