Swan River Press
@swanriverpress.bsky.social
4.4K followers 430 following 1.8K posts
Independent press dedicated to literature of the gothic, fantastic, strange, and supernatural. Æon House, Dublin, Ireland. Posts by Brian J. Showers. www.swanriverpress.ie
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swanriverpress.bsky.social
I really love this adaptation of the classic Bradbury tale for the Ray Bradbury Theater (1986). Terrifying. This one stars Jeff Goldblum.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=duWI...
"The Town Where No One Got Off" (1986) - Ray Bradbury Theater,
YouTube video by LionHeart FilmWorks
www.youtube.com
swanriverpress.bsky.social
Trump tariffs have caused quite a mess. I'm glad we don't use private courier companies to send our books. Public services, including postal services, are targets for neoliberalism and far-right goons. Defend your rights from these civic vandals. Don't vote like an asshole.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
THE SATYR by Stephen J. Clark

“A poet of the occult.” Adam L. G. Nevill

“These four little mystical thrillers evoke the best of the pulp-era decadents.” Pan Review

“Subtle prose, vivid and disturbing imagery.” Black Static

swanriverpress.ie/srp-title/th...
swanriverpress.bsky.social
The end of A Clockwork Orange.
Reposted by Swan River Press
britfantasysoc.bsky.social
The shortlist for this year's British Fantasy Awards for Best Independent Press are...

Newcon Press
Black Shuck Books
Flame Tree Press
Luna Press Publishing
Swan River Press

Jurors: Andy Angel, Melanie Bell, Miguel R Peck, Alia McKellar, Bronte Rowan
Reposted by Swan River Press
johnkenny13.bsky.social
I've just reviewed an excellent new biography of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, written by James Rockhill and published by Swan River Press. The book also includes a number critical essays that explore different aspects of his life and work. You can read it here: johnrichardkenny.com/2025/09/19/b...
Book Review: A Mind Turned in Upon Itself by Jim Rockhill
For many years, Jim Rockhill has been a staunch advocate for the work of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, most probably Ireland’s premier writer of supernatural tales and the uncanny. Between 2002 and 2005…
johnrichardkenny.com
swanriverpress.bsky.social
I don't mind gore so much if it's stylised and fantastical, like Fulci or Argento. I've learnt the closer to realistic or sadistic, the less interested I am. Terrifier all seemed pretty direct.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
That's a good way of putting it. It's brutal, but that's the point. I'm not up in arms about it for the same reasons I'm not interested in the Friday the 13th series, which strikes me as doing much the same. Terrifier is just a leaner and meaner machine.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
GHOSTS by R. B. Russell

“Russell’s stories are captivating for their depth of mystery and haunting melancholy.” Thomas Ligotti

“Possibilities beyond the rational.” Rue Morgue

“A book of dark mysteries and subtle psychology.” Highlander’s Book Reviews

swanriverpress.ie/srp-title/gh...
swanriverpress.bsky.social
And what I liked about this boom when I first came across it was it's immediacy. These were ghost stories that happened *near me*. At the time I don't think I made the distinction between the literary and "true ghost story" genres. I do now though. Also a key influence on The Bleeding Horse.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
A key book from own childhood, well researched and excellently told. One of the earliest such books I recall reading. I have my old battered copy here in Dublin with me. Might try to find it when I get home. Much prefer the cover on it, but then I probably would!
johnreppion.bsky.social
#DailyGhost
7) CURTAIN FACE
Young Mary Tubey died in Sept 1878. A shimmering ghostly facsimile of her face appeared on the curtains of her stepbrother's house nearby. Crowds decended on the house, people eager to see the wonderous spectacle. Some were disappointed, while others were amazed.
Haunted Wisconsin by Michael Norman and Beth Scott (1980 / 2001)
swanriverpress.bsky.social
I like the Weidenfeld and Nicholson edition. Subterranean did a six volume edition in 2014. But it might be nice to see mass market paperbacks the same as was done for the Blackwater books. Omnibus editions are sometimes overstuffed.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
I feel the odd man out for rather disliking this one. Some good images, but otherwise a bit boring? I feel like it's revered more than it deserves. Blame Gatiss?
swanriverpress.bsky.social
STRANGE EPIPHANIES by Peter Bell

“Bell is not a purveyor of pure horror, but of something much more interesting.” Wormwood

“Bell has a talent for finding isolated and less known corners.” Ghosts & Scholars

“Poetic in style and emotionally intimate.” Hellnotes

swanriverpress.ie/srp-title/st...
swanriverpress.bsky.social
Ladies and Gentlemen . . . John Coulthart!
johncoulthart.com
Today from across the storm-toss'd waters of the Irish Sea, my latest cover design for @swanriverpress.bsky.social Thanks!
A hardback book: A Mind Turned in Upon Itself -- Writings on J.S. Le Fanu by Jim Rockhill. Blue cover wrap with a Victorian border in blue and gold framing a sepia-tinted photograph of Le Fanu standing holding a top hat and cane.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
I don't disagree with you! MRJ's audience would have had a better understanding of the ghost stories for sure, like the untranslated Latin! But lack of knowledge of some of that stuff doesn't detract from the effectiveness of the stories for a wider audience!
swanriverpress.bsky.social
Thanks for taking a chance on it! She's definitely an interesting writer--and of course not all the stories are ghost stories, but a thrilling array of modes and approaches to the fantastical.
Reposted by Swan River Press
ccskeleton.bsky.social
I bought this one, and loved it.
Good ghost stories, includes an interview with the author, and a short biography - and really enjoyed reading both.
It helped me understand the author's headspace when coming up with the settings for the stories featured.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
It's easy to forget that some of the most popular writers of the era were women. But Graves's use of a male persona was a deliberate identity choice, as opposed to an attempt to mask gender. I'm surprised more people aren't curious about Graves. She's fascinating. swanriverpress.ie/srp-title/a-...
A Vanished Hand | Swan River Press
“Only the dead are faithful to Love—because they are dead.” Clotilde Graves was known for challenging convention. In her early years, she was known as the dramatist “Clo Graves”, but became better kno...
swanriverpress.ie
swanriverpress.bsky.social
I like to get a dig in on Pfaff at least once per week.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
There will always be someone out there saying "Not enough people are taking about Stoker's Personal Reminiscences of Sir Henry Irving", when it actuality, perhaps the right number of people are. It might not be sizeable, but it's probably plenty.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
I'm not even saying that's wrong. I'm not sure a wider audience needs to be able to appreciate his work on stained glass windows, biblical apocrypha, or manuscript cataloguing outside of a handful of professionals. Water finds its level. All else can join the Richard James Pfaff Society.
swanriverpress.bsky.social
It's easy to forget that some of the most popular writers of the era were women. But Graves's use of a male persona was a deliberate identity choice, as opposed to an attempt to mask gender. I'm surprised more people aren't curious about Graves. She's fascinating. swanriverpress.ie/srp-title/a-...
A Vanished Hand | Swan River Press
“Only the dead are faithful to Love—because they are dead.” Clotilde Graves was known for challenging convention. In her early years, she was known as the dramatist “Clo Graves”, but became better kno...
swanriverpress.ie