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anaveragelife's review
4.0
Midnight In The Graveyard is a fantastic compilation of authors both favoured and new to me. 25 stories ranging from classic style haunted houses and of course cemeteries to bizarro occurences and phenomena.
Janz gives us the perfect mood setting foreword, I could picture him sitting in an armchair by a fireplace in dim lighting. Anyone remember tales of the crypt keeper? That's the vibe.
I won't take you through each and every short story, instead here's a few highlights of my favourites.
Devils Dip a brilliant short story to open on- quick, snappy and dread building. Three men pick up an uninvited traveller by the roadside.
Euphemia Christie by Catherine Cavendish makes for a great little atmospheric haunting surrounding a tragic family history.
Holes In The Fabric
Definitely one of my favourites in the anthology. Reading this terrifying undead cult story transported me straight into the body of main character Norma. Absolutely fantastic writing, an author new-to-me that I'll be looking out for in future.
Dog Days
I enjoyed this format. A tale of inexplicably deranged dogs, told via a series of letters written over a fifty year span and found in various crevices of one house. I read this with one wary eye on my own puppy sat at my feet!
Drown
As expected Hunter added a gem to Midnight's crown with his ghost hunter B&B story. Original and fun, I loved the backstory of the ghosts too.
Putpocket
The opposite of a pickpocket! A london thief reformed in the afterlife- with a heartbreaking secret.
Bettor's Edge
A soul sinker this one. Sometimes human actions really are the scariest of all! Of course the vengeful spirit only heightens the terror here.
Portrait
Kealen ends the anthology with a BANG that resounded with me long after I closed the pages.
For someone who struggles to finish anthologies I can easily say this is the best I've ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed almost every story written.
I say almost... the necrophiliac erotica wasn't really for me.
Otherwise a must have for any horror fanatic.
Janz gives us the perfect mood setting foreword, I could picture him sitting in an armchair by a fireplace in dim lighting. Anyone remember tales of the crypt keeper? That's the vibe.
I won't take you through each and every short story, instead here's a few highlights of my favourites.
Devils Dip a brilliant short story to open on- quick, snappy and dread building. Three men pick up an uninvited traveller by the roadside.
Euphemia Christie by Catherine Cavendish makes for a great little atmospheric haunting surrounding a tragic family history.
Holes In The Fabric
Definitely one of my favourites in the anthology. Reading this terrifying undead cult story transported me straight into the body of main character Norma. Absolutely fantastic writing, an author new-to-me that I'll be looking out for in future.
Dog Days
I enjoyed this format. A tale of inexplicably deranged dogs, told via a series of letters written over a fifty year span and found in various crevices of one house. I read this with one wary eye on my own puppy sat at my feet!
Drown
As expected Hunter added a gem to Midnight's crown with his ghost hunter B&B story. Original and fun, I loved the backstory of the ghosts too.
Putpocket
The opposite of a pickpocket! A london thief reformed in the afterlife- with a heartbreaking secret.
Bettor's Edge
A soul sinker this one. Sometimes human actions really are the scariest of all! Of course the vengeful spirit only heightens the terror here.
Portrait
Kealen ends the anthology with a BANG that resounded with me long after I closed the pages.
For someone who struggles to finish anthologies I can easily say this is the best I've ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed almost every story written.
I say almost... the necrophiliac erotica wasn't really for me.
Otherwise a must have for any horror fanatic.
evavroslin's review
5.0
“Enter, friend. I wish you well, but I’ve got to warn you. These ghosts are hungry.”
So says Jonathan Janz in his excitement-filled foreword to the horror anthology Midnight in the Graveyard, edited by Kenneth W. Cain. There are stories by well-known and newer authors, making for an intriguing combination. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew going in that I wanted to devour this volume, in perfect timing for the Halloween season.
The first story is “Devil’s Dip” by Shannon Felton. It starts off with an embittered (which is putting it mildly) soon-to-be/on the verge of divorced protagonist, who is lamenting and wondering how they got to this point in life. It’s told in a very matter of fact, direct manner, which was engaging. Many readers who have made similar life transitions, including getting out of a small town to then return thinking they’ve done better, find out that sometimes they’re not quite so sure. Friendships that seem like they’re real turn out to be something else. Infidelity turns out to be a major theme. Through tragedy, the protagonist re-lives with a high school friend the Devil’s Dip of the title, and why it was named as such. As it turns out, reality becomes very subjective when it comes to this.
Things take a more supernatural turn from that point as the story continues to dwell on the theme that we often idealize the past, even though we know it’s not good for us. Some things are best left undisturbed. This story was a very impactful way to set the overall tone and mood of the anthology and got things off to a great start.
