Aliens, Minibikes and Other Staples of Suburbia by MF Korn*New Review

Silver Lake Publishing, 2004

ISBN: 1931095183

Available: New

    This collection contains eight short stories and a novella, crossing multiple genres from horror to science fiction and even some twisted humor. Two of the stories that really stood out were “The Spectral Carnival Show” and “The Catch of the Century.”  The first is a haunting tale about a mysterious carnival that appears in town, and disappears with something precious just as suddenly as it came. “The Catch of the Century” is almost comical. The reader can see where story is headed, but there’s always hope that the anticipated outcome is not inevitable. The true prize of this collection is the novella, Aliens and Minibikes. This is a charming story told from a child’s perspective, with a child’s innocent view of the world as a wonderful place. Set in the late 1960’s, this story follows a group of boys who discover a strange and wonderful animal and the adventures that arise from their find. Korn creates tension in the story by introducing some older children who are plotting to take the pet, leaving the reader wondering about their villainous intentions for the little creature. MF Korn tells a wondrous tale that will take older readers back to their childhood. He dredges up images from our past, friends we may have had as a kid, and the bullies we fought, and adds a mysterious creature to bring all these things together to create a grand adventure. Aliens and Minibikes contains the sort of adventures we all dreamed of as children and an innocence we long to go back to as adults. Aliens, Minibikes and Other Staples of Suburbia is a book that I am proud to have in my collection.

Review by Bret Jordan

Read by Dawn III, edited by Adelle Hartley*New Review

Bloody Books, 2008

ISBN: 9781905636259

Available: New 

    Read by Dawn III collects 28 short stories of natural and supernatural horror. The storytelling styles are as varied as the authors who wrote them and range, as many anthologies do, from fair to excellent. A few that really caught my attention were: What Will Happen When You are Gone by Jeffory Jacobson, where a couple go to buy a ranch home and discover that it is much more than it seems; Wendy by Ryan Cooper, the horrifying story of a man who can’t let go of a childhood friend; Windchimes by Paul Kane, the chilling story of a father’s loss; and finally, Coming to a Close by Aurelio Rico Lopez III, the brutal tale of a woman who is kidnapped and abused, with an ending that just gave me the chills. Though a few of the stories didn’t really catch my interest, the ones that did made up for them by far.

 Contains: Torture, Rape

Review by Bret Jordan

Dark Distortions edited by Molly Fesse and C.D. Allen*New Review

Scotopia Press,2008

ISBN:978-0-9778262-9-2

Available: New

    This thick and ambitious collection is overflowing, with 32 short stories, novellas and poems of dark fiction by unknown authors. In concept, this book has the makings of a fantastic anthology, giving new voices the freedom to show off their talent without worrying about word counts. The editors in the introduction suggested a commitment to working with stories and authors who might not be ready for prime time. The editors made one major mistake for a collection introducing new authors. There are no bios on the authors. No information was given besides their names. I found this very frustrating. The stand-out stories in this collection were Web by John Logan and A Night Encounter in Confederate Virginia by DC Sowders.

Contains: violence, language, sexuality and drug use.

Review by David Agranoff 

Ugly Stories for Beautiful People by James Burr

Corsega Press,2007
ISBN: 1430320370

Available: New

    Burr’s short stories defy categorization. The stories vary in length and range in type from a tale told from the point of view of a pregnancy stick to the story of two people who are so in love with each other that they literally become one. The format of the book is also unusual. It has no table of contents, and the stories just sort of flow into each other. If there is a theme to the collection, it is about how the characters’ perceptions prevent them from seeing the reality around them.  Burr is a talented storyteller with an impressive imagination. His stories will be appreciated by readers of horror, bizarro fiction, and those who just like good writing. Recommended.

