I came across this anthology because of Jamie Kort, the author of the short story A Puppet Scorned. Planet Bizarro picked up this short story to include in their anthology, so when Jamie told me I could grab a copy, I had to have it. I mean, look at that fabulous cover! Doesn’t it make you curious as to what is inside?
Of course, A Puppet Scorned was my favorite of the shorts. Who doesn’t remember sock puppets? BUT, I never had any like these.
It started out a bit flat for me, but anthologies can be like that. I may not care that much for all of them, but most of the time I can find a few that stand out. Another that stood out was the Special Tree. I felt what was coming, but it was a novel take on keeping up with the Jonses’.
It you are looking to be taken outside your comfort zone, you may find that special gem inside Planet Bizarro. To be sure, it kept me reading and I like that I could pick it up and put it down without losing my place. If you are a horror lover, I recommend giving these twelve shorts a try.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
IN A WORLD WHERE BODY AUGMENTATION IS THE NORM, A MAN IN NEED OF A NEW PAIR OF LIPS ENDS UP WITH MORE THAN HE BARGAINED FOR.
A CLASSIC TALE OF LOVE, FAMILY, AND BETRAYAL. PERFORMED BY SOCK PUPPETS.
A JEALOUS WOMAN VISITS A SPECIAL TREE TO GET A BABY. THE BABY IS NOTHING LIKE HER NEIGHBOURS’.
A WIFE RETURNS HOME TO FIND HER HUSBAND CUT IN HALF VERTICALLY. HE’S COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF IT.
THE BEST OF BIZARRO FICTION: VOLUME 1 FEATURES TWELVE INSANELY MEMORABLE TALES. YOU’LL NEVER LOOK AT LIFE THE SAME WAY AGAIN.
FEATURING STORIES BY MIKE JAMES DAVIS, LEO X. ROBERTSON, MADELEINE SWANN, BILL PURNELL, LEON SAUL, JAMIE KORT, XAVIER GARCIA, MEGAN STOCKTON, JAMES L. STEELE, BEN FITTS, SHAWN WAYNE LANGHANS, AND KEVIN SHAMELI
Genre: Anthologies, Bizarro Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Short Stories
The introduction had me cracking up. Michaelbrent Collings writes some fantastic horror stories and he has a rapier wit. I love his twisted sense of humor.
I love the twisted ‘Ground Hog Day’ type story.
Could make you question technology. Love the references to current times. May have you asking yourself, who am I? What if your characters came to life, coming to you for answers.
Khonra…oh man, I love that ending!
Who would do a better job of running the world, men or women?
The Button Man is thought provoking.
The novella, The Stranger Inside was what I was really excited about, though I love anything Michaelbrent Collings writes. I have read his Legion series, with the Stranger as the star, and I am excited to see how he came to be.
‘God’s chosen his vessel, anointed by blood and fear to purge men and women of their sins.’
The tools of the trade: some electronics and pharmaceuticals, some rope and a knife. He is very hands on. If that doesn’t tell you there is some evil coming someone’s way, I don’t know what will. It was…..grrrrreat for me. LOL
I love all the personal tidbits Michaelbrent Collings shared about himself. I love that he can make be laugh, gasp, shiver, and feel like tI want to puke, all in the same story. He lets his characters be real….making mistakes, paying for them, and they are able to redeem themselves…if he chooses to let them live. LOL
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Future Tense by Michaelbrent Collings.
4 Stars
GOODREADS
Worldwide bestseller and master of terror Michaelbrent Collings invites you to peer into the future, to uncover things long hidden, and to experience worlds of a Future Tense…
A world where suicide is illegal – unless you agree to kill yourself over and over again…
A place where childhood games turn back the clock – and bring with them monsters long forgotten…
A home where secrets abound – until the killing begins…
A reality where a writer’s dreams can make her rich – if she’s willing to sacrifice the universe…
All these, and more: stories of darkness and of light. Stories of despair, and lingering hope.
