Brian Keene has written so many damn books! …and I had never read any of them. This absolute horror faux-pas (and my embarrassment) is the reason that it’s taken so long to get Brian on the show. But I set a week aside and read as many Keene books as I could and here we are… on a leisurely stroll through Brian’s life and career,both of which he has devoted to stories of really nasty s*** happening to undeserving people. We talk abouthis bleak coming-of-age novel, Ghoul, his story of a homicidal nightfrom hell, The Complex, and his sombre study of mortality and writing inthe 21st century, The End of the Road. And between all that we cover hope and nihilism, we ask if horror could help shore up the failing centre, and Brian talks me through all the great writers I missed when I wasn’t paying enough attention to horror. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: The Rising (2003), by Brian Keene Entombed (2011), by Brian Keene Ghoul (2007), by Brian Keene End of the Road (2020), by Brian Keene The Cellar (1980), by Richard Laymon The Beast House (1986), by Richard Laymon The Island (1995), by Richard Laymon A Writer’s Tale (1998), by Richard Laymon The Girl Next Door (1989), by Jack Ketchum Survivor (2002), by J.F. Gonzalez A Choir of Ill Children (2007) by Tom Piccirilli “Sticks” (1974), by Karl Edward Wagner “West Of Matamoros, South of Hell” (2017), by Brian Hodge (in Best Horror of the Year, Volume 10, edited by Ellen Datlow) The Day of the Door (2024), by Laurel Hightower The Better To Eat You With (2024), by Wesley Southard Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.