Contains:  Violence, minor gore, sexual themes

Fried! Fast Food, Slow Deaths edited by Colleen Morris and Joel A. Sutherland

Graveside Tales, 2008

ISBN:  0980133807

Available: New 

    Morris and Sutherland serve up a tasty little anthology that goes after the fast food industry. Like the restaurants it parodies, Fried! has a menu that is varied and quite frankly comes down to a matter of taste. The anthology embraces a steady diet of established small press authors, with a healthy sampling of amateur scribes at different stages of development added into the mix. Some stories are quite palatable, while others are best relegated to the refuse pile. Overall, Fried! Fast Food, Slow Deaths serves up enough delicacies to make it a satisfying meal, but be warned- there are some entrees that are not quite suitable for consumption. Readers advisory note: Readers of horror and short fiction may appreciate this title the most.

Contains: A smorgasbord of disturbing imagery, adult language and situations, and over-the-top violence.

Stories included are:

Meat drippings by D.L.Snell
Bad Fish by Gregg Winkler
Station 19 by Michael Josef
Red, Yellow, and Green by Christopher J. Dwyer
The Drain by Michael Hultquist
Veggie Burger by Bret Jordan
Sugar Pie, Honey Pie by Shanna Germain
Something in the Water by H.F. Gibbard
An Army Marches On Its Stomach by Andy Kirby
The Applicant by Kevin Lightburn
Clipped by Jodi Lee
The FNG by James Patrick Cobb
The Playspace by Cody Goodfellow
Take Away by Rodney J. Smith
A Bad Case Of The Meat Sweats by Stephen Leclerc
Shift Change by David Dunwoody
Meat by Lisa Becker
Snailwart by MP Johnson
Comfort Food by Cheryl Rainfield
Lunchtime at the Justice Café by Ken Goldman
Happinex by KJ Kabza

The Bocan by Joel A. Sutherland

Feeding Frenzy by Matt Hults

 

A Dark and Deadly Valley edited by Mike Heffernan.

Silverthought Press, 2007

ISBN: 0977411087

Available: New

    A Dark and Deadly Valley is a collection of twenty tales of terror set in World War II, written by some of the most talented writers of horror today.  The book’s presentation was clearly done with care and attention. The cover looks like classic horror comic book art, and artwork also accompanies the initial page of each story.  The stories are strong, and many of them focus on the human horror of war with a supernatural twist.  Readers will see the lengths people will go to win in times of desperation, from making a pact with the devil in John Everson’s story, “The Devil’s Platoon,” or by creating the ultimate deadly creature in Brian Keene’s “The Black Wave”. Also included are stories about the often frightening costs of human survival, such as Harry Shannon’s “And The Worm Shall Feed.”  The stories range from subtle in their terror to hit you over the head fear.  Another standout story is Weston Ochse’s “Hiroshima Falling,” in which victims of the blast find that human skin now holds memories that seek not to be forgotten.   A Dark and Deadly Valley is an excellent entry point for exposing readers of war novels to horror fiction, and can also serve as a gateway to historical war fiction for traditional horror readers.  The book makes a fine complement to another World War II title, Stephen Mark Rainey’s Blue Devil Island.  Strongly recommended for public libraries.

Contains: some extreme gore, violence, murdering children, cannibalism

 Stories included are:

