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quynn's review
3.0
I enjoyed the author's writing style in this collection of short stories. The stories were well written, although some were predictable and some I wouldn't describe as horror really.
My shorts I really enjoyed were Under Your Skin, Minor Difficulties, and The Sound of Nothing.
My shorts I really enjoyed were Under Your Skin, Minor Difficulties, and The Sound of Nothing.
hosborneauthor's review
5.0
Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.
Macabre Menagerie by C.L. Clark is a twisted compilation of short stories ranging from the frightening to downright bizarre. The collection begins with “Under Your Skin,” a tale of a woman caught out staring at a twitching stranger on a train only to be confronted with a similar condition after arriving home. As the stories continue, the reader is confronted with their own mortality in “Coffee and a Slice,” where a man converses with a stranger in a café over pie and coffee about the meaning of life and the sadness that comes along with it. There is a story of a little boy who trades places with a monster in “The Pitch,” but one comes out better than the other. Finally, the collection concludes with a vicious depiction of revenge by a psychopathic dentist in “Open Wide.”
I found many of the tales in Miss Clark’s collection different, but not necessarily completely out of the ordinary when it comes to the realm of horror. “The Pitch” reminded me of a children’s story entitled “Where the Wild Things Are.” I found that this was one of my favorite stories in the book. I liked how the tables turned on the little monster. Snip thought he was getting the good life, but that was not the case. “Coffee and a Slice” was another favorite of mine. I felt it was very emotional and meaningful, showing the reader not to fear death, but merely succumb to it at the right time. There was one story I did not enjoy as much as the others and that was “The Step.” The story felt incomplete to me and was without the impact of the others in the collection. Overall though, Macabre Menagerie is an enticing read sure to make you think.
Macabre Menagerie by C.L. Clark is a twisted compilation of short stories ranging from the frightening to downright bizarre. The collection begins with “Under Your Skin,” a tale of a woman caught out staring at a twitching stranger on a train only to be confronted with a similar condition after arriving home. As the stories continue, the reader is confronted with their own mortality in “Coffee and a Slice,” where a man converses with a stranger in a café over pie and coffee about the meaning of life and the sadness that comes along with it. There is a story of a little boy who trades places with a monster in “The Pitch,” but one comes out better than the other. Finally, the collection concludes with a vicious depiction of revenge by a psychopathic dentist in “Open Wide.”
I found many of the tales in Miss Clark’s collection different, but not necessarily completely out of the ordinary when it comes to the realm of horror. “The Pitch” reminded me of a children’s story entitled “Where the Wild Things Are.” I found that this was one of my favorite stories in the book. I liked how the tables turned on the little monster. Snip thought he was getting the good life, but that was not the case. “Coffee and a Slice” was another favorite of mine. I felt it was very emotional and meaningful, showing the reader not to fear death, but merely succumb to it at the right time. There was one story I did not enjoy as much as the others and that was “The Step.” The story felt incomplete to me and was without the impact of the others in the collection. Overall though, Macabre Menagerie is an enticing read sure to make you think.
odbookreviews's review
4.0
Description: This book is a compilation of I believe 12 short stories of the Horror genre. Each story is completely unique from the last and the book has a great variety.
In Short: Grab this book and gather around the campfire! These tales would make absolutely wonderful short reads for anytime you want to creep out yourself and those around you. So, be sure to pick this one up before your next camping trip.
Pros: This book contains some really unique, eerie stories; there are monsters from supernatural to science fiction genres. I labeled this as a psychological thriller because some of the stories are very thoughtful or play on common human fears (like the Dentist for example). The stories range in degrees of scariness with some being more exciting or thought provoking than scary. A lot of the stories have shocking endings, and I am nothing if not a true fanatic of amazing endings. This book is well written and contains a lot of great details to help draw you in, in the limited amount of time short stories have to work with.
My two favorite stories from this book were: 'Coffee and a Slice', and 'The Sound of Nothing'. Coffee and a Slice: not one of the scary ones but quite mind blowing and had a wonderful ending. The Sound of Nothing, total psychological thriller. It was tense from the start and full of twists.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would suggest this book to a very wide audience. I would certainly read more by this author.
Cons: Overall this book was great, there were only a couple stories that I didn't find very thrilling and/or scary.
Parent's Guide: This book has some violence, and suggestive themes. I don't remember anything being very graphic.
In Short: Grab this book and gather around the campfire! These tales would make absolutely wonderful short reads for anytime you want to creep out yourself and those around you. So, be sure to pick this one up before your next camping trip.
Pros: This book contains some really unique, eerie stories; there are monsters from supernatural to science fiction genres. I labeled this as a psychological thriller because some of the stories are very thoughtful or play on common human fears (like the Dentist for example). The stories range in degrees of scariness with some being more exciting or thought provoking than scary. A lot of the stories have shocking endings, and I am nothing if not a true fanatic of amazing endings. This book is well written and contains a lot of great details to help draw you in, in the limited amount of time short stories have to work with.
My two favorite stories from this book were: 'Coffee and a Slice', and 'The Sound of Nothing'. Coffee and a Slice: not one of the scary ones but quite mind blowing and had a wonderful ending. The Sound of Nothing, total psychological thriller. It was tense from the start and full of twists.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would suggest this book to a very wide audience. I would certainly read more by this author.
Cons: Overall this book was great, there were only a couple stories that I didn't find very thrilling and/or scary.
Parent's Guide: This book has some violence, and suggestive themes. I don't remember anything being very graphic.
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