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A review by charshorrorcorner
Diabolica Britannica: A Dark Isles Horror Compendium by Stephanie Ellis, Christopher Henderson, Alyson Faye, Keith Anthony Baird, Arthur M. Harper, Sarah J. Budd, Ramsey Campbell, Sarah E. England, Adam L.G. Nevill, Catherine McCarthy, John F. Leonard, Tim Lebbon, Morgan K. Tanner, Janine Pipe, Beverley Lee
4.0
DIABOLICA BRITANNICA is an anthology of stories put together to benefit COVID19 research in the U.K. When one of the authors contacted me about reviewing the book, I jumped on the chance, (and then I bought a copy too.) These tales do not have a connecting theme, but damn! This was a great bunch of stories.
Among my favorites were:
The Conductor by Arthur M. Harper: A man is waiting on the platform just before the midnight hour when the conductor appears. I'm not saying any more about it, but I LOVED this tale!
Footsteps by Janine Pipe: Just...wow! Loved this short tale complete with its prologue. I have a fondness for stories that start off going in one direction and then end in a completely different one. Bravo!
The Flow by Tim Lebbon: This author's tales are always good, but The Flow was EXTRA good because of the themes involved-domestic violence being one of them.
We Plough the Fields and Scatter by Stephanie Ellis: I love folk horror tales or stories where local rituals are followed. It's time to harvest and some rituals are still in place in those small, dark, farming towns.
Linger by John Leonard: This one is part of Leonard's Dead Boxes Archive. The tale itself is an age old one in the horror genre: A man inherits a house/mansion from a man he never met. These types of stories are excellent when done well and this one definitely is.
The Hole by Sarah Budd. It's always hard on the children when a widowed parent remarries. This one made me chuckle because it was so dark. (I'm obviously a terrible person.)
Scripted in Shadows by Morgan K. Tanner. Where did this author come from? WOW, this story was super fun and sick all at once. A seemingly normal woman is having problems tearing herself away from her book. To the point of not working, not shopping, not eating. Hehehe, that's all I'm going to say. This was my favorite story of the collection.
With a formidable introduction by the legendary Ramsey Campbell, this anthology is sure to please and all proceeds go to to Covid research in the U.K. It's a win-win situation!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/325ZMgW
*I was provided an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. Then I bought my own copy as well.*
Among my favorites were:
The Conductor by Arthur M. Harper: A man is waiting on the platform just before the midnight hour when the conductor appears. I'm not saying any more about it, but I LOVED this tale!
Footsteps by Janine Pipe: Just...wow! Loved this short tale complete with its prologue. I have a fondness for stories that start off going in one direction and then end in a completely different one. Bravo!
The Flow by Tim Lebbon: This author's tales are always good, but The Flow was EXTRA good because of the themes involved-domestic violence being one of them.
We Plough the Fields and Scatter by Stephanie Ellis: I love folk horror tales or stories where local rituals are followed. It's time to harvest and some rituals are still in place in those small, dark, farming towns.
Linger by John Leonard: This one is part of Leonard's Dead Boxes Archive. The tale itself is an age old one in the horror genre: A man inherits a house/mansion from a man he never met. These types of stories are excellent when done well and this one definitely is.
The Hole by Sarah Budd. It's always hard on the children when a widowed parent remarries. This one made me chuckle because it was so dark. (I'm obviously a terrible person.)
Scripted in Shadows by Morgan K. Tanner. Where did this author come from? WOW, this story was super fun and sick all at once. A seemingly normal woman is having problems tearing herself away from her book. To the point of not working, not shopping, not eating. Hehehe, that's all I'm going to say. This was my favorite story of the collection.
With a formidable introduction by the legendary Ramsey Campbell, this anthology is sure to please and all proceeds go to to Covid research in the U.K. It's a win-win situation!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/325ZMgW
*I was provided an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. Then I bought my own copy as well.*