* The reality of addiction is darker than any fiction. *

"Drinking and drugging provide the height of human experience.

It's the promise of heaven on earth,

but the hell that follows is a constant hunger, a cold emptiness."

 Before I read even one story in this 'reality horror' anthology - Mark Matthews had me crying so hard that I could barely see. He presents an addiction anthology with compassion, casting no aspersions on anyone. I wan't to meet Mark Matthews, and give him the tightest hug ever.

 

"Imagine yourself drowning and being told not to swim to the surface for air. Obsessions should be so mild."

 

 

I'll have the full review posted soon - I was going over my notes for this review, and I'm bawling again. 

 

shortlink: https://goo.gl/HGRbsX

 

A compilation of short stories all pertaining to...you guessed it. Aahhrrrooooo! There were some absolute gems and a few clunkers. My absolute favorites were Maberry, Meikle, Newman, and Smith. Here's the breakdown of each story:

Like Part of the Family - Jonathan Maberry

Mr. Hunter is a private detective that moved to Philadelphia. He can be very persuasive to get what he wants. Even if he's up against something not quite human. Great story.

5 out of 5 stars

Baby - James Roy Daley

It's good to know who the man really is that you're marrying, especially if you ever plan to have a family with him.

4 out of 5 stars

Anniversary - John Everson

Every month Margaret prepares for her date with Charles when the moon is full. When the sex is that good, you'll do anything for your partner no matter how unorthodox their relationship is.

4 out of 5 stars

The Virgin O' Full Moon Falls - James Newman

Quick little tale of revenge when a pack of rednecks attack the high school virgin queen.

5 out of 5 stars

The Trojan Plushy - David Bernstein

Another revenge tale that combines the werewolf with witchcraft and the Trojan Horse. Has a Twilight Zone-kind of feel.

4 out of 5 stars

Jesus When The Sun Goes Down - Simon McCaffery

The church camp counsellors are hell-bent to save the souls of their campers. But, who is going to save the counsellors?

5 out of 5 stars

Three Dog Night - John F.D. Taff

An animal control officer brings in a strange stray dog.

4 out of 5 stars

Grandma, What Big Teeth You Have - Rob Rosen

Grammy has a secret. Sammy thinks he know what is. He's right...and he's wrong.

4 out of 5 stars

Scarred For Life - Michael Laimo

Fairly predictable yarn about the birth of a father's child.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

Hairs and Graces - William Meikle

Set in a fairy tale, magical and medieval Britain which makes for the perfect setting for a werewolf story. A female investigator is hired by a Lord to find the original owner of a belt he recently purchased. Ah, but this is no ordinary belt. Love, love this story. The only downside is that it ended when I wanted it to keep going. But, isn't that the sign of a good story - you don't want it to end?

5 out of 5 stars

Out of the Light - Douglas Smith

Jan is a hunter of shape-shifters from the old country. After a tragic mistake takes the life of the girl he loved, Jan moves to Toronto into the big city and away from their habitat. But as time passes, all things evolve. Great story.

5 out of 5 stars

Hungry Like The Moon - Rob E. Boley

A tale about what happens if you're a werewolf and are caught in the zombie apocalypse. Nice merge of genres.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Unlucky Moon - T.J. May

Be careful when you answer those ads on Craigslist.

3.5 out of 5 stars

A Taste of Blood and Roses - David Niall Wilson

A woman's disabled veteran husband is a werewolf. While the writing was decent, the story had no substance and went nowhere.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Under A Civil Moon - John Grover

Werewolves Union soldiers racing through the south. This southern belle knows what to do. Not a lot of meat in this story to gnaw on.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Unleashed - Nina Kiriki Hoffman

What to do about childcare when you're a new mom AND a werewolf. Could've been so much more entertaining than this mess.

2 out of 5 stars

 

Steak - Randall Lahrman

Turning into a werewolf is like discovering the Fountain of Youth. Simple and fun story.

3.5 stars out of 5

Silver Anniversary - Stephen M. Wilson

Wedding gifts can come in handy. Another simple, fun one.

3.5 stars out of 5

 

Buy A Goat For Christmas - Anna Taborska

A werewolf attacks an African village, but the blacksmith has a secret weapon. Great storytelling with a nicely fleshed out setting

4.5 stars out of 5

Sq389 - David Wesley Hill

A werewolf attack in virtual reality, blah, blah, blah. Don't even waste your time.

1/2 star out of 5

You can also follow my reviews at the following links:

https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5919799-ken-mckinley

http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1JOKW56F2YT

 

   Well The Bell Witch was not at all what I was expecting, and I liked it so much more for it! I was totally thinking this was going to be your typical haunting ghost story, the title, the creepy cover, the real history at play here, everything leads you to believe that's exactly what you will get.

 

 

Even the beginning of the book starts out giving you what you thought you wanted, random objects moving on their own, a voice rambling out of no where. The poor inhabitants of the Bell manor are being accosted by something they can't see or touch, unfortunately for them the "witch", as the entity ultimately becomes known as, can see and touch them, and she does so menacingly.

