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exorcismemily's review
3.0
"His interest in Halloween could not be explained in the limited vocabulary of man. To him, it was simply magical." - Curtis M. Lawson
Doorbells at Dusk is an anthology of 14 horror stories related to Halloween. It starts out very strongly, but the stories wound up being hit or miss for me. I had only read one author from this book before (Josh Malerman), so it was awesome to be introduced to a lot of new horror writers.
This anthology is such a fun idea, and I loved getting to stay in this Halloween world for a while. The cover is amazing, and it sets the fun & spooky mood for the stories inside.
My top 5 stories in this book were Rusty Husk by Evans Light, A Plague of Monsters by Charles A. Gramlich, The Rye-Mother by Curtis M. Lawson, Trick 'Em All by Adam Light, and Offerings by Joanna Koch.
Even though I didn't care for some of the stories in this book, this anthology is full of creativity. All of the stories have intriguing concepts, and I love that so many writers are passionate about Halloween.
Thank you so much to Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi & Corpus Press for sending Doorbells at Dusk to the Nightworms for review!
Doorbells at Dusk is an anthology of 14 horror stories related to Halloween. It starts out very strongly, but the stories wound up being hit or miss for me. I had only read one author from this book before (Josh Malerman), so it was awesome to be introduced to a lot of new horror writers.
This anthology is such a fun idea, and I loved getting to stay in this Halloween world for a while. The cover is amazing, and it sets the fun & spooky mood for the stories inside.
My top 5 stories in this book were Rusty Husk by Evans Light, A Plague of Monsters by Charles A. Gramlich, The Rye-Mother by Curtis M. Lawson, Trick 'Em All by Adam Light, and Offerings by Joanna Koch.
Even though I didn't care for some of the stories in this book, this anthology is full of creativity. All of the stories have intriguing concepts, and I love that so many writers are passionate about Halloween.
Thank you so much to Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi & Corpus Press for sending Doorbells at Dusk to the Nightworms for review!
ricardoreading's review against another edition
3.0
Anthologies are, almost by definition, a mixed bag, which is both their blessing and their curse. The sheer diversity of the stories held within them can be, in my experience anyway, extremely refreshing or ridiculously frustrating.
My reading of this book swung more towards the latter. I finished this book feeling like... I had just finished a book. Which is really a poor thing to feel after putting one down.
There are some nice stories here, though, ranging from the decent to the genuinely good: "The Rye-Mother" by Curtis M. Lawson does a good job of mixing fairy lore with Hallowe'en, turning out a bittersweet story about finding a place to belong. Editor Evans Light cranks up the schlocky fun with his own "Rusty Husk", which, like a thousand slasher films before it, finds amusement in the morbid. "Vigil" by Chad Lutzke, probably my favorite of the lot, is a surprisingly wholesome story about communities coming together after a tragedy. And Sean Eads and Joshua Viola's "Many Carvings" channels Goosebumps by way of The VVitch in a style I can only think of as "pastoral spooky."
The rest of the stories I found inoffensive but forgettable.
My reading of this book swung more towards the latter. I finished this book feeling like... I had just finished a book. Which is really a poor thing to feel after putting one down.
There are some nice stories here, though, ranging from the decent to the genuinely good: "The Rye-Mother" by Curtis M. Lawson does a good job of mixing fairy lore with Hallowe'en, turning out a bittersweet story about finding a place to belong. Editor Evans Light cranks up the schlocky fun with his own "Rusty Husk", which, like a thousand slasher films before it, finds amusement in the morbid. "Vigil" by Chad Lutzke, probably my favorite of the lot, is a surprisingly wholesome story about communities coming together after a tragedy. And Sean Eads and Joshua Viola's "Many Carvings" channels Goosebumps by way of The VVitch in a style I can only think of as "pastoral spooky."
The rest of the stories I found inoffensive but forgettable.
tracyreads's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this anthology of new "trick or terrors" offered up by editor Evans Light and associate editors Gregor Xane, Jason Parent, and Adam Light. New from Corpus Press this year, Doorbells at Dusk has some great stories within its covers. Here are a few favorites of mine:
A Plague of Monsters - Charles Gramlich
*is it insanity or reality?
The Rye-Mother - Curtis M. Lawson
*the wall between worlds thins a little - should we break through?
Rusty Husk - Evans Light
*Husk takes great pride in his annual scarecrows
Keeping Up Appearances- Jason Parent
*memorable quote: "we don't play with our food
Vigil - Chad Lutzke
* a quiet tale of neighborhood horror
Mr. Impossible - Gregor Xane
*new levels of cos-play; fun tale
Offerings - Joanna Koch
*Ah. Spooky kids.
Overall, I had fun with this anthology. I think it makes a good October read👻🎃
A Plague of Monsters - Charles Gramlich
*is it insanity or reality?
The Rye-Mother - Curtis M. Lawson
*the wall between worlds thins a little - should we break through?
Rusty Husk - Evans Light
*Husk takes great pride in his annual scarecrows
Keeping Up Appearances- Jason Parent
*memorable quote: "we don't play with our food
Vigil - Chad Lutzke
* a quiet tale of neighborhood horror
Mr. Impossible - Gregor Xane
*new levels of cos-play; fun tale
Offerings - Joanna Koch
*Ah. Spooky kids.
Overall, I had fun with this anthology. I think it makes a good October read👻🎃
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