Steve Stred's Blog

Title: Little Horn: Stories

Author: Gemma Files

Release date: October 14th, 2025

Welcome to a mild rebrand/relaunch to my reviews. I was chatting with someone else recently on IG about ‘branding’ and such and figured I’d try to see if this little tweak from ‘Book Review’ to ‘Stred Reviews’ can help get more eyes on the books I share with my reviews! We’ll see!

First up, is ‘Little Horn: Stories’ by Canadian Master, Gemma Files.

It’s funny, because Gemma’s novel ‘Experimental Film,’ was a book I initially DNF’d, but then returned to try it once again and absolutely loved it. I had a lot of fun with her ‘A Book of Tongues’ novel, so when I saw she had a new short story collection coming, I decided I’d buy that and make it my next read from her.

Safe to say, Gemma’s a pro at long fiction and the short stuff, because each of these stories is nuanced, layered and bleak.

What I liked: Featuring fourteen stories – ranging from some shorter, quick reads to novelette length, Gemma weaves us through tales that all work to really grab your spine and crush it between bloody knuckles. Even some stories that begin a little bit on the brighter side soon turn black and grow blacker with each additional word added. It made for a heavy, heavy experience reading through these. I think the last time a collection was really this devoid of anything resembling a smile was ‘The Nameless Dark’ by T.E. Grau.

From the starting block, the first story sets us up nicely. ‘The Sanguintalist’ follows a necromancer on an investigation. This one just might be the story with ‘the most fun’ as it covers urban fantasy and horror equally. From that point on, its all bleakly downhill.

My favorite stories were;

– ‘Only Children’ – This was a very subtle story, but also blindingly horrendous. It follows a woman, now a mother, who as a child was the only one of her friends who didn’t go missing after they went to a specific place in their town. Stories of the boogeyman have remained over centuries, and Files highlights those, while also keeping it within the walls of what this story is telling. The woman seemingly managed to snap a photo of the boogeyman and so she educates her own son, about what to look for, as she believes the thing may come for him. Though, there may also be, other, more sinister motives behind her actions.

This would’ve been my favorite story of the collection if it wasn’t for one other one that absolutely hit every note for me, but I’ll discuss that one shortly. This story felt like an entire film wrapped up in five-thousand words and was dripping in palpable tension.

– ‘Hagstone’ – one of a handful of epistolary/mixed media stories within this collection, ‘Hagstone’ follows a woman analyzing and transferring old movie reels for what she believes is a job simply to have the film re-released as a limited Blu-ray. Told through emails between herself and a colleague as well as text and phone transcriptions and a few essay parts, we see this woman and her colleague uncover the true reasons and layered elements to why the film was even made and what it was trying to accomplish.

It was a slow-burn escalation as one character descends into madness and the story itself with absolutely remind readers of ‘Experimental Film’ on a number of levels. I think, for me personally, this one worked even more, or was heightened that much more, because of what I’d previously read with ‘Experimental Film.’

– ‘Little Horn’ – unabashed religious horror. I’ll actually leave it at that. It’s the final story in the collection and it easily caught me off guard and made me happy to see it wasn’t a throw away track at the end of an album. Unflinching.

– ‘Poor Butcher-Bird’ – if you know me, you know I do love me some brutal cult fiction and this one morphs from what seems like a straight ahead cult initiation story into something involving another subgenre and turns the story that much more bloody and sinister. A woman meets up with a cult she seemingly wants to join. It’s from there that she herself fakes them out, in order to be joined by her own ‘master.’ I’d be curious to know how many buckets of fake blood would need to be used if this story was to ever be filmed, because Gemma had no qualms with eviscerating everyone.

And now, time for my favorite story of the entire collection – and I need to add that this might be one of the best short stories you’ll ever read. It’s one of the best short stories I’ve ever read, that’s for certain.

‘Echo Chamber.’

– ‘Echo Chamber’ – another epistolary based story, we follow a woman on an obsessive hunt for an mp3 file of a lost song. A former film star became an Avant Garde artist and musician. Urban legend has it that they only performed this specific song one time, at their final show ever, deep in a set of caves. During the show, every attendee blacked out, coming back while dancing and the musician was gone, never to be seen again.

Within the story, we learn of a single episode of an old entertainment-style show that obtained a copy of the song and played it, but the episode either never aired, or was only aired once and was destroyed, depending on whom you believe. Additionally, the host suffered a mental breakdown after hearing the song within the performance.

It all leads us to an intricate look at plagues, songs that become popular or are created around plague times and as each new section is shared – whether an email back and forth or DM transcription or text messages between people – the creep factor goes up exponentially. It was such an unsettling read and one that I’ll be thinking about for a long, long time.

