A Song for the End by Kit Power

 

Becoming an overnight sensation was supposed to be a good thing.
Not for Bill Cutter, supply teacher and weekend rock star. His band, The Fallen, have just released their latest tune on social media, and it’s blowing up.
So is the body count.
Now, Bill faces a frantic race against time to stop the spread of the song, before the horrific effects can no longer be contained.
Terrifying, bitterly funny, and tragic, A Song For The End is a breakneck, blood-soaked tale of truth, lies, consequences… and Rock N Roll.

Bill Cutter is thrilled at first, with his band's new song. It's literally the best work they've ever done. Unfortunately, the song forces everyone who hears it to tell the truth. While at face value this could be an amusing development as people spill their embarrassing secrets, there are deadly and immediate consequences for trying to lie, or even trying to remain silent. Bill's band mate Jeff feels that truth at any cost is exactly what the world needs, and he plans to spread the song far and wide regardless of the death toll. Bill will risk his life to stop him.

Sprinkled with humor and splashed with blood, A Song for the End lies somewhere between the Twilight Zone comedic episode The Whole Truth about the haunted car that forces the shady salesman to tell the truth, and the mysterious recording played on Lords Of Salem for the devil's child to take over the earth. Even the most honest among us may have to stop and think what would happen if the option of saying nothing when you had nothing nice to say, were replaced with a grisly death for not speaking the truth.

4 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review

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About the author

Kit Power lives in the UK and writes fiction that lurks at the boundaries of the horror, fantasy, and thriller genres, trying to bum a smoke or hitch a ride from the unwary.
In his secret alter ego of Kit Gonzo, he also performs as front man (and occasionally blogs) for death cult and popular beat combo The Disciples Of Gonzo, www.disciplesofgonzo.com

Season of the Dead: Supernatural Horror for Halloween by William P. Simmons (Editor)

 

TWENTY TERRIFYING TALES FOR HALLOWEEN, THE MOST FRIGHTENING NIGHT OF THE YEAR!

“The Dead walk beside us in October…and this Halloween, they have a story to tell…”

SEASON OF THE DEAD: SUPERNATURAL HORROR FOR HALLOWEEN opens the veil between the living and the dead with 20 classic and rare supernatural stories set on or around All Hallows Eve. Macabre masters and unjustly forgotten authors revisit centuries of Halloween legends and folklore with stories of witches and demons, faeries and specters. These deliciously dark narratives from 19th & 20th centuries visit a time when the tricks were deadly, the treats horrifying, and people feared the dead.

Halloween—Samhain—Nut Crack night—Dia de los Muertos…on this night, ghosts, goblins, and ghouls cross into our realm, the familiar turns strange, and our most intimate fears are unmasked. A night of dark wonder and magic, mystery and the macabre. A Season of the Dead.…

Experience Halloween like never before! Light your pumpkin, lock your door, and listen to leaves scurry…the dry, rustling feet of the dead. Open this book, and try not to think about who, or what, might be peering in your window to set by the fire.

From landmark supernatural fiction by Edgar Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and H.P. Lovecraft to literary nightmares by William Huntley, H.B. Marriott-Watson, Douglas Hyde, and Fritz-James O’Brien, there is a dark treat for every taste…along with some frightful tricks! Forgotten female authors appear in funerary finery, including E. Nesbit, Edith Wharton, Mrs. Henry Wood, and Mrs. J.H. Riddell. Horror favorites M.R. James, W.W. Jacobs, Bram Stoker, J.S. Le Fanu, and Robert W. Chambers stand alongside Nobel prize winning author Anatole France.

Feel October’s mingling of dread, lounging, and excitement. A celebration of olde halloween, when the monsters were real, the dead returned, and demons stalked every road.

Editor WILLIAM P. SIMMONS ushers readers through the Undiscovered Country of All Hallows with “Stories the Dead Know”, a thorough Introduction examining the holiday’s history, lore, and literature. Notes and Annotations create an eerie and informative context for readers.

These 20 classics from days gone by are arranged perfectly to get you into the spooky spirit of Halloween. Although previously published, all but H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, and Edgar Allan Poe were unfamiliar authors to me.

The notes that accompany each story were a plus as they explained a bit of background.

My favorites were Man Size In Marble in which a man finds his housekeeper's reasoning behind leaving her position near Halloween to be a mere superstition but may come to regret disbelieving.

Ken's Mystery, in which a man returns from a trip abroad entirely changed from his normal personality

The Three Sisters, a haunting story that begins at the death bed of one sister and the aftermath of her death on the survivors.

The Spectre Bridegroom in which young lovers are kept apart by their parents but drawn back together by the supernatural.

Whether you are already a fan of the classics or looking to test the waters before you dive in there is something for everyone in these collected tales.

I received a complimentary copy for review

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION: STORIES THE DEAD KNOW, by William P. Simmons
ULALUME: A BALLAD (1847) by Edgar Allan Poe
MAN-SIZE IN MARBLE (1887) by E. Nesbit
THE LOST ROOM (1858) by Fitz-James O’Brian
KEN’S MYSTERY (1883) by Julian Hawthorne
THE LAST OF SQUIRE ENNISMORE (1888) by Mrs. J.H. Riddell
THE THREE SISTERS (1914) by W.W. Jacobs
THE SPECTRE BRIDEGROOM (1865) by William Hunt
COUNT MAGNUS (1904) by M.R. James
TEIG O’ KANE AND THE CORPSE (1888) by Dr. Douglas Hyde
DRACULA’S GUEST (1914) by Bram Stoker
THE CHILD THAT WENT WITH THE FAERIES (1870) by J.S. Le Fanu
THE SCARECROW (1918) by G. Ranger Wormser
MASS OF SHADOWS (1927) by Anatole France
YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN (1855) by Nathaniel Hawthorne
REALITY, OR DELUSION? (1868) by Mrs. Henry Wood
THE DEVIL OF THE MARSH (1893) by H.B. Marriott-Watson
THE MESSENGER (1897) by Robert W. Chambers
THE VOW ON HALLOWEEN (1924) by Lyllian Huntley Harris
THE DUNWICH HORROR (1928) by H.P. Lovecraft
ALL SOULS (1909) by Edith Wharton

Prepare to Meet Thy God by Matt Starr

 

Almost Heaven

That's what the voice on the radio promised, and as Heath and his friends drove through the snow-capped mountains of West Virginia, they could almost believe it. Their destination? Blue Brier and the neighboring ski resort.

