Matt acts as the “Editor-in-Chief” of Flames Rising, which usually means writing reviews, setting up interviews, posting news and checking out the latest Horror & Dark Fantasy products from a variety of publishers. He also recruits reviewers, posts previews and works with publishers to explore new ideas for promoting the genre.
Matt occasionally dabbles in freelance writing and game design. Recently he worked on the Ghostories Enhancement Pack for Precis Intermedia and the novella "Time to Burn" in the Tales of the Seven Dogs Society collection from Abstract Nova Entertainment.
Last week we talked about the most well-known vampire in the world, Dracula. The Dark Prince will probably return for another round of Mini-Reviews at a later date, since we only had the chance to check out a few of the products featuring Dracula and there are certainly many more available.
This week we are going to take a look at some great collections of scary stories. There are fiction anthologies on every subject imaginable. Fans of Horror & Dark Fantasy have many authors and publishers to choose from. Some of the authors featured in this week’s mini-reviews include Jim Butcher, Laurell K. Hamilton, Kelley Armstrong, David Wellington, C.J. Henderson, Tanith Lee and Patricia A. McKillip…just to name a few.
Here are a few anthologies that I’ve had the chance to check out recently…
Freelance author, reviewer and game designer, Monica Valentinelli, has launched a new website called Words on the Water. Monica’s published work includes Aletheia from Abstract Nova, Worlds of the Dead from Eden Studios, Colonial Gothic from Rogue Games, Prey at Pseudopod.org and more. She also has Obsidian: the Age of Judgement and Conspiracy of Shadows […]
The Road Guide is well written and it shows that some research went into each of the locations featured throughout each chapter. A typical entry will feature a photo of the location, brief driving directions, a bit of ghost lore (i.e. what sort of ghostly activity is rumored to haunt the place), some local history and lastly, details about the investigation into the haunting. Not every entry follows this exact format; some of them have section switched around a bit or include extra notes on the topic. Generally, however, the book is easy to read and the information is offered in a useful format.
The Edge of Propinquity is a series of short stories exploring the world around us that lurks just beneath the surface. It is the world of the unexplained, supernatural, magic, horror, duty, responsibility, black humor, conspiracy, unknown heritage and power.
Check out Volume 26 of The Edge of Propinquity for a tale by Alana Joli Abbott called The Valley.
Forgotten Realms author Paul S. Kemp has posted a free preview chapter of his upcoming novel Shadowrealm. Paul has several free downloads on his website, including some chapters from other Forgotten Realms titles. Check out his Free Stuff page for more information. You can pre-order Shadowrealm at Amazon. Paul’s other books include Shadow’s Witness, Resurrection […]
Another round of the Flash Fire Mini-Reviews is here!
This week we are talking about one of the most well-known characters in horror. Dracula has made appearances in fiction, movies, comics and games. He has been re-imagined numerous times and always comes back for more. New concepts about the character are always being invented and new fans discover the character every year.
What follows are just a few of the many, many Dracula influenced products available today. The original novel with a twist, some games and a couple of movies make up this set of mini-reviews…
With record sales and interest, OBS has extended the GM’s Day Sale at RPGNow. This is the day we celebrate the single most important person in any gaming group – the Game Master. On this day, we celebrate by BUYING GAME STUFF, and you can do that here FOR 25% OR MORE OFF on all […]
The crippled U.S. government is giving up its fight against an undead plague. Military forces and aid have been withdrawn from the last coastal cities, leaving those who choose to stay in the “badlands” defenseless against hordes of zombified humans and animals.
It’s been a hopeless battle from the beginning. The undead, born of an otherworldly energy fused with a deadly virus, have no natural enemies.
But they do have one supernatural enemy… Death himself.
E. Gary Gygax has passed away. Gary was one of the creators of Dungeons & Dragons, in addition to many other games and novels over the years. I had the chance to game with him a couple of times at various conventions over the years. I’m planning on GMing a little old-school “Dungeon Crawl” tonight, […]
Some of the great products on sale include: The Harvesters (World of Darkness) – White Wolf Publishing People Disappear All The Time. Will You Be One Of Them? A story in the Storytelling Adventure System for the World of Darkness, inspired by Midnight Roads. 100 Horror Adventure Seeds – Postmortem Studios 100 Horror Adventure Seeds […]
For Free RPG Day, Impressions Advertising & Marketing works with hobby game retailers and RPG publishers to bring NEW RPG Quickstart Rules and Adventure Modules into the hands of gamers. Consumers will be able to grab brand new material for a variety of RPGs — no overstock, retail-priced or dead product here. The goal of […]
As zombies invade a barricaded apartment building, the vampire inhabitants must protect their human livestock. Shade, the vampire monarch, defends her late father’s kingdom, but Frost, Shade’s general, convinces his brethren to migrate to an island, where they can breed and hunt humans. In their path stands a legion of corpses, just now evolving into something far more lethal, something with tentacles–and that’s just the beginning.
The folks over at Horror Literature Quarterly have just released a new issue with fiction from Christopher Golden and Lavie Tidhar. Issue 4/Winter 2008 Horror Literature Quarterly can be read in two different formats; on the website and via PDF. Horror Literature Quarterly will release the PDF version of each issue first and will place […]
Spartans Unleashed has created several free Cursed Empire items available for download at RPGNow.com The Cursed Empire Fantasy RPG provides a dark, comprehensive medieval fantasy game system with subtle undertones of the heroic age of Ancient Greece. This game offers Players and GM’s detailed and flexible rules to suit their gaming style for combat, movement, […]
Drop by the Austin Chronicle’s website for an interesting discussion between Spencer Parsons and Diary of the Dead director George Romero: George Romero’s latest state of the union via flesh-eating legions of the undead I just can’t resist that stuff, man. I grew up on EC comic books, and it’s all gags and puns. I […]
People Disappear All The Time. Will You Be One Of Them? In The Harvesters, the characters are pitted against a group of kidnappers that prey upon the forgotten people and sell them off to the highest bidder. They visit upon those lost souls any torment that pleases them, so long as they don’t compromise the […]
The Flash Fire Mini-Reviews are back with a mix of fiction, games and comics this week. Mages, Wizards, Witches and other spell-slinging heroes, villains and monsters make appearances in this collection of reviews.
We’re looking at a variety of magical styles, ranging from the dark and evil to the divinely inspired. I’m not talking about spellbooks here, but magic wielding characters or plots about magic in the world around them. We’ve got Harry Dresden, Willow and Redcloak alongside some Live-Action Mage and the Unwanted.
Xenagia is a brand-new genre web site, specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Visit the Xenagia Book Index. This Xenagia book index currently contains 2577 books and 1069 authors. The Xenagia Forums feature discussions on Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror fiction, movies and more. You can also get updates on your favorite authors, including Neil […]
After having read Monster Island, I was pleased to hear that Wellington was writing a vampire story. 13 Bullets is a modern action adventure with deadly vampires, great writing and a few clever plot twists.
The vampires in 13 Bullets are as inhuman as they get. Usually sometime after they’ve been turned they begin to lose all of their hair and mutate into their new, monstrous forms. They are incredibly strong, difficult to damage and often have an array of other powers at their disposal.
Summer Glau, our favorite Reaver-Slayer from Firefly and Serenity, recently sat down for an interview with Tasha Robinson of the A.V. Club. A.V. Club interviews Summer Glau Read about her role on Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (don’t warry, there are no spoilers for the upcoming season finale) and some of her other shows, […]
