Review: Uncanny Ireland: Otherworldly Tales of the Strange and Sublime

Uncanny Ireland: Otherworldly Tales of the Strange and Sublime by Maria Giakaniki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful book for lovers of Irish myth and mystery, highlighting the varied and rich history of Irish story telling and legends, ghost stories and weird tales. My favorite was "The Monks of Saint Bride" which tells the story of Michael Bresnahan, who wanted nothing more than for his wife to stop finding fault with everything that he did. Michael finds himself seeking a solution on All Soul's Night at midnight in the haunted St. Bride abbey, In abject terror he witnesses the ghosts of dead religious Brothers say prayers for the the soul of the dead Lord of the castle from across the valley who was accused of murdering his wife and his brother; a task they must repeat each year for all eternity unless the curse binding them is lifted. The author of "The Monks of Saint Bride" weaves a delightfully scary tale in a style written as it would have been spoken by the locals.

There are many interesting stories contained within "Uncanny Ireland", some of which may be familiar to readers but others are likely less well known and are well worth discovering within these pages.


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Review: No One is Safe!

No One is Safe! by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not sure what took me so long to get around to reading No One is Safe!. This is a wonderful collection of short stories by Philip Fracassi and should be on the TBR pile of anyone who is a Fracassi fan or wants to get a sense of what kind of storyteller he is.

I wouldn't describe it as a "horror" collection, although there are some stories that do fit that category/genre, but all of these tales have elements of horror in them. From "The Wish", about a boy who wants nothing more than to be able to see his father again, to "Row", about an idyllic weekend away that goes horribly awry, these stories all bring their characters to life (and sometimes to death!) in a compelling fashion.

Highly Recommended!

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Review: A Prayer for Owen Meany

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A classic story as relevant in 2025 as when it was first written. A coming of age tale that wrestles with the power of Faith, the tension between youth and established authority, the legitimacy of war and the question of what makes a hero.

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Review: The Fireman

The Fireman by Joe Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Fireman by Joe Hill is a great read. A virulent infection, known as Dragonscale, from an unknown source causes people to develop black and gold markings on their bodies and to spontaneously combust. This pandemic sweeps the world, leaving death, destruction, and ashes in its wake. As governments fail to find ways to contain the spread of the disease or find a cure, civilization collapses, leaving those infected without hope or protection from roaming "Cremation Squads" who have decided the only way to deal with those infected is to eliminate them.

In the middle of this mess is Harper Grayson, a nurse who does her best to help the infected, until she becomes infected herself and her life begins to fall apart. Pregnant and abandoned by her husband, she's on her own until help arrives in the form of a mysterious stranger who leads her to the safety of a secluded camp that is home to a large number of other infected people. There she learns of a way to control the infection, but the cost may be too high.

The Fireman is a riveting story. Hill delivers fascinating, tragic and, in many cases, fanatic characters, each with their own secrets and approaches to dealing with a world falling apart, and manages to continue increasing the suspense with every chapter.



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Review: The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

... getting older was nothing but a series of slow deaths of the people we once were, and how, with each death of our past selves, those held memories of past lives also died.
-- Philip Fracassi: The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre

I was fortunate enough to be able to read a pre-publication version of The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre. While a senior citizen enclave doesn't seem like a great setting for slasher story, Philip Fracassi delivers an amazing tale. Funny, sad, horrifying and not to be missed.

Rose DuBois, Beauregard Mason Miller and their friends are living comfortable lives in the Autumn Springs Retirement Home. Although many are forgotten by their families, they still enjoy movie nights, cocktail parties and playing games, knowing that the facility can continue to provide care and a home for them if their bodies and/or minds decline as they age. Even though a series of unexpected deaths are dismissed by the authorities as unfortunate, but not unusual in an old folks home, Rose and her friends feel something isn't right and begin to investigate on their own. It's only after the deaths continue to grow and become more gruesome that they are finally taken seriously. Too late, perhaps, to do any good.

Fracassi does a wonderful job revealing the story and the characters. He builds suspense by carefully laying his groundwork in the first half of the book and then takes us on a wild ride as the story speeds to its conclusion.

Anyone who has, or has had, relatives or friends in a nursing/rest home or retirement community will recognize at least a few of the staff and the residents. What won't be as familiar are the creative, horrifying and in at least one case heart-breaking ways in which the killer ends the lives of some of their victims. I'd hate to think what the police would say if they ever had reason to look at Fracassi's browser search history.

I was kept guessing and remained suspicious of various characters right until the very end. I hope we get more stories featuring some of the residents of Autumn Springs in the future.



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Review: I Was a Teenage Slasher

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A quick, mostly satisfying, slasher read with some surprising twists along the way.

Content warning: In case the title didn't provide enough of a clue, this story includes multiple scenes involving graphic violence.

I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones embraces the slasher movie genre and asks (and answers) the question: What would happen if typical teen Tolly Driver, in the wrong place at the wrong time, was infected by a "just back from the dead to exact vengeance" zombie high school student? Carnage ensues in West Texas as Tolly and his best friend, Amber Dennison, first try to understand what is happening and then try to prevent it.

I struggled a bit to get into the story - it took a little while to embrace the way Jones narrated the events of 1989 from the perspective of Tolly some 17 years later while also providing current day "commentary". Once I did though the story took hold and swept me along.

If you are, or were, a fan of slasher films from the 1970's or '80s (think "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th") you will likely enjoy this.

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Review: D7

D7 by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is a lot of terror packed into the 53 pages of "D7" by Philip Fracassi, being released in May, 2025 by Shortwave Publishing. I was lucky enough to win an early copy from the publisher and can say that horror fans are going to love this when they get their hands on it.

The beginning of this tale reminds me a bit of the story "You Know They Got A Hell of a Band" by Stephen King, but Fracassi puts his own twist on the premise of taking a wrong turn on a road trip, and the result is fantastic. After reading this you may think twice about stopping somewhere for a quick after dinner drink at the end of your day and you may never look at a jukebox in quite the same way again!

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