horror

When You’re Here, You’re Fatalities

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In December of 2021, Godless promoted an AntiChristmas event, and since my birthday is December 16th, it seemed like I should definitely get in on the fun. For December of 2021, I released When You’re Here, You’re Fatalities exclusively at http://www.godless.com for only fifty cents.

Donna just started her job as a waitress at Pimento Patch only to find out the restaurant would be shutting its doors for good.

Along with a skeleton crew of slackers, she accepted the offer of full pay to work overnight cleaning the place up in preparation for the looming vacancy. Unfortunately, this particular Pimento Patch restaurant has a dark history, and a sinister presence has something in store for the five crew members on staff that night.

Prepare for the breadstick massacre, because When You’re Here, You’re Fatalities!

Taking inspiration from Italian Giallo, this short slasher takes place in a fictional version of an Olive Garden.

You can check it out for yourself at the following link:

When You're Here, You're Fatalities. by Nikolas P. Robinson

The Cold-Blooded Hills

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In August of 2022, I released The Cold-Blooded Hills. It’s a cryptid monster story that caters to my love of dinosaurs and my exploration of how they might have evolved if they did manage to survive and adapt to the modern world.

Jonathan is a nature photographer, and he’s venturing off the beaten path into a small, largely untouched mountain oasis in the Nevada desert. Hoping to capture images of oncoming monsoon activity as it crosses the barren landscape, he stumbles across a hidden lake and life that should not exist–at least not anymore.

Like many of my titles, you can obtain this by going to http://www.godless.com or by downloading the Godless mobile app for your device of choice. The link is below:

The Cold-Blooded Hills by Nikolas P. Robinson

beneath the unspoiled wilderness

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On December 16th of 2022–my 44th birthday–Beneath the Unspoiled Wilderness was released by Madness Heart Press. This is my third novel, and my second book to take place in the same version of our world introduced in You Will Be Consumed. While the connection to the earlier novella isn’t obvious, there are future works planned that will tie them all together. Additionally, my short stories, Daemonica and Yeshua and Adonai take place in the same shared universe.

The novel is my homage to the camp slasher movies I grew up loving, with a healthy dose of cosmic horror and a whole lot of revenge added into the mix.

From Sixie-Award Winning and Splatterpunk Award-nominated author Nikolas Robinson, comes a new vision of extreme horror.

In Southwest Washington, there’s a stretch of undeveloped forest with a bloody history and a terrifying secret. When five college students set out on a camping trip, they have no way of knowing the monstrous attention they’re about to receive.

You know this story.

You know where this is going.

Or maybe you aren’t as ready as you think you are for the nightmare you’re about to witness…but no one could be prepared for the horrors that lurk beneath the unspoiled wilderness.

CW: Brutality, Sexual Violence, Gore

Like many of my titles, this can be purchased via Amazon or through http://www.godless.com and the Godless app. The links are located below:

Beneath the Unspoiled WIlderness by Nikolas P. Robinson

The Last Haunt by Max Booth III

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If you’re familiar with horror, chances are you’re familiar with a certain infamous “haunted house” that claims to offer a large cash prize for anyone who can survive the experience without breaking certain rules. You’re also familiar, I suspect, with the reality that this is not a haunted house by any stretch of the imagination, but rather a torture porn extravaganza during which the participants are beaten, battered, bruised, and otherwise abused.

This is precisely the sort of environment at the core of Max Booth III’s THE LAST HAUNT.

A young boy, fixated on horror and the discomfort of others, grows into a man who takes that obsession and runs with it, transforming his own property into a grueling boot camp designed for the purpose of torturing and horrifying anyone foolish enough to sign the daunting contract required for admission.

When everything goes wrong one Halloween night, that barrage of cruelty leads to the death of a participant…an event that ultimately leads to far more death and a revenge that’s either supernatural or the product of a severely damaged psyche and a feverish imagination—that’s up to you to decide.

Related in a pseudo-epistolary method, the story is revealed through interviews with people close to the events that took place.

