Alex Miles

Hello folks, today I am really excited to have Alex Miles over for a chat.  Regular readers will already know that I am a huge fan of Alex's début collection Glory and Splendour.  This is not only Alex's debut collection, it is also the lead title from the new publishing house  Karōshi Books, which is a partnership between Johnny Mains, Peter Mark May and Cathy Hurren

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Hi Steven how you doing?  Thanks again for popping over to Ginger Nuts Central for another chat.

SS: Glad to be here Jim and hope you & yours are great. Wish we weren’t a half a world apart, I reckon our little ones would tear up the sod together.    

How have things been since we last chatted?

SS: Busy. I’m always writing something new, refurbishing a draft of another book and researching the next trek into craziness.

Let’s do a quick  recap, before we get into the nifty gritty of your new book.  Why do you write?

SS: I have always loved to tell stories and frankly, I write because I have to. Sounds like a chore, condition or a duty, but it isn’t. I love to tell stories. If solar flares knocked the tits off the world tomorrow and there weren’t anymore computers or notepads left, I’d still be thinking of stories and relating them. I think I can entertain folks with my words and tall tales, plus, it keeps the voices in my head at bay, for a bit. 

And how easy do you find it to write?  Is writing something that comes naturally to you, or do you have to wrestle each and every word onto the page?

SS: Sometimes it FLOWS like the Mississippi and I can’t get it out fast enough. If I’m in the ZONE, muse screaming or whatever, it explodes. Earlier this week, I had all the time in the world to write and couldn’t get a damn thing to fall out. I have a slew of short tales and books that are diagrammed out, ready to go and nothing spoke to me. I couldn’t break it. Today, though, it feels strong. Wrestling? I save that for later drafts. The first and second times through a novel draft are where the explosive fun happens. 

Who would you say has been the biggest influence on your writing?

SS: Robert E. Howard. As a storyteller, he’s the king. He isn’t the best technical writer, and it isn’t always purdy, but his stories still entertain. I’m not talking Conan either, but his horror tales and Solomon Kane material, great stuff. I’ve seen folks hailed at best selling writers who can’t do dick for telling a story. He speaks to me still, and at times when I read his letters, I think about things if a different light. 

You’re one of these authors who is very aware of the authors who came before you.  How important do you think this is?

SS: It’s humbling to see what they created in different times, environments and with little technological aide, for one. I respect many a writer for probably unusual reasons. David Gemmell for example, hell, he was a labourer and a bouncer. Karl Edward Wagner had his demons, as well as Howard, but they never pretended to be better than anyone else. I’ve seen some real eggheads balance themselves on Howard’s grave, talking bad about him. I’ve seen other writers refuse to look at those who came before and that is a mistake. Trust me, fellas, you’re not as bright as you think. There are vistas of adventure waiting to discover in those writers.    

Out of all of the authors who have come before you, who would you say was the most important to you and why?

SS: Some will think I will give this laud to Howard, and while he is paramount to me, Karl Edward Wagner took the time to write me back on a poem and then a story submission. I have those two letters over in my bookcase. He took time to tell me what I was doing wrong and what I might want to think about trying. They are scribbled and barely legible. That was in the 80s, probably six years before he died. He gave a damn to help a stupid, half blind farm kid and so, he will rock forever to me. Howard? There are days I could do without his spirit in my head, but other days…he ride along together at a great clip. 

And which author do you wish was more widely known?

SS: Karl Edward Wagner. I think he work is fading away. There has been some work done to preserve his Kane material and release other volumes of his horror, but it’s a cryin’ shame that more people have read TWILIGHT than Karl. Manly Wade Wellman second.  

How do you actually go about writing? Do you set a side time each day, or do write when you can?

SS: Since I work second shift I do have tiem during the day if overtime isn’t so bad. I write in the morning and a bti afternoon. I scribble notes at work all the time, too.

And how do you develop your stories?  Do you develop the characters first, or do you work out the plot and then develop the characters to suit the plots?

SS: Each tale and book rolls different with that. There are great ideas I have that characters stand up and volunteer to be in and others, I design for an ongoing character. For example, OVERKILL, I had an idea for a Gorias La Gaul project dealing with dragon-fire and a few other things. The huge cast that spelled out came to be through varied drafts, btu a few had to be in there with him, the princess, the guard lady, etc. These folks flesh out as the novel goes. I know Gorias well, like Elijah Blackthorn in other tales or Joel Stuart in my old horror western books. At tiems a plot demands a brand new view. It varies. 