 "After Dunkirk" by T.M Wright

"The Coventry Boy" by Graham Joyce

"The Honor Guard" by Paul Finch

"In the Dark and the Deep" by Steve Vernon

"Simple Equations" by Jeremy Robert Johnson

"The Night is an Ally" by Scott Nicholson

"Come Unto Me" by Elizabeth Massie

"And the Worm Shall Feed" by Harry Shannon

"At Angels Sixteen" by Larry Santoro

"The Black Wave" by Brian Keene

"And They Will Come in the Hour of Our Greatest Need" by Brian Hodge

"The Devil's Platoon" by John Everson

"Sturm und Drang" by Bev Vincent

"Hiroshima Falling" by Weston Ochse

"Doorway to the Sky" by Cody Goodfellow

"A Judgment Call for Judgment Day" by Scott Edelman

"Blossoms in the Wind" by Rick Hautala

"The Gypsy Camp" by Mort Castle

"Warbirds" by David J. Schow

"But Somewhere I Shall Wake" by Gary A. Braunbeck

Tattered Souls edited by Frank J. Hutton *New Review

Cutting Block Press, 2007

ISBN: 9780977826230

Available: New

Tattered Souls is a short collection consisting of six tales of horror. The stories are longer than most short stories, but not quite long enough to be novellas. I am not sure if there was an intended theme for this anthology. Erotic themes repeat in almost all the stories, and at least two are excellent, nuanced detective noir stories… a subgenre that is very dependent on texture. A standout in this collection is Chris Reed’s “Drool,” the twisted tale of an aspiring pedophile losing his sanity that balances disturbing imagery with laugh-out loud comedy. The absolute winner, however, is “The End of Flesh,” by Matt Wallace, a dark, dystopic science fiction story that just might rock your world. This revelatory novella could and should be expanded into a full novel. “Drool” and “The End of All Flesh” are worth the price alone, but all the stories should provide an enjoyable read.  This collection is why the underground horror press exists- to give a home to young, fresh writers trying to find a place for their work. One thing is for sure- Cutting Block Press has put out a book of high-quality horror that is extreme in every sense of the word. Recommended. Stories include:

 Contains Violence, sexuality, drug use, cannibalism.

Review by Daivd Agranoff

Stories included are:

“The Monkey Skin Cloak” by Jeff Crook

 “Other People” by Richard Wright

“ The End of Flesh” by Matt Wallace

“Clipped Dirty Wings” by M.E. Palmer

“Drool” by Chris Reed

“Terminal Condition” by Chris Ryan.

Horror Library Volume II edited by R.J. Cavender

Cutting Block Press, 2007

ISBN: 9780977826223
Available: New

    Horror Library Volume II is an excellent collection of short stories that can be enjoyed all at once or savored over many days.   The pleasant surprise with the Horror Library is that in addition to stories covering familiar territory, as seen in John Rector’s “A Season of Sleep”  and Kevin Donihe’s “Preacher Mike and the Black Cross Revelation ,”  there are also original ideas that result in enjoyable tales,  such as “Charlotte’s Frequency,” by Ian Rogers. The collection has no particular theme and the stories cover a wide variety of subjects.. Although the stories in Horror Library Volume II vary in length and in theme, they are all strong, entertaining reads. Most are short enough that readers will find themselves easily starting another… then another… in fact, the book should come with the tagline “you can’t read just one.” Strongly recommended for public libraries.  Contains: gore, violence, suicide.

 Stories included are:

Clara Chandler - Blood: An Introduction

John Rector - A Season of Sleep

Stephen R. George - A Chainsaw Execution

Cameron Pierce - I am Meat, I am in Daycare

Sunil Sadanand - Trapped Light Medium

Marc Paoletti - Apple

John Mantooth - Next Stop, Babylon

Michael W. Lucas - Opening the Eye

Matthew Fryer - Phaedra’s Baby

Tom Pendergrass - Immortal Remains

Ron McGillvray - The Garbage Collectors

Lon Prater - Free to Good Home

Alan Smale - Bound

Boyd E. Harris - Alien Fajitas

Stephen Bacon - The Trauma Statement

Ian Rogers - Charlotte’s Frequency

Ken Goldman - High Tide Coming

Kevin L. Donihe - Preacher Mike and the Black Cross Revelation

Lorne Dixon - Reins in the Night Season

Glen Krisch - Filth Eater

Kim Despins - Crushed Neem

Daniel L. Naden - Drawn

Peter Hynes - Meat-Boy

Petra Miller - You’re a Good Girl, Delilah

Mark Justice - The Losers vs Beelphegor

Paul Walther - We Fall on Each Other

M. Louis Dixon - H19N1

Matt Hults - The Show Must Live On

Matt Samet - White Balloon

Clinton Green - The Horror in the Bookstore

Apple of My Eye by Amy Grech

Two Backed Books,  2006

ISBN: 193329342X

Available: New

    Apple of My Eye is a collection of thirteen short stories with varied themes from horror author Amy Grech, an enjoyable afternoon read of terror tales in bite-sized bits.   While many of her story concepts are familiar, the excellence of Grech’s storytelling, combined with good plot pacing and solid writing, makes for an entertaining reading experience.   Recommended for public libraries.  Contains: Violence, Rape, Murder, Cannibalism .

