Book Review | HWA Poetry Showcase Volume V edited by Stephanie M. Wytovich

The HWA Poetry Showcase Volume V is an anthology of dark poetry edited by Stephanie M. Wytovich.

The fifth volume of HWA's acclaimed annual poetry anthology features dark verse by Donna Lynch, R. J. Joseph, Sara Tantlinger, and many more.

Each year the Horror Writers Association opens a call for submissions to the members of the HWA for the annual poetry showcase.

Selections for the showcase are chosen by a jury, and this year's showcase was judged by Mercedes M. Yardley and Michael A. Arzen. Stephanie M. Wytovich was editor.

I really enjoyed this anthology of poems.

The HWA Poetry Showcase is the perfect way to discover new poets who write dark poetry. I immediately ordered a collection from Cynthia Pelayo after reading her poem, and several other poets were added to my wishlist.

Some of my favorite poems in the showcase were:

I Am by Cynthia Pelayo
It's Coming by Rob E. Boley
He Said by Kerri-Leigh Grady
Libri Haruspicy by Amanda Hard
Thirst by Annie Neugebauer
The Witch Hunt by Jacopo della Quercia
The Joy of Sewing by Christina Sng

If you are looking for a great anthology of poetry and a way to discover some current dark poets, I recommend checking out Volume V of the HWA Poetry Showcase.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Review | The Sea Was a Fair Master by Calvin Demmer

The Sea Was a Fair Master is a collection of flash fiction from Calvin Demmer.

The world’s fate lies with a comatose young girl; an android wants to remember a human she once knew under Martian skies; men at sea learn that the ocean is a realm far different from land, where an unforgiving god rules; a school security guard discovers extreme English class; and a man understands what the behemoth beneath the sea commands of him.

The Sea Was a Fair Master is a collection of 23 stories, riding the currents of fantasy, science fiction, crime, and horror. There are tales of murder, death, loss, revenge, greed, and hate. There are also tales of hope, survival, and love.

For the sea was a fair master.

The Sea Was a Fair Master was such a fun read. I want more!

The Sea Was a Fair Master is a collection of 23 flash fiction stories. I have been toting these stories around for a few weeks now reading them when I had just enough time for bite size chunks. I'm going to have withdrawals now that I have finished the last story.

I always feel like the shorter the story is, the harder it must have been to write. I'm really impressed that Calvin Demmer was able to intrigue me and entertain me with such short selections.

If you are in the market for some wicked little stories, The Sea Was a Fair Master is a great collection to pick up.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review copy provided by author

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | October 14

It's been a few weeks since I did a proper update post so hopefully this won't be too long!

If you are on Instagram, the Ladies of Horror Fiction team is hosting a 1K followers giveaway of The Haunting of Hill House and Rebecca. Thank you to everyone who follows our IG account! (Are you going to read Rebecca with us in November?)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ladies of Horror Fiction (@ladiesofhorrorfiction) on Oct 13, 2018 at 12:36pm PDT

Finished Reading

The Toy Thief by D.W. Gillespie ⭐⭐ - I'm not sure if I'll post a full review for this one. My biggest problem was the main character - I hated her. I just wasn't very into this one.

Bag of Bones by Stephen King ⭐⭐ - I was hoping 20 years of being an adult since the first time I read this would change how I felt about it. Unfortunately, I may have liked this book even less this time around. I'm going to keep my original rating, but I'm feeling ⭐ about it. Bag of Bones is one of my least favorite King novels.

The Sea Was a Fair Master by Calvin Demmer ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved this one! I hope Calvin Demmer is still writing flash fiction because I need MOAR. I will have a review out for this one this week.

Baal by Robert McCammon ⭐⭐⭐ - I know. This is definitely the first time I've given McCammon only three stars. I'll try to review this one soon.

HWA Poetry Showcase Volume V edited by Stephanie M. Wytovich ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This was a great collection of poetry. I will have a review out for this one later this week, as well.

Currently Reading

Exploring Dark Short Fiction #1: A Primer to Steve Rasnic Tem by Eric J. Guignard - I am loving this collection of Steve Rasnic Tem stories.

Recent Aquisitions

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson - It's October and everyone is finally reading horror, and I'm over here craving Fantasy! 😂

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell - A little bit of trivia: almost 9 years ago Swamplandia was the very first book I blogged about here on Book Den. It was a wishlist post. Nine years later I finally own a copy. I think that was pretty much a great representation of my blog to come.

Marvelocity: The Marvel Comics Art of Alex Ross by Alex Ross - Thank you so much to Pantheon Books for sending me this amazing review copy! Stay tuned for a look inside!

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading this week or leave me some links!

---

This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Book Review | Creature by Hunter Shea

Creature is a new horror novel from Hunter Shea.

The monsters live inside of Kate Woodson. Chronic pain and a host of autoimmune diseases have robbed her of a normal, happy life. Her husband Andrew’s surprise of their dream Maine lake cottage for the summer is the gift of a lifetime. It’s beautiful, remote, idyllic, a place to heal. But they are not alone. Something is in the woods, screeching in the darkness, banging on the house, leaving animals for dead. Just like her body, Kate’s cottage becomes her prison. She and Andrew must fight to survive the creature that lurks in the dead of night.

Creature was not at all what I was expecting. I assumed there would be non-stop action since people were getting pulled in from the start. I was wrong. What takes place right from the beginning is amazing character development. Creature is actually a very slow burn of a novel, but I absolutely loved it.

Creature is a personal novel for Hunter Shea, and it shows from beginning to end. The main character Kate suffers from numerous autoimmune diseases. Shea does not shy away from showing you what it is like to live with a battered and failing body nor what it is like to be the spouse and caretaker of a loved one going through medical hell.

In Creature, Kate's husband takes a leave of absense from work for the summer so he and Kate can spend the season on a secluded lake in Maine. Unfortunately, Kate and Andrew are not alone. There's a creature that lurks in the woods, and it's been watching Kate and Andrew.

Creature is an amazing read, and it may end up as my favorite book published in 2018.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review copy provided by publisher