Review: R2R from Goodreads - A Great Collection Of Short Horror Stories
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 11, 2014
Horror short stories can either be badly done or excellent crafted. Sometimes, in a collection, you find a bit of both. In When Angels Fail: Tales of the Macabre...all of the stories are perfectly crafted.From the outset, the author is clearly inspired by Clive Barker and Stephen King and it shows (in a good way). By proxy there is an element of HP Lovecraft in these disturbing, horrifying words which makes for some tense, graphic horror. Michael Benavidez knows how to create a disturbing, tension filled short story and never lets up. There are four tales here for your pleasure/terror and I hope he keeps writing material like this. It's refreshing to see an indie author who respects the horror craft and isn't afraid to stick to his laurels rather then phone it in with a modern horror rip-off.Four stars you say? Well, I wished there was one or two more stories in here. A personal preference which shouldn't reflect on the author as a whole.With a firm grasp and knowledge of the source material, Benavidez homages and praises Barker and King in equal measure. True, he's a fan of these horror legends but somehow he makes these stories his own. In fact, if you don't know who Barker or King are, these stories stand alone as excellent examples of horror from a deformed mind. Combining gore, sex, mutilation, paranormal horror and, at times typically like Barker, sadomasochistic tendencies - these stories will keep you turning the pages, even if you feel at times the ending will haunt you.If that's the case (it was for me) then the author's work is done. A horror writer to keep an eye on.