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A review by davemusson85
Devil's Rejects: A Horror Anthology for Second Chances by Jacob Ian DeCoursey, Marcus Hawke, Jamie Stewart, Miguel Gonçalves, Jay Alexander, Michael R. Goodwin, Nikki R. Leigh, Ryan Marie Ketterer, Kay Hanifen, Spencer Hamilton, Grace R. Reynolds, Jeremy Megargee
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.