American novelist
Joshua "Josh" Viola (born July 23, 1983) is a
science fiction /
fantasy /
horror writer, artist and film producer best known for
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - The Dead Shall Rise , True Believers , Denver Moon ,
The Bane of Yoto and his companies
Hex Publishers and Bit Bot Media.
[1] He is a 2021 Splatterpunk Award nominee (Psi-Wars: Classified Cases of Psychic Phenomena )
[2] and a 2022
Colorado Book Awards winner (Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas ).
[3]
In 2012, Viola collaborated with
Klayton and his music label/publisher,
FiXT Music , where Viola is the author of the novels
Blackstar
[4] and
The Bane of Yoto .
[5] He directed the “
Unshakeable ”
[6] animated music video for
Celldweller .
Viola is owner of publishing house
Hex Publishers .
[7]
[8] He edited their
Denver Post number one best selling
[9] horror anthology,
Nightmares Unhinged ,
[10] featuring Bram Stoker, Hugo and Nebula Award winners such as Jason Heller,
Steve Rasnic Tem ,
Edward Bryant and
Stephen Graham Jones .
[11] He co-edited
Cyber World , a
cyberpunk anthology, with Jason Heller for Hex Publishers in 2016, which was a 2017
Colorado Book Award finalist
[12]
[13] and named one of the best anthologies of 2016 by
Barnes & Noble .
[14] Blood Business , a paranormal crime anthology co-edited by Mario Acevedo, was a 2018 Colorado Book Award finalist.
[15] In 2019, his comic book collection, Denver Moon: Metamorphosis , was included on the 2018
Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel.
[16] He was nominated for his fourth Colorado Book Award in April 2020 for his Denver Moon sequel, The Saint of Mars ,
[17] a year after the first book, The Minds of Mars , was nominated for the 2019 award.
[18] In 2021, he edited the StokerCon™ souvenir anthology for the
Horror Writers Association 's first online convention (due to the
COVID-19 pandemic), which included the 2020
Bram Stoker Awards .
[19] His 2020 anthology, Psi-Wars , was nominated for a 2021 Splatterpunk Award (award founded by Wrath James White and
Brian Keene ).
[20] He won the 2022 Colorado Book Award in the Anthology category for Shadow Atlas , co-edited by Carina Bissett and Hillary Dodge.
In 2022, he became the Creative Director of Novelization and Comics for Random Games' Unioverse videogame franchise
[21] launched by a team of gaming and entertainment industry veterans behind titles such as
Grand Theft Auto ,
Donkey Kong Country , and
Crackdown . He worked directly with writer Brent Friedman, whose previous credits include
Star Wars: The Clone Wars ,
Halo 4 ,
The Walking Dead ,
Call of Duty , and
Star Trek: Enterprise .
In 2023, he co-wrote the slasher comic book series True Believers with
Stephen Graham Jones , which features official cameos from
Jamie Lee Curtis ,
R.L. Stine , and more.
[22] He executive produced a reboot of
Roger Corman 's
Deathstalker (film) franchise, directed by Steven Kostanski (
The Void (2016 film) ,
PG: Psycho Goreman ), starring
Daniel Bernhardt , and co-executive produced by
Slash (musician) of
Guns N' Roses ,
[23] as well as
Jason Lei Howden 's
Deathgasm II: Goremaggedon . He is an executive producer on artist Skinner's Shrine of Abominations (featuring work by stop motion animator
Phil Tippett
[24] ), and associate producer on films such as
Chris Stuckmann 's
Shelby Oaks , and CreatorVC's Aliens Expanded and TerrorBytes .
In 2024, Viola and Klayton formed Bit Bot Media, a multimedia company focused on film, games, comics and licensed IP. Bit Bot announced a partnership with Canadian film studio Raven Banner Entertainment and London-based FreakZone Games to bring a number of projects to the public.
[25] Not long after, Bit Bot announced a partnership with the game studio known for the
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider series,
Crystal Dynamics , to revive the popular video game series Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, with Viola co-writing a prequel graphic novel alongside writer Angie Hodapp and artists Juan Samu, Dave Rapoza, and Aaron Lovett.