Next up is “Tug O’ War” by rising up-and-comer Chad Lutzke, who has been making waves of late with longer fiction such as Skullface Boy and The Same Deep Water as You. A group of friends goes to visit their dying friend. I can’t say much more beyond that without spoiling the story completely, so I will state that sometimes the things we are convinced will help should be treated with caution because you should really be careful what you ask for.
“Euphemia Christie” by long-time Samhain and now Flame Tree Press author Catherine Cavendish starts, appropriately, in a cemetery. Two friends like to go through and read the gravestones as a curious interest. One of them sees a man who appears to be from the Victorian Era right after she finds the grave of Euphemia Christie. (For those who will read this story wondering what the heck a sexton is, it’s a term for a person who is a caretaker for cemeteries normally, sometimes acting as bell-ringer and in much older uses, a gravedigger). One of the friends takes her curiosity about Euphemia forward and starts doing more research. She goes exploring to the town where this woman was from. A local barman says the protagonist looks a bit like Euphemia. Cavendish does a masterful job grabbing the reader and pulling them in for a good old-fashioned English ghost story with implications of the past trickling down to the present. It draws to a pulse-pounding conclusion that will definitely have an impact.
“Justin’s Favorite” by Jeremy Hepler follows a couple who move into a new house, mysterious details about one of them emerge, and sometimes the ghosts of the past refuse to stay there.
Todd Keisling is one of my favourite writers. His story, “Holes in the Fabric,” takes place in the early 1980s in Kentucky. And the moment I saw it was related to his upcoming novel, Devil’s Creek, which releases next year, I was even more psyched to have this sort-of prequel in my hands; a taste of what is to come. I got a very distinct Lovecraftian vibe, of things that shouldn’t be, childhood friends and loves returned, and so much more. I don’t want to spoil it beyond this, other than to say that it is mandatory reading and should be one of the stories readers make sure to pay attention to.
“Drown” by Hunter Shea is about a couple who go to haunted B&B for their anniversary (his idea). They are more paranormally-enhanced (for lack of a better term) than it seemed at the outset and it leads in an interesting direction.
“Those Who are Terrified” by Elizabeth Massie was one of my favourite stories of this anthology. The protagonist and her sisters did not like their grandfather who is kind of like a real estate tycoon but that’s not quite the right term. He’s just a guy who does real estate deals, and he bought a place that used to be a hospital and he’s planning to turn it into apartments. The kids find something very disturbing in the basement. Beyond that I’d be spoiling what goes on, but I enjoyed the way this story was told and the heart-wrenching conclusion.
“Cool for Cats” by Scottish writer William Meikle was a sort-of throwback to the Tell-Tale Heart with a gender swap for good measure. It was one of the more entertaining pieces of the anthology.
For all the readers out there who are older siblings and had to take their younger kin trick or treating, “Russian Dollhouse” by Jason Parent will bring back memories. There’s an urban legend on their street that Halloween trick or treating stopped because some children disappeared. Kit and her younger brother, Cole, find a deserted house at the end of the lane that no one has lived in for years. They’re soon joined by Kit’s crush, Jordan, and Melissa, a girl hoping to be his girlfriend, and Pedro. They all think the things going on are just special effects and are convinced that one of them has put it all together in an elaborate Halloween Haunted House experience. It has a cool Stranger Things vibe to it. This was definitely one of my favourite pieces in the anthology.
“The Cemetery Man” by John Everson takes on the typical “young people go to a cemetery to make out, something bad probably happens” trope. I liked the twists and turns this story took. Just a heads-up that it’s more erotically-charged than expected, so if that’s your jam, cool, but if you’d rather not get into that, you may want to skip this.
I felt a huge sense of intimidation reviewing “Haunted World” by Robert R. McCammon because he is one of the living legends included in these pages, but also wanted very much to see what lay in fate for the reader. It starts off on a more humorous note than I expected, and leads into an interesting beginning. Without getting into any spoilers, it’s kind of like Night at the Museum but if it had been a horror movie more in the style of Evil Dead.
Speaking of Stranger Things, another story that evokes darker sensibilities of it comes in the form of “Ghost Blood” by Kelli Owen, which starts with a guy who appears to be a projectionist at the movies at a Drive-In. Without spoiling things, he can see something supernatural, but it has side effects on him. I found this story veered into an interesting direction and enjoyed it.
“The Putpocket” by Alan M. Clark is another story I enjoyed. It is set in Victorian London and is from the viewpoint of a young man under dire circumstances. It involves creepy family drama, and isn’t for the faint of heart.
