Scan barcode
ladilira's review
3.0
I never thought I would be a horror reader. Honestly, just not my usual jam. However, these days I find it appearing more and more in my inbox. That being said, sometimes I find myself actually enjoying the story. One can get extremely creative with horror. There are so many dark corners one can unearth that no one else has dared to put into words. As a result, I find that I am much more critical when evaluating the success of a horror story. I am looking for it to evoke strong emotions in me and to show the originality of the author.
In this collection there were only a few tales that stuck with me that I could remember days afterwards. The first, would be Never Sleep Again by the familiar Calvin Demmer. A mystical murder detective tale that really felt like an episode from the X-Files. I saw what I had been missing from Demmer in this story and was pleasantly surprised. I went back and checked who had written it and I was delighted to notice it was Demmer's. I think this story really highlighted Demmer's growth, since it was one of only four stories from this collection that really stood out to me.
The second story I enjoyed was Bitten, by Christopher Powers. Ever since Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark published that story about a spider laying eggs in the skin of someone, I find spider stories super creepy. So they stick with me long after I am done reading. It is actually the only story from this anthology that I have not forgotten any parts about. As a result, I feel the story did what it was intended to do — give me the heebie jeebies. This is amusing to me because I actually don't mind most spiders in real life. I just don't like them hanging over me in bed.
Legend Trippers by Theresa Braun also stuck out at me. I like stories about urban legends. It makes reality feel a bit more mysterious. Braun did a good job reinventing the tale.
Lastly, my most favorite tale from this anthology would be Eclipse at Wolf Creek, based on the West Virginia Mothman legend. I really felt connected to the characters and enjoyed the characterization of granny.
A horror novel is never complete unless murder ensues. All four of my favorites were full of death and dismemberment to tickle that little creepster inside you.
Full review: https://cellardoorbooks.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/deadmans-tome-monsters-exist-a-collection-of-short-stories/
In this collection there were only a few tales that stuck with me that I could remember days afterwards. The first, would be Never Sleep Again by the familiar Calvin Demmer. A mystical murder detective tale that really felt like an episode from the X-Files. I saw what I had been missing from Demmer in this story and was pleasantly surprised. I went back and checked who had written it and I was delighted to notice it was Demmer's. I think this story really highlighted Demmer's growth, since it was one of only four stories from this collection that really stood out to me.
The second story I enjoyed was Bitten, by Christopher Powers. Ever since Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark published that story about a spider laying eggs in the skin of someone, I find spider stories super creepy. So they stick with me long after I am done reading. It is actually the only story from this anthology that I have not forgotten any parts about. As a result, I feel the story did what it was intended to do — give me the heebie jeebies. This is amusing to me because I actually don't mind most spiders in real life. I just don't like them hanging over me in bed.
Legend Trippers by Theresa Braun also stuck out at me. I like stories about urban legends. It makes reality feel a bit more mysterious. Braun did a good job reinventing the tale.
Lastly, my most favorite tale from this anthology would be Eclipse at Wolf Creek, based on the West Virginia Mothman legend. I really felt connected to the characters and enjoyed the characterization of granny.
A horror novel is never complete unless murder ensues. All four of my favorites were full of death and dismemberment to tickle that little creepster inside you.
Full review: https://cellardoorbooks.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/deadmans-tome-monsters-exist-a-collection-of-short-stories/
wulfwyn's review
5.0
I love books of this type. So often I find authors whose work I want to investigate further. This book was no exception. The only author I whose work I had read previously was Theresa Bruan.
I was thrilled with the stories I found in Monsters Exist. There is a good mix of stories in this book. We start with rats which nearly killed me. I have been disturbed by rats ever since I watched the movies Willard and Ben. Anyone remember those movies? My skin was crawling and i knew not even a nightlight was going to keep the fear away. The stories go on to include various thriller chillers. You are certain to find at least one story to keep you checking the floor under the bed before you get out of it. I usually pick a story or two that I found to be particularly frightening. With this book, I am truly unable to do this. I look back on them, decide on one only to remember the goosebumps another gave me and I change my mind. i enjoyed every story I read. I recommend this book to horror and campfire story fans.
Thank you to BookTasters for bringing this book to my attention. The editor provided an ecopy for review purposes. The final copy may be slightly different. All opinions are honest ones.
I was thrilled with the stories I found in Monsters Exist. There is a good mix of stories in this book. We start with rats which nearly killed me. I have been disturbed by rats ever since I watched the movies Willard and Ben. Anyone remember those movies? My skin was crawling and i knew not even a nightlight was going to keep the fear away. The stories go on to include various thriller chillers. You are certain to find at least one story to keep you checking the floor under the bed before you get out of it. I usually pick a story or two that I found to be particularly frightening. With this book, I am truly unable to do this. I look back on them, decide on one only to remember the goosebumps another gave me and I change my mind. i enjoyed every story I read. I recommend this book to horror and campfire story fans.
Thank you to BookTasters for bringing this book to my attention. The editor provided an ecopy for review purposes. The final copy may be slightly different. All opinions are honest ones.
candacerobinsonauthor's review
4.0
When there are multiple stories by different writers it is super hard to rate because some I loved more than others. I really enjoyed Braun's story, but I have read another book of hers that I loved as well, so her writing just calls out to me. Another one that stood out to me was Demmer's story! I love pretty much anything to do with monsters, so I was ready to read this. It was a fun and awesome ride! Review on my blog https://literarydust.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/review-deadmans-tome-monsters-exist/
More...