Title: A Small Taste of the Old Country Author: Jonathan Maberry In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Horror, Urban fantasy Dates read: 15th November 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Blumhouse Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: “Maybe she did,” said Becker.
At All Hallows Eve, the presence of the past likes to linger and haunt us. It reminds us that we are not alone in this world…
This was another of those stories that I just kept having
random thoughts on while reading it. The dot points and tired delirium of my notes
are far more entertaining than any sentences that I could turn them into… so
here they are in all their slightly unusual glory…
That’s it, the baker is evil. Pg. 2
There is an obsession with Austrian and German descent…
I’ve missed something here. Pg. 4
But they’re Argentinian? Sure, sure. That MUST
be similar.
Now there’s talk of dead people and honouring
them. Pg. 7
Little random, but the true meaning of All
Hallows Eve is being shared and explained
Pretty beads
Very, very love the Halloween adherence to
actual traditions
Creepy, death and fun!
No religion butt head!!!
Not entirely sure where the final comment came from, but I
certainly enjoyed this little adventure.
Title: Dirtmouth Author: Stephen Graham Jones In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Family, Horror Dates read: 15th November 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Blumhouse Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: It wouldn’t be a lost hunter, either, unless that hunter was really lost; rifle season had closed ten days earlier.
A little over a year ago he lost his wife. On a pilgrimage to the mountains that took her life, he loses both of his children. But the way in which he loses them will only happen on a dark Halloween night…
One of my biggest rants around Halloween is the fact that a)
we’re not American. And b) most people don’t understand the roots of the
festival. This short story does address those roots. After all, Halloween (or
All Hallows Eve) is the night of the year in which the barriers between worlds
fall. Most of the stories I read that feature this ideal are kind of sweet – definitely
filled with hope and connections with the past… this isn’t such a nice story,
but I love that it connects the spirit world with the living one.
The narrative voice of this story is absolutely amazing. It
is funny, witty and not one that I’m likely to forget at any time soon. It took
me a little while to realise exactly what was happening… but once I realised
that the man who is telling the story was trying to explain what happened to a
cop. It just became brilliant. Although, once you finish it, the cheer, hope
and good humour with which this story is told – that becomes a little bit creepy…
after all, he’s recounting the death of his wife and the loss of his children.
There are many tales of the power of a mother’s love.
Normally I find them kind of sweet and cheerful. Not so much when that love
means a weird zombie coming back from the dead, visiting her children and just
generally wreaking havoc on the world. Talk about a horror story!
Title: With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfsbane Seeds Author: Seanan McGuire In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Horror Dates read: 14th November 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Blumhouse Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: No one owns this house.
Mary Holston loves Halloween, but a tragedy occurs and her life is ended. Yet, the house stands as a testament to her life… and as a way in which their town can be kept nice, beautiful and pleasant…
As a start to a collection of stories about haunted nights
and Halloween… this is absolutely freaking perfect. It starts with a little
girl trick or treating and then flickers into the present. Something that is
theoretically very cute and innocent is made into something that really, really
isn’t. Alright, I’ve never truly understood why Trick or Treating is such a
childhood obsession and seen of as cute… but apparently it is. I much prefer
this dark and creepy version of a small ghost girl running around saying Trick
or Treat though.
This short story has a kind of supernatural-esque kind of
feeling. Mostly, it’s a great reminder that you should never go into a haunted
house! Especially when you’re a group of teenagers who are hell-bent on
destruction. And the house is one that has never been destroyed, decomposed or modified
in any shape or form. I mean, you just know that some supernatural shit is
going on right there. And of course, that’s what you keep screaming in your
head the whole time you’re reading this… “don’t go into the house!”
This is a great, intense and fun short story. Mary Holston is the exact level of creepiness that makes me get goose bumps. Honestly, it’s small girl ghosts with their high pitched voices that give me the nightmares and make me check around the corners. So this makes me just freak out whenever I read it… which is exactly what you want as an opening Haunted Nights story.
The aliens have been lingering over the city for a year, so people mostly ignore them. What do they want and when will they take it?
I’ve read a lot of science fiction stories that start to
dabble in the world of horror. Nothing intense and outright, but enough that
when you close the last page, you do have goose bumps running up and down your
arms. This short story doesn’t flirt with that line. It is firmly in the horror
realm of writing and completely creepy. I don’t think I’m going to want to be
eaten any chicken for a little while now…
My biggest question as I was reading this was WTF?!?! Who
thinks its funny to dance a chicken carcass across the table? Or the road? Or
really make a dead anything dance at all? This is where the horror aspect comes
in… there was just something so graphic and horrifying about that imagery.
