Oct 8, 2025 | book review, Book Reviews, Horror, Nat Cassidy, sci-fi, Spoiler-Free, When the Wolf Comes Home
The Crocodile by Fyodor Dostoevsky: humorous satire astounds in its lethal wit and sharp criticisms of ‘the Old Guard’, elitist aristocracy, Westernization, greed, and the Russian government in the late 1800s.
I hope Kurt Vonnegut read and reveled in Dostoevsky’s The Crocodile!
As a bonus, I read this book in a scintillating limited edition fine edition crafted by Century Press; I will examine this closely further down the book review.
The premise is simple enough for this hundred page novella: a man is swallowed whole by a crocodile in an aristocratic carnival-like setting and he continues to live on, albeit literally in the belly of the beast.
Dostoevsky’s tale is often labeled absurdly surreal, and it is that.
But the laugh out loud humor can also bring tears (not crocodile tears, yuck, yuck), because of the stark criticisms on display.
This book could just have easily been written for the west in the 20th and 21st centuries, as the metaphor has ferocity in The Crocodile.
Dostoevsky’s swallowed character, Ivan, represents personal struggles amidst systemic corruption in government and society, as well political and social oppression in order to retain the status quo of suffering . . . this is our fun character the silent crocodile who is slowly digesting Ivan.
It is funny how Dostoevsky pinpoints, in particular, how the old elites feel ‘progressives’ and ‘education’ were always to blame for the people suffering, even as foreign companies bought up housing and tripled prices ‘to keep the peasants’ busy in their suffering and to keep them paying into the system.
This was late 1800s Russia.
Here is a short passage on the economy and housing according to a wealthy elitist:
The metaphor is strong in this one!
The satire is thick, the humor prevalent, and I really wonder if this work influenced Mark Twain or Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Now this gorgoeous goatskin book is small but remarkable and letterpress printed for not much over a hundred Euro.
I am floored with this book – the letterpress printed linework art is incredible, the scales chapter pages superb in green and black, and the custom endpapers I was lucky to attain are tactile-wise so much fun and the visuals are one-of-a-kind amazing!
I will be keeping an eye on every book Century Press makes.
Limited to 250 copies, Century Press is proud to present a striking new edition of The Crocodile like it’s never been seen before.
A brand new translation of Dostoyevsky’s “Editorial Preface” that accompanied the original publication of The Crocodile in Dostoevsky’s journal, The Epoch. This preamble to the story will be published in English for the first time in our edition.
An annotated and revised version the English Garnett translation from Dr. Sarah J. Young, a professor of Russian literature at UCL in London, as well as comprehensive introduction of her own.
Illustrated for the first time with four pieces by UK-based illustrator Rohan Eason.
Printing and Bindery Specs
Fully bound in vegetable-tanned, cypress goatskin leather from the Hudson Valley
Two-colour letterpress printed on premium 100% cotton ‘Flurry’ paper with a 1956 Heidelberg ‘Windmill’ platen press, typeset in Academy
Italian, tight-weave, cotton ribbon bookmark
Original gold-stamped artwork on front cover, back cover, and spine by Oksana Tarasenko.
All pre-orders received a special edition of The Crocodile with handmade endsheets from master Canadian artist Susan Kristoferson.
Her stunning paste papers were exhibited by the Grolier Club earlier this year, and have been acquired by NYC’s Metropolitan Art Museum as part of their Paper Legacy Collection.
“The Crocodile by Fyodor Dostoevsky: humorous satire astounds” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
R.J. Huneke was just interviewed on the Tilting at Windmills show to discuss his newest book of fiction ANTS WAKING coming Oct. 28th!
Watch it now here!
And yes, RJ’s newest book is almost out! What is the premise? I’m glad you asked:
Coming October 28, 2025 – For readers of fantasy, Ants Waking by R.J. Huneke is a thrilling, visceral magical realism tale about an autistic college freshman in the magical city of Cambridge racing against meddlesome gods for the means to thwart their friend’s premature death before a Dark storm consumes them.
The title novella is accompanied by Huneke’s illustrations plus bonus material: previously published and unpublished short stories and select poetry, all of which were newly revised by Huneke to provide an author’s preferred text.
STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES ON RJHUNEKE.COM TO TIMES, LINKS & DETAILS FOR R.J. HUNEKE’S ANTS WAKING BOOK TOUR 2025, INCLUDING AN EXCLUSIVE TFF AUTHOR INTERVIEW IN NOVEMBER WITH SCI-FI GREAT RUSS COLCHAMIRO!
Preorder ANTS WAKING here and get in on free signed remarqued bookplates here!
Aug 21, 2025 | book review, Book Reviews, Horror, Nat Cassidy, sci-fi, Spoiler-Free, When the Wolf Comes Home
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy: a poignant thriller, this book is must-read weird fiction, and a fast-paced, genre-smashing classic.
Fans of great horror, fantasy, and literary fiction will not want to miss this one.
Dare I mention Ray Bradbury?
“As if the universe chose that moment to come alive for them and tell them there was nothing to worry about. As if it knew their names.”
― Nat Cassidy, When the Wolf Comes Home
Cassidy builds on accessible page-turning genre fiction and establishes endearing characters that you would give an eye to, just to see that they are okay (see what I did there?).
The boy becomes our adopted son and our endearing friend met during the hardest of times.
The following book review of When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy will be Spoiler-free.
I cannot understate how difficult it is to write a realistic five-year-old that you fall in love with, as if they were your own child in trouble.
And make no mistake, terrible trouble is following this runaway boy and leaves behind a slew of bloody wrecks that used to be bodies.
This is not a spoiler as it is touched on in the novel’s description: the boy can turn his every fear into reality.
This power is unnerving, terrifying, and awe-inspiring.
Two favorite trailblazing books of mine – two cornerstones of contemporary fiction – reverberate in my head while reading When the Wolf Comes Home: Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Stephen King’s Firestarter.
This brilliant modern fairy tale soars to innovative heights while remaining grounded in two GREAT protagonists the reader cares deeply for: Jess and the boy.
The young woman, a failing actress with a heart of gold, and big time father issues, is also a brilliant, likable character you root for wholeheartedly.
This is one of the best books I have read this year.
If you love Ray Bradbury or Richard Matheson, do as the King says: “Sink your teeth into a classic.” —Stephen King
“The wolf lets out a tremendous, world-splitting roar. The stench is appalling: rot and decay and the promise of ruined flesh.”
― Nat Cassidy, When the Wolf Comes Home
We reviewed Nat Cassidy’s Mary too and it is also phenomenal.
“When the Wolf Comes Home By Nat Cassidy: A Poignant Thriller” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
Apr 17, 2025 | Ai Jiang, book review, Book Reviews, Horror, Linghun, Spoiler-Free
Linghun by Ai Jiang Paints Grief and Humanity In Shadow, as an innovative and striking literary ghost story full of suspense and horror.
The following Book Review of Ai Jiang’s Linghun will be *Spoiler-free, unless noted.
What a dark, dreamy, original, and poignant novella!
Jiang’s sharp and yet melodic prose is powerful.
In the book, a family moves to a frightening town called HOME where certain places allow the dead to return to their relatives.
For Wenqi there is a black pain.
She is the sibling of a brother who has passed and whose parents are consumed with grief but also obsessed – especially for her mother – with the prospect that they can be with their son again, even though he is a ghost.
The town is built upon the dealings with the dead, and Jiang gives us the perspective of some of these not-living, not fully-deceased ghosts that are forced to remain in Home, on earth, until all ties with blood relatives are broken.
The way Wenqi’s parents forfeit not just their previous lives but their still-living daughter’s as well – giving up everything they had to spend a fortune on a small house that may allow the dead to return – is heartbreaking.
Anyone who knows the term “golden child” well will feel strong sorrow for Wenqi.
This book is a ghost story of literary fiction where the living often horrify the reader more than the dead.
The ideas, the style, the suspense of each unfolding character chapter makes Linghun wholly its own genre or type of fiction.
At times, the reader is uncertain if the perspective is that of a ghost or a living being.
And Ai Jiang’s writes a scene at an auction house, where the precious few get to bid on a chance to buy a home where the dead have returned before, and it emanates the greatness of Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery.”
Linghun won the Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction (2023), the Nebula Award for Novella (2023), and the Locus Award Nominee for Novella (2024).
Linghun by Ai Jiang is a must-read for those who love speculative fiction.
