Joshua "Josh" Viola (born July 23, 1983) is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

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 ''The Bane of Yoto'' is a science-fantasy novel by Josh Viola (creator) and Nicholas Karpuk, first published in June 2012 by music label FiXT Music owned by electronic rocker Klayton of Celldweller. The transmedia project also includes an au ...

'' and his companies Hex Publishers and Bit Bot Media. He is a 2021 Splatterpunk Award nominee (''Psi-Wars: Classified Cases of Psychic Phenomena'') and a 2022 Colorado Book Awards winner (''Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas'').

Background

In 2012, Viola collaborated with

Klayton Klayton Albert (born Scott David Albert; June 17, 1969), also known mononymously as Klayton, is an American multi-instrumentalist from New York City who currently resides in Los Angeles, California. He has led several Electronic music, electron ...

and his music label/publisher,

FiXT Music FiXT (pronounced "fixed") is an American independent media company with several divisions including a record label, an online music store, and a film/TV/video game music licensing arm. FiXT was founded and is owned by Klayton, the sole member o ...

, where Viola is the author of the novels '' Blackstar'' and ''

''. He directed the “ Unshakeable” animated music video for

Celldweller Celldweller is an electronic rock project by American multi-musician Klayton. Celldweller's songs have been featured in many films, movie trailers, television shows and video games. Career Precursors: Circle of Dust and Angeldust (1992–1999) ...

. Viola is owner of publishing house Hex Publishers. He edited their ''

Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in the Denver metropolitan area. it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 mil ...

'' number one best selling horror anthology, '' Nightmares Unhinged'', featuring Bram Stoker, Hugo and Nebula Award winners such as Jason Heller,

Steve Rasnic Tem Steve Rasnic Tem (born 1950) is an American author. He was born in Jonesville, Virginia. Rasnic attended college at Virginia Tech, and also at Virginia Commonwealth University. He earned a B.A. in English education. In 1974, he moved to Colorado ...

Edward Bryant Edward Winslow Bryant Jr. (August 27, 1945 – February 10, 2017) was an American science fiction and horror fiction, horror writer sometimes associated with the Dangerous Visions series of anthologies that bolstered New Wave (science fiction), ...

and

Stephen Graham Jones Stephen Graham Jones (born January 22, 1972) is a Piegan Blackfoot, Blackfeet Native Americans in the United States, Native American author of experimental fiction, horror fiction, crime fiction, and science fiction. His works include the horror ...

. He co-edited '' Cyber World'', a

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

anthology, with Jason Heller for Hex Publishers in 2016, which was a 2017

Colorado Book Award The Colorado Book Awards are awards presented annually to Colorado authors, editors, illustrators, and photographers who exemplify the best in their category in the state during a given year. Awards have been presented since 1991. The awards are ...

finalist and named one of the best anthologies of 2016 by

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

. ''Blood Business'', a paranormal crime anthology co-edited by Mario Acevedo, was a 2018 Colorado Book Award finalist. In 2019, his comic book collection, ''Denver Moon: Metamorphosis'', was included on the 2018

Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...

Preliminary Ballot for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel. He was nominated for his fourth Colorado Book Award in April 2020 for his Denver Moon sequel, ''The Saint of Mars'', a year after the first book, ''The Minds of Mars'', was nominated for the 2019 award. In 2021, he edited the StokerCon™ souvenir anthology for the

Horror Writers Association The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of horror and dark fantasy writers. Overview HWA was formed in 1985 with ...

's first online convention (due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic), which included the 2020

s. His 2020 anthology, ''Psi-Wars'', was nominated for a 2021 Splatterpunk Award (award founded by Wrath James White and

Brian Keene Brian Keene (born September 22, 1967) is an American author and podcaster, primarily known for his work in horror, dark fantasy, crime fiction, and comic books. He has won the 2014 World Horror Grandmaster Award and two Bram Stoker Awards. In ad ...

). 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 launched by a team of gaming and entertainment industry veterans behind titles such as ''

Grand Theft Auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is an action-adventure video game series created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is prima ...

'', ''

Donkey Kong Country ''Donkey Kong Country'', known in Japan as is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a Reboot (fiction), reboot of Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'' ...

'', and ''Crackdown''. He worked directly with writer Brent Friedman, whose previous credits include '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', ''

Halo 4 ''Halo 4'' is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. ''Halo 4''s story follows a Human genetic enhancement, genetically enha ...

'', '' The Walking Dead'', ''

Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-of ...

'', and ''

Star Trek: Enterprise ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', originally titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001 to May 13, 200 ...

