Violence is at the core in this collection of books – there’s everything from the savage and cruel to the slapstick and knockabout. A quick look at the covers reveal images of the starkly real and the disturbingly unreal. There are worlds inhabited by demons and monsters – and others by human beings at the height of their depravity. Violence delivers power and passion – the sheer energy sucking readers into the vortex. It can be drenched in blood or viciously bloodless. And which is more terrifying, violent actions – murder, bodily harm, imprisonment - or violent words – coercion, gaslighting, subordination. Some books really push the boundaries as violence and sex collide in both consensual and non-consensual acts. Or violence and humour push the reader to places where they laugh aloud – in spite of their better selves. So many dark places to visit and dangerous people to meet, it may be shocking but it’s irresistible.