I looked forward to “Swamp Vengeance” by Brian Moreland with much excitement, having devoured the novels he put out in the past. This one takes place in the Florida swamps. Merle, the protagonist, hears something unexpected and disturbing from people he thought he could trust, and that’s all I can say without going into spoilers. He gets involved in some Native American folklore. I really liked this one. Very interesting fare from Brian, and I’m glad to see in the author bios section that we can expect more new work from him next year.
The stories included in this volume are wonderfully perfect for Halloween reading. Even the ones that didn’t grab me quite as much as I had hoped were of all of great quality. The scares herein are familiar ones for the most part, but it evokes the same excitement we have every Halloween season to re-watch the staples of the horror genre. Some of us might like our scares a bit safer and go for Hocus Pocus or The Nightmare Before Christmas. Regardless of what your preference is, this anthology contains some excellent Halloween treats that most readers will gobble up.
So says Jonathan Janz in his excitement-filled foreword to the horror anthology Midnight in the Graveyard, edited by Kenneth W. Cain. There are stories by well-known and newer authors, making for an intriguing combination. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew going in that I wanted to devour this volume, in perfect timing for the Halloween season.
The first story is “Devil’s Dip” by Shannon Felton. It starts off with an embittered (which is putting it mildly) soon-to-be/on the verge of divorced protagonist, who is lamenting and wondering how they got to this point in life. It’s told in a very matter of fact, direct manner, which was engaging. Many readers who have made similar life transitions, including getting out of a small town to then return thinking they’ve done better, find out that sometimes they’re not quite so sure. Friendships that seem like they’re real turn out to be something else. Infidelity turns out to be a major theme. Through tragedy, the protagonist re-lives with a high school friend the Devil’s Dip of the title, and why it was named as such. As it turns out, reality becomes very subjective when it comes to this.
Things take a more supernatural turn from that point as the story continues to dwell on the theme that we often idealize the past, even though we know it’s not good for us. Some things are best left undisturbed. This story was a very impactful way to set the overall tone and mood of the anthology and got things off to a great start.
Next up is “Tug O’ War” by rising up-and-comer Chad Lutzke, who has been making waves of late with longer fiction such as Skullface Boy and The Same Deep Water as You. A group of friends goes to visit their dying friend. I can’t say much more beyond that without spoiling the story completely, so I will state that sometimes the things we are convinced will help should be treated with caution because you should really be careful what you ask for.
“Euphemia Christie” by long-time Samhain and now Flame Tree Press author Catherine Cavendish starts, appropriately, in a cemetery. Two friends like to go through and read the gravestones as a curious interest. One of them sees a man who appears to be from the Victorian Era right after she finds the grave of Euphemia Christie. (For those who will read this story wondering what the heck a sexton is, it’s a term for a person who is a caretaker for cemeteries normally, sometimes acting as bell-ringer and in much older uses, a gravedigger). One of the friends takes her curiosity about Euphemia forward and starts doing more research. She goes exploring to the town where this woman was from. A local barman says the protagonist looks a bit like Euphemia. Cavendish does a masterful job grabbing the reader and pulling them in for a good old-fashioned English ghost story with implications of the past trickling down to the present. It draws to a pulse-pounding conclusion that will definitely have an impact.
“Justin’s Favorite” by Jeremy Hepler follows a couple who move into a new house, mysterious details about one of them emerge, and sometimes the ghosts of the past refuse to stay there.
Todd Keisling is one of my favourite writers. His story, “Holes in the Fabric,” takes place in the early 1980s in Kentucky. And the moment I saw it was related to his upcoming novel, Devil’s Creek, which releases next year, I was even more psyched to have this sort-of prequel in my hands; a taste of what is to come. I got a very distinct Lovecraftian vibe, of things that shouldn’t be, childhood friends and loves returned, and so much more. I don’t want to spoil it beyond this, other than to say that it is mandatory reading and should be one of the stories readers make sure to pay attention to.
“Drown” by Hunter Shea is about a couple who go to haunted B&B for their anniversary (his idea). They are more paranormally-enhanced (for lack of a better term) than it seemed at the outset and it leads in an interesting direction.
“Those Who are Terrified” by Elizabeth Massie was one of my favourite stories of this anthology. The protagonist and her sisters did not like their grandfather who is kind of like a real estate tycoon but that’s not quite the right term. He’s just a guy who does real estate deals, and he bought a place that used to be a hospital and he’s planning to turn it into apartments. The kids find something very disturbing in the basement. Beyond that I’d be spoiling what goes on, but I enjoyed the way this story was told and the heart-wrenching conclusion.
“Cool for Cats” by Scottish writer William Meikle was a sort-of throwback to the Tell-Tale Heart with a gender swap for good measure. It was one of the more entertaining pieces of the anthology.
