Our Ghost Harry by Peter De Geesewell

August 31, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Our Ghost Harry by Peter De Geesewell
Publisher: Rowanvale Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

How would you react if one day you found a genuine ghost sitting in your living room – declaring that from now on he’s your new housemate?

Meet Sir Henry, the bitter, mischievous ghost of Urquhart Castle in Scotland. Cursed by his own son to haunt his castle until he saves a girl’s life, he finally decides to leave his dilapidated, abandoned home and ‘emigrate’ to Switzerland, where he transforms himself into the genial and funny guardian spirit of his newly adopted family.

Our Ghost Harry is a charming ghost story that is equal parts spooky, hilarious and moving, perfect for readers aged 10 to 100. Ideal for reading aloud or enjoying on your own, it will terrify and delight audiences of all ages.

Regret is good, but fixing things is even better.

Sir Henry was a funny, cranky ghost whose past contained a few dark secrets he’d been wrestling with for over seven hundred years. Sometimes I loved him for his sense of humor and dramatic habits, but in other scenes I was exasperated by how unsympathetic and stubborn he could be. There’s something to be said for a character whose flaws are deeply woven into their personality and who was as well-rounded and interesting as he was.

The other characters in this book, especially the older members of Henry’s chosen family, were not given this same chance to shine. While I wouldn’t expect the exact same amount of time to be spent on describing what their personalities were like, the fact that I would struggle to describe how they behaved or what their biggest weaknesses were was why I ended up choosing a four-star rating. As much as I enjoyed the main character and the plot, I simply had too many questions about what the people around Henry were like to pick a rating higher than that.

This included a wonderful mixture of genres that I don’t get to see used together as often as I’d like to, especially when it came to combining comedy with horror. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that explored the cultural differences between life today and what Henry experienced in the 1300s. His expectations of how things should proceed, especially when it came to who should decide how what was now a historical site should be used, were obviously wildly out of touch with what someone born several decades ago has grown up knowing as the proper way to do things. I know this is a little vague, but there are later plot points related to how the law and social norms have changed over the centuries that fans of history or adult readers might especially like.

Our Ghost Harry made me wish for a sequel. This was such an exciting romp through both modern-day and medieval life.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Vile Aliens – Weird Tales of Sci-Fi, Pulp and Humor by Keith Vile

August 27, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Vile Aliens – Weird Tales of Sci-Fi, Pulp and Humor by Keith Vile
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Mass-murdering UFOs and a psychedelic conspiracy. A Navy sub overrun by an alien kegger. A mom abducted by a UFO on her worst day ever. Santa Claus vs. Space Nazis.

In these four tales of cosmic weirdness, science fiction collides with mystery, horror, noir and comedy as ordinary lives are upended by extraterrestrial subversion:

Pencilnecks: A struggling single mom’s terrible day gets much worse when she’s abducted for a disturbing alien experiment. A modern pulp tale featuring cameos from famous hip-hop legends.
The Heavens Keep a Body Count: A violent investigator uncovers a conspiracy involving mass-murdering UFOs, hate groups and psychedelic excess in a grim sci-fi noir mystery.
American Sub Presents: Nuclear Kegger – Unrated Edition: Partying aliens infiltrate a nuclear submarine by exploiting its crew’s loneliness in a raunchy, American-Pie-inspired story that’s equal parts hilarious and horrifying.
Claus Encounters of the Fourth Reich: After Space Nazis attack the North Pole and murder Mrs. Claus, Santa and his elf army (and Easter Bunny) wage war in a heartwarmingly weird tale that reveals the origins of Christmas magic.

Perfect for readers who enjoy bizarre science fiction, pulp adventures, dark humor and cosmic horror with a literary flair.

Weirdness is a badge of honor.

The body horror in “Pencilnecks” made me shudder, but it fit the alien abduction motif well. Few things are more frightening to me than losing control of one’s body, particularly when it involves creatures that are not human and therefore either cannot or will not communicate their intentions. I did find myself wishing the ending had been explained better, though, as it could have been heartwarming or scarier than ever depending on how certain aspects of it were interpreted.

“The Heavens Keep a Body Count” assumed a gorier result of human meeting aliens for the first time. Alien tales aren’t always told from the perspective of law enforcement officers who have to try to figure out what actually occurred after much of the conflict has already taken place, so I appreciated this point of view. It put an interesting spin on what might really happen if the aliens who first introduced themselves to humanity didn’t necessarily have the best of intentions, and the plot twists involving what the aliens were truly here for that were introduced later on were top-notch.