The included stories are:

Apple of My Eye

Come and Gone

Prevention

Snubbed

Raven's Revenge

Rampart

Ashes to Ashes

Perishables

Cold Comfort

Damp Wind and Leave

Initiation Day

Crosshairs

EV 2000

Confessions of a Ghoul and other stories by M.F. Korn

Silver Lake Publishing, 2003

ISBN:1931095477

Available: New and Used 

    This collection by M.F. Korn contains a variety of short stories and a novella.  The short stories take up a little over half of the book. The rest of the book is the novella, also the titular story. Some of Korn’s more enjoyable short stories include “Letters from Skitzo” and “And Now, the Wizard of Gore…May I Present the President.”  However, not all of Korn's short stories work.   The novella, “Confessions of a Ghoul” has an interesting premise.  Psychology graduate student Tim Meadows has chosen to do his thesis project on a mysterious homeless man, Tiresias, and quickly finds himself losing his grip on normalcy as he enters Tiresias’ world.     Contains: Cannibalism, violence, murder

Stories included are:

Eternal Questions Posed At the International House of Pancakes

And Now, the Wizard of Gore, May I present the President

The Great Find of the NonTraditional Computer Cowboys

Rags to Riches to Hell

The Unwelsome Guest

Letters from Skitzo

Confessions of a Ghoul: Apologia Pro Mea Vita.

Butcher Shop Quartet edited by Frank J. Hutton

Cutting Block Press, 2006

ISBN: 0977826201

Available: New and Used

Butcher Shop Quartet is a horror fiction anthology with four of the most diverse stories anyone is likely to find in the same book.  The first story is entitled ‘The Last of Boca Verde’ by Boyd E. Harris and it’s the story of an eccentric fellow who is sorely lacking in people skills. He is in search of his brother who went missing within the jungles of a dormant volcano. In the search for his brother he reveals things about himself that would probably be best left hidden. ‘The House on the Hill’ by Clinton Greens is the next story in the list. It is the story of a man who spends the night in a haunted house as an initiation right into a college fraternity. The night in ‘The House on the Hill’ has consequences that follow the main character much further into his future than he could have ever imagined. ‘The Reconstruction of Kasper Clark’ by Michael Stone is the third story in this collection. Mr. Clark has a horrible defect. His mouth is on his forehead instead of where it rightfully belongs. His fiance has insisted that his mouth be put in it’s proper place before she will say the wedding vows forcing him to make a change that he really isn’t ready to make. The only facility that can fix his condition is more like an insane asylum than it is a hospital, with the strangest group of physicians and nurses anyone is likely to meet this side of hell. The final story is entitled ‘Darkling Child’ by A. T. Andreas. This story pits a hereditary protector of good against the seductresses of darkness in a battle for the future of mankind. Mankind’s fate seems doomed as the protector is seduced by the dark delights of his twin adversaries. The diversity of the stories in this book would make it a good fit for any public or private library. Review by Bret Jordan