Stories
of a future unknown, where ignorance feeds our souls, and where the
only hope that remains in a world gone dim… resides in Tales of Apocalyptic Vision!
Michaelbrent Collings, a double Bram Stoker Award finalist and voted one of the Top 100 All-Time Greatest Horror Writers by Ranker, invites you to brave a future unlike any you have experienced. Because the future is what we make of it… and we have made a monster.
ABOUT MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS
Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally-bestselling novelist,
multiple Bram Stoker Award nominee, produced screenwriter, and one of
the top indie horror writers in the United States.
He hopes someday to develop superpowers, or, if that is out of the question, then at least to get a cool robot arm.
Michaelbrent
has a wife and several kids, all of whom are much better looking than
he is (though he admits that’s a low bar to set), and also cooler than
he is.
Michaelbrent also has a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MichaelbrentC…
and can be followed on Twitter through his username @mbcollings.
Follow him for cool news, updates, and advance notice of sales. You
will also be kept safe when the Glorious Revolution begins!
Professor Charlatan Bardot’s travel anthology includes many buildings, though no haunted houses. So…buckle your searbelt and let’s travel around the world.
I love the awesome cover for Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology by Eric Guignard. Some of the locales are real places, and, the rest, I’ll leave it up to you to decide.
The anthology includes short stories of horror from noted authors all over the world. Whether it takes place in a hospital, lighthouse, mining camp, wishing well…most everything but haunted houses, the anothology is sure to supply plenty of thrills and chills.
Might want to keep the light on…but, locked doors won’t keep them out.
Professor Bardot is as interesting as the beautiful book, with fabulous illustrations to go with the fantastic cover.
Travel around the world with horror as your companion. The Professor may have your imagination running wild on your travels when you visit your own hotel, cathedral…
I cannot think of anything that could be improved upon a book that gave me many hours of reading pleasure.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology by Eric J Guignard.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“At Last, an Authoritative Compendium to (Fictional) Haunted Buildings for the Delight and Exploration of Reader-Travelers Around the Globe.”
For
nearly forty years, renowned paranormal investigator Professor
Charlatan Bardot has examined, documented, and acquired stories of
haunted buildings around the world. Partnered with leading anthologist
Eric J. Guignard, and gifted artists Steve Lines and James Gabb, the
greatest of Charlatan’s discoveries are made available now in this
comprehensive travel anthology!
From the Philippines’ tragic
Ame-Soeur Clothing Factory, to Sweden’s reverent Fish Church; from
Tanzania’s vengeful Unguja Restaurant, to Canada’s cursed Crow Island
Lighthouse, Charlatan Bardot presents a lifetime of experience and
insight into paranormal architecture.
27 feature stories and 36
tiny tales are included of haunted temples, diners, hotels, shops,
hospitals, outposts, theaters, and other building types, along with
maps, travel notes, illustrations, and more, all designed to provide an
immersive experience for veteran travelers and armchair ghost hunters
alike!
Enter Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World (2021 edition) and explore the strange and curious locales of the globe and of your imagination.
ABOUT ERIC J GUIGNARD
ERIC J. GUIGNARD is a writer
and editor of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy
outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press, Dark Moon Books.
He’s twice won the Bram Stoker Award (the highest literary award of
horror fiction), been a finalist for the International Thriller Writers
Award, and a multi-nominee of the Pushcart Prize.
Outside
the glamorous and jet-setting world of indie fiction, Eric’s a
technical writer and college professor, and he stumbles home each day to
a wife, children, dogs, and a terrarium filled with mischievous
beetles. Visit Eric at: www.ericjguignard.com, his blog: ericjguignard.blogspot.com, or Twitter: @ericjguignard.
Dark Celebrations is not my first foray into Calvin Demmer’s world and I look forward to going wherever he wants to take me in this collection of stories.