 

What started as the usual haunting symptoms quickly escalated and went far beyond anything I could have foreseen. What the witch ended up being was something I've never quite seen before. It was crazy how her presence, and her antics, quickly became a source of relief from the heavier undertones of the question, and answer, of WHY she was there to begin with. It was an interesting read for me in that sense, to have something so awful, I mean completely stomach turning going on, but have this witch, the character that you would think would be the source of this turmoil, end up instead being an antihero of sorts and your only reprieve from the unjust situation that lead to this haunting. It was amazing to me to actually laugh out loud at some of the things this witch would do or say!

 

 

It was hard to think that was possible with the heaviness of the other things going on. I really appreciated this aspect of the story.

 

   Although the witch could be humorous and insightful at times, she also made it clear from the beginning that she was there for retribution of sorts, to right a wrong that had been done. She was not shy about voicing that she was there for certain members of the Bell family, and to ultimately kill the patriarch, Jack Bell. Even with that being known, she left the why of it as a journey they would all take together and that some parties would also endure individually too. This witch ended up becoming a mirror of sorts, where some of these characters had to take a long hard look at themselves, and those around them, and start to realize and accept things that had been going on unacknowledged for awhile. Terrible, damaging things. I'd say that there was a clear message here of the potential dangerous repercussions from not expressing one's true feelings. The very real sense that things like anger, bitterness, hatred, etc. can all fester and build into something we might not recognize within us anymore, and even take on a life all it's own. I love the way the author brought those ideas to life, it was wonderfully done.

 

   While there are obviously quite a few things to gush about here, there were also some things that were not as thrilling too. I was honestly pretty underwhelmed by almost every character in this story, other than the witch that is.

 

 

The witch stole the show here, and I felt that everyone else was playing second fiddle to her orchestra. There were also times where things seemed to drag out and the story wasn't progressing as much as I wanted it too. I figured out what was going on here pretty early on, and it became frustrating at times that the characters were taking such a long time to come to the same conclusions. I get that their acceptance was the journey, but after awhile I couldn't help but to want someone to shout it from the roof tops and for some justice to be doled out. Although I suppose the slow building torture, the witch being there day in and day out may have been the ultimate form of justice, for no one could take a day to try and forget the horrors of it all when it was so clearly in their faces. Still, after so much I was as eager as the Bell's to see it all come to an end.

 

 

All in all it was an intelligent and fresh take on a rather famous documented ghost story. It was a great blend of fact and fiction and an interesting journey.

Received a copy of Little Deaths By John F.D. Taff through the First Reads Giveaway

I was going to wait until Halloween was a little bit closer before I read and submitted my review, but a literary change of pace was of great need.

Eraserhead, Delusions,Omega Man, Infringing Forrestry, The Monster Squad, Hallucinogenic, Hitchcock, Pet Cemetery, Thirteen Ghosts, Schizophrenia,Evil Dead, The Simpsons House Of Whacks, Christine, She Wants Revenge. These were some of the thoughts that went through my mind while reading John F.D. Taff's Little Deaths. These inklings may or may not have any validity to said work. The question is how do you construct a story utilizing some of the main components of these horrifying vehicles without leading the reader astray? The easy answer is, you don't, you put them in a collection of short stories.

My first introduction to the horror genre was while in the early grades of elementary school having the librarian read (very effectively I might add) In a Dark, Dark Room And Other Scary Stories By Alvin Schwartz. The title short story of the collection is a present from the author to be read by amateur story tellers in a way to be presented to children as a dramatic professional. The Green Ribbon is my personal favorite. As a boy I found it non-threatening, almost friendly. You have no idea what is going to happen,but you damn well knew something was about to go down. These types of stories are complemented nicely in Little Deaths.

Later on I became a R.L. Stein fiend and for a few years read everything he released whether if it was Halloween or not. My pride must have initiated at that time because I was not reading for the scare potential, rather out of shear enjoyment. I do remember that the majority of the Goosebumps books did not ignite the same frequency of internal turmoil that Alvin Schwartz seemed to be able to do in my early childhood. The Water Bearer and The Mire Of Human Veins had childhood horror stories written all over it.

The fundamental idea about an anthology of short stories that I like is that typically their is a story for everybody to claim as their own. The problem with this principle is that their will be some stories that will not garner the same acceptance. As a whole I loved the variety found within the pages of this book. Their were a few that I thought that were cliche within the horror genre, but all in all the originality was evident. For me Snapback, although very creative and the tension was tangible in the story, it went too far science fiction for my tastes. Some of my favorite novels delve into the sci-fi genre,however; it is relieved by other aspects that give a whole purpose to a story.One of my favorites was "Calendar Girl" because of the realistic belief how obsessive bordering on crazy certain people can be when it comes to control. Their are supernatural elements that may seem hard to believe, but given the situation you may find yourself finding it hard to ignore. Being a dog lover my whole life, the story "Here" was a good touch albeit a little surprising given the ways the other stories turned out. "Helping Hands" started off a little nonsensical but by the end I was impressed by the affects death can have on the psyche of relationships. "The Toutine","The Lacquered Box", and "Child Of Dirt" provided humour for me that I enjoyed.

I would recommend Little Deaths to everyone and anyone that enjoys all aspects of horror, remember Halloween is right around the corner.