The Horror Zine's Book of Ghost Stories
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for a review.
This is a collection of short stories from greats like: Bentley Little, Graham Masterton & Dawn Harris, Joe R. Lansdale, Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, Kitty Kane, Sebastian Crow, Maureen O'Leary, Jeff Parsons and many, many more. Let me add: Nicholas Pascall, Derek Austin Johnson, Christian A. Larsen.
Starts off with a bang in a short poem by D. J. Tyrer about a haunted house.
I don't jump around in collections and read my favs first. I like to find new favorites, so I read from start to end. Let's call it OCD.
The opening story is fun, but not scary. The tension was missing. It is horror, but lacked punch. The next story really makes up for it. It's a real kicker. A ouiji board and a dark spirit.
A haunted house is next on the list, followed by a questionable story by Bentley Little. This tale had a good build up, great action, smooth writing. The mechanics of writing are all there. But the ending ruined it for me.
For this reviewer, many stories were fun, a few (5) were brilliant and some were lacking. All collections are like this. I'm not going to name any titles or the reasons I noted for not meshing with me.
Here's a run-down of what you'll find in this fine collection:
Harry Houdini debunks spiritualists then he meets Dorothy / A funeral for the dead / A gift from an unknown uncle with a cryptic message / A haunted school / A murderer hears the voices of his victims / an abused wife on the run finds an abandoned farm (what could possibly go wrong especially when the truth comes out) / A battle with rats / Ghost Hunters / Haunted Hotels and Houses / Acceptance of death and Cutting Mustard.
Top picks:
Warm - Nicholas Pascall
Proof of Afterlife - Derek Austin Johnson
Filling Station - Joe R. Lansdale
Cutting the Mustard - Graham Masterton & Dawn Harris
Something to Nibble On - Christian A. Larsen
8/10
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