Welcome to the Lair!
Exploring dark alleys. Discovering new nightmares.
Revisiting the masters.
The sequel to one of those most popular zombies of all time in a new, uncut, author's preferred edition!
In this sequel to THE RISING, cities are overrun with legions of the undead, intent on destroying what's left of the living. Trapped inside a fortified skyscraper, a handful of survivors prepare to make their last stand against an unstoppable, merciless enemy. With every hour their chances diminish and their numbers dwindle, while the ranks of the dead continue to rise. Because sooner or later, everything dies. And then it comes back, ready to kill.
Deadite Press is proud to present this uncut, Author's Preferred Edition of Brian Keene's seminal CITY OF THE DEAD
CITY OF THE DEAD by Brian Keene gives Ob and his army of zombies just as much coverage as the survivors. Not only do readers discover what has become of the characters from the first book, but Keene also reveals the motivation and plans of the undead. The sequel could have easily been titled, The Hunt.
Once again, the humans are forced to run a gauntlet in order to stay alive, but, this time, they must navigate a privately owned skyscraper. With birds and bats attacking from above, rats trying to work their way in from below, and Ob's army overtaking the city, there appears to be no place to escape to. The human race will only be able to survive if they leave science behind and accept a new way of thinking.
As always,
AstraDaemon
The classic that helped start a pop culture phenomenon - back in print and UNCUT!
Since it's 2003 debut, Brian Keene's THE RISING is one of the best-selling zombie novels of all-time. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, inspired the works of other authors and filmmakers, and has become a cultural touchstone for an entire generation of horror fans.
THE RISING is the story of Jim Thurmond, a determined father battling his way across a post-apocalyptic zombie landscape, to find his young son. Accompanied by Martin, a preacher still holding to his faith, and Frankie, a recovering heroin addict with an indomitable will to survive, Jim travels from state to state and town to town, facing an endless onslaught of undead hordes, and the evils perpetrated by his fellow man.
This brand-new, author's preferred edition, restores nearly 30,000 words of material that was cut from the original edition. These new chapters, which have never been seen by anyone before now, expand the original story, adding new depths to characters and more horrific situations.
You may think you've read THE RISING, but you haven't read it all until you read this edition!
Deadite Press is proud to present this uncut, author's preferred edition, which also includes a lengthy essay by the author about the novel's genesis and history.
THE RISING by Brian Keene is a metaphysical twist on zombies. The first time I read the original version, I didn't like the undead. I was into viral, unthinking zombies at the time Keene's novel was first released. As much as I love the author's work, several years went by before I would even consider giving the novel another chance. I'm glad I did.
The nature of the undead is bad enough, and pretty damn hopeless, but the military has also turned on the survivors, using them for slave labor and other atrocities. Sounds typical of this genre, but Keene's version of a zombie apocalypse is anything but typical. The author switches POVs as well as storylines, until several characters converge on the location where everything began, adding multiple layers and tragedies to battle mankind has no chance of winning.
Readers will get road rash of the mind trying to hold on to this savage ride with Keene and his undead nightmare. Best strap in tight.
As always,
AstraDaemon
For the employees of Big Bill's Home Electronics, it's just the end of another long workday-until a gunman bursts into the store and begins shooting. Now, with some of their co-workers dead, the hostages are disappearing one-by-one, and if they want to survive the night, they'll have to escape... THE CAGE.
Deadite Press is proud to make Brian Keene's hard-to-find, ultra-violent novella THE CAGE available to a wider audience. Also includes three rare bonus stories: "Marriage Causes Cancer In Rats," "Lest Ye Become," and "Waiting For Darkness"
The Cage by Brian Keene is all about the unknown. Not knowing who the stranger is, not knowing what he's doing with the electronics, not knowing what is happening to the employees when they are led, one by one, from the cage. They can't fight the unknown, they can't plan for it...Keene takes a risk keeping his readers in a holding pattern, but the risk pays off as the imagination runs wild, wondering what in the HELL is on the other side of those warehouse doors.
Marriage Cause Cancer In Rats reminds me of the stories played out in Tales of the Crypt.
Lest Ye Become is more of a sci-fi flash fiction piece than horror.
Waiting For Darkness is creepy AF.
All of these stories focus more on the monsters which mess with our heads, rather than physical horror.
As always,
AstraDaemon
There was no warning. No chance to escape. They came suddenly. Naked. Bloodthirsty. Sadistic. They descended upon the Pine Village Apartment Complex, relentlessly torturing and killing anyone they could find.
Fearing for their lives, the residents of the complex must band together. A young trans woman, a suicidal middle-aged writer, a lonely Vietnam vet, a newlywed couple, an elderly widow, a single mother and her son, two on-the-run criminals and the serial killer known as The Exit. Eleven strangers. The only thing they have in common is the unstoppable horde that wants to kill them. If they are to make it through the night, they must fight back.
