Midnight From Beyond the Stars edited by by Kenneth W. Cain

There’s life out there… and it’s coming for you! 
It starts as a mild rattling of the windows disturbing your pleasant dreams. Then the trees outside your bedroom rustle from a mysterious celestial wind. When the neighborhood dogs erupt in a cacophony of terrified barking, you’re jerked from your peaceful slumber. Through bleary eyes you look at the display on the nightstand. Midnight. A roar cracks the obsidian night sky as a ball of blinding light streaks out of the heavens, crashing with an earthshaking explosion on the other side of the hill. Racing to the open window, you smell the electric scent of charred ozone in the night air. The pulsing glow in the distance mesmerizes your senses. There’s something pulling you from its rhythmic humming. Something too enticing to resist. Something’s out there, and it has a story to tell. Lots of stories. You slip on your shoes and make your way for the door…

I have enjoyed the previous horror anthologies published by Silver Shamrock, but I had put off reading this one for a while. I do love short horror stories but the title and the cover made me think this one may be just a little too outer spacey and sci fi for me. Well I'm here to say I was wrong. There were some stories that were not my cup of Tang, but most are full of terror and suspense that occur right here on earth. In fact you need not venture further than your local diner or hair salon for some of these spine tinglers.

My many favorites were-  

Abduction Annie by Ronald Kelly in which a meddlesome mother in law finds out whether her daughter in law was truly abducted by aliens.

Unravelling by Stephanie Ellis, about a mother's boundless love.

Snow Blind by Kristopher Triana, in which a woman seeks shelter on the road from a brutal storm.

The Fear of Fallen Leaves by James Newman takes place in my favorite time of year, but Halloween is rough on a single mom who has a phobia of fallen leaves.

The Bulge by Rob E. Boley is a darkly humorous bit of body horror in which a man fears he has caught a "sex disease" but then probably wishes it was that simple.

Skin-Wrapped Gift by Chad Lutzke in which a lonely old man receives a gift that can end the world.

Too Many To Count by Jeremy Hepler in which a quiet evening at home is interrupted by strange creatures.

A Cat Named Sue by Jennifer Soucy begins with a girl who is desperate to keep her cat alive after it tried to defend her from her abusive step father.

 The Sky and Above by Patrick Lacey is about a man who would do whatever it takes to get his missing girlfriend back

Skin Tags by Vivian Kasley is another really fun but gross body horror that begins innocently enough with a hair cut.

Whatever You Want Most by Megan E. Hart is about a lonely widow who drowns her sorrows in alcohol and edibles while raising her kids alone.

So whether you do like tales of life from other planets or whether you just enjoy straight up horror as I do, I think you will find this anthology to be an out of this world read.

My thanks to Silver Shamrock Publishing for the review copy.

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Contents

Introduction by Richard Chizmar
“Attack of the Killer Tumbleweed!” by Antonia Rachel Ward
"Abduction Annie" by Ronald Kelly
“Roadkill” by Samantha Kolesnik
“Embryo” by Tim Curran
“Scan for Life” by Jason Parent
“Unravelling” by Stephanie Ellis

“Snow Blind" by Kristopher Triana
“Death and Decay” by Shelly Campbell“The Fear of Fallen Leaves" by James Newman
“The Bulge” by Rob E. Boley
“Phantom Limb” by Kay Hanifen“Incident on Saddle Road” by Brian Moreland
"Skin-Wrapped Gift” by Chad Lutzke
“We Still Have Time" by Amanda Headlee
“I Will Meet You There” by Brennan LaFaro
“A Monstrous Hunger" by Simon Clark
“To Sing with the Choir Invisible” by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
"Too Many to Count" by Jeremy Hepler
“A Cat Named Sue” by Jennifer Soucy
"The Bluehaul" by Lee Murray
“The Little Voice” by Gabino Iglesias
"The Sky and Above" by Patrick Lacey
“Count Backward From Ten” by Meghan Arcuri
“Midnight Dreary” by Owl Goingback
“Skin Tags” by Vivian Kasley
"Virescent Sky” by Tim Meyer
“Sometimes All of Our Thoughts are Misgiven" by Janine Pipe
“Whatever You Want Most” by Megan E. Hart
"Who Built the Moon?” by Tyler Jones
"Stasis" by John Lynch
“Fourteen Gallons” by Red Lagoe
“Broken Star” by Lucas Milliron
"Chittering" by Bob Pastorella

Sundial by Catriona Ward

 

Sundial is a new, twisty psychological horror novel from Catriona Ward, internationally bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street.