“Linghun by Ai Jiang Paints Grief and Humanity In Shadow” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
Dec 23, 2024 | Babel, Best Books, Best Of 2024, book review, Book Reviews, Brandy Schillace, Discworld, fantasy, Feet of Clay, fine press, Horror, Kurt Vonnegut, limited edition, Max Allan Collins, Michael Crichton, Mickey7, mystery, Phantasia Press, Quarry, R.F. Kuang, sci-fi, science fiction, Signed Limited, small press, speculative fiction, Spoiler-Free, Terry Pratchett, THE FRAMED WOMEN OF ARDEMORE HOUSE, walter mosley
Best Books of 2024 TFF To-Read Festivus Guide comes to you just in time to place some last-minute literature at the feet of your metal pole, recently taken from out of the crawl space.
Here at TFF, we are especially focused on the fiction that transforms us all, this Solstice.
So Happy Yule, Happy Holly King, Welcome Father Christmas, or whichever legends you may observe ere the New Year of 2025* comes!
*At TFF we review newly released books and also books that have been released any year, so our ‘best of list’ contains what we found and loved this year, not necessarily what was published in 2024.
Feast your eyes, Eager Readers, The Best of 2024:
The Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot’s Mustache Equals Best Mystery Award goes to the THE FRAMED WOMEN OF ARDEMORE HOUSE by Brandy Schillace.
Few can intertwine classic golden age mystery tropes with modern fiction themes, both with myriad intriguing facets, like Dr. Schillace writes in this classic.
An excerpt from our review: The witty, charming, and intelligent [protagonist] Jo is thirsty for answers . . . And despite her difficulty overcoming a not-too-distant divorce with a husband that continually reminded her of her autism and her behavioral faux pas . . . she collects herself time and again and proves to be insightful, well-read, and courageous as she presses on. [ReadTFF.com]
The Ray Bradbury Award Winner For Best Speculative Fiction Likely To Blow The Doors Off Your Mind Palace goes to…R.F. Kuang for the novel BABEL.
This book is the one that moved me the most in the entire year of 2024.
I knew as soon as I read BABEL, it would make an indelible dent in my brain.
An excerpt from our review: If you are a fan of language or translation or history or great characters being challenged beyond your wildest prescient thoughts, then you must read this . . . As with many great stories – especially in the SFF-speculative fiction realm – the character’s path needs to resonate deeply, and Kuang’s protagonist Robin Swift does this while being utterly captivating. [ReadTFF.com]
The 1984: You Made Me Cry…Twice Award goes to Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass – it hurt so damn much.
If you want to buy any of the award-winning books, check them out here in my Bookshop.org List – I get a commission if you buy from there and monies are donated to local bookstores with each purchase:
The Red Death Award For A Work Most Likely To Keep You Too Terrified To Sleep Award goes to…THE CLUB DUMAS by Arturo Pérez-Reverte and Sonia Soto (Translator).
I love bibliomysteries, but this one combines a historic evil, played out in brutal fashion, against the backdrop of New York City, Spain, Portugal, and the many twists of a previously unknown The Three Musketeers manuscript pages.
THE CLUB DUMAS is utterly unique, but be careful you do not lose yourself as you strive to unravel the book’s many strands.
The Michael Crichton You Better Check Your Technology At The Door Sci-fi Award goes to…TOUCHED by Walter Mosley.
The language from one of the world’s best authors is as sharp as it comes!
The Da Vinci Ornithopter Award For Best Small Press Publication goes to…both Hard Case Crime for THE LAST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins and Phantasia Press for Mickey7 by Edward Ashton.
Quarry is the villain we love to root for, and, hell, make him an ‘antihero’ he does not give a damn as to your labels. In this book, there is an outstanding display of character growth for the would-be-retired assassin.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton was the first in a historic Phantasia Press relaunch, as the first fine press dedicated entirely to Sci-Fi-Fantasy returns in the 21st Century with a resounding BOOM and a gorgeous limited edition.
The Kurt Vonnegut Satiric Stylin’ Society Needs Kilgore Trout To Give It An Enema Award goes to…TIMEQUAKE by Kurt Vonnegut.
You will never read anything remotely like this novel – TIMEQUAKE is genius, but I know of no sane way to describe it to you.
Last, but not least, is the Inklings Award For Best Fantasy In Fiction is…FEET OF CLAY by Terry Pratchett.