More Like Hell

The signs were there—becoming more evident as they drove deeper into the mountains of West Virginia—that something wasn't right. And nowhere was it more obvious than in Blue Brier itself, with its warning of "Prepare to Meet Thy God" painted on the side of a shed. Nor did the group heed the subtle warning issued by the local sheriff.

Ask, So That Your Sins May be Forgiven

The Harrowing is upon them, and it's too late to repent. Now they're running scared, running as though the very hounds of Hell are nipping at their heels.

A group of friends set off on a road trip to a secluded rental home where they expect to enjoy a vacation of skiing and partying. Sounds like a good time, right? Except the trip itself is a little freaky before they even reach their destination. At first I thought this was going to be one of those more tame and subtle horror stories with some mild spine tingly moments. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) In fact I was so immersed in the characters and enjoying the dynamics between the friends, and the backstory of the main character Heath, that the horror aspect seemed secondary until all of a sudden it kicked in full force. I'm a sucker for small town horror where the locals keep dark secrets and outsiders don't escape unscathed, but there's more than mere mortals to fear in that desolate home in  unincorporated Mouth of Sheol. Do you know what Mouth of Sheol  means? you'll find out.

This is Matt Starr's first horror novel and I hope there will be many more to come because he's got quite a talent for it.

5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review

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About the author

Matt Starr is a Best of the Net nominated typer and dog dad from a textile town in North Carolina. His work can be found in Barren Magazine, Empty House Press, and Schuylkill Valley Journal, among others. Matt is the author of Hell, or High Water (Main Street Rag, 2018), Prepare to Meet Thy God (Grinning Skull Press, 2020), and two collections of short fiction that, barring a miracle, only his girlfriend and dogs will ever read. Follow him on Twitter @illmattic919

After Sundown by Mark Morris (Editor)

 

This new anthology contains 20 original horror stories, 16 of which have been commissioned from some of the top names in the genre, and 4 of which have been selected from the 100s of stories sent to Flame Tree during a 2-week open submissions window. It is the first of what will hopefully become an annual, non-themed horror anthology of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer.

As a long time lover of short horror stories I'm smiling like a crazed Jack O'lantern at the thought of Flame Tree Press putting out an annual anthology. I would have been happier if it was Halloween themed but that did not stop me from enjoying what will hopefully become a yearly tradition.

The first story to totally blow me away was IT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT by Michael Marshall Smith. Everyone has something that particularly creeps them out. For me it's always been stories about children. You just never know what a child will do. They're inconsistent and undependable and therefore terrifying.. One minute they tell you that you're the best mommy in the world and the next minute they hate you because their toothbrush is the wrong color. In this story, the every day chore of trying to get a child appropriately dressed and out the door in time for school was something I could commiserate with until it took a horrifying turn.

BOKEH by Thana Niveau also featured a terrifying child who sees and knows more than her unsuspecting mother gives her credit for until it's far too late. This one inspired such a deliciously dreadful feeling because I could just tell this child was up to no good from the start.

THE NAUGHTY STEP by Stephen Volk finds child services attempting to collect a small boy from his home after he survived a traumatic event. This story was as heartbreaking as it was shocking.

RESEARCH by Tim Lebbon had a Misery vibe to it as an author finds himself held hostage although not by his greatest fan, there is nothing personal in the confinement, just a twisted desire to observe what happens when a writer can not write.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HYGIENE by Robert Shearman is a dental horror story of epic proportions that at first glimpse seems to be merely the tale of a woman who fears losing her husband before it explodes into supernatural terror well beyond my expectations.

MURDER BOARD by Grady Hendrix should be a caution to anyone considering playing with a Ouija board, especially on a perfectly dark and stormy night in your secluded mansion with your embittered aging, has been, of a husband.

THE MIRROR HOUSE by Jonathan Robbins Leon makes me want to spout some overused cliché like there but for the grace of God go I.... But wait, in the mirror house which one is really me? This was a very clever and fear inspiring tale.

These were my favorites but every story is well worth a read.

I received an advance copy for review.

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Contents List:

BUTTERFLY ISLAND by C.J. Tudor

RESEARCH by Tim Lebbon

SWANSKIN by Alison Littlewood

THAT’S THE SPIRIT by Sarah Lotz

GAVE by Michael Bailey

WHEREVER YOU LOOK by Ramsey Campbell

SAME TIME NEXT YEAR by Angela Slatter

MINE SEVEN by Elana Gomel

IT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT by Michael Marshall Smith

CREEPING IVY by Laura Purcell

LAST RITES FOR THE FOURTH WORLD by Rick Cross

WE ALL COME HOME by Simon Bestwick

THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HYGIENE by Robert Shearman

BOKEH by Thana Niveau

MURDER BOARD by Grady Hendrix

ALICE’S REBELLION by John Langan

THE MIRROR HOUSE by Jonathan Robbins Leon

THE NAUGHTY STEP by Stephen Volk

A HOTEL IN GERMANY by Catriona Ward

BRANCH LINE by Paul Finch