How many rounds of edits and rewrites do you go through before you send your manuscripts out to your beta readers?

SS: Hmm. That varies, too. I have a work called ALONG COME EVENING that I’ve performed two drafts on, but think it needs a third time through before II send it to a pre reader. After suggestions and other holes are spotted, I’ll do ‘er again, I reckon. Other times it goes smoother and pops out in a clearer vision. I have a sci fi novel I’ve been trying to write for years and it keeps kicking my ass. 

You’ve built up a strong friendship, and trust with your beta readers, how valuable is their input?

SS: One has to be able to trust the opinion of someone. I know a few writers that think they are sliced better and the plate underneath it, too. They have pre readers that only tell them they ARE the bomb. I’m not delicate to think I mighta done something that blows donkeys. I trust my friends to tell me if it isn’t working out. I have a massive epic (unpubbed) that I’ve been working on for a few years. I let a couple pre readers look at ti at last. One gushed over it and I was like YES! Knew I nailed it! However, another, a guy who I really trust, said, basically, “It’s good, but the main character isn’t much different than other characters you do.” At first, that burned my ass as I thought I’d really done a great work. On further review, he’s right. Ya gotta be able to learn from advice. 

For those who have read your work, they will be aware of the recurring character of Kent Gowran.  What was the first story he appeared in?



SS: Oh, I think I killed Kent first in the roughs of what became STRONGER THAN DEATH, but he has lived in the past couple works. Kent isn’t in OVERKILL (not even as a body template) or the forthcoming HELL BILLY, but Joe Howe and Hickerson have cameos.  

And what is it about our dear friend Kent that causes you to give him one horrific death after another?   Do you think you will ever let Kent get the girl and ride of into the sunset on a white stallion?

SS: Some guys just have it coming, lol. I let him live in the story DEEP THROAT…WITH ZOMBIES. The image of Kent getting the gal and heading off on a white horse might just inspire something amusing… 

Are any of your other characters based on real people and are they aware of this?

SS: Quite a few folks are used as body templates, or I need a shape or a LOOK for a person. They never know it. One guy who I really despise dies badly in every work I do. Petty? Sure. But he brings out the worst in me and the scenes are always memorable. He’s the Admiral in OVERKILL and was the leader of the cult in TORMENTOR. Who is he really? I’ll never tell. It isn’t always so silly, though. Judy Dench was in my head when describing a Queen once. Other times, I have a few fans who think I am talking about them and that isn’t so. It’s all fun & games. The mortican in HELL BILLY is named Mark Calloway. That is the real name of the Undertaker in WWE. I needed a tall, creepy dude. 

Your having a dinner party, which five of your characters would you invite round and why?

SS: Wow, that’d be a rowdy party. Joel Stuart, my one armed Confederate, as he tells great stories and jokes. Gorias La Gaul, 700 year old warrior, also never a dull moment and he’d keep kids off the lawn. Elijah Blackthorn or Erik Bedlam, the crazed Viking, to keep things cerebral. Dack Shannon, albino secret agent because one has to have an X factor in eucker. And so it isn’t a sausage fest, Alena Appra, Amazonian guard from OVERKILL. One has to have a tall, auburn haired gal around to liven things up. Plus, she drinks like the fellas.    

And what would you serve?

SS: Beer and these killer weenie things wrapped in bacon, cooked in a crockpot. They are to die for. Then steaks.

Before we talk about your new book, I’d like to talk about some of my personal favourites, if that is OK with you?

SS: Sure. I’m always up to hear about what folks like.

Godforsaken, if I remember correctly, was my introduction into your writing?  What was the inspiration for this novel?  Was this a love letter to The Master Howard?

SS: GODFORSAKEN came about when I heard of Thor Heyerdahl say in HUNT FOR ODIN that he figured Odin, Thor and the rest were tribal leaders, real folks, turned into legendary gods. I’d enver undertaken a vast, historical work spanning from the druids, through Gaul, Rome and beyond. I think that book still has some merit, but yeah, I’d like to thing Howard would’ve enjoyed it. 



Was there any reason, as to why you moved away from the heroic fantasy genre, and into more of the horror genre, for your follow up novels?

SS: I think that was the case of what was popping out at the time, and what I was getting accepted (HAWG, TORMENTOR, STRONGER THAN DEATH). I hung with some horror folks and in those times the mind leans certain ways. After I wrote GODFORSAKEN, the guts of THRALL were born, and also BEDLAM UNLEASHED which is only now starting to be seen. I was always doing fantasy but the horror was being accepted. You should see the stuff I have that I haven’t subbed yet fantasy wise.  

