PIRATE’S ISLAND
A 1960s YA book with fast-moving action and a nail-biter of a climax
THE NIHILESTHETE
An altogether unique novel that fascinates and annoys in equal measure
BETWEEN NINE AND NINE
Austria’s late, great Leo Perutz demonstrated incalculable range in BETWEEN NINE AND NINE, his comedic and fantastic second novel
THE CASE OF THE TWO STRANGE LADIES
A full blast of dementia from Harry Stephen Keeler involving a shocking double murder, multi-racial family ties and transposed heads
GENTLEMAN JUNKIE AND OTHER TALES OF THE HUNG-UP GENERATION
A 1961 Harlan Ellison short story collection that was, Ellison claimed, the book of his he loved the most
MANEATER
An example of the type of sci fi-tinged literary erotica that was pioneered by the late Essex House
THE RED VIRGIN
A surreal take on the story of Hildegart Rodriguez, a young woman who in early Twentieth Century Spain was raised to become a genius by her domineering mother
TICK TOWN
If lines like “The decisive blast slammed into the monster’s face, which at near point-blank range exploded in a grisly splatter of tick goo” resonate with you (as they do me) then TICK TOWN is the book to read
THE HAPPY MAN
One of the great modern horror novels, a compelling and profoundly unsettling piece of work that explores untold depths of depravity in 166 well-packed pages
PHANTOM
A vivid and pronounced scare-show, but with an elusive, poetic air