There was so much going on in “American Sub Presents: Nuclear Kegger – Unrated Edition” that I needed to read some paragraphs of it over again a second time to keep my thoughts about it organized. While I loved the zany approach some of the characters took to the strange occurrences on their submarine, their reactions were so out of place for sailors that it pulled me out of the plot and made me wonder why their commanding officers didn’t have better control over the crew.

Santa Claus’s new origin story in “Claus Encounters of the Fourth Reich” was as creative as it was deeply rooted in the fantasy genre. I especially appreciated all of the connections the narrator made between Santa and other similar mythical figures. That isn’t something I generally see when the jolly man in the red suit pops up in fiction, so it made me quite curious to discover just how many other famous figures he knew about and what they all thought of each other. This was my favorite section!

Vile Aliens – Weird Tales of Sci-Fi, Pulp and Humor was a creative collection that made me want to read more from Mr. Vile.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

That-Man and Rob N. Vs. the Hunter of Hunters – The Dynamic Duo of the Upper Midwest by Lee A. Eide

August 26, 2026 By Leave a Comment


That-Man and Rob N. Vs. the Hunter of Hunters – The Dynamic Duo of the Upper Midwest by Lee A. Eide
Publisher: KDP
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Two Batman fanboys morph into That-Man and Rob N. in order to save a herd of hunters abducted by a psychopathic, extremist conservationist. The arch villain shows snuff videos on YouTube in which a brown bear mauls the hunters while they’re trapped in a steel cage. The planet’s newest superhero and his foodie sidekick rush to unravel the mystery of where the hostages are being held so they can save the remaining victims.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

The satirical tone made me chuckle. While being a fan of Batman isn’t a requirement for enjoying this novella, there were a few surprises, some of which were pretty funny, along the way for readers who already know about the original franchise. Humor is something I always love to see in darker and more serious genres like these ones, so I was thrilled to see it included here.

It would have been helpful to have more plot and character development in this piece, especially when it came to the descriptions of the characters and the things they experienced. I had trouble visualizing what was happening due to how little time was spent describing everything other than scariest moments. As much as I wanted to give this one a higher rating, I needed a greater depth of descriptions in order to do so.

Mystery and horror are two genres that blend together well in my opinion, and this was no exception to that rule. I enjoyed seeing how That-Man and Rob N. tackled the case of the missing hunters, especially considering how few clues they had to work with at first. Do note that there were some bloody scenes included, but nothing that would be considered out of place for horror fans in general. This is something I’m mentioning for the benefit of mystery lovers who might want to know in advance what to expect.

That-Man and Rob N. Vs. the Hunter of Hunters – The Dynamic Duo of the Upper Midwest was humorous and frightening.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Kiki by Tommy B. Smith

July 31, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Kiki by Tommy B. Smith
Publisher: Black Diamond
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Action/Adventure, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

An unmarked plane crashes in the desert. A creature escapes from its burning wreckage, a byproduct of experiments in biological and chemical warfare—a cat.

As the multi-eyed feline mutant known as Kiki roams the Mojave Desert, terrorizing the crumbling town of Calpacia at its border, some seek to capture her. Gun-for-hire Salvadore Shaw, disgraced former Soviet Petrov and his group of mercenaries, and a professor and his chimpanzee assistant commence a vicious race to intercept Kiki’s rampage.

Who will survive the savagery of the Mojave Cat? Not many, if any.

Never underestimate your opponent.

A kitten is just about the last animal I’d imagine could pose a threat to mercenaries, so the premise of this tale appealed to me immediately. Mr. Smith has a creative imagination, and I enjoyed seeing how much he stretched it in order to come up with scenarios in which full grown adults could be terrorized by such a creature despite all of their weapons and history of engaging in dangerous activities as they lived outside the scope of mainstream society.

As intrigued as I was by the first chapter or two, the storyline wasn’t able to sustain that buildup of tension for me later on. Characters made decisions that didn’t always quite make sense given their backgrounds, and the plot began to feel a little too dramatic for my tastes as Kiki began testing the boundaries of their abilities and attempting to satiate their deep hunger. This is something I’m saying as someone who enjoys wild animal horror in general and was expecting to be a huge fan of this adventure in particular.