[26]
Films
Deathstalker (film) 2024 (Executive Producer)
[27]
Deathgasm II: Goremageddon (Executive Producer)
Shrine of Abominations (Executive Producer)
Aliens Expanded (Associate Producer)
Shelby Oaks (Associate Producer)
TerrorBytes (Associate Producer)
Novels
Novellas
Stolen Pallor with Sean Eads (Blood Bound Books, 2024)
[28]
Denver Moon: The Minds of Mars with Warren Hammond (Hex Publishers, 2018)
Denver Moon: The Saint of Mars with Warren Hammond (Hex Publishers, 2019)
Denver Moon: The Thirteen of Mars with Warren Hammond (Hex Publishers, 2022)
Collections
Midnight Vintage with Sean Eads (Crystal Lake Entertainment, 2025)
[29]
Anthologies edited
Nightmares Unhinged
[30] (Hex Publishers, 2015)
Cyber World with Jason Heller
[31] (Hex Publishers, 2016)
Georgetown Haunts and Mysteries with Jeanne Stein
[32] (Hex Publishers & Ghost Town Writers Retreat, 2017)
Blood Business: Crime Stories from this World and Beyond with Mario Acevedo
[33] (Hex Publishers, 2017)
Psi-Wars: Classified Cases of Psychic Phenomena
[34] (Hex Publishers, 2020)
It Came From The Multiplex: 80s Midnight Chillers
[35] (Hex Publishers & Colorado Festival of Horror, 2020)
StokerCon™ 2021 Souvenir Anthology: The Phantom Denver Edition
[36] (Hex Publishers/
Horror Writers Association , 2021)
Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas with Carina Bissett and Hillary Dodge
[37] (Hex Publishers, 2021)
Unioverse: Stories of the Reconvergence with Angie Hodapp
[38] (Hex Publishers/Random Games, 2023)
Comic books & Graphic Novels
Tooth and Claw with Angie Hodapp and Aaron Lovett
[39] (Hex Publishers, 2017)
Denver Moon: Murder on Mars with Warren Hammond and Aaron Lovett (Hex Publishers, 2018)
Denver Moon: Rafe's Revenge with Warren Hammond and Aaron Lovett (Hex Publishers, 2018)
Denver Moon: Transformations with Warren Hammond and Aaron Lovett (Hex Publishers, 2018)
Denver Moon: Metamorphosis with Warren Hammond and Aaron Lovett (Hex Publishers, 2018)
Unioverse: Reyu with Angie Hodapp and Ben Matsuya (Hex Publishers/Random Games, 2023)
[40]
Unioverse: Krishah with Angie Hodapp and Ben Matsuya (Hex Publishers/Random Games, 2023)
Unioverse: Tor Gret with Angie Hodapp and Ben Matsuya (Hex Publishers/Random Games, 2023)
Unioverse: Annill with Angie Hodapp and Ben Matsuya (Hex Publishers/Random Games, 2023)
Unioverse: Vella Janx with Angie Hodapp and Ben Matsuya (Hex Publishers/Random Games, 2023)
Unioverse: Silas with Angie Hodapp and Ben Matsuya (Hex Publishers/Random Games, 2023)
True Believers with Stephen Graham Jones and Ben Matsuya (Hex Publishers/Metal X Entertainment, 2023)
Shrapnel Volume One ("Game Over") with James Aquilone and Juan Samu (Metal X Entertainment, 2024)
Terror in the Corn: The Wells Twins with Sean Eads and Juan Samu (Metal X Entertainment/Anderson Farms, 2024)
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - The Dead Shall Rise with Angie Hodapp and Juan Samu (Bit Bot Media/Crystal Dynamics, 2024)
Children's books
Boomer and Friends! with Lindsey Bell and Aaron Lovett
