Urban fantasy has captivated the hearts of countless readers, transporting them into magical worlds intricately woven into familiar cityscapes. The genre’s unique blend of supernatural elements and real-world settings creates a thrilling reading experience that transcends the boundaries of reality. However, beyond the enchanting realms and mystical creatures, there lies a darker side to urban…
When you read about Meshuggah on online forums and fan groups, a question that always comes up is: Is Meshuggah the best metal band in the world? That’s a question I don’t see asked about too many other bands. None, actually. It should tell you a lot about the kind of respect and admiration a…
“I have seen the future of horror…and it is named Clive Barker.” So says Stephen King in a very famous quote that graced the cover of just about every Clive Barker book in the eighties and nineties. At that time, Barker was highly celebrated as one of the best horror novelists of his generation. Today,…
H.R. Giger’s work has always fascinated me-as it has many people-right from when I first saw Alien at a young age (I think I was seven when I saw the movie for the first time). There is just something amazingly unique about Giger’s work that makes it incredibly striking to look at. Looking at Giger’s…
When I was young and in my teens and twenties, I was deeply passionate about my beloved metal music. I drank it in deeply and I was passionate about many different bands. As I have grown older however (I’m forty-one now), I found I have lost much of the passion I once had for metal….
The whole idea of conspiracy theories has been around for a long time, but they didn’t really capture the public imagination until the rise of the internet and the mainstream popularity of shows like The X-Files. Since then, conspiracy theories have become a firm part of mainstream culture, with every man and his dog having…
Continuing on with this series about some of my non-literary influences, I would like to talk about someone who was a profound influence on me at one time, and that is Bill Hicks. I say one time because as I explained in the last post, I try not to get too influenced by anything or…
In a quest to explore some of the things that have influenced me as a writer over the years–things other than books–I have decided to do a series of posts on some of those influences. Books are only part of the story when it comes to the things that have influenced me as a writer…