Review of Who’s the Monster

Ye Olde Dragon Books’ second anthology of classic monsters targets Frankenstein and asks the question “Who’s the Monster?” Is it the ambitious scientist who goes too far? Is it his creation who, after being rejected, runs amok? Is it both? Or is it a society that can’t see beneath the […]

Dark Angels

I wrote a story “Dark Angels.” Sometimes I write long, interconnected novels with many short stories that have references to each other. This story isn’t like that. Sometimes I write short, poignant stories about people in crisis with problems that mirror society’s ills. This story isn’t like that, either. Dark […]

Review Dreaming Beauty

C. Rae D’Arc’s Dreaming Beauty has all the elements of a fairy tale retelling as well as several surprises. The first in a series, Dreaming Beauty combines the fantasy and romance of a fairy tale with the snark and modern sensibility of a contemporary. This combination worked with great success […]

Review of The Door

On a recommendation from a family member, I read the mystery novel The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Many people have forgotten this woman, but in her time, her novels rivaled Christie’s in popularity. At one point, she was called the American Agatha Christie. The Door was published in 1930 […]

About Twisted Cypress Way

If you are reading this on July 7, 2022, go to gohavok.com and enjoy a free story by yours truly. I’d appreciate your patronage. Also, this article has spoilers! Including awesome art at the end revealing the monster in the story! https://gohavok.com “Down Twisted Cypress Way” is my fourth publication […]

Review Havok Casting Call

Havok’s latest anthology, entitled Casting Call, examines many common archetypes of fiction in several genres (fantasy, mystery, comedy, etc.). The magician, the wizened elder, and the sneaky rebel are but a few character types offered in a flash fiction—one thousand words or less—story. As usual, Havok’s high quality is on […]

Review What Darkness Fears

An anthology that celebrates stories of darkness overcome by the light is a tricky endeavor, to be sure. The best thrillers put their audience into the depths of the pit, and readers won’t be satisfied with a cheat or treacly ending. This premise makes a promise—expect darkness, then watch it […]

Review of Odriel’s Heirs

Odriel’s Heirs, the first in a high fantasy series by Hayley Reese Chow, is an exciting YA adventure with a rich world and history. In the distant past, a demon named Nifras invaded the southern portion of the country with his hordes of the undead. The god Odriel gifted three […]

Review of Moonflower Murders

Andrew Horowitz’s Moonflower Murders is a sequel to the acclaimed Magpie Murders, which in turn was Horowitz’s take on an Agatha Christie novel. One of the best writers to adapt other author’s styles (he’s done Conan Doyle and Fleming), Horowitz once again takes up the mantle to produce not one […]