Tag Archives: Horror

Riding Bitch by K.W. Jeter

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: Riding Bitch
Author: K.W. Jeter
In: Inferno (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 2007

Thoughts

Riding Bitch jumped around a little in its timeline, but overall had a pretty uncomfortable, dark vibe to it throughout. I kind of loved it too. The fact that it took me a little while to figure out what was going on from the bar to the past just added to that spooky and uncomfortable feeling. Which, of course, is what made me thoroughly enjoy reading this.

It was really hard to tell what was reality and what wasn’t throughout this tale. I mean, it involved drugs, speeding and gross bodily transportation. You don’t want to believe that everything within this is reality, but then, it felt like the majority of it was. I loved this blurring of fiction and reality throughout.

This short story left me feeling eerily uncomfortable. I can’t really explain why, but I definitely had goosebumps. Which is kind of why I enjoy reading horror short stories.

<- InfernoMisadventure ->

Image source: Goodreads

Misadventure by Stephen Gallagher

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Misadventure
Author: Stephen Gallagher
In: Inferno (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 2007

Thoughts

This was actually a surprisingly sweet short story, even if it was also horrible. I mean, it had this kind of nice quality about it that somehow softened the edges of the horror. I mean, it’s still slightly horrible, just less so than originally expected.

There are two parallel stories within this tale – both about children whose lives were put at risk because their friends just didn’t want to call for help. I hate that this is not a surprising bent in a horror – it just makes it all that much more depressing that for one of these stories, the outcome was not a positive one. This is probably where the greatest horror of the story comes from – that realistic aspect.

Alongside all of the different creepy parts of this story, I love how there are a lot of ghosts and their lingering. That they continuously linger all around us, trying to get their final bit of peace.

<- Riding BitchThe Forest ->

Image source: Goodreads

Two Houses by Kelly Link

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Hauntings: Datlow, Ellen: 9781616960889: Amazon.com: Books

Title: Two Houses
Author: Kelly Link
In: Hauntings (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror, Space
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2013

Thoughts

This short story started out kind of fun, and not with too much feeling of a horror story. I mean, it’s a bunch of younger people, in space, celebrating a friends’ birthday. How could that not seem fun and innocent? But then it got a little bit darker… and kind of haunting. And then it just got twisted. I love that this horror feeling came out of left field and was quite unexpected.

To start with, the characters begin by telling each other ghost stories. A perfectly normal way to spend an evening when you’re young and bored. Again, it wasn’t overly freaky to begin with. Then we get to the story of the two houses – which is quite twisted in and of itself. But then the ship gets involved in the story and things get seriously… twisted. And horrible. Which made this a fantastic story – the unexpected nature of the ick and horrifying.

After reading this seemingly benign short story, I actually had to walk around my house and close all of the darker areas. I mean, this was a seriously creepy murder story that features a murder house. I might not live in a murder house, but it didn’t mean that I wanted to look out at the darkness that inhabits all of the shadows. I mean, you finish off this story wondering who is in the murder house, and who is in the replica…

<- Spectral EvidenceWhere Angels Come In ->

Image source: Amazon

Where Angels Come In by Adam L.G. Nevill

Book Review, ,
Overview
Hauntings: Datlow, Ellen: 9781616960889: Amazon.com: Books

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

Thoughts

At the beginning of this Hauntings tale, 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…

<- Two HousesHunger, An Introduction ->

Image source: Amazon

Universal Donor by Jeri Westerson

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Murder and Mayhem in Muskego: Jordan, Jon & Ruth, Phillips, Gary, Richardson, Kat: Amazon.com.au: Books

Title: Universal Donor
Author: Jeri Westerson
In: Murder and Mayhem in Muskego (Jon & Ruth Jordan)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Horror
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Down and Out Books
Year: 2012

Thoughts

The first half of this short story felt a whole lot less dark than I was expecting. Or that the tone of the story hinted at. After all, it was all focused on a guy trying to donate blood and constantly fainting… and then the darkness came in. And I realised that this story fits very nicely within this collection. And that it was actually MUCH more dark and twisted than I had anticipated.

As with everything with a “bad guy” I loved that the ending kind of had a moment of poetic justice to it. I mean, it was, again, very dark and twisted. But it was a good way for justice to prevail. Even if no one would’ve known that it was karmic justice of a kind.

This whole story was creepy and disturbing. But it did also highlight how dangerous entitlement can be. I mean, being a universal blood donor doesn’t entitle you to any kind of privilege, or special treatment. Particularly the kind this guy seemed to think he was entitled to…

<- Last CallMurder and Mayhem in Muskego ->

Image source: Amazon

Transfigured Night by Richard Bowes

Book Review, ,
Overview
Hauntings: Datlow, Ellen: 9781616960889: Amazon.com: Books

Title: Transfigured Night
Author: Richard Bowes
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

Thoughts

This was a very dark and icky short story. Honestly, it was just an incredibly uncomfortable read. Which, of course, makes it kind of difficult to write a review about it…

Although I did enjoy this and found it really interesting, I also found it a little bit difficult to get through. I mean, I like a good, dark story, but some tales are just a little too dark for me. And this was most certainly one of them.

