Reviewers welcome

If you are a book reviewer, either on your own blog or on a website or in a magazine, and would like to take a look at any of our books, please contact us on paralleluniversepublications@gmx.co.uk

Just quote which book(s) you are interested in and say whether you would prefer an e-version, pdf or print copy.

Our bookshelf of books

Andrew Jennings' Into the Dark is PUP's 19th book

Andrew Jennings' horror crime noir novel Into the Dark is Parallel Universe's nineteenth book. It is now available in papereback - and an ebook version will be available shortly.
"There's a serial killer at loose in London. Janice, who has a chronic fear of the dark, stumbles into a relationship with the man who may secretly be the murderer. Neither know that in the North of England, in a place previously owned by his dead mother, activities are taking place that may unleash a horror that could spell the end of civilisation in Britain - an ancient evil that would make the activities of any serial killer look like child's play by comparison. Could a psychotic killer be the only man capable of ending this?"

Amazon.co.uk  £8.99
Amazon.com  $11.99

Draft advert for Tough Guys - Cirsova Magazine

Cirsova Magazine in the States is publishing a story by Adrian Cole and have offered him some free advertising space, which he has decided he would like to use for Tough Guys.
Below is our first draft:

Mobi Copies of Tough Guys available for reviewers

If any reviewers would like a free mobi copy of Adrian Cole's Tough Guys, which is now available as a paperback and ebook, simply send an email to paralleluniversepublications@gmx.co.uk.

Tough Guys by Adrian Cole now available as both paperback and ebook

Adrian Cole's Tough Guys is now available as both a trade paperback and an ebook on amazon.

Trade Paperback:
Amazon.co.uk £8.99
Amazon.com $11.99

Ebook:
Amazon.co.uk £2.99
Amazon.com $4.30

Tough Guys by Adrian Cole now available from Amazon

Cover artwork: Jim Pitts

Paperback copies of Adrian Cole's collection Tough Guys are now available from Amazon. An ebook version will be available shortly.

Adrian’s latest collection, Tough Guys, contains three previously unpublished novellas and a short. Based on the title theme, these four works are completely different in subject matter and tone. There is, of course, A Nick Nightmare story herein, ‘Wait for the Ricochet’, in which the gumshoe is entrusted to convey a message about “The Malleus Tenebrarum”, a book that names the properties and powers of dark and light, to the Mechanic, one Oil-Gun Eddy... His adversary is the sinister Lucien de Sangreville, plus assorted non-human denizens of the murky lower levels, and his sidekick the sword-wielding business-woman Ariadne Carnadine. In contrast, in ‘If You Don’t Eat Your Meat’ the reader enters a post-apocalyptic world where the very unsavoury Ryan relates his story of rival families and cannibalism. It is gruesome and unflinching horror. In ‘A Smell of Burning’ a hospital patient finds he is having out-of-the-body experiences. On his astral journeys he visits a man recalling his abused childhood and this leads to a shocking revelation... Finally, ‘Not If You Want to Live’ explores the fate of Razorjack, who is a Redeemer, a dead man used by a shady organisation to bring back others from death. An intriguing and engrossing story of love between Razorjack (aka Jack Krane) and mobster’s moll Rebecca Fellini, with science fictional and satanic elements.

We'll have stocks of our own at Parallel Universe shortly. We'll also be launching this book at Fantasycon in September, when Adrian Cole will be present.

Amazon.co.uk £8.99
Amazon.com $11.99

Proof Copy of Tough Guys by Adrian Cole

The proof copy for Adrian Cole's Tough Guys arrived today - and it looks great. Jim Pitts' wraparound cover artwork looks really good. The book also boasts an in-depth introduction by David A. Sutton.
The book is set to be launch at FantasyCon at Scarborough in September.

Into the Dark by Andrew Jennings

A new novel, Into the Dark by Andrew Jennings will be published shortly by Parallel Universe Publications.
Into the Dark is a crime noir horror story about a serial killer and an evil menace from Europe's darkest past.

Kitchen Sink Gothic - 10 months down the line

It's now ten months since the most ambitious project from Parallel Universe, Kitchen Sink Gothic, was published. The anthology contained the following stories:
1964 by Franklin Marsh
Derek Edge and the Sun-Spots by Andrew Darlington
Daddy Giggles by Stephen Bacon
Black Sheep by Gary Fry
Jamal Comes Home by Benedict J. Jones
Waiting by Kate Farrell
Lilly Finds a Place to Stay by Charles Black
The Mutant's Cry by David A. Sutton
The Sanitation Solution by Walter Gascoigne
Up and Out of Here by Mark Patrick Lynch
Late Shift by Adrian Cole
The Great Estate by Shaun Avery
Nine Tenths by Jay Eales
Envelopes by Craig Herbertson
Tunnel Vision by Tim Major
Life is Prescious M. J. Wesolowski
Canvey Island Baby by David Turnbull

Order Direct  from us

trade paperback: 
amazon.co.uk   £8.99
amazon.com  $11.99

ebook:
amazon.co.uk  £2.99
amazon.com  $3.05

We are still considering a second volume of stories. In the meantime...

