John Hornor Jacobs John Hornor Jacobs

Russian Cover for A Lush and Seething Hell

As a country, for the more reasonable folk, Russian has become once again the object of fear and dread that it used be when I was growing up. Russians were bad guys in action movies starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now, 33% of the population have bought into their years of disinformation and bot attacks. A percentage of our elected officials have uncomfortable ties to Russia and Russian oligarchs and Russian money.

Be that as it may, I still had a book come out over there. Hey! Russians need to read some horror when they’re not invading Ukraine or fleeing Ukraine or buying track suits or whatever. The Russian people deserve a good fictional scare. (Some of the leaders deserve a real scare.) Witness: the Russian version of A Lush and Seething Hell. I don’t know what the title was translated to but here is the very METAL cover to the book.

Some interesting design decisions were made in the creation of this cover. No goat-headed dulcimer appears in the book, but I do appreciate the verve and audacity of the art director for placing one smack dab in the center of the book.

I think this is more metal than the German cover of Southern Gods. You be the judge.

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John Hornor Jacobs John Hornor Jacobs

“The Astronaut” on Longlist for Best Horror of the Year


READ THE STORY HERE.

As a writer, there are few things more exciting than seeing your work recognized by some of the biggest names in the industry. So, I was thrilled to learn that my short story "The Astronaut," which was originally published in The Southwest Review, has been included in the longlist of Ellen Datlow's "Best Horror of the Year" for 2021.

For those who may not be familiar with Ellen Datlow, she is a legendary editor and anthologist in the world of horror fiction. Her annual "Best Horror of the Year" series is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious honors in the genre, and I am honored to have my work included among the other incredible stories that have been selected.

As a writer, I am always striving to push the boundaries of what is possible in the genre, and I believe that "The Astronaut" is a story that does just that. The story is a blend of horror and triumph, as it follows the journey of an astronaut stranded on a distant planet, who must confront both the terrifying alien creatures that inhabit the planet and their own inner demons.

One small correction, I must note that in her post, my middle name was misspelled, it should be Hornor not Honor Horner.

I am so grateful to The Southwest Review and Andy Davidson for giving me the opportunity to share this story with the world, and I am thrilled that it has been recognized by Ellen Datlow and other horror enthusiasts. If you haven't had the chance to read "The Astronaut" yet, I highly encourage you to check it out. And for those who have read it, I hope you'll join me in celebrating this exciting honor.

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COUPLE OF NOTES:

First, this is very old news. Learned about this in summer for 2021 but I was dealing with my mom’s death at the time.

Second, I had ChatGPT write the previous because I wanted to see if it could make my life easier when it comes to updates to be honest, it would’ve taken me the same amount of time to write it but it would’ve sounded something like this:

Hey! This is kinda cool. My story “The Astronaut” that was in the 2021 Autumn issue of The Southwest Review was included on a long-list curated by Ellen Datlow whom everyone knows is the taste-maker and heart breaker when it comes to “Best Of” lists. She misspelled my name, though. Everyone mispells my name, for some reason. You can check it out here.”




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