For all the readers out there who are older siblings and had to take their younger kin trick or treating, “Russian Dollhouse” by Jason Parent will bring back memories. There’s an urban legend on their street that Halloween trick or treating stopped because some children disappeared. Kit and her younger brother, Cole, find a deserted house at the end of the lane that no one has lived in for years. They’re soon joined by Kit’s crush, Jordan, and Melissa, a girl hoping to be his girlfriend, and Pedro. They all think the things going on are just special effects and are convinced that one of them has put it all together in an elaborate Halloween Haunted House experience. It has a cool Stranger Things vibe to it. This was definitely one of my favourite pieces in the anthology.
“The Cemetery Man” by John Everson takes on the typical “young people go to a cemetery to make out, something bad probably happens” trope. I liked the twists and turns this story took. Just a heads-up that it’s more erotically-charged than expected, so if that’s your jam, cool, but if you’d rather not get into that, you may want to skip this.
I felt a huge sense of intimidation reviewing “Haunted World” by Robert R. McCammon because he is one of the living legends included in these pages, but also wanted very much to see what lay in fate for the reader. It starts off on a more humorous note than I expected, and leads into an interesting beginning. Without getting into any spoilers, it’s kind of like Night at the Museum but if it had been a horror movie more in the style of Evil Dead.
Speaking of Stranger Things, another story that evokes darker sensibilities of it comes in the form of “Ghost Blood” by Kelli Owen, which starts with a guy who appears to be a projectionist at the movies at a Drive-In. Without spoiling things, he can see something supernatural, but it has side effects on him. I found this story veered into an interesting direction and enjoyed it.
“The Putpocket” by Alan M. Clark is another story I enjoyed. It is set in Victorian London and is from the viewpoint of a young man under dire circumstances. It involves creepy family drama, and isn’t for the faint of heart.
I looked forward to “Swamp Vengeance” by Brian Moreland with much excitement, having devoured the novels he put out in the past. This one takes place in the Florida swamps. Merle, the protagonist, hears something unexpected and disturbing from people he thought he could trust, and that’s all I can say without going into spoilers. He gets involved in some Native American folklore. I really liked this one. Very interesting fare from Brian, and I’m glad to see in the author bios section that we can expect more new work from him next year.
The stories included in this volume are wonderfully perfect for Halloween reading. Even the ones that didn’t grab me quite as much as I had hoped were of all of great quality. The scares herein are familiar ones for the most part, but it evokes the same excitement we have every Halloween season to re-watch the staples of the horror genre. Some of us might like our scares a bit safer and go for Hocus Pocus or The Nightmare Before Christmas. Regardless of what your preference is, this anthology contains some excellent Halloween treats that most readers will gobble up.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
An engrossing and entertaining collection of creepy stories, well written and with the right creepy factor.
I liked them and discovered some interesting and new to me authors.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I liked them and discovered some interesting and new to me authors.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
wellwortharead's review
5.0
This book contains stories by some of my favorite authors but they know who they are and so do you. For that reason I'm not going to talk about them (this time)
From the first story "Devil's Dip" by new (to me) author Shannon Felton I felt like this anthology was going to be something special. By the time I got to "The Glimmer Girls" by Kenneth McKinley I knew I was right. I loved that this story was based on the real life Radium Girls! A symphony of macabre tales are perfectly arranged in this delightfully dark anthology. I have now been introduced to several voices in horror that I may not have discovered if not for this book. If you are looking for something spooky to read this Halloween season I highly recommend you grab a copy now.
I received an advance copy for review.
From the first story "Devil's Dip" by new (to me) author Shannon Felton I felt like this anthology was going to be something special. By the time I got to "The Glimmer Girls" by Kenneth McKinley I knew I was right. I loved that this story was based on the real life Radium Girls! A symphony of macabre tales are perfectly arranged in this delightfully dark anthology. I have now been introduced to several voices in horror that I may not have discovered if not for this book. If you are looking for something spooky to read this Halloween season I highly recommend you grab a copy now.
I received an advance copy for review.
booklovingcatmom's review against another edition
3.0
Anthologies are tricky to rate, as there will be stand out 4 and 5 star stories mixed in with ones that aren’t as well-written or gripping. I ended up awarding 3⭐️ to this collection, bumping up the rating for the four stories that really stood out to me.
I really enjoyed the creativity of Chad Lutzke’s and Kelli Owen’s stories. It’s hard to talk about them without giving anything away, but I will say that I’d never read stories quite like them. And I’d be very interested in reading more about the characters in Owen’s story particularly.
Jason Parent’s story is atmospheric and chilling and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Kealan Patrick Burke’s is emotional and extremely well-written.
I’d recommend the collection on the merit of these four stories.