Hawg will always be a favourite of mine, for it’s outlandish premise and its gore packed roller coaster story.  Will there ever be a sequel to Hawg?

SS: A lady I met last summer just read HAWG and asked me that just this weekend. I always had a vision for it, RUNT, but never have been utterly inspired to do it.

I could imagine that this book could have upset certain folks, did you ever receive any hate mail for this book?

SS: There were a few, frankly, and I never set out to offend anyone. A dear friend was taken aback by the rape scenes (or rather that it was used as a plot device in her opinion). It’s never my intention to razz anyone, or make light of serious things like that. It was just a story and it worked well to convey the horror of the situation. Most really loved the over the top nature of the book added to the gritty real world of rural America. A few family members were really offended, though. Ah well. That’s how it goes.  

Stronger Than Death, for want of a better word is your zombie novel?   This was quite a personal novel for you, as one of your ancestors was the basis of one of the main characters in the novel.   Could you tell the readers about this?

SS: The undead in STD weren’t flesh eating zombies, just returned soldiers from the Civil War. But yeah, in a way. Usually, I don’t do zombies. STD introduced the spirit of Joel Stuart, the one-armed Missouri raider, based on an ancestor of mine. My father told me of meeting this man in 1932 in Joplin, Missouri. Joel shows up in BAD MAGICK (co-written with Nate Southard) and the forthcoming LAST MAN SCREAMING (a Lovecraftian western) and he’s 92 in ALONG COME EVENING. I have a slew of books to write about him, not all screwy but usually heartfelt and brutal. 

And now we come to Thrall, this come after your latest’s book with Seventh Star Press is it not?



SS: OVERKILL is the prequel to THRALL, yeah.

Thrall saw your return to the Heroic Fantasy  genre.  What caused your return to this genre?

SS: I never really left, but had focused on writing horror for a long time. I picke dup my sword with ease, it seems.

The book still has a strong line of horror running through it, do you think you will ever write a more mainstream fantasy novel?

SS: Define mainstream. That has been a theory put forth by a few friends, that I tone it down or whatever and try and do a more conventional fantasy work. My tales are usually pretty raw and horror pops up in them, sometimes trashing the fantasy clichés. I do have a few novel ideas that are a bit more in the vein you allude to.

The novel THRALL introduces us to Gorias La Gaul, what was the basis for him?

SS: While writing GODFORSAKEN and researching Celtic lore, the god Lugh of the Shining Spear, well, his lance was named Gorias. The name stuck. The name La Gaul popped into my head, but that is not meant to mean THE GAUL. I heard a folks song by Ralph Stanley (gleaned from the time of Shakespeare) and the old warrior stepped into my mind fully formed, 700 years old and before the great flood.. 

I get the feeling that he is personal favourite of yours, why is that?

SS: He’s sorta the flawed character I liked as a kid, and not Conan or Kane, but John Wayne in a way, big, broad, but alto more into drinking and whoredom. Gorias has a noble heart but a bruised soul. Don’t we all? Gorias doesn’t have a Clark Kent manner and one would need some balls to live in such a rough world. Gorias can do anything I cannot. 

At the time of writing Thrall, had you already decided that it would have a sequel?

SS: Yes, I knew I’d want to tell more, but also to flesh out Gorias long life.



So where does your latest novel OverKill  pick up the pieces, from Thrall?

SS: It’s a prequel, probably a few years before THRALL. At the end he mentions going to see his grandson in Shynar, ala THRALL. Another work, BORN OF SWORDS will tell more of events immediately after THRALL.

Other than Gorias La Gaul, are there any other characters from Thrall that make an appearance?

SS: No. OVERKILL is a brand new animal and takes place half a world away, in Albion and Transalpinia (antediluvian Britian and France). 

So can you tell us what we can expect from this book?

SS: A high body count, haha. I think OVERKILL is a more accessible book than THRALL, a high adventure full of loud characters, strong fights, some wicked ladies, endearing girls and two faced religious folks.

Have you got a favourite scene in the book?

SS: Gorias being keel hauled, surviving and slaughtering an entire naval vessel single handedly is pretty cool. His fight on the beach with the she-pirate/whip mistress Noguria is choice, too. But, his frank talks with the child princess he saves and the tales he relates to others later are downright touching.  

