This is a short review of a short book, and it is our hope that we pack as much concise punch here as author Andrea Janes does in her little collection of short fiction, BOROUGHS OF THE DEAD.

Self-published and small-press zombie novels are a dime a dozen, and Jane’s work threatens to slip into the ether, lost in the putrid shuffle of so many equally skunky works. But that would be a sad fate for this tome, because Janes can write—and this package is not a zombie book. Sure, it has the odd ghoul, but also a few choice ghosts and other dead things.

BOROUGHS contains 10 tales of Gothic, Penny Dreadful-esque dread and classic terror, some set in contemporary times, some in the haunted past, all taking place in different neighborhoods in New York City. Like the best of the pulps, the narratives are creepy, darkly comical and elegantly composed, with lovingly detailed descriptions of place and an ample whiff of lurid decay.

I know that Janes has written for many pulp magazines and websites (many of these tales have previously been published), but I don’t know anything else about her, nor do I even know who sent this thing to me. But I’m glad they did. An e-mail address in the back of the book says that any comments can be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and you can also click over to the official websites for both BOROUGHS and Janes herself. 

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