I really enjoyed the creativity of Chad Lutzke’s and Kelli Owen’s stories. It’s hard to talk about them without giving anything away, but I will say that I’d never read stories quite like them. And I’d be very interested in reading more about the characters in Owen’s story particularly.
Jason Parent’s story is atmospheric and chilling and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Kealan Patrick Burke’s is emotional and extremely well-written.
I’d recommend the collection on the merit of these four stories.
motherhorror's review
4.0
"Enter, friend. I wish you well, but I've got to warn you. These ghosts are hungry."
-Jonathan Janz (Intro to Midnight in the Graveyard)
Edited by Kenneth W. Cain
Published by Silver Shamrock
This is a HUGE anthology in so many ways. First, it's a big deal for Silver Shamrock to come out of the gate swinging like a champion. I kept seeing TOC updates for this project and I was so impressed with the line-up very early on. This is also a thick one! I think it's over 400 pages and I read this every night on my Kindle, taking down two *maybe* three at a time until I was done. I read everything in order. It's worth mentioning that Jonathan Janz's intro is perfect. Lastly, this is one of those anthologies that accomplishes exactly what it set out to do: Collect an amazing selection of ghost stories. I won't have a lot to say about ALL the stories but I will comment on the most memorable ones for me.
Devil's Dip by Shannon Felton: There's a line in this story that really struck me and stays in the back of my mind when I think of Devil's Dip. "The idea that someone could go through so much shit that their mind began to degrade, or the idea that it was just a random roll of the dice and you were stuck with a bummer brain for no reason at all." This was a great start to the anthology. It had an "IT FOLLOWS" vibe I enjoyed. Creepy.
Tug O' War by Chad Lutzke: This one felt like an old black and white movie. I couldn't even tell you why. Perhaps it was Lutzke's set up with the guys hanging out downstairs while their friend's life fades away on his deathbed upstairs and the widow coming down all "indecent". But I wish I could watch a black and white adaptation of this story. Great storytelling that I've come to expect from Chad Lutzke.
Euphemia Christie by Catherine Cavendish: I LOVED THIS! It has this gothic, Shirley Jackson-esque style that kept my attention all the way through. I enjoyed every moment.
Justin's Favorite by Jeremy Helper: a super creepy telling of a woman alone in a house with an angry ghost. I loved the reason behind this haunting.
Holes in the Fabric by Todd Keisling: All I'm going to say is that this one got me very excited to read Devil's Creek.
Dog Days by Kenneth W. Cain
Drown by Hunter Shea
Those Who Are Terrified by Elizabeth Massie
Cool for Cats by William Meikle
Russian Dollhouse by Jason Parent: I love, love, loved this story! It was perfectly paced, well planned and seriously terrifying. An original take on the "deadly game" trope where some teens are trapped somewhere and forced to "play" to the death. I read this one through my fingers.
Sawmill Road by Ronald Kelly: A classic ghost story! Even though I felt like I had read stories like this one before, it didn't change my feelings of enjoyment and satisfaction. Ronald Kelly put his own fingerprints on this one and it was a fun read.
Bettor's Edge by Tim Meyer
The Graveyard by Lee Mountford
Join My Club by Somer Canon- I liked that this one was short and sad--a real gut punch.
The Cemetery Man by John Everson
New Blood, Old Skin by Glenn Rolfe
The Glimmer Girls by Kenneth McKinley One of my favorites in the anthology I was ADDICTED to this story-absolutely drawn in. I had heard of the historical account this story is based on and it made this telling all the more engaging. I will look for more by this new-to-me author!
Haunted World by Robert McCammon
Ghost Blood by Kelli Owen: MY FAVORITE!! I kind of fell in love with the protagonist, Neil. And I have no idea how Kelli imagined Neil's "ability" or "curse" but it was 100% unique and original and I just loved it. I seriously hope Kelli will develop this character for a novella or novel-length story. He could fight crime or something??
Last Call at the Sudden Death Saloon by Allan Leverone
The Ring of Truth by Thomas F. Monteleone
The Gravedigger's Story by Katherine Meyer Griffith
The Putpocket by Alan M. Clark
Swamp Vengence by Brian Moreland
Portrait by Kealan Patric Burke: What a powerfully grim and somber tale. This was the perfect story to end with and the best possible story to read on this January day that is bone-chilling cold and threatening to snow.
-Jonathan Janz (Intro to Midnight in the Graveyard)
Edited by Kenneth W. Cain
Published by Silver Shamrock
This is a HUGE anthology in so many ways. First, it's a big deal for Silver Shamrock to come out of the gate swinging like a champion. I kept seeing TOC updates for this project and I was so impressed with the line-up very early on. This is also a thick one! I think it's over 400 pages and I read this every night on my Kindle, taking down two *maybe* three at a time until I was done. I read everything in order. It's worth mentioning that Jonathan Janz's intro is perfect. Lastly, this is one of those anthologies that accomplishes exactly what it set out to do: Collect an amazing selection of ghost stories. I won't have a lot to say about ALL the stories but I will comment on the most memorable ones for me.
