Pros: A fun ride Cons: Some stories are better than others Rating: 4 out of 5 Kevin J. Kennedy has put together a wonderful Carnival of Horror: A Carnival Themed Horror Anthology. It has the typical anthology issue of having…
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Short Take: “The Ballad of Black Tom,” Victor LaValle
Pros: Dark, swirling, magnificent Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Victor LaValle’s short book The Ballad of Black Tom takes place in 1920s New York. Thomas Tester lives in Harlem and hustles to make a living and support his…
Halloween Horrors Storybundle!
Well, I’m sunk. I’m not even close yet to finishing the books from the previous storybundles I got, and here’s one for Halloween Horrors!
Short Take: “The Sleep Tight Motel,” Lisa Unger
Pros: Vivid, melancholy, and beautiful Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Lisa Unger’s novella The Sleep Tight Motel (Dark Corners collection) is hauntingly beautiful. Eve is on the run from her abusive boyfriend Erik after unwillingly helping him to…
Ligotti’s “Autumnal”
If you have a few spare moments, read the super-short story Autumnal by Thomas Ligotti. I’ve read thousands of books, and I have a terrible memory, yet throughout the years this has remained my favorite short story. “Autumnal” is from…
Short Take: “Hannah-Beast,” Jennifer McMahon
Pros: Enthralling Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Jennifer McMahon’s novella Hannah-Beast (Dark Corners collection) tells a short, but engrossing, Halloween story. Amanda won’t let her daughter Erin go out trick-or-treating dressed as “Hannah-Beast,” the local scary legend. Decades…
Short Take: “The Tangled Woods,” Emily Raboteau
Pros: Vivid Cons: Annoying characters; rambling Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Emily Raboteau’s novella The Tangled Woods (Dark Corners collection) follows a man and his wife and child as they go on vacation together. Reginald is a vicious film critic…
Short Take: “The Remedy,” Adam Haslett
Pros: Almost manages to live up to its high aim Cons: Doesn’t quite pull it off Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Adam Haslett’s novella The Remedy (Dark Corners collection) is about a young man who can’t seem to find a…
Short Take: “Oak Avenue,” Brandi Reeds
Pros: Dark and threatening Cons: Hard to read; cuts off a bit early Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Brandi Reeds’s Oak Avenue (Dark Corners collection) is a horror novella about a young family that moves into a historical house in…