The Complex by Brian Keene is told through various POVs of the apartment tenants, revealing backstories for each character, as well as referencing events and characters from the author's short stories included in Scratch and Jack's Magic Beans. I couldn't help but feel the tenants could be people I've crossed paths with in the past, giving the story a more personal feel and amping the horror of their battle for survival.
I urge readers to pay special attention to Javier's POV, as it offers some insight into the supernatural entities from Keene's stories, such as Halves. There are just so many great elements in this novella, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. As entertaining as the horror is, I am most impressed by the sociological aspects, particularly Stephanie's last words.
I would love, LOVE, a follow-up story strictly from Hannibal's POV. Better yet, have Hannibal and Javier team up in a story of their own.
As always,
AstraDaemon
April showers bring May flowers. But as the rain-swollen creeks recede, the residents of one rural Pennsylvania town learn that April showers bring something far worse than destructive floods and property damage. This year, the April showers have brought a crypto-zoological nightmare named Scratch, and only pain and terror follow in his wake.
This novella from award-winning, best-selling horror writer Brian Keene also includes a bonus short story - "Halves".
Scratch by Brian Keene is one of the few stories I've read which genuinely concerns me. I've encountered some mind-blowing oversized creatures lurking in the Missouri River in South Dakota, and I've read about bull sharks making their way into freshwater creeks, as well as other real-life examples of nature resembling the monsters in American folklore, so Keene's story about the nightmare living in a Pennsylvanian stream is just too damn believable for me. I will be keeping a close eye on the tree line in the flood zone behind my house during our next rain season, just in case. Once again, the author's talent for blending fact and fiction results in a rather frightening piece of horror.
Halves is a short story about the usefulness of an outdoor cat. Reminded me a bit of General from Cat's Eye, but the suspense is much more intense, and I enjoyed the POV of the parent.
I also appreciated the little nods within each tale to some of Keene's other stories.
Keep checking back for more Days of Keene! Reviews are being posted on a delay due to more than one family emergency this month.
As always,
AstraDaemon
It happens in a split-second. One moment, customers are happily shopping in the Save-A-Lot grocery store. The next instant, they are transformed into bloodthirsty psychotics, interested only in slaughtering one another and committing unimaginably atrocious and frenzied acts of violent depravity. Only Jack, Sammi, Angie and Marcel seem immune to the insanity that has infected the rest of the town. But can they stay alive long enough -- and trust each other long enough -- to unravel the secret of Jack's magic beans... Deadite Press is proud to bring one of Brian Keene's bleakest and most violent novellas back into print once more. This edition also includes four bonus short stories: "Without You", "I Am An Exit", "This Is Not An Exit", and "The King, in: YELLOW".
Jack's Magic Beans by Brian Keene opens with, "The lettuce started talking to Ben Mahoney halfway through his shift at Save-A-Lot," and, if you've ever worked in a grocery store, it's not that difficult to imagine the produce telling you to kill the customers. Although, I do have to admit, Keene's level of savagery between the customers and employees far exceeds any Black Friday rioting. I love how quickly the author throws the reader into the brutal action, from kicking and stabbing to running people down in the parking lot.
Without You is a morbid version of the saying, "Till death do us part."
I Am An Exit has a slightly predictable ending...not the usual shock and awe I've come to expect from Keene. However, this story features a character who connects many other stories together.
This Is Not An Exit is a sequel to the previous short story. This one is surprising.
The King, in: Yellow makes me think Keene channeled Lovecraft.
Not a bad mix, but I prefer Keene's longer stories.
As always,
AstraDaemon
From Grandmaster of Horror, Brian Keene, comes a pandemic tale of survival and terror.
When a freak storm hits, time is the enemy as a government-created super virus gets loose and spreads through the quiet little town of Godfrey, Illinois. But the virus isn't the only threat. There are mysterious forces at play and disease is just one instrument of fear.
Previously out of print and never before available as a stand-alone, this new edition of WHITE FIRE has been revised and expanded, and is considered the Author's Preferred Version.
White Fire by Brian Keene has one of the most spectacular storm descriptions I've ever read, with the tornado being a rather extreme version of foreshadowing. The author hooked me with the unusual pairing of Captain Tom Collins and private contractor Phil McLeod, daring to break away from the stereotypical males usually found in the horror genre.
Having read Take the Long Way Home prior to this story, I'm under the impression Keene has developed a skill for weaving theology within horror, without being too obvious. Adding this extra element takes the author's terrifying tales beyond the realms of psychology and sociology, showing readers how a virus can devastate mankind physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.
You don't read a Keene story, you experience the nightmare. The only happy ending is being able to move on to his next story.
