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derhindemith's review
2.0
Actually kind of conflicted about this anthology. It was a lot of thriller/action, and not much horror/supernatural. And then there was a lot of "here's an idea, but we're not going to develop it in any way"
The Hollow is Filled with Beautiful Monsters-One of the best stories in the anthology, and it really made the appeal of opioids understandable for me.
The Zealous Advocate-More thriller. And a lesbian with the moral compass of the main character in American Psycho was a little thin for me as a story, but I wouldn't mind a full novel about her.
Room Nine-Overly written, with a deus ex machina that should have been the whole story.
The Price-Very much like The Zealous Advocate, but with characters that were fleshed out enough so I cared about them.
The Matinee-Possibly my favorite (even though it's not horror) because I love slasher movies, and having it told so matter of factly from his point of view was wonderful
Capturing Jove Lunge-Weird. Cute. Captured the tone of a pulp story well, but didn't go long enough to understand the supernatural element hinted at but never actually shown.
A Letter to My Brother, relating Recent Events with Unintended Consequences-I really want to see this performed as a monologue
All the Pretty Boys-Boring. Lacked development of any kind. This was a concept that could be developed into a story
The Roommate-Super cute. A warning poltergeist
Filth-Nathan Burgoine is probably the reason I bought this, since I like his writing. I liked the way this superhero operates, but I'm really not a fan of homophobia as a villain.
Saint Louis 1990-I've been in love with Gilda since the first time I encountered her in a different short story, and this is no exception.
Blackout-This had so much potential. But homophobia as a villain, no ambiguity. I wanted better.
Crazy in the Night-This was stupid and unfinished
Ordinary Mayhem-Full disclosure: I didn't finish it because it was just thriller/action of the torture porn variety and I wasn't that invested. But I really liked how it was written.
The Hollow is Filled with Beautiful Monsters-One of the best stories in the anthology, and it really made the appeal of opioids understandable for me.
The Zealous Advocate-More thriller. And a lesbian with the moral compass of the main character in American Psycho was a little thin for me as a story, but I wouldn't mind a full novel about her.
Room Nine-Overly written, with a deus ex machina that should have been the whole story.
The Price-Very much like The Zealous Advocate, but with characters that were fleshed out enough so I cared about them.
The Matinee-Possibly my favorite (even though it's not horror) because I love slasher movies, and having it told so matter of factly from his point of view was wonderful
Capturing Jove Lunge-Weird. Cute. Captured the tone of a pulp story well, but didn't go long enough to understand the supernatural element hinted at but never actually shown.
A Letter to My Brother, relating Recent Events with Unintended Consequences-I really want to see this performed as a monologue
All the Pretty Boys-Boring. Lacked development of any kind. This was a concept that could be developed into a story
The Roommate-Super cute. A warning poltergeist
Filth-Nathan Burgoine is probably the reason I bought this, since I like his writing. I liked the way this superhero operates, but I'm really not a fan of homophobia as a villain.
Saint Louis 1990-I've been in love with Gilda since the first time I encountered her in a different short story, and this is no exception.
Blackout-This had so much potential. But homophobia as a villain, no ambiguity. I wanted better.
Crazy in the Night-This was stupid and unfinished
Ordinary Mayhem-Full disclosure: I didn't finish it because it was just thriller/action of the torture porn variety and I wasn't that invested. But I really liked how it was written.
mandi_lea's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Misogyny, Blood, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
apostrophen's review
5.0
Edit: Price-drop, until end of day November 1st, 2018, for Hallowe'en, on the Bold Strokes Books web-store, in all e-formats, 25% off.
Full disclosure: I have a story in this collection, "Filth," which was my one (and thus far only) foray in to writing horror. That said, once I got the collection, I was stunned at how awesome the other stories were (you have to make sure to find somewhere dark and quiet to read the novella length "Everyday Mayhem" at the end of this collection, but don't do it before you need to sleep), and super proud to have made the cut.
Jeffrey Ricker's take on a ghost story was chilling, too, as was J.M. Redmann's super-disturbing tale of dark nunnery. (Did I really just say "dark nunnery?" I guess I did.)
Full disclosure: I have a story in this collection, "Filth," which was my one (and thus far only) foray in to writing horror. That said, once I got the collection, I was stunned at how awesome the other stories were (you have to make sure to find somewhere dark and quiet to read the novella length "Everyday Mayhem" at the end of this collection, but don't do it before you need to sleep), and super proud to have made the cut.
Jeffrey Ricker's take on a ghost story was chilling, too, as was J.M. Redmann's super-disturbing tale of dark nunnery. (Did I really just say "dark nunnery?" I guess I did.)
youfelinedevil's review
4.0
This was a really enjoyable and eclectic selection of stories, but none of them prepared me for the pure nightmare fuel of the last story. (Disclaimer: it's by no means perfect, there's a part in which our heroine has a disturbing adventure in Chinatown that feels a little too Lovecraftian in its racism and xenophobia.) I started reading it thinking, OK, this is good, this is really creepy, and found myself gradually asking why wasn't I warned, how much worse it was going to get, whether I should stop reading. I read the last like 50+ pages all in one go, travelling across the living room in an attempt to find something approaching comfort. At one point I wanted to beg it to stop, and then I just wanted to scream at it. It is brutal, but it contains a core of truth from which I couldn't turn away. A truth about horror, human nature, voyeurism, and reality. And throughout this, throughout everything, it doesn't feel gloating in the manner of so much horror. It doesn't feel like it's laughing at the reader. It seems almost sympathetic in the way it shows us our worst fears. It helps that the main character is very likable, very earnest in her desire to expose the unthinkable, to point the finger at the very worst humanity has to offer. I didn't mean to write an entire review about one story, but, Jesus.
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