Thrall and Overkill are both published by Seventh Star Press, how did you come to work with these guys?

SS: Stephen Zimmer of Seventh Star Press saw me read at HYPERICON and was really blown away. He got to talking, then writing back and forth. He so enjoyed the HAWG reading, and I heard he was an indie film maker, too. Heck, I was trying to get a way to sell HAWG for a film and ended up subbing THRALL.

What does a publisher like Seventh Star Press bring to the table?

SS: Zimmer is a dynamo, first off. His ability to promote and roll with ideas is awesome. A great writer himself, he has a hand on fantasy and what folks will want. His command of the blog-o-sphere is top notch, too. That guy hits more Cons than anyone I know. Also, the editors and artists for the company are terrific. Many smaller presses have a rather unusual def of editing but these guys are screwing around. There are super artists out there and Matt Perry is one of them. Dragons is freaking incredible. The other writers in their group, Jackie Gamber, Michael West, Alex Adams and more…I’m very happy to be in that line up.

Looking back at your publication history, you’ve never been one for following trends.  Was this always a conscious choice, or have you never really thought about it?

SS: I’m not a very trendy guy, I guess. It’s possible to write for a market or a current ideal that is happening, but at times I read that stuff and think the writers doing it have no soul. I can tell when I’m doing something if my heart isn’t in it. 

So can you tell us about any upcoming projects?

SS: HELL BILLY is a historical horror novel set after the civil war. That one and another called LAST MAN SCREAMING are from Bad Moon Books. Hell Billy should be out in a few months, LMS next year in theory. An omnibus edition of BEDLAM UNLEASHED (my collab with Peter Welmerink) will be available this year from Belfire Press. Next year, Gorias will probably swagger out again in a new one. I’m always writing and working on the next thing, trying to get a few epics secretly done just so, ya know the drill.  

As always Shrews this has been great fun, do you have any final words for the readers?

SS: I hope man will nab a copy of OVERKILL and give it a read. Look for me at Fandom Fest in Louisville, KY this summer. Rumor is I’ll be there. Ask to have a beer with me, I will more than likely oblige. Thanks, Jim. You’re all right. 

You can purchase Overkill by Clicking the links below, as well as most of Steven's other novels



Hello Alex, how are things with you?

Hello Jim. Thanks for offering me this interview. I’m excited. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’m feeling pretty jolly about it.

Before we get down to the nitty gritty, can you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I'm a twenty-five year old living in London. I write short stories and work as a business analyst for a music company. I like writing, painting, reading, casual philosophy/debate, acting, myths and games. I am a bit lost as to what I want in life.

Can you describe yourself in five words?

Shy, friendly, lazy, debate, tea.

And can you describe the person you would aspire to be in five words?

A good and happy person.

Six foot seven, big lad. Do you ever get bored of being called big fella and such like?  I know I do.

No, I don’t mind. Although sometimes people bring it up themselves and then point out they know someone taller, as if to say “I noticed you’re tall, but I can beat that.” Also trouser shopping, so much misery.

You’re only 25, and yet you listen to Radio 4, how many cardigans do you own?

I’m an old man at heart. I like all the shows where experts talk about some massively important culture thing I’ve never even heard of. Though to my own horror, I do sometimes find I’m accidentally listening to gardeners’ question time.

You are a business analyst for a music company.  What exactly does this entail?  Please tell me you don’t have anything to do with Stooshe getting a record contract.

Lots and lots and lots of exciting spreadsheets. Working out what people should earn, working out what they did earn, working out how many times they complain about what they earn, putting in place systems to let them complain about what they earn more effectively, having meetings to discuss all the failings in the systems allowing to complain about what they earn. So yeah, it’s all about the music really.

Are you a music fan, if so what do you like to listen to?

Not too much of an enthusiast. But have a few favourites: Ennio Morricone and Hans Zimmer are both fun to listen to. I get obsessed with a single piece of music, often it’s a sound track to a film, listen to it fifty times, then get bored and go to the new flavour of the month. Do you ever get jaded working in the music industry?

No, I’m not important enough. It’s just zombiefied me.

 As well as writing you also enjoy painting, what style of painting do you do?

Almost always portraits of early 20th century people, in black and white acrylic. Colour is far too tricky. Also black and white has the same effect as in films; it makes everything classier for less expense.

How does the sense of satisfaction differ between finishing a painting and finishing a story?

I think it’s easier for the painter to judge if end result is any good or not, that is, does it look like what it’s damn well supposed to be? In writing, I find I do so much revising that by the end I can’t tell if it’s worth anything.

I also hear that you like to act, why did someone who has so much creativity in them end up doing a maths degree?

Following the line of least resistance. I’m a little too risk adverse for my own good. I like the deductive reasoning of maths, and the on/off logic. All you need for maths is a pen, a big piece of paper, a suitable computational device (a brain will do) and lots of time. You don’t need to cut up half the Alps.

I see that that you were brought up much like myself in a religious family, and as I have turned your back somewhat on religion.  What caused this turn around, or is that too personal a question?

I think I left for emotional reasons and stayed away for what I hope are logical reasons. But I think it’s pretty hard to judge my own motivation. The drive for these things is not straight forward. The geographical location of birth seems to trend political, philosophical, and religious positioning much more powerfully than, say, a reasonable argument.

Do you think your religious views have shaped your writing in any way?

Yes. I really want to write more about religion, but I self censor a lot, maybe more that I should. I think there are interesting themes there, but because I’m unsure of my position I don’t like to write about it. Also, even though I don’t believe in it, I have this weird Hadephobia, I think that bleeds in to the write sometimes. I really have confused feelings when it comes to religion.

Why do you write?

It’s a good question. I don’t really know. The reason depends on what time of day it is. It may just be that there is something stratifying about having someone listen to you.

And do you actually enjoy writing?

"I hate writing. I love having written". Dorothy Parker.

There are some authors who think that writing should be a battle between you and the words and that if you find it too easy you are not doing it right.  What are your feelings about this?

For me the end product is what’s most important and you can get there by whatever means works. My take on the above statement is you probably shouldn’t write what is obvious to the reader, which likely is what comes to you first and easiest. That probably true in most cases, but I can image some genius putting down witty, meaningful and unexpected words at first draft with ease. Not me though, it’s all about the endless slog of rewriting

How do you go about writing, do you know what you want to write about before you sit down and write?

It’s a bit chaotic. Throughout the day I write down any ideas that come into my head, along with anything people say 

that sounds like good dialogue. About 1/100 things I write down isn’t complete tosh, I take a bunch of those smoosh them together and then write some sort of plot around it.

And who would you say has been the biggest influence on your writing

That’s a hard one. I like Orwell, and would love to write like him, though I don’t think I do. I really like Dali, Magritte and Bosch and have always thought it would be great to have a story with the same mood those pictures have. I have never managed it though.

I’ve just finished your short story collection, and I am hard pressed to describe your writing, in terms of genre.  How 

would you describe it?

Thank you, I take that as a compliment. I think there is a fantasy and horror touch in them. Some of those stories also fall into steampunk, comedy and gothic. I think labels are useful, but naturally people are going to try and write in the grey areas. I try to do something a bit weird and unconventional.

And on a similar note who do you write for?  Do you have a particular type of reader in mind when you write?

I know I should think about target audience, but to be honest I don’t much. I normally write what I think I would be interested to read.

Your debut collection is being released by Karōsh  Press, how did you come to work with Johnny, Peter, and Cathy?

I was playing computer games (don’t judge me) and played with this guy online for a bit, I chatted and sent him some stories, he sent them to his mum, who sent them to Michel Parry, who sent them to Johnny. So whenever I procrastinate with video games I reason I may be productively helping my writing.

How daunting is it knowing that your debut collection is also the debut publication from them?

No, just happy to get published.

Prior to signing with them, had you shopped the collection around much?

No, the collection didn’t exist at the time I approached Johnny, it was just one story. He was the one who suggested a collection.

I’ve just finished reading your collection, and I was blown away by the sheer brilliance of it.  Do you have a favourite in the collection?

Thank you for the compliment. I think Glory and Splendour has the best central idea out of the collection.

 My two favourite stories are Hitting Targets, and Glory and Splendour.   I would like to chat about Hitting Targets first. 

Did you always set out to lace this wonderful story with so much humour? 

Yes. This was always to be a humours story. I don’t think the plot could have worked otherwise. It goes  after the Sweeney Todd & Little Shop of Horrors kind of feel (There are some quotes from those in the story). A lot of it comes from silly things I hear around the office. For example a friend told me in the civil service they had to spend their budget or it got reduced next year. At the end of one year they hadn’t used up the furniture budget, so they all went out to buy this useless furniture and packed it into the office rooms until no one could get in. I love that kind of thing.

