About The Forgotten Fiction
The entire premise of The Forgotten Fiction online magazine is that any quality written work rooted in fiction that we are excited about can be previewed on TFF before its release and once a novel has been out it is eligible for an in-depth book book review so that it is not forgotten after the initial book launch. And so we can cover any book from any era at any time.
TFF also covers limited editions & small press publications to examine the physical book as a work of art, in & of itself, in addition to an examination of the story contained within its pages.
Any publishers seeking an article preview and/or a review of an upcoming title can contact us here to request such – please note we only accept paper Advanced Review Copies (ARC’s) or Proofs, not e-books.
About The Reader
The overall purpose of TFF is to examine from a critical lens fictitious works of literature & ultimately give a recommendation to the reader as to whether or not they should spend their valuable time and/or money on the book.
TFF is not limited to contemporary novels & covers fiction released hundreds of years ago as well as works launched recently.
For readers and bibliophiles, TFF provides a niche reviewing experience so that the physical book as well as the words contained therein are scrutinized, as many fine press, small press, and older presses provide an incredible reading experience that is entirely different than what most trade publications offer today.
We Believe In Answering The Ultimate Question:
Should I Read This? I mean…should I? Can you tell me in plain terms if it is worth reading and why? And without spoiling the whole damn plot for me?
Anyone know what the title of the blank book featured here is?
Tell me and get a prize worth reading! –>
Loving Literature Since Papyrus
More About The Forgotten Fiction
As The Forgotten Fiction magazine progresses, age-old classics – Asimov’s The End of Eternity, anyone? – will be revisited with fresh eyes and looked at anew.
And many fairly new books, such as Stephen King’s 2019 classic The Institute will be reviewed; see our first article here.
Part of the reason for kicking off the book review season with that particular book is that:
- It is excellent
- It is really quite excellent
- It shows a book out more than a few months that had been on the NY Times Bestseller list and has fallen off of there, despite it being a great work of Stephen King and his next book not, as of this date, being out yet.
The majority of these Forgotten Fiction Book Reviews will touch upon art for the sake of authors – new and established – whose work has been out for a while to keep the buzz going for them and the for us, the reader, as well.
We will bring them in from the cold (what book does that remind me of now).
If you are an author in the US, your PR team must submit your works of fiction to the esteemed book reviewers of the NY Times and others many months in advance, and the reviewing media will deem a date near to the release date to publish that review, if they so desire to do so.
Upon launch book reviews will be scheduled far in advance and the exposure will introduce many readers to the new work when it comes out.
This is a great model.
But what happens when the book launch event or tour is over?
After the novel has been given its allocated advertising from the publisher and its media coverage? Its day in the sun typically dims, yes?
A lot of work is left to the author to incessantly self-promote on social media and in person at conferences and conventions.
We, the media can do more!
Let’s keep the podcast discussions, author interviews, and book reviews going, shall we.
These books are rarely looked at months, let alone years, afterward by any type of critic or media outlet.
The Forgotten Fiction strictly wants to hear about books that have been out for two months or more.
We want to put out a review that people can sink their teeth into, knowing that the book is something they may have missed or been hesitant to commit to.
And after having read our review they now have a definitive, yea or nay, response to putting the novel atop their stacks of to-read, to-maybe-read, and must-read-now books.
That is the idea in a nutshell.
The Forgotten Fiction will also be conducting book reviews of physical books and small press limited editions of great works of literature in particular.
Small press books like those published by Hard Case Crime, Lettered editions and numbered editions like those published by Suntup Editions, and other oddities of note will be perused and discussed.
We may even talk about certain rare editions’ history in and of themselves (Father Cody, anyone), and we may compare various illustrated versions and limited artist gift editions.
This physical book review (I need a better name than that) will accompany The Forgotten Fiction Book Reviews of the work, as well as the fine production that the work is presented in.
Only books held in hand by The Forgotten Fiction team will be written on in this manner.
In those customized reviews the story will be examined as well as the aesthetic and quality of the paper book.
Things may evolve and your input as readers and writers will always be encouraged.
In fact, this should be a collaborative book review site.
If you want to write for us send a PM: read[at]theforgottenfiction.com.
If you want to chime in on what to read about next, on any work of fiction that you want to hear our humble opinion on, hit up the Suggestion Box here.
Many of the reviews, especially in the first books coming off of the review stack, will be very positive. As time goes on it may seem that the majority of TFF reviews are postive toward the fiction and recommend the books for reading.
Each book’s writing and story will be given respect as a published work of literature in the TFF reviews, but not all of the reviews will be positive – one thing I learned while writing for Newsday in New York was that too few expressed a definitive opinion of yea or nay, go see that movie or stay home and save your popcorn money, buy that album to listen to it or buy that album to be a dog Frisbee.
Therefore, each book review will contain a YEA or NAY at its close so you have our biased and overt and clear opinion on whether or not it is worth your time.
Be well, Eager Readers!
Sincerely,
R.J. Huneke
Debate On *Spoilers*
Spoiler-Free
Many of the articles on The Forgotten Fiction will be spoiler-free, meaning there will be no plot elements revealed and the review will instead focus on the writing, the characters, the overall strength of the plot, and other intuitive but not obtrusive elements and insights.
Spoiler-Full
There will be reviews on The Forgotten Fiction that feature plot *SPOILERS* and these will be so noted in bold with a WARNING, so that readers that tune in do not ruin part of the book they have not read and would want to be surprised about. Some prefer the reviews that go in-depth and consider the detailed story arc and all that goes into it and there will be book reviews for you too.
Book Review Ratings
Whether there are or are not any spoilers in The Forgotten Fiction Magazine‘s book reviews, there will always be a recommendation from the writer to the reader, saying YEA or NAY. It is vital to be definitive, in our humble opinion, and though some aspects of the literature may appear negative to us, that is only our opinion. Art is subjective, and so the reviewers, the writers of The Forgotten Fiction will only be those with experience reviewing books or works in a similar vein.
Our Process Will Evolve
As we get feedback from you, the Readers, we will likely evolve and build upon our process. So please chime in, folks!
Meet The Writers
TFF Book Reviewers:
Meet R.J. Huneke who continues to master his art endeavoring in fiction, photography, film, comic books, non-fiction, and poetry, while acting as the managing editor of TFF.
A former columnist and critic for Newsday and Examiner, he has written many critical reviews of works of fiction, such as the “Examiner Book Review: Stephen King’s Revival is powerful” and “Embassytown by China Miéville” in SciFiNow. His first novel Cyberwar was published in 2015. He continues to write regular columns about technology, robotics, books, comics, and popular culture. His upcoming projects involve a new science fiction-thriller book in the Cyberwar Series, and another as yet unnamed novel of speculative fiction, graphic novels, film, children’s books, short stories, and poetry.
Meet Lisa Lebel.
Lisa is a freelance writer, book reviewer, and editor currently based in Georgia, but a New Yorker at heart. After a career in dog training and animal behavior, she has switched gears to pursue her lifelong dream of working in publishing.
Inspired by The Dark Tower series to build a collection of all things Stephen King, she found a large online community that shared her passions, and thereby stumbled into the book reviewing world.
Social Media Links:
Meet Adam Symchuk.
Adam Symchuk is a writer and editor out of Canada, having worked with Grimoire of Horror, Asian Movie Pulse, The Aither, as well as being featured in The Anime Herald and the Indian film journal “Film Buff”.
He considers himself a fan first and foremost, and loves sharing his passion for various obscure and pop media. If he is not busy writing you will find him buried in a book, watching cheesy films with friends, or out on a long walk with his dog.
Meet Peter Maisano. Peter is a child educator and counselor and a fiction buff.
He loves science thrillers, especially the works of Michael Crichton…of course!
Meet our Guest Contributor: Tom Deady. Tom Deady’s first novel, HAVEN, won the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. 
He has since published several novels, novellas, a short story collection.
Tom has several publications, including the sequel to Eternal Darkness coming out in 2021. He has a Master’s Degree in English and Creative Writing and is a member of both the Horror Writers Association and the New England Horror Writers Association.
Meet Kurt Zisa. He spent 10+ years in Book Production management at Penguin-Random House Publishing.
Kurt is an avid reader and is also a Producer, Director, and Editor with expertise in documentaries, corporate film, promotional film, and artistic film.
Kurt become semi-famous when he won a contest to have his name featured as the Final Boss Villain in the video game Kingdom of Hearts, and his gaming character has continued on in the series.
You can see some of Kurt’s work on Vimeo below:
Meet Kyle Helmer. Kyle runs his own electrical company in the city where he lives in Western Canada. He has enjoyed telling stories for as long as he can remember.
Now in his thirties, he has become more serious about writing and enjoys meeting other writers. He has written short stories, dabbled in blogging, performed voice-over work, and wrote scripts for a series of professional videos. He is currently working on a novel.
For The Following Contributors Of Art To TFF
Thank You For Your Work:
Meet Paul Michael Kane. He is an award-winning photographer and graphic designer whose stunning photographs of Suntup Editions limited edition books are frequently featured with the titles. Designed to inspire creativity in other photographers, both beginners and more seasoned shooters, Kane combines his extensive background in visual communication with traditional and alternative photographic processes utilizing the latest advances in digital media.
Exhibited internationally, his works have been purchased for numerous private and public collections. Additionally, his design work has graced the covers of several popular novels as well as a 30th anniversary Star Wars Poster. Kane’s writing has appeared in such publications as Art Scene International and The International Writers Open Forum. He’s won several “best-in-show” awards, which can be viewed on his website along with his photography cards for sale, $19 Dollar Stephen King Bookmarks for sale and other 19th Edition goodies.
Meet Jeff Terry of THE JEFF WORD. “Hi, my name is Jeff and I love books. I love thic books. Horror books. I mostly unbox the treasures I buy from small press publishers like Suntup and SST and Centipede as well as shelf candy from 19th Edition. I started doing this because I had no one to share these books with. My family just tells me to shut up and make money or leave. And so often, the books I show are out of print. This channel is the only chance for so many to see these insanely wonderful books. So I’m like a saint, only better–without all the moralizing and fiery judgment.”
Meet Cheryl Huneke. She has been commissioned to work on TFF projects, such as providing the artwork adorning the engravings all around the Ania Ahlborn book case out of the Rune Works Woodshop and she is our fine artist and illustrator in residence. She has illustrated children’s books (including an upcoming one), and many portraits of fictitious figures or actors portraying some of our favorite protagonists and villains.
Fiction and Art and the Artist!