REVIEW: 13: An Anthology of Horror and Dark Fiction

Genre: Horror Anthology

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Publication Date: 4^th Oct 2016

Pages: 435

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of 13: An Anthology of Horror and Dark Fiction, was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by one of the contributors in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Limitless Press.

Anthologies. Love em or hate em, there have been a tonne of them out this year. To be honest I have probably already read my fill of anthologies and collections for the year so 13 is sort of up against it from the outset. It will need to be a good one to keep me reading.

On the other hand, I have read a few books from Limitless and they normally produce some really good stuff so I am hoping this is the same.

I won’t say which contributor sent the copy to me. If you know me though it shouldn’t be too hard to guess.

Anyway, this is what I thought of 13.

REVIEW: Bad Apples 3: Seven Slices of Halloween Horror

Genre: Horror / Collection

Publisher: Corpus Press

Publication Date: Sept 2016

Pages: 242

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of Bad Apples 3: Seven Slices of Halloween Horror was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, Corpus Press, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

This is the final line from my review of Bad Apples 2: Six Slices of Halloween Horror:

If there is a Bad Apples 3 next year, do we get seven slices?

Turns out I was right! Only thing I can say to that is whoo hoo!

So if you have never read Bad Apples 1 or 2, you have missed a treat, and what are you waiting for? Reviews are at the bottom of the page so go read them and then go buy them.

This is the time of year that if you are lucky enough to get an email in your inbox from Evans Light, the chances are it is with an ARC for Bad Apples. This has become somewhat of a tradition for this book to be released at this time of year so you can go pick it up and add it to your reading list for Halloween. It gets bigger and better every year. It has the same five faces that these collections always have in Evans Light, Adam Light, Edward Lorn, Jason Parent and Gregor Xane. This year though we are given an extra treat with the addition of Mark Matthews, John McNee and Craig Saunders. The only one I have never read before from this lot is Mr McNee so I am super excited to see what he has in store.

I could give much more of an introduction but I can’t wait to get reading, so this is what I thought:

Review: Death By Chocolate selected by Matthew Cash

Genre: Horror Anthology

Publisher: KnightWatch Press

Publication Date: 7^th March 2016

Pages: 189

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Death By Chocolate was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the editor, Matthew Cash, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by KnightWatch Press.

So, the second thing by Matthew Cash in a few days. The first was his story, Ankle Biters. You can read my review of that, here.

This time it’s sampling what he can do as an editor. He has brought together the many stories in Death By Chocolate and I have to say, as well as a lot of new names to me, there are a few crackin writers that I have already read in here.

Anthologies and collections seem to be flying at me from everywhere these days. Can this one be unique and entertaining enough to stand out a bit from the rest?

Let’s find out!

REVIEW: Dark Chapter Press - Kids

Genre: Horror / Anthology

Publisher: Dark Chapter Press

Publication Date: 15^th March 2016

Pages: 316

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Kids was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, Dark Chapter Press, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

Anthology number three this year from those cheeky chaps at Dark Chapter Press. I have said before, and I will say it again, I think Dark Chapter Press are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years. They put their heart and soul into the books they produce and it shows.

The first I read was last year and it was Kill For A Copy. You can read my review of it here. The second was only a few weeks ago, Eight Deadly Kisses. This was a double whammy because not only was it exclusively featuring women writers for Women In Horror Month, but all proceeds from it are going to the charity Camfed. You can read my review of it here.

Kids is one I was looking forward to because it has some authors I read before in the aforementioned anthologies but it is also co-edited by Stuart Keane. I wanted to see what he could produce from the other side of the table given the fact his writing is superb. There is also the fantastic input of Mr Jack Rollins, a man proving himself to be a big force in both the writing and publishing worlds.

So what did I think? Let’s see!

REVIEW: Dark Chapter Press - Eight Deadly Kisses - An Anthology

Genre: Horror / Anthology

Publisher: Dark Chapter Press

Publication Date: 13^th Feb 2016

Pages: 141

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Eight Deadly Kisses was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, Dark Chapter Press, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

This is the second anthology I have read from Dark Chapter Press. I know David Basnet had a lot of input into this one from an editing point of view so I was intrigued to find out how that worked out for him. Plus, I make no secret that I think Dark Chapter Press are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years. They put their heart and soul into the books they produce and it shows.

Eight Deadly Kisses also has two other great things going for it.

Number One is the fact that it was released as part of Woman in Horror month so all of the contributors are, you guessed it, women!

The second thing is that this book is Dark Chapter Press’s first foray into the world of charity.

Dark Chapter Press and the writers gathered in this anthology have committed to supporting CAMFED, a charity providing education for girls and young women in Africa, to build brighter futures and to encourage the development of female leaders. All money received by Dark Chapter Press from sales of Eight Deadly Kisses will be donated to CAMFED.

For more info on CAMFED, please visit here.

To donate to the Dark Chapter Press Just Giving page, go here.

So how did this bunch of ladies do then? Let’s find out!

REVIEW: Onyx Neon Shorts Presents: Horror Collection - 2015

Genre: Horror Anthology

Publisher: Onyx Neon Press

Publication Date: 23^rd Oct 2015

Pages: 185

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Onyx Neon Shorts Presents: Horror Collection - 2015 was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by one of the contributors, Jeremy Thompson, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Onyx Neon Press.