Contains: Sex, Violence

Review by Bret Jordan

Read by Dawn 2 edited by Adele Hartley

Bloody Books, 2007

ISBN: 9781905636105

Available: New

    Read by Dawn 2 is an anthology with a little bit of everything. Stories that will really grab readers’ attention grabbers include “The Skin and Bone Music Box,” in which a spoiled ruler takes a precious thing and turns it into an item of horror, “Fat Hansel,” a retelling of an old story with an all new twist that is sure to terrify, “A Candle for the Birthday Boy,” a story of vengeance that is sure to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, and “Fingers,” which will terrify the reader with it’s bizarre horror. This anthology also has some classical themes told in an all-new light, including a zombie tale entitled “Harvest,” and the apocalyptic story “A Storm of Ice.”  A reader’s advisory note: some of the stories, such as “Guts,” in which a man has a gruesome reaction to drinking tequila, and “Between The Screams,” about a young man who has to do atrocious things to belong to a gang, are not for the faint of heart. As with many anthologies, the tales in Read by Dawn 2 range in quality-  happily, in this case, from fairly good to great. Recommended for adult horror collections in any library. Stories Include:

Sharp Things by Joshua Reynolds

Between The Screams by Brian G. Ross

Pebble Toss and Dare by Bradley Michael Zerbe

Baby Steps by Scott Stainton Miller

The Skin And Bone Music Box by Andy P. Jones

Hostage Situation by Joe L. Murr

Rite of Passage by Ken Goldman

Fan Hansel by David Turnbull

Childhood by Morag Edward

Like Snow by Brian Richmond

Adultery by F. R. Jameson

Gristle by Stephen Roy

And Then… by Kim Sabinan

A Candle for the Birthday Boy by Christopher Hawkins

The Door by Suzanne Elvidge

Sally by Patricia Russo

Fingers by Jamie Killen

Trick or Treat? By Clare Kirwan

Feeder by A. C. Wise

Urbane by Frazer Lee

Harvest by David Dunwoody

The Proposal by Charles Colyott

Guts by Gavin Inglis

The Night Animals by Scott Stainton Miller

A Storm of Ice by Joel A. Sutherland

Falling Stars by Samuel Minier

 Contains: Violence, Gore, Rape, Torture

Screams from a Dying World by David Agranoff

Punk Horror Press, 2006

ISBN: n/a

Available: New

Destinations Unknown by Gary A. Braunbeck

Cemetery Dance Publications, 2006

ISBN: 1587670852

Available: New

    Destinations Unknown contains one novella and two short stories. The novella, entitled "The Ballad of Road Mama and Daddy Bliss," is hard to put down. The tale starts off with the main character being sentenced to community service with the gruesome chore of picking up dead bodies for the coroner. From there the story quickly jumps into twisted mystery as the main character tries to figure out how and why one of their “passengers” died. The mystery is just the beginning as the main character continues down the road to an almost surreal existence where man and machine have become one. "Congestion"  takes place during a traffic jam as a man tries to drive himself to the emergency room to have someone help him with his heart attack. The final story, "Merge Right," is the story of a man trying to fulfill his dead wife’s last wish and scatter her ashes over Niagara Falls. The drive there becomes a nighttime trip into terror as the main character is haunted by his wife’s death and the odd cars that seem to be stranded in the snow on the lonely stretch of highway. All of the stories in this book are well written and fabulously entertaining. The surreal scenes come to life, described in believable detail. Characters seem eerily familiar and charming, while at the same time holding a menacing air about them. At times I could almost see myself sitting behind the wheel of the car wondering what was going on, and believing it. Recommended for public and private library collections.  Contains: Gore, Violence. Review by Bret Jordan

A Dirge For The Temporal by Darren Speegle

Raw Dog Screaming Press, August , 2004
ISBN: 0974503134

Available: New

     Darren Speegle  has presented us with a collection of short stories in A Dirge for the Temporal. Speegle has written a wide range of stories from the creepy and bizarre to the disturbing and brutal.  Among his creations are a vengeful girl who makes it rain apricots, a town that prepares a special barbeque celebration, and a surprise party that goes awry.     Some of the stories are easy to understand  and enjoyable while others require multiple readings and serious examination.    Favorite stories included in the book are "The Day It Rained Apricots," "Rupture Zone", and "Triangle."   Readers of mainstream horror will find some occasional reading speed bumps along the way as A Dirge For The Temporal includes a number of experimental literary works.    There are a  number of horrifying stories in A Dirge For The Temporal which makes it a good addition for public libraries with a large and varied reader population that might look to experiment in more literary horror.  

