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Book Review: Horror Library, Volume 6 edited by Eric J. Guignard

Horror Library, Volume 6 edited by Eric J. Guignard

Farolight Publishing, 2017

ISBN: 9780996115988

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

“The Librarian will be looking for YOU.” With a tagline like that, I knew I immediately had to check out this book. Each story was selected by a former Stoker award winner, Eric J. Guignard, and he did not disappoint with what he included in the fantastic anthology. Horror Library, Volume 6 showcases twenty-seven new horror short stories—twenty-seven!—by new or under-published authors in the genre.

There are too many incredible stories in this anthology. Each one has a distinct feel, and a distinct way of lingering in the back of your mind. A son attempts to come to terms with his mother’s death, the horror that was visited upon him as a child, and finds out it really happened. When people go missing in the little town of Ophir, Eudora and Poppy, try to puzzle out what could be happening: Mountain lions? Sinkholes? A giant snake snatching them up? They find the answer in the ruins of the old Cartagena Hotel. Marta, a divorcée coming to terms with her situation, is disturbed at night by every noise in her old house. Her grandmother’s superstitions find a way to lurk in the back of her mind, emerging at night in the darkness of her old house. Marta also fears the old lumber truck that slows as it passes her residence. Who is behind the wheel, and what does it want, especially on Halloween night? Ethan and Earl, friends since childhood, are backpacking across Italy when the meet Il Mostro.  A man endlessly searching for his missing brother finds he may be looking for the woman with the red hands instead. Will he find either one? Andy and Julie need a plumber, but they get more than they bargain for when they call Bud. Gray attends some high school friends’ wedding, reminiscing about his lost love. An old man tells him Harlan Hall is angry. Gary resolves his feelings for his former love and appeases the Hall at the same time, whether he likes it or not. An elderly man loses an expensive package in an airplane restroom to an unknown creature hiding in the toilet, and the only one who can help him is a member of the American Neo-Nazi Strike Force. Which represents more evil: the Neo-Nazi, or the monster lurking in the loo?

I think one of the best things about this book is that the tales have a range of gore, naughtiness, and even some humor. Normally, I like visceral and brutal stories, but the authors selected for Horror Library Volume 6 have ways of communicating horror with the minimum of disturbing imagery, but the content…oh, the content of each expertly crafted tale is phenomenal.  This is the first Horror Library volume I have read. It makes me want to pick up the first five to see what they have to offer. Run out to get this immediately. Highly recommended.

Contains: gory bits, a little bit of sexual content, brief but spooky stalking

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on September 25, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: Dark Screams: Volume 6 edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar

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Dark Screams: Volume 6 edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar

Hydra, 2017

ISBN: 9780399181931

Available: Kindle edition

Freeman and Chizmar have curated stories from Stephen King, Lisa Morton, Nell Quinn-Gibney, Norman Prentiss, Joyce Carol Oates, and Tim Curran for this short-story anthology. Every one of them is a fast read, each with its own unique edge.

King’s “The Old Dude’s Ticker” is a different spin on Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Richard Drogan is a Vietnam vet working for this old dude whose eye, that vulture eye, is driving him insane, man.  Drogan knows the old dude needs to die.

“The Rich are Different”, by Lisa Morton, tells the story of Sara Peck, who wrote a successful novel about the elite of society. When the family she based the story on wants to meet her, Sara discovers secrets far more twisted than her imagination could conjure. This was probably my least favorite short story out of this collection, but it was still quite good.

In Nell Quinn-Gibney’s “The Manicure”, a young woman getting her nails done professionally for the first time finds that her mind keeps wandering to the past. Her memories merge with the present, and her manicure turns out to be less relaxing than she hoped for. The tension-building in this story was incredibly effective.

In “The Comforting Voice”, by Norman Prentiss, Josh and Cheryl are expecting. Cheryl is in the process of reconciling with her abusive father, Lewis, which Josh does not support. When  Lewis arrives, he is diminished; cancer has ravaged his body and effected a change in his demeanor. When the baby comes, she adores her grandfather, and he is the only one who can calm her screaming fits. What no one thinks about is who will take on that mantle when Lewis is gone. Who will have the comforting voice, and what will they say?

I love Joyce Carol Oates’ work, and “The Situations” did not disappoint. It should be mentioned there is animal and child abuse referenced in this story. In Oates’ story, there are certain lessons children must learn, and if they do not follow the rules, they must bear the scars of their punishment. When the children question Daddy, they learn the most important rule of all.

The last story in this anthology is “The Corpse King”, by Tim Curran. Clow and Kierney are resurrection men just trying to make an honest living. When Sherily warns them not to set foot in the North Burial Grounds, what’s a body to do? I’ve always loved the setting of Victorian slums and the subject of resurrection men. This novella will be added to one of my favorites of this type of story. Curran doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to the atmosphere and substance of the Victorian gothic.

Freeman and Chizmar selected some great stories for this anthology. It has a little bit of something to please most reading preferences. I’m looking forward to the next installment of Dark Screams. Recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Contains: animal abuse, child abuse, blood, brief mention of sex

 

 

Posted on June 18, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: Expiration Date edited by Nancy Kilpatrick

Expiration Date edited by Nancy Kilpatrick

EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-77053-062-1

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

We all have an expiration date: we are born and live our lives to whatever inevitable conclusion awaits us.  Each journey is extremely personal, and the journey that one person takes is not necessarily followed by another.   This collection of  twenty-five short stories explores a myriad of personal expiration dates: they are all well-imagined and unique reads, written around the theme of death and dying. The tone varies from one to the next, although many of the stories depend on melancholy, measured pacing.

When I first read the description of Expiration Date I thought it was a very interesting concept that could go lots of different ways.  I was not disappointed.  Favorites were: “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” by Kelley Armstrong, which sets two modern-day vampires in negotiations to resolve past disagreements so they can each get what they want– these were very interesting characters that made me wonder what happens next; “The Death of Jeremiah Colverson”by George Wilhite, which follows a soldier as he dies in several wars; and “The Greyness” by Kathryn Ptacek, a creepy story in which everyone who shakes hands with a recently widowed woman dies within days.  I have not read any of this editor’s or these authors’ works previously. Recommended for adult readers.

 

Contains: Swearing, adult situations

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher


Posted on November 6, 2016 by , Reply
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