''. In 2023, he co-wrote the slasher comic book series ''True Believers'' with

, which features official cameos from

Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for List of Jamie Lee Curtis performances, her performances in the horror and slasher film, slasher genres, she is regarded as a scream qu ...

R.L. Stine Robert Lawrence Stine (; born October 8, 1943) is an American novelist. He is the writer of '' Goosebumps,'' a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second- best-selling book ...

, and more. He executive produced a reboot of

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

Deathstalker (film) Deathstalker is a species of scorpion, ''Leiurus quinquestriatus'', also known as Omdurman scorpion or the Israeli desert scorpion. Deathstalker may also refer to: * Death-Stalker, a Marvel Comics supervillain character, first appearing in 1968 * ...

franchise, directed by Steven Kostanski (

The Void (2016 film) ''The Void'' is a 2016 Canadian Lovecraftian horror film written and directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie, and produced by Jonathan Bronfman and Casey Walker. It stars Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Daniel Fathers, Kathleen Munroe, ...

, PG: Psycho Goreman), starring

Daniel Bernhardt Daniel Bernhardt (born 31 August 1965) is a Swiss actor, stuntman, martial artist, and former model. He is known for his work on various action films. He made his acting debut in the leading role in the martial arts film '' Bloodsport II: The N ...

, and co-executive produced by

Slash (musician) Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), known professionally as Slash, is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and mid-1990s. Slash has r ...

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

,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) ''Variety'' is an American trade magazine owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933, ''Daily Variety'' was launched, based in ...

'', 18 May 2024. Retrieved on 2 June 2024. as well as

Jason Lei Howden Jason Howden is a New Zealand film director and visual effects artist. Early life Howden was born and raised in Greymouth, New Zealand. He left high school at age 17 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Career Aged 17, Howden bega ...

's '' Deathgasm II: Goremaggedon''. He is an executive producer on artist Skinner's ''Shrine of Abominations'' (featuring work by stop motion animator

Phil Tippett Phil Tippett (born September 27, 1951) is an American film director and visual effects supervisor and producer, who specializes in creature design, stop-motion and computerized character animation. Over his career, he has assisted ILM and Drea ...

), and associate producer on films such as

Chris Stuckmann Christopher Michael Stuckmann (born April 15, 1988) is an American YouTuber, filmmaker, author, and film critic. As one of the most popular film critics on YouTube, Stuckmann has over 2 million subscribers and over 779 million views on the ...

's ''

Shelby Oaks ''Shelby Oaks'' is a 2024 American supernatural horror mystery film produced, written, and directed by Chris Stuckmann in his feature directorial debut. It stars Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, and Keith Da ...

'', and CreatorVC's ''Aliens Expanded'', ''The Thing 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, including an official video game adaptation for

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...

. Not long after, Bit Bot announced a partnership with the game studio known for the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider series,

Crystal Dynamics Crystal Dynamics, Inc. is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California. The studio is best known for its games in the ''Tomb Raider'', '' Legacy of Kain'', and '' Gex'' series. Madeline Canepa, Judy Lange, and Dave Morse ...

, to revive the popular video game series ''

Legacy of Kain ''Legacy of Kain'' is a series of dark fantasy action-adventure video games primarily developed by Crystal Dynamics and formerly published by Eidos Interactive. The first title, '' Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain'', was created by Silicon Knights in ...

'', with Viola co-writing '' Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise'', a prequel graphic novel to '' Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver'' alongside writer Angie Hodapp and artists Juan Samu, Dave Rapoza, and Aaron Lovett.

Filmography

Films * ''

'' 2024 (Executive Producer) * '' Deathgasm II: Goremageddon'' (Executive Producer) * ''Shrine of Abominations'' (Executive Producer) * ''Aliens Expanded'' (Associate Producer) * ''The Thing Expanded'' (Associate Producer) * ''

'' (Associate Producer) * ''TerrorBytes'' (Associate Producer)

Video Games

Video Games * ''The

Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...

Video Game'' 2024 (Executive Producer) * ''Terror in the Corn'' (Executive Producer) * ''

Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...

' Grabber'' (Art Director) * ''

Pirates of the Caribbean ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with Wa ...