The Mutilation of Paris Hilton by MP Johnson

Freak Tension Press, September, 2006

ISBN: N/A

Available: New

    The Mutilation of Paris Hilton is a chapbook containing three stories by author MP Johnson.  The title story introduces Justin, a young man with an intense hatred of socialite Paris Hilton. With the help of his friend Chip, he kidnaps and kil s her in the most heinous of ways.  It is an incredibly graphic and disturbing story. If Johnson's goal was to go for gore and shock he succeeds.   What makes the story most disturbing is that it is about a real person and not a fictional construct. The second story, Punk Rock Mummy, is a fun and inventive tale about a band's use of a reanimated mummy to enhance their concerts.  The third story Snailwart is about the pus from the warts that a young man gets from his pet snail and its effects on the patrons of the restaurant where he works.  There is a lot of imagination evident in Snailwart and the gross-out factor is high.  Johnson clearly has a great imagination and has the ability to create interesting stories. However, the title story may make it difficult for a library to add this to a collection.   Contains: violence, kidnapping and extreme gore.

Spider Pie by Alyssa Sturgill

Raw Dog Screaming Press, May, 2005
ISBN: 1933293055 

Available: New  

    Readers familiar with the conventions of straightforward horror fiction will need to set aside their expectations as they try a helping of Spider Pie.   Alyssa Sturgill's short stories contain various amounts of humor, horror, and gore. They vary in flavor from sweet to very dark. My favorite stories are "Leviathan," a story about a boy and his pet monster,  and "Beware of Kittens," a tale of a mother truly having kittens when her daughter breaks curfew, with deadly consequences.  After reading through Spider Pie, I find that it is an enjoyable collection of stories, but requires an open mind and active imaginations, as well as multiple readings. If you're looking for brain candy, you'll have to look elsewhere, but it is worth the effort it takes to digest Spider Pie.  I believe that Spider Pie can be included in a library's collection development plan. I believe that although this book may have a limited audience, libraries should consider purchasing it. While a library caters to what the public wants, it also provides a place where readers can have exposure to new and different literature and Spider Pie definitely falls into that category.  Contains:  Violence and sexual passages. 

Weird Women, Wired Women by Kit Reed
Wesleyan Univ. Press, 1993
ISBN: 0819522554 (softcover)

Available: New and Used
    These nineteen stories will truly creep out any woman who's ever been afraid she's turning into her mother, dissatisfied with her appearance, or uneasy about seeming (or being) unconventional. Reed taps into our everyday fears of who we are or who we might become. What nightmares can arise from plastic surgery, beauty pageants, and immaculate houses? Kit Reed has imagined them, and her words are a terrifying wake up call.
entry by Francesca the Librarian

Nobody edited by Kelly Gunter Atlas

Dark Hart Press, 2006

ISBN: 0978731834

Available: New 

    Nobody is a fine collection of short stories that cover a wide range of horror genres. The common denominator for the stories is that they are all written by members of EWAG (Essex Writers & Artists Guild), so instead of all the stories addressing a theme, readers get a “grab bag” with a variety of tales.  Within the pages of this anthology are stories of ghosts and the supernatural, alien invasion, vampires, technological terrors and dark love affairs. A few of the stories even consist of hard science fiction with a terrifying twist. Some of the stories are better than others, but all of the tales are dark and entertaining. All in all, Nobody is a good horror anthology and would make a nice addition to a horror section of any library.  Recommended for personal and public library collections.

