What I'm Reading: A Debut Novel and a Translated Collection

The September issue of Booklist has 2 reviews by me, both are excellent choices for all collections and from smaller presses. Below I have the reviews and extra info to make these super easy for you to book talk to patrons.

First up, a debut by one of my trusted Horror small presses.

In the Devil’s Cradle
By S. L. Edwards

Sept. 2022. 238p. Word Horde, paper, $18.99  (9781956252033). 
First published September 1, 2022 (Booklist).

Emelda is floating down the river with her children, fleeing escalating tensions in Antioch’s capital city. They are moving to the birthplace of the country, where her husband, William's ancestor, Thomas Holcomb, first unified the country through diplomacy and, quite possibly, a deal with a dark power. The family finds safety, as back in the city, the government is being violently toppled, but only for a moment, as darkness finds them in the form of revolutionary fighters and ghost children who are coming out of the woods, beckoning the children. Told through the eyes of each member of the family– Emelda, William and their four children, this compelling and deeply unsettling story holds readers hostage as they helplessly watch everything spiral out of control. However, the real horror of this novel is that Antioch could be any country, and the terrors both real and supernatural could easily be set loose upon us all. A chilling story that holds appeal for a wide audience, but especially for fans of The Hacienda by Cañas, Frankenstein in Baghdad by Saadawi, and Wonderland by Stage.

Further Debut: I need to stress the use of the phrase, "deeply unsettling." Bad things happen in the story, violent and troubling bad things. That being said, those things underscore the real world implications of this political horror story.

This is a mature debut. It could be set in ANY country. This is very clear. It could be America even, It is probably South America or Central Europe inspired and in the 20th Century but very much rooted in reality.

A country in the midst of a coup, but also there are actual ghosts and monsters in the woods, creatures that are inexorably tied to the country's founding. 

POV 3rd person omniscient inside the entire family, moves around freely. Very good and compelling. Great characters. Each member of the family is fully formed and unique. The pov switches felt a little forced a few times, to keep the reader guessing and turning pages. I think if this was a more established author, the editor would ave allowed some of the scenes to  go on a little longer before switching.

Only other negative is that the creatures in the woods [I don't want to spoil but some resemble small children without eyes and they are present VERY early in the story], their back story needed a lot more explanation. There was some. But I have more questions. Maybe that is the point because after all of the violence, the country will continue and this menace is still there, but I still wanted a little more. 

But overall, a solid read. Impressive for a debut. Very worth adding to all libraries. Word Horde is a VERY reliable Horror indie press-- great editing, good covers, books tat stand up  to multiple checkouts. It is why I requested this book from the publisher to review. I like what they do and this was one that they were also excited about. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: political horror, deeply unsettling, thought provoking

Readalike: Combine three titles in the review, and that is the book's target audience. You can use the links to see more by me on each book and find more readalikes.

Swedish Cults [stories]

By Anders Fager

Translated by Ian Lemke and Henning KochSept. 2022. 232p. Valancourt, $29.99 (9781954321564); paper, $16.99 (9781954321571). First published September 1, 2022 (Booklist). 

With the success of their World Horror Anthologies, Valancourt continues their march to get the globe’s best Horror writers into more hands with the first English translation of the top Horror writer in Sweden. This story collection, first published in 2009, is best described as “Swedish Lovecraft.” The world he has created, while very much set in and influenced by his Nordic home, expertly draws off the established Lovecraftian universe, setting an atmosphere with each tale that steadily rises to existential terror as cosmic gods so pervasive and powerful, drawfs, even mock at times, the pitiful humans who hope to survive their wrath. A great example is the second story, “Grandma’s Journey,” an original tale of a journey across Europe, despite a tear in the universe that keeps getting wider. The repetition of the phrase “grandma’s going on a journey,” dozens of times, brilliantly adds another layer of unease. Also of note are the four “Fragments,” brief snapshots of atmospheric horror placed between each of the five longer stories. A must read for fans of 21st Century Lovecraftian Horror as written by those like Kiernan or Snyder.

Further Appeal: “Swedish Lovecraft.” – And that is not simply publisher marketing, Fager is the real deal. The Call of Cthulhu role playing game even uses Fager’s work for the Swedish edition of their popular game. So there's your book talk-- Swedish Lovecraft...'nuff said for a lot of readers.

But it is more that that though. It has an atmospheric tone that rises to the existential dread of the very best cosmic horror. It is also extremely grounded in its place-- Sweden. 

For those not as well versed in Cosmic Horror, here is a short snippet from my book, a piece of a quote from author and Cosmic Horror scholar, Mary SanGiovanni:

"In Cosmic Horror, there is a sense that the antagonistic force, whether evil or just utterly indifferent, is so pervasive and powerful, and of such a size and scope, that its very existence dwarfs the significance of humanity."

Three Words That Describe This Book: Lovecraftian, translation, strong sense of place

Readalikes: My book has an entire Lovecraftian/Cosmic Horror chapter. And I have a bonus list of titles that got cut from the book here. You have plenty of topics, but to the 2 readalikes included above I would also like to include The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft edited by Aaron French.