I told you I was in the mood for some great horror lately, and it's all Doug Clegg's fault. Horror is like a creeping addiction for me, once I read one I have to continue. It nags at me and nags at me until I get enough to temporarily satisfy the need and then I'm good for a while, but a new one will set me off again. I do this with King a lot. I get King cravings!
This time it was Clegg that set me off (he's been known to do it often -- anytime I get a new one, I have to read more). I managed to snag an early copy of Isis for review (which will go up at bookbitch.com closer to the 9/29 release date) and couldn't wait any longer!
Isis, a novella, was originally released as a limited collector's edition from Cemetery Dance and is being re-released later this month by Vanguard Press as a very lovely (can creepy be lovely?) illustrated hardcover. At just over 100 pages, this is a one-sitting read that you'll want to savor as much as you can, which will be hard because it's a tale that kind of begs to be read fast.
(Glenn Chadbourne is the immensely talented illustrator whose pictures supplement the book.)
The story ties into Clegg's Harrow House "series" -- I have that in quotes because it's not so much a true series as it is a collection of connected stories. Isis is mentioned quite a bit in the other books, but this is her own story.
Think of Isis as a scary fable for adults, a warning against playing with things that are best left alone. You can read it and enjoy it all on its own even if you haven't read the other Harrow House books (but I recommend reading them all because they're fantastic and horrific). And if you are so inclined (as I hope you are after reading this) they fall into the following order:
The Necromancer
Nightmare House
Mischief
The Infinite
The Abandoned
For more on Isis (and a super cool book trailer) check out the official site here. And for more on Doug Clegg and his other titles, visit his official site here (psst, if you sign up for his newsletter you get access to free stuff!).
And if you've noticed, some of the books listed above are unfortunately out of print. I'd suggest getting your hot little hands on them any way you can!
2 comments:
Clegg is one of the authors you've introduced me to! Luckily, I've been able to get copies of his older books. I can't wait til my preorder of Isis arrives!
Yay! That's great, Jenn. Isis was super fun and left me really desperate for more horror. I've got American Werewolf in London set to arrive from the rental queue today and I went on to read Sarah Pinborough's Breeding Ground all to try and keep the mood going.
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