Ray Newman, writer
Don’t let the absence of a flying car in your garage distract you: we are definitely now living in a version of the future out of J.G. Ballard or William Gibson. Every day I notice a news story that startles or alarms me, that feels like pure cyberpunk, nestled between reports about council bin collections [ ]
The Hookland project has existed primarily on social media for more than a decade but now, finally, has manifested in physical form. In Hookland Fragments Volume One, David Southwell, the creator of Hookland, an imaginary and particularly haunted English county, tells the story of its genesis. In 2012 he explained the concept to a friend, [ ]
Instead of setting up yet another newsletter every now and then I do this instead: a blog post about what I’ve been reading, thinking and doing. In the past couple of months, that’s included thinking about liminal horror and folk horror, and making various things including some little zines. More on all of that after [ ]
Lightning drew a blue outline around the spires and towers of the castle on the mountaintop. Captain Rauch, high on his charger, pointed with his cavalry sword. ‘There, Doctor Kleist,’ he rumbled. ‘Do you see?’ Kleist lifted his skeletal features and peered from beneath his brimmed hat. His blue eyes gleamed. He waited a split [ ]
The soundscapes of Radio Lento can turn even the most overwhelming urban landscape into a rural retreat. But is it good for me? A couple of weeks ago, feeling stressed at work, I took myself around the block for a mid-afternoon walk. It didn’t help because all I could hear was the sound of traffic, [ ]
If you want to buy the paperback of Thin Places in Hard Concrete directly from me now’s your chance because I’ve got a limited number of copies and I’m all geared up to do the admin. One copy costs £13 including what for some reason we always refer to as “postage and packing” (P P). If [ ]
Series 2 of the found footage horror podcast Broken Veil builds and improves on the first season with a focus on the audio uncanny. Arguably my positive reaction to Broken Veil, verging now on fanboyish, is because this is media made for people exactly like me, by people rather like me. Creators Joel Morris and [ ]
The new film Backrooms directed by Kane Parsons has everyone talking about ‘liminal horror’. As someone who writes stories which might fit into this bracket, I’m excited to have a new sub-genre to ponder. Here are some initial thoughts – reactions, almost – to a phrase I had not heard until about three days ago. [ ]
Lists and guides can be a great way to find new books to read, films to watch and music to listen to. They’re also difficult to put together and seem to make people furious. As I write, the most recent list to have riled people was The Guardian’s top 100 novels of all time. The [ ]
The tenth and final story in my new collection Thin Places in Hard Concrete is about what might happen if time froze around you for just a few seconds, leaving you out of sync with the world. Here’s a bit from the opening which takes place in the gents toilets beneath London’s Paddington Station: The [ ]