THE BLOG WHERE HORROR DWELLS   Friday, February 4, 2012: "Return of the Giant Monsters" "With the third Gamera film of the Showa era, one can clearly see that, for Daiei Studios, a period of declining budgets and a focus on younger viewers is in the offing. While Gamera vs. Gyaos has more in common with its marginally grimmer-toned predecessors than with the juvenile romps that were to come, budget constraints lend the special effects a cheesier quality than either of the first two films, and the storyline ventures farther than ever before into the domain of the ludicrous.... (Read more.)

n case you haven't guessed, you've stumbled upon The Realm of Stephen Mark "A Real Laugh-Riot" Rainey. Browse around, check out my books (click on the covers below for detailed information), and drop me a note if you find something to fuss about. (You may call me "Mark," by the way; people who address me as "Stephen" usually want money.) Feel free to play with the buttons. Check the News section for the latest publication news—and please do visit The Blog Where Horror Dwells. If you haven't read my work before, there's never been a better time to give it a try! Lots of my titles are currently available in various editions, including e-books and audio books. I hope you find something here that will scare the pants off you!*            *Sorry, but I cannot be held responsible for your pants.

Check out the trailer for the DARK SHADOWS audio dramas from Big Finish... Visit the info pages for Path of Fate Curse of the Pharaoh Blood Dance written by Stephen Mark Rainey

Now available in paperback! BLUE DEVIL ISLAND The war that never ends has begun.... AUTUMN, 1943: The beginning of the American offensive against the Japanese in the South Pacific. Just west of the Solomon Islands lies a remote, desert island called Conquest, where the U.S. Navy stations a new fighting squadron, led by Lieutenant Commander Drew McLachlan, an ace pilot and veteran of the Battle of Coral Sea. With his group of air warriors, who call themselves the Blue Devils, McLachlan soars into frequent combat with the Japanese, inflicting serious casualties upon the enemy. However, on the squadron's island home, signs appear that it may not be entirely alone, for in nearby volcanic caves, McLachlan finds evidence of habitation by unknown natives—natives that resemble no known living race, and that may yet exist in the mysterious subterranean catacombs. As the tension on the island mounts, McLachlan is forced to fight on two fronts: against their known enemy, the Japanese, and an unknown, predatory force that leaves mutilated victims as the only evidence of its presence. As the Solomons campaign enters into its final skirmishes, the Japanese at last turn their attention to Conquest Island. In the final conflict, the Blue Devils find themselves the target of an overwhelming assault by the desperate Imperial Japanese forces—and McLachlan must face the reality that the key to his men’s survival lies deep in the dark and deadly caves of Conquest Island itself. Check out Blue Devil Island here.

Now available in paperback! THE GAKI & OTHER HUNGRY SPIRITS Trade paperback as well as signed, lettered, and numbered hardback editions from Dark Regions. Strange shapes hiding in the shadows cast by the moonlight. Eerie noises drifting out of the forest and rising into the night. The sound of inhuman footsteps approaching from somewhere in the darkness. A pair of gleaming eyes peering in through your window at midnight....   This is the nightmarish, haunted world you will enter in this new collection of 17 tales—including six never before published—by Stephen Mark Rainey, longtime editor of Deathrealm magazine and author of such acclaimed works as Balak, The Lebo Coven, Blue Devil Island, The Last Trumpet, and Other Gods. Enter willingly…and prepare yourself for a chilling journey through some of the most frightening literary landscapes you have ever experienced.   Check out The Gaki here.

Now available as a trade paperback! LEGENDS OF THE NIGHT At the heart of all legends.... ...lies a sense of wonder. The perception of awe-inspiring power. The recognition of something larger than life. Legends of the Night spawns new myths, dreams, fables, and nightmares; all larger than life, all brimming with the power that can only be found in the merging of the legendary with the contemporary. From the frigid skies above the war-torn Europe of 1918, to shadow-haunted catacombs of futuristic Los Angeles... from the exotic, tropical jungles of the south Pacific in 1942, to medieval Scottish moors ruled by the fighting machines of H. G. Wells's dreaded Martian invaders...author Stephen Mark Rainey presents a collection of tales that both embrace the power of ancient myth and celebrate the intensity of today's most vivid storytelling. Check out Legends of the Night here.

BALAK Now available in Kindle and Nook e-formats and as a new audio book from Crossroad Press! Children around Chicago are being abducted, for purposes that Claire Challis cannot begin to imagine. Two years ago, her own son was abducted, his fate never determined by the police. Now, her search for the truth brings her into contact with a strange cult, whose sinister members single her out as the object of their perverted desires. To her horror, Claire learns that the cult's secrets are far darker and more bizarre than she could ever have imagined, for its roots stem from Biblical times...and its history is one of depravity and violence that spans the ages. Balak is a novel of grim reality and nightmarish fantasy, intricately woven into the esoteric universe that author Stephen Mark Rainey has perpetuated through his short fiction for over two decades. With gripping prose and superlative imagery, Balak shines as an example of subtle psychological terror combined with striking, graphic horror. Check out Balak here.

THE NIGHTMARE FRONTIER Now available in both e-book and audio book formats from Crossroad Press. "Remember what it was like to read a horror novel that actually made you sweat with dread and your hand shake ever-so-slightly as you turned the page? Remember what it was like to feel your heart thud against your chest as the plight of the characters became your own? Remember what it was like to have a story cast a spell over you rather than ram everything down your throat? If so, you've reason to rejoice; if not, then you need to discover what that's like. In either case, Mark Rainey's The Nightmare Frontier delivers the goods. This is the Good, Real Stuff. From its powerful opening in the jungles of Vietnam to its nerve-wracking finale, this novel never releases its grip on the reader's nerves, brains, and heart." —Gary Braunbeck, author of In Silent Graves, In the Midnight Museum, and Things Left Behind Free audio sample Check out The Nightmare Frontier here.

THE LEBO COVEN Now available as an e-book from Crossroad Press. After a ten-year absence, Barry Riggs returns to his hometown of Aiken Mill, Virginia, in search of his brother, Matt, who has mysteriously disappeared. Not only is the younger Riggs missing, but his house has been ransacked—and branded with the strange word “LEBO,” painted in blood on the bedroom wall. Faced with a local sheriff whose efforts to solve the crime are less than devoted, Barry sets out on his own to discover the truth. He meets a number of locals he had known in his youth, including a young woman named Jennifer Brand, whom he had once treated with contempt because she suffered from a repulsive, crippling affliction. After some awkward moments, the two become friends, and together they begin to unravel the mystery of Matt’s disappearance. Barry eventually encounters a mysterious character who goes by the name of Ren—a reputed Satan worshipper. As Barry and Jennifer unravel the clues, they learn that all is far from what it appears—and that dark, inhuman forces are at work. Check out The Lebo Coven here.

Click on the covers for more information about each book.

"Damned Rodan!" Author photograph by Stephen Mark Rainey Visit this site frequently for author news, special offers, and occasional otter-flopping. Last revised: February 04, 2012.