Thanks to David Wilbanks for publishing my Top 20 Horror list on his blog a couple of months ago. They aren’t what I necessarily consider the best of the genre, just my personal favourites, so I thought I’d briefly explain why each book made the list.Matthew Lewis – The Monk (1796)

This powerful gothic took me by surprise. It has all the brooding struggle and mood I’d expect from an 18th century piece, but also shoehorns in as much devilry, depravity, treachery and torture as I could possibly have hoped for. Hooray!

The Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allen Poe (1827- 1849)

I was fascinated by the macabre as a young child, and understandably not allowed the extreme stuff. But Poe was apparently okay, it being with the literary classics and not in the forbidden horror section, so I devoured it. The likes of “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” blew me away, and have never lost that intensity.

Bram Stoker – Dracula (1897)

Ill-advisedly picturing Christopher Lee in a spooky Carpathian castle when I first picked it up, I was unsettled by the atmosphere of grim pestilence, and just how tragic it is. A quintessential vampire novel, and pleasingly, it couldn’t be less sparkly.Richard Matheson – I Am Legend (1954)

Vampires again, but I enjoy it more as a survivalist apocalypse tale. The infected next-door neighbour trying to cajole the protagonist into leaving his barricaded house gives me a chill just thinking about it.

Shirley Jackson – The Haunting of Hill House (1959)

A faultless haunted house story that absolutely nails the difference between horror and terror. Pure dread and anticipation all the way.

Susan Hill – I’m the King of the Castle (1970)

It’s not a genre book, but this novel about childhood bullying disturbed me as much as the finest horror can, slowly wringing all hope from my soul. This is razor-sharp writing and the first of only two books on this list that I have never read twice. And never will. Once was more than enough.

Stephen King – The Shining (1977)

There are plenty of reasons to adore this King classic, but it also stands out for me in that it’s the only story I’ve ever read that made me physically jump in my seat. A reaction normally reserved for films, I still don’t know how the hell he managed it. Extremely well played, sir.Stephen King – Different Seasons (1982)

This is more drama than horror – unusual for early King – and it’s a gorgeous collection. “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” and “The Body” are superb, and “Apt Pupil” is my single favourite story of all time. It’s the ultimate account of a deteriorating mental state and the Nazi butcher element gives it a palpable, historical reality that frosts the bones. I only have to pick it up and start the first paragraph to end up reading the whole thing again.

James Herbert – Domain (1983)

I was delighted when Jim concluded his giant rats trilogy by throwing in a nuclear holocaust. As well as some gripping and grim adventures in the main story thread, I’ll never forget the claustrophobic vignettes of subterranean survivors about to die. A very formative novel for me.

Iain Banks – The Wasp Factory (1984)

Another that isn’t necessarily a genre book, but has all the right elements. And it also parades my favourite opening line of all time, a beautifully wry and ominous teaser that sums up the creepy, dysfunctional ride we’re about to take:

“I had been making the rounds of the Sacrifice Poles the day we heard my brother had escaped.“Clive Barker – Books of Blood (1984/1985)

“The Yattering and Jack”, “In the Hills, In the Cities”, “Son of Celluloid”… there are far too many favourites in this six volume masterpiece to individually name. I’d just end up listing the entire contents. Artful storytelling that’s always head-shakingly imaginative, Barker gets right under the skin where so many others try but fail. He’s never topped them for me. And come to think of it, has anyone else?

Cormac McCarthy – Blood Meridian (1985)

I love McCarthy, and this brutal western suits his unconventional style perfectly. An onslaught of desert dust, sweat, horrific violence and amorality with one of the finest villains ever created. Nobody forgets the Judge.

Clive Barker – Weaveworld (1987)

Another imaginative tour-de-force from Barker, he really lets the fantasy shine here. Nowhere near as disturbing as his Books of Blood, it still pulls out the trademark darkness when required and deftly avoids whimsy. Certainly his most colourful and fun work.Jack Ketchum – The Girl Next Door (1989)

Abuse at its most harrowing. I think it’s the only time I’ve ever put a book down and took a deep breath, wanting it to stop, wishing I could somehow intervene. Then braced myself, picked it up and immediately had to stop again. As with “I’m the King of the Castle”, once was enough.

The Starry Wisdom – A Tribute to HP Lovecraft (1995)

An indie press publication from the early 90s, it’s one of those eclectic adults-only anthologies that leaves splinters in the brain. Full of original, twisted ideas, it captures that Lovecraftian otherworld atmosphere to a tee. I’ve re-read it several times.

Stephen Laws – Daemonic (1996)

A monster-thriller set in an insane film director’s urban fortress? Sorted. The concept is right up my street, and it’s delivered to the absolute max. A blast.

Poppy Z Brite – Exquisite Corpse (1996)

This hellish serial-killer romance is beautifully told, and as emotional as it is shocking. It made me feel sad and strangely violated for days.

Ramsey Campbell – House on Nazareth Hill (1997)

A superb contemporary haunted house novel, my mouth fell open at the unforgettable finale. Whenever I hear the word Hepzibah, a song starts to jangle in my head and causes a shiver. Even on sunny days. And just now.Mehitobel Wilson – Dangerous Red (2003)

I never get bored of picking up this slick, punky collection and randomly reading a story or two. I love the dystopian feel, and there’s a texture to the writing that has almost become a comfort blanket. Quite an abrasive one, obviously.

Stephen Volk – Whitstable (2013)

An ominous challenge for an author, this fictional tribute to the wonderful Peter Cushing in his darkest hour couldn’t have been better. It was everything I’d hoped for and more, and I hung off every word.