I was going to review each story separately, but with Covid -19 around and being cooped up for six weeks now, I find my motivation running a bit empty. So…
I enjoyed all the stories and spending time in the world of horror and the supernatural. Calvin Demmer is skilled at crafting tales that give me the creepy crawlies,making me glad that it is fiction.
Wantta party? The door is open. Come on in. But, lock the doors and turn on the lights.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dark Celebrations by Calvin Demmer.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Each year, people all over the world celebrate special festivals and days, shining light on what they wish to remember and revere. But sometimes, inhabitants of the dark arrive with the desire to disturb proceedings. Dark Celebrations is a collection of twelve short stories… and the holidays will never be the same.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Calvin Demmer is a dark fiction author. His debut collection, The Sea Was a Fair Master,
was released in June 2018. When not writing, he is intrigued by that
which goes bump in the night and the sciences of our universe.
Across The Floors of Silent Seas by C S Jonson is another story I read while traveling. It looks like I was on a water reading binge. LOL How could I resist the cover and I have read some of her other work and loved it, so I felt this would be a good one too….and it was.
It’s hard to give a short story prequel four thumbs up, but C S Johnson has hooked me with this wonderful look into Paga, Jay’s world, and I want to see where they go next…and the crew?, oh yeah, I wantta know more.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Do mermaids believe in humans?
While working on a deep-sea diving assignment at the University
of California, oceanography student Jay Bishop is dragged into a
volcanic tube towards the earth’s core and certain death.
But
much to his surprise, Jay not only survives the fall, he finds himself
taken prisoner by a community of mermaids and kept alive as a science
experiment. Confused and disoriented, Jay’s only hope to escape back to
the surface is found in Paga, an elder of the community who believes
Jay’s unexpected arrival marks the fulfillment of a terrifying prophecy.
With
the community rising against them, Jay and Paga face dangerous choices
— and their consequences — if Jay is ever to see home again. Will Jay
make it back to the world on the surface? And even if he does, how can
his life be the same ever again?
Winter Arrives by Roz Marshall is a series that is nearly complete, so don’t hesitate to pick it up if it sounds like a good one to you. This is not my first Roz Marshall book and it will not be my last.
It’s freezing, the heat is off, no oil in the tank, no money in the bank account…even though the story was predictable, some troubles and some romance, I quickly fell for the characters in this short episode
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Everybody has something to hide
Jude Winters is confident in one thing – she has no idea how to run a ski school. But a missing husband and mounting bills mean she’s going to have to find out fast. The hard way.
Mike
Cole has skied nearly everywhere in the world. Now it’s time to tick
Scotland off his list, before he kicks the snow from his boots and
carries on with his Kiwi version of walkabout.
But things aren’t always what they seem. And even wanderlust can sometimes be sated.
“Winter Arrives” is the first novella from the ‘Secrets in the Snow‘ series about a Scottish snowsports school.
Episodes 2-5 and 3 short stories are also available. The series will complete in 2015 with Episode 6.
Memories of My Childhood by Kathryn Meyer Griffith includes Christmas Magic, but I reviewed that separately. These short stories are a glimpse into Kathryn’s life and I am always curious about the authors I have come to love. How about you?
The lovely original illustrations were done by her and published in the 70s in the Belleville News.
NIGHT SLEDDING: 1979. ‘Funny’ the things that trigger memories. A simple scene…coasting down a hill on a sled. Fearless children, pushing the envelope, taking chances. Also made me think of the giant hill we used to skateboard down, and this is back when it was just a board on wheels. But…someone has to be the voice of reason. Kathryn’s ability to bring to describe something as simple as a tree in such detail that it makes it scary is amazing.
MICHAEL: 1977. Won a newspaper short story award. Fall brings thought of Michael. Seems all families have a black sheep and Michael was theirs. Life is not all fun and games and kids can be cruel. Who knows what that cruelty can create. Michael is a tear jerker and I can see why she won. Sometimes it’s only when they are gone that we find out how much we care.
