I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Twisted: Tainted Tales by Janine PipePublished by Independently Published on April 27, 2021
ISBN: 9798734513224
Genres: Horror Short Stories
Pages: 198
Format: eBook
Source: Author
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"Janine Pipe's first collection made me an instant fan!" Brian Keene "Sidle on up to Janine Pipe's debut horror buffet. There's enough here to gorge on to satisfy every bloody appetite. So many wicked delights!" Hunter Shea, author of Misfits and Bigfoot in the Bronx. "Full of bloodthirsty monsters and gory mayhem, this impressive debut collection is a must-read for any hardcore horror fan." - Tim Meyer, author of Malignant Summer and The Switch HouseAn abandoned house. A locked desk drawer full of old papers. And an 80's mix tape?Jill is tasked with seeking out any legal documents from the property.What she discovers, transports her into a world of nightmares, ranging from the macabre to the downright chilling. Jill knows she has to share the stories she's uncovered ...In Twisted: Tainted Tales, the Splatterpunk Award-nominee delivers creature features, supernatural urban legends, cannibalism and a few other surprises. Mixing flash fiction with short stories, these tales might be tainted and will be twisted.Includes foreword from the Flame Tree Press/Silver Shamrock Publishing author, Glenn Rolfe.
Twisted: Tainted Tales is a horror short story collection by the amazingly talented, Janine Pipe. When I saw the hype behind her new collection doing the rounds on Twitter, I just knew I had to get aboard. I’ve been lucky enough to taste Janine’s unique brand of horror before and TTT is equally compelling. The shades of darkness are there to witness with equally horrifying results.
The first story that drew me under her spell was When Doves Cry. This story has a very old-time feel. It gave me instant Dickensian feelings. The setting, the narrative, and the characterization felt like a drop in the ocean. I was one-minute treading water, and then, I was pulled under by the depth of the plot, which is no mean feat in a short story. It’s one of my favourites from the collection and also reminded me of fear street-like reveals. Janine has a real talent for revealing the punchline without regret or filter. She gives it to you straight, something I enjoy immensely about her work.
I want to Break Free is not your average vampire story…I repeat this is not a drill. The two polar opposite point of views was executed with laser precision. Pipe is not shy in expressing her love of the TV show, Supernatural and it comes out in glorious technicolor in this story. She has investigated succinctly the motivations behind feeding and that insatiable hunger that they feel. A style that felt like whiplash.
Maneater – haven’t we all envisioned our sense of justice and retribution to those we deem worthy? How empowering would it be to play judge, jury, and executioner? This, in my opinion, was Pipe’s strongest stories and it came through in her brutal narrative style. A monster hiding in plain sight, it was the perfect setup and destruction of a character. By this point in the book, I was becoming more and more intrigued by how Pipe develops her characters. They all flaws and they all scream for attention to be heard.
Addicted to Love. This is the true embodiment of splatter fiction. My eyes were dilated to the max, perspiration was building on my brow and my heart rate was getting to tachycardic levels with not only the narrative but the direction the story manifested to. It’s the kind of story that you feel split between. It gave me a bit of pleasure that one of the characters got exactly what they deserved (it’s not okay to try and have sex with partners that are off their skull drunk) but still surprised at just how far Pipe can go. She is the pedestal for women writing splatter. She does it with ease but with criminal levels of authenticity. This is the story I was here for. The Gore was aplenty and the blood rained down and soaked her readers. It was glorious.
Twisted: Tainted Tales should be described as: Am I going out of my mind? It was that damn good. 80’s nostalgia, gore, and scares…has there ever been a better combination?
ABOUT JANINE PIPE
Trading in a police badge and then classroom, Janine is a full-time Splatterpunk Award nominated writer, whilst also being a mum, wife and Disney addict. Influenced by the works of King from a young age, she likes to shock readers with violence and scare them with monsters – both mythical and man-made. When she’s not killing people off, she likes to chew the fat with other authors – reviewing books and conducting interviews for her podcast and YouTube channel. You’ll likely find her devouring work by Glenn Rolfe, Hunter Shea and Tim Meyer. Her biggest fan, beta reader, editor and financier is her loving husband. He just wants her to write a story about werewolves that wear shoes on their hands …
Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/janinepipe28