What I didn’t like: While I did really enjoy every story, I will say – as always is the case – I struggle a lot with epistolary storytelling and this collection had a number of stories that utilize that method of storytelling. It’s a mode of storytelling that’ll often keep me at a distance or completely turn me off of what’s happening. In this case of the collection, two such stories really connected with me, which I was very happy with.

Why you should buy this: Gemma is easily one of the best writers out there currently, creating stories with depth, dread and layered sociopolitical commentary. Her writing is sublime and the way she tells her stories, you can decide to just enjoy the story itself, or, you can spend time making notes and looking deeper within the subtext that resides between each and every word.

This collection is a must read for all dark fiction lovers and I’d make the case that this one should be read just so you can experience ‘Echo Chamber’ in all of its glory.

Absolutely loved this collection.

Title: False Prophet

Author: Dave Jeffery

Release date: October 3rd, 2025

I’ve long been a fan of Dave’s through his stellar ‘A Quiet Apocalypse’ series and his great werewolf novel, ‘Tooth and Claw.’ I still need to get to reading his ‘Frostbite’ series, but when I saw he had a novel coming out through Eerie River, I was stoked to check it out and quickly pre-ordered it.

A few years back now, I read (and really loved) Clive Barker’s ‘Next Testament’ comic series. When I saw this one announced, I was curious if this was a similar idea. Of a God among men type situation, though it soon became apparent when I read the synopsis it wasn’t going down that road. Still, between the cover art and the synopsis, I was very curious to see if we’d see some of that territory and knowing how well Jeffery weaves mental health topics into his books, I couldn’t wait to dive in.

What I liked: The story follows Ray, a man whom you’d believe to be just a normal guy. He works a demanding job in administration, overseeing a team, and has been happily married (for the most part) to his love, Denise. But he also hides a secret. Though he tells his wife that it’s a form of Epilepsy, in truth, he has crazy, apocalyptic visions and lately, they’ve been happening more frequently.

We soon learn that his wife had an affair, and the man she cheated on Ray with doesn’t want it to end. As well, Ray’s team has some issues going on Eloise is being stalked by a cleaner in their building, while Mike secretly loves Eloise, all the while keeping his craft-making ability to himself, hoping to share it with Eloise when he gets up the nerve to share how he feels with her.

Jeffery blends the stories together, snapping back and forth between Ray’s increasing visions, Denise’s attempts to get rid of her former fling and Eloise, Mike and the stalker’s triangle of strangeness.

It all comes to a head when Ray has a vision during a big presentation. It’s these visions that really drive his breakdown, his inability to determine what is real and what isn’t and it was a fascinating look at psychosis and how the brain reacts when reality becomes blurred and someone snaps. His boss insists he go get checked out and when Denise won’t answer her phone, Ray tracks her down, leading to a final confrontation that ties back into the opening of the novel.

As well, we see how Jeffery handles the trio and their storylines and it made for a fun – and subtle – sleight of hand between how we think things are going to go and what actually happens.

It’ll keep the reader on their toes and ultimately made for a very engaging final quarter of the book.

Throughout, Jeffery’s warm writing voice carries the story, making for a world where I easily fell into and was more than happy to revisit over a handful of reading sessions.

What I didn’t like: It’s going to sound odd, but I’m still not sure why we had the Eloise/Mike/Stalker storyline. It didn’t connect to Ray’s story other than the fact that Eloise and Mike worked under Ray. I kind of wish that storyline was it’s own story completely, as I wanted to know more and more about Ray and his visions and Denise and her own story. The Eloise/Mike/Stalker aspect was great and engaging, but when the two are held up together, side by side, they feel very disconnected.

Why you should buy this: If you’re looking for a really engaging story about marital stress, trying to find common ground and dealing with something unsaid between partners, Dave has nailed that here. If you’re also looking for a story about coworkers, uncomfortable situations and confronting a situation head on, Dave’s also nailed that here.

And, if you’re looking for a fast-paced story about a man dealing with uncontrolled visions featuring potentially Biblical beings who give him instructions and details that he really shouldn’t be able to know on his own, look no further.

Jeffery’s ‘False Prophet’ was engaging, exciting and veered awfully close to careening off the tracks, except Dave’s masterful storytelling mind kept it on the rails, benefiting the reader and the outcome.

This was a lot of fun and a novel that’ll stick with me for some time.

Title: Cottonmouth: The Prequel to Kin

Author: Kealan Patrick Burke

Release date: June 13th, 2025

I’ve said it before here in my reviews of his books, but Kealan Patrick Burke is one of my favorite authors and he’s easily one of the most consistent writers out there. Time and time again, he’s able to create these characters and worlds that transcend the written word, easily transporting me away to wherever the story takes me.