: Call of the Kraken'' (Artist) * '' Target: Terror'' (Artist)

Bibliography

Novels * ''

'' with Nicholas Karpuk (FiXT, 2012) * '' Blackstar'' (FiXT, 2015) * ''

'' Re-write with Mario Acevedo and Nicholas Karpuk (Hex Publishers, 2022) Novellas * ''Stolen Pallor'' with Sean Eads (Blood Bound Books, 2024) * ''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) Anthologies edited * '' Nightmares Unhinged'' (Hex Publishers, 2015) * '' Cyber World'' with Jason Heller (Hex Publishers, 2016) * ''Georgetown Haunts and Mysteries'' with Jeanne Stein (Hex Publishers & Ghost Town Writers Retreat, 2017) * ''Blood Business: Crime Stories from this World and Beyond'' with Mario Acevedo (Hex Publishers, 2017) * ''Psi-Wars: Classified Cases of Psychic Phenomena'' (Hex Publishers, 2020) * ''It Came From The Multiplex: 80s Midnight Chillers'' (Hex Publishers & Colorado Festival of Horror, 2020) * ''StokerCon™ 2021 Souvenir Anthology: The Phantom Denver Edition'' (Hex Publishers/

, 2021) * ''Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas'' with Carina Bissett and Hillary Dodge (Hex Publishers, 2021) * ''Unioverse: Stories of the Reconvergence'' with Angie Hodapp (Hex Publishers/Random Games, 2023) Comic books & Graphic Novels * ''Tooth and Claw'' with Angie Hodapp and Aaron Lovett (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) * ''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) * '' Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – Melchiah'' with Preston Asevedo (Limited Run Games/Bit Bot Media/Crystal Dynamics, 2024) Children's books * ''Boomer and Friends!'' with Lindsey Bell and Aaron Lovett (JAM Publishers, 2017) Short stories * "Luna One" (Hex Publishers, 2014) * "The Camera" (Hex Publishers, 2015) * "The Librarian" (Hex Publishers, 2015) * "Needles" with Dean Wyant (Hex Publishers, 2015) * "Scarecrows" (Hex Publishers, 2015) * "Fangs" as J.V. Kyle (Hex Publishers, 2015) * "Bathroom Break" as J.V. Kyle (Hex Publishers, 2015) * "Finder's Fee" (RMFW Press, 2016) * "Outsorcery" (The Literary Hatchet, 2016) * "Notches" with Sean Eads (Blood Bound Books, 2017) * "Straight to the Top" as Trevor Jones (Hex Publishers, 2017) * "Denver Moon: Metamorphosis" with Warren Hammond (Hex Publishers, 2018) * "For the Road is Heaven" with Sean Eads (Hex Publishers, 2018) * "Our Hero" with Sean Eads (RMFW Press, 2018) * "Many Carvings" with Sean Eads (Corpus Press, 2018) * "Eunuch's Code" with Sean Eads (Blood Bound Books, 2019) * "Grave Mistake" with

Carter Wilson Carter Wilson (born 1970) is an American novelist, essayist, and short-fiction writer based in Erie, Colorado. He is best known for his works of domestic and psychological suspense. Wilson is an author of ten books. Biography Wilson was born in ...

(Denver Horror Collective, 2019) * "BFG" with Sean Eads (Birdy Magazine, 2020) * "The Sommelier" with Sean Eads (Birdy Magazine, 2020) * "Bright Rain" with Sean Eads (Birdy Magazine, 2020) * "The Jarheads" with Sean Eads (Hex Publishers, 2020) * "The Devil's Reel" with Sean Eads (Hex Publishers, 2020) * "The Recall" (Bloodshot Books, 2020) * "When the Trumpet Sounds" (Birdy Magazine, 2020) * "Flashpoints" with

Keith Ferrell Henry Keith Ferrell (July 7, 1953 – April 11, 2020) was an American author with over a dozen published works including science fiction/fantasy, biographical and video game guides. Ferrell also edited the popular '' Omni'' magazine in the 19 ...

(Birdy Magazine, 2021) * "The Disciple of Many Faces" (Birdy Magazine, 2021) * "Diminished Seventh" with Sean Eads (Black Spot Books/Crystal Lake Publishing, July 2022) * "Ballad of the Overeager Gun" with Sean Eads (Brigids Gate Press, August 2022) * "The Climb Up to Hell" with Sean Eads (Hellbound Books Publishing, October 2023) Anecdotes * "Introduction: Reclaim Your Fears" (Hex Publishers, 2015) * "Cyber Punks" (

Locus Magazine ''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields. ...

, 2016) * "Introduction: Metamorphosis" (Hex Publishers, 2016) * "The Holy Appendix" as Jay Vee (Birdy Magazine, Issue 083, 2020)Birdy Magazine
"The Holy Appendix"
''Birdy Magazine''. Retrieved on 19 October 2020.

References

External links

Hex Publishers, a New Local Press, Plans to Release a Dark, Twisted Anthology
Westword {{DEFAULTSORT:Viola, Josh 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Living people 1983 births Writers from Denver American science fiction writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Colorado