The final scene set this up nicely for a sequel if the author ever decides to write one. While I don’t know if that will actually occur, it’s always nice as a reader to see such possibilities on the horizon, especially in cases like this one where not every conflict was thoroughly resolved and there are plenty of ways to return to the setting to see what could happen in the future.

Kiki made me shudder.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Move Fast and Break Things by T. C. Weber

July 27, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Move Fast and Break Things by T. C. Weber
Publisher: Freedom Thorn Press
Genre: Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Luis García is a suburban family man whose life is turned upside down when immigration officers bash down his door and arrest him, along with his wife and kids. They are taken to a detention camp, separated, and subjected to harsh and unsanitary conditions. But Luis’s nightmare is just beginning. He and his fellow prisoners are targets for an organ harvesting scheme. And Luis is chosen for an experimental brain procedure that could drive him to madness.

Nothing in life is guaranteed.

Luis was a gentle and quiet man who assumed the best of everyone around him. He was honestly just about the last person I’d ever expect to find in such a scary story, and that made his experience all the more attention grabbing. What I found most interesting about him was how his trusting approach to the world affected everything he did, from small things like his use to technology to huge decisions he needed to make in the last few scenes.

It would have been helpful to have stronger plot development, especially as it pertained to the experimental brain procedure. There were times when my credulity was strained during the passages that explained what the doctors were doing to Luis and how his body reacted to those procedures. This is something I’m saying a reader who loved the premise overall and would have happily given it a higher rating if those scenes were given more time to shine.

The ending was as horrifying as it was memorable, and I mean that in the best possible way. I liked seeing how the author incorporated real-world events, including the development of AI, into his storytelling while stretching the possibilities out to root this firmly in the horror genre. Those last few sentences in particular are going to live on in my imagination for a long time as I explore all of the possible directions the plot could have gone from there.

Move Fast and Break Things was a wild ride.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Red Tenant by Donovan M. Neal

July 8, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Red Tenant by Donovan M. Neal
The Nain Rouge Chronicles Book 1
Publisher: TornVeil / Independently published
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Inspirational, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Most horror stories ask a simple question:

What is out there?

The Red Tenant asks something far more unsettling:

What has been with you all along?

1701.
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac sails toward a future he intends to build—a legacy he believes he controls.

But control was never his to begin with.

Because something older than his ambition has already laid claim to his name… and everything that comes after it.

As the ship cuts through the Atlantic, the illusion of progress begins to break apart.

Men lose their bearings.
Objects refuse to remain contained.
Whispers move where no one stands.

And slowly, unmistakably, a truth emerges:

This is not a random terror.

This is something that followed him.
Something that was carried—generation after generation—waiting for the moment it could no longer be ignored.

This is where the transformation happens.

You begin the story expecting fear.

You leave it asking different questions:

What do we inherit that we never agreed to?
What do we carry forward without realizing the cost?
And what happens when what we’ve ignored finally demands to be acknowledged?
The Red Tenant does not offer an easy resolution.

Because the most unsettling realization is not that evil exists…

It’s that it can be carried, protected, and passed on—quietly—until it is too late to pretend it was never there.

Temptation can lurk anywhere, and sometimes it even hides in plain sight.

Strong character development is essential in order to tell a memorable tale, and all of the major characters in this piece were complex and felt like real people to me. It can take time to develop personalities and backstories to this extent, so be patient as everything is being pieced together in the beginning. The payoff later on was not only worth the wait but it made me go back and reevaluate little moments from the beginning of this voyage that take on much deeper significance once one knows more about the moral fiber of those involved. There were many shades of grey in this universe which makes for a nuanced and thought-provoking read.

This was one of the best examples I’ve ever seen of how to seamlessly blend the horror and inspirational genres together in ways that not only complemented them both but also enriched the storyline as the characters wrestled with their sins. While I can’t go into too much detail about this without sharing spoilers, learning more about their lives and the things that tempted them only made me more interested in what might happen to them next.

There was a cliffhanger ending that was as intriguing as it was appropriate for everything that had already been established about the setting. I’m saying this as a reader who generally struggles with this type of conclusion, but in this case it only made me more excited to find out what happened next due to how much care was put into setting everything up and explaining why the audience would need to wait until next time to have certain questions answered.

