violence

Flesh Communion and Other Stories By Holly Rae Garcia

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Holly Rae Garcia includes such a variety of stories within this collection that there’s no doubt any discerning reader will find something to enjoy–many somethings, more than likely. From short poems and flash fiction to novelette-length tales, Flesh Communion and Other Stories is suitable for any attention span. Regardless of length or subject matter, the author will captivate you and dare you to turn away…knowing there’s no chance you’ll do any such thing.

The collection contains truly fascinating tales of revenge, relationships, and reminiscence…sometimes on their own and sometimes blurred together. There are cryptids of various kinds–including one I’m sure you’d never conceived of in your wildest fever dreams–lurking within these pages. The titular “Flesh Communion” delves into a dark and horrific conception of what was happening in Waco, TX during the Branch Davidian stand-off, and who are we to question the veracity of this fictional survivor’s account? One story that resonated with me more than the others focuses on a particularly sympathetic photographer pushed beyond her limits by an altogether too plausible family demanding portraits.

You’re making a mistake if you don’t give this collection your attention. It’s one hell of a ride, but one you will no doubt consider more than worth the price of admission.

The Ecstasy of Agony By Wrath James White

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Brutality, poetry, sex, and wry humor are swirled together in a dizzying cacophony of horror in a way that could only come from Wrath James White. As much fun as it is to run a marathon, by delving into his longer-form fiction, there’s something truly delightful about accompanying the man on a sprint–or a series of sprints, as is the case in The Ecstasy of Agony.

I’d previously had the pleasure of reading a couple of the stories in the anthologies where they’d first been published, and the even greater pleasure of hearing him recite a couple of the poems that he’s included in this collection, but there was so much more in store. From a fitness routine adopted to survive a zombie apocalypse, to a violent video game that feels all-too-real, to the tale of a man who uses his penis as a weapon, this collection has a little bit of everything. If you’re familiar with White’s work, you really should have some idea what to expect.

It’s not all violence and gore, though. There are strangely touching and somber tones within the cacophony, including a sad reflection on how “dead or in prison” can turn out and how a monster can experience a change of heart. That isn’t to say there’s any shortage of violence, gore, sex, and body horror all throughout…because it just wouldn’t be Wrath James White without it.

A masterful collection by a masterful writer, but trigger warnings are in order–this is not for the overly sensitive reader.

Transcendental Mutilation by Ryan Harding

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It’s worth taking time to meditate upon Ryan Harding’s Transcendental Mutilation. The author is an absolute master of body horror. He builds from an unsettling tone with the carefully selected words he uses to build the nightmares he’s crafted for the reader’s exploration…nudging you along until you find yourself trapped in the phantasmagoric prison from which the only way out is through.

While the influences of Clive Barker and David Cronenberg are infused throughout, Harding takes the reader on a journey only his feverish imagination could birth. Fans of his previous work will be pleased to see references to familiar characters, organizations, and concepts sprinkled throughout the stories contained within this collection. But Harding isn’t content to rest upon his laurels and retread the same ground, he boldly ventures off the beaten path and veers away from anything comfortable and familiar, to bring us an offering suitable to the monstrous deity lurking beneath some forgotten, abandoned town…and within the author’s mind.

There’s a lesson in some of these tales–one that a great many people could stand to learn–that is to behave in a civilized manner and treat people with respect and empathy, or risk finding a truly hellish reward awaiting you…perhaps sooner than you expect.

Revenge porn, shipwrecks, the dangers associated with new technology (and the abuse thereof), and tantalizing–terrifying–glimpses through the thin shroud that separates our world from a place far more chaotic and monstrous are only some of the things you’ll find scattered throughout these pages…but I assure you there’s nothing that will disappoint.

The Shadow Within by Eric Butler, Narrated by Micah Cottingham

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Eric Butler takes us on a soothing vacation to small-town America in The Shadow Within. Like many small towns, there aren’t a lot of amenities available, law enforcement is minimal and the members are unprepared for major events, sinister forces influence the people, the land and people are cursed, and horrors lurk in the shadows. If this isn’t your idea of what small towns are like, then we’ve been reading vastly different books. Nevertheless, when Jack and Jill go up this hill, there’s little more than disaster and trauma awaiting them.

Jack heads to the countryside with his children and new girlfriend, hoping to introduce them to each other under relaxing and peaceful conditions at the family home he hadn’t visited in years. Everything seems like it might be going well, and then Butler pulls the rug out from under you. Of course, you had to know this was going to happen. It’s that kind of book, isn’t it?

There’s no way Jack and his family could be prepared for what happens when a monster comes home. A centuries-old evil presence that found a host within a troubled young man with a propensity for violence has returned to the place they were bound…and the kindred spirits delight in the graphic torture and murder of anyone who crosses their path.

Butler introduces you to his characters, lets you get to know them, and then proceeds to put them through absolute hell in the most captivating ways. He pulls no punches and forces you to witness the atrocities…sometimes after the fact, but often while they’re happening. You may find yourself discomforted at times…but again, it’s that kind of book, isn’t it?

The narration from Micah Cottingham is fantastic, and it does the narrative justice.

You can also obtain this title for yourself by going to http://www.godless.com

The Shadow Within: Author Preferred Edition by Eric Butler

Redshift by Thomas R. Clark

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Thomas R. Clark is usually known for his excellent explorations of folk-horror stomping grounds, dubbed the Master of Splatterfolk by some–and for good reason.

