Wily Writers presents Tales of Evil edited by Angel Leigh McCoy

 

Evil touches everyone's life. The eleven short stories in this anthology shine a spotlight on malevolent beings—both human and supernatural—and their victims. Who will survive? Who won't? Sit down with these talented Wily Writers and explore the Evil that stalks their imaginations.

- Yvonne Navarro's "Craving" introduces us to a man whose morbid curiosity develops into the need for ever-stronger highs.
- "A Message from Mommy," by Jennifer Brozek reminds us that Evil can disguise itself as love.
- Alan Baxter tells us about a priest fighting his own demons while trying to save a child from possession in "How Father Bryant Saw the Light."- In Lisa Morton's "Black Mill Cove," a man exploring a seashore discovers evidence of a death, too late for it to be an effective warning.
- A woman who wants a baby goes to extreme lengths to get one, but society abandons her when she tries to make it right in "Baby Crazy," by E.S. Magill.
- Bill Bodden's story—"In the Shadow of His Glory"—takes us on a journey with a squire whose only purpose is to serve his master, no matter what.
- Bob Lock's "The Charnel House" follows a police detective who discovers that the murder he's investigating is no ordinary murder.
- Weston Ochse introduces us to a predator we'd never see coming in "Hollywood Villainy."
- In Alison J. McKenzie's "Rabbit," a woman inherits her ancestral home and begins to discover that she has a disturbing connection to her mother's secret sister.
- Angel Leigh McCoy offers "Cookies for Gio," a tale of desperation, rebellion, and sacrifice in the face of human Evil grown out of control.
- And to leave you with a shiver, Loren Rhoads answers the question, "What happened in 1966 that made the Beatles cease touring?" in her short story "Devil in her Heart."

This is book #3 in the Wily Writers Presents series.

This is the first I have heard of the Wily Writers series. I love horror anthologies! I don't know how I missed out on this one. So here I am with book 3 and as soon as I finished I looked for the first two books because this one was full of creepy fun and satire that left me wanting more.

One of my favorite stories was Baby Crazy by E.S. Magill. I laughed, I cringed, I nodded my head in agreement at the implications of living in a world where the rights of the unborn matter more than the lives of women. This was a gross-out horror and a statement on current affairs rolled into one.

Another excellent tale was How Father Bryant Saw The Light by Alan Baxter in which we meet a real life nightmare known as The Gangle Man.

In Lisa Morton's Black Mill Cove A man has had a disagreement with his wife over his intention to hunt down some shellfish. She fears it is too dangerous due to shark attacks but there are other reasons he should not have gone out at low tide.

Cookies For Gio by Angel Leigh McCoy takes place in a war-torn world that sadly is not too hard to imagine. 

A woman going through her deceased aunt's belongings learns the real reason her mother avoided her all of her life in Rabbit by Alison J. McKenzie.

Those were my favorites, yours may be different. I would recommend this book to all lovers of dark and weird fiction.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories by Eric LaRocca

A beautifully crafted, devastating short fiction collection from the Bram-Stoker finalist and author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes.

Eight stories of literary dark fiction from a master storyteller. Exploring the shadow side of love, these are tales of grief, obsession, control. Intricate examinations of trauma and tragedy in raw, poetic prose. In these narratives, a woman imagines horrific scenarios whilst caring for her infant niece; on-line posts chronicle a cancer diagnosis; a couple in the park with their small child encounter a stranger with horrific consequences; a toxic relationship reaches a terrifying resolution…

Originally published under the title The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales, this is a much-praised collection of deeply unsettling, painfully dark tales.

Expertly crafted tales of the macabre, dwelling on the gruesome side of the human psyche. There is a sprinkling of the grotesque stirred in to season the mix of mostly psychological terror. The writing is crisp and sharp enough to cut glass.

My favorites were The Strange Thing We Become in which a cancer diagnosis is chronicled in online messages. In the same vein as Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke the postings become increasingly darker and unnerving.

