67 ratings | 30 reviews | avg rating:5.00

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Myriam

2,268 books | 587 friends

Alex (Spells & Spaceships)

1,003 books | 299 friends

Jonathan Jensen

54 books | 3 friends

Charlene Elsby

49 books | 159 friends

Coy Hall

2,424 books | 299 friends

S.J. Shank

Goodreads Author

Website

https://www.sjshank.com/

Twitter

sj_shank

Genre

Horror, Fantasy

Member Since

June 2023

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S.J. Shank is a lover of dead languages and collapsed empires. His writing inhabits the grim borderlands between fantasy, horror and historical fiction. He is the author of The Knave of Graves, Mountain Fast and Rare Specimen and Other Stories.

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S.J. Shank’s books

Average rating: 4.25 · 210 ratings · 95 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Mountain Fast: A Gothic Tale of Medieval Horror 4.01 avg rating — 94 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Knave of Graves: A Dark Fantasy 4.47 avg rating — 49 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	This World of Vile Wonder: Horror Tales of the Scientific Revolution by Coy Hall (Goodreads Author) (Editor), J.M. Thor, Josh Reynolds 4.60 avg rating — 43 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rare Specimen and Other Stories 4.08 avg rating — 24 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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S.J. Shank and 10 other people liked Coy Hall's review of Pyres: "Harrison's books are always carefully written and well told. You know you're in good hands from page one. With Pyres, he weaves a contemporary tale that blends the ideological and political horrors of the real world with the mystery of the supernatur" Read more of this review »
May 19, 2026 08:20PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pyres by Kev Harrison. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pyres by Kev Harrison <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.J. Shank and 1 other person liked Ignas Petrauskas's review of Mountain Fast: A Gothic Tale of Medieval Horror: "a feeling just before an avalanche The author wrestles with quite a few concepts that are unknown or undeveloped in other literary works. The feeling of almost material horror is both relayed by subtle hints and almost physical shoves which leave you " Read more of this review »
Apr 28, 2026 05:41PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mountain Fast by S.J. Shank. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mountain Fast by S.J. Shank <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.J. Shank and 2 other people liked Ignas Petrauskas's review of The Knave of Graves: A Dark Fantasy: "unique and gripping magical story I have never read anything like this. In a backdrop of pseudo Finnish backwater town somewhat few hundred years ago, when modern religion priest makes fun of our somewhat shamanist protagonist which makes and sells ch" Read more of this review »
Apr 23, 2026 04:01PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Knave of Graves by S.J. Shank. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Knave of Graves by S.J. Shank <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.J. Shank rated a book it was amazing Sweetside Motel by E.L. Chen (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sweetside Motel is a pressure cooker of a novella that succeeds beautifully as both thriller and horror. Set in the most paranoid days of the pandemic, when all strangers were suspect (particularly Asians), the novel channels the dire claustrophobia ...more
Apr 22, 2026 06:20AM · like · see review
S.J. Shank rated a book it was amazing Rider in the Widow Lands: A Sword & Sorcery Short Story by Coy Hall (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
After reading Coy Hall's new Sword & Sorcery story, my admiration only grows. "Rider in the Widow Lands" is a terrific, moody tale about a flinty-eyed "hero" whose past, only glimpsed, could surely fill volumes. The world-building, the vibes, the acti ...more
Feb 26, 2026 10:47AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Rider in the Widow Lands by Coy Hall. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Rider in the Widow Lands by Coy Hall <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.J. Shank liked Jennafer Robles's review of The Knave of Graves: A Dark Fantasy: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Feb 26, 2026 09:50AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Knave of Graves by S.J. Shank. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Knave of Graves by S.J. Shank <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.J. Shank wants to read Rider in the Widow Lands: A Sword & Sorcery Short Story by Coy Hall (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 19, 2026 03:08PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Rider in the Widow Lands by Coy Hall. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Rider in the Widow Lands by Coy Hall <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.J. Shank rated a book it was amazing Candle Horror by Robert Weaver (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Reading Candle Horror feels a little like getting trapped in a curiosity shop. There are preserved heads, Esperanto prayers and insects whispering of transmigration. Plenty of curios, plenty of secrets, each one dark and tragic. Meditative, evocative ...more
Feb 09, 2026 12:25PM · 1 like · like · see review
S.J. Shank rated a book it was amazing The Organization is Here to Support You by Charlene Elsby (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Organization Is Here to Support You is an incredible bureaucratic horror novel that reads like the love child of Kafka and the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration. I absolutely loved this book, one of the most entertaining and finely-craf ...more
Jan 21, 2026 04:57PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Organization is Here to Support You by Charlene Elsby. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Organization is Here to Support You by Charlene Elsby <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.J. Shank rated a book it was amazing InhuMANities by Andrew Robertson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
InhuMANities is one of the smuttiest and most unsettling books I’ve read in a long time. The stories are equally absurd, disgusting and brilliant as they plumb the various depths of (mostly) men’s depravity. Terrific body horror that will make you sq ...more
Jan 11, 2026 08:46PM · like · see review

More of S.J.'s books…

Quotes by S.J. Shank (?)

“People are afraid of the forest but chiefly it is other people one must fear between the trees.”
― S.J. Shank, Mountain Fast: A Gothic Tale of Medieval Horror

tags: gothic-novel, horror, people, trees

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“Maybe Kuszkol is situated in a wild, wild place. High in the mountains. They say that when the snow piles thick and the air grows still, even the birds loathe to fly lest their flapping disturb the mountain's peace. Imagine the vastness of that place, way up high in the sky. Totally silent. And cold.”
― S.J. Shank, Mountain Fast: A Gothic Tale of Medieval Horror

tags: gothic-novel, horror, poetic

0 likes

“Roots that run so deep have no trouble piercing stone.”
― S.J. Shank, Mountain Fast: A Gothic Tale of Medieval Horror

S.J. Shank’s Followers (21)

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