Books: Mark Z. Danielewski puts Texas orphans in harm’s way

Mark Z. Danielewski knows his way around a horror story — and in the case of his famous novel “House of Leaves” it’s a labyrinthine, mind-melting way through a haunted house. After taking on the American road trip in “Only Revolutions” he revisits spookier fare in “The Fifty Year Sword,” where a Pandora’s box unleashes terror on a family of Texas orphans. Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Ave., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Thu. https://www.skylightbooks.com.