Stories Include:

Gamblers Anonymous by Gregory L. Norris

The Janitor by Tracy L. Carbone

Through His Eyes by Pam Martin-Kingsley

The Wrong Box by Coralie Hughes Jensen

Trick or Treat by Brenna Lyons

Emmett by Scott T. Goudsward

Phantom Dreams by Brenna Lyons

The Bells of Lyonese by Coralie Hughes Jensen

Body Hunger by A. E. Martineau

The Box of Love and Hatred by Gregory L. Norris

It's 3:00 AM by Pam Martin-Kingsley

Personal Demons by Kelly Gunter Atlas

The Bone Keeper by Coralie Hughes Jensen

Rose-Colored Glasses by Tracy L. Carbone

Within an Inch of Life by Mellisa Sherlin

Thanks for the Memories by A. E. Martineau

Anima Ex Machina by Brenna Lyons

Dark Cold by Scott T. Goudsward

Contains: Violence

Review by Bret Jordan

One Hand Screaming by Mark Leslie
Stark Publishing, 2004
ISBN: 0973568801

Available: New
    One Hand Screaming is a fine collection of short stories and poems, with an extra inside glimpse into why the author chose to write each of the stories. This book is sure to capture the imagination of almost any reader. The terrifying collection includes almost zombie-like tales,  ghostly hauntings,  and stories of psychological horror and supernatural happenings. At the back of the book is a nice collection of information, l where Mr. Leslie gives the reader a little background on the cover image and on each story.  The stories themselves are a unique blend of horrifying tales, with a twist of humor that provides and interesting contrast between screams and laughter.  Leslie's stories are also thought provoking in a way that is uncommon in many horror publications. One Hand Screaming is a thoroughly enjoyable read.  Recommended for public libraries. Contains: Gore, Violence, Rape

Review by Bret Jordan

Living Shadows by John Shirley

Wildside Press, 2007

ISBN: 080955786X
Available: New

    When an author produces a work that haunts me long after I read it, I tend to be hooked on that author forever. John Shirley’s novel Wet Bones made me feel uncomfortable as I read it, and it haunts me still. When I picked up Living Shadows I was nervous as I always am when I crack open a work by John Shirley. That nervous feeling is a testament to his skill. I knew I was in for a ride through the darkness.

While he is best known for being one of the first authors within the Cyber Punk genre, John Shirley is also one of the most gifted short story writers of the horror genre. In 1998 Shirley put together a short story anthology called Black Butterflies, which was named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly, and won both the International Horror Guild and the Bram Stoker awards.
 

Living Shadows is the latest collection of John Shirley’s short fiction and fits perfectly on the shelf with his previous award-winning collection. Featuring works that span his career, this anthology is a wonderful introduction to Shirley, and a must-have for long-time fans. Much like Black Butterflies, the book is divided into two halves: the first half grounded in a gritty reality and the second in different levels of the fantastic.

In his stories, Shirley creates characters not often found in horror fiction. Social misfits and junkies are treated like real people, not cartoons. With an unblinking eye, Shirley treats us to worlds that are uncomfortable, loaded with drama and black humor. Shirley pulls it off perfectly, so you find yourself naturally flipping pages.

Several of the stories in Living Shadows present a clear statement about the negative effect of apathy, but nothing is heavy-handed. "Blind Eye", the first story of the second half, was originally in Poe’s Lighthouse. Here John Shirley has had the pleasure of finishing an Edgar Allen Poe story which was left without an ending, and the blending is done seamlessly. For this reader, the true stand-outs in the anthology are "Isolation Point, California, "a dystopian tale whose concept slapped me in the face, and the novella Buried in the Sky, which shows Shirley doing what he does best in his novels - blending an intense tale of Lovecraftian horror and strong characters with an interesting story arc, suspense, and a social justice message.

For fans of original horror fiction that has something important to say, Living Shadows is a must-have.

Contains: Murder, suicide, drug abuse. 

