Tales of the Strange and Grim - Andrew Hall

Description
"What if you could freeze time itself with a click of your fingers? Or held a bright bottle of juice in your hand that promised eternal youth? These are tales of the strange and grim, where cakes come to life and monsters lurk in the inky dark. Find out how a mild-mannered writer deals with a murderous alien, and what England would look like with a thoroughly modern tyrant on the throne. Delve into weird worlds where reality gets skewed at every turn – if not skewered completely. You'll never look at a blender the same way again"


Tales of the Strange and Grim certainly lives up to it's name. These short stories are most definitely strange, and definitely grim, although my favorite of the bunch "Peace of Cake" had a happier ending than most. As with most books of short stories some stand out and others are less impressive. In addition to Peace of Cake, I very much enjoyed "Tabitha" "The Feathered Man" and "Time Apart" You can't go wrong for the price, and I will be on the look out for more from this author.

Four Corners Dark - William McNally

Description
Out in the darkness, the demons and horrors of our imagination become all too real. Of those brave enough to leave the light and plunge into the world’s dark corners, none come back unchanged. Some don’t come back at all. Four Corners Dark offers up four very different tales of places where the darkness lingers, tempting you to step into the unknown.
In these tales by storyteller William McNally, a group of Mexican immigrants place their trust in the wrong coyote, or human smuggler, only to find their very souls at risk. A huckster with the ability to escape trouble by jumping realities discovers he may have made one jump too many. Two proud new homeowners find out too late they share their property with the ghost of a vengeful witch, and one man’s love for his son leads to a decision that changes both their destinies.
It’s easy to be brave in the light, protected by our warm, comforting electric light bulbs or the warmth of the sun. Only in the darkness do we discover the limits of our courage. Step out of the light, and into the stories of Four Corners Dark


Four Corners Dark contains 4 short stories and most definitely saves the best for last. If able to rate them separately I would have given 5 stars to the last story "The Spinning Wheel" Which reminded me of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This way Comes complete with mysterious carnival. It was my favorite.
 
The first 2 stories Engine Eighteen and Return to Nowhere were just ok. I felt that the endings could have been better resolved. The third story The Raven Mocker, was the longest of the 3 and although it was better than the first 2 stories It seemed a little stiff and some of the dialogue seemed unnatural. A bit of editing could have made this story flow along better. All in all not a bad book.
I was given a complimentary copy for review

Vegan Zombie Apocalypse -by Wol-vriey

 

 

 In the post-apocalypse worlderness, zombies rule the earth. They're allergic to meat, and brains literally make them explode.

Zombies now eat blood potatoes, parasitic tubers grown in the flesh of humancows corralled in maximum security farms.

The necros, barbaric human nomads travelling the worlderness in floating villages, worship the zombies. The necros both eat the zombies, and wear clothes made from them; they live in houses built of bricks of undead flesh.They also keep zombies as sex slaves.

Two fugitives meet in the ancient ruins of Texas. The first is Soil 15-f, a womancow who's escaped her farm a week before she's due to be killed and her blood potato crop harvested. The second fugitive is Able Kane, former head necros food technician, now sentenced to death for heresy.

I don’t know where to start. I thought I had pretty much seen it all and read it all when it comes to the zombie genre. I was wrong.

 Welcome to a world where zombies live on potatoes grown in human flesh, humans cannibalize those who have had their potatoes harvested, and sex as you know it is a thing of the past, but don’t forget your jar of condom worms in case you get lucky. 

Not for the easily offended, the faint of heart or those with a weak stomach. The gore and gross out factor is broken up by occasional humor. You won’t know whether to laugh or vomit.

 If you are a fan of the bizarre, or if you want a change of pace from your usual zombie fare, this is for you. I guarantee you have never seen zombies like these before.
I was given a free copy by the author for review.

Best New Zombie Tales Volume 1

Includes Amazing Fiction by:

WHC Grand Master Award Winner, Ray Garton
New York Times Best Seller, Jonathan Maberry
Bram Stoker Award Winner, Kealan Patrick Burke
Bram Stoker Award Nominee, Jeff Strand
Edgar Award, Bram Stoker Award Nominee, Bev Vincent
Micro Award Finalist, Robert Swartwood
Emmy Award Nominee, Harry Shannon
British Fantasy Awards Nominee, Gary Mcmahon
Bram Stoker Award Winner, Kim Paffenroth
And so much more…
Creepy, scary, and sometimes funny, these stories are all quite enjoyable but if I had to choose favorites I would say that the Ray Garton story "Zombie Love" and Jonathan Maberry's "Pegleg and Paddy save the world" were the best of the bunch.