Vernieda Vergara

2 months ago | theportalist.com | Vernieda Vergara |Stephen Jones

Horror has been having something of a renaissance during the past decade. From films like Get Out, Midsomar, and Hereditary to novels like Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and those by Grady Hendrix, people have been flocking to this genre known for providing chills and thrills—including those people who would normally consider themselves horror-averse. The genre has even expanded to beyond what we think of as classic horror.

Feb 4, 2025 | theportalist.com | Vernieda Vergara |Rachel Gillig

Winter is a time of chilly temperatures and long nights. Trees stand barren without their leaves, and cloudy days cast a dreary veil over everything. It’s a season for staying inside where it’s cozy and warm. Maybe you make yourself a cup of tea. Maybe you curl up under a blanket with a book. Rachel Gillig’s One Dark Window is the perfect novel for such a time. In this gothic fantasy, magic comes upon people like an infection. It’s even treated like a disease. A fatal one.

Jan 7, 2025 | theportalist.com | Vernieda Vergara

A new year always brings new possibilities. For readers, that usually means looking forward to new books! So what if our to-be-read piles are enormous and threatening to crush us under their towering weights? Our favorite authors might be coming out with their next novel, and no one can fault us wanting to support them!Last year was an exciting one in science fiction and fantasy.

Nov 4, 2024 | theportalist.com | Vernieda Vergara

Between WitchTok, the hit Netflix series Wednesday, and the pop culture pervasiveness of astrological events like Mercury in Retrograde, witches are having a moment. Historically, we think of witches as women who were unfamiliarly maligned and subjected to terrible torture and punishment. Today, witches have become feminist symbols. “We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn’t burn,” paraphrased from a Tish Thawer novel, has become the ultimate slogan embodying this sentiment.

Oct 8, 2024 | theportalist.com | Vernieda Vergara

First published in 1984, Glen Cook’s The Black Company would go on to become a foundational work of dark fantasy. For those unfamiliar with the work, it follows a mercenary unit known as The Black Company as they navigate an evil empire ruled by a powerful sorceress simply known as the Lady. What sets the Lady apart from other magic users is that she’s capable of subjugating even her most powerful enemies and turning them into her loyal minions.