Reviews

This collection of horror and weird tales by Mexican author Esquinca failed to impress me. Most of the stories felt too short for what they wanted to tell. The endings were not satisfying nor did I find them horrifying. There were a couple of stories I enjoyed but overall I did not gel with this author.

1. A forensic entomologist's wife was murdered two years ago and he's now been convinced to visit a medium. Very creepy ending. (4/5)

2. The Wizard's Hour - After buying a musical chair for their baby the husband suddenly finds himself places he doesn't remember going to. Too short, it felt rushed and wasn't very interesting. (2/5)

3. Where I'm Going It's Always Night - A man driving through the night picks up a spelunker headed for the mountains. Creepy campfire type of story. (4/5)

4. The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife - A man's wife starts sleepwalking and telling him he is the creator, she also becomes obsessed with a vulgar painting of a woman with an octopus. Forgettable. (2/5)

5. The Paradoxical Man - A writer has terrifying nightmares every night and he fears going to sleep. Nothing works to get rid of them until he visits "The Order of the Crow". Very intriguing with a great ending. (4/5)

6. Leprosy in the Walls - A writer reminisces about his cousins' house where he spent a lot of his childhood. He starts having nightmares where he is walking in a tunnel but can only go forward. This was boring. We wait for it to get somewhere and when it does it's a letdown. (2/5)

7. Senor Ligotti - A bit complicated but it boils down to a writer being hounded by Senor Ligotti. I've read this before. It's rather predictable with a boring end. (3/5)

8. Come to Me - A woman goes to a Shaman for a spell to make the man she loves fall in love with her forever. Another story I didn't connect with. I found it predictable and boring. (2/5)

9. Demoness - Four people go to a high school reunion camp near the old unused school. They each were witnesses to the "event". This was much longer than any other story here so far and more enjoyable. We get a real feel for the characters and the horror they experienced at the "event". (4/5)

10. Dream of me - A man collects cursed dolls but is not superstitious. None of the dolls have ever done anything until he receives a mysterious doll in the mail. Another story that just fell flat for me. Nothing really happened. (2/5)

11. Pan's Noontide - This was really good. Usually, I don't like stories about Pan. A man who is a professor of ancient religions is being consulted on some ritualistic murders. Slowly gets creepy. (4/5)

12. Tlateloco Confidential - A student uprising on an ancient Aztec massacre sight proves disastrous for mankind. Predictable. (3/5)

13. Sea of Tranquility, Ocean of Storms - A man's cousin is obsessed with the moon and he now paints it for a living. But this man does not believe man ever walked on the moon. I had to think a bit till I understood the ending. Just ok. (3/5)

14. Manuscript found in an Empty Apartment. - Very short. Two people investigate a mysterious woman. Interesting but just left me "meh". (2/5)

paeandbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

a collection of fourteen darkly atmospheric horror stories that will chill you to the bone. Esquinca is a master of the macabre, and his stories are full of suspense, dread, and the supernatural.

The stories in this collection range from the creepy to the downright terrifying. In "The Secret Life of Insects," a forensic entomologist tries to solve the murder of his wife, who was killed in a forest at the same time she was asleep in bed with him. In "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife," a woman's strange obsession with octopi leads her down a dark path. And in "Come to Me," a woman visits a witch doctor who promises to forge an unbreakable bond between her and the man of her dreams, but things go horribly wrong.

bookish_spren's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Valancourt and Netgalley for my gifted e-arc. I immediately requested this anthology when I saw it. This was my first book by Bernardo Esquinca (Mexico) and it won’t be my last! I will have to look up his books that are in Spanish.

I don’t usually give anthologies 5 stars since many have stories that I like and dislike but I LOVED almost all the stories in this book. I even liked the zombie story and I’m not a fan of the post apocalyptic genre!

This horror anthology has a bit of everything. From insects, creepy dolls, hidden dimensions and space horror. All of them were so well written. They were dark, creepy, atmospheric and so unsettling. My favorites were:

-The Secret Life of Insects
-The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife
-Come to Me
-Dream of Me
-Sea of Tranquility, Ocean of Storms

“Sea of Tranquility, Ocean of Storms” is my favorite one out of all of them. It’s space horror and it’s a genre that really scares me. It’s so subtle but I loved how it talks about how little we know about space and even Earth’s moon. I won’t say any more about it since I don’t want to give anything away about the plot. This story is one that I will think of for a long time!

I will have to buy a physical copy since I will want to reread it and really appreciate the art that is include by Luis Pérez Ochando.

ristretto's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

Bernardo Esquinca has a knack for writing an intriguing opening that draws the reader in and sets the tone for stories that will haunt the reader. There is a good variety in this anthology both short and sweet and longer equally haunting stories with mysterious concepts. He takes ideas like caving and it’s claustrophobic conditions or haunted dolls and takes them in a different direction than what the reader may expect. His longer stories are really intriguing and atmospheric with well built suspense. I found myself going back and thinking about many of the stories again after I had read them. My favorites included The Secret Life of Insects (a really great opening story that sets the tone perfectly), Where I’m Going, It’s Always Dark, Dream of Me, Tlatelolco Confidential, and Pan’s Noontide. This is a great collection of stories perfect for spooky season.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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