Bücher mit dem Tag "anthologies"

Devil's Night (Richard Chizmar)
A perfect start to get into Halloween mood. ***

The Last Dare (Lisa Tuttle)
Raises a nice scary atmosphere, though the ending leaves you guessing. ***

The Halloween Bleed (Norman Prentiss)
Interesting idea behind the story, though it did not overwhelm me. **

Swing (Kevin Quigley)
This one just did not work for me. *

Pork Pie Hat (Peter Straub)
The beginning was very slow (too slow for my liking), but then things got interesting - and ugly. ***

IMHO the weakest book in the series, but the first and last stories still made it worth reading.

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)

A great horror anthology with a wide variety of interpretations of the Easter theme. Some stories just happen to play at Easter time, others take it a step further with weird  easter eggs or creepy bunnies.

Over 20 stories await the eager reader, and while I found one or two foul eggs in the basket, the majority were a sweet treat. Usually, I rate every story in an anthology, but I didn't take notes along the way, so I would have trouble recalling the details of each and every piece here.

While I recognized a couple of authors' names, my three favorite picks are from writers I haven't heard of before: 'Easter Eggs' by Latashia Figueroa, 'Hatch' by Christina Bergling and 'Sulphur' by Mark Fleming. Special mention: 'Baby Blues' by Briana Robertson for most depressing story, and  'An Easter Prayer' by Weston Kincade​ & David Chrisley for most original (and cuddly) story.

The first in a new series of short story collections, Halloween Carnival is the perfect read to get in the mood for Halloween. And just like the sweets you trick or treat, you never know what you end up with until you upend your bag at home, riffle through your treasures and have a taste:

Strange Candy (Robert McCammon)
A solid story to start this collection. Enjoyable, but not too memorable. ***

The Rage of Achilles (Kevin Lucia)
Wow! Creepy, sad, this emits the strongest Halloween vibe. My favorite of the bunch. *****

Demon Air (John R. Little)
Demons on a plane. Silly & bloody my least favorite in this collection. **

La Hacienda de los Muertos (Lisa Morton)
Entertaining. ***

#MAKEHALLOWEENSCARYAGAIN (Mark Allan Gunnells)
I liked it. Very much. A bit predictable, but the writing was superb. Who is this author and why haven't I heard of him before?! (rushing off to check his other works) ****

Now that I got my first taste of Halloween Carnival, I want more!

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)

The Mannequin Challenge (Kealan Patrick Burke)
I liked the otherness, the unexpected turn the story took, but at the end I also felt left behind and still missing something. ***

Across the Tracks (Ray Garton)
Great beginning, but the ending seemed a bit rushed in comparison. ***

The Halloween Tree (Bev Vincent)
IMHO, the most atmospheric story of the collection. ****

Pumpkin Eater (C. A. Suleimanr)
The fun story of the collection, but my least favorite. **

When the Leaves Fall (Paul Melniczek)
The last and longest story which is also easily the best in this book and my favorite here. I loved how so much was only hinted at and left unclear until the very end. Everything that happens is told from the main character's POV, filtered by his thoughts and feelings, which has a strong influence on the reader's perception of things. A great story to complete the book. *****

There were a couple good reasons for me to read this book: it benefits a good cause (Cancer Support Charity), it was featured as a group read at my favorite discussion group (which already is a recommendation in itself), and it sounded like a great anthology of horror stories to have fun with. I was not disappointed!

They Swim by Night
The first story was a good starter, but from the beginning (when Alex learns that 'just a girl' will be on stage) I had a clue as to what kind of girl that would be and where this would surely lead. However, the execution (haha) was well done. ***

Melvin
Not much to say: the second story was just great from start to finish and I especially enjoyed the humor at the end. ****

Extinction Therapy
The third story took its time to convince me. First, I was confused about what was going on, afraid the author chose the session as an easy means to spill his gore fantasy. And what was the parallel story about Doug and Cary doing here? But at the end everything was wrapped up nicely. ***

The Passion of the Robertsons
My favorite so far. Loved the ending!
I wonder whom (or if anyone at all yet) the couple had in mind while purchasing their stuff... Was it coincidence they chose Harry? *****

Hellscape
This story left too many questions open for me. Somehow, the story seemed like a part or unfinished chapter of a longer story. ***

Molly
Well done, but I'm curious about Molly's background - where did she come from? Dolls can be so creepy... ****

