Reviews

Ultimate Supernatural Horror Box Set by Scott Nicholson, F. Paul Wilson, Blake Crouch, Iain Rob Wright, J.A. Konrath, Jordan Crouch, Jack Kilborn, Jeff Strand

mommagypsy's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

angielisle's review

3.0

I averaged my ratings for the individual stories to get the rating for the box set. I feel like this set was a good deal - the set introduced me to a couple authors I hadn't read before and kept me occupied for almost a week, plus I really enjoyed a couple of the stories.

Virgin by F. Paul Wilson, 3-stars:

Not my favorite of Wilson's work simply because the supernatural-religious aspects made it hard for me to suspend my disbelief. However, I did enjoy the story's message but no spoilers.

Haunted House by J.A. Konrath, 3-stars:

This story made me think of Shirley Jackson, taken to the next level. A little predictable because of that, but splatter-punk fans will enjoy the gore.

Wolf Hunt by Jeff Strand, 4-stars:

Lots of blood and gore. Humorous too, in a tough guy way.

Eerie by Blake Crouch and Jordan Crouch, 3-stars:

A quick story that I finished in one sitting. This read more like alien-fiction than the haunted-house story that I expected.

I enjoyed the writing (note: I read this in the Ultimate Supernatural Box Set and the story may have undergone editing). The narrative was very quick and to the point in the delivery of details; the writing felt realistic for the characters and kept me engrossed, looking for answers that were somewhat Lovecraftian in nature.

I didn't care for the ending; it felt like a rushed quick-fix to tie up loose ends but, at the same time, the end wasn't what I expected and I didn't know what was under the bed until the authors wanted me to know.

Speed Dating with the Dead by Scott Nicholson, 2-stars:

The story sets up slowly, doling out an interesting backstory while introducing the setting and characters. I had a hard time sticking with the story long enough to get to the hauntings, which turned out to be ghastly - the story picks up after the ghosts and demons come out to play.

The only character that stood out was Kendra. The rest fell flat and there were far too many of them to keep track of.

Also, there's a line toward the end of the story about how Appalachia doesn't have earthquakes, which is inaccurate. We do have regular earthquakes and most are too small to be felt but, every once and a while, the earth shakes enough to make the leaves in the trees sussurate and rattle the pictures on the wall. It's not an important detail and could be written off as character stupidity but it's probably the one thing I will remember most about this book.

The Final Winter by Iain Rob Wright, 5-stars:

Love the concept and its delivery. Wish I could tell you more about it but that would be a spoiler. I'll give you a hint - I highly recommend this story for my Progressive Christian friends and for Pagans who have Progressive Christian friends.