To coincide with Mark S. Deniz’s cycle in support of the Children’s Heart Federation’s Children’s Heart Week 2010, Morrígan Books has decided to donate £1 for every book sold through our site this week (10th - 16th May).

So by ordering a book from Morrígan Books this week will not only guarantee a cracking read but also that you’ll be doing your bit to help children in need too. Sounds good doesn’t it?

Please note that pre-orders are allowed in this deal but sales from Amazon or Drive Thru Horror are not.

And after a very worthy review of Part Two, we move to Part Three, this time focusing on the horror within us, the darkness we carry:

‘The Beast Within submerges the readers in this fear and in five distinct exposés stays true to the theme of the anthology, while casting limelight on the internal bestiary humans hide inside their ribcages, both metaphorically and literally.

Full review below:

Temple Library Reviews: Dead Souls Part Three: The Beast Within

Love, death and war…

The Morrigan goddess represented all three to the ancient Celts. Journey with our authors as they tell stories of love, war, hatred, revenge and mortality - each featuring the Morrigan in her many guises.

Re-visit the world of Deverry, and of Nevyn, with a previously unpublished tale by Katharine Kerr, watch the Norse gods meet their Celtic counterparts with Elaine Cunningham, meet a druid who dances for the dead with C.E. Murphy and follow the path of a Roman centurion with Anya Bast.

These are but a few offerings from the stories collection in The Phantom Queen Awakes. If you are searching for a rich blend of dark fantasy, then this is a collection perfect for you.

The Phantom Queen Awakes stories:

Rising Tide: Ruth Shelton
Kiss of the Morrigan: Anya Bast
I Guard Your Death: Lynne Lumsden Green
Gifts of the Morrigan: Donald Jacob Uitvlugt
Cairn Dancer: C. E. Murphy
Washerwoman: Jennifer Lawrence
The Raven’s Curse: Sharon Kae Reamer
Ravens: Mari Ness
The Lass from Far Away: Katharine Kerr
The Trinket: Peter Bell
The Dying Gaul: Michael Bailey
The Children of Badb Catha: James Lecky
The Plain of Pillars: L. J. Hayward
The Silver Branch: Linda Donahue
The Good and Faithful Servant: Martyn Taylor
The White Heifer of Fearchair: T. A. Moore
She Who is Becoming: Elaine Cunningham

UK, Australian and European release dates to follow.

US: $20 (Amazon.com)

I can formally announce today that Morrigan Books has taken on four new editors for our upcoming projects over the next two years:

Gerard Brennan and Michael Stone, are currently hard at work editing the Irish crime anthology: The Red Hand of Crime and we are very honoured to have these two on board, not only as authors in other projects, but now as editors. Very much looking forward to seeing this book.

Pete Kempshall, author of countless stories for Big Finish and long heavily involved behind the scenes at Morrigan Books, will now co-edit our Australian version of Scenes from the Second Storey, with Amanda Pillar, due for release at next year’s World Con in Melbourne.

Greg Ballam, currently art consultant at Morrigan Books, has agreed to co-edit the international version of Scenes from the Second Storey, with Mark S. Deniz. This anthology is also due for release next autumn.

Today, Morrígan Books proudly announces the addition of two talented, up-and-coming editors to its staff: Sharon Ring and Kym MacFarlane.

Known for her work at Dark Fiction Review and Science Fiction and Fantasy Enthusiasts, Sharon Ring, has previously worked on several behind-the-scenes projects at Morrígan Books and will edit Shadow’s Bloom, the new sequel to T.A. Moore’s wonderfully illustrated novel, The Even.

Sharon’s other duties will include administrating the business side of the team’s activities.

Kym MacFarlane will edit another Morrígan Books‘ novel currently in progress. She has also worked extensively behind-the-scenes here at the company and will continue to do so in the future.

Morrígan Books is extremely pleased to welcome two talented women to their new staff positions.

