Review: Something to chew on...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 21, 2014
You get a mixed bag of themes within this collection. It doesn't focus too heavily on the vampire aspect (as the cover suggests) which was a worry for me. In fact I think it was just the first and the last story which are vampire related, and both of these are original ideas within that theme. The first bringing vampires into the modern business world (it is personal), while the last is more a bit of fun really, giving the beasts personal issues and chips on their shoulders. There are a couple of stories about human souls being captured or fought over, from both the victims point of view as well as the one doing the capturing. Also a couple of ghost stories, and one story I particularly liked about a child monster hunter (Lux) which I think has great potential to be taken further (if it hasn't already). The stories are -1) Blackmail (8/10) When a colleague hatches a plan to blackmail the boss, his co-worker must decide where his loyalties lie.2) Something Wrong (8/10) A brother has an obsession with his step sister, which he is unable to cut out.3) The Reaver (7/10) Human souls are the new must have art, but then an unusual one comes to light.4) Lux (9/10) A child assassin juggles monster hunting with facing her own demons.5) Figs (8/10) A photographer finds that not all bag things can be erased as easily as a photograph.6) Deals and Demons (8/10) An ex-junkie traded her soul in order to get clean, and now it's time to collect.7) Periphery People (7/10) A bartender is driven to drink, in order to see things clearly.8) Spider Bag (8/10) When a new creature in town starts causing problems, a home visit is called for.A good collection of monster tales to get your teeth into, and as a free download it's really a no brainer for any monster/horror fans.