Tag Archives: Horror

The Totals by Adam-Troy Castro

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: The Totals
Author: Adam-Troy Castro
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror
Dates read: 25th March 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: It seems strange but right for the door on the other side of the vestibule, leading to the diner interior, to be scaled to his dimensions: a novelty, he’s always possessed an awkward shape and monstrous bulk that makes breaking down doors somewhat more natural than opening them.

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Synopsis

Clutch knows he has killed recently. But he can’t remember who. He can’t remember why. Walking by chance into an inn that feels like home might provide the answers… or just oblivion.

Thoughts

The start of this story is seriously creepy and horrific. It starts with Clutch knowing that he has killed someone recently. That he always knows this. He just doesn’t know who or why. He does know how… he literally “clutches” them to death. And then he walks into a dinner and you think that things are just going to get worse. It’s a spinetingling way to start a story. And the imagery of the blood still lingering on his clothes… just seems to make it all that much worse.

There are so many ideas about the things that go bump in the night. Although, there are always a few common, recognisable aspects among these. This story found unique ways to create new horrors, but also provided the reader with some of the classics that you immediately recognise. It’s a great mix of the traditional and the new. And spouting the things that go bump in the night as members of a corporation who just want to climb the ladder… well, it kind of mixes two things that are kind of scary.

Although this is a great little horror short story, it’s also a little amusing. In that satirical way. That way that makes you sit back afterwards and go “huh”. That was good, that made some great comments on the way that the world works. And yes, things aren’t ever equal. Regardless of how much we may want them to be.

<- The Last, Clean, Bright SummerThe Chill Clutch of the Unseen ->

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The Last, Clean, Bright Summer by Livia Llewellyn

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: The Last, Clean, Bright Summer
Author: Livia Llewellyn
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 10th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Wides rivers of shit and afterbirth and viscera, blossoming into dark clouds as they slide under the waters.

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Synopsis

She’s returning for their yearly family reunion after her little brother died… but this time it will be different. She’s old enough to take part in the festivities… which might make this the last, clean, bright summer she’ll ever enjoy.

Thoughts

So this story is seriously disturbed.

Not what I was expecting. And certainly, something that made me seriously uncomfortable. At first I thought that this would just be a creepy story that featured the things that go bump in the night… it was so, so much more. I can’t really explain how… because that will give away the surprise, but it was definitely not what I expected. And seriously not something that I wanted.

I really, really enjoyed this short story. It gave me goosebumps, made me uncomfortable and just in general left me sitting there feeling completely weirded out. Yet, it was amazingly well written and made me think of the ways in which men and women are used and the places that they take in society. More specifically, how women are used and perceived – it was not a complimentary outlook.

It is difficult to write a review about this short story without giving anything away. It is phenomenal and engaging. Impossible to forget. But something you’ll have to read to truly understand.

<- A Wish from a BoneThe Totals ->

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Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover inferno word cloud classics

Title: Inferno
Author: Dante Alighieri
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Horror, Poetry
Dates read: 9th – 10th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Collection
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1320
5th sentence, 74th page: So many voices issued through those trunks

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Synopsis

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!”

On a divine journey through the depths of Hell, Dante–with his guide, the poet Virgil–witnesses the fate of Earth’s sinners. Inferno, a 14th century poem and the first part of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, paints an allegorical underworld in which sinners are punished in accordance with their sins. Journey through the darkness and meet famous historical and mythical figures and the fate that has become them, from Homer and Julius Caesar who dwell in Limbo with the unbaptized and the virtuous pagans, to Judas Iscariot and Satan himself, who dwell in the deepest circle of hell for the sin of treachery. Influential, even after seven centuries in print, readers of Inferno will appreciate the plethora of allusions both within and concerning this work, as well as the moral implications the story develops. Now available as part of the Word Cloud Classics series, Inferno is a must-have addition to the libraries of all classic literature lovers.

Thoughts

Until recently I hadn’t actually heard of Dante Alighieri. And then I found out that he is a classics author from the 1300s… and I was completely intrigued. Reading this collection of some of his works… yeah, I can completely understand the draw to his work and writings. It’s incredibly powerful and just… wow.

I read this around the same time that I started reading The Complete Works of Shakespeare. It’s interesting to compare the language styles and wording in the two different poets. I know that they come from different countries, different times (I think), but they’re both historical, classical powerhouses in the genre. And I love being able to compare the two.

I actually found Alighieri more delightful than Shakespeare. There was so much raw emotion in Inferno. The fear, the horror and the confusion just leaps off of the pages. The short, emotive language is of the sort that I plan to read again and again… there is just something amazingly potent and powerful about it all.