A few years back, I read and loved his novel ‘Kin,’ and at that time there was some rumbling about Kealan releasing a sequel. And now, that ‘sequel’ has arrived, only this case it’s actually the prequel – so don’t get confused when you see it listed as ‘Kin Book 2’ anywhere. Originally released as a bonus offering in a limited edition hardcover, I was elated to see it released as a standalone book, so I could grab the Kindle edition.

Going in, the only thing I was certain of was that the book would be dark. If you’ve read ‘Kin’ you know there’s not a lot of shining light in that one, and if this novella was going to set up that world, well, I wasn’t overly confident it’d be any brighter.

What I liked: Set back just prior to World War II, we open up with the introduction of a drifter named Horseshoe, a man who travels around looking for the father who beat him and abandoned him at a young age. This intro sets up the feel of the book nicely, as soon we shift to Jonah Merrill, a pre-teen boy dealing the heavy hand life’s delivered.

His father – whom he loved – has died, his mother descending into despair and a belief she can somehow contact Jonah’s father in the small fires she gazes into for hours upon hours. Having to essentially fend for himself, Jonah’s doing his best and things are ok-ish. Not great, but could be worse.

Things change when a slimy conman shows up and somehow charms Jonah’s mother enough to convince her to let him shack up with them. Promising riches beyond their wildest dreams, they soon turn to booze and wild nights. For poor Jonah, that also means this man takes out his anger on him, and most nights slips into his room after his mother’s fallen asleep.

Kealan sets up things nicely, showing how Jonah’s hopeful outlook on life slowly gets hammered out of him, as though with each strike of the hammer to nail, a little more of his innocence leaves.

It all comes to a head when a preacher arrives, looking for this conman. He’s a massive man, with a huge presence and Jonah sees something in him he hasn’t see since his daddy was alive – potential. Hope. A better life.

He listens to the preacher, follows his plans and from there we arrive at the final quarter where Horseshoe returns to the fold and we see Jonah take those last steps away from being a young kid, into a world where his mind is broken and his actions even more so.

It’s a deft moment, a slight of hand where for all of one sentence I begged my Kindle to let Jonah make the ‘right decision.’ And then the next sentence confirms that he doesn’t. Or does he? In this damning take down on religious zealousness, Kealan forces our young character between a rock and a hard place and though Jonah doesn’t believe God accepts his decision, he thinks God understands it.

And good grief isn’t that how a lot of things feel these days?

That ending was a hard kick to the heart and the stomach. And if you’ve read ‘Kin’ you know Jonah becomes so, so much worse, but there’s still a part of me that wanted to beg Kealan to let this kid have a chance. But the brutal reality of this book and the real world, is that sometimes, that just doesn’t happen. And nothing highlighted that more than a particular conversation between Jonah and his mother. A conversation that broke Jonah and will break the reader even more.

What I didn’t like: It’s a trivial thing, but I think I would’ve preferred Horseshoe’s intro portion to have been weaved in and out versus being the part one and then Jonah comes in for part two. I kind of forgot about the man during Jonah’s portion, before they reconnect for part three and I think if we would’ve had Horseshoe journeying towards Jonah at the start it wouldn’t have felt so jarring when he comes back.

Why you should buy this: If you’ve read ‘Kin’ then you’ll absolutely want to read this. If you’re a fan of KPB’s then this is also a must read.

But, if you’re someone who has neither read Kealan before or read ‘Kin,’ then this novella is a perfect mix of bleak and brutal. One that is a fascinating look at a young person’s mind cracking and being warped but also a think piece on the role of religion and that fine line between belief and psychosis.

A phenomenally unsettling novella by an author who continues to churn out great reads, while inspiring so, so many others, this one just might be one of the best things Kealan’s done. And that’s saying a lot.

Title: A Dark Whimsy

Author: D.S. LaLonde

Release date: November 13th, 2025

*Huge thanks to the author for sending me a digital ARC of this one!*

First – a quick apology to D.S. When they emailed and asked about if I could read this one, I said I’d do my best but couldn’t guarantee I’d finish it before release date and sadly, I just couldn’t swing it. So, my apologies, but I did manage to almost get it read by release date, so at least it’s close-ish!

I’ve previously read two books from the LaLonde’s (I’m honestly not sure how to refer to them lol! D.S. I guess works best?) – ‘A Bleak Remedy’ and ‘The Entangled Dragon.’ Of the two, ‘A Bleak Remedy’ stood out more and when this was offered, I felt like this one would feel a bit like that one – though in the end it didn’t. But that’s not a bad thing. No, far from it.