Readers are likely to recognize some familiar names throughout the novella, particularly those who are fans of indie horror.

The Grand Hotel by Scott Kenemore, Narrated by Christian Rummel

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Scott Kenemore’s The Grand Hotel takes us on a tour that leads us from one tragic tale of horror to another, each with its nuanced cast of characters and captivating narrative. As the sinister desk clerk guides the tour group through the halls of the hotel, he also nudges us from one long-term guest’s fantastic and unbelievable story to another. Reminiscent of Tales from the Crypt, if the Cryptkeeper were more somber and the crypt was a massive antiquated hotel, there’s a hidden truth embedded within each new story.
When the tour group finds their way into the seemingly abandoned hotel, they’re shocked to be greeted by a peculiar and chilling night clerk welcoming them to The Grand Hotel. More shocking is the tour of the ancient building, the introduction to various residents and employees, and the stories he prompts them to share with the unwitting guests.
Kenemore’s gradual revelation of the truth behind the hotel and its temperamental host is delivered smoothly, without coming across as forced or spoon-fed to the reader. Each of the individual tales incorporated into the overall narrative is distinctly voiced and unique from the others, making it feel all the more authentic. With the tour group, we get to experience tales of police detectives tormented by a haunted house, the tragic first manned mission to Mars, a naive dance student’s first experience with love and betrayal, and so much more.
Christian Rummel’s narration perfectly suits the voice of our host while also conveying the necessary separation for the other characters in the book. Upon completion, I’m not sure I could imagine a different voice for Vic.

Ghostland by Duncan Ralston, Narrated by Joe Hempel

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Duncan Ralston’s Ghostland seamlessly blends elements of 13 Ghosts (or the more high-tech remake, Thirteen Ghosts), Jurassic Park, and The Matrix into a thrill ride of a story. Thankfully, it’s marginally less exciting than the Ghostland attraction itself. Otherwise, Ralston would be responsible for a lot of carnage.
Something Ben Laramie catches a glimpse of when he witnesses his favorite author’s house inexplicably transported through town is enough to stop the young boy’s heart. It can’t possibly be Rex Garrote standing in the window and seemingly staring back at him because Rex Garrote has been dead longer than Ben’s been alive. But as the world will learn over the following years, death isn’t quite the conclusion most people believe.
On the opening day of the Ghostland theme park, Ben manages to recruit his former best friend Lillian and her therapist to join him as he enters the park on a mission they know nothing of. Since his heart attack, Ben has set his sights on one objective, and it’s one he’s willing to sacrifice himself to accomplish.
What starts as a coming-of-age reflection on mortality rapidly transforms into a harrowing and violent struggle for survival amid the exploration of the most haunted places in the world all in one place. Ralston paces everything perfectly, never wasting a beat as he drags us along with Ben and Lillian through a gauntlet that only the luckiest can hope to escape. As he leads us to a conclusion that is both satisfying and open-ended for the sequels, the author displays keen storytelling instincts that should impress anyone daring enough to enter Ghostland.
Joe Hempel is always a thoroughly competent and capable narrator, and his performance for the Ghostland audiobook is no exception.

Breach by Candace Nola, Narrated by Jessica McEvoy

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Candace Nola’s Breach drags us along with Laraya Jamison into a disorienting and terrifying battle for survival in a world alien from our own. The gradual revelation of a world that feels as fantastic and dreamlike as it is sinister and dangerous is a thrilling adventure for readers/listeners, even as beleaguered Laraya struggles to learn the rules of this new world and means to find her way home.
A camping trip with her boyfriend and two closest friends descends into a violent and horrific disaster as a creature defying comprehension slaughters the others, forcing Laraya into an exhausting race for her life through a forest that transitions into something unfamiliar. Growing up in these woods, she knows she’s far from home, but Laraya has no idea how she arrived in this strange place or how to return to the world she knows.
Laraya’s journey of discovery through this new world is equal parts fantasy and horror. The true journey is of self-discovery as she learns of her connection to this realm and the extraordinary allies in her battle against monstrous beings who seek to destroy her or follow her through the breach and back to our world.
Jessica McEvoy’s narration brings Laraya to life, filling the character’s account of events with emotion that conveys the harrowing nature of her experiences.

