Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

Felix Renn collection contest winner

Congratulations to Teresa Maynard, winner of the Felix Renn chapbook giveaway over at BloodyBookish.com! I hope you enjoy the books!

Thanks also to everyone else who participated in the contest. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that all three chapbooks in the Felix Renn series are still available from Burning Effigy Press for only $20.

Also, Peter Darbyshire, author of The Warhol Gang, has some very nice things to say about the Felix Renn chapbooks. Thanks, Peter!

Bloody Bookish BEKs

Mary Rajotte over at Bloody Bookish has posted a review of “Black-Eyed Kids” as part of my month-long feature in The Bloodlight. Here’s an excerpt:

Rogers continues to engage and intrigue with his trademark cross-over of the supernatural mystery…. [his] writing has a cinematic quality that is fully immersive.

Read the full review.

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to swing over to BloodyBookish.com and enter the contest to win a complete set of the Felix Renn chapbooks.

I was also very pleased and honoured to see that the Felix Renn chapbooks made Jim Mcleod’s Top Ten Discoveries of 2011 over at Ginger Nuts of Horror. Thanks, Jim!

More BEKs reviews

Woke up today to two new reviews of “Black-Eyed Kids.” The first comes from Nicholas Kaufmann, author of the excellent novellas General Slocum’s Gold and Chasing the Dragon:

“The Black-Eyed Kids… are relatable in form but utterly terrifying in action and motivation, not to mention extremely violent, all of which, I think, makes them really frightening. We also get to meet another weird and original creature from the Black Lands, the blackwood, a carnivorous, spider-like tree, which shows up in one of the novella’s best set pieces.”

Read the full review.

The other review comes from Colum McKnight at DreadfulTales.com. Here’s an excerpt:

“Having read a lot, if not all, of Rogers’ work, I’d come to assume that I was going to mainly get style and content from this author. This novella proves that he’s not only capable of the above mentioned two things, but he’s also capable of setting you up for some truly intense scares. And good faith in the author, coupled with a vague sense of knowledge as to where the character is going, tells me that this is a trend that Rogers is going to set for the Black Lands novels. I’m stoked.”

Read the full review.

Thanks to both of these gents for the very fine reviews. I will now call off the BEKs and make sure they never visit your homes again!

The Bloodlight

I’m very excited to announce that I am the feature author of this month’s edition of The Bloodlight over at BloodyBookish.com. Over the next few weeks, BB will be posting a series of articles about me and my work. I’m very honoured to have been asked to take part in this. BloodyBookish.com is a really great website for readers and writers. I strongly recommend you check it out.

First up in The Bloodlight is an interview with yours truly. Next week: a review of “Black-Eyed Kids”!

Speaking of reviews, the fine folks over at Innsmouth Free Press have reviewed the Canadian horror anthology Chilling Tales. Here’s what they had to say about my Felix Renn story:

Ian Rogers brings us My Body. This is a well-thought-out tale with some great twists. A private detective meets a little girl who takes him into a haunted house. It is now his job to try to figure out who is doing the haunting.

Read the full review.

Thanks to IFP for the review, and thanks to BB for putting me in The Bloodlight!

Ginger Nuts on Deadstock

The Ginger Nuts of Horror reviewed my Weird Western novella Deadstock. Here’s a short excerpt:

“…it’s fast paced gripping tale, that will hook you on page one and keep it’s claws in you until you turn over the final page. Seriously folks Ian Rogers has a great talent for writing highly entertaining stories.”

Read the full review.

I’m really glad that people seem to be digging this story as it’s my first foray into a new genre. It certainly makes me want to write more tales about Sam and Raisy. If only there were more hours in the day!

Dreadful Tales and The Man Eating Bookworm

The Burning Effigy event, “An Evening with the Authors,” went very well, despite the rainy weather and the Grey Cup game. Thanks to Monica for setting it up, and thanks to fellow performers Jeff Cottrill and Tobin Elliott for helping to make it such a great night.

Colum McKnight of DreadfulTales.com videotaped the readings and I’ve included links to mine below. In the first one, I read a short excerpt from “Black-Eyed Kids,” while in the second one I read from a new, unpublished Felix Renn story, “Out of the Blue.”

Jason Darrick has also done an incredible write-up of the night’s festivities. Be sure to check it out.

In other news, The Man Eating Book Worm weighs in with a review of “The Ash Angels”:

“…The writing is mature and as professional as anything being stacked on the “Bestsellers!” table at Chapters.

With The Ash Angels Ian Rogers did me a solid. He affirmed my observations from his first chapbook, that a new talent had entered the literary world. The story is told with the same confidence and maturity, assuring the reader that they are in competent hands.”

Read the full review.

Thanks to Dreadful Tales for recording the event, and to the Man Eating Bookworm for the excellent review! 

First review of Deadstock

Colum McKnight at the excellent website DreadfulTales.com has reviewed Deadstock. Here’s an excerpt:

Proper setting and placement are absolutely essential to the well being of a well crafted Weird West novel. If these things aren’t handled properly, the author stands on the precipice of another genre altogether, namely Steampunk. Rogers handles this task brilliantly and expertly, keeping the realism directly steeped in a properly historical context, and limits himself to that time periods alone. Add the weight of a supernatural element and BAM! what you have in your grubby little hands is one of the best Weird West pieces you’ll ever read.

Read the rest of the review.

That’s right, folks: one of the best Weird West pieces you’ll ever read. I’d say straight from the horse’s mouth, but according to the review, Colum is actually afraid of horses. So instead I’ll say straight from the mouth of a damn fine reviewer. Big thanks to Colum and Dreadful Tales!

Deadstock is available on Amazon.com and as a Kindle e-book.

Reading and Review

I’m very excited to announce that I will be one of the featured guests at “An Evening with the Authors,” along with fellow scribes Tobin Elliott and Jeff Cottrill. The event, which will be hosted by Monica S. Kuebler of Burning Effigy Press, will be held at the Black Swan Tavern (154 Danforth Ave.) on Sunday, November 27th, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

I don’t know about you guys, but with a name like the Black Swan Tavern, I’m hoping for a homicidal Natalie Portman sighting! 

I’ll be reading from the latest Felix Renn novella, “Black-Eyed Kids,” as well as from a new, unpublished Felix story called “Out of the Blue.”

Hope to see you there!

In other news, The Man Eating Bookworm has posted a really incredible review of “Temporary Monsters.” Here’s an excerpt:

If you are a fan of urban fantasy fare as delivered by Jim Butcher or Simon R. Green, you’ll be sure to love what Rogers has in store. This short novella introduces readers to a world where things that go bump in the night and our own are separated by only the most delicate of veils.

Read the rest of the review.

And finally, Dreadful Tales posted an article on their favourite Canadian horror authors, and they included me on their list!

All in all, a great way to start the weekend. Thanks, everyone!

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What are the Black Lands?

The Black Lands is a dimension filled with supernatural creatures that lies next to our own world. This alternate reality is the setting for a series of stories by Ian Rogers.

To find out more about the Black Lands, read the history.