Fresh Fear An Anthology Of Macabre Horror Edited by William Cook

*WARNING: R 18+ - Contains graphic scenes of violence and psychological horror. Not suitable for younger readers.

FRESH FEAR: An Anthology of Macabre Horror* is a collection of horror from some of the genre's best writers of dark fiction. In the introduction, a selection from W.J. Renehan's The Art of Darkness: Meditations on the Effect of Horror Fiction, we are reminded that, "Horror serves to reconnect us with our primal selves, provides temporary respite from the droning conditions of modern life."

With over 450 pages, Fresh Fear is packed with stories written by both masters and up-and-coming maestros of the horror genre. Tales steeped in psychological horror sit alongside visions of strange worlds and fantastical landscapes drenched in blood. 'Quiet horror' sits comfortably next to more visceral portrayals of the monsters that lurk deep within the human heart. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, famously once said, "where there is no imagination there is no horror" - the horror expressed by the authors in Fresh Fear show that imagination is indeed tantamount to excellent story-telling.

Prepare yourself for 28 tales of fear-inducing horror from some of today's best authors of dark fiction.

Authors/Stories

Scathe meic Beorh – God of the Wind
Robert Dunbar – High Rise
Ramsey Campbell – Welcomeland
Lily Childs – Strange Tastes
Lincoln Crisler – Nouri and the Beetles
Jack Dann – Camps
Thomas Erb – Spencer Weaver Gets Rebooted
Brandon Ford – Scare Me
Carole Gill – Raised
Lindsey Beth Goddard – The Tooth Collector
JF Gonzalez – Love Hurts
Dane Hatchell – ‘takers
Charlee Jacob – Inside the Buzzword Box
K Trap Jones – Demon Eyed Blind
Tim Jones – Protein
James Ward Kirk – Block
Roy C Booth & Axel Kohagen – Just Another Ex
Shane McKenzie – So Much Death
Shaun Meeks – Perfection Through Silence
Adam Millard – The Incongruous Mr Marwick
Christine Morgan – Nails of The Dead
Billie Sue Mosiman – Verboten
Chantal Noordeloos – The Door
Don Noble – Psych
WH Pugmire – Darkness Dancing in Your Eyes
William Todd Rose – The Grave Dancer
EA Irwin – Justice through Twelve Step
Anna Taborska – Out of the Light

First off please heed the warning. If you are easily offended this book is not for you. If you are a horror lover than prepare to be delighted and disturbed by 28 horror tales that are indeed horrifying!
This is a large volume at over 400 pages of gruesome acts and evil doers.
There are stories of cannibalism, serial killers, madness, abuse and more. There is the sarcastic wit found in "Scare Me"   "Love Hurts" is a twisted tale of love and sex, and fulfilling a lovers deepest darkest wish. Brothers fall prey to a sex crazed ghost in their new apartment in "High Rise"
 In "Nouri and The Beetles" 2 jealous girls conspire against the village's most beautiful young woman. A hospitalized man has vivid dreams of Nazi prison "camps" Kidnapped children are found alive and a happy reunion takes place in "So Much Pain So much Death"

There is a tooth fairy the likes of which you never imagined in your childhood. "Psyche" just plain scared the bejeezers out of me. A child is terrified of what's behind "The Door"

A girl will do whatever it takes to find her missing sister in "Verboten"

All of this and more await you in Fresh Fear, enter if you dare and remember.. I warned you.

4 out of 5 stars from me.

 

I received a complimentary copy for review.

 

 

Sullen Falls by Frank Julius Palumbo

                                 

Description
Deep below Sullen Falls
stirs an ancient evil.
Seth left Sullen Falls monastery five years ago in search of answers to his life. With the unexpected appearance of a comet, he is lured back to the town he once called home. There he discovers that an evil warps those he cared about and threatens the woman he loved–Sophia.

The Coughlins thought that vacationing in the scenic campgrounds of Sullen Falls would provide the respite from the crazy world and build a closer bond between parents and teen children. Drawn into town by what appears to be a festival, the family of four is plummeted into a nightmare none can awake.