Something that I still can’t get out of my head as I write this review…
The imagery, the graphic nature and the questions that this poses (what do the aliens really want?) in this short story left me feeling seriously uncomfortable. Not in the least bit interested in picking up another Alien Sex short story again for a little while… too many ick factors going on in my brain (although I’m still super intrigued for the next story)…
He’s a “recovering bad guy”, but when he gets involved with a woman, he might just have to question his priorities.
I love that this short story features a “recovering bad guy”. Unlike the other short stories in the Urban Enemies collection, this villain isn’t really trying to be a villain anymore. Rather, he is trying to atone for some of the horrifying acts that he has committed in the past. It’s a nice change from the more typical villain stories throughout the collection.
Altar Boy is kind of tragic – a man is atoning for
his past and his sins, but he can’t be left in peace. He’s attempting to find a
way in which to just exist is hopeful at the beginning. But, when he is once
again forced to face up to his past, things take a more sinister turn. And it’s
actually kind of heartbreaking in their eventuality. It doesn’t matter what he
does, he has to find a way to justify his actions that are, after all, for the
greater good.
One of the most powerful aspects of this story was the key
question that it asks you: when has biological weaponry gone too far? It’s an
incredibly relevant and scary question in today’s society and one that I kept
on playing with like a loose tooth long after turning the final page.
Title: IT Author: Stephen King Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Horror, Thriller Dates read: 22nd June – 11th October 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Novel Publisher: Hodder Year: 1986 5th sentence, 74th page: The door had opened at quarter past nine and in he had ambled, wearing jeans and a GO ‘BAMA tee-shirt and his old engineer boots, looking like he’d come from no farther away than cross-town.
It is the children who see – and feel – what makes the small townh of Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurks, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one’s deepest dread. Sometimes IT reaches up, seizing, tearing, killing…
Time passes and the children grow up, move away and forget. Until they are called back, once more to confront IT as it stirs and coils in the sullen depths of their memories, reaching up again to make their past nightmares a terrible present reality.
This is my first ever Stephen King. It’s also my first ever full-length horror novel. I was kind of scared to start it – horror is not a literary genre I’ve really spent much time with… but man am I glad that I did! Totally understand why so many people love Stephen King, and now I want to fill my shelves with his terrifying tales too…
When I started reading this book, I was really wigged out by the fact that King dedicated his book to his children. After finishing it? I’m even more creeped out. This is a book about a gruesome apparition of the night killing children… and he dedicated it to his children. Dude. Not cool. But the story also highlights the importance of children and their imagination as our future… so maybe it makes sense?
IT wasn’t as terrifying as I was expecting. Don’t get
me wrong, I couldn’t read it late at night, or when I was going to spend the
night alone… but it just wasn’t quite as horrifyingly terrifying as I expected.
I could actually sleep each night after reading it, and I really wasn’t
expecting that. Instead of making me jump at too many shadows, I felt uncomfortable
about the state of the world and what people are willing to do to one another. Particularly
Beverly’s story… after all, she’s the only woman and so much of what she goes
through is what I, myself am terrified of. Each of the seven in fact go through
horrors that are human induced. It’s not so much the creature of IT that terrifies…
but the things he manages to convince other humans to do to one another…
I loved how the timeline for this tale flickers. Jumping between their childhood (the 50s) and adulthood (80s) two different stories that are eerily familiar echo one another. I loved the parallel storylines and the mystery of just what happened underground. Instead of giving anything away, you have to read to the end to find out how both storylines end. It’s almost impossible to put down, even if it is over 1,000 pages! Definitely a great introduction to the writings and insane inner workings of Stephen King.
Title: The Keys to the Door Author: William Meikle In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Crime, Historical fiction, Horror Dates read: 20th September 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: And, by Jove, I did indeed feel something: a certain coldness and dampness in the air.
Mary was born on the same night as a horrific murder took place. Now, they’re trying to exorcise the Ripper and give the young woman her bid for freedom.
Unlike every other short story in The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories collection, this one had an intriguing element of fantasy. Nothing too overt, but enough that I had a bit of a smile and a feeling of fantasy nostalgia hanging across my face when I turned the last page. And a few goose bumps, considering the fact that it had a kind of horror spin on it.
The poetry of having the woman who is the primary victim
also being born on the same night as the final Ripper victim and having the
name of one of his victims helped to add to that eerie feeling. The setting of
an old building, a candlelit room and a haunting spectre further compounded
this feeling. It made this one of the more enjoyable stories and, ironically,
less dark than many of the others in this collection.
I liked the sense of closure at the end of this tale. It not
only put the spirit of Jack the Ripper to bed, but also let the lead detective finally
say his own goodbyes. It also hinted that the darkness within the killer was
something more than just the average serial killer… which I kind of like
since we will never know who it was, or why they did it.
Title: Nigsu Ga Tesgu Author: Jeff Somers Series: The Ustari Cycle #4.5 In: Urban Enemies (Joseph Nassise) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Horror, Urban fantasy Dates read: 26th August 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Gallery Books Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: His spell, his curse, it should have consumed me long ago.
She is the most powerful of her kind. Her apprentice thinks that he’s finally found a way to usurp her. But there’s a reason that she’s survived for so long… a reason why she understands the words better than anyone else.
I absolutely adored the creepiness and spine-tingling
evilness of this story. This might be in a collection of Urban Fantasy Villains
stories, but there was something extra creepy about a girl chewing her own
tongue to kill her father. A whole other level of darkness that hasn’t so far
been portrayed in this collection – most villains use the sacrifice and blood
of others. This woman starts off sacrificing parts of herself willingly.
I love that the woman in this is the most powerful in the
world, but she is also incredibly feeble. This fantastic juxtaposition between
physical and mental strength is incredibly fascinating and drives home the
point that sometimes the most powerful aren’t the most physically able. The
entire looks can be deceiving, and don’t judge a book by its cover ideal is heavy
handedly highlighted in this story. But in a way that doesn’t feel clunky and
irritating, just slightly humorous.
Nigsu ga Tesgu introduced me to a world that is
entirely shades of grey. There is nothing black and white, good and evil in the
world. There are just choices that aren’t good and aren’t necessarily evil.
They’re just about survival and finding a way to move forwards further in your
life. Normally the stories I read have a clear villain and hero (even if the
hero is more than a little damaged), but this didn’t feel like that kind of
story. I know that the woman was supposed to be the big Cahoona in the
villains’ world, but it just felt like an old woman struggling to survive in a
horrible world… in a incredibly horrible manner.
Title: The Memory Book Author: Maureen McHugh In: Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Gaslamp, Horror Dates read: 7th July 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Tor Year: 2013 5th sentence, 74th page: But a man’s vanity could always be counted on, and even as the Finches frowned, he laughed.
Laura Anne keeps a little scrapbook in a secret place. Whilst all the other books are just full of nice memories, this one is full of something much darker, and she’s about to use it to get her own way.
This short story seriously sent goose bumps up by back. It
was kind of horrible and truly uncomfortable. Not at the very beginning, in the
beginning I was more than ready to feel sympathy for and love Laura Anne. But
that quickly changed. And now I’m glad that she doesn’t really exist. She was a
creepy, evil girl child.
Recently I started getting a little bit more into my crafting…
and one of those craft things that I’m thoroughly enjoying is scrapbooking. After
reading about how Laura Anne uses her “memory book” / scrapbook to alter the
course of peoples’ lives… I’m feeling a little uncomfortable about getting back
into that. Although, the current project is all about happiness and love. So
maybe I should just concentrate on that…
The open-endedness of this short story’s ending added an
extra layer of horror and just nope to this story. You can imagine the havoc
that Laura Anne is going to continue wreaking on the people in her life and imagine
no way in which it could be stopped.
Melanie doesn’t really understand why she is in this compound. What happened to her parents, and why the teachers aren’t allowed to touch them. Until she finally does understand. And then things start to get a little… hectic.
I really thought that this story was going to have a much,
much happier ending. I thought that Melanie would be able to find a new family,
a world beyond her restraints. It didn’t end like that. And it didn’t make me
think that she had a happily ever after. But I still completely loved this
story. In a way, the not-so-happy ending made me love the story even more than
I would have if Melanie got her happily-ever-after.
The idea of zombies only slowly filtered through into the story as you turned the pages. It wasn’t something that I immediately picked up on, and really wasn’t until the final few pages that I realised that this short story firmly sits into this shelf. And, with many short stories that surprise me and make me ridiculously happy, I was incredibly disappointed that this story wasn’t part of a bigger series… so I’ll just have to find something else written by Mike Carey to add to my ever-growing collection.
For such a short story, this tale deals with a few issues.
For starters, what do you do with the children of zombies? If they share the
horrific bloodlust and insanity of their parents, we’re kind of screwed, but
you know… they’re children. The issues surrounding abortions are also touched
upon (a law is passed banning abortions, which leaves the apocalypse survivors
with a SERIOUS issue). And, finally, how do you treat the different? Alright,
these different kids have the potential to eat your face off. But, the way that
they’re treated really isn’t okay either.
Earth and Skye 