Only Angels Know
Bummer! This was so not for me - and I admit I did not understand a single thing this story (may have) wanted to tell me... *

Limb Memory
This was a rather fun story which reminded me of old movies starring severed hands (though I can't remember any title). Nice! ****

Feast of Consequences
Loved it! Where is the novel? *****

The Going Rate
This was - totally unexpected - the most creepy story in the book, and I'm not spooked easily. Loved the idea. Another one I wish would become a novel! ***** can I give an extra star?: *

Darla's Problem
Another fun story that thankfully lifted the mood again...probably couldn't have slept had I stopped after the previous one... ***

There were so many great stories in this anthology, and a lot of them I would love to see extended into a full-length novel. I also discovered a couple new authors, so this book was an absolute winner in multiple ways for me. Highly recommended!

Ich wünschte es gäbe einen sechsten Stern für dieses ambitionierte, zauberhaft phantasie- und liebevoll illustrierte kleine Meisterwerk. Ein Collagenwerk mit Bestand, zum immer wieder in die Hand nehmen und genießen.

This anthology collects a great assortment of Christmas (or at least winter) themed horror stories. What I loved most was the variety the book presented, ranging from chilling ghost tales to blood-spilling gore stories. I found these stories to be the most remarkable:
- 'Christmas in Barcelona' for combining little everyday 'horror' scenarios with some ancient magic and topping it off with a surprise ending
- 'Love Me' for being very creepy and gross
- 'Good Deeds' for the blackest humor
- 'Yankee Swap' for the nasty twists
- 'Home' for best putting me in the Christmas mood despite being so sad

'Hark!' definitely ranges above average as far as anthologies are concerned, and it was a great companion to spend time with and enjoying short getaways at Christmas time.

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)

This is an outstanding anthology by today's crème de la crème of horror authors. There is not one story that disappoints, and all contributions are high above average. The common theme here is ghosts, and we get a wide variety of them: traditional and modern, haunted and gory, human and animal, and everything else in between...

Selecting my favorite stories here is almost impossible, as all of them are more than worth their place in this book. However, if tortured to name my top stories, it would be: 'Those Who Are Terrified (Elizabeth Massie)' which is a rather sad story about a family's darkest secrets. 'Join My Club (Somer Canon)' which is another sad story about two lost little kids. 'New Blood, Old Skin (Glenn Rolfe)' which is both creepy and somehow cute. 'The Glimmer Girls (Kenneth McKinley)' which is the most shocking, especially as it is based on rather gruesome and unbelievable true events.

There's not enough praise to give to this anthology, and if you haven't read it yet: do so now - you definitely won't regret it. Highest recommendation!

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)

Each story in this anthology features a different famous (or infamous) character, from Hollywood stars to politicians to creatures of the night. And as diversified as the characters are their stories, offering a multitude of original and entertaining works, with a remarkable story count of 24.

While each story was entertaining in its own way - more or less so, as with everything, tastes vary - these are my favorite stories (in order of appearance):

The Custer Files by Richard Chizmar:
Wow! This horrific version of Custer's Last Stand was the first noteworthy story for me. *****

The Secret Engravings by Lisa Morton:
Being a story about a not so familiar painter (Hans Holbein) by a not so familiar author (though I at least heard both their names before), this came as an unexpected surprise. Very original and so creepy. *****

Mutter by Jess Landry Wow:
Honestly, I never heard of this author before, so I read the story without any expectations at all and it literally blew me away. The last sentence totally sealed the deal! *****

Washingtonians by Bentley Little:
What if historians didn't just recount history, but remodel it to fit their own purposes? Just the thought of it makes me shiver again...this one was super scary. *****

The Great Stone Face vs. the Gargoyles by Jeff Strand:
One of the reasons I wanted to read this anthology, apart from its original theme, was that it has a story by Jeff Strand included. And as expected, he weaved a hilarious and original tale, this one featuring the great Buster Keaton. *****

What I love most about this anthology is the wide range it covers both in choice of character and the mood it put me in while reading it, covering everything from scary to funny. Recommended!

(Thanks to the publishers at Crystal Lake for kindly providing an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own)

I've never been a big fan of short stories, but recently there seem to be more and more collections and anthologies that catch my interest, as did this book. First, because of the paintings, as I only knew the Nighthawks and a couple other pictures by Hopper and was delighted to get a peek at some of his other work. Second, because of the authors, which include some I know and like very well (Stephen King being my all time favorite), others I'm glad to get to know better (Joyce Carol Oates, Joe R. Lansdale, Lee Child), still others I've heard of but never read before (Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver) and a good number to meet for the first time.

