Review and news – 20:02:2015

First off, let’s have a review:

“Leytonstone” ©Stephen Volk/Spectral Press 2014. Artwork ©Ben Baldwin 2014

The latest one to slide gracefully across our virtual desk is this one of Stephen Volk’s Leytonstone by Mark West, who posted it to his Strange Tales website – the review can read by clicking HERE.

PRE-ORDERS:

Signed and Numbered Hardbacks (125 only)

£21 UK

£24 EU

$50 US & RoW

Paperbacks

£12.50UK

£15.00EU

$30.00US & RoW

NEWS

“Ricochet” by Tim Dry ©2015 Tim Dry/Theatrum Mundi. Artwork ©2015 John Oakey

The photo above shows the rather lush newly arrived copies of Tim Dry’s Ricochet – if you’d like to get your hands on one then order through the Paypal buttons below:

PRICES INCLUDE POST AND PACKING

UK £10

EU £15

US & RoW $30

New reviews 24:04:2014

Home and Hearth © Angela Slater/Spectral Press. Artwork © Neil Williams 2014

Yes, we are starting to receive reviews of the latest chapbook from award-winning Australian writer Angela Slatter, entitled Home and Hearth. These have  been uploaded to Goodreads, with one from Mark West (who used to create Spectral’s promotional videos and wrote the chapbook What Gets Left Behind) and one from Ross Warren. Read what they have to say here.

Following on from that, we also have a new Goodreads review of the Unsigned Hardback Edition of The Christmas Ghost Stories of Lawrence Gordon Clark, written by Gef Fox (which will also appear on Amazon and the Wagging the Fox blog at a later date). Ypu can read that one right HERE. There are still copies left of this edition as well as of the other editions (please note: there are fewer than 15 left of the Deluxe edition – get yours while you still can!). See details below:

PURCHASING LINKS:

CONTENTS:

DELUXE EDITION (50 only- 14 left) (available May):

Foreword by MARK GATISS

Introduction by TONY EARNSHAW

Seven short stories by M. R. JAMES: The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, A Warning to the Curious, The Ash Tree, Lost Hearts, Casting the Runes, Count Magnus, The Signalman.

Exclusive new introductions to each story by LAWRENCE GORDON CLARK

Count Magnus teleplay by BASIL COPPER

Lost Hearts short stage play by LAWRENCE GORDON CLARK

Q&A with LAWRENCE GORDON CLARK by TONY EARNSHAW

Filmography, awards, of LAWRENCE GORDON CLARK by TONY EARNSHAW

Illustrated with unseen behind the scenes photographs, chapter heading vignettes by Nick Gucker,  as well as examples of storyboards by Lawrence Gordon Clark.

SIGNED, SLIPCASED DELUXE EDITION:

£85 UK

£87 EU

$145 US

UNSIGNED HARDBACK (100 only) (available now):

Foreword by MARK GATISS

Introduction by TONY EARNSHAW

Seven short stories by M. R. JAMES: The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, A Warning to the Curious, The Ash Tree, Lost Hearts, Casting the Runes, Count Magnus

Exclusive new introductions to each story by LAWRENCE GORDON CLARK

Q&A with LAWRENCE GORDON CLARK by TONY EARNSHAW

Illustrated with photographs as well as chapter heading vignettes (by Nick Gucker)

UNSIGNED HARDBACK EDITION

£45 UK

£47 EU

$80 US

PAPERBACK (Unlimited) (available now):

Foreword by MARK GATISS

Introduction by TONY EARNSHAW

Seven short stories by M. R. JAMES: The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, A Warning to the Curious, The Ash Tree, Lost Hearts, Casting the Runes, Count Magnus

Exclusive new introductions to each story by LAWRENCE GORDON CLARK

Filmography, awards, of LAWRENCE GORDON CLARK by TONY EARNSHAW

Basic edition – text only plus chapter heading vignettes by Nick Gucker.

PAPERBACK EDITION (unlimited – available now):

£17.50 UK

£19.50 EU

$30 US

Whitstable: a video and a new review

We here at Spectral are glad to report that Stephen Volk’s Spectral novella Whitstable has been doing exceptionally well in both the hardback and paperback editions, making it on course to be the most successful Spectral publication yet. If, however, any of you out there have been dithering as to whether to buy the book or not, then maybe this wonderfully atmospheric promo video by Mark West of Rude Dude Films might help you to decide – we think it’s one of Mark’s best productions yet:

And, just to encourage potential customers even further, here’s a link to the latest review of the book – this one’s from the British Fantasy Society website and was written by Dave Brzeski. This one is an especially sweet review – at least we think so. You can find the relevant write-up here.

The limited hardback edition has now SOLD OUT! Paperbacks can be bought from the Spectral Shop (first option on the menu bar above).

New reviews – 30:04:2013

A bumper selection of review to browse through today, so let’s get down to it straightaway with the first one:

This one is the latest for Stephen Volk’s Whitstable, courtesy of The Zone – thanks to Tom Johnstone for the write-up! You’ll find it right here.

PLEASE NOTE: there are now just THREE copies of the limited signed and numbered hardback left – those wanting a copy should get to the Spectral Shop NOW to secure their copy before they all go. The book will NOT be reprinted in this format again!

****

Paul Feeney has been a regular supporter of Spectral Press since its launch nearly 2 1/2 years ago, and he posts mini-reviews on Facebook after reading each publication. The reviews below are of the latest three chapbooks:

“OK, number 7 in the Spectral Press chapbook series.

Mike returns to the town he grew up in through the 70’s and 80’s, hoping to lay some personal ghosts to rest, and finally say goodbye to his childhood friend Geoff.

It’s a well written story, with some nice touches and clear descriptions and dialogue. The structure is essentially the tale from the past, bookended with passages form the present. Whilst it’s pretty clear what is probably going to happen, more so towards the end, and thus slightly robs the story of some of the surprise, the telling is fine. There are also a few nice creepy moments in the finale, that really get the hairs standing up.

However…

There was something I just didn’t engage with in the story and it took me two reads to figure it out. It doesn’t feel long enough. This is an entirely personal thing for me, because I love the sense of nostalgia this sort of story can conjure, especially when it’s well done and I felt this was where the story most came alive.It just should have been more. For me, it needed more immersion in the past, in order to resonate more with the present. But that’s my perception, not a failing of the writing.

As always, the book itself is lovingly created, and is a nice addition to the Spectral line up. I look forward to more from Mark.”

“And on to Spectral chapbook number 8.

Two lonely youngsters, who have become drawn to each other through their similar natures, spend their time exploring the woods around their village. They come upon a barrow (old burial mound) and what happens there sets in chain events that will affect them forever.

Great atmospheric story. It’s extremely well written and the narrative flowed very well. Tallerman has the enviable ability to draw a full canvas from only a few words, to create powerful images with minimal description. I found the setting very evocative and there was something ancient and timeless about it (not just because of the subject).

There’s a strong sense of foreboding throughout, a feeling of sad and tragic inevitability. although it’s not really about scares as such, there is room for a couple of nice little creepy moments, such as when the kids are crawling into the entrance to the barrow, at night, in near dark… However, it’s all about the overall atmosphere, which is maintained throughout the tale.

Another solid entry in the Spectral line-up.”

And finally:

“Number 9 in the Spectral chapbook series (yay, I’m now up to date! :-D).

Ray’s mother has passed away and it’s his ‘happy’ task to clean up her home to sell on. However, while he’s staying there, odd sounds and strange visions assault him…the ominous ‘creaking’ sound.

OK, I may be picking this up wrong, but I found this to be quite an amusing tale, despite the dark undertones that pop up as it progresses. When the first round of ‘creaks’ start to sound, I was chuckling away to myself and the prose was light and amusing. Or so it seemed to me. Maybe I was picking it up wrong. I hope not. Of course, this light tone doesn’t last and soon there are hints of darker goings on.I found the story moved easily between these different tones and in fact, the lighter moments helped to define more clearly the darker turns. I really hope this was deliberate.There’s some very solid writing on display here and each reveal is handled deftly and with subtle ease.

A great story and a name I’ll have to look out for in the future. I only hope the parts I found humorous were intentional…”

Many thanks to Paul for taking the time to write these!

More reviews soon!

New review – 17:04:2013

Today is something of a quiet day here in Spectral Towers, and so here’s a quick link to a new review of Paul Kane’s Creakers – this one’s by Mark West and has been posted to Goodreads. As some of you may remember, Mark is the man responsible for the video book trailers for Spectral. Anyway, enjoy what he has to say about the latest in the chapbook line – you can access it here!

There are still copies left of this, but in very limited supply (fewer than 12 copies) – you can buy them individually at  £4UK/£7.00EU/$16US/$16RoW OR, even better, take out a subscription to the quarterly chapbooks, which will cost you £16UK/£23.50EU /$45US/ $45US RoW  for a year’s worth of issues (4 chapbooks). Visit the Spectral Shop for ordering details!

More reviews soon!

Stephen Volk’s Whitstable: the first reviews

Advance review copies of Stephen Volk’s novella have going out here, there and everywhere within the last week or so, and already two reviews have been posted. We here at Spectral reckon that it’s an extremely important book for the imprint, one that will help consolidate the reputation that we’ve been working so hard on building over the last two years – so what did the reviewers think of the third entry in the Spectral Visions  line of novellas?

The first review is from Mark West and posted to his Strange Tales blog. (Disclaimer: Mark is the man behind Rude Dude Films and the man who puts together Spectral’s video book trailers). You can read his assessment here.