PONYSUMMER: 1978. We used to run wild in our neighborhood too. There was danger then, we just didn’t know about it or thought about it, until it comes through the unlocked door. Kathryn had always loved horses, even though she had never been near one. ‘Funny’ what we grow to love and desire. Sometimes our dreams don’t come try. That doesn’t mean we don’t have some wonderful memories anyway. Having no money can cause a lot of problems, but I do believe love can overcome. We can only live and learn through our parents. I so remember those carefree days of summer, plenty of time to play. So much of this time is familiar to me and I think it may be to some of you too.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Memories of My Childhood by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Have you ever wondered what a writer’s childhood was like? Well,
wonder no longer. These stories are about my childhood. I began writing
when I was twenty-one in the year 1971 and have since seen not only the
world change dramatically but the publishing world as well. When I
published my first novel, a horror yarn titled Evil Stalks the Night in
1984 with Leisure mass market paperbacks, I was a loyal worker bee of
the big publishing houses with a stingy boiler contract and a whopping 4
percent of the royalties…now thirty-two years later I am
self-publishing and am finally making a living at my craft for the first
time in forty-five years of writing; with 24 novels, 2 novellas and
many short stories to my name. Three of the four short stories in this
collection were the VERY FIRST stories I ever had published and they
were printed in my local newspaper between 1977 and 1979 after the one
titled Michael, a tale about my youngest brother who was murdered in
1971, won their short story contest over two hundred other submissions. I
illustrated all the stories for the newspaper then and have included
those original drawings in this book. The fourth short story was just
recently written and is a composite of some of my childhood Christmases.
All four are loosely based on my childhood in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
After my musician/singer/songwriter brother Jim passed away last year
from cancer I felt the intense need to revive these old stories and
memories and put them out there for all to read as a tribute to him and
my family. These are my stories, my childhood and some of my fondest
memories.
ABOUT KATHRYN MEYER GRIFFITH
I’ve been a writer for over 48 years now and have had 28
novels and 12 short stories published since 1984. I write horror/romantic
time-travel, suspense, romance, thrillers and murder mysteries. My horror novel
The Last Vampire and my thriller Dinosaur Lake (395 Reviews; 4.1 star average)
were both EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalists* in 2012 & 2014. Kathryn Meyer
Griffith rdgriff@htc.net
* Books here:
http://tinyurl.com/ld4jlow
*Audio: http://tinyurl.com/oz7c4or
Novels
Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forged,
Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* Horror),
Witches, Witches II: Apocalypse, Witches plus Witches II: Apocalypse, The
Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (1st Spookie
Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (2nd Spookie Town Murder Mystery),
Ghosts Beneath Us (3rd Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us (4th
Spookie Town Murder Mystery), What Lies Beneath the Graves (5th Spookie Town
Murder Mystery), Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look
Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No
Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic
Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK
AWARDS*Finalist* Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs
Arising, Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation and Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars,
Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors, Memories of My Childhood and Christmas Magic 1959.
The cover for Paradise Road by Kat De Fall is nothing special, but anything with trees always gets my attention. I got this as an Amazon freebie back on 10.1.16.
Paradise Road is real. so it makes me even more curious, though I know what’s coming, Kat De Fall still manages to surprise me in a fantastic way and I smile at the gruesome ending…which, I strongly suggest you heed the warning and don’t get out of your car…better yet, don’t even slow down.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Paradise Road is long
known to be a haunted stretch of forest near Jefferson in Wisconsin. But
when Nicky asks Tracey to accompany her out to the desolate stretch of
road to find their lost friend, they both get more than they bargained
for.
As I read the short stories of Land of Bones by Glen Rolfe, filled with macabre horror, scares and screams, fright and terror, I hope for a deeper glimpse into his writing and was rewarded with a novella that left me shaking my head and saying WTH… He loves to kill his characters off in some gruesome and sad ways. Loved it.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Land of Bones by Glen Rolfe.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Demon lights, granted
wishes, strange things, and brutal love at the Lucky Lounge Motel. A
haunted sister, desperate parents, a little human touch, and the end of
the world…
These are the stories whispered among dead leaves, the
script etched bare for all to see. When the chills sink deep and your
heart begins to pound…are you alone?
