Fear the Reaper, edited by Joe Mynhardt

(eBook; 2013: horror anthology)


Overall review:

Good mainstream horror anthology, worth owning.


Standout stories:

1.)  "Stumps" - Jeff Strand:  Darkly funny story about a man who seeks immortality and finds it.


2.)   "Death Squared" - Rena Mason: Two boys' friendship is tested when they visit a death site and encounter something more than ghosts.  The scenes will be familiar to those well-versed in ghost works, but the writing is fun and solid.


3.)   "The Death Catcher" - Robert S. Wilson:  Especially well-written and real-world plausible (within the context of this work) tale about a man whose ability to resurrect the dying brings heartache as well as relief.


4.)   "Cedo Looked Like People" - E.C. McMullen Jr.:  A boy's strange next door night- and day-divided neighbors make for equally strange - and later disturbing - friendships.  This Ray Bradbury-esque is one of the most memorable and one of the more original stories I've read in a long time.


5.)   "The Tubes" - Jeremy C. Shipp:  This is one of my favorite works in this anthology.  In a not-quite-bizarro science fictional world, death's dominion is political.  Like the preceding story, this one is memorable.


6.)   "A Life in Five Objects" - Ross Warren:  An interview involving the titular five objects takes a surprising turn.  Good read, entertaining.


7.)   "The Last Resort" - Sam Stone: Solid, plot-twisty piece about a man (Charlie), dying of cancer, whose eyes are opened to certain untimely revelations.


8.)   "Der Engel der Liebe" - Dean M Drinkel:  This story reads like a mid-Sixties to early Seventies Hammer film, with its ritualistic murder, sadism and blasphemous-religious elements.  It's predictable, aside from a Hammer-esque tale-expansive twist at the end, but this well-written work is all about enjoying the ride not the destination.


9.)   "The Final Peace" - Gary Fry:  A man, mourning his recently deceased wife and fearful for their offspring, goes to the fair with his too-curious-for-his-comfort children.  Well-written tale, with an effective, grief-realistic tone and a finish that made me smile.


10.)   "Do No Harm" - Joe C. McKinney:  Provocative, memorable work about a doctor (Turner) who's forced to help a group of creatures - who prey on mankind - conquer a disease that's held them in check.  One of my favorite stories in this collection.

Lost in the Dark, by Joe Mynhardt

(eBook; 2012: horror anthology)


Overall review:

Lost is a worthwhile, traditional-horror anthology, one that I enjoyed a lot.  Every story, even the few I had personal preference issues with, had something to recommend them.  Good stuff, this - worth owning.



Standout stories:

1.)   "Beyond the Ornate Tree": Christmas takes on new elements of gory terror as a psychiatric patient (Jim) and his doctor converse, so Jim can resolve his Yuletide "issues".  Fun read, laughed out loud (in a good way) at the finish.


2.)   "The Way Back":  Off-beat, interesting story about a paranormal investigator (Thomas Sanders) whose most recent investigation - in a ghost-notorious prison - may an unforeseen impact on his life.


3.)   "Fashionably Undead":  An emasculated husband - Rupert - disgusted by a zombie-models-on-the-runway fashion show, decides to finally do something about it.  This is an especially good tale, with a cliffhanger-ish ending that is memorable and effective.


4.)   "Come All to the River of Death":  A ghost hunter (Henry Taylor) gets more than he anticipated while investigating a particularly thrilling, rich-with-horrible-history house.  Fun, phantasmagoric work, this.


5.)   "Lost in the Dark":  Fairy tale-esque tale about a kidnapped girl (Hanifa) who not only tries to escape her supernatural captor, but rescue others as well.   Tone-effective, entertaining.


6.)   "Rise, Dead Man":  A drug-addicted grave robber, hounded by one of his victims, tries to atone for his latest crime.  Another tone-effective work, with an especially good ending.


7.)   "Zombie Mischief":  Fun cautionary tale about being a grisly joker.


8.)   "The Nature of the Beast": A young man hunts the nightmarish creature that killed his brother and some of their neighbors.  "Nature," well-written and gripping, stands out for its unexpected finish, which echoes the feel of an African-village fable.

For the Night is Dark edited by Ross Warren

(eBook; 2013: horror anthology)


Overall review:

Night has some notably good work in it (see the "Standout stories" below) and is a solid anthology.  I didn't like four of the stories (I'm not a fan of stories written entirely in the present tense, and I loathe "GOTCHA!" works*), but most of the twenty pieces included here hew closely to established (and effectively penned) Old School horror structures and themes.  Don't expect any groundbreaking storytelling here, just expect mostly solid writing.

[*A "GOTCHA!" story is one where its author(s) set up one scenario - often in a punny and I'm-so-clever manner - but later reveal "it's all a dream" or "it's all in one of the characters' heads," often at the end.  Another variation of a "GOTCHA!" story is the double-entendre approach where an author pretends to be writing about one thing, but - sans honest foreshadowing - Big Reveals that s/he's really talking about another (e.g., sex talk/action = talking about/making dinner).]


