ClimbingSky

Why Baseball, Books, and the Grateful Dead matter

Horror Fiction

  • Dracula – A 2026 Check-in

    “Dracula embodies the fear of the unknown and he personifies the ‘nothing in the darkness’ that keeps children awake at night.”  — Steve Roberts Another year and yet another rereading of Dracula. To be honest, I am no longer sure at this point how many times I have actually reread this classic. I only know that I… Read more

  • Why We Read Horror

    I have been thinking a lot about why we love and read Ghost Stories, Horror Novels, etc. Here are a few ideas I have come up with: The Thrill of the Safe Scare or “Why fear feels good” Horror allows us to experience danger without risk There is a thrilling, “roller-coaster” effect that comes from… Read more

  • BOOK REVIEW: Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix

    As someone who loves books about books, old paperbacks, and the Horror genre in general, when I first heard about this book a couple of years ago, I had to preorder it. In Paperbacks from Hell, Horror author and vintage paperback book collector Grady Hendrix offers his expert commentary and insights into the kind of… Read more

  • SHORT STORY REVIEW: “Harry” by Rosemary Timperley

    Rosemary Timperley (1920-1988) wrote novels, screen plays, and short stories. She is probably best known for her ghost stories which are frequently anthologized. “Harry” is one of her best ghost stories. The story follows Mrs. James, who adopts a baby girl named Christine. At age five, Christine begins talking to an imaginary friend named Harry,… Read more

  • SHORT STORY REVIEW: “The Fourth Man” by Agatha Christie

    During the Month of October, I will again be reviewing Gothic and Horror fiction here at ClimbingSky. I begin this month of reviews with an unexpected surprise from the “Queen of Mystery” herself, Agatha Christie. When you begin a Christie short story, you naturally expect to find yourself reading a detective mystery of some kind.… Read more

  • SHORT STORY REVIEW: “Canon Albric’s Scrap-Book” by M.R. James

    Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) was a renowned English scholar and author. He made significant contributions to medieval studies and served in prestigious academic roles at Cambridge and Eton. While his scholarly work is still respected, he is most famous for his ghost stories which he published as M.R. James. According to Wikipedia, these ghost tales… Read more

  • BOOK REVIEW: The Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon

    For my last Horror Book Review for October, I am reviewing a book that I am actually a little bit sheepish to admit that I enjoyed, The Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon. I am sheepish because it is the kind of book that almost anyone would, or probably should, find offensive. It is gory,… Read more

  • Powers of Darkness by Bram Stoker & Valdimar Ásmundsson

    In 2017, right after it was published, I read the book Powers of Darkness. Powers of Darkness is a Icelandic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula from 1899. It was published anonymously in a newspaper and credited to Stoker and an unidentified author. While it shares the same main character, it differs significantly from the original, adding new characters… Read more

  • Werewolf Omnibus by Guy N. Smith

    Guy N. Smith is a guilty pleasure. I began with his series of Pulp Horror books featuring giant crabs (yes, you read that right, giant crabs), Smith’s fiction is as close as you can get to the kind of 1950s or early 1960s horror films that were regular fare when I was growing up on… Read more

  • The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

    I am currently working through Stephen King’s The Shining. It is a book I have started before but have never gotten very far into. I am giving it another try right now because I will be spending Thanksgiving this year in Estes Park and at the Stanley Hotel. The Stanley is the real-life inspiration for… Read more