‘A Dark Whimsy’ was a wonderfully enchanting book, filled with a lot of tension, emotions and heart. And it was a very different experience than what I expected.

What I liked: The story follows Jeff, and his best friend Owen, who’ve found themselves in a small town. Jeff’s struggled to figure out what to do with his life, but his uncle owns a logging company and he gets a fairly cushy job there. Life’s pretty solid, even if he consistently strikes out with love, women usually gravitating towards Owen. Though, Owen has no interest in love. They’d rather work, play video games and just hang out.

Things are rather idyllic. Until the logging company needs to go to a specific sector. That’s when things take a turn and the small town has to deal with creatures, craziness and a darkness that threatens to infect everything.

For many years, one of my favorite shows on TV was ‘Grimm.’ Every episode had an atmosphere to it, as well as a mystery, action and a wonderful mythology throughout. I loved it so much, I even dragged my wife to the US, down to Portland so we could see a bunch of the filming locations. I say that, because this book read like a lost episode or even a lost season of ‘Grimm.’ D.S. deftly moved between action, mystery, supernatural and folklore, filling the chapters with a joy, even when the subject matter was dark.

We learn that there are creatures in that section, and when Jeff and crew are joined by Coach, things really ramp up and we learn what they are, why they might potentially be there and that sets the stage in motion for every reaction to the action that comes after it.

There’s a lot to unpack in this one, and a lot of that unpacking is 100% spoiler-filled, so I can’t go too far into it, other than saying we learn truths, things are revealed and all the while Jeff tries to make heads or tails of who to trust and what the heck is going on.

The ending and epilogue were fantastic. D.S. answers every question the readers will have – and there’s a bunch of questions that cropped up – but none of the answers felt forced, which was great.

What I didn’t like: At the beginning of the book, there’s a little bit of frustration with how Jeff and Owen seemingly react to these strangers that show up in town. It took a bit of suspension of reality to accept how they reacted to them, but it’s a minor thing. The bigger thing for me was that frequently there were moments that felt very silly, which threatened to derail the fun I was having. Saying that, I remembered thinking the same thing when I watched ‘Grimm’ before and just pushed past it, and focused on the sheer overall enjoyment I was having.

Why you should buy this: If you’re looking for a blend of magic/fantasy and dark fiction, look no further. This one was a lot of fun, with some really great characters. The setting was spot on and made it so that as things unfolded, the forest became just as much of a character as most of the people within.

D.S. LaLonde delivered an engaging story that really had me captivated and I’m so glad to have read this one because it reminded me of just how much I love when a horror novel is sprinkled with the right amount of folklore/fantasy dust.

Title: Strowg: A Bledbrooke Tale

Author: John F. Leonard

Release date: November 28th, 2025

*Huge thanks to John for sending me a digital ARC of this one!*

I’m always a huge fan of author’s creating their own worlds/mythos and expanding upon them with subsequent releases. One author who really has taken that and ran with it is Joseph Sale, a wonderfully talented UK author. It was around the time I first read Sale that he suggested I check out John F. Leonard, and as luck would have it, shortly thereafter, one of Leonard’s releases was offered for review while I was reviewing for Kendall Reviews and I snapped it up, excited to see what John was all about.

Spanning close to a dozen releases – novels and novellas alike – John has created the fictional town of Bledbrooke, this sort of portal city where Lovecraftian insanity creeps in the shadows. It’s been a ton of fun seeing the various complications John’s thrown at us readers. From odd bus rides, to mutant subterranean blobs, to strange shadow folk, John’s done a wonderful job of keeping us on our toes.

With ‘Strowg,’ we get a new entry. A Strigoi-ian tale of service, submission and dare we say it… love?

What I liked: The story follows Charles Hennessy, a well dressed chap who has found himself in a situation of his own doing. Many years ago, seeking immortality, he struck a deal with Strowg, who at that time was more human than monster. As the years have gone by, Strowg has hideously transformed, now more monster than man. One that requires sustenance. Which is where Hennessy comes in. He must procure said sustenance.

Over the years, that’s caused them to have to move frequently, never really settling into a place for long, the bodies stacking up and suspicion arising. That is, until they arrive at Bledbrooke, a town where Hennessy soon realizes things are different and they can remain more under the radar.

Leonard does a great job of painting the picture of their lives together. Strowg demands food in return to keeping Hennessy young, strong and safe. Hennessy provides food in return to keeping Strowg safe, alive and calm. It’s a tentative arrangement at best, one that has Hennessy analyzing it closer when he experiences something unexpected.

Love.