And that’s your lot. As with all lists, this is subject to change on a whim. Thanks for reading, folks.

I was saddened to learn that Swiss artist, sculptor and set designer Hans Rudolf Giger has passed away due to injuries from falling down the stairs at his home. He was 74 years old.

Famous for biomechanical vistas and surrealist sexual nightmares, I became familiar – like many others – via his iconic design of the alien creature from Ridley Scott’s 1979 film. It’s safe to say that the whole mythos, of which I’m an enormous fan, would never have been so powerful without his vision.

Personal favourites are tough to choose from a man with such a rich back catalogue, as I discovered when pondering a Giger tattoo. Whittling it down to a couple, I love Satan I: one of his enigmatic but religiously themed peices that graced the cover of a Celtic Frost album. Anti-establishment? Profane? Let all be the judge.

I’m also particularly fond of his haunting homage to Böcklin’s “Isle of the Dead” which captured my morbid imagination as a kid. The menacing calm and alluring darkness always draws me back, and it has since overlooked my writing desk for the last 15 years, testament to his ability to inspire.

His work not only speaks to visual artists, but also writers, musicians and countless others. Rarely is someone so missed in such a range of fields, and he leaves an amazing legacy. Not to mention the coolest pub in the the entire world (The Museum, Gruyères, Switzerland)

This is a sad day for the world of the macabre and surreal, and my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

RIP.

I was rummaging about in a wardrobe in the back bedroom and found myself getting distracted by a large box full of small press publications from the early noughties.The indulgent nostalgia was multiplied by the realisation that pretty much of all of them have since folded. Mostly A5, some immaculately printed, others rough bedroom-printer jobs, there’s a huge variation in editorial and authorial talent, but these played a role in what was a very formative time regarding my own writing.

My favourite has to be Wicked Hollow from Blindside Publishing, a card-stock becovered magazine the size of a wallet that could be slipped into the back pocket to be read on the bus or during a quick break at work. Professionally finished and crafted, the last issue was #9 in 2005, and I see that the website still lives but hasn’t been updated since. It’s somewhat sad when a magazine folds without announcement and the site is left to moulder. I just revisited some quality tales from Simon Strantzas and Anderson Prunty, and it was here that I made my first paid sale with “Snuff Club” back in 2002. Reading that email acceptance from editor Jon Hodges was quite a moment, and to describe it as euphoric is no exaggeration. No writer ever forgets their first.

I enjoyed the sf horror of Burning Sky, edited by Greg Gifune, and discovered writers such as Darrell Pitt and Tim Curran. The exceptionally thoughtful Fusing Horizons introduced me to the likes of Gary McMahon and John Llewellyn Probert, both who have since become favourites. Editor Gary Fry very politely rejected me several times, and rightly so given the quality of these earlier scribblings, before he went on to greater things with the fantastic Gray Friar Press. I was also quite fond of the ultra-small press Dark Angel Rising. A monochrome and endearingly wonky zine from Cornwall in England, it had had real heart, editors who were a delight to correspond with and was my first taste of Amy Grech, Eric S. Brown and Rob Dunbar.

Talebones, run by Patrick Swenson for many years, was one of the more glossy offerings with quality artwork and reader’s letters. Hit and miss was Andrew Hannon’s Thirteen which has the occasional gem and took an early flash story of mine. I never managed to get hold of that final issue unfortunately, and I believe the magazine folded after a flood at the editor’s office.

I have quite a few issues of the Australian pulp-fest Dark Animus, edited by James R. Cain, which aimed to showcase new writers and featured the early tales of many prolific scribes like Michael Arnzen, Cat Sparks and poet Christina Sng. This also taught me that rejection isn’t necessarily the end of the world – and also to aim high – as one of mine that wasn’t to the editor’s taste went on to be sold for a professional rate elsewhere.

Others include the wonderfully titled Whispers from the Shattered Forum by Cullen Bunn of Undaunted Press, Flesh and Blood, Frothing at the Mouth and Black Satellite, and I’m thankful to them all for fuelling my love of writing. It was a fun time, discovering that there was much more to the genre than what high street bookstores had to offer, and also that it was possible to get my own work published without an agent or approaching the terrifying giants of the industry. And although some of these were token or “4-the-luv” markets, which attract a lot of heat, it’s how a lot of us started out. Born out of passion rather than an expectation of riches, these digests are gone but not forgotten.

Sad news. Murky Depths, the anthology of graphically dark speculative fiction, has closed its doors after an 18 issue run.

It’s always been a favourite of mine, and I was lucky enough to have a story appear in the final issue. But despite great reviews and a British Fantasy Award, it has gone the way of many small press publications before it. Visit the site here for lots of great offers on back issues. Fortunately, the publishing arm of the House of Murky Depths will continue to produce paperbacks and graphic novels.

I salute editor and publisher Terry Martin for his perseverance in such a difficult field.

Another great review of Living After Midnight, this time at Horrorworld. I’m very glad that what was written out of love for the music has turned out to be so well received.

I was sad to learn that the quality small press digest Necrotic Tissue has been forced to close its doors, chiefly for financial reasons: unfortunately a familiar picture. Details here on their blog. Their last issue will be #14, out in April, which contains my story “The Narcslaag” and will be my 3rd publication with them. I wish Scott, the editor, all the best with his other endeavours.On a brighter note, Craig Clarke is running a little contest over at his blog Somebody Dies to coincide with Oscar season. You can very easily win an ebook copy of “Living After Midnight” as well as other Acid Grave Press goodies. Whadda you waiting for?