As with all anthologies, there are good stories and there are not so good stories. This collection is one of the better ones, with mostly entertaining stories and only one I didn't like at all. And, of course, there are some precious stories I read and totally loved. As I am not too familiar with the majority of the authors, I can't exactly recall which was which as I didn't made notes along the way. But as each reader has a different taste, I think it's kind of pointless to point out this story or that.

What I liked very much about this book was that the stories did not have a common subject regarding their content, and span several different genres, the most special I remember being a fantasy piece about some kind of Atlantis descendants. But there also where a bunch of crime and thriller stories with some mild horror thrown in and a couple of general literary stories. The diversity of the stories made it easy to read them in one go without making my head swim or getting saturated too fast.

And, of course, the paintings themselves: while I wouldn't want to hang most of them on my own walls, they all were impressive and I kept scrolling back to them. One I liked most was an impressive rooftop view in shades of brown and orange. So even if there was a story I didn't like that much there still was the picture to make up for it.

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of the book, all opinions are my own and completely unbiased)

Santa Explains (Joe R. Lansdale)
While I already expected the outcome of this story, which slightly remembered me of Kealan Patrick Burkes 'Visitation Rights', it was a good opener for this anthology. ****

The Endless Black of Friday (Nate Southard)
Leaves several questions dangling wide open, but otherwise a charming and enjoyable tale. ****

Red Rage (Stephen Mark Rainey)
Entertaining, but not remarkable. ***

Pointy Canes (Jeff Strand)
While I love the strange humor of this author, I could not relate to this story, which was too abstruse and incoherent for my taste, especially at the end. **

Naughty (Shane McKenzie)
Imho the most gripping story of the collection. *****

Krampusnacht in Cell Block J (Cody Goodfellow)
I love Krampus stories, this one was ok. ***

The Shittiest Guy in the World (John Skipp)
Boring. **

Belsnickel (J. F. Gonzalez)
Great! *****

Illustrations (Zach McCain)
Each story was introduced with a beautiful illustration, which sometimes revealed its gory details only after your read the accompanying stories. *****

Walpuski's Typewriter (Frank Darabont)
Actually, Howard Walpuski just wanted his IBM typewriter repaired, but what he got was much more. A bargain that soon turns weird - and bloody. My favorite story in the collection, it was creepy but also funny. *****

The Boy (Bentley Little)
I think this was a very mean story. ****

Tumor (Benjamin Percy)
Weird thing with a ending that makes your imagination run wild. Perfect implementation of the short story concept. ***

Twisted and Gnarled (Billie Sue Mosiman)
Suspenseful cat-and-mouse thriller. ***

The Palaver (Kealan Patrick Burke)
This is the first story of one of my favorite authors I didn't immediately warm
to. Great writing as expected, but the subject didn't really catch my interest. **

India Blue (Glen Hirshberg)
My least favorite story in the collection. I'm not familiar with that sport so didn't understand most of it. The ending was equally confusing and made me feel like I missed something vital. *

Summary: Reading the stories from top to bottom turned out to be unexpectedly anticlimactic - I so wished I would have read them in reverse order to save the best for last. However, the eighth volume in the Dark Screams series still manages to deliver some fine horror stories, and I'm glad to see the series will still go on.
(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)

Mr. Dark's Carnival (Glen Hirshberg)
Not bad for starters, but I thought there were too many story-lines fighting for
attention. However, it got better towards the end. ***

The Facts in the Case of my Sister (Lee Thomas)
My favorite story of this collection. Subtle but all the more chilling. Though I had a hunch where this would go the ending was a mean gut-puncher nonetheless. *****

Mischief Night (Holly Newstein)
Another more subtle story, dramatic and depressing. ***

The Ghost Maker (Del James)
Didn't do anything for me. What was it about? *

The Pumpkin Boy (Al Sarrantonio)
I heard of Orangefield before but haven't read a book in the series yet. This story convinced me to check it out. A rather sweet treat. ****

Just like a Halloween candy bag, you find some outstanding treats among mediocre stuff and maybe something you don't like the taste of. However, I can recommend this second volume for its second and last story.

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)