The Discworld Series continues to daunt my dreams and haunt my, well for lack of a better word, daydreams, and, well, the point is these books are so bloody good, you want to keep reading more and more about Commander Vimes of the Night’s Watch and all of the plethora of fantastically, wonderful characters that contribute to the sludge that clings to the edge of the Disc.
FEET OF CLAY is an impactful classic on multiple fronts in the fantasy genre.
Here dear readers is the list of TFF Best Books of 2024:
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The Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot’s Mustache Equals Best Mystery Award
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The Ray Bradbury Award Winner For Best Speculative Fiction Likely To Blow The Doors Off Your Mind Palace
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The 1984: You Made Me Cry…Twice Award
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The Red Death Award For A Work Most Likely To Keep You Too Terrified To Sleep Award
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The Michael Crichton You Better Check Your Technology At The Door Sci-fi Award
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The Da Vinci Ornithopter Award For Best Small Press Publication x2
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Hard Case Crime for THE LAST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins
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Phantasia Press signed limited edition of Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
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The Kurt Vonnegut Satiric Stylin’ Society Needs Kilgore Trout To Give It An Enema Award
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Inklings Award For Best Fantasy In Fiction
Buy books here:
Happy New Year, Fictioneers!
Aug 18, 2023 | audiobook, book review, Book Reviews, Horror, SHILOH, Spoiler-Free
SHILOH: A NOVELLA OF THE CIVIL WAR by Philip Fracassi 5/5 Stars and all-around Aces for the work of historical fiction with a touch of the supernatural.
SHILOH plants you in the middle of the mayhem of one of the bloodiest battles in human history.
Philip Fracassi’s cinematic prose practically gives the reader a 4-D experience tossing us aside, book in-hand, even as the characters are blown backward by forest-leveling cannon fire.
The following book review of SHILOH: A NOVELLA OF THE CIVIL WAR by Philip Fracassi is SPOILER FREE.
Two days.
The battle lasted for two days.
In the Battle of Shiloh, in Tennessee, over twenty thousand Confederate and Union soldiers were killed, tens of thousands more were injured, and thousands more are missing.
That is no spoiler; that is history.
The surprise attack by the Confederacy, and their staunch entrenchment, made for the gargantuan amount of carnage that ensued in the infamous two-day long battle.
Fracassi has a way with words – to say the least – and his main characters Henry and his twin brother William provide the kind of insightful thoughts, brutal actions, and realistic conversation that brings the two Confederate soldiers to life, as they attempt to carry out one of the South’s most bold endeavors.
The setting could not be better written. The feel of the battlefield and of the notion of the risky sneak attack is palpable.
When night hits, it is offset by a magical, effervescent glow of the wounds of numerous soldiers after the first crazy day.
For after a day of fighting, mortal wounds have taken ahold of many, including William, and yet Henry sees something unnatural that leads to that emerald glow.
I never thought I would become invested and feel for two Rebel soldiers from the south in the Civil War, but Fracassi has me transfixed by Henry – his blind hatred of Grant, war, and religion are well-balanced and written in a way that creates strong empathy.
Prepare for incredible detail in the fighting – these men had muskets and bayonets – that leads to vivid gore, as blood and splinters fly.
If you enjoy history, or just thriller and speculative fiction grounded in gritty realism, SHILOH is a must-read!
I read this as an audiobook, and I have to say the narration is fantastic (so keep that in mind, Fictioneers).
“SHILOH: A NOVELLA OF THE CIVIL WAR by Philip Fracassi 5/5” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
Philip Fracassi is on his BOYS IN THE VALLEY Book Tour, and TFF’s own R.J. Huneke will be interviewing Philip Fracassi prior to his stop at the Mysterious Bookshop in New York LIVE on Facebook (the video will be on Youtube the next day), so be sure to tune in!
Aug 14, 2023 | 101 HORROR BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU'RE MURDERED, book review, Book Reviews, Horror, Sadie Mother Horror Hartmann, Spoiler-Free
101 HORROR BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU’RE MURDERED is essential reading for all of the fictioneers out there that either love speculative fiction, or want a curated introduction to the phenomenal horror fiction that has come out since the year 2000.
As Josh Malerman writes in his foreword to the book: “Welcome to modern horror.”