[41] (JAM Publishers, 2017)
Short stories
"Luna One" (Hex Publishers, 2014)
"The Camera" (Hex Publishers, 2015)
"The Librarian" (Hex Publishers, 2015)
[42]
"Needles" with Dean Wyant (Hex Publishers, 2015)
"Scarecrows" (Hex Publishers, 2015)
[43]
"Fangs" as J.V. Kyle (Hex Publishers, 2015)
"Bathroom Break" as J.V. Kyle (Hex Publishers, 2015)
"Finder's Fee" (RMFW Press, 2016)
[44]
"Outsorcery" (The Literary Hatchet, 2016)
[45]
"Notches" with Sean Eads (Blood Bound Books, 2017)
[46]
"Straight to the Top" as Trevor Jones (Hex Publishers, 2017)
[47]
"Denver Moon: Metamorphosis" with Warren Hammond (Hex Publishers, 2018)
"For the Road is Heaven" with Sean Eads (Hex Publishers, 2018)
[48]
"Our Hero" with Sean Eads (RMFW Press, 2018)
[49]
"Many Carvings" with Sean Eads (Corpus Press, 2018)
[50]
"Eunuch's Code" with Sean Eads (Blood Bound Books, 2019)
[51]
"Grave Mistake" with
Carter Wilson (Denver Horror Collective, 2019)
[52]
"BFG" with Sean Eads (Birdy Magazine, 2020)
[53]
"The Sommelier" with Sean Eads (Birdy Magazine, 2020)
[54]
"Bright Rain" with Sean Eads (Birdy Magazine, 2020)
[55]
"The Jarheads" with Sean Eads (Hex Publishers, 2020)
[56]
"The Devil's Reel" with Sean Eads (Hex Publishers, 2020)
[57]
"The Recall" (Bloodshot Books, 2020)
[58]
"When the Trumpet Sounds" (Birdy Magazine, 2020)
[59]
"Flashpoints" with
Keith Ferrell (Birdy Magazine, 2021)
[60]
"The Disciple of Many Faces" (Birdy Magazine, 2021)
[61]
"Diminished Seventh" with Sean Eads (Black Spot Books/Crystal Lake Publishing, July 2022)
[62]
"Ballad of the Overeager Gun" with Sean Eads (Brigids Gate Press, August 2022)
[63]
"The Climb Up to Hell" with Sean Eads (Hellbound Books Publishing, October 2023)
[64]
Anecdotes
"Introduction: Reclaim Your Fears" (Hex Publishers, 2015)
[65]
"Cyber Punks" (
Locus Magazine , 2016)
[66]
"Introduction: Metamorphosis" (Hex Publishers, 2016)
[67]
"The Holy Appendix" as Jay Vee (Birdy Magazine, Issue 083, 2020)
[68]
^
"Book Review: 'The Bane of Yoto' by Joshua Viola" , Burkart, Gregory, for FEARnet , 15 August 2012, retrieved 14 March 2013
^
"2021 Splatterpunk Awards Winners" , Locus Magazine , 23 August 2021, retrieved 10 October 2022
^
"2022 Colorado Book Award Winners" , Locus Magazine , 27 June 2022, retrieved 10 October 2022
^ Barkan, Jonathan.
"Celldweller Plans New Music, Book Series, And More" ,
Bloody Disgusting , 27 February 2013. Retrieved on 14 October 2015.
^ Johnston, Rich.
"Could The Bane Of Yoto Herald In A New Look For Digital Comics?" ,
Bleeding Cool , 5 March 2012. Retrieved on 14 October 2015.
^ Crane, Matt.
"Celldweller Releases Music Video for Unshakeable" ,
Alternative Press , 10 December 2013. Retrieved on 14 October 2015.
^ Wenzel, John.
"Erie-based Horror publisher uses unlikely way to bankroll, empower writers" ,
The Denver Post , 4 September 2015. Retrieved on 14 October 2015.
^ Siebrase, Jamie.
"Hex Publishers, a New Local Press, Plans to Release a Dark, Twisted Anthology" ,
Westword , 9 February 2015. Retrieved on 14 October 2015.
^ The Denver Post.
