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irene_wolvercote's review
3.0
Some of these stories were really good, 5 stars! But others were kinda dull.
hyzie's review
3.0
I picked this up because it was free on Amazon and I'm a sucker for short horror stories. They are extremely hard to pull off properly, though, and anthologies are almost always a mixed bag at best. That was true of this one. They all kind of came across as "B" movie-type stories, which isn't bad, but meant that I was rarely actually scared or even that involved.
Blackmail: This was just okay. I thought the idea was interesting, but in practice I didn't really care much by the end. The characters were not terribly developed I didn't feel and I wasn't terribly surprised by the ending. Also, "Lucifera" is a ridiculous name for a bad guy character you aren't supposed to realize is bad.
Something Wrong: This was creepy, though a little more clarification on what the child actually was would have been appreciated.
The Reaver: Some kind of horrifying concotion of fantasy/horror. Not badly written, though violent and not my favorite.
LUX: A very twisted "Frankenstein"-esque story, this was probably my favorite of the bunch.
Figs: This was just strange. I kind of saw what was coming much earlier than the main character.
Deals and Demons: This was all a bit much for me.
Periphery People: This was quite possibly tied for second favorite. It was creepy and satisfying.
Spider Bag: This was creepy, but also kind of disgusting and a bit ridiculous, honestly. I was not a fan.
Taken together, they were a decent read, but nothing I was terribly excited about. Definitely not the worst horror anthology I have ever read, but hardly the best either.
johannah's review
4.0
Great little collection of short stories - these are not your standard monsters. Each piece examines what is means to be a monster, and favorably compares to Gardner's Grendel.
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