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georgesreads's review
4.0
Editing an anthology must be hard, and that’s with a theme, this must have been so difficult to put together- but it is ASTOUNDING. This is an incredibly broad anthology with an array of themes and styles, the only thing that connects them is the fact they were rejected from other anthologies. I would love to know which anthologies rejected the short stories included in here- because the standard must be HIGH if they didn’t make it. There’s 13 sinister stories, but my top three were:
Little Bird by Ai Jang. I’m highly anticipating reading Ling Hun after this little story! I read it in about six minutes, and it’s incredibly simple but so well done. It involves a badminton player who is injured, and how they’re coping with this life changing situation.
Kindness by Michael R Goodwin. This had to be my favourite. The title is incredibly clever, and to have everything slot together so neatly with such a low word count is honestly impressive. A son is eager to know what his father is concealing behind a curtain in the garage, and what that rancid smell is.
Last but not least, Yours Truly by Marcus Hawke. This was comprised of interviews and letters, and explores the theme of guilt and grief.. and how they can make somebody do disgusting things.
Definitely give this one a go if you have a short attention span and like a variety!
Little Bird by Ai Jang. I’m highly anticipating reading Ling Hun after this little story! I read it in about six minutes, and it’s incredibly simple but so well done. It involves a badminton player who is injured, and how they’re coping with this life changing situation.
Kindness by Michael R Goodwin. This had to be my favourite. The title is incredibly clever, and to have everything slot together so neatly with such a low word count is honestly impressive. A son is eager to know what his father is concealing behind a curtain in the garage, and what that rancid smell is.
Last but not least, Yours Truly by Marcus Hawke. This was comprised of interviews and letters, and explores the theme of guilt and grief.. and how they can make somebody do disgusting things.
Definitely give this one a go if you have a short attention span and like a variety!
davemusson85's review
4.0
The premise for this collection is excellent - a second chance for stories that have been rejected elsewhere. That’s not to say this a collection of duds - far from it; many great stories get turned down not through lack of quality, but simply because they’re just not the right fit. Devil’s Rejects has given new life to a dozen of them, and they all prove themselves worthy of a place in the world.
This collection’s approach also makes for a wonderfully varied read; there’s no central theme here other than all the stories didn’t make the cut somewhere else, so we get a real mix of stories; other worlds, sharp objects, twisted minds, literary horror and more can be found in this one.
In terms of my favourites, there were a few I wanted to shout out. Miguel Goncalves’ The Scarecrow Man and Jamie Stewart’s Mr Nostalgia Becomes Mr Hollywood both had twists that I saw coming but were executed so delightfully that it didn’t matter - they were enjoyable, nasty little stories. Elsewhere, I very much enjoyed Jeremy Megargee’s take on ghosting in The Ghost, while the found footage, fourth-wall breaking, immersive creepfest of Spencer Hamilton’s The Cursed was terrific - even if it took a few paragraphs to get used to.
My absolute standouts, though, were Kindness by Michael Goodwin, and Jay Alexander’s From the Airport Bar. The former was grizzly, shocking and violent, while the latter was deliciously creepy and went dark out of absolutely nowhere. Wonderful stuff.
In summary, lots to enjoy here and definitive proof that one rejection does not make something bad - it just needs to find the right home.
This collection’s approach also makes for a wonderfully varied read; there’s no central theme here other than all the stories didn’t make the cut somewhere else, so we get a real mix of stories; other worlds, sharp objects, twisted minds, literary horror and more can be found in this one.
In terms of my favourites, there were a few I wanted to shout out. Miguel Goncalves’ The Scarecrow Man and Jamie Stewart’s Mr Nostalgia Becomes Mr Hollywood both had twists that I saw coming but were executed so delightfully that it didn’t matter - they were enjoyable, nasty little stories. Elsewhere, I very much enjoyed Jeremy Megargee’s take on ghosting in The Ghost, while the found footage, fourth-wall breaking, immersive creepfest of Spencer Hamilton’s The Cursed was terrific - even if it took a few paragraphs to get used to.
My absolute standouts, though, were Kindness by Michael Goodwin, and Jay Alexander’s From the Airport Bar. The former was grizzly, shocking and violent, while the latter was deliciously creepy and went dark out of absolutely nowhere. Wonderful stuff.
In summary, lots to enjoy here and definitive proof that one rejection does not make something bad - it just needs to find the right home.
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