Tag Archives: Arkham Horror

Short and Sweet – Aconyte Edition

Hello and welcome to this instalment of my Short and Sweet review roundup series, where I take a quick look at some recent reads that I haven’t been able to write full reviews for. Normally I do one of these per month, but for various reasons (you can read about how mad a lot of the last month was for me in this monthly roundup post) I didn’t manage one in June 2023. To make up for that, this instalment is a special Aconyte Books edition, in which I’m talking about a trio of Aconyte titles that I’ve recently read – two Arkham Horror novels and one Marvel: Legends of Asgard book. I’ve been trying to catch up on books I’ve been meaning to read for ages, and I’ve had these on the shelf since 2020/21, so it’s been great to finally find the time for them.

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Secrets in Scarlet – edited by Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells

Leaving Arkham behind and venturing out into the wider world, Aconyte Books’ Arkham Horror anthology Secrets in Scarlet – edited by Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells – brings together nine authors with globetrotting tales of occult adventure, ancient mysteries and sinister clandestine organisations. Following government agents, artefact hunters, art thieves and more, these nine stories gradually build up a picture of competing agencies, cults and secret societies all searching for objects with the potential to unlock terrible powers, though whether to use those powers or prevent them from falling into the wrong hands remains to be seen. Some stories feature protagonists actively involved in this dangerous search, while others are merely caught in the middle, but one thing unites them all – the consequences of failure are utterly deadly.

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In the Coils of the Labyrinth – David Annandale

With his first Arkham Horror novel, In the Coils of the Labyrinth, David Annandale delivers a slow-burn tale of physical illness and mental torment that ably demonstrates why this is such a perfect author/setting combination. Worn down by what she’s long suspected is tuberculosis, Professor Miranda Ventham reluctantly checks herself into the Stroud Institute, Arkham’s newly-opened sanatorium. While the care she receives there seems genuinely beneficial to begin with, something about the Institute feels unsettling, and Miranda’s plagued by troubling, confusing dreams. Determined to understand what’s happening, and helped on the outside by her friend, parapsychologist Agatha Crane, Miranda sets out to learn what she can about the Institute and its director, Donovan Stroud. As dreams and reality become harder to tell apart though, the darkness at the heart of the Institute threatens to drag her down and never let her go.

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Mask of Silver – Rosemary Jones

Rosemary Jones’ first contribution to Aconyte Books’ range of Arkham Horror novels, Mask of Silver blends the Golden Age of cinema and sinister mysticism in a subtly creepy combination of Hollywood and cosmic horror. Costume designer Jeanie Lin and her film star sister Renee Love are part of a close-knit crew working with director Sydney Fitzmaurice on his popular, chilling ‘nightmare movies’. For their latest production they set up in Sydney’s home town of Arkham, ostensibly to keep costs down, but it’s not long before the filming is best by unexplained accidents and strange goings-on in and around the creepy Fitzmaurice family home. As the shoot progresses, Jeanie is increasingly haunted by nightmares and worried about the toll that making this film is having on her and her sister.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: S.A. Sidor Talks Cult of the Spider Queen (plus sample chapters)

Hello and welcome to this Author Interview, where today I’m chatting to S.A. Sidor about his new novel Cult of the Spider Queen, his second in the growing Arkham Horror range from Aconyte Books. His first Arkham Horror novel, The Last Ritual, was a tale of surrealist art mixed with cosmic horror, but this time the focus is on adventure in the depths of the Amazon jungle…and maybe a spider or two. Cult of the Spider Queen is out now in global ebook and US paperback with the UK paperback due in February 2022, so read on to find out more about this new novel, check out some sample chapters of the book, then order yourself a copy!

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EDITOR INTERVIEW: Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells Talks The Devourer Below

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview – or in this case Editor Interview – where today I’m talking to Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells about The Devourer Below, a new anthology of Arkham Horror short stories from Aconyte Books. Featuring eight stories from seven different authors, whether you’re an established Arkham Horror fan or taking your first steps into the IP, there’s plenty to enjoy in this anthology – and who better to talk more about it than the editor herself? It’s out now in all the usual formats, so you can check out this interview and then go straight ahead and buy your copy!

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The Devourer Below: an Arkham Horror Anthology – edited by Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells

Edited by Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells, The Devourer Below is part of Aconyte Books’ growing range of Arkham Horror fiction and features eight short stories from seven different authors all exploring a sinister presence rising in Arkham. Dangerous deals are being made, threats issued, lives devastated and plots hatched, monsters emerging and reluctant heroes standing up, all in the name of or in defiance of a darkness that few truly understand. From local landmarks to the dark countryside that borders the city, detectives and grieving widows to bootleggers and vagrant children, these stories explore Arkham and its inhabitants in dark, unsettling detail, united by a common theme – sometimes overt, other times implied – of a monstrous, corrupting power and the sinister servants it can call upon.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ari Marmell Talks Litany of Dreams

Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, in which I’m chatting to Ari Marmell about his upcoming novel Litany of Dreams, the latest instalment in Aconyte Books’ growing range of Arkham Horror novels. It’s due out from Aconyte Books as a global ebook and US paperback on the 13th April, with the UK paperback following on the 24th June, and if you’re on the lookout for something supernatural which leans towards the cosmic horror end of the spectrum then this might just be the book for you. Read on to find out more about Arkham Horror and what to expect from Litany of Dreams.

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5 Great Worlds of IP Fiction

If you’re a regular reader of Track of Words you’ll know how much I enjoy IP (or tie-in) fiction – stories which expand and develop fantasy and science fiction worlds that already exist in board games, video games, films and other media. I’ve tended to read a lot of Warhammer fiction from Black Library, and I know a lot of ToW readers are BL fans too, but there are all manner of fantastic IPs out there as well, bringing their worlds to life with great fiction. Over the course of the last year or two I’ve been dipping my toe into a few other IPs and really enjoying the results, so in this article I’m going to pick out a few recommendations for anyone who’s keen to try exploring a new world or two.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Rosemary Jones Talks Mask of Silver

Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview – today I’m chatting to Rosemary Jones, author of Mask of Silver, a new Arkham Horror novel that’s coming out from Aconyte Books very soon. If you’ve ever fancied reading a horror story set in the Golden Age of 1920s Hollywood – or if you now realise that you absolutely do want to read such a story – this is the book for you! It’s due out as a global ebook and US paperback on the 5th January 2021, with the UK paperback coming a month later on the 4th February.

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