THE TOP FIVE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

We are just over the halfway mark for 2016, and while it has been a shitty year in many aspects both personally and in the wider world, it has been a fantastic year for genre fiction.  The amount of great books being published is outstanding, if anything it is too much, I can't keep up, for every book read another three books are published that I want to read.  As Ginger Nuts of Horror likes to guide you through the mass of published books, we thought it was time to bring you a six month round up of what we thought were some of the best books published this year. 

UNGER HOUSE RADICALS BY CHRIS KELSO 

When aspiring and nihilistic film-maker Vincent Bittacker falls in love with mercurial serial-killer Brandon Swarthy they decide to embark upon a bloody journey to re-define cinema and create their own sub-culture - Ultra-Realism

Kelso has taken the theories of "ultra realism" and applied it to the way he has written this novel.  This is a dangerous and ambitious move on the part of the author, and one that works perfectly.  There will be times where you are confused as to what exactly is going on.  You may even get frustrated with the book at times with its ethereal way in which it is structured, but when you get it when the penny drops, then you will applaud the author for his audacity.  This is without a doubt the work of a genius, everything thing about this book should have had me screaming at the page in anger.  And yet I never did, I sat there in awe at the talent on show.

Read the full review here 
Purchase a copy here 

THE FIREMAN BY JOE HILL 

Nobody knew where the virus came from.

FOX News said it had been set loose by ISIS, using spores that had been invented by the Russians in the 1980s.

MSNBC said sources indicated it might've been created by engineers at Halliburton and stolen by culty Christian types fixated on the Book of Revelation.

CNN reported both sides.

While every TV station debated the cause, the world burnt.

Pregnant school nurse, HARPER GRAYSON, had seen lots of people burn on TV, but the first person she saw burn for real was in the playground behind the school.

With the epic scope of THE PASSAGE and the emotional impact of THE ROAD, this is one woman's story of survival at the end of the world.

​The Fireman is powerful and captivating novel, with strong characters and a strong voice Hill has created a story that is far more satisfying than  his previous novel, which suffered from a bad case of bloat. Something which this novel never suffers from, and like his previous novel is chock full of nods and winks to so many pop culture icons. From Dr Who, Mary Poppins, Harry Potter, (just be prepared for a shocking appearance of J.K.Rowling), and a hilarious reference to Malcom Tucker, where John teaches Harper to swear properly.  These nods and winks are used perfectly to bring sense of relief to the otherwise brutal narrative.  They are never over used and never forcibly inserted into the story.  

Read the full review here 

​Purchase a copy here 

THE GRIEVING STONES BY GARY MCMAHON 

A small therapy group arrives at Grief House hoping that a combination of isolation and hard work will help them begin the healing process each of them so desperately needs. 

But their presence has awakened something in the old dwelling. Something linked to the ancient stone megaliths at the rear of the property and a terrible crime, committed centuries before. 
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Before the weekend is over, the group will learn the secrets of the Grieving Stones, and come to understand the true meaning of transformation. 

While this is a dark and brooding tale, there is a, for want of a better phrase, a lightness to the dark.  Don't expect a happy ever after ending, but there is a gloomy, pessimistic sense of joy at the stories conclusion, a sort of personal schadenfreude for Alice.  

The Grieving Stones is a powerful novel that deals with some heavy and personal subjects in a sympathetic manner that can come only come from an author who has a  deep rooted sense of empathy.  McMahon has fined tuned his unique  narrative voice into a bewitching tale supernatural redemption. ​

Read the full review here 

​Purchase a copy here ​

VIGIL BY ANGELA SLATTER 

Verity Fassbinder has her feet in two worlds.
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The daughter of one human and one Weyrd parent, she has very little power herself, but does claim unusual strength - and the ability to walk between us and the other - as a couple of her talents. As such a rarity, she is charged with keeping the peace between both races, and ensuring the Weyrd remain hidden from us.

But now Sirens are dying, illegal wine made from the tears of human children is for sale - and in the hands of those Weyrd who hold with the old ways - and someone has released an unknown and terrifyingly destructive force on the streets of Brisbane.
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And Verity must investigate - or risk ancient forces carving our world apart.

The gritty, realistic, gritty backdrop of the novel allows the fantastical elements to shine through when the weyrd make their appearance, the sense of otherworldliness is heightened by the the almost matter of fact way in which the co-exist. For example "the winemaker" is made all that more chilling by her apparent normality. She could very well be your neighbour or that friendly lady two streets down. 


Read the full review here 

​Purchase a copy here ​

CLOWN WARS: BLOOD & ASPIC BY JEREMY DRYSDALE AND JOSEPH D'LACEY

For as long as anyone can remember, the Clowns and Humans of Blueville have co-existed peacefully. Sure, each species thinks the other is a little weird but that's never been something to fight about. 

Until, that is, a series of freakish terrorist attacks - seemingly perpetrated by clowns - turn the two bloodlines against each other. When war breaks out, the future of both species hangs in the balance. It's going to take a suicide mission to stop the carnage and only misfit circus trainee Colin Clarke and his three best friends have the courage to volunteer for this impossible task. 

Their quest takes them to the mean streets of Cheadle, the most dangerous city in the world. There, in a final bid to defeat their true enemy, they must confront the darkness lurking at the very heart of clownkind.


Clown Wars is a brave and bombastic novel, its genre hoping narrative challenges the readers misconceptions towards genre boundaries, it mixes, fantasy, comedy, horror, thriller, and social commentary into one bizzaro novel that captivates the reader with its sideways glance at our own world.  

Read the full review here 

​Purchase a copy here ​