Here are some of the reviews Kitchen Sink Gothic has received so far:

Stuart Conover gave Kitchen Sink Gothic a great review on the Hellnotes website.

"In Kitchen Sink Gothic, David and Linden Riley have put together a dark and gritty horror- and humor-filled anthology which was an absolute blast to read. In its pages there are 17 stories with a Gothic tint to them which focus primarily on the working class. It is a twisted mix of tales that if you were to read the descriptions one by one wouldn’t seem to fit together and yet the Riley’s have proven they know exactly which story works with the next.
While not every story is a gem, there isn’t a single failure in this book that makes me feel any of my time was wasted. As long as you’re in the mood for the strange and insane, that is.
An interesting line up with some names you’ll probably recognize if you read a lot of horror and speculative fiction as well as some that you won’t. The table of contents includes:
“Daddy Giggles” by Stephen Bacon, “1964” by Franklin Marsh, “Derek and the Sun-Spots” by Andrew Darlington, “Black Sheep” by Gary Fry, “Jamal Comes Home” by Benedict J. Jones, “Waiting” by Kate Farrell, “Lilly Finds a Place to Stay” by Charles Black, “The Mutant’s Cry” by David A. Sutton, “The Sanitation Solution” by Walter Gascoigne, “Up and Out of Here” by Mark Patrick Lynch, “Late Shift” by Adrian Cole, “The Great Estate” by Shaun Avery, “Nine Tenths” by Jay Eales, “Envelopes” by Craig Herbertson, “Tunnel Vision” by Tim Major, “Life is Precious” by M. J. Wesolowski, and closes out with “Canvey Island Baby” by David Turnbull.
The more interesting reads for me included “Lilly Finds a New Place to Stay” which revolves around Lilly….finding a new place to stay. Only, things aren’t ever quite that simple now are they? Next up is “The Sanitation Solution” where one man’s bitter war with his ex makes for quite the disgusting read. Finally, in “Envelopes” we’re given a different look into the world of the occult."

Top Customer Reviews on Amazon.co.uk

4.0 out of 5 starsElbow deep in the kitchen sink!

By yralban on 22 Sept. 2015

Format: Kindle Edition

A worthwhile collection, if a little patchy in parts. But some gems; particularly "Derek Edge and the Sunspots" and Kate Farrell's "Waiting" - understated with a bitter twist in the tale.

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5.0 out of 5 starsVery good quality

By N Martin on 1 Oct. 2015

Format: Kindle Edition

Really enjoyed this collection - the writing is of a high standard and some very unsettling stories. Definitely worth a read!

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5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

By sandra k chung on 26 Oct. 2015

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

Thank you

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Top Customer Reviews on Amazon.com

5.0 out of 5 starsThe Edge of Weird...and it's Amazing!

By Cristina Isabel on January 24, 2016

Format: Paperback

There are 17 amazingly written stories that sometimes left me on the edge as I was reading. Some were weirder than others and some had those what-did-I-just- read moments. Each of them were unique in their own way and I loved every one of them. For me, the top 3 that I read over were, Lilly Finds a Place to Stay by Charles Black, Canvey Island Baby by David Turnbull and The Sanitation Solution by Walter Gascoigne.

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4.0 out of 5 starsWeird and Wonderful

By MissScarlett on January 20, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

As always, I liked some of these stories a lot more than others, but there were none I didn't like at all. Some were rather mystifying to me, such as "Derek Edge and the Sunspots" "Up and Out of Here" and "Nine Tenths". "The Sanitation Solution" was ok but frankly didn't so it for me. My favorite of the lot was "Jamal Comes Home" with it's echoes of the Monkey's Paw at the conclusion. Also excellent were, in no particular order, "Black Sheep" "Lilly Finds A Place to Stay" (permanently) "Waiting" and "Envelopes" If you like horror and/or speculative short fiction, you can't go wrong here.

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5.0 out of 5 starsit is that good.

By Michael Hanson on October 17, 2015

Format: Paperback

I just read the anthology "Kitchen Sink Gothic" and yes, I was blown away. As a title interpretation, I can respectfully call this Working Class Gothic, as it is a strange and Gothic journey into the lives of the ordinary folk of our world, and not the social elite that populate much of literature's history. And it is here that Kitchen Sink Gothic's charms lie. As a grab-bag of different tales, some surprise with their deviousness, and others shock with their arrogance, but all of them, each and every story in this clever and tasty collection, is sure to entertain. Heck, I think I'll pick it up and read it a second time now. Yes, it is that good.

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5.0 out of 5 starsBlue Collar Noir

 

You can now order our books direct from us

Ordering Direct

You can order any of our paperbacks direct from us. Check our ordering page.

Tough Guys by Adrian Cole

Cover artwork: Jim Pitts

We can now reveal the wraparound cover artwork for Adrian Cole's collection of three novellas and one short story, Tough Guys, which will be  launched at Fantasycon in September this year.
The artwork is by award-winning artist Jim Pitts and the collection has an introduction by David A. Sutton.

Awaiting proof copy of Fishhead

Fishhead: The Darker Tales of Irvin S. Cobb is nearing publication. I am now waiting for the proof copy before printing begins.