Standout stories:

1.)   "His Own Personal Golgotha" - G.N. Braun:  Sensory vivid, mood-effective dread piece about a man's hellish reckoning or redemption. 


2.)  "21 Brooklands: next to Old Western, opposite the burnt out Red Lion" - Carol Johnstone:  Poverty, variable forms of familial and sexual abuse and a terrifying blackout are highlighted in this grimy, effective tale.


3.)   "Til Death" - Joe Mynhardt:  A man (Derek) tries to protect himself and his daughter (Meghan) from a psychotropic and supernatural home invasion.  Interesting (in a good way), eerie piece.


4.)   "Father Figure" - Tracie McBride:  Excellent, memorable work about a man (Andy) whose marriage to the notably younger Mia harbors a secret that will likely destroy them and their children.  One of my favorite stories in this collection.


5.)   "Room to Thrive" - Stephen Bacon: A group of post-party friends go on a late night spookhouse expedition, hoping to score 'shrooms.  Of course, they get something far more horrible than they bargain for.  While the characters and the story are familiar, the worthwhile writing and the story's brevity keep it notably entertaining.


6.)   "Hungry is the Dark" - Benedict J. Jones:  Excellent, blunt story that mixes pulp crime action, gore and shadowy horror.  In Soho, a recently released ex-con (Harry Sands) tries to rescue his fourteen year-old granddaughter (Rhian) from a familiar, child-pimping enemy (Howard Kinski).  This is one of my favorite entries in this anthology


7.)   "Lost and Found" - Tonia Brown:  A hospital employee (Renee), while filing some old films in the basement, encounters someone who may or may not be an employee legend, a ghost named Gertrude.  This is an especially interesting, well-written work, with a welcome touch of quirkiness.


8.)   "How the Dark Bleeds" - Jasper Bark:  Another hospital story, this one about an Anglo-Saxon blood creature (a Heolfor), a  traumatized nurse (Stephanie) and her terrible future.  Interesting pagan history stuff makes this one stand out.


9.)  "Don't let the dark stop you shining" -  William Meikle:  A woman, also haunted by a song, tries to join her dead family.  The story is familiar, but the writing is tightly-plotted and worthwhile.

Tales From the Lake, Vol. 1 edited by Joe Mynhardt

(eBook; 2014: horror anthology)


Overall review:

Good, Old School horror anthology that will appeal to those who especially enjoyed Eighties-era chills and thrills.  Out of the sixteen stories, there were only two that I didn't like (due to personal preferences), but that's to be expected in any fiction collection with this many works.

Worth owning, this.



Standout stories:

1.)  "Don't Look at Me" - Elizabeth Massie:  A living, shoplifted garden gnome (Pointy) helps a young girl (Connie) deal with her mentally abusive mother.  The ending isn't surprising, but the story is fun, with an especially effective end-line.


2.)  "Dead Pull" - Taylor Grant:  Good, interesting morality tale about a cruel pet store employee (Brennan) whose control over his work environment and his animal charges is broken by the arrival of an animal-friendly new employee (Billy Mackey).  This story has the feel of Stephen King's "Graveyard Shift,"* structurally and tone-wise, so fans of King's may especially appreciate this work.

[*Published in King's 1978 story anthology Night Shift]


3.)  "The Reunion" - Joan De La Hayes:  During a fierce storm, the owner of a failing bed-&-breakfast inn  (Frank) gets two sets of guests: a drunk, horny newlyweds, and four weapon-bearing, bloodthirsty men who have a troubling - and seemingly deadly - history with the inn.

This is an excellent, memorable story until the ending, which feels truncated and jarring, as if the author had a great set-up, but lacked a finish (albeit one that is logical in regards to its characters) that matched the seamless flow of what preceded it.  Despite this let-down of an ending, it's still a worthwhile tale.


4.)   "Devil's Night" - Tim Curran:  Intriguing story about two prison-sprung cons trying to survive a fiery, demonic apocalypse.  Curran keeps his horror cinematic, his themes and characters' histories tightly interwoven with the action and the pace gripping.


5.)   "The Fine Art of Wrecking" - Jennifer Loring:  Two oceanside human scavengers (Jack and Christopher) murder and steal to stay alive, aware that retribution is almost a certainty.  Especially well-written, not too long, not too short.


6.)   "Saint Paddy's Night at The Crown" - Blaze Rob:  Fun, limerick-style verses about Irish blood, killing, sex and drinking.


7.)  "The Lady of Lost Lake" - Bev Vincent:  Fun story about a relaxing lakeside weekend gone supernaturally awry.  There's little in this work that you haven't read before, but it's entertaining anyway.


8.)   "Junksick" - G.N. Braun:  A junkie scumbag details his habit even as his world begins to change.  Love the end-line in this one.


9.)   "Witch-Compass" - Graham Masterton:  Interesting morality story about a desperate and financially bankrupt businessman who tries to get back his lost wealth. Especially good finish to this one, as well.