Impact Winter by Travis Beacham

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Impact Winter is less of an audiobook than an homage to old-school radio dramas. Travis Beacham, along with a full cast of magnificent voice actors, a collection of sound technicians and foley artists, and a vast array of supporters (including the illustrious Robert Kirkman), brings to life a vampire tale that is both original and rooted in well-established mythology.
When an asteroid impact devastates the world and plunges everything into darkness and storms, creatures that had hidden in the night are free to wreak havoc upon the human survivors. Hunted, and forced into hiding, sisters Darcy and Hope Dunraven find refuge with a band of refugees in an old military installation beneath a castle-turned-museum.
As hopeless as humanity’s future might appear, a glimmer of salvation may be on the horizon. But what sacrifices will be required in pursuit of that new day?
The story that unfolds through the twelve episodes of Impact Winter is a thrilling one populated by characters who defy generic templates and archetypes. It’s a shame that it has to end, though there’s more than enough left in the air for listeners to hope for a second season.
The voice talent of performers like Holliday Grainger, Esme Creed-Miles, Himesh Patel, David Gyasi, Caroline Ford, Indira Varma, Bella Ramsey, and Liam Cunningham has a lot to do with the compelling and captivating nature of Impact Winter. An excellent script only goes so far, and it takes the talent of people like those involved with this project to elevate it to the next level.

Birth by Todd Love

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Childbirth is always a disorienting, dangerous, and painful experience. As beautiful and fulfilling as it also might be, it remains those things. It should come as no surprise that Todd Love’s Birth focuses heavily on those first three things. It’s a horror story, after all. What else did you expect?
Nora’s labor begins early, while she’s alone at home and unprepared. Bleeding, experiencing pain like she’s never known, and horrified that something’s gone wrong, it’s a relief when the professionals arrive and spirit her away to the hospital. Unfortunately, trained professionals can only do so much.
Nora’s fear that something might be wrong is well-founded and has something to do with the donor material she utilized.
Once again, Todd Love takes the rug by its frayed edge to not only yank with all his might and pull it out from under us, but also leave us sprawling on the floor, wondering what the hell just happened.

This title, like many of Todd Love’s stories, can be found at http://www.godless.com or by downloading the Godless App to your mobile device of choice. The link is below:

Birth by Todd Love

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman, Narrated by Steve West

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Christopher Buehlman’s Between Two Fires transports readers to the region now known as France during the peak of the Black Death. The world was ending. Sickness had emptied whole villages, leaving nothing behind but decaying remnants and ghosts that haunted the vacant homes. The survivors, few and far between, were living through horrors no one had ever seen. Amid this nightmare of disease and human predation, a war unlike any witnessed on Earth was taking place. This tableau of terror, both human and spiritual, is the world Buehlman brings to life.
When Thomas, a crude and disgraced knight, takes it upon himself to shelter and protect a young girl–who knows things she should not know and sees things others cannot see–he knows he’s set himself on a path that might end in tragedy. But nothing can prepare him for the madness and cruelty awaiting them on their journey to Avignon.
The boundaries of reality are repeatedly blurred throughout the narrative, forcing the reader to question–as Thomas does–whether he’s awake or dreaming. The dead haunt the living, tormenting them with cruel assertions and distorted recollections of the past. Ghosts appear and disappear, leaving us to wonder which of these apparitions are truly beyond the veil, and which are drawn from the memories of Thomas and the weary priest who joins him on his quest.
Will the trio arrive where they intend, or will the gates of Hell await them instead. Is there a difference?
Steve West narrated this audiobook almost perfectly. The delivery of dialogue and narrative components were both handled with great attention to detail. The narration was almost as gripping as the story itself.