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Book Review: Normal for the Spider by Hank Schwaeble

Normal For The Spider by Hank Schwaeble.

Blackstone, 2026

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8228365018

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook (pre-order before September 15)

Buy:  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

Readers know that when they pick up a book with the header “Weird Tales Presents” that it’s going to be a wild ride: something that is anything but normal. Hank Schwaeble, a Bram Stoker winner for Damnable, a stellar supernatural horror-thriller, has produced strong book after book, hitting on all spooky gears without a misstep.

 

Normal for the Spider is his strangest book yet, bringing something different to the world of killers and shadowy groups in an engaging, well-told tale that horror fans (and thriller freaks) will likely love.

 

Sienna Snow is a renegade, a killer who has her own set of rules, but unlike many others, she simply kills for her own agenda. Her reasons are her own and she’s not one to give speeches before the fatal blow. One day, she’s evading someone and dips into a store where the owner helps her hide, yet soon she realizes she’s been captured, like a fly for the titular spider. Something is trapped in the basement with her, something not quite right.

 

When she’s let in on the secret, that a group that calls itself the Book Club (how can that be a bad thing? Plenty of readers here would love to sign up for that) prey on the biggest predators in society. Those who feel they’re the apex in the food chain find themselves in horrific situations by the group are the decision makers in the world and are often terrible people.

 

Sienna jumps aboard, and the Book Club brings her to their island to discover what they’re truly about–  which is when the novel really takes off. What happens on the island? The worst nightmares for those caught in the spider’s web, with fates twisted in evil, but enticing ways. Yet there’s something else present on the island, something even darker than the members, and tougher than Sienna.

 

Schwaeble’s writing, which is always top notch, pulls the reader along the macabre journey with a cast of characters that aren’t exactly easy to fall for, but he succeeds. Sienna is a great character who bucks the system but intrigues enough to keep the pages turning. The writing is crisp and the pace is intense enough for a thriller, but the horror is strong.

 

For novels released in 2026, Normal for the Spider is going to be a strong contender for the year’s best list. Highly recommended reading.

 

 

Reviewed by David Simms

Posted on August 25, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: What Waits in the Shadows by Wil Forbis

Cover art for What Waits in the Shadows by Wil Forbis

What Waits in the Shadows by Wil Forbis

Self published, 2024

ISBN: 9798877647923

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:  Amazon.com

 

 

Remember all those stories as a kid about the monster in the closet?  In the case of What Waits in the Shadows, there actually is a monster in the closet.  Not only can it talk, it rips heads off people and tosses them out like a basketball.  This makes for a pretty good story,

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Ever since Lisa Kallman, as a kid, witnessed the above treatment of her dad by the monster, she’s been trying to put it behind her, and after years of therapy, she seems on the verge of a normal life.  This part is a little paint-by-numbers: of course she works in mental health, has the new house, a great fiancée, and so on.  It gets more fun when the monster shows back up again and starts not just going after her, but those around her as well.  There is some decent suspense here, and the scenes where the monster destroys someone in bloody fashion are good fun.  The secondary character of Jeremiah O’Brien adds a nice flavor to the book: he’s the guy wrongfully imprisoned for killing Lisa’s dad.  Would you really expect the authorities to believe a story about a closet monster ripping off heads?  Of course not!  Jeremiah’s story thread, as he is hell-bent on revenge for a stolen life, adds a good perspective to the book and helps keep it from becoming too predictable.

 

The end of the book is wrapped up nicely, and the big reveal about the monster shows good imagination: it’s a nice twist on the story.  This book might have been a bit more fun if a few hints had been sprinkled throughout the story: little clues are good for keeping readers hooked.  As it is, you’ll think it’s just a garden-variety monster until the end.

 

The one part that really should have been fixed is the strange formatting.  The book has 1.5 spacing for the lines, but is double-spaced between each paragraph, which is not normally done. Also, there are no indents for paragraphs in the entire book: all the type is slugged to the left hand margins.  As a result, the book comes in at 245 pages, although it would probably be closer to 150-175 pages if formatted correctly.  I’m not sure if this was the author’s choice or an error, but it should be corrected in future printings.

 

Bottom line::it’s worth a look.  While not a must-read, it is good enough to check out when you have the time.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

Posted on August 18, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Dear Mothman by Robin Gow

It’s the first day of the #TransRightsReadathon, so to start it out right here’s a review of a recent favorite middle-grade novel I really enjoyed. You can’t go wrong with cryptids!

 

cover art for Dear Mothman by Robin Gow

Dear Mothman by Robin Gow.

Harry N. Abrams, 2023

ISBN: 9781419764400

Available: Hardcover

Buy:  Bookshop.org

 

 

This middle grade verse novel dealing with grief, identity, and monstrosity is lyrical and vivid. Sixth graders Lewis and Noah (closeted trans boys) have been best friends for years. Lewis has a great imagination and Noah is pulled along in his wake in exploring all kinds of strange things. In the time just before Lewis was killed in a car crash, he had been obsessed with cryptids, especially Mothman. Noah deals with the loss by writing journal entries to Mothman in a journal he leaves in the woods each night. He wants to believe that Mothman is real even if he can’t see him, and decides to do his science fair project on whether Mothman exists.

 

Noah also begins to make friends with Molly, Hanna, and Alice, and develop feelings for Hanna, while slowly coming out and deciding how much of himself, and Mothman, he wants to share.

 

Although he is outed to his classmates before he’s ready, the people around him accept the news pretty quickly, even if they don’t entirely understand. Unfortunately, they are not as accepting of the existence of Mothman, which leads him to run away to do a solitary search in the woods that changes him, helps him deal with his grief over Lewis, and move forward.

 

Noah is autistic and that comes through clearly and is written with respect and sensitivity, as is the bisexuality of two of the characters.

 

Noah’s grappling with monstrosity, magic, and the unknown isn’t subtle, but Gow gets the kinds of thoughts on paper that you would expect a journal of private thoughts (or written to a cryptid of dubious existence) to contain. In the acknowledgements. Gow credits a childhood fascination with monsters with his ability to understand his own identity. Recommended for grades 5-8.

 

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 22, 2024 by , Reply
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