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shotterwriting's review against another edition
4.0
As with many anthologies penned by multiple authors, there are some ups and downs in "We're Not Home" that occurred for me when the proverbial storytelling torch was passed from one author to the next, resulting in some tonal shifts and variations in style and quality that were definitely noticeable. That said, I feel the stories were successfully arranged into an order that flowed reasonably well and helped to spread out what for me were some of the weaker efforts. Not that any of the stories were truly bad or unreadable but a few were a bit of a slog, or just too basic and predictable to really grab me. Some standouts for me were: "In Front of Your House," "Auld Aggie," "The Starlet Suite," "The Lords of Dusk," and "Head in the Sand" but again, there are plenty of other tales, and even moments within some of the stories I connected with least, that were interesting, compelling, or otherwise noteworthy to some extent.
I also spotted a few, minor technical issues throughout the text. Nothing particularly egregious but worth mentioning as a warning for anyone particularly sensitive to such imperfections.
All things considered, I'd give this collection a solid if not emphatic recommendation for any fans of short fiction, horror, or the paranormal. It's also worth noting that all the proceeds from "We're Not Home" go to a charity, "Books in Homes AU," which is pretty cool, but I did my best not to let that influence my review. Your mileage may vary.
I also spotted a few, minor technical issues throughout the text. Nothing particularly egregious but worth mentioning as a warning for anyone particularly sensitive to such imperfections.
All things considered, I'd give this collection a solid if not emphatic recommendation for any fans of short fiction, horror, or the paranormal. It's also worth noting that all the proceeds from "We're Not Home" go to a charity, "Books in Homes AU," which is pretty cool, but I did my best not to let that influence my review. Your mileage may vary.
jeremyfee's review against another edition
The profits from this book go to charities involved with literacy and getting books in the hands of those who need them, so it’s for a good cause. As an added bonus, you can interact with all the authors on YouTube.
I jest, but it appears the person who put this collection of short stories together has a bias toward people whose last names begin with W, as you will see about half the writers contributing to the collection have a last name starting with the letter W (or McW). I have a story in this collection, but it’s got Walt Whitman in the title, so that could explain why it made it into the book…
In seriousness though, my story aside, I absolutely loved this anthology. We’re Not Home is a clever premise, as a theme centering on horror involving people traveling and/or on vacation. The following summaries and opinions are my own and not those of the editor or other contributors.
“In Front of Your House” by Kate Cavanaugh is the story of a woman on vacation with a door camera app that keeps notifying her that someone is outside her new house while she is too far away to effectively do anything about it. I loved the tension and sense of paranoia in this one.
“Not in Tamworth Anymore” by Dane Cobain is about a couple getting lost with horrifying results. The emotions felt very real and I felt bad for the woman and her baby when everything went wrong for them.
“The Cabin’s King” by David Decero offers up a fantasy-horror combination in an exciting tale filled with crime, suspense, and combat. I thought the characters and conflict were a lot of fun.
“The Ghost of Walt Whitman” is my story [even if, as of me writing this, the nice people at Goodreads have twice rejected my request to link it to me as an author, I swear it is mine]. It’s about a college couple taking a spring break trip to a haunted house in New Orleans. The main character just wants his girlfriend to confirm she loves him, but he ends up with a lot more to worry about than that.
“Auld Aggie” by Andrew Lyall is a horror-filled story with fishing and myths of lake monsters, but it’s much more than a creature feature type of story. The imagery and pacing were great, as was the reveal at the end.
“Nine Seconds” by Marie McWilliams is a story that really freaked me out, in a good fun way as a reader. It’s about an airplane mysteriously landing without anyone onboard and the team of investigators who have to figure out what happened.
“Last in a Long Line” by Lydia Peever is about a family visiting a shipping canal. The parents freak out when their little girl is almost killed, but they also don’t seem to accept what the girl is saying she saw. It’s a great mysterious story with interesting family dynamics to go along with the intrigue.
“The Starlet Suite” by R. Saint Clair is a story about a mysterious and interesting hotel. It’s full of fun references and interesting cultural connections. You may be delightfully surprised by what happens in this one.
“The Last Road Trip” by Slaidey Valheim is a story about two friends trying to storm Area 51, seeing bright lights in the sky, and discussing if aliens are messing with them, or if it’s something else. There’s some fun, trippy stuff going on in this tale.
“665” by Matt Wall features a couple going on vacation to a cabin in the woods, with the husband hoping it will basically be a therapeutic situation for his wife, to help her deal with her mental issues. It’s a great cabin in the woods story with a twist. This one goes to some extremes with the violence. I was properly creeped out.