You can't escape what's in your blood...

All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind.

She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice.

Callie is worried about her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely, and speaks of past secrets. And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive…

The mother and daughter embark on a dark, desert journey to the past in the hopes of redeeming their future.

The description and the fact that the author's previous book was in my best of the year list for 2021 made me excited to read this book. My excitement began to dwindle within the first few chapters due to the slow pace and unlikable characters. 

 Rob is married to an abusive man with whom she shares two daughters. One of the daughters has strange mannerisms and frightening habits.

I understand there are a great many women who stay trapped in abusive relationships but Rob did not  share any of the reasons a woman would usually stay. Rob has access to money and a car and a job and the ability to leave. Most abusers start out sweet as pie, but Rob's husband Irving was an obviously creepy person long before she married him and she knew it. By the time the reason for her marriage is disclosed the book is over. 

 Rob had a very unconventional upbringing but I will not go into detail because I don't think you are meant to know about it until the middle of the book, which was another problem for me. The pace is slow, and the book is made even longer by the fact that Rob likes to write stories, using the names of her family, which she will go back and change later. Rob is not a great writer so there was no enjoyment in being made to read her fantasy novel or whatever it is she is working on. At first I forced myself to pay attention to them in case there were important clues to why or how she got herself into this situation but after the third or fourth time these stories seemed to be an unnecessary interruption so I skimmed them. This book would probably have been better off without them since it would have been less long and drawn out and draggy.

You may enjoy it more than I did, but this one just wasn't for me.

2 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

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Faster by Calvin Demmer

 

Brock Johnson made a deal to return home from the war—alive. It’s a contract that follows him throughout his days, a contract he can’t escape. Or can he? One night on the road, he must decide whether to keep running or surrender. . . Either choice has its price.

As Brock Johnson lay dying, he was offered another chance at life. He's been on the run from the terms of that contract ever since.

Calvin Demmer's short story "Faster" is a new take on the deal with the devil trope, with a clever twist. Is there ever a way to get out of the deal once you've signed away your soul? Brock thinks he has found a way to keep the devil at bay... but at what cost?

I've been a fan of Demmer's short stories for years. They're always entertaining and pack a punch in a small package. This was no exception. I can't say this one was particularly scary but it was still a hell of a good time.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy

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The Wakening by J.G. Faherty

 

A team of paranormal investigators, a priest and a defrocked priest with a dark secret join forces to combat of a vengeful ancient demon, and the evil spreading throughout a small New York town.

Fifty years ago, Father Leo Bonaventura, a young exorcist, cast a demon out from a young boy in Central America. The demon, Asmodeus, vowed revenge. Now the demon has returned, in the same town where Bonaventura is a retired priest nearing the end of his life. In a series of not-so-coincidental events, the possession of a young girl brings together an unlikely group of people, all of whom are linked in their pasts in some way: A group of paranormal investigators, including twin psychics. Robert Lockhart, a defrocked priest with a dark secret that only the twins know. A father whose dead wife was a college girlfriend of Robert’s and once conjured an evil spirit with him through a Ouiji board. Now they must all join forces and help Father Bonaventura rid the town not only of Asmodeus, but also the plague of poltergeists that have followed the demon into our world.

Half a century ago, a young priest was called to the jungle to help with an exorcism. Though he was successful, the demon vowed to come back for Father Bonaventura someday.

30 years ago, a group of friends attempted a séance in a haunted dorm and woke a sleeping evil.

One year ago, little Abby Rawlings began suffering the torments of unseen forces. Unable to cope, her father calls for help, bringing in a group of paranormal experts who do not believe in demons but intend to either debunk these supernatural goings on or possibly clear the home of poltergeist activity.

A little slice of hell has come to the town of Hastings Mills and it's growing day by day. Before long the non believers will be forced to face the truth. Whatever is tormenting Abby is not confined to her and they can not handle this alone. Father Bonaventura has grown old and frail, but he may be the only hope.

There are a lot of characters to unpack and get to know here. It took me some time to get everyone straight. I did once have to flip back closer to the beginning to get the names of those who were present at the séance to make sure I was clear on the attendees, so pay attention there, it matters later on, these things are all connected.

 I don't think I have been so freaked out since I read the story that inspired a head spinning Linda Blair to visit my nightmares in my teens. The earlier events in the book that introduce the characters and set the scene are chilling enough, but as the book progresses into full throttle hell on earth it makes those earlier incidents seem mild by comparison. This is a good vs evil story of epic proportions. The action just never lets up.

5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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