Kendall R. Phillips is a Bram Stoker nominated author who writes about horror, science fiction, superheroes and various other topics.

Kendall R. Phillips

NO ONE CAN SAVE US - OUT NOW!

NO ONE CAN SAVE US - OUT NOW!

Order Your Copy here.

NO ONE CAN SAVE US has been unleashed from NIGHTMARE PRESS!

Adam always keeps his powers in check. As the world's only superpowered hero, he has to know his limits. Defeat the master criminal, repel an army, stop a natural disaster, but never let himself go too far. 

Until Syangnom. 

The world has grown accustomed to the feats of its only superhuman. Adam's wife, Sara, a celebrated journalist and periodic hostage, regularly reports his exploits, and all the legal issues are handled by the agents of Extra-Judicial Affairs. But when Adam becomes enraged in the reclusive regime of Syangnom, he leaves 14 million people dead and the world recoiling from the destruction he has wrought. 

 

Now Adam's wife Sara and EJA Agent Pia Mercado must track down the conspiracy behind Adam's breakdown and discover the otherworldly source of his powers. Their search will bring them face to face with supervillains, eldritch gods, and the mysterious armored figure who defends Chicago from the shadows.

A mix of superheroes, horror, and science fiction - think WATCHMEN X LOVECRAFT! I hope you like it!

NO ONE CAN SAVE US - Acknowledgments

Unfortunately, my acknowledgments for the novel didn’t make it into the printed version. I offer these words of gratitude and recognition here. There are, of course, many others who deserve appreciation, I hope they all know that I am grateful for their support.

This novel travelled a long and winding road before arriving on the doorstep of Nightmare Press. I’m deeply grateful to Jacob and Jenny Floyd for being open to this work and helping shape it into its final form. The journey before arriving with the “Frightening Floyds” had its fair share of negatives, including one prominent agent who explained to me with absolute certainty that “no one reads horror” before appearing as a featured speaker at the Horror Writers Association conference a few years later. But this is not a space for dwelling on those who rained on my parade, instead it is to thank those who helped shelter this dream during its development. Megan Davidson was an early supportive voice during workshops at Syracuse’s Downtown Writers Center along with a group of fellow writers, Laurie Mangicaro, Ed Henry, Brett DeBose, Lisa Harrell and others. The final push to turn the “dream of writing a novel” into reality came through the support of the Colgate Writers Workshop. Naomi Jackson, a writer whose elegant prose still amazes me, was incredibly gracious in support of my writing as were the other members of our workshop. 

Above all these friends and advisors, one person was essential to my journey, both as a writer and as a person. Catherine Thomas, my beloved partner and a writer whose work astounds and humbles me, was by my side throughout this long process. She offered love, encouragement, and brilliant suggestions. This novel would not have been possible without her and my life would be empty without her.


New edition of Projected Fears!

A new edition of Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture is coming out to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original book. The new edition adds three key films, The Blair Witch Project (1999), Saw (2004), and Get Out (2017) and includes a new introduction and conclusion.

Pre-order Now

Recent Works on Horror and Pop Culture

Kolchak: The Night Stalker (Wayne State University Press, 2022)

Explores the iconic horror television series.

A Place of Darkness (University of Texas Press, 2018)

Explores horror in early cinema.

Dark Directions (SIU Press, 2012)

2012 Bram Stoker Finalist! Explores iconic horror directors of the 1970s.

Horror and Pop Culture

A Cinema of Hopelessness: The Rhetoric of Rage in 21st Century Cinema (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021)

Examines affective dimensions of recent popular films like Cabin in the Woods, Joker, and Avengers: Infinity War.

Controversial Cinema (Bloomsbury, 2008)

Explores the rhetoric surrounding controversial films throughout history.

Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture (Bloomsbury, 2005)

Explores iconic horror directors of the 1970s.

Works on Rhetoric & Public Memory

Global Memoryscapes (U of Alabama Press, 2012) co-edited with G. Mitchell Reyes

An edited volume exploring the transnational movement of memories and memory practices.

Framing Public Memory (U of Alabama Press, 2004)

Edited volume exploring various conceptions and approaches to public memory.

The Conceit of Context (Peter Lang, 2020) co-edited with Charles E. Morris III

Edited volume from the 2016 Public Address Conference.