"Books: Denver best sellers, 9/20/2015" ,
The Denver Post , 20 September 2015. Retrieved on 14 October 2015.
^ Jules, Damnetha.
"Nightmares Unhinged (Book Review)" ,
Horror Palace , 5 September 2015. Retrieved on 14 October 2015.
^ Barkan, Jonathan.
"Witness The Unveiling Of Nightmares Unhinged (Exclusive)" ,
Bloody Disgusting , 9 July 2015. Retrieved on 16 July 2015.
^ Wenzel, John.
"“Cyber World” anthology brings darkly alluring sci-fi back to the future" ,
The Denver Post , 26 October 2016. Retrieved on 16 July 2015.
^ Colorado Humanities.
"“2017 Colorado Book Award Finalists" ,
Colorado Humanities . Retrieved on 12 September 2017.
^ Cunningham, Joel.
"The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Collections and Anthologies of 2016" ,
Barnes & Noble , 21 December 2016. Retrieved on 25 February 2019.
^ Colorado Humanities.
“2018 Colorado Book Award Finalists" ,
Colorado Humanities . Retrieved on 25 February 2019.
^ Locus Magazine.
"2018 Stoker Awards Preliminary Ballot" ,
Locus Magazine , 21 January 2019. Retrieved on 25 February 2019.
^ Locus Magazine.
"2020 Colorado Book Awards Finalists" ,
Locus Magazine , 7 April 2020. Retrieved on 16 April 2020.
^ Westword.
"Colorado Book Awards Finalists Announced" ,
Westword , 21 March 2019. Retrieved on 16 April 2020.
^ StokerCon™.
"Souvenir Book - StokerCon™ 2020"
^
2021 Splatterpunk Award Nominees
^
https://random.games/team.php Random Games Team
^ Schedeen, Jesse.
"Jamie Lee Curtis to Guest Star in Horror Comic True Believers" ,
IGN , 2 April 2024. Retrieved on 15 July 2024.
^ Ramachandran, Naman.
"Roger Corman Reboot ‘Deathstalker,’ Exec Produced by Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Unveils First Look, Raven Banner Launches Sales at Cannes (EXCLUSIVE)" ,
Variety (magazine) , 18 May 2024. Retrieved on 2 June 2024.
^ Hammond, Chris.
"SHRINE OF ABOMINATIONS – A STOP-MOTION KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN THAT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD!" ,
Rue Morgue (magazine) , 7 March 2023. Retrieved on 2 June 2024.
^ Jonathan, James.
"Exclusive: Klayton (Celldweller) and Joshua Viola Form Bit Bot Media and Announce Strategic Partnerships with Raven Banner Entertainment and FreakZone Games" ,
Daily Dead , 6 June 2024. Retrieved on 15 July 2024.
^ Schedeen, Jesse.
"Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Returns In New Prequel Graphic Novel" ,
IGN , 30 June 2024. Retrieved on 15 July 2024.
^ Ramachandran, Naman.
"Roger Corman Reboot ‘Deathstalker,’ Exec Produced by Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Unveils First Look, Raven Banner Launches Sales at Cannes (EXCLUSIVE)" ,
Variety (magazine) , 18 May 2024. Retrieved on 2 June 2024.
^ Blood Bound Books.
"Stolen Pallor" , Blood Bound Books , 2024. Retrieved on 2 June 2024.
^ Crystal Lake Publishing.
"First project signed for 2025!" , Crystal Lake Publishing , 2024. Retrieved on 2 June 2024.
^ Froyd, Susan.
"Nightmares Unhinged Launch Party" ,
Westword , 9 September 2015. Retrieved on 16 July 2015.
^ Wheeler, Isaac.
"Cyber World Demonstrates the Future of the Cyberpunk Genre" ,
Neon Dystopia , 11 November 2016. Retrieved on 19 December 2016.
^ Kirkus Reviews.
"Georgetown Haunts and Mysteries" ,
Kirkus Reviews , 9 August 2017. Retrieved on 12 September 2017.
^ Kirkus Reviews.