So a new collection of thirteen tales, by authors I know nothing about, apart from one. I read The Phantom Cabinet by Jeremy Thompson last year and it totally blew me away. You can read my review of it here. When he emailed me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing this collection, I initially jumped at it to read his own short story in it. After having a good look at it, I discovered I have never read anything by any of the other contributors. This is the sort of collection I love. It inevitably ends up with my list of authors I like to read growing, and needing to get an extension for the ever expanding to be read pile.

It also appears that this is the first of a planned annual collection from Onyx Neon Press so let’s see what these people can do!

ELLIE HILL BY MJ WESOLOWSKI

Three students are on the lookout for an adventure. A drinking adventure. One of them being local suggests going to Ellie Hill. They don’t however let the others know the significance of Ellie Hill, or the terrifying legend.

This is a very dark story. Very atmospheric. Very scary. The place where they go almost feels like Royston Vasey. Dark and weird and well, just scary. I don’t know how to describe this story. No plot as such but just perfectly written to give you goose bumps from start to finish.

A perfect way to open an anthology.

★★★★★ for general.

★★★★★ for horror.

REVIEW: Sinister Grin Press - Cut Corners Volume 2

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Sinister Grin Press

Publication Date: 28^th Oct 2015

Pages: 66

MY REVIEW:

A copy of the collection, Cut Corners Volume 2, was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, Sinister Grin Press. This time it wasn’t sent specifically in exchange for an honest review. It was a little thank you for reviewing other stuff but I couldn’t resist giving an honest review anyway. This is said review.

I do enjoy getting ARCS from Sinister Grin Press. You never know quite what you are going to get because they do produce a very wide range of stuff. This one was no exception. This is the first time I have read a collection from Sinister Grin so I was anxious to get into it and see what it was like.

In terms of the authors involved in this one, I have read them all in one form or another. Ray Garton wrote a short story I read in Widowmakers called, The Guy Down the Street, Monica J. O’Rourke wrote What Happens in the Darkness and Shane McKenzie was involved in the wonderful collaboration, Jackpot. Other than that I have not read anything else by these three. So are they worthy of being in this collection? Let’s find out.

SHOW-OFF AND TELL #9 - Pete Kahle and James Newman - Widowmakers

This week’s Show-Off and Tell is a book that holds a very dear place in my heart for more than one reason. Widowmakers. A benefit anthology put together by Pete Kahle to raise some funds to help out horrors Mr Nice guy James Newman after he had an argument with a tree, and lost.

Reasons why I love this book so much? Number one is the fact that it shows quite clearly how deep the friendship goes in the horror community, when one person is prepared to go all out to put something like this together to help out another individual going through a rough time.

Number two is the fact that due to this books hugeness (fifty individual stories by fifty individuals!) I discovered a plethora of new authors. New to me anyway, and my TBR pile has quadrupled since. I have since made some very good friends in the horror world and to be honest a lot of it is down to this one, single book.

This is my copy.

REVIEW: Dark Chapter Press - Kill For A Copy - Anthology

Genre: Horror / Fantasy / Anthology

Publisher: Dark Chapter Press

Publication Date: 19^th July 2015

Pages: 302

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Kill For A Copy was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, Dark Chapter Press, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

This is the second anthology I have read in recent weeks. I said with the last one that you either love them or hate them. Again my biggest problem is the fact that if they are loaded with stories it takes me a while to get through them because I tend to read a couple of novels in between times as well to break up the monotony of constant short stories.

Kill For A Copy intrigued me for a couple of reasons. Number one, there are a lot of stories in this one from authors I have never read before. I am always on the hunt for new people to read so short stories are a perfect way to introduce yourself to someone’s writing. You get to see what their style is like without having to spend a few days reading a full novel and then if you like what you read: you go buy!

The second reason was because this is published by Dark Chapter Press. I have mentioned them in the past as being an upcoming young British press working very hard to make a name for themselves in the fantastically large world of publishing. I think they do great stuff and think you will see a lot more of them in the future.

Anyway…..on to the stories. These are my thoughts on the seventeen tales of darkness that lie between the covers!

REVIEW: The Sinister Horror Company - The Black Room Manuscripts: Vol 1 - Anthology

Genre: Horror

Publisher: The Sinister Horror Company

Publication Date: 14^th July 2015

Pages: 269

MY REVIEW:

A copy of The Black Room Manuscripts Vol 1 was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, The Sinister Horror Company, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

This is a charity anthology with all proceeds going to Blue Cross UK. You can find details about the charity here.

So, anthologies. You either love them or hate them. I love them from the point of view that sometimes they are full of authors that are totally new to you so you pick up some really cool new people to read.

I hate them sometimes because I can find it difficult to finish them if they are huge, due to not liking constantly reading short stories. I tend to read half of an anthology then read a novel then finish the anthology. It’s my way of getting through them. This one is produced by The Sinister Horror Company, in my opinion, a new upcoming press with a very very bright future ahead of them due to the stories they put out there and the way in which they present the final product.

The fact that this is all for charity also highlights the character of the guys in charge at SHC, and also the authors for giving up their stories for such a good cause.

So what did I think of The Black Room Manuscripts Vol 1? Let’s find out.