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thebookdad's review
5.0
Encampment by the Gorge is a thrilling revenge tale of cosmic horror. Zachory Ashford wrote a tremendous story filled with vividly descriptive scenes that are terrifyingly gruesome. Beware of the local inhabitants that thrive in this nightmarish landscape!
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brennanlafaro's review
3.0
Before I even read the first word, this book had a lot going for it. Zachary Ashford grabbed my attention with Sole Survivor, and ravaged it with an island of ferocious koalas. I’ve been looking forward to reading other words from him since I finished that one. Also, this book is part of Demain’s Short Sharp Shocks, a series that has published people like Hailey Piper, Steve Stred, Mike Thorn, and Calvin Demmer.
The first story “The Encampment by the Gorge” showcases Ashford’s ability to do gorey action to a T. Four men head out of a mission of vengeance, and as horror tends to do to us, things don’t quite go as planned. While Ashford’s stories have a surface-level enjoyment to them, he perpetually seems to include an underlying layer of commentary, not only here, but in the next story as well. It’s worth warning that there is violence against a dog in this story, but it’s not lingered on or done specifically for shock value.
“Blood Money” was my favorite of the two here, delving into the deepest recesses of Ashford’s imagination to retrieve a colossal prehistoric type monster. Here again, we get a blood-spattered creature feature, but if one digs just a bit deeper, there is also some biting commentary on the treatment of indigenous people in Australia. As I mentioned before, Ashford deserves praise for crafting entertainment that can be touted as popcorn fare, or can be read with a studious eye and go on to enlighten the reader.
The Australian horror scene is alive and thriving with the likes of Ashford, Baxter, Dries, Warren, and Cull among many others. Obviously, there’s something in the water down there, and I’d just bet it’s scary as hell.
I was given a copy by the author for review consideration.
The first story “The Encampment by the Gorge” showcases Ashford’s ability to do gorey action to a T. Four men head out of a mission of vengeance, and as horror tends to do to us, things don’t quite go as planned. While Ashford’s stories have a surface-level enjoyment to them, he perpetually seems to include an underlying layer of commentary, not only here, but in the next story as well. It’s worth warning that there is violence against a dog in this story, but it’s not lingered on or done specifically for shock value.
“Blood Money” was my favorite of the two here, delving into the deepest recesses of Ashford’s imagination to retrieve a colossal prehistoric type monster. Here again, we get a blood-spattered creature feature, but if one digs just a bit deeper, there is also some biting commentary on the treatment of indigenous people in Australia. As I mentioned before, Ashford deserves praise for crafting entertainment that can be touted as popcorn fare, or can be read with a studious eye and go on to enlighten the reader.
The Australian horror scene is alive and thriving with the likes of Ashford, Baxter, Dries, Warren, and Cull among many others. Obviously, there’s something in the water down there, and I’d just bet it’s scary as hell.
I was given a copy by the author for review consideration.
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