Letters From the Labyrinth 413
Took a break on Friday and — while Mary and John Urbancik minded the store — I drove up to New Jersey where I had dinner with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, and then went to see my niece in a production of The Baker Street Irregulars. This was her fifth or six stage production, and she had one of the major roles this time. (This was a youth production, so all of the actors were kids). Afterward, she and the other actors were standing in the lobby, signing autographs on playbills for family and friends and other attendees. When my niece saw me, her face lit up and she said to her friend, "This is my Uncle Brian." And then her friend's face lit up and she gasped and she said "We've heard all about you! You're famous." And then I pointed out to the girls that everybody was asking for their autographs, not mine -- and therefore, it was they who were famous that night.
I then crashed at their house and woke up Saturday morning to have breakfast (half of one of the two trays of sausage and peppers that my sister-in-law made for me). Then I drove over to Mary's parent's home and visited with them for a few hours. Then I came home and was pleased to learn that Mary and John had not, in fact, burned the store down in my absence or let it be overrun by some biker gang fresh off the set of a Mad Max movie.
So maybe I can relax and allow myself a day off more often.
Good morning. I’m Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth — a long-running weekly newsletter for friends, fans, and family.
Thanks to all of you for a wonderful first week of sales on THE RISING: MORE SELECTED SCENES FROM THE END OF THE WORLD. If you somehow missed that news, the book is available in the following places:
Here is the marketing copy:
Twenty years ago, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner and World Horror Grandmaster Brian Keene's The Rising was credited with "revitalizing the horror fiction genre" and "giving zombies an upgrade". In the decades since then, the series has spawned three sequels and earned generations of eager fans from all walks of life– united in the hope that the author would return once again to the franchise.
This is that return.
The Rising: More Selected Scenes From the End of the World features a splattering of new stories set within the world of Brian Keene's The Rising franchise, complimented with original illustrations by Anthrax's Charlie Benante. Featuring tales set both before and after the events of the previous books, it will appeal to long-time fans and new readers alike.
Brian Keene's The Rising: More Selected Scenes From the End of the World – zombies just got another upgrade.
I was very proud to be the first guest for season 3 of Clay McLeod Chapman’s popular Fearmongers. We talked about the health of horror fiction heading into 2025, THE RISING: MORE SELECTED SCENES FROM THE END OF THE WORLD, my Tao of David Lee Roth, and THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN KING’S THE STAND. You can watch or listen in the following places:
Apple: apple.co/3ClbPNH
Spotify: bit.ly/4gs3TYB
Amazon: bit.ly/4hCsVFI
YouTube: bit.ly/3WG45N0
The signed, limited edition hardcover of BENEATH THE LOST LEVEL will be available for preorder this Tuesday, February 4th, via Thunderstorm Books. Once preorders are live, you will be able to reserve your copy via their website. It is limited to 168 copies and costs $110. (The paperback, eBook, and audiobook editions will be available about a year from now).
Here is the marketing copy:
Brian Keene’s epic weird-fantasy series continues in this thrilling fourth installment!
In the aftermath of their assault on the Anunnaki city, Aaron Pace, Kasheena, and their new friend — the young warrior Patamoose — find themselves trapped and lost deep underground. Their quest to find the surface and return home leads them through a subterranean labyrinth inhabited by killer robots, frog people, androids, and the remnants of the long-extinct Atlantean civilization. It may also lead to answers about the Lost Level itself. But if they ever want to see the sun again, Aaron and his companions will have to outwit an insane artificial intelligence and defeat the terrifying proto-Shoggoth. And doing so may cost them everything. Is there any escape from… Beneath the Lost Level?
* * *
The deadline for the Author Vendor Programming Survey for Scares That Care!'s AuthorCon V is TODAY. Click here to access the form. If you are a registered vendor at the show and want to do a reading or a panel, you have to fill this out!
Tickets, workshops, and details can be found here.
Currently Watching: The Platform season 1 (Prime).
Currently Reading: Faith Through The Ages: Tracing The Journey Of Religion From Ancient Times To Modern Day by Michael Andrews, the latest issue of Smithsonian Magazine, and The Song of Susannah: The Dark Tower VI by Stephen King.
Currently Listening: This past week was heavy on Ozzy Osbourne, Pink, Sick of It All, Elton John, Kurtis Blow, Type O Negative, Sheila E, and Biohazard.
And that does it for this week. Thanks, as always, for reading. I’ll see you back here again next Sunday.
— Brian Keene
Honestly, I’d put money on you letting the store be overrun by a Mad Max biker gang, not Mary and John.
You’ve had a very productive January