Devil's Dip by Shannon Felton: There's a line in this story that really struck me and stays in the back of my mind when I think of Devil's Dip. "The idea that someone could go through so much shit that their mind began to degrade, or the idea that it was just a random roll of the dice and you were stuck with a bummer brain for no reason at all." This was a great start to the anthology. It had an "IT FOLLOWS" vibe I enjoyed. Creepy.
Tug O' War by Chad Lutzke: This one felt like an old black and white movie. I couldn't even tell you why. Perhaps it was Lutzke's set up with the guys hanging out downstairs while their friend's life fades away on his deathbed upstairs and the widow coming down all "indecent". But I wish I could watch a black and white adaptation of this story. Great storytelling that I've come to expect from Chad Lutzke.
Euphemia Christie by Catherine Cavendish: I LOVED THIS! It has this gothic, Shirley Jackson-esque style that kept my attention all the way through. I enjoyed every moment.
Justin's Favorite by Jeremy Helper: a super creepy telling of a woman alone in a house with an angry ghost. I loved the reason behind this haunting.
Holes in the Fabric by Todd Keisling: All I'm going to say is that this one got me very excited to read Devil's Creek.
Dog Days by Kenneth W. Cain
Drown by Hunter Shea
Those Who Are Terrified by Elizabeth Massie
Cool for Cats by William Meikle
Russian Dollhouse by Jason Parent: I love, love, loved this story! It was perfectly paced, well planned and seriously terrifying. An original take on the "deadly game" trope where some teens are trapped somewhere and forced to "play" to the death. I read this one through my fingers.
Sawmill Road by Ronald Kelly: A classic ghost story! Even though I felt like I had read stories like this one before, it didn't change my feelings of enjoyment and satisfaction. Ronald Kelly put his own fingerprints on this one and it was a fun read.
Bettor's Edge by Tim Meyer
The Graveyard by Lee Mountford
Join My Club by Somer Canon- I liked that this one was short and sad--a real gut punch.
The Cemetery Man by John Everson
New Blood, Old Skin by Glenn Rolfe
The Glimmer Girls by Kenneth McKinley One of my favorites in the anthology I was ADDICTED to this story-absolutely drawn in. I had heard of the historical account this story is based on and it made this telling all the more engaging. I will look for more by this new-to-me author!
Haunted World by Robert McCammon
Ghost Blood by Kelli Owen: MY FAVORITE!! I kind of fell in love with the protagonist, Neil. And I have no idea how Kelli imagined Neil's "ability" or "curse" but it was 100% unique and original and I just loved it. I seriously hope Kelli will develop this character for a novella or novel-length story. He could fight crime or something??
Last Call at the Sudden Death Saloon by Allan Leverone
The Ring of Truth by Thomas F. Monteleone
The Gravedigger's Story by Katherine Meyer Griffith
The Putpocket by Alan M. Clark
Swamp Vengence by Brian Moreland
Portrait by Kealan Patric Burke: What a powerfully grim and somber tale. This was the perfect story to end with and the best possible story to read on this January day that is bone-chilling cold and threatening to snow.
charshorrorcorner's review
5.0
4.5/5 stars!
MIDNIGHT IN THE GRAVEYARD is an above average anthology, comprised of ghost stories-all kinds and varieties. I had a blast seeing what each author came up with.
For me, some of the standouts were:
DEVIL'S DIP by Shannon Felton. What a great tale to start off this collection! I've never read anything by this author before, but now I'll be following her career closely. (Love when this happens.)
TUG O WAR by Chad Lutzke. A terribly sad tale that morphed into....something else entirely, (and even sadder!)
DOG DAYS by Kenneth Cain. LOVED LOVED LOVED this! Dogs are involved.
COOL FOR CATS by William Meikle. I loved this one too! (Cats are involved. Surprise!)
THE GLIMMER GIRLS by Ken McKinley. Terribly, terribly, sad. I think the fact that we all knew how it was going to end only added to the poignancy of it.
THE CEMETERY MAN by John Everson. Everson's unique style of mixing the erotic with the horrific is on display here.
HAUNTED WORLD by Robert McCammon. It's McCammon. 'Nuff said.
GHOST BLOOD by Kelli Owen. Imagine if you could see blood anywhere it has ever been spilled. From shaving cuts to mass murders-you see it all. How ghastly!
LAST CALL AT THE SUDDEN DEATH SALOON by Allan Leverone. An abandoned sanitarium in a haunted town-who wouldn't want a drink before going there?