Second is a review from that stalwart of the reviewing scene, Jim McLeod, and posted to his Ginger Nuts of Horror blog – you can read that one here.

The signed and numbered limited hardback edition is available for pre-order right now, and can be purchased through the Spectral Shop – publication date is not until 26th May (Peter Cushing’s birthday) but already more than half the projected print run has been claimed. There will also be articles/column pieces in Fortean Times, FEAR magazine, Black Static, Morpheus Tales, the BFS Journal, and on Fangoria.com – this much anticipated novella has been generating more than a bit of interest. Buy yourself a copy today and see why there’s such a buzz about Whitstable!

More reviews soon!

News 01:02:2013

There are certain things that are guaranteed to bring big smiles to us here at Spectral Towers and we feature two such events here today. First up is a great review of David Tallerman’s The Way of the Leaves, which has appeared at the Wag the Fox review blog, written by the host himself,  Gef Fox. You can read the review here.

Secondly, This is Horror magazine hold the This Is Horror Awards every year and, in the 2012 edition, we are proud to announce that Mark West’s What Gets Left Behind was runner-up in the Short Fiction category – sitting nicely behind Stephen King and Joe Hill’s In the Tall Grass. Nice one!

Congratulations to Mark on such a great achievement!

Don’t forget to put in your pre-order for Stephen Volk’s Whitstable novella (featuring an Afterword by renowned British novelist and short story writer Mark Morris) – see previous blog entry of details of the book and a rather special offer of the novella combined with a 2CD set of Peter Cushing reading his Hammer Years memoirs. Also, you can also now purchase slipcases to keep your chapbooks all nice and pristine, as well as buy subscriptions to the books, so why not do so today!

Onward and upward!

What Gets Left Behind: a new review

Just a short blog this morning, to let you all know about the latest review of Mark West’s What Gets Left Behind from Theresa Derwin’s Terror-Tree blog – you can read what Theresa thought of Mark’s chapbook story here.

There are also reviews of Mark’s story and David Tallerman’s The Way of the Leaves in the latest issue of Black Static magazine – however, you’ll have to buy it to see what Peter Tennant thinks of the latest Spectral output.

More soon!

New Year review roundup

Three days into 2013 and already there are some reviews of Spectral books to talk about, so without dilly-dallying we shall get straight into it:

First up is a review of The 13 Ghosts of Christmas from reader Ross Warren over at Goodreads, which you can read by clicking on the link.

Paul Brazill, also at Goodreads, gives us his assessment of Mark West’s chapbook story, What Gets Left Behind –  you can read that one here.

And finally, Matthew Fryer of Welcome to the Hellforge has made John Llewellyn Probert’s The Nine Deaths of Dr. Valentine one of his favourite novels/novellas of 2012 – you can read what he thought of it here.

Additionally, Jim McLeod of the Ginger Nuts of Horror blog announced his Horror Discovery of the Year, and it is no less a writer than Dr. Valentine himself, John Llewellyn Probert – read his blog entry here. Jim also cites The Nine Deaths of Dr. Valentine as his favourite novella of the year.

So there you have it – a really great start to the New Year. But it doesn’t stop there – more reviews soon, so onward and upwards!

11:12:2012 – more reviews

And so, on this misty and crisply frosty Tuesday morning (looks like winter is here at last), we are thrilled to bring you two more reviews of recent Spectral publications:

First, Mark West takes a look at David Tallerman’s chapbook story The Way of the Leaves and reports his findings on Goodreads. As it’s a short review, I reproduce it here in full:

“Two children – the narrator and his friend Charlotte – love reading and, ostracised by the other kids in the village, begin to escape on walks, to find somewhere quiet where they can read in peace. On one such adventure they discover the barrow, a hill upon a hill, a wondrous and mysterious place that piques their curiosity. That night, they go back to explore it but even though they have torches and supplies, Charlotte disappears and can’t be found. This is volume 8 of the Spectral Press chapbook line – for which I have a real fondness – and it’s great to see the marque not only maintaining but improving on its level of quality (both the story and its presentation). The winner of the This Is Horror/Spectral Press short story competition, this is very good indeed, creepy and atmospheric, claustrophobic and quite terrifying at times, with believable child characters and a nice sense of history repeating itself. Combine that with some excellent turns of phrase “my legs were soft as rotten peaches”, great characterisation and a good pace and this is a real winner. Highly recommended.”

Next up is Serendipity Reviews‘ assessment of The 13 Ghosts of Christmas, the first in what is hoped to be a revival of an old tradition – a yearly volume of midwinter spooky ghost tales,to be read aloud to a group of celebrants on Christmas Eve (preferably in front of a roaring log fire, with a glass of port in hand and the faithful hound sleeping on a cosy rug by the grate). Anyway, if you want to know whether the thirteen stories in this collection achieved what they set out to do, then go here to read the write-up.

More reviews coming soon – onwards and upwards!