How hard was it to balance the humour, with the horror, the pathos, and the terrors of a loveless marriage?  The story could so easily have turned into a farce, but you kept the overall tone of it pitch perfect. 

It’s funny I always thought of it as a bit of a farce, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. Obviously the story is not meant to be realistic. Humour I think is a good sweet and sour mix with pathos, particularly a loveless marriage and the workplace. I don’t think comedy and horror are opposite ends of the spectrum.

Would I be right in thinking that, as with the rest of the stories here, there is more than just a story to tell?  There is a message behind the story?  If there is what was your message?  Do you use your fiction as a means to explore your passion for philosophy?

I like philosophy a lot, but I’m quite undecided on a number of issues. At the moment in fiction I try to keep it ambiguous. I think stories shouldn’t be lectures on philosophy. But they are opportunities to pose odd scenarios that challenge ideas we might have. That view may change.

For example the “euphoria machine”. That’s a scenario where you are given an artificial paradise that exists only in your head, and you cease to react to the real world and leave behind traditional humanity. It’s not too hard to base a story round that kind of trade off.

Glory and Splendour is a wonderful gothic tinged story.  I take it you don’t believe in looking at the world through a pair of rose tinted glasses?

Well that story has a character who literally has those glasses. I think almost all humans have powerful delusions that pervade our lives. Sometimes these are helpful and stop us despairing; sometimes they are harmful and stop us taking practical measures. I don’t have any problem with “rose tinted glasses.” I just  think I have the opposite.

I really enjoyed how the story was completely self contained, with glimpses of the rot and ruin the rest of the world was succumbing to.  So much so, I would love to see you expanded the world into a more expansive work of fiction.  Have you ever considered expanding one of your short stories to a greater length?

I have considered it. Perhaps brevity is strength for stories like these. Sometimes knowing less about a subject that makes it more interesting. My answer is perhaps, but I would need to spin them in a slightly different way. I have always wanted to write a novel, but it is a different ball game.

I loved every story, however Deep Stitches, did cause me to have an “eh” moment the first time I read it.  Yes, that’s right folks, even though I didn’t get the ending the first time, the Alex’s brilliant story telling made me want to go and reread the story straight away.  There is a subtle twist ending to this story, or did the story just go over my head?

Thank you. It does have a twist and some people tell me they can see it coming a mile off and some still don’t get it after I explain it to them.  The ending for that story is one of the most reworked things I did, dropping in and taking out clues. You can look for the twist or you can just read the story at face value.

I will be reviewing this book, and the short review would be “buy it now”, but here is your chance to sell to the book to the readers.  The stage is yours, why should the readersbuy your book?

 I’m not great salesman but ok... Everyone who has read the book has says they thought it was amazing. I think the stories are different than anything else that is out there at the moment. I would like to believe that they are fun and will make a reader think. Reviews have been awesome so far also.

So what does the future hold for you?

I hope more stories and maybe a novel. I am looking into going into some acting to, but I need to get on that.

Alex, it has been a pleasure chatting to you, and I really must thank you and the guys at Karōshi Press for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of it’s publication.  Do you have any final words for the readers

Thanks Jim for the time. And thanks to readers for listening to me witter on about this book. I don’t have any words of insight so can I just plug one last time? It’s out on kindle now, paperback in September. 

You can purchase the Kindle version of the book by clicking the links below 

Glory and Splendour is the stunning new debut collection by Alex Miles and heralds a new voice in weird fiction. Introduction by Michel Parry, who says this is a significant first book. 

Muscular prose and a twisted imagination combine to make these tales special and disturbing. I was particularly impressed with 'The Judge', which has a powerful and nightmarish inevitability about it, but also the stories are very good indeed. Alex Miles is a bold new talent, exactly the sort of injection of fresh blood that the weird fiction scene needs! - Rhys Hughes

Glory and Splendour is a remarkable debut from a young writer. Clearly tapping from the same vein as Thomas Ligotti, Alex is already a writer with an emerging voice all his own. Miles has produced a collection of great verve, originality and integrity. - Simon Bestwick

Glory and Splendour is an apt title for this collection as it is both glorious and splendid. I urge you to purchase this book when it is released it was a pure joy to read, relish and savour. - Ginger Nuts of Horror

Karōshi Books is run by the award-winning editor Johnny Mains, Peter Mark May of Hersham Horror Books and Cathy Hurren, a production editor at Routledge.

 

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