THE PUTPOCKET by Alan M. Clark. This might have been my favorite tale. (I know, it surprised me too!) I felt an almost...Dickensian vibe with this and I really got down with the story and its narrator.
PORTRAIT by Kealan Patrick Burke. Yet another poignant story from a master.
SWAMP VENGEANCE by Brian Moreland. Unexpected, but fun just the same.
I'm going to leave it off here because I liked just about every story in here, but I can't mention them all. My only nitpicking complaint is that perhaps this anthology was a bit too long.
I consider myself lucky to have had the pleasure of interacting with all of the authors in a group read in the Horror Aficionados group. The book and the experience were both a heck of a good time!
Highly recommended!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2De40ad
*I received an e-ARC of this anthology from the publisher in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it! Further, I am one of the moderators of the HA group mentioned above. The fact that this was a group read did not affect my opinion of the contents of the book.*
MIDNIGHT IN THE GRAVEYARD is an above average anthology, comprised of ghost stories-all kinds and varieties. I had a blast seeing what each author came up with.
For me, some of the standouts were:
DEVIL'S DIP by Shannon Felton. What a great tale to start off this collection! I've never read anything by this author before, but now I'll be following her career closely. (Love when this happens.)
TUG O WAR by Chad Lutzke. A terribly sad tale that morphed into....something else entirely, (and even sadder!)
DOG DAYS by Kenneth Cain. LOVED LOVED LOVED this! Dogs are involved.
COOL FOR CATS by William Meikle. I loved this one too! (Cats are involved. Surprise!)
THE GLIMMER GIRLS by Ken McKinley. Terribly, terribly, sad. I think the fact that we all knew how it was going to end only added to the poignancy of it.
THE CEMETERY MAN by John Everson. Everson's unique style of mixing the erotic with the horrific is on display here.
HAUNTED WORLD by Robert McCammon. It's McCammon. 'Nuff said.
GHOST BLOOD by Kelli Owen. Imagine if you could see blood anywhere it has ever been spilled. From shaving cuts to mass murders-you see it all. How ghastly!
LAST CALL AT THE SUDDEN DEATH SALOON by Allan Leverone. An abandoned sanitarium in a haunted town-who wouldn't want a drink before going there?
THE PUTPOCKET by Alan M. Clark. This might have been my favorite tale. (I know, it surprised me too!) I felt an almost...Dickensian vibe with this and I really got down with the story and its narrator.
PORTRAIT by Kealan Patrick Burke. Yet another poignant story from a master.
SWAMP VENGEANCE by Brian Moreland. Unexpected, but fun just the same.
I'm going to leave it off here because I liked just about every story in here, but I can't mention them all. My only nitpicking complaint is that perhaps this anthology was a bit too long.
I consider myself lucky to have had the pleasure of interacting with all of the authors in a group read in the Horror Aficionados group. The book and the experience were both a heck of a good time!
Highly recommended!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2De40ad
*I received an e-ARC of this anthology from the publisher in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it! Further, I am one of the moderators of the HA group mentioned above. The fact that this was a group read did not affect my opinion of the contents of the book.*
el_stevie's review
5.0
A Haunting Collection
Ghosts galore haunt these pages, some benevolent, others malevolent. This is a great collection of real quality storytelling, perfect for those long winter nights. Favourites include the opener, Devil's Dip by Shannon Felton where real friendship leads to ongoing suffering, Euphemia Christie by Catherine Cavendish with a tale of obsession, Those Who Are Terrified
Ghosts galore haunt these pages, some benevolent, others malevolent. This is a great collection of real quality storytelling, perfect for those long winter nights. Favourites include the opener, Devil's Dip by Shannon Felton where real friendship leads to ongoing suffering, Euphemia Christie by Catherine Cavendish with a tale of obsession, Those Who Are Terrified
brennanlafaro's review
4.0
Silver Shamrock is a relatively new publisher making waves in the horror community with some very well-received titles like Cricket Hunters by Jeremy Hepler and In the Scrape by James Newman and Mark Steensland. It also doesn't hurt that one of their first releases is this anthology, Midnight in the Graveyard. The collection contains 25 stories, centered mainly around ghosts, featuring one of the most all-star casts I've seen compiled in a table of contents. If that doesn't sway you, the whole thing kicks off with an introduction from Jonathan Janz.
When invited to partake in such an anthology, I like to feel like I'm showing up for the marquee names, but getting equally jazzed about the new acts. Shannon Felton gets the motor going with Devil's Dip, plodding into some friends did/saw something years ago and now it's back to haunt them territory. Felton puts a great twist on this trope, and has a debut coming out on Silver Shamrock that I'll now be on the lookout for. Kenneth McKinley's The Glimmer Girls is also a standout, eschewing traditional ghosts for something altogether more monstrous, and working mainly because of its' period setting. Brian Moreland's Swamp Vengeance is a whole lot of fun and benefits from taking us to a pretty different locale.