Review by David Agranoff

Right House on the Left by Steve Vernon, Mark McLaughlin, and L.L. Soares

Novello Publishers,2005

ISBN: N/A

Available: New

    Right House on the Left is a deluxe chapbook with three imaginative tales mixing humor and horror.  The first is "The Outhouse on the Edge of Forever," by Steve Vernon, where a mystical outhouse built for a community picnic becomes the source of some inspired horror and hilarity.   "Don't Look in the Little Storage Room Behind the Furnace," by Mark McLaughlin, takes many of the horror fiction staples and parodies them in a tale about a family moving into a house with a haunted past.  Finally, "in the Blood Splattered Mirror Ball," by L.L. Soares,  an exclusive club becomes haunted by the fun-loving spirits of some unpopular people who had always been refused admittance.   The chapbook presents a wide variety of writing styles and tales and they all work well for those who are familiar with the horror genre. The chapbook is perfect for horror fans and  recommended for libraries that support a large community of horror readers. 

Contains:  some gore.     

Nothing to Lose by Steve Vernon, illus. by Alex McVey
Nocturne Press, 2007
ISBN: 0977656063
Available: New
    In a town that would give Batman the creeps, an unlikely superhero emerges. He doesn’t leap over buildings in a single bound, his budget doesn’t allow for a utility belt, and he doesn’t tingle when danger is near. In fact, there isn’t really anything supernatural about this superhero, unless his bad attitude, lack of fear, or his almost insane mental state count as superpowers. Captain Nothing is a man on the brink, fighting crime wherever he runs across it, or when it runs across him. Nothing to Lose contains three short stories, told from the superhero’s point of view. Although the book is short, only sixty-five pages, each story hits like a hammer. At times the stories are a bit unbelievable, but would it be a superhero story if they weren’t? Nothing to Lose also contains bonus art by Alex McVey that demonstrates some concept versions of Captain Nothing. Note: Although this is a superhero story, it is not intended for children. Recommended for public and private libraries. 
Contains: Gore, Violence, Rape, Sex, Suicide

Review by Bret Jordan

Echoes of Terror selected by Katherine Smith, Garrett Peck, and Giovanna Lagana

Lachesis Publishing, 2007

ISBN: 18973700607

Available: New

    Echoes of Terror lives up to its title. All of the stories in this anthology were captivating, terrifying and entertaining. Within its pages, readers will discover homicidal maniacs, lycanthropes, flesh devouring aliens, drug dealing insects, protective and restless ghosts, and a city of snake people. There is a tremendous variety in the types of stories as well. “Clown School” by J. Edward Tremlett, is the story of a father and daughter stopping in to use the phone at a remote school for clowns, only to find that the clowns are taught that to achieve the highest levels of humor the highest levels of pain must also be achieved. “Door Bitch” by Dave Field is another excellent example of the horror within these pages. A woman hurts her vertebrae in a car accident and can only move her eyes. When a lascivious paramedic gets her and announces that she is dead she realizes that she might be in the hands of someone who is not what they seem to be. In “Tempest” by Matt Hults, two couples are hiking near a lake when an eerie storm crops up with rain that burns and smokes when it lands on trees and flesh. They find shelter in a lake house only to realize that the rain is the lesser of two evils. I would highly recommend Echoes of Terror to anyone who loves terror and variety. Strongly recommended for both public and private libraries.

Stories Include:

Looks Like a Rat to Me by Nicholas Grabowskyr.

With Love, Veronica by Ken Goldman

Eating Crow by Garrett Peck

Fowl Play by Keith Gouveia

Bug Powder by Meghan Jurado

When Black Fades to Grey by Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc

November Girls by Katherine Smith

Clown School by J. Edward Tremlett

Crushing Giles by J. Stephen C. Hallen

Door Bitch by Dave Field

Tempest by Matt Hults

A Baker’s Dozen by Nancy Jackson

Interludes by Jodi Lee

One Hell of a Deal by Giovanna Lagana

Ice Cold Shakes by John Everson

Contains: Violence, Gore, Sex. Review by Bret Jordan

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