I’m not really a great reader of poetry. I do love it. I’m intrigued by it. But I can’t spend all afternoon sitting there just reading it… I need to be able to read a poem or two and then walk away. I still felt a little like this with this collection… but so much less so than many of the other poetry collections I’ve had the pleasure of reading. There was just something… enthralling about it all.

<- Little WomenHans Christian Andersen Tales ->

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No. 252 Rue M. le Prince by Ralph Adams Cram

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dark magic book cover

Title: No. 252 Rue M. le Prince
Author: Ralph Adams Cram
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley) & Gothic Short Stories (David Blair)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror
Dates read: 28th January 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1895
5th sentence, 74th page: Soon after two o’clock Fargeau, who was in the next room, hour after hour, hearing nothing, very much bored, and disappointed.

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Synopsis

A night spent in a haunted house that was cursed by a fellow practitioner of the arts turns a non-believer into one who believes in a number of things. But at what cost?

Thoughts

A short story set in beautiful Paris. About a haunted (make that cursed) house. Definitely a great setting for such a tale. Although, I think that Paris probably makes a great setting for most stories, it’s a beautiful location. Adding a layer of darkness through this house to it… that’s just downright intriguing.

This short story had enough darkness and horror in it to give me pause. It didn’t leave me looking over my shoulder into the dark shadows to see what was hiding for me like some other stories. But, it did make me stop halfway through, take a deep breath and then plough onwards. It just left me somewhat uncomfortable and more than a little bit freaked out.

Although this was dark, mysterious and kind of intimidating, I had a strange feeling of peace when all was said and done. Which was an incredibly unusual reaction. One that I did find intriguing though. Not sure what it says about my psyche that after reading about a creepy, haunted house that has been cursed, I feel at piece. But we’ll leave that discussion for another day…

<- To Become a SorcererThe Bones of the Earth ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Ashputtle by Peter Straub

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: Ashputtle
Author: Peter Straub
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) & Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror, Retellings
Dates read: 8th January 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: She was loved.

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Synopsis

Ashputtle is the newest version of Cinderella. With a much darker, far more disturbing twist…

Thoughts

This is an incredibly insane version of Cinderella. Like, seriously insane. One that I absolutely adored. And couldn’t get enough of. And just seriously enjoyed… but it was dark, and made me think of Cinderella (or in this case Ashputtle) as more of a monster than a victim. Which is probably why I loved it so much. Nothing like a sick, disturbing story to make my crazy brain happy.

I found some of the points made about fat people really interesting. The idea that they’re presumed to be stupid or just plain ignored. It was painfully true. But also helped to create a cloak behind which Ashputtle could hide her atrocities. It’s a little bit scary how spot on these moments were and made me stop and think about how I deal with other people.

My biggest question about this short story is – what was done to the children? I know the culprit. I know that they went missing. And I even know why they were the selected victims. But what I don’t know is what was done with them? And my imagination is not leading me to nice, happy places with that…

<- A Natural History of AutumnGiants in the Earth ->

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The First Lunar Halloween by John R. Little

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: The First Lunar Halloween
Author: John R. Little
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Science fiction
Dates read: 30th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: “It wasn’t real?”

Synopsis

It’s their first Halloween on the surface of the moon. They’re trying to reconstruct some of the practices of long-dead Earth. But at what cost?

Thoughts

I’ve decided I need more stories based on the moon. I’ve decided that now, after reading this short story. Because it is about Halloween set on the moon. And there is always something fun about grabbing an everyday event and pulling it onto a whole other planet. Literally.

This was also a very tragic way to end the Haunted Nights collection. After all, this story doesn’t have a happy ending. Even if it has a fun, easy story at the beginning. The ending. Not so good. The ways in which Halloween can be construed by outsiders… also not so good. I was actually quite sad when this story ended because it took an event that is normally really fun for children and destroyed parts of it.

There seems to be a fairly recurring theme in what I read about Armageddon. Which makes sense because I have an entire shelf of dystopian novels just waiting to be read. And since at the point of my writing this, there are a ridiculous number of fires burning all across my country… I feel like it’s not as far fetched as I used to believe. Which is terrifying in a whole other way.

 <- Lost in the DarkHauntings ->

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Everywhere by Sam Witt

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for urban enemies book cover

Title: Everywhere
Author: Sam Witt
Series: Pitchfork County #3.5
In: Urban Enemies (Joseph Nassise)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 30th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gallery Books
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: He was debased and defiled, a broken shadow of his former glory.

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Synopsis

They’ve battled each other to the death before. But this villain managed to escape with a husk of himself. The next battle might make things even more dangerous. The villain might finally find a way to be everywhere.

Thoughts

The premise of this short story is kind of terrifying. After all, it’s the way in which a villain is able to make himself be a part of everything. Not exactly the kind of story that makes you feel safe. But, since it’s a tale about the villain of a series… it works perfectly. If you don’t think too hard about the whole hive mind villain thing.