Equally exciting for me is an excuse to read stories by authors I keep hearing great things about but just haven't had the chance to read yet. Justin's Helper by Jeremy Hepler has one of the best endings/reveals in the book. Dog Days by Kenneth Cain greatly benefits from its presentation, telling us the history of the featured house by letters, journal entries, texts, etc. It's very well-done and quite effective. Cool Cats by William Meikle is a feel-good story in its own quite twisted way. Who doesn't love when bad things happen to bad people? Another writer I've put on my wishlist due to their work in this collection is Glenn Rolfe, whose story New Blood, Old Skin, is very clever and a bit of a send-up to anyone who has ever asked an author why they write horror.
Of course, one expects the familiar names to come through as well. That's why they're familiar. Chad Lutzke unquestionably delivers in Tug o War, and in typical Lutzke-fashion leaves the reader ruminating long after the story is over. Hunter Shea's Drown expands on characters he has written previously, adding a fun and interesting new chapter to their adventures. Bettor's Edge by Tim Meyer gives us a (sort-of) haunted hotel room, a place where the barrier between worlds is a bit thin. Scary stuff indeed. Kealan Patrick Burke wraps it all up with Portrait, which is very typical of his writing style. That is to say, there's an atmosphere of dread, but beauty shines through in the prose, and it puts the perfect cap on Midnight in the Graveyard.
There are also some really enjoyable stories from Catherine Cavendish, Ronald Kelly, Lee Mount, and Robert McCammon but writing about every little thing I liked in here would make the review almost as long as the book. There are a few skips present, but in a themed collection with 25 entries, it's bound to happen. Silver Shamrock has set the bar high with this first collection, and I'm already on board for Midnight in the Pentagram, the follow-up currently in progress. Meanwhile, Midnight in the Graveyard is sending up a signal. We should all be on the lookout for what Silver Shamrock has in store for us next. Make some room on your shelf, my friends.
When invited to partake in such an anthology, I like to feel like I'm showing up for the marquee names, but getting equally jazzed about the new acts. Shannon Felton gets the motor going with Devil's Dip, plodding into some friends did/saw something years ago and now it's back to haunt them territory. Felton puts a great twist on this trope, and has a debut coming out on Silver Shamrock that I'll now be on the lookout for. Kenneth McKinley's The Glimmer Girls is also a standout, eschewing traditional ghosts for something altogether more monstrous, and working mainly because of its' period setting. Brian Moreland's Swamp Vengeance is a whole lot of fun and benefits from taking us to a pretty different locale.
Equally exciting for me is an excuse to read stories by authors I keep hearing great things about but just haven't had the chance to read yet. Justin's Helper by Jeremy Hepler has one of the best endings/reveals in the book. Dog Days by Kenneth Cain greatly benefits from its presentation, telling us the history of the featured house by letters, journal entries, texts, etc. It's very well-done and quite effective. Cool Cats by William Meikle is a feel-good story in its own quite twisted way. Who doesn't love when bad things happen to bad people? Another writer I've put on my wishlist due to their work in this collection is Glenn Rolfe, whose story New Blood, Old Skin, is very clever and a bit of a send-up to anyone who has ever asked an author why they write horror.
Of course, one expects the familiar names to come through as well. That's why they're familiar. Chad Lutzke unquestionably delivers in Tug o War, and in typical Lutzke-fashion leaves the reader ruminating long after the story is over. Hunter Shea's Drown expands on characters he has written previously, adding a fun and interesting new chapter to their adventures. Bettor's Edge by Tim Meyer gives us a (sort-of) haunted hotel room, a place where the barrier between worlds is a bit thin. Scary stuff indeed. Kealan Patrick Burke wraps it all up with Portrait, which is very typical of his writing style. That is to say, there's an atmosphere of dread, but beauty shines through in the prose, and it puts the perfect cap on Midnight in the Graveyard.
There are also some really enjoyable stories from Catherine Cavendish, Ronald Kelly, Lee Mount, and Robert McCammon but writing about every little thing I liked in here would make the review almost as long as the book. There are a few skips present, but in a themed collection with 25 entries, it's bound to happen. Silver Shamrock has set the bar high with this first collection, and I'm already on board for Midnight in the Pentagram, the follow-up currently in progress. Meanwhile, Midnight in the Graveyard is sending up a signal. We should all be on the lookout for what Silver Shamrock has in store for us next. Make some room on your shelf, my friends.
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