The Red Tenant kept me perched on the edge of my seat from the first sentence to the last one, and I am highly anticipating any sequels that may be in the works already.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Judy by M.E. Davidson

June 23, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Judy by M.E. Davidson
Publisher: Dark Anthem Press
Genre: Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

After a hurricane unsettles North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Pamlico Sound lies deceptively calm.

A small fishing charter runs aground on a shoal as the tide begins to rise, stranding its passengers in open water with the boat out of reach and daylight slipping away. They came aboard for different reasons – a trip already paid for, a weekend already promised, a chance to pretend certain things were not breaking.

But the sea has a way of pulling truth to the surface.

For Ava and Danny North, separated and speaking only when they must, the day was supposed to belong to their twelve-year-old son, Jack. Instead, as the water climbs and a massive great white shark moves beneath it, their fractured family is forced into a fight for survival.

Judy is no monster. She is the sea in motion – instinct, hunger, pressure, and tide.

Atmospheric, tense, and emotionally grounded, JUDY is a literary survival thriller about family, fear, grief, and the terrifying indifference of nature.

Maps can’t possibly tell a reader everything there is to know about a place.

The first few chapters got off to a thoughtful start as all of the characters were introduced and some of the problems they were currently struggling with in life were explored. I enjoyed the slower pacing in the beginning and thought it set up the middle and end beautifully. It also reminded me of how tides slowly move in and out on beaches and are often best enjoyed with a little patience to begin with. This was one of several subtle nautical references I took note of, and each one built on the ones that came before it to further strengthen my impression of just how much behind-the-scenes work and thought went into crafting this piece. Bravo!

While this was a plot-focused novel, I still would have liked to see a little more character development, particularly for Ava, Jack, and Danny. This family was the center of attention for most scenes, and Ava was the protagonist in most chapters as well. Had I been able to get to know them better, the last hundred pages or so would have been even more emotionally impactful as I waited to see who, if anyone, would actually survive the shark’s attacks. It was the only thing holding me back from selecting a full five-star review.

One of the unique things about the storyline was how plausible all of it was. There were no supernatural elements working behind the scenes to increase the danger of being stranded on a shoal as the tide came in. Everything that happened was completely realistic, including some cases of human error and the failure of key equipment, which only made it all that much scarier. This isn’t something I see enough of in this genre, and it has given me yet another reason to check out more of the author’s work in the future.

Judy was a spine-tingling work of horror that kept me on the edge of my seat from the first sentence to the last one.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Devourer by R.M. Sayan

May 29, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Devourer by R.M. Sayan
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Somewhere off the coast of Peru, 1879.
Half a world away from home, Bo is rescued from a shipwreck by the crew of the Ayar, a ship manned by runaways and deserters with a mute captain and an enigmatic first mate. But mutiny festers in the bilge, and between luck spells and sea dragons, surviving on the high seas becomes a matter of ‘kill or be killed’ — eat or be eaten.
What is a captain to a god?
What is a god to a cook?

Anything can happen on the open sea.

I enjoyed the way the horror storyline was gradually introduced. This started out as a fairly typical shipwreck and rescue tale with only a few vague hints of what was to come. The further I read, though, the more Bo understood that something odd was happening on the ship that rescued him. His slow realization of the truth was nearly as interesting as the principled stand he took against doing something that all of the other sailors thought was perfectly acceptable.

Speaking of taking a stand, I liked how understated Bo’s moral dilemma was. The author trusted their audience to understand why Bo felt so uneasy and, later on, what was at stake if he disobeyed his conscious. By focusing on the horror and speculative fiction elements of the tale, the author left plenty of room for readers to come up with their own interpretations of what was happening and why Bo’s choices mattered so much.

The ending was what ultimately convinced me to select a five-star rating for this piece. It was well written, and I especially adored how all of the hints from earlier scenes, particularly the ones that were so subtle it was easy to overlook them entirely, coalesced together into something filled with eldritch themes. Readers who have spent any time travelling on water, especially in cramped quarters or under even mildly unpleasant conditions, may find a few interesting tidbits here about the quiet but chilling feeling of feeling trapped on a ship with days to go until one touches land again.

Devourer made me yearn for a sequel.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

Montana El Diablo – The Infinite Adventures by Peter Martin

May 21, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Montana El Diablo – The Infinite Adventures by Peter Martin
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Humor, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Montana El Diablo, the manliest man to ever man and the greatest Private Detective to ever detect privately, sits at his desk. It’s all very noir and cool.

