Review: Great Collection of Supernatural Horror
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 24, 2013
I love creepy supernatural stories that aren't too graphic or gory. This collection hit the spot. Not all of the stories were supernatural, but the even the stories about regular creepy people had a nice atmosphere to them. The author has a great storytelling voice that never felt forced or over-the-top. The stories are dark, balanced with bits of humor.The two stories that stood out above the others for me were "The Plumber," which is going to stay with me, and "Unkindness," which made me laugh. I especially appreciated that the author didn't recycle typical horror themes. I can say with great relief that this book is werewolf/vampire free!The quality of the book was good as well. I noticed a couple missing words, misused homophones, and misspellings, but very few.The only aspect of the book I didn't care for was the way it was organized. "Alone in the Forest," the first story in the book, was in my opinion a weak story to lead with because it was a short snippet more than a story. I think it would have been better placed between a couple of the longer, more developed stories.I also noticed stories with similar elements but different story lines placed next to each other, which made it hard for me to separate them from each other in my mind. For example: "Unkindness" (about ravens) preceded "As the Crow Flies"; "Mail Call" (about someone who couldn't be touched) and "No Touching At All" were next to each other. In one case, two of the stories were connected ("Surreal Botany"and "From Your Body They Rise"), and I expected something similar with these stories, but there was no connection I could see.These are minor nitpicks though.I will be buying more books by this author, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one. I'm honestly excited to find a horror author I enjoy this much. I haven't found one since Dean Koontz, and even his books were hit and miss.Disclaimers: I have spoken to the author on Twitter a few times (where I heard of his book), but that's the extent of my acquaintance with him. I purchased this book. I did not receive it in return for a review, nor did the author request a review from me.