And so, the final quarter of the novella arrives with that theme hanging over the story. They must flee again, Hennessy barely survives an encounter on the streets and draws unwanted attention to them. As well, it appears Strowg itself has made some unexpected sojourn’s, in an effort to feed some more. All the while, Hennessy longs for a life of happiness with the woman that makes him feel so very very alive.

Much like David Sodergren’s ‘The Haar,’ this is an unexpected love story. A touching, brutal piece of fiction that has equal parts light to dark, life to death and hope to hopelessness. The ending is a poignant finish, one that really pushes forward the idea that love can be timeless.

What I didn’t like: Honestly, not enough Bledbrooke! The town is merely a backdrop in this one, the strangeness we see in the other connected books barely on display. I understand the why and it works great to give Hennessy and Strowg that temporary home, but I wished some of the craziness that we’ve seen elsewhere dipped its toes into this one a bit more.

Why you should buy this: I’ve often shared how I’m not a huge vampire fan, but when done this well, I can fall into the story just as easily as if it was taking place in the woods. Leonard has outdone himself here. A story that is so smooth, so sweet, yet so brutal and horrific that it ticks a lot of boxes that showcase why horror can be so much more than just a thing that goes bump in the night.

It’s wonderful to see a new release from John, and it’s even more wonderful to fall back into his amazing way with telling a story. I’ve always been a huge fan of John’s, but this one is an elevation of his storytelling, him creating another phenomenal story while also bringing us back to Bledbrooke.

A town I’ll always enjoy visiting fictionally, but would never want to step foot in!

Title: Grace

Author: A.M. Shine

Release date: February 12th, 2026

Huge thanks to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this one!

Back in the Halcyon days of Kendall Reviews, Gavin DM’d me to ask if I’d like to check out the debut novel of a new Irish horror novel. It was titled ‘The Watchers’ and the synopsis had me very intrigued. I read it, loved it, raved about it, and subsequently have enjoyed another two novels from one A.M. Shine. Shine, on his end, has hit homerun after homerun with his debut, the sequel (‘Stay in the Light’) and the horrifying ‘The Creeper,’ and ‘The Watchers’ was adapted into film and became a smash hit for Netflix.

All of that is to say, that I was beyond surprised when Shine DM’d me recently to ask if I’d be keen on reviewing his next novel. Truth was, after seeing it announced, I’d already preordered the Kindle edition, as I was certain a novel of this magnitude wouldn’t be available to request on Netgalley when it went live.

As with each of Shine’s books, there are three things you can expect. The first is remote location. The second is quality, well-fleshed characters. And the third is an absolutely creepy-as-all-hell atmosphere that seemed to blanket my Kindle with the same fog that appeared within this one.

I dove in, excited to learn what terror Shine was delivering this time, knowing full well that I’d be wishing I was sleeping with a light on.

What I liked: What happens when you take ‘The Reddening’ by Adam Nevill, ‘Eynhallow’ by Tim McGregor and ‘Behemoth’ from H.P. Newquist and mix them all in a blender? You get ‘Grace’ from A.M. Shine.

The novel follows a young woman, Grace, who discovers that she was adopted as a child. Her mother has passed away and has left her house to her. The only problem is that the house is on Croaghnakeela Island, some hundreds of kilometers away. Grace isn’t even familiar with the island and discovers she needs to take a boat – which even then is a challenge to arrange – to get to the island. The boat operator won’t step foot on the island, believes it to be cursed, but Grace doesn’t believe in such things.

Croaghnakeela Island is real – I Google mapped it, lol, but it’s safe to say Shine has taken significant liberties with the place, judging by what Google Maps shows. Saying that, the island does have Tobar Cáillín Holy Well, a religious relic, which seems to have inspired one aspect of the story. You see, the residents there toss coins into this ‘well,’ wanting to appease a benevolent creature that seems to be the root of this curse. And while I won’t spoil what this creature is, I will say that I have a short story inspired by the folklore behind it and have always found it fascinating, so when it popped up here, I was elated.

Shine sets things up nicely. We see the rise and fall of the island’s inhabitants. We are shown what might be the opening that allowed such a thing to arrive on the islands shorefront to begin with, and we see the cracks form between friends and ultimately the trust fail as they come to grips with what must be done to rid themselves of the islands infection.

I loved the characters Shine introduces, each one a crusty, weathered individual who you instantly like and dislike in equal measure. We learn of previous attempts to leave the island and we get the shit scared out of us time and time again.

The final quarter is revelatory. We learn secrets, we see some folks step up and do what needs to be done while others cower and show who they really are. And all the while Shine layers this last section with more fog and more insanity. It created a reading experience that was claustrophobic, visceral and had my heart jackhammering in my chest. Which led to an ending – and epilogue – that delivered exactly what I hoped for.

