Title: Where Angels Come In Author: Adam L.G. Nevill In: Hauntings (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Horror Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Tachyon Year: 2013
At the beginning of this Hauntingstale, I thought that this was going to be a fae / changeling story. But it wasn’t. It was actually seriously icky. And disturbing… and had absolutely nothing to do with angels or anything even remotely benevolent.
This story features horrible demon things that try to eat children. And they do succeed… which, of course, makes this the perfect short story for the Hauntings collection. But, it did make me seriously uncomfortable when the narrator started describing the “wet thing”.
There is something of this short story that is a bit reminiscent of IT. Which, of course, makes it all that much more terrifying. And honestly, it is just damn creepy. And not in the way that I usually enjoy…
This is, as with all Ellen Datlow collections, seriously fun and enjoyable. The fact that this fantastic collection is full of seriously creepy stories made it that much more enjoyable. Mostly because it’s out of my usual genre of choice. Horror and ghost stories might not be quite my usual speed, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t love reading this collection!
Although I really enjoyed reading all of these short stories, I did find that this was not an anthology I should be reading late at night. Or when I was home alone. Whilst some of the stories were kind of mild and not too terrifying, some made it really difficult to sleep after turning the final page. Or just made it difficult to turn off the lights. Which is why this took me a little bit longer to read than I had anticipated.
Hauntings runs the gambit of horror and ghost stories, from horrible hauntings to stories that had a little bit more hope at the end. They made me feel all of the feelings, and I would most definitely read this collection again in the future.
Horror’s most acclaimed editor reveals twenty riveting tales of the Other gone wrong. Monsters who suffer from heartbreak, betrayal, ungrateful kids, and unpaid overtime. Creatures of darkness that struggle to adapt to modern living. Ordinary folks who find themselves inexplicably transformed. 88 But if you dare, come a bit closer and discover the most terrifying of beings – those who are living under your own skin and peering out from behind your eyes.
This collection is brilliant. It is dark, creepy and intense. It is fun. It gave me goose bumps. And it is filled with monsters who come in ALL shapes and sizes. And I mean ALL. A wonderful, fantastic and seriously enjoyable collection filled with the things that go bump in the night. The things that you really hope aren’t hiding under your bed.
Although this anthology sits in my horror shelf, it isn’t really all that scary. Sure, there are multiple moments of discomfort throughout. But they’re that, you have to think a little too much, or consider the many moments of confusion throughout this story that you really don’t necessarily want to think too much about. And, honestly, it’s not the things that jump out and yell BOO that make me love horror. It’s that underlying discomfort that makes you look at your own life that I am quickly becoming obsessed with.
I absolutely adored this collection. It was filled with some familiar names and new ones. Each and every story made me stop and really think about what the storyline was saying. And even now, when I have still finished the whole collection… I am still thinking about some of the stories that I read.
Title: Doll Hands Author: Adam L.G. Nevill In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Horror Dates read: 15th May 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Tachyon Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: Gemima is the tiny woman who wears rubber sandals and who never speaks.
He has doll hands and everyone thinks that he’s weak. But the reality is so much darker.
Reading this short story, I had a somewhat weird image of a little, bulbous headed horror running around. Killing people. I don’t think that that is an inaccurate image. But it’s certainly not a super fun and exciting one. It’s certainly not one that you want in your mind’s eye just before you go to sleep at night…
Even though I can’t quite feel okay about the narrator of this story, he kind of reminded me a little of a sick and twisted and malformed Dexter. The kill described in this short story is definitely done because of a gross misjustice. But it’s also done because Doll Hands likes to kill. Which leaves some very, very mixed feelings at the completion of this short story. Feelings that still feel very mixed, long after I have turned the final page.
I absolutely adored the creepy nature of this story. The idea that the deformed person that is often overlooked is the one who should really be watched much, much closer. But, most of all, I loved that it ended with what I’m sure would be another death. A creepy character in a creepy little world. Such a great story to give you goosebumps.
Earth and Skye 