Arterial Bloom edited by Mercedes M. Yardley ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2020

ISBN-13: 9781646693108

Available: Paperback, Kindle, comiXology

Arterial Bloom is another great anthology from Crystal Lake Publishing, edited by Bram Stoker Award-winning author Mercedes M. Yardley. This is the first anthology with Yardley at the helm, and she curated some beautiful and horrific tales. A unique feature of this particular anthology is that it does not rely on a cohesive theme to direct the tales in its pages. I was dubious at such a risky decision, especially as this is Yardley’s first anthology as an editor. However, it is clear she is in touch with the genre. The anthology contains 16 stories. Rather than discuss all of them, I will highlight the ones that were particularly enthralling.

In “The Stone Door” by Jimmy Bernard, three sisters must keep a bike equipped with a lever system operating in order to keep a monster behind a door. The door must remain closed. When one of the sisters falls ill, they worry about how much longer they can keep this up. “Dog (Does Not) Eat Dog” by Grant Longstaff is told in a post-apocalyptic world where two old friends find themselves at a dangerous crossroads. Linda J. Marshall’s “Kudzu Stories” entwines three separate lives where they come to different ends when the kudzu gets entangled in the human condition. In “Welcome to Autumn” by Daniel Crow, a mysterious bandaged stranger posing as a journalist visits the wife of a brilliant artist who has gone missing under mysterious circumstances. “The Darker Side of Grief” by Naching T. Kassa tells the story of George, a young boy who grieves his recently deceased mother and finds himself haunted by something that calls itself his mother. On top of that, George and his sister Mindy have a new babysitter, Carla Runningdeer. He’s heard all of the rumors about their new caretaker’s violent tendencies and wonders if they are true. Ken Liu’s “In the Loop” tells the story of a young girl watching her father turn into an abusive monster who eventually kills himself. He had been a drone strike operator for the military and suffered from severe PTSD. She signs up with a company whose representative tells her they are making software to completely replace humans at the controls, something that Kyra believes will free others of experiencing the tragedy and guilt of wartime. She develops the algorithm for their drones to recognize threats, but when two of those drones kills a group of children, things get messy.

Other authors include Christopher Barzak, Armand Rosamilia, Jennifer Loring, Kelli Owen, Jonathan Cosgrove, Steven Pirie, Dino Parenti, Todd Keilsing, and Carina Bissett, all of whom contributed powerful stories. Yardley did an excellent job selecting stories that resonate with the reader, despite not having a theme behind them. I also didn’t find myself questioning character motivations or wondering why a story was included. Yardley has a good eye for horror, and I hope she continues as an editor as well as a writer. Highly recommended.

Contains: domestic violence, implied child abuse, discussion of prostitution, murder of a child, PTSD, suicide

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker