The Kingdom of Hell in Our Minds: The Kingdom of Hell is Inside You is a collection of bizarre and chaotic poetry

 

The Kingdom of Hell is Inside You

James Machell

Space Cowboy Publications, 2026

ISBN: 978-1-968958-08-4

Ebook, 21 ppg.

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They say that we often create our own hell within our minds. But what happens if Hell is already within us without having to create it ourselves?

 

That’s the message I got from the micro-chapbook of poetry The Kingdom of Hell is Inside You by James Machell. This bizarre collection of hellish poetry, where there are only 10 poems to read, was a wild ride.

 

But you won’t start reading these poems as the same person. Machell sets it all up at the very beginning, on page 1:

 

“Landlord put strangers in the shower,

shoes on the stairs, knives in the sink –

need privacy? Just dilute code with neurons

and expand within a vacuum. It’s cheaper

renting headspace. The cerebral cortex

is your living room and the service provider

installs windows. No guests allowed!

 

Eyes recalibrated, receptors drunk, polyglot as single interpreter, nobody leaves and the rain falls lovingly.”

 

Now that you have been properly acclimated to the environment, the next poem gives you a vision of the future, where today’s murky landscape becomes tomorrow’s everyday existence where we try to survive for yet another day. The next poem is about living in a bizarre world of crumbling surfaces and out-of-body experiences.

 

But that’s not all. The other poems in this short collection range from one of space travel, the struggle for acceptance when you are neurodiverse, and the ravages of poverty.

 

In essence, a Hell which a lot of us have to live through every day.

 

The poems are a short read but they are profound and thought-provoking. If you have some time to kill, pick up The Kingdom of Hell is Inside You by James Machell for a quick and trippy read.

 

 

 

Five stars.

 

 

 

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

 

An Island of Monsters: Where the Tide Leaves its Dead is a horror story of survival and rebellion

 

Where the Tide Leaves its Dead

Bray Mattheson

Next Chapter, 2026

Ebook, 266 ppg.

ISBN-13: 979-8254255765

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Casey Davies lives on a Polynesian island with his Hell-pig, Puaka, but his is not a charmed life. The island is riddled with zombie-like creatures called sea corpses, which seems to be an appropriate name for them because they come from the sea. In this debut novel by Bray Mattheson, Where the Tide Leaves its Dead is a story of what dangers lurk within the ocean. And it’s not just sharks!

 

As Casey and Puaka battle the monsters, Casey tries to find anyone still alive. And once he does, a new journey unfolds for him and Puaka, as his life becomes more about fending for himself on an island.

 

After Casey joins up with some other people determined to fight against the constant onslaught of the sea corpses, he learns more about the culture of the island as well as more information about what created the sea corpses in the first place. Casey is not one of the island natives; he is actually from Texas. He and his twin sister were orphaned after the sea corpses murdered their parents while they were lost at sea after their cruise ship sunk. But he and his sister ended up going separate ways after they settled on the island. As Casey goes through many adventures with his new friend Izzy, one of the Polynesian warriors who I kept picturing as Maui from the film Moana in my head, he begins to want to find his sister and protect her from the sea corpses.

 

As the story unfolds, Casey realizes that it’s not just the sea corpses that he has to worry about. There are other monsters lurking in this island horror novel that will send chills down your spine. Mattheson describes these monsters so well, and he really brings the settings to life, so much so as to make the reader feel like they are actually there.

 

What amazes me about Casey is how he remains humble in spite of the hero worship some people show to him after realizing he has been set free from something he was sure to die in. They are amazed. They have never seen it happen before. It is indeed amazing that Casey survived it, but the way he had survived was very creative and required him to be brave. He has to be VERY brave as more terrors unfold for him, and I liked how he does not let the hero worship go to his head. Not only this, but Casey manages to get a drinking problem he was dealing with at the beginning of the story under control. It is just one of the ways he grows and develops in the story.

 

I was also impressed by the “gladiator fights” that happen towards the end of the story. They are certainly creative battles! The monsters are unique and Mattheson’s descriptions of the characters, as well as their personalities, made it easy for me to stay with the story and not get confused by who was who.

 

And the ending was absolutely epic! I had tears in my eyes at the very end. Everything got wrapped up beautifully and all of the questions I had about this story were answered.

 

Where the Tide Leaves its Dead is a masterful tale of island horror readers are sure to enjoy and appreciate. Filled with a variety of characters and monsters, this story is one of survival, friendship, and family. A novel that truly captures Polynesian culture and legends, this book offers readers a story of people trying to survive against horrors that are not of this world, and of rebuilding their lives in the shadow of terror.

 

 

Five stars  

 

 

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

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.

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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.