As always,
AstraDaemon
All across the world, people suddenly vanish in the blink of an eye. From their cars during the rush hour commute. From the shopping malls. Their homes. Their beds. Even from the arms of their loved ones. Airline pilots. World leaders. Teachers. Parents. Children. Gone. Steve, Charlie and Frank were just trying to get home when it happened. Now they find themselves left behind, and wishing they'd disappeared, too. Trapped in the ultimate traffic jam, they watch as civilization collapses, claiming the souls of those around them. God has called his faithful home, but the invitations for Steve, Charlie and Frank got lost. Now they must set off on foot through a nightmarish post-apocalyptic landscape in search of answers. In search of God. In search of their loved ones. And in search of home.
Take the Long Way Home by Brian Keene is a novella featuring a personal POV of the Rapture. The entire storyline takes place within one night, and those left behind, with a few exceptions, waste no time turning into absolute savages. The violence goes far beyond people exploiting the breakdown of society, into pure madness. Steven is one of the few who survives the first night, but what he witnesses will certainly inflict a special kind of pain and suffering of his soul.
While this novella has the quality storytelling I've come to expect from Keene, the subject matter is sure to offend some readers, regardless of their religious/spiritual beliefs or non-beliefs. For those who do take issue, I strongly recommend they read the author's note at the end. I think Keene is more than fair with his handling of the religious aspects, without using his characters to manipulate readers into any specific mindset.
With all that said, this is a very entertaining novella, which is sure to appeal to many horror fans.
As always,
AstraDaemon
When Daniel Miller wakes up one morning, something has gone terribly wrong. The power is out. The phones are dead. The house is silent. The street is shrouded in fog. Both his partner and their adopted daughter are missing. So are their neighbors. And so is everyone else in the world. Daniel Miller is the last person left on Earth... or is he?
Alone by Brian Keene is not the usual style of writing I've come to expect from the author, but, man, he nailed it. Keene kept me guessing. I had my suspicions, but the odd detail here and there continued to throw me off.
Even when Keene drops the bomb on readers, I still didn't know what to expect in the end. I felt Daniel's fear throughout the story. Nothing like uncertainty to to turn alone time into a nightmare.
As always,
AstraDaemon
Eight-year-old Alan doesn’t like going to school, but when a global pandemic leaves him orphaned, cold, starving, and lonely, he has no choice but to set out on a dangerous quest to return to his third-grade classroom.
SCHOOL’S OUT, an all-new post-apocalyptic novella by Grandmaster Award winning author Brian Keene, was suggested to him by his son, marking their first official collaboration, and is suitable for all ages.
School's Out by Brian Keene is a horror novella that I can recommend to my friends AND their kids. The focus of the story is all about Alan's level of critical thinking during a pandemic, which has taken his parents away from him. He often references YouTube videos and his parents to make decisions.
During his time alone, Alan faces everything from caring for himself and his cat to stranger danger and feral dogs. Not to mention that Alan is also on the autism spectrum. Throughout the story, I felt the boy's feelings, thoughts, and actions were believable behavior from a grade-schooler facing multiple hardships.
My own son, at age 8, had grown up with a mom writing for horror websites, and a dad performing stunt choreography in dozens of horror movies. My son also acted in a zombie movie (his character even survives to the end), so the topic of "what if" in an apocalyptic situation is something my son grew up with.
It sounds extreme, as well as morbid, but planning for a worst-case scenario prepared my son for common emergencies. Additionally, the "what if" discussions made it easier to address the serious topics in the news headlines. I highly recommend this story as a way to have your own "what if" discussion with your kids. Their responses might delight and surprise you.
As always,
AstraDaemon
They came to the deserted island to compete on a popular reality television show. Each one hoped to be the last to leave. Now they're just hoping to stay alive, because the island isn't deserted after all. Contestants are disappearing, but they aren't being eliminated by the game. They're being taken by the monstrous, half-human creatures that live deep in the jungle.
The men will be slaughtered. The women will be kept alive as captives. Night is falling, the creatures are coming, and rescue is so far away...
Castaways by Brian Keene is a savage story showcasing the very best and the very worst of human nature as participants in a reality show are forced to battle another species for survival. Originally, the game contestants were just supposed to compete with each other for a million dollar prize on a television show, but the island is inhabited by a long-lost tribe which followed a very different evolutionary path.
The characters and their personalities are revealed much the way contestants are portrayed on shows such as Survivor, which elicited a similar response. However, instead of cheering for someone to move on to the next round, or be eliminated, I found myself hoping certain characters would make it to the end of the novel, while wishing death on others.
If you are squeamish or merely dabble in the horror genre, do not read this...you won't be able to stomach the violence and gore. Seriously -- Brian Keene is the author I turned to when I thought Stephen King went soft. Keene is so hard, his fans are often left feeling destroyed at the end of his stories. If you do read this novel, and you survive Castaways, I highly recommend Keene's work. All of it.
As always,
AstraDaemon