The secret to defeat the evil lies in an ancient book, guarded by the last of an order thought to be extinct. To save Sullen Falls, the Coughlins and Sophia, Seth must find the tome and accept his destiny, even if it would cost him everything that is dear to him.


                                    "There are things in the forest, strange things, little creatures that shouldn't be"

A priest who has lost his faith, a town gossip, astral projection, and "ghoul-gobblers" are all waiting for you in Sullen Falls. Then there is Wilbur, the town's creepy little pervert but don't let that scare you off. There are people who think the miraculous has happened, "the second coming" but all is not as it seems in this fast paced action packed story. Be warned, there is blood and gore and sex. Not for younger readers. 4 out of 5 stars from me.

I received a complimentary copy for review

Mortom by Erik Therme

 

Description
Andy Crowl barely knew his recently deceased cousin, Craig Moore, so he’s especially surprised to be named as the sole beneficiary in Craig’s will. Not that there’s much to inherit: just an empty bank account and a run-down house.

Once Andy arrives in the town of Mortom, however, he’s drawn into his puzzle-obsessed cousin’s true legacy: a twisted and ominous treasure hunt. Beckoned by macabre clues of dead rats and cemetery keys, Andy jumps into the game, hoping to discover untold wealth. But unsavory secrets—and unanswered questions about Craig’s untimely demise—arise at every turn, leading Andy to wonder if he’s playing the game…or if the game is playing him.

Something’s rotten in Mortom. And this dead man’s game might not be all that Andy is doomed to lose.


Andy and his sister arrive in Mortom shortly after their cousin Craig's untimely death. For some unknown reason Crag has left everything to Andy even though they were not particularly close. In fact they have not even seen each other in years. The death itself has been ruled accidental, however Craig did seem to have an enemy in town. Most people just thought he was weird, odd voice, odd mannerisms, riding around on his moped. One person in particular really had it out for him though, and may have had reason to do him harm.  There is not much in the house worth picking through, but there does seem to be some strange goings on. A dead rat holds the first key to this mystery. Andy becomes more and more obsessed with unraveling these clues, while his sister just wants to pay her respects to their aunt and get back home. Things take a sinister turn as more clues are unraveled.
This was a fast paced and highly suspenseful read. 4 out of 5 stars from me

I received a complimentary copy for review

Fractured by Catherine McKenzie

Description
Julie Prentice and her family move across the country to the idyllic Mount Adams district of Cincinnati, hoping to evade the stalker who’s been terrorizing them ever since the publication of her bestselling novel, The Murder Game. Since Julie doesn’t know anyone in her new town, when she meets her neighbor John Dunbar, their instant connection brings measured hope for a new beginning. But she never imagines that a simple, benign conversation with him could set her life spinning so far off course.

After a series of misunderstandings, Julie and her family become the target of increasingly unsettling harassment. Has Julie’s stalker found her, or are her neighbors out to get her, too? As tension in the neighborhood rises, new friends turn into enemies, and the results are deadly.


"In the end we were a hurricane wind in each other's lives, though we shouldn't have been."
Have you ever driven by a picturesque, peaceful little street and thought how lovely it would be to live there? How neighborly everyone must be? How close knit? Well after reading this, I'll take city living any day, where I don't know my neighbors and they don't know me!
Julie, her husband, and their twins move to such a street. It's lovely at first, and welcoming, and there are even block parties where all the neighbors get together. Just make sure you follow Cindy's rules or you'll be sorry. Cindy fancies herself queen of the street. She oh so gently "guides" the neighbors in what is and is not allowed. Constant emails and rule updates are sent out by Cindy and heaven help you if you forget to thank her for sarcastically given welcome basket.
Julie tries to fit in with her new neighbors but eventually that becomes impossible. She has bigger fish to fry anyway what with a stalker that may or may not have found her new residence. 
As things get more heated and hostile between Julie and her neighbors I could just sense something horrific was going to happen. This made me fear turning the page, even though I was unable to put this book down til the very end. 5 out of 5 stars from me.

I received an advance copy for review.