At first I didn’t really enjoy this story. It talked a little too much about a past, epic battle that I had no idea about. I hate when I feel like I’m missing something. But, after a while, enough past information was filled in and I really started getting into this. After all, it was the beginnings of a new epic battle and setting up the storyline for a new version of the dangerous villain.

Once I sunk into this story. I seriously sunk into it. There was something not only fun and amazing about it, but the idea of a villain finding a way to get his consciousness into beer. And then weasling his way into soooooo many other consciousnesses (consciousii?). That was brilliant and somewhat terrifying. I can’t wait to start reading this series! In a long while… I want to finish some other series first.

 <- Balance ReviewUrban Enemies Review ->
Image source: Simon & Schuster

Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow & Lisa Morton

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: Haunted Nights
Author: Ellen Datlow, Lisa Morton, Seanan McGuire, Stephen Graham Jones, Jonathan Maberry, Joanna Parypinski, Garth Nix, Kate Jonez, Jeffrey Ford, Kelley Armstrong, S. P. Miskowski, Brian Evenson, Elise Forier Edie, Eric J. Guignard, Paul Kane, Pat Cadigan, John Langan & John R. Little
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Paranormal fantasy, Short story collections
Dates read: 2nd November – 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: “Very good,” said I.

Synopsis

Halloween is the night the monsters come out to play. Long before its traditions became defined by mass-produced masks, blood-soaked horror films, and carved pumpkins, the murky origins of All Hallows’ Eve lay rooted in dark festivals and black magick, in old fables of diabolical tricksters and murderous pranks, and in tales of cursed souls lost in purgatory, of vengeance and changelings.

From sly modern narratives to haunting traditional stories, from the brutal to the experimental, these sixteen stories brilliantly and terrifyingly explore the many facets, cultures, and traditions of our most provocative holiday.

Thoughts

This selection is super creepy, intense and wonderful. I absolutely adored it. Even if I spent a lot of the time reading it with my feet curled under me feeling incredibly overwhelmed and somewhat horrified. A whole new world was introduced as I read through this. This might be why I’m starting to get into the horror genre though…

A few of the stories in this did make me laugh. But, mostly they were haunting. Not outright scary like a Stephen King novel, but this lingering feeling of overwhelming discomfort due to something in these stories. I can’t even put my finger on the cause of my discomfort… but after reading one of these short stories I was almost always left feeling like I was just slightly haunted… which was interesting.

Although this collection did make me understand America’s obsession with Halloween a little more. I still don’t like the holiday. There is just something about it that doesn’t sit well with me. So whilst this bought a great new light to a holiday I know basically nothing about… I’m still not convinced that it’s one that I want anything to do with.

<- The Folding ManWith Graveyard Weeds and Wolfsbane Seeds ->

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Lost in the Dark by John Langan

Book Review,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: Lost in the Dark
Author: John Langan
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 30th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: One of the local papers speculated that the killings might be the work of a Manson-style cult.

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Synopsis

It was one of the best ever horror movies. But, when this author finds out the truth behind the story… well, it becomes much more horrifying.

Thoughts

My thoughts while reading Lost in the Dark. Late at night…

  • Based on a fake movie (I think)
  • First person POV, good foreshadowing feel
  • The story is beautifully built with tales of urban myth and horror
    • And their parallels to horror films
    • Not a horror person myself, so this is just assumed
  • I had to triple, quadruple check this wasn’t a movie
  • So realistic!
  • Love that the story creates a second story – a movie with synopsis on imdb
    • It’s not there, I checked
  • Got goosebumps just reading the damn movie description
  • Creepy
 <- Jack ReviewThe First Lunar Halloween Review ->

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Jack by Pat Cadigan

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: Jack
Author: Pat Cadigan
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Paranormal fantasy, Spirits
Dates read: 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: There isn’t even any daytime, only darkness.

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Synopsis

For one night of the year, Jack has the opportunity to escape. It’s her job to stop him. But this is her first night solo. What will happen?

Thoughts

This short story is beautifully dark and impossible to put down. It has a bit of an urban fantasy feel that is reminiscent of a lot of the series that I read. But it also had a great sense of mystery to the story. One that made me wonder what was going to happen. And, since it was in this collection… if there would be a happily ever after in the end.

I’ve heard a few retellings of Jack, the trickster. This might be my favourite so far. There was something a little more down to earth about it. Yet, it had a great sense of modernity to an old story that I love. The modernisation and journey that this takes you on is seriously brilliant.

My favourite part of this story though is knowing that there is a trick coming. But not being sure what it is or when it’s going to appear. And when it does… it takes you by surprise. And then you wonder who will come out on top. A good little adventure to go on.

 <- The Turn ReviewLost in the Dark Review ->

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