This is one of those stories that, even though it made me uncomfortable, I’ll probably read again. After all, it’s in a book of hauntings stories. And there is a whole lot of sex, murder and history…

<- Everybody GoesHula Ville ->

Image source: Amazon

Spectral Evidence by Gemma Files

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Hauntings: Datlow, Ellen: 9781616960889: Amazon.com: Books

Title: Spectral Evidence
Author: Gemma Files
In: Hauntings (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Horror
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2013

Thoughts

I’m not entirely sure that I followed this short story. Yet, even with all of my not sure I followed it, I still enjoyed this. There was something dark and twisty about it. And all of those bits that made me not entirely certain that I followed it – they kind of added to the haunting and eerie aspect of the story. It’s incredibly hard to write a review on something that I didn’t quite follow, but still enjoyed…

The dossier feeling to this tale made it feel all that much more eerie. It’s the tale of three people all ending up dead or incarcerated, but through the lens of official documentation. It gives the whole tale a more removed, freaky feeling. Again, Files’ use of the unknown makes it that much more uncomfortable.

All in all, I loved the vibe of this story. It was creepy and eerie. There’s also the feeling that I could reread this and get all that much more out of the story…

<- The Bedroom LightTwo Houses ->

Image source: Amazon

The Perfect Dinner Party by Cassandra Clare & Holly Black

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for teeth ellen datlow terri windling book cover

Title: The Perfect Dinner Party
Author: Cassandra Clare & Holly Black
In: Teeth: Vampire Tales (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Vampires
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Harper
Year: 2011

Thoughts

This is one of the few short stories in the Teeth collection that I’ve put on my horror shelf. Because it is way, way creepier and disturbed than I was expecting. I mean, the narrator voice is downright messed up, and the fact that it’s all coming from the body of a little girl? Disturbed. And yet, I loved it.

I think part of what made this story so creepy is that it is literally a list of rules to make the ‘perfect’ dinner party. It starts off kind of archaic, but understandable. Then, the sinister undertones become more and more obvious. I mean, you know that it’s about a vampire because of the collection its in. But the obvious brain washing and dated etiquette starts to make it a little more… uncomfortable.

It’s kind of easy to like Charles throughout this story. Probably because he is shown through the lens of a doting sister. And, he’s not quite creepy. But the sister? The narrator? Damn is she terrifying, I mean, it would be scary being turned at 14. But I just had these porcelain doll kind of vibes the whole way through this. I get shivers up my spine just thinking about it.

<- HistorySlice of Life ->

Image source: HarperCollins

Hunger, An Introduction by Peter Straub

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Hauntings: Datlow, Ellen: 9781616960889: Amazon.com: Books

Title: Hunger, An Introduction
Author: Peter Straub
In: Hauntings (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2013

Thoughts

Hunger, An Introduction was not quite as creepy as many other stories in the Hauntings collection. Which I’m kind of glad about. Because some of them were seriously intense and kind of uncomfortable to read.

This short story jumped around a lot. It talked a lot about the hunger of death. And how hauntings occur. I’d probably have to read this again to get a better grasp on how it is all related. Particularly to the child at the end.

I don’t normally feel that deaths are necessarily warranted. But Ethel and Frank’s stories were seriously twisted. Their journeys to death row something that made me cringe. And their fate as hauntings kind of felt warranted.

<- Where Angels Come InInferno: Tales of Terror and the Supernatural ->

Image source: Amazon

Hula Ville by James P. Blaylock

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Hauntings: Datlow, Ellen: 9781616960889: Amazon.com: Books

Title: Hula Ville
Author: James P. Blaylock
In: Hauntings (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2013

Thoughts

This was a bit of an eerie feeling short story, one featuring angels and mummies. And just all of the discomfort that facing the unknown entails. It also had a bit of that feel that if I read it multiple times, I’d find symbols throughout that I missed the first time around. It was all about the mystery of the unknown without providing any answers whatsoever at the conclusion of the tale. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make it hard to recount / write a review on…

There were so many layers of meaning throughout this that I just know I didn’t quite grasp. Or at least, that’s how this story made me feel. As though I was almost reaching the reality being revealed, but not quite getting there. Although, this is in a collection called Hauntings so that very elusiveness makes it sit really well within that theme…

Everything about this story, particularly Hula Ville is just not quite what it seems. There is the constant threat of something terrifying happening from the tone of the story. And, even when things didn’t quite end as tragically as anticipated… I was still left feeling disquieted from this story.

<- Transfigured NightThe Bedroom Light ->

Image source: Amazon