Recommended reads of 2016 (part two)

Following on from my previous blog post about my favoured reads from the last year or so, which was my first blog post for some time, here is part two. I hope you find my choices interesting and that you might give some of these collections a go.

The Unsettling, Peter Rock's first collection of  short stories, from 2006, is one of
my books of the year. It really is unsettling. Some of these tales carry an
emotional charge which is quite a surprise: and a sense of dread which
will stay with you long after you've read them. Seriously recommended.

Gorgonaeon, by Jordan Krall (published by Dunhams Manor Press) is a fascinating
publication. It is a collection of fragments: brief moments of clarity, disparate at first, yet
upon reading they form a strange kind of whole. Surrealistic, grotesque, separate yet
cohesive: Gorgonaeon is unconventional yet a compelling read.

Subtle gore, Kafka, science fiction (or is it?), deserted highways, a weird stuffed bear...
Brian Evenson's A Collapse of Horses is a tour de force in relentless dread
and disconnect. Be prepared for a roller coaster ride through these tight,
breathless tales. If you haven't read anything by Evenson before,
I would suggest you start now!

American Nocturne, by Hank Schwaeble, is another superb Cohesion Press publication.
This collection transcends Americana and is as varied and satisfying a group of dark stories
as you will find anywhere. Schwaeble's writing is punchy and concise. This is a
must read for fans of dark fiction everywhere.

Secret Ventriloquism, by Jon Padgett. What can I say? This book is a journey
through your deepest anxieties. It's creepy. Padgett clearly has the knack to
get under the reader's skin and he takes advantage of that ability
all the way through this collection of interconnected tales of fear.This is the
first of his work I've read and I'll definitely be searching for more.