What I didn’t like: Funny story on this part. When Shine messaged me he even mentioned how he knew I don’t often mesh well with books with POV changes from chapter to chapter – which is what this book does. Hilariously (take that Shine!) that aspect worked phenomenally for me.

Instead, the one aspect that I wasn’t totally sold on for a bit was the dampening of Grace’s storyline (though it was necessary) and the switch to the Reverend. At least, I think he was a Reverend? I’m totally drawing a blank right now. I loved his character, but for me, Grace’s story drew me in far more than his, though his was paramount to what happens and how we get to the ending.

Why you should buy this: Over the last few years, A.M. Shine has cemented himself as a both a ‘must-read’ author for me but also one of a handful of authors who can easily scare the pants off me. His ability to create scenes and a tangible atmosphere in his books is world class and ‘Grace’ easily slots itself into the category of ‘Best Folklore Horror Novels of the Last 10 Years.’ Taking cues from ‘Starve Acre’ and ‘Cunning Folk,’ Shine wastes no time delivering creeps.

If you’ve not yet read any of A.M.’s work, this is a fantastic leaping in point. If you’re a dedicated Shine fan already, then you’ll be chomping at the bit to see release day arrive.

This novel turns the shadows in the corner darker, the blackness of the night blacker and the fog in the air thicker. And I can’t thank Shine enough for reminding me that sometimes the scariest things in lonely places are the ‘things’ that go bump in the night.

Fantastic.

Title: Conan: The Halls of Immortal Darkness

Author: Laird Barron

Release date: August 20th, 2024

After reading Shaun Hamill’s ‘Conan’ entry into Titans The Heroic Legends Series, I saw Laird had one as well and knew I absolutely had to read it. So, I snagged it, loaded it onto my Kindle and devoured it last night in one frantic, Basil Poledouris fueled session.

Laird and Shaun have very different writing styles and storytelling styles, so it was interesting to see how Shaun wrote more of a comic book entry, while Laird’s was a full throwback to the days or yore with even the language and words used dripping with Cimmerian influence.

What I liked: In this one, Conan is older than in the previous entry I read, but still seeking adventure and employment. The book picks up just as Conan kills his current employer and takes his wages and heads to a bar to drink and ponder his next steps.

Along the way, he’s bitten by a venomous snake, which puts him at death’s doorstep. While in the throes of agony, he’s visited by an old crone, one who isn’t exactly as she seems.

Conan comes through, aided by a wandering merchant, who was sent by the crone. Conan rides with this man to the next town, at which time he heads to the nearest tavern. After spending a week there, he’s out of coin and moves on, only to discover a priestess being attacked in an alleyway. After killing her attackers, she thanks him and offers him a job, to act as her security. Wanting new adventure, more coin and a way out of the town, he agrees and they head out, flanked by her assistant, an older man whom Conan distrusts.

Barron easily slides from page to page, showcasing Conan as the introspective brute we all know and love. The barbarian grows more and more untrusting of the man, more so after the priestess takes him to a secluded grassy area and seduces him, all the while whispering an odd thing into Conan’s ear.

Once they arrive at the mysterious Halls of Immortal Darkness, the truth is revealed and Conan must fight for his life – and the priestess’ – and somehow find his way back out. Barron writes this final quarter with gusto, and again, Poledouris’ soundtrack rumbled throughout my brain as I read, flipping every page faster than the last.

This was all flexing muscles, spraying blood and swords clanging, making for yet another amazing visit into Conan’s world.

What I didn’t like: For me personally, I was a bit confused by the crone’s visit at first, as well as the priestess’ assistant. I was trying to figure out if they were the same person or not and it made for some confusion on my end, but that purely might’ve been me mis-reading some of the descriptions when they arrived. As well, I wished we learned more about the Halls of Immortal Darkness. The myth/lore behind the place wasn’t explored near enough for what I wanted.

Why you should buy this: Conan fans have surely already read this, but I’ve not seen many people posting about this who I usually see post about Laird’s stuff frequently, so if you’re a Laird fan and haven’t read this yet, get on it, even if you’re not a Conan fan. Laird handles the barbarian with ease and makes him come alive on the page.

This one was another really fun Conan story, but also a really engaging sword and sorcery story, which I’m always down for!

Title: Conan: Lethal Consignment

Author: Shaun Hamill

Release date: April 30th, 2024

Earlier this week, I wrapped up reading ‘Prisoner of the Horned Helmet’ by James Silke, one of the first sword and sorcery novels I’ve read in probably a decade – excluding anything Gwynne/Rothfuss/Martin related. I did read one from S.H. Cooper that falls into the fantasy realm, but I wouldn’t classify it as S&S.