The phone rings, but at the same time there is a knock on the door.
Which will he answer? It’s up to you. If you answer the phone, turn to page 30. If you answer the door, turn to page 58, but buy the book first.

Montana El Diablo, The Infinite Adventures is a unique user driven narrative experience where you, the reader, will determine the fate of Montana El Diablo. Cults, zombies, an alien invasion all await Montana El Diablo and, more importantly, you. Will you find the Leprechaun or will the Leprechaun find you?

Together you can forge forward and determine the fate of Montana El Diablo. Will you find success or fall into complete ruination in what has been called “a book” and “pretty neat”. That was from some pretty reserved people, so it was a party popping off for them.

Will the party pop off for you? Only one way to find out, that being to purchase the book and read it. With 60+ possible outcomes, 500 insightful footnotes by the author, the adventure is truly infinite*.

*Except for the fact that 60 is a very finite number**

**This is an example of an insightful footnote.

Any move could be Montana’s last one.

Mr. Martin had a wry sense of humor that worked perfectly for, as he put it, a “non-linear user-driven narrative experience.” I especially enjoyed the many off-topic sections he included in which he rambled on about subjects ranging from cat facts to how echolocation works to the etiquette of Korean bath houses. They were an amusing detour from the zombies, cults, and mysterious beautiful women that Montana El Diablo generally concerned himself with.

It would have been helpful to see more character development for the protagonist, especially since this was over three hundred pages long. As much as I laughed along the way and enjoyed the plot it self, I didn’t feel as though I got to know Montana particularly well as a individual. Yes, he loved flirting with pretty women, seemed to be extroverted, and was full of zany antics, but I’d find a bit harder to describe other parts of his personality. For example, what did he like to do during his time off from work? Was he close to his family and friends? What were his biggest hopes and fears? If I knew more about him, I would have happily given this a full five-star rating.

I adored the creativity of this book. It’s difficult to discuss specific plot lines as every reader will have his or her own unique experience with that based on which options they choose as they read, but I thought the author did a great job of exploring many different options that ranged from logical to absurd depending on the scene. Some of my favorite moments were the ones that described the multitude of ways in which Montana El Diablo could die if he made the wrong choice. Given how common that type of ending is in the choose-your-own-adventure writing style, I don’t believe that should count as a spoiler so long as I avoid mentioning the specific circumstances of any of his deaths. All other potential readers need to know is that there were some unexpected twists along the way that made me think a lot of work went into developing them.

Montana El Diablo – The Infinite Adventures was a wild ride that I’d recommend to teens and adults alike.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Let’s Fast Forward to the Good Stuff by GetChrissy

May 8, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Let’s Fast Forward to the Good Stuff by GetChrissy
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

No more waiting around. It’s time to fast forward to the good stuff!

Ross is the most impatient person you’ll ever meet. You don’t want to keep him waiting in line too long because things will get ugly, fast! He wants to zoom through life, and tired of all the waiting that comes along with it. He wants to speed things up a bit. One day, a weird woman leaves a mysterious package for him that will change his life forever. Ross is in for a magical journey which is powered by his thoughts, but soon things begin to take a bad turn. Ross is in for the craziest ride of his life that you don’t’ want to miss!

Excitement comes in many forms.

Ross was a fascinating main character whose flaws made me want to learn more about him even though I found his quick temper and impatience irritating. He had such a short-sighted view of the world that he was often blindsided by things a more rational and thoughtful person would probably be able to predict in advance at least occasionally. While I don’t know that I’d want to hang out with him in person until he’s matured a bit, he sure did make this tale a memorable one.

There were some plot holes involving the mysterious woman and the package she left for the protagonist that made it hard for me to follow the storyline at times. I had several questions about how her present worked and how she became aware of Ross’ existence that were never satisfactorily answered, especially given that the warning about what would happen if he overused it seemed to be brushed over in later chapters. As much as I enjoyed the playfulness of this story, these issues prevented me from choosing a higher rating.

I enjoyed discovering the wild scenarios Ms. GetChrissy came up with for her characters as they continued to play around with their newfound power and figure out what it could and couldn’t do for them. She had some imaginative and sometimes wonderfully frightening ideas about what this device could do and how someone who was impulsive might push the boundaries of how to use it while attempting to skip over all of the boring parts of his own life.

Let’s Fast Forward to the Good Stuff was creative.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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