Welcome to Glenn Rolfe’s LAND OF BONES
14 tales of the strange and macabre
ABOUT GLEN ROLFE
Glenn Rolfe is an author, singer, songwriter from the haunted woods of New England. He studied Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University, and continues his education in the world of horror by devouring the novels of Stephen King, Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, and many others. He and his wife, Meghan, have three children, Ruby, Ramona, and Axl. He is grateful to be loved despite his weirdness.
He is the author of Becoming, Blood
and Rain, The Haunted Halls, Chasing Ghosts, Boom Town, Abram’s Bridge,
Things We Fear, Land of Bones, The Window, Out of Range, and Slush.
He is hard at work on many more. Stay tuned!
“With
slashing claws and blood-soaked fur, Glenn Rolfe’s novel will have you
howling in terror and delight. A welcome addition to the werewolf mythos
and proof that we’re in the presence of a rising star in the genre.
Highly recommended!” – Ronald Malfi, author of December Park
“(Rolfe)
takes his writing cues form Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, with some
haunts thrown in via the eerie style of Ronald Malfi.” – Oh, For the
Hook of a Book
“Glenn Rolfe’s writing is a breath of fresh air,
followed by a jolt of adrenaline.” – Iain Rob Wright, author of The
Final Winter
“Glenn Rolfe runs at the front of the pack with the
best of today’s emerging horror authors.” – Terry M. West, author of
Heroin in the Magic Now
“Rolfe weaves a wonderful tale of big, bad things happening to a small, good town. A sure winner!” – Hunter Shea, author of The Mantauk Monster – (on Boom Town)
I was given an opportunity to read some of this anthology and I began at the beginning with Bulwark by Brit Lunden. The short stories/novellas are sold separately and to me they read as standalones. This is the third story I have read and enjoyed.
Bulwark is a small town, where everything revolves around football. I lived in Alabama for a while and they are some of the most avid fans I have every seen, so I can easily relate to this.
The Darkness by Brittney Leigh is written like a diary. from Sophie’s perspective.
Meeting Sophie, I feel, is going to be a real hoot. She did put a smile on my face early on, so I am eager to see what kind of trouble will seek her out.
And…it being Bulwark, I knew the trouble would be of a paranormal kind.
Secrets will be revealed, bodies will fall.
We have all the teenage angst of high school as these four kids will solve the puzzle of Billy Joe’s disappearance. It is the past clashing with the present.
The Darkness by Brittney Leigh is the eight book of the anthology. Though I have only read two others, I had no trouble enjoying this one. Fast reading with characters that are forever changed.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Darkness by Brittney Leigh.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Bulwark- a wall or stockade that protects or sometimes hides the truth from the outside world.
Bulwark, a quiet town… or is it? Four best friends, Sophia, Scott, Chloe and Chris, are just trying to manage their senior year at Bulwark high school when Sophia realizes that her feelings for Chris are really meant for Scott. Before she can deal with that though, the four friends then stumble upon Bulwarks darkest secrets when a spell is cast on Bulwark High. Students have been disappearing and no one has any clues as to their whereabouts. With a town curfew set and parents on edge, the four friends decide to take things into their own hands. Will they break the spell, or will Bulwark High and the town be changed forever? Based on Bulwark, a paranormal thriller by Brit Lunden, The Darkness is the eighth volume in the multi-author Bulwark Anthology.
ABOUT BRITTNEY LEIGH
Brittney Leigh is gracing the Bulwark anthology as a debut author. She is a proud graduate of SUNY Old Westbury College, with a bachelors degree in Media & Communications. Gifted in singing, acting, and dancing, she finds her voice reaches its highest ground in writing. She resides in Long Island where the darkness of New York City comes to sleep.
