A chilling anthology of over 20 stories of cursed and haunted books; featuring malevolent second-hand books, cursed novelizations, unsettling journals and the end of the world.
From award-winning authors including Eric LaRocca, Charlie Higson, Kim Newman and A. G. Slatter. Perfect for fans of When Things Get Dark.
You find it hidden in the dark corner of the bookstore; tucked away in a box in the attic, desperate to be read; lurking on your bookshelf, never seen before. Crack the spine, feel the ancient pages. Read it aloud, if you dare.
This anthology brings together horror’s best and brightest to delve into the pages of cursed books, Eldtritch tomes and haunted bookstores.
Featuring stories from:
Charlie Higson, A.K. Benedict, Eric LaRocca, Nadia Bulkin, Priya Sharma, Isy Suttie, Kim Newman, Zin Rocklyn, A.G. Slatter, Amanda DeBord, Johnny Mains, Jeremy Dyson, Ramsey Campbell, Robert Shearman, Guy Adams, Elizabeth Hand, Adam Cesare
Dark bleatings, my horrific tribe! I’m here today with a brand new anthology from Titan Books (thank you, Titan!), edited by Johnny Mains. I’m an enormous fan of Titan – they tend to publish almost all of my favourite authors, and their covers always look awesome. So, let’s dive in!
From the Sea – by Charlie Higson
What an excellent anthology opener! This creepy, semi-Lovecraftian tale is told through emails and newspaper clippings (I love it when authors use more experimental formatting than regular prose). Christina is a production designer who enlists a troubled but talented artist she’s worked with previously to create props for a project. The “original” book the main prop is based on is… well… evil, to say the least. Scott, the artist, ever dedicated to his craft, wants to get his hands on the real thing to inspire the replica. Of course, this is a horror story, so things do not go well from there for these people!
Footnotes – by A.K. Benedict
This story is about the power of words… literally. Mysterious women, a library I want to live in, mysticism, prophecies… this is more dark fantasy, to me, than horror, but a delightful read.
The House Witch – by Alison Moore
Ruth moves through life and her routine, attached to an apparently nameless book. She’s read it many times, getting to the end and starting all over again, and yet, sometimes things in it change. This is a beautiful story, thick with metaphor and meaning.
Whatever Remains After You Leave Me – Eric LaRocca
This one really unsettled me. A man gets itchy every time a photograph is taken of him. His husband keeps a photo album of them – the man treasures it. Soon, there are new pictures of the pair of them.. but there shouldn’t be. Gave me creepy, old-school Stephen King vibes!
Choose Your Own Adventure – by Nadia Bulkin
Such an interesting story. A “fortune teller” has a book that spells the fate of the reader, only each reader seems to get a different story out of it. A woman, obsessed with getting the same ending as her husband (and disturbed that she doesn’t, upon first reading), sets out to make sure sure their destinies align, and finds out some disturbing truths along the way.
Broken Back Man – by Lucie McKnight Hardy
Another chilling story (and refreshingly, written in the second person). You’re plagued by a recurring nightmare – a dream about the Broken Back Man. There was an uncomfortable, jarring inevitability to this one.
The Witch’s Pillowbook – by Priya Sharma
“Fantasy is never about the object of desire. It’s about what’s missing in yourself.”
I love Priya’s writing – she doesn’t just have a way with words, she also has a special way with her thoughts. This story is not only, in itself, subtle in how it delivers each blow, but the narrative style also reflects the story this way. The slow unfolding of power is evident in both tale and structure. It reminded me of much more mature, much more subtle The Craft. I loved it!
Book Worm – by Isy Suttie
Ewwww! Really puts a whole new meaning on the phrase “book worm”… sheeesh! It seems so wholesome and nice at first and then it gets so unsettling. A great take on the theme, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The Man Who Collected Barker – by Kim Newman
This is a deliciously fun horror story, an “old-school” story, I like to say – the kind of horror that would fit nicely in Stephen King’s Skeleton Crew or, indeed, Clive Barker’s Books of Blood. In this story, we’re with a rare book collector (only marginally more obsessive about his collectible editions than I am about mine…), with a particular fondness of special edition Barker books.
I really hope Clive gets to read this story – I think he’d love it!
Bloodhound – by Zin E. Rocklyn
A woman comes from a line of women who all have unique and unusual “gifts”. One day, she realises (through her gift) that her sister is dead – it’s very undramatic, and the rest of the story unfolds from there. It was intriguing and really interesting in tone, and I was invested throughout.
Bell, Book and Lamp – by A.G. Slatter
I LOVE this story. A wealthy, quite unlikeable man discovers at a will-reading that his very rich aunt has left everything to him. He’s delighted, of course. He genuinely liked her but was also playing the long game, with her estate in mind. There is, however, one condition he must meet in order to inherit her wealth. It’s… unorthodox. Great story!
Next Big Thing – by Amanda DeBord
This one was quite unique with the theme in that though it’s a bookish story that still fits nicely with everything else, the author approached things a bit differently. It’s about the pressure of being a break-out success, and the fear of being a one-hit wonder. I felt stressed for this dude!
Cora Jarrett Gets Into Trouble – by Johnny Mains
Cora doesn’t appear to be well, and she’s incredibly fixated on acquiring books to take back to William. I mean, I totally understand the relentless need to acquire more books, quite frankly, but there’s an edge to Cora’s desire here that hints at something… dark. I loved the first-person narrative and the story-telling for this one!
The Wretched Tome – by Jeremy Dyson
Oof!!! This one had me wondering if I’d be able to resist the temptation! There’s a book… the ending of which will tell you something… do you read it out of burning curiosity, or heed the warning and avoid it?
Written On – by Ramsey Campbell
A man notices inscriptions that seem to be for, and from, the same people in numerous books, and his interest turns into something more sinister… Ramsey does it again! He’s so efficient at sending a chill up my spine with his shorts, and it’s always a pleasure to see his name listed when I pick up an anthology.
Beneath the Diaphragm, the Gut Itself – by Robert Shearman
This is, for sure, one of the oddest stories in the anthology (and one of my favourites because of that!). We’re in a world in which books are “birthed” – people become pregnant with them, go through a gestation period, and then they must deliver. It’s such a bizarre concept, and the story itself is so full of dark humour, metaphor, and – my favourite because the ending is so funny because of it – irony. Very unique!
Bibliette – by Guy Adams
Have you ever just eaten up an author’s words? This story goes a little literal, but not in an unexpected way! Short and sweet.
Near Zennor – by Elizabeth Hand
A widowed man on a quest to find out something from his wife’s past, a presumably dead author with a sordid reputation, a mysterious disappearance… what does it all mean!? Well, I know what it means, because I’ve read it, and I’d encourage you to also!
Pending Licensor Approval – by Adam Cesare
An author sits in a bar blabbing about a project that he signed an NDA for, so he really shouldn’t be telling the hot bartender all about his upcoming book. Lonely and starved of attention, he can’t seem to help himself… but there are consequences!
Overall, I really loved the theme of this book. What could be better for a horror reader that’s obsessed with books than an anthology with a theme that revolves around scary books, authors, libraries, and various other book-related things? I think that all of the authors used the theme creatively and in unique ways, which made for a varied, dynamic, and really fun read.
Gun to my head, if I HAVE to pick my favourite story (very difficult with such a consistently strong assortment), it’s Kim Newman’s The Man Who Collected Barker. It’s sort of funny in a deliciously dark way, and exactly the kind of horror that appeals to me – it has a Grand Guignol feel to it and horrific imagery.
If you’d like to check out Titan Books, and this book in particular, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Happy Goat Horror 
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