Redshift takes us away from that familiar environment as he takes us to a far-future, spacefaring realm where the consequences of FTL travel are devastating and horrific…and dealt with quickly and without remorse. But what happens when the side effects of interstellar travel aren’t immediately addressed?

This is where Redshift leads us, as we witness first-hand how terrifying and traumatic space travel truly is for those who venture beyond the atmosphere. Clark provides us with an intimate glimpse of the things we sweep under the rug in a way that is graphic, gory, and glorious.

You can read this for yourself by going to http://www.godless.com at the following link:

Redshift by Thomas R. Clark

Dog Days: The Complete Lee Melvin Collection

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On December 16th, 2023, I decided to finally compile the three Dog Days stories into a single volume, including the Author’s Notes I’d included in each of the individual releases. This title is available exclusively in paperback format.

Lee Melvin left his years as a soldier behind him in the jungles of Vietnam, and he embraced a peaceful life of sobriety in the mountains of Western South Dakota. But a small act of heroism disrupts everything and sends Lee down a path of violence and revenge…and it won’t be the last time.

Based on true stories from the life of the author’s uncle, the three individual Dog Days stories are collected in this one volume along with the author’s notes, detailing the lines that separate fact from fiction.

What readers have had to say about the individual Lee Melvin stories:

“Heartbreaking, savage, and yet extremely cathartic.”

“Gritty, real, and satisfying.”

“…when the violence does come, it makes you feel like it’s not only justified but necessary.”

Errata: Collected Short Fiction and Poetry

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Errata: Collected Short Fiction and Poetry was released in 2016, collecting in one volume eight short stories I’d written and released digitally as well as a collection of poetry that had been released as A Wreck In Progress a short while before Unspoken was published.

There is no connecting thread between the included stories, spanning genres from gritty crime drama to bizarro extreme horror. Topics run the gamut from the final scenes of a slasher narrative to the terrifying isolation of interstellar space. There is something for everyone, from fans of horror to those who enjoy hard science fiction.

This collection contains eight short stories spanning subjects from gritty crime drama to the terrifying isolation of interstellar space. There is something for everyone, from fans of horror to those who enjoy hard science fiction.Additionally, this volume includes the author’s collected poetry previously available as A Wreck In Progress.

Innocence Ends

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Innocence Ends, which was originally released in August of 2020, is a story of friendship and how far that friendship can be tested. Since its release, it has been one of my most successful titles. It was not, however, successful enough in the opinion of Candace Nola, the founder of Uncomfortably Dark Horror. In late 2023, she asked if I would be willing to remove the existing edition of the novel from publication and allow her to work with me to improve it, slap a brand new cover on it (courtesy of Don Noble), and release it through her publishing house. I agreed, and she quickly got to work. In June of 2024, almost four years from the original release date, the new and improved edition of Innocence Ends found new life.

The concept that forms the substrate of this novel is one that arose from a conversation with an old friend of mine, more than 20 years before the book ended up being published. We’d been discussing that certain B-movie tropes were never played as being serious, and we were sort of disappointed by that fact. You know the tropes I mean, the mad scientist with his manor atop the hillside, the group of friends trapped in a town with a sinister secret, and other such things. Snippets of scenes that would ultimately become part of Innocence Ends were posted on this blog years ago because I’d started writing this book long before I finally sat down and finished it in late 2019 and early 2020. More than two decades in the making, I’m pleased with how this one turned out.

Six lifelong friends meet together in an isolated mountain town in Northern Idaho to commemorate the fifth anniversary of a close friend’s suicide.

A week of hiking, spending time in nature, and a bittersweet reunion soon takes a sinister turn as the friends find themselves fighting for their lives and struggling to survive. A seemingly tranquil community bombarded by late spring storms becomes a trap filled with monsters and threats everywhere they turn.

Terrifying secrets are revealed and the survivors are left to wonder what will be left of the world outside if they can find a way to come through the gauntlet alive.

Advance praise for the new and improved edition of Innocence Ends:

This title is also available through http://www.godless.com at the following link:

Innocence Ends by Nikolas P. Robinson

Horseplay

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You might want to dive into depravity with my extreme horror digital short, Horseplay, available exclusively through http://www.godless.com for only $0.50 by following the link below.

This story has since been included in my short story collection, May Cause Unexplained Ocular Bleeding, but you can get your hands on this delicious awfulness as a taste of what you’ll find.

A distributor of the vilest pornographic material available receives a tape that may be more than worth the price he paid to get it in his hands. What begins as documentation of one horrific pornographic act becomes something far more disturbing…but also far more interesting and valuable.

The link to this title on Godless is below:

Horseplay by Nikolas P. Robinson

Daemonica

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On August 3rd of 2021 I released Daemonica on the Godless platform. Daemonica is a stand-alone short story introducing readers to the larger story of Daemonica In Claritate, to be released at a later date.

Orphaned for the second time in her twenty-one years with the death of her older brother, Ethan, Layla Torres has been spiraling out of control. When she discovers the truth of what happened to Ethan and his friends, the secret stash of an entirely new drug in her brother’s belongings provides her with a chance for revenge. It’s a chance she’ll happily take.

The link to this title on http://www.godless.com is below:

Daemonica by Nikolas P. Robinson