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Curfew by Kev Harrison
My first foray into Kev Harrison’s work was with his debut novella, The Balance. Since then, I have been obsessed not only with his ability to spin a bloody got horror story but also with his character work, which in my opinion, is one of the biggest hard hitters in the genre. Not only do you get a sense of place, but his main characters always have something you can resonate with. He’s only got better with every piece of work he’s released, The Warding and Below being favourites also. I’ve been slowly working my way through Demain Publishing’s Short Sharp Shocks! Series and I was delighted to find that…
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Candles, Bullets & Dead Skin by L. Stephenson
Candles, Bullets & Dead Skin is a testament to the skill of Stephenson. Stories that seep into your nightmares in the wee small hours and make your brain bleed with the incessant itching his imagination produces. Candles, Bullets & Dead Skin is an absolute tease of a collection. Three tales that tackle hard-hitting themes such as gender identity and skin disorders. It left me wanting more and more and I know from reading L. Stephenson’s The Boatmore Butcher series that this is only the first rung on the ladder on the way to the heights of shockingly visceral horror writing that he consistently pulls out of his magician’s bag. If…
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25 Gates of Hell by Brian Keene |Review
25 Gates of Hell is perpetually locked in the darkness. It is a frank and conclusive investigation of how dark humanity can be. 25 stories from 25 writers, each one steeping into the fires of hell unsure of whether they could escape again. As the title suggests, each story is focussed on the opening of hells gates and the implications upon mankind. Each one is gritty, dark as hell and it kept my black heart beating for a little while longer. 25 Gates of Hell reminded me just why I love Horror short stories. They are quick to the point, devastating to the point of despair and they can display…
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Monster Double Feature| Review
You know that feeling when an author just has a massively high standard right from the off? Ah you do, excellent…you will bear with me while I go off on a tangent about the sheer quality of writing and scare tactics employed from Mark Cassell. I will need to read more of his work sharpish to gauge just how high his bar of excellence stretches to. Whilst reading Monster Double Feature I got an insight into just how far Cassell is willing to go. The research and passion for his stories is obvious right from the kick-off. Each story delivered a swift kick to the genitals, but while wearing steel…