You're Not Supposed To Be Here is the prophetic title of a story in which a weird couple intrudes on a family outing, If only they had picnicked somewhere else. If only they hadn't been there.

Where Flames Burned Emerald As Grass is another story that spirals into terror when a stranger intrudes, this time on a single father vacationing with his young daughter and contemplating his future with a new love. 

Bodies Are For Burning showcases a different kind of intruder. This time it's not a person but a woman's own thoughts that intrude on her everyday life and ability to function.

These were my favorites but every tale is a gem. I don't think Eric LaRocca could write a bad story if he tried.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Titan Books.

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About the author

Abnormal Statistics by Max Booth III

 

Suburban decay, familial horror, bleak lullabies. Abnormal Statistics is the debut story collection from Max Booth III.
Bad times are waiting for you.

Featuring 10 reprints and 3 stories original to this collection (including a brand-new novella called "Indiana Death Song")

Based on the author's own experiences and also fictionalized news stories this book can turn your stomach and break your heart. 

Most revolve around family in some form of suffering or other, be it from addiction, abuse, neglect, or loss. The supernatural aspects are secondary to the evil perpetrated by humans. I was floored by Scraps, a story that I thought was going to be about spooky creepy children but turned into a gut-wrenching tale of devastating horror.

Every Breath Is A Choice was another story that shocked me as it veered off into the unexpected and ugly, leaving me shaken and perhaps traumatized. 

All of the stories are well written but though I don't consider myself to be a person who needs trigger warnings I struggled towards the end with a story called Video Nasties because I knew almost immediately that it was based on a real-life horrifying case of child torture and murder that I remember from the news. If you like your fiction very dark this may be for you. This collection is full of deeply disturbing stories that I don't think everyone could handle so don't say I didn't warn you.

4 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

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Nightmare Abbey 2 Edited by Tom English

 Nightmare Abbey 2 features a dozen terror tales by today's greatest horror writers:

Tons of photos and illustrations by World Fantasy Award-winner Allen Koszowski; and a look at Boris Karloff's Thriller by screenwriter and film historian Gary Gerani, and much more.
Chilling, thrilling, perhaps even terrifying tales calculated to give you sleepless nights!

It's no secret that I am addicted to short horror stories. Having loved the first volume of Nightmare Abbey I was thrilled to receive volume 2.

Like it's predecessor, volume 2 is loaded with spooky atmosphere, gorgeous illustrations, notes about each story and author, and a bit of education on the history of horror. I loved learning more about Boris Karloff's Thriller. The show was a bit before my time and although it did appear briefly in reruns during my childhood I didn't pay it a lot of attention at the time. When it came out on DVD I bought the series but never finished watching it because I thought they were all crime drama/mysteries. Now I have learned that there are some darker scarier episodes and plan to watch the rest. I also learned where Swamp Thing came from. 

Of course, the stars of Nightmare Abbey are the stories, and I had multiple favorites which I will mention briefly here, the first of which was IT by Theodore Sturgeon. This was a new to me story even though it was first published in 1940. IT is a being in the woods. It is not dead, and it is not alive, and it bears you no ill will but it will probably kill you anyway so don't hang around if you see it.

These Things That Walk Behind Me by David Surface is an unsettling bit of supernatural weirdness in which a man has reasons to fear going to sleep. Aside from the spine chilling moments of this story it also portrays what happens when you are vulnerable to the person you love and find out they aren't worthy of confiding in.

That Which Overcomes by John Lewellyn Probert begins with looking through a book and ends in sheer terror.

Tableau For Two by Gregory L. Norris finds brothers clearing out their deceased mother's belongings and stirring up memories that will leave them forever changed.

La Nina Atardecer by Steve Duffy is a vanishing hitchhiker story and though it at times felt familiar it still kicked up my anxiety and I enjoyed it immensely.

All the stories were good but those were my favorites.

If you're looking for something strange and frightening this book is for you.

My thanks to Dead Letter Press.

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