“Karma Always Comes Back” by Shay Warren starts out with a woman discovering her boyfriend cheating on her. Her overprotective best friend assures her that karma will deal with the situation. The author teases the reader with nightmares, but then the unthinkable happens and the story levels up to become even better than it was at the beginning.
“The Lords of Dusk” by Jason White is about a couple traveling through a creepy town with no working phones or cell phone reception. They end up feeling trapped there with the strange locals who insist they attend a big party. This story was another one with great intrigue and suspense as I wondered what in the world was going to happen to these people and whether or not they would ever escape from the town.
“Head in the Sand” by Cam Wolfe is a beach vacation story with a couple annoyed by how crowded everything is while they are trying to relax. When a man offers to show them a special secluded area, they just can’t resist the temptation, but of course this leads to trouble. It’s a wonderful tale of terror! I especially like the last line, which is also a fitting last line of the book as a whole.
So why are you still reading this review when you could be clicking on some links to buy the book? It’s available as both an e-book and a paperback; pick your poison.
I jest, but it appears the person who put this collection of short stories together has a bias toward people whose last names begin with W, as you will see about half the writers contributing to the collection have a last name starting with the letter W (or McW). I have a story in this collection, but it’s got Walt Whitman in the title, so that could explain why it made it into the book…
In seriousness though, my story aside, I absolutely loved this anthology. We’re Not Home is a clever premise, as a theme centering on horror involving people traveling and/or on vacation. The following summaries and opinions are my own and not those of the editor or other contributors.
“In Front of Your House” by Kate Cavanaugh is the story of a woman on vacation with a door camera app that keeps notifying her that someone is outside her new house while she is too far away to effectively do anything about it. I loved the tension and sense of paranoia in this one.
“Not in Tamworth Anymore” by Dane Cobain is about a couple getting lost with horrifying results. The emotions felt very real and I felt bad for the woman and her baby when everything went wrong for them.
“The Cabin’s King” by David Decero offers up a fantasy-horror combination in an exciting tale filled with crime, suspense, and combat. I thought the characters and conflict were a lot of fun.
“The Ghost of Walt Whitman” is my story [even if, as of me writing this, the nice people at Goodreads have twice rejected my request to link it to me as an author, I swear it is mine]. It’s about a college couple taking a spring break trip to a haunted house in New Orleans. The main character just wants his girlfriend to confirm she loves him, but he ends up with a lot more to worry about than that.
“Auld Aggie” by Andrew Lyall is a horror-filled story with fishing and myths of lake monsters, but it’s much more than a creature feature type of story. The imagery and pacing were great, as was the reveal at the end.
“Nine Seconds” by Marie McWilliams is a story that really freaked me out, in a good fun way as a reader. It’s about an airplane mysteriously landing without anyone onboard and the team of investigators who have to figure out what happened.
“Last in a Long Line” by Lydia Peever is about a family visiting a shipping canal. The parents freak out when their little girl is almost killed, but they also don’t seem to accept what the girl is saying she saw. It’s a great mysterious story with interesting family dynamics to go along with the intrigue.
“The Starlet Suite” by R. Saint Clair is a story about a mysterious and interesting hotel. It’s full of fun references and interesting cultural connections. You may be delightfully surprised by what happens in this one.
“The Last Road Trip” by Slaidey Valheim is a story about two friends trying to storm Area 51, seeing bright lights in the sky, and discussing if aliens are messing with them, or if it’s something else. There’s some fun, trippy stuff going on in this tale.
“665” by Matt Wall features a couple going on vacation to a cabin in the woods, with the husband hoping it will basically be a therapeutic situation for his wife, to help her deal with her mental issues. It’s a great cabin in the woods story with a twist. This one goes to some extremes with the violence. I was properly creeped out.
“Karma Always Comes Back” by Shay Warren starts out with a woman discovering her boyfriend cheating on her. Her overprotective best friend assures her that karma will deal with the situation. The author teases the reader with nightmares, but then the unthinkable happens and the story levels up to become even better than it was at the beginning.
“The Lords of Dusk” by Jason White is about a couple traveling through a creepy town with no working phones or cell phone reception. They end up feeling trapped there with the strange locals who insist they attend a big party. This story was another one with great intrigue and suspense as I wondered what in the world was going to happen to these people and whether or not they would ever escape from the town.
“Head in the Sand” by Cam Wolfe is a beach vacation story with a couple annoyed by how crowded everything is while they are trying to relax. When a man offers to show them a special secluded area, they just can’t resist the temptation, but of course this leads to trouble. It’s a wonderful tale of terror! I especially like the last line, which is also a fitting last line of the book as a whole.
So why are you still reading this review when you could be clicking on some links to buy the book? It’s available as both an e-book and a paperback; pick your poison.
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