My Discoveries Of 2012

One of the best things about doing a horror fiction review blog is discovering new and talented authors.  I'll admit it is getting harder and harder to find authors worth reading, as the signal to noise ratio is getting to the point where it's easier to tune in Tokyo.  However there are some great new authors out there.  When I say new,  when I say new, I really mean new to me.  Some of the authors  listed below will not be new to a lot of you, and some of them I may well have read in the past as part of an anthology.  However they get to make a entry on list list, as this is the year that their writing made me sit up and listen. 

Jason D Brawn 

I discovered Jason, after I met him briefly in London while out on an all day drinking session with Greg James and Dean M. Drinkle, despite seeing me drunk as skunk, Jason was not put off and a few months later asked if I would review a couple of his novellas. 

I did, and I am glad I did.  His novellas Stranded and Refuge, are a fun hark back to the best of 1980's horror.  That's not to say they are dated, they just have that feel about them that screams out this is horror, and I am not afraid to say it. 

Thana Niveau 

After reading three of Thana's short stories this year, I am so glad I put her short story collection at the top of my Christmas list. Thana is from what I have read of her work, really talented at writing quiet supernatural tales, that have the ability to be unsettling and emotionally packed.  If pushed I would have to say that her story in Spectral Press's 13 Ghosts of Christmas is my favourite of what I have read so far.  Let's just hope someone has got me a copy of her collection for my Christmas, or even my Birthday, as I am really looking forward to sitting by the fire and cracking this book open. 


Dave Watson 

Dave is a brand new author to me, I only just finished reading his excellent debut novel a few weeks ago.  In The Devils Name is a wonderfully gory reimaging of the the legend of Sawney Bean set in modern times.  You can tell from the writing that Dave had a great time writing this book, and also had a great time reading it.  One of the strong points of the book was the dialogue, written using a proper Scottish voice, similar to how the characters in an Irvine Welsh book speak, grounded this book with a strong sense of reality.  For a debut novel this is a very good book, and I eagerly await the next offering from Mr Watson