While reading it, David Sodergren had messaged me about a Conan novel he was reading and once I was done, I knew I needed to check out something Conan related, after David was raving about his read. Looking, I saw that I’d previously purchased a huge Conan compendium eBook, but then I also saw that Titan has been releasing a bunch of Conan related short stories, written by some wonderful current authors, so I decided to take a chance on one of those. The first one that caught my eye was this one from Shaun Hamill. I loved his novel ‘A Cosmology of Monsters,’ so I was really excited to dive into this one.

What I liked: The story follows a young Conan, having arrived at a port town in search of work or adventure, but finding neither. While drinking in a tavern, a man approaches him and suggests Conan’s just the guy he’s looking for – someone to sail on the ship he’s on, acting as security while they head up river.

With the promise of a good payday and the prospect of adventure, Conan agrees and soon they’ve left on the ship called Fortune’s Dawn.

Hamill sets the stage nicely, showing Conan to be gruff but also introspective. A layered barbarian if you will.

Not long onboard the ship, Conan realizes things are off. There’s not as many crew members as he’d think for a ship this size and the captain never makes an appearance – day or night. After one crew member is found dead, his throat ripped out, Conan knows there’s more going on than even he can imagine.

Then one night, another sellsword decides to come clean to Conan and answer the questions Conan’s been asking, which leads to the discover of what’s onboard and a fight to the death takes place.

It’s this final quarter that Hamill really shines, giving us a huge cinematic moment, with swords swinging, blood flying and Conan and the other sellsword battling this thing until the bitter end.

I was grinning like a maniac throughout this quick read, loving every minute of what Hamill created.

What I didn’t like: The most obvious thing here is the length – but come on, even I’ll give my head a shake, knowing full well there are parameters in place for this short stories. But what did become evident with the length aspect, was the lack of character depth of the secondary characters. I wished we learned a bit more about the ship, the part where they pick up what wrecks havoc was longer and more detailed and with that, this thing would’ve been even more terrifying than it already was.

Why you should buy this: At only roughly 40 pages, this was a really quick, snappy read that made me so, so happy. Conan is a fantastic character that encounters every level of danger and Hamill used that to his advantage, giving us a story with an isolated, confined setting and a thing that had an insatiable lust for blood.

Overall, a wonderful modern update to a character that’s been bringing readers (and movie goers) so much joy for almost one hundred years!

Title: Prisoner of the Horned Helmet (Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer #1)

Author: James Silke

Release date: February 1st, 1988

Are you familiar with Frank Frazetta’s 1973 fantasy painting ‘Death Dealer’? You most likely are, even if it doesn’t pop into your brain. In fact, you’ve probably seen it a few times before and never really attributed it to anything other than an intense, menacing image.

For those who’ve not seen it – I’m included it here on my review post (though it won’t appear on GR);

This painting by Frazetta just might be my favorite piece of art.

A menacing figure perched upon a massive black horse, with a shield, a curved axe and a horned helmet, with buzzards flying in the background, this image has inspired thousands of people. Between music, art, writing and film – and beyond – this image is quintessential Frazetta and sword and sorcery.

Now, I was never aware that a novel (a series in fact) had been commissioned to tell the story of the ‘Death Dealer,’ until a few years ago. While researching a different image that Frazetta had created for a project of mine, I was reminded about the books and lo and behold, I had a digital copy of this book on my Kindle already. I can’t actually remember where I got it from, but I’m thinking it was in a sword and sorcery Kickstarter I backed probably about fifteen years ago.

Finding that I had the book and feeling in the mood for a classic sword and sorcery novel, I decided to give it a go, hoping to discover that this was as fantastic as the image that inspired it.

What I liked: The novel is a classic throwback to 80’s sword and sorcery where we follow Gath of Baal, a barbarian warrior who becomes the ‘Death Dealer.’

A horde of Kitzaak warriors is on the rampage, destroying and conquering every village they come across as they travel throughout the land. The common people need a champion. Brown John is an actor, poet, meek magician and barterer. After seeing what Gath does to a small group of Kitzaak scout warriors, Brown John decides Gath is the champion they need and puts a plan in place.

At the same time, the sorceress/goddess Cobra, a snake that can take the form of a gorgeous woman, realizes that Gath just might be the key to unlocking her God from its imprisonment and she puts a plan in place – to seduce and get what she needs to have Gath unwittingly accept the horned helmet, which she believes will eat him from the inside and unleash her God upon the land.

Silke writes with gusto, and throughout I was reminded of the movies I loved growing up. ‘Wizards,’ ‘Fire and Ice,’ ‘Heavy Metal,’ ‘Conan,’ ‘Willow,’ ‘Deathstalker,’ and ‘Dragonslayer,’ just to name a few. Behind every tree lies danger and we never know if it’ll be man or beast or something in between.