Sadie Hartmann’s 101 HORROR BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU’RE MURDERED adds urgency to the hunt for new great reading, as the renowned writer of a gargantuan amount of horror book reviews excitedly offers up the very best she has come across in the last 23 years.
There are horror indie books, self-published titles, and best-selling novels too.
Sadie Hartmann provides accessible literary criticism for the bevy of books in 101 that are clearly near and dear to her heart, even if some of them were so terrifying they made her sleep with the lights on.
My To-Be-Read (TBR) list grew by dozens, as I perused Hartmann’s meticulous work and found exciting insight tailored to my interests.
I could not put 101 HORROR BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU’RE MURDERED, or my Goodreads app, down!
There is a book for everyone in here and the way 101 is organized and explained makes for both fascinating and illuminating reading.
Each book falls under one of five categories: Paranormal, Supernatural, Human Monsters, Natural Order Horror, and Short Story Collections.
Each category is explained thoroughly with wit, knowledge, and relatable candor.
Paranormal is for Hartmann, “freaky shit that defies explanation,” and she is one-hundred percent right.
And then there are subcategories, like Supernatural’s Demons and Possession.
Two brilliant sections are given to each book review and were pivotal for me: the “At A Glance” section to the right of the review and the “Quote” section at the top of the review.
I LOVE quotes, even just one line in a work of literature, be it horror, non-fiction, or poetry; I find they are so revealing as to the book’s voice and the author’s writing.
Hartmann painstakingly searched for not just a good quote, but an impactful one that represented what the work and its author’s writing are about. It is genius.
On top of the Quote, Hartmann gives us the At A Glance map to the novel where you can read about the work’s specific Themes, Tone, Style, Setting, and the Publisher; and all of which I find very helpful when determining what might interest me to delve further into a book or to run shrieking into the night, because there are clown dolls in the tale, combining two of my worst fears.
Readers, authors, horror experts and novices alike will revel in learning so much from Sadie Hartmann’s 101+ horror books.
Wait, did I just say 101+ horror books?! What is with the +?
Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann’s 101 HORROR BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU’RE MURDERED goes above and beyond analyzing the books themselves and hits on the very genres, tropes, triggers, and myriad nuances that give such books so much power to move, thrill, and scare the hell out of us.
And yes, though Hartmann states that this is a book of the modern age of great horror and that she is not reviewing foundational figures such as Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, or Bram Stoker, but, and I mean BUT, you may find a wonderful surprise as you go along and read about each of the 101, because many of the featured authors and genres lend themselves to what these classic authors have done in literature and so, for example, there may be a few mentions of THE EXORCIST by Blatty that slip past Hartmann’s portcullis before the book is closed.
And though the 101 book is limited to 101 reviewed titles, there are also ten author spotlights throughout the book, because all of these authors’ works need to be read (so we have a plethora of great titles), and each of them, from Adam Nevill, Alma Katsu, Ania Ahlborn, Christopher Buehlman, Grady Hendrix, Josh Malerman, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Tananarive Due to V. Castro pick their own their three all-time favorite horror books for 101!
There also essays from other exceptional authors in the modern genre that feature their books too: Cassandra Khaw, Hailey Piper, Eric LaRocca, R.J. Joseph, and Daniel Kraus give their own thoughts on important aspects in horror.
So, what are some examples of the 101 modern horror gems in the book?
I am not telling.
Go and discover what graces the shadowy pages inside 101 HORROR BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU’RE MURDERED for yourselves. Ideally, do it before you’re murdered.
Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann is an author, is the Bram Stoker-nominated editor-in-chief of publisher Dark Hart Books, the owner/publisher of the horror fiction subscription service Night Worms (which is sooo much fun), and she is an epic reviewer of books.
“101 HORROR BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU’RE MURDERED Is Essential” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
Catch Sadie Mother Horror Hartmann on her book tour NOW!
Sadie Hartmann was kind enough to give TFF an extra copy of 101 and we are giving it away after we see Philip Fracassi at an upcoming signing in NYC and he signs his own book review in 101! You can enter the GIVEAWAY free on any of TFF’s social media or FB here.
Speaking of Mr. Fracassi’s Book Tour, TFF’s own R.J. Huneke will be interviewing Philip Fracassi prior to his stop at the Mysterious Bookshop in New York LIVE on Facebook (the video will be on Youtube the next day), so be sure to tune in!
