Every month (or so), Tenebrous Kate and Jack Guignol cover the weirdest, kinkiest, and most outrageous fiction we can unearth. The books discussed range from classics of gothic literature to startling works of new weird, from romantic potboilers to horror epics, from cult favorites to obscure pulp treasures. Join us for a smarter-than-average look at WAY-weirder-than-average books.
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Anya Seton is a grande dame of historical fiction, a reputation earned by novels like Dragonwyck , her 1944 gothic romance. Join Jack and Kate as they explore the dark corridors and even darker history of a 19th Century Hudson Valley manor home. What are some warning signs that you're in for a rough ride with a romance protagonist? How many times will our hosts mispronounce Ms. Seton's name? Does…
We're celebrating the release of cohost Jack Guignol's debut novel Ornamental Women with a conversation that touches on inspiration, process, and motivation. Settle in for a wide-ranging chat about the novel, a dark gothic fantasy about the intersecting lives of three strange–and sometimes magical–women who want to solve the mystery of a disappearing corpse. How do you square conflicting feedback…
This month, Jack and Kate go into their stash of vintage paperbacks and engage in a little show-and-tell session. Kate brings The Phantom Detective: The Vampire Murders by Robert Wallace, a 1965 reprint of a pulp hero mystery from 1940, and Jack's choice is Tomoe Gozen by Jessica Amanda Salmonson, a psychedelic 1981 trip through a fantasy version of Japan. Who is the vampire of Vampire Mountain?…
Harry Crews' Feas t of Snakes (1976) is a rough and raunchy southern gothic that opens with a lurid bang and never lets up. Jack and Kate are confronted with the seamy underbelly of Americana, from football bullies to dog fights to so, so, so very many snakes (reptilian and human). Why are debate club members the worst ever? Is the ultimate power move maintaining eye contact during scatalogical…
The Ninja is a 1980 novel by prolific genre author Eric Van Lustbader, which would kick off not only an eight-book epic series but play a vital role in the ninja boom of the 1980s. Jack and Kate wander into this world of martial arts mysticism, murder mystery, and erotic romance. Is it ever acceptable to slide a finger into your partner's butt on a first date? What the hell is up with the…
Jack and Kate look at what they've read and watched in the year that was 2025 and make some recommendations in the world of books and beyond. The rules of engagement are simple: the hosts each choose one movie, album, TV show, and book that was the best experience of its kind, regardless of when it was actually produced. A little bit new, a little bit old, and a whole lot of weirdness is in store!…
Karl Edward Wagner's 1975 sword and sorcery epic Bloodstone is the first full-length outing for Kane, mighty-thewed protagonist of a series of short stories and novels. Jack and Kate navigate a treacherous world of shifting political alliances, alien technology, and bat-monster-goddess girlfriends to figure out where Kane fits in the world of fantasy fiction. Has there ever been a trustworthy…
Hotel Transylvania (1978) is the first of 25 novels and two short story collections in Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's epic vampire series centering around the adventures of the Comte de Saint-Germain. Steeped in the court intrigues of 1740s Paris, Kate and Jack will encounter headstrong virgins, wicked yet incompetent Satanists, and a rather surprising amount of swashbuckling action. Why didn't…
Poul Anderson's 1961 novel Three Hearts and Three Lions is one of the cornerstone influences on Dungeons and Dragons: a medieval-inflected romp through creature encounters and chivalric romance, featuring the world's most terrifying version of troll. Jack and Kate, our paladins of pulp, armor up and prepare to do battle with a veritable monster manual of menace in this month's book. What makes old…
Agustina Bazterrica's 2023 novel The Unworthy explores the relationship of its unnamed narrator with the repressive post-apocalyptic cult in which she finds herself. Jack and Kate embark on a harrowing journey through broken relationships and authoritarian control and dare to ask the most important question of all: can it be considered nunsploitation? What does it mean to crave feel-bad stories?…