"Blood Business" ,
Kirkus Reviews , 26 September 2017. Retrieved on 28 November 2017.
^ Kirkus Reviews.
" ,
Kirkus Reviews , 13 April 2020. Retrieved on 16 April 2020.
^ Facebook.
" ,
Facebook , 17 January 2020. Retrieved on 16 April 2020.
^ StokerCon.
[1] ,
StokerCon , 2021. Retrieved on 31 May 2021.
^ Hex Publishers.
[2] ,
Hex Publishers , 2021. Retrieved on 31 May 2021.
^ Glyfe.
[3] ,
Glyfe ,19 October 2022. Retrieved on 24 October 2022.
^ Hex Publishers.
"Tooth and Claw" ,
Hex Publishers . Retrieved on 12 September 2017.
^ Hex Publishers.
[4] ,
Hex Publishers , 2022. Retrieved on 24 October 2022.
^ Wenzel, John.
"The Secret Ingredients to a Great Children's Book" ,
Denver Post , 4 August 2017. Retrieved on 12 September 2017.
^ HorrorNews.net.
"Paul Campion's 'The Librarian' Optioned Short Horror Story To Screen" ,
Horror News , 30 October 2015. Retrieved on 12 September 2017.
^ Anderson, Derek.
"Exclusive: Read a Short Story from NIGHTMARES UNHINGED: TWENTY TALES OF TERROR" ,
Daily Dead , 28 August 2015. Retrieved on 14 October 2015.
^ Siebrase, Jamie.
"Get Lost at a Celebration of Found, a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Anthology" ,
Westword , 4 October 2016. Retrieved on 19 December 2016.
^ GoodReads.
"The Literary Hatchet #15" ,
GoodReads . Retrieved on 12 September 2017.
^ Blood Bound Books.
"DOA III" ,
Blood Bound Books . Retrieved on 12 September 2017.
^ Hex Publishers.
"Blood Business" ,
Hex Publishers . Retrieved on 28 November 2017.
^ Kirkus Reviews.
"Blood and Gasoline" . Retrieved on 25 February 2019.
^ RMFW.
"2018 Anthology" , RMFW . Retrieved on 25 February 2019.
^ Horror After Dark.
"Doorbells At Dusk" . Retrieved on 25 February 2019.
^ Blood Guts and Story.
"Crash Code" . Retrieved on 25 February 2019.
^ Westword.
"Westword" . Retrieved on 26 September 2020.
^ Birdy.
"Birdy Magazine" . Retrieved on 16 April 2020.
^ Birdy.
"Birdy Magazine" . Retrieved on 16 April 2020.
^ Birdy.
"Birdy Magazine" . Retrieved on 26 September 2020.
^ Hex Publishers.
"Hex Publishers" . Retrieved on 26 September 2020.
^ Hex Publishers.
"Hex Publishers" . Retrieved on 26 September 2020.
^ Facebook.
"Facebook" . Retrieved on 26 September 2020.
^ Birdy Magazine.
"Birdy Magazine" . Retrieved on 31 May 2021.
^ Birdy Magazine.
"Birdy Magazine" . Retrieved on 31 May 2021.
^ Birdy Magazine.
"Birdy Magazine" . Retrieved on 17 June 2021.
^ Monstrous Books.
"Monstrous Books" . Retrieved on 24 October 2022.
^ Brigids Gate Press.
"Brigid Gates Press" . Retrieved on 24 October 2022.
^ Hellbound Books Publishing.
"Hellbound Books Publishing" . Retrieved on 2 June 2024.
^ Hex Publishers.
"Nightmares Unhinged" ,
Hex Publishers . Retrieved on 19 October 2020.
^ Zinos-Amaro, Alvaro.
"Josh Viola Guest Post–“Cyber Punks”" ,
Locus Magazine , 15 June 2016. Retrieved on 19 October 2020.
^ Hex Publishers.
"Cyber World" ,
Hex Publishers . Retrieved on 19 October 2020.
^ Birdy Magazine.
"The Holy Appendix" , Birdy Magazine . Retrieved on 19 October 2020.