The action scenes are fantastic, but also the downtime moments are great, really moving the personal side of the story along. Most of these involve Robin Lakehair. A young woman tasked by Brown John to heal Gath and somehow convince him to come and help the common people, instead of wandering the forests seemingly aimlessly.

The ending is a great bit of wrap up and Silke does a great job of showing the aftermath of Gath’s stand against the horde and what comes of those who survive. While there are three more novels after this one, the book ends as a singular read, which was nice.

What I didn’t like: Though the book is mostly action packed, there are some significant moments where this one plods along and loses its steam. It always comes back and always picks up, but it’s easy to see what would get chopped were this ever to be turned into a script to be filmed.

Why you should buy this: If you’re a huge fan of Frazetta’s, the painting itself or simply sword and sorcery/fantasy novels, then this is definitely a must read. A bit harder to find, I think if you went on an instore or online journey to track it down, you’ll be richly rewarded for the story you discover within. This was a nostalgic throwback to my youth and it brought me back to those weekend evenings when I’d be binge watching movies just like this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1813172.Prisoner_of_the_Horned_Helmet

Title: The Star of the Show: A Milestone Novella

Author: Kealan Patrick Burke

Release date: October 13th, 2025

Have you read Kealan Patrick Burke?

I think most of you reading this will have read at least something from him, and KPB – for me, absolutely – is on my short list of MUST read authors. He’s long been one of my favorites and one of the things I’ll always cherish is the fact that he was kind enough to blurb one of my books.

Saying that – I’m a few KPB releases behind AND even worse, I’ve still never managed to find the time to read ‘Currency of Souls,’ Kealan’s his 2007 novel. Why does that matter? Well, when Subterranean Press announced this novella, it was shared that this story takes place in Milestone, a town introduced to us in that novel.

I didn’t care. PLUS – this novella was free, which meant I was absolutely grabbing it (I’m a moron, but not a total moron. Well…). Even then, I still wasn’t sure when I’d get to reading it. That was until this past Friday night, when I decided to dive in. I’ve got two other books on the go, but I decided to start this, wanting something as a light reading finish for the night after reading a bunch of chapters in the novels.

Well, that plan went out the window as soon as I started this one, soon rampaging through and finish it in two sittings.

What I liked: Granted, having not read ‘Currency of Souls,’ I’ll have missed some of the reoccurring characters and Easter Eggs, but it didn’t dampen my reading experience, so, if you’re like me and haven’t read it yet, don’t let that deter you.

The story follows Judd, an outlaw who has just killed and buried a man on the outskirts of a small town. Wanting to find a place to sleep for the night and have a few adult beverages, he rides his trusty horse into the town, where quickly he discovers that the small town is also an ‘odd’ town.

The idea of people not being able to leave a town at sundown has been around for centuries and told in various forms throughout written history. Kealan takes that story idea and gives it depth and layers. Judd meets a strange woman, has a run in with the local law who fills him in with why his killing of that particular man has thrown him into something he never asked for and it forces Judd to begrudgingly accept his fate and place.

The town came to life through Kealan’s steady and wonderfully descriptive prose. The people became people you knew and either liked or loathed and even characters that at first glance seemed to be throwaway characters – Cadaver, I’m looking at you – played a larger role than you’ll expect.

The ending was great. Straddling the line between western horror and 80’s fantasy film and the connections revealed to the present day were great.

What I didn’t like: I 100% believe my initial issue with this novella is because I’ve not read ‘Currency…’ yet, so take this with a grain of salt, but I found the opening dozen pages or so to feel very repetitive in terms of it feeling like every other western book I’ve ever read. Stranger arrives, townsfolk don’t like his face, people are rude and the barkeeper is sassy. Textbook western opening. Saying that, once things get rolling it really takes off, so don’t let that initial setup be a deterrent to continuing on.

Why you should buy this: Well, as I said – it’s free, so technically you don’t need to buy it, but if you’ve never read Kealan’s work before, this would be a really solid entry point which will then make you want to go out and buy more of his work. If you’re a longtime fan of KPB’s, then this is another exciting release from one of the best writer’s out there. Kealan’s walking that line that many of us dream about. A modern master who keeps getting better and better.

This was a really fun – and dusty – western horror that will have you wiping your face clean while complaining about how warm the drinks are.

Now, I’m off to track down a copy of ‘Currency of Souls.’

Grab the eBook for free at the link below:

https://subterraneanpress.com/newsannouning-the-star-of-the-show-a-free-ebook-novella-by-kealan-patrick-burke/