Before God created light, there was darkness. Even after He illuminated the world, there were shadows — shadows that allowed the darkness to fester and infect the unwary. The tales found within Dead Souls explore the recesses of the soul; those people and creatures that could not escape the shadows. From the inherent cruelness of humanity to malevolent forces, Dead Souls explores the depths of humanity as a lesson to the ignorant, the naive and the unsuspecting. God created light, but it is a temporary grace that will ultimately fail us, for the darkness is stronger and our souls…are truly dead.

Dead Souls contains twenty five stories that will only ensure the darkness without enfolds you in its cold embrace…beware…be ready…be damned!

Order your copy now!

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UK: £15 + shipping

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US: $25 + shipping

First up is a review of The Even, over at A Writer Goes on a Journey:

The Even

and then we have a review of How to Make Monsters at Horrorworld:

How To Make Monsters
(scroll down for review)

Both reviews are positive and while I am not so sure I agree with the charge of ‘less than stellar editing’ (from a reviewer who knows not where apostrophes live) and even though I wish the reviewer of How To Make Monsters would work on getting Gary’s titles right, it seems these two are rather popular books just at present!

The Even can be purchased here

and How to Make Monsters here

A review is now up on HorrorScope.

“Voices, edited by Mark S. Deniz and Amanda Pillar, consists of a series of stories, with the only connecting thread between them the setting: a hotel room. This shared setting works well, giving the reader the sense that they are wandering through an old, shadowed hotel, getting glimpses of the stories that lie within the identical rooms. The stories all seem fragmented, and yet part of a greater whole. It leaves one feeling like there are empty rooms lying between those occupied ones, pieces of the greater story that are as yet untold.

A further sense of connection is given by Robert Hood’s series of interconnected pieces which frame the book as epilogue and prologue as well as being part of each of the four sections – these pieces really give a true feeling of unity to the anthology.

Each piece in this anthology is vivid and eerie, running the gamut from the faintly creepy to the truly disturbing. Many have an almost dream-like (or perhaps nightmare-like) quality, making the most of their few words to paint truly vivid pictures.

The stories vary in tone. Paul Kane’s “The Suicide Room” is haunting and poetic, and one of the most evocative pieces in Voices. Martin Livings’ disturbing “Bedbugs” and Todd Edwards’ “Paris” are pure horror (and will make you think twice the next time you lay down in that hotel bed or take those pills). Shane Jiraiya Cummings’ work is excellent as always, with the vivid and disturbing “A Picture of Death”.

Every story in Voices is of high quality, and the editors should be commended for their high standards. This is one of the best anthologies of dark fiction to have been released recently, and is highly recommended.”

“Voices” is a nice collection of horror stories that deals more with the supernatural and paranormal aspects of the genre and less or almost not at all with the gory and macabre part. Also the anthology edited by Mark S. Deniz and Amanda Pillar presents new or established authors of the genre and I personally discovered through “Voices” a few names that stirred my interest.

Read the review over at Dark Wolf

And you can always buy the book at the Morrigan Books site!

Three Crow Press

On the winter solstice, Morrígan Books will celebrate the divide of light and dark by launching its online magazine, Three Crow Press.

Three Crow Press is an online magazine specializing in quality speculative fiction, supernatural, fantasy (urban, dark and gothic), horror and steampunk as well as non-fiction pieces and articles. Well written young adult will be considered if the piece is within the 16+ market. We are prepared to consider all genre-related works and are looking for stories that capture the imagination of the Three Crow staff.

Winter Solstice Deadline: December 1, 2008

Fiction Word Count and Parameters: Stories should be between 500 and 3,000 words. There is no theme to the issue but story must fit within the specified genres. Payment for submissions are 1 cent (US) per word following acceptance.

Settings: Any part of the world, mythology or culture.

Timeline: We will consider any story set at any time in the past, present or near future as long as the story is within the specified genres.

All materials must be an original work by the submitting individual. Reprint copyrights will remain with you. No simultaneous submissions will be accepted. Previously published material will only be accepted if discussed with the editor first.

For more information please go to Three Crow Press Submissions at:

http://www.morriganezine.com/submissions.html