Malicious Magic: Say Uncle is a story of that one relative with dangerous powers and frightening secrets

 

Say Uncle

Ryan C. Bradley

Ghoulish Books, 2025

ISBN: 978-1-963801-10-1

Ebook, 198 ppg.

Buy link 

 

Most 15-year-olds get excited when it’s finally summer vacation, but for Braden, his summer vacay is ruined after he learns he must give up his room for his uncle Pauly, who is staying with the family after some marital problems develop between him and his wife. Then Braden discovers a mysterious book in his room that can only belong to his uncle, a book with scary drawings in it. As he struggles to keep everything on the downlow and act cool about losing his room while also dealing with bullying from his older brother Sam, Braden nearly loses control as things go from bad to worse real fast. It doesn’t help that his parents always defer to Sam every time the brothers have a fight or that his uncle’s strange behavior could mean serious trouble for him. The summer he had hoped would be the typical teen summer vacation swiftly turns into a nightmare after someone is killed, the police start asking questions and Braden is trying to keep his friendship with a girl he has a crush on.

 

Say Uncle by Ryan C. Bradley was an amazing read! Filled with some family trauma in addition to truly terrifying events that are hard to believe, this is definitely a must-have novel for every horror fan to read.

 

This may be a story containing a lot of family trauma, but it’s certainly the kind of stuff I was able to relate to. Parents holding up a favored sibling no matter how they act, parents who were previously neglectful reacting with shock when being called out and asking the kid why they never said anything, and the bullying sibling being so much of a threat that the main character feels like they’re walking on eggshells around them. Oh, yeah. Definitely relatable stuff!

 

But that’s the good thing about this story. The family dynamics are real. This is stuff that a lot of readers can relate to because it’s stuff they have also lived through.

 

Braden is not only accustomed to how he’s treated in the family, he also is so damn complacent about it. I really wondered just how much that kid was willing to take before exploding at everyone. And when he does “explode” by telling his mom that he’s upset because she just willingly kicked Braden out of his room for her brother and how Sam had just beat the ever-loving crap out of him should not be explained away as “your brother’s under a lot of stress.” What, so it’s okay for him to be so violent to his younger sibling? I mean, she doesn’t even hear him. She doesn’t even care. So uncool.

 

Still, at some point, Braden and Sam do find a way to work together after getting into trouble with the police. It wasn’t enough to make me hopeful that Sam might finally come around and start treating his brother better, but that part of the story was still nice to see.

 

But all this family BS is NOT the horror of the story. The REAL horror of this story is the deadly magic that is used.

 

Yes, magic. The thing that lots of people don’t believe in and think is just a bunch of fantasy. But some people DO know how to use magic, especially in a deadly way. And those people are in this story.

 

This is not a fantasy story. It’s a horror story. This is a story where magic is used in a malicious and evil way. And it’s written into the story so well that I didn’t think for one minute it was all just fantasy. As it is, there are some VERY secretive books out in the world with powerful stuff in them that goes back to ancient times where magic was safely used without persecution. One of those books is what gives the uncle in this story the power to use magic, and he has some terrible ways of using it. Braden tries to stop him, but his uncle seems to keep being two steps ahead of him, and he keeps getting himself into danger.

 

Say Uncle was a book that was hard to put down! The horror and chaos in this story kept me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath as I kept reading each terrifying chapter. Yes, the story had a slow start, but once it picks up, it grabs the reader and doesn’t let go until the very end.

 

A frightening and gripping story!

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Things that Go Bump in Our Bodies: Lupus in Fabula is an Unforgettable Collection of Weird and Surreal Horror

 

Lupus in Fabula

Briar Ripley Page

Cursed Morsels Press, 2025

ISBN-13: 979-8988413868

Ebook, 192 ppg.

Buy link 

 

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading Lupus in Fabula by Briar Ripley Page. I know that “lupus” is part of the name “canis lupus,” which is the scientific term for “wolf,” and the wolf is my favorite animal, but I didn’t know how a wolf would factor here. Apparently, “fabula” means “a traditional tale,” but these tales are far from traditional.

 

In fact, the title story is not your traditional “wolf” story and I absolutely loved how the author chose to portray the wolf here, along with a REAL wolf!

 

There is a nice mix of speculative and slipstream fiction in this book. It also offers a variety of characters, some who are straight or gay, some who are rich or poor, the outcasts and the misunderstood.

 

Here are my comments on some of the stories which I really enjoyed reading:

 

“Swallow Me (W)hole” was such a bizarre story. In some ways, I think I figured out what was happening, but maybe not. My take is that it was cosmic horror. The ending was a big surprise!

 

“The Witch’s Wife” was another story I really enjoyed reading. The love and devotion between the witch and her wife was beautiful and everything that happened with them was so tragic and sad.

 

As I read the story “The Holy Incubus of West Virginia,” I couldn’t help but think that the creature in the story is not what the character thinks it is. From the description, the creature sounds like a Mothman. The character thinks it’s an angel. But I was back to thinking it was a Mothman when the character’s first question to the creature was, “Did you make the bridge collapse?” Plus, it’s set in West Virginia. But, eh, who knows. I just kept reading to find out.

 

“Desire in the Flooded World” was such a good story, too. I liked how, despite after a natural disaster such as flooding, life went on for everybody. Even after cities are underwater. And how people are working and loving while living in a city struck by a natural disaster. I loved the way this story was told, and how the different POVs had me putting the puzzle pieces together at the end.

 

“Gorgonland” is another good story in this book. At first, I was a little confused by the constant dust, but the constant appearance of a stone Medusa as well as the mention of an exotic land helped me to realize what was happening with our young lover.

 

I also liked “The Mood After All” because it was such an interesting twist on the zombie trope. It’s a zombie story without being a zombie story!

 

The title story was my absolute favorite story. It is a strange werewolf story. Readers need a strong stomach and open mind to read this story. And, remember, it’s fiction! No real animals or people were actually hurt!

 

Lupus in Fabula is an unforgettable collection of stories ranging from the tragic to the unsettling, the mundane to the bizarre. It takes readers along an imaginative and otherworldly journey of stories capturing a variety of characters struggling to make sense of things. Told through the lens of horror and surrealism, these stories will leave a lasting impression on readers that maybe it’s better to leave the things we don’t know or understand to the mysterious other.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.