Even Hell has standards: Wrath by Chantal Noordeloos

The beginning of this short story is like a slap in the face with a bloody spiked boot. 

There is brutality and the suggestions of much worse, Fatima has a sad life that is fraught with suffering.

Eventually she is “reborn” in Hell and sent to her judgement, her choice is a unique and painful one, but strangely satisfying to me as a reader.

CN writes with such extreme honesty about some difficult subjects and brings a no holds barred spotlight on to some very current realities of women living in various part of the world today.

I found Fatima to be a beautiful character that never lost sight of her inner wrath or the justice that would bring her. 

The descriptions of Hell and Lucifer were captivating, CN’s vivid writing giving pure, clean mental images.

I love this series.

Wrath

Coyote the Outlander by Chantal Noordeloos

Set in the Wild West it is clear that Coyote is a bounty hunter with a difference, not just her gender but what she hunts.  Its wild west meets steampunkish sci-fi; not a genre I have ever been enticed into reading but this was by an author I love (her horror is exquisite) and I had to give it a whirl!

Coyote is a great stereo type that does not shy away from that fact, she is a beautiful yet tough woman who goes out of her way to be so. She cannot shake her beauty though, even the “stuff” that shines from the inside as her kind heart and morals clearly get her into more trouble than her physical appearance. CN does well to bring this beauty to life without being cliché.

When Coyote is commissioned to hunt down a baby killer her search takes her into baddie territory in the shape of a gorgeous hunk called Westwood, but clearly the story remembered by Coyote is not a true memory as many try to guide her the right way into seeing the truth.

Sparks fly whenever they meet and CN does well to portray the tension (some of it highly sexual!) and hatred felt by Coyote without giving the plot twist away until the end when explosions of all sorts occur.

Some great banter and snippets of truth pass between her and partner, Caesar. CN makes use of every comedic moment possible giving little grins to outright snort and laughs. She is also subtle in her portrayal of sexism and racism. It’s not overt but just enough to annoy and niggle, not the writing but the subject, very clever.

Loved the little added bonus contents; music, stories etc throughout the book (the second screen experience) giving little physical glimpses into Coyote’s world.

Lots of new critters were introduced, love me some “monster” creation and some amazing groups of people.

Ming’s Emporium;  what a hoot I do hope this features more heavily in sequel books as it’s a character and place I would love to know more about.

Revelations abound at the end leaving a nice cliff hanger to the next instalment. Impressive start to what could be an amazing series, crack on CN, whip crack away on!

 Coyote the Outlander

Angel Manor:Lucifer Falls by Chantal Noordeloos

The tension is pumping from the first pages as CN tells of a small chapter in Angel Manors history, a small but bloody and violent one that sets the mood for the entire book. CN does not shy away from the gore element, moreover she kindly shows you the wet bloody scenes and then slaps you around the face with them a bit to ensure you are equally covered in blood, guts and tears.

Once I was finished reading how the “Order” kept whatever is below sealed in the house I felt quite exhausted; but then CN starts the physiological path of the book, she introduces the main characters and breathes life into them.

Freya is one of three best friends, joining her are Oliver and Bam. Freya has inherited Angel Manor from her batty old Aunt, all families have them but my, oh my this family has spades and buckets of them!

Between them they have a plan to make the huge house into a hotel, famous as much for its beauty, surroundings and food as well as the local legends regarding hauntings and the fall of Lucifer.  It soon becomes clear that the house has other ideas and it bonds with them and starts using their energy to reawaken the horrors that lie within.

Oliver and Bam are from random characters, they too have their own huge sub plots which enhance the terrors and emotional rollercoaster for Freya.

Logan and the Chancers, a group of troubled teenage boys who are working as building apprentices, are employed to help with the renovations, he soon become the lust/love interest for Freya which allows for some hot sex scenes, CN revels in many of these as several of the house occupants are seduced in various ways, she does them well with just the right about of intrusion to make you feel a little uncomfy.

As the house begins to claim more souls to torture in so many unique ways the gore, murder, blood, death and ghostly goings on begin to get more intense by the page but is this all in their minds?  Apparently not! As when Ms Florifera arrives with her paranormal searcher crew it all becomes a little more real as science is proving what the guests are feeling.

Impossibly CN is able to increase the tension as the equinox approaches and all sorts of horror starts to occur, but whatever is floating around in the house does not compare to what is buried underneath, will they be able to keep the seal intact and not unleash this horror into the world.

I loved all the depth to the characters, so much time was spent on their history, development and emotions that I could not help but feel involved which made for some truly shuddering and breath holding moments. The characters are so believable that they drew me into caring and hoping that they made it out alive, or at least in one piece.

CN is brilliant at gaining your attention and then scaring the skin of you, sometimes with subtlety and others with plain all out horror, the ultimate chill is this is book ONE, hells bells what else is coming!

Angel Manor

Hallowed Horror Collection

What a fantastic collection this book is, some amazing authors who have supplied some huge novels and brilliant novellas. Everyone should find something they like in here, hopefully a few new authors to try out too.

As for value for money – hells bells its less than a £/$ for NINE stories!

The Spirit Clearing by Mark Tufo:

What a great way to start this amazing anthology of NOVELS and novellas, not short stories but full on, full length reads; such great value, especially when you see the calibre of author included.

I had stayed away from reading this for ages.... as I am so in love with MT in the Zombie Fallout series I did not want to sully my mind (or get confused!)

However, this was just amazing!

MT has a true talent; he is able to weave a complex story bringing in all sorts of emotional, physical, reality and spooky elements. I felt myself sweating away with the characters in their struggles and don’t get me started on the tears that I shed; thankfully no cats were killed in this one!!

All ends are neatly tied up in the final climax, which is great... I do so hate reading a book that finishes ambiguously!

Any fans of MT won’t be disappointed with this.

All the Little Children by Christine Sutton:

This novella sized story seems to bump along, nice happy families etc. then CS blasts the reader with the horror.

What starts out as a bit of ghost story turns into a possession, throw in a few poltergeists and demons and you get all rolled up into one sharp, snappy gore fest.

Death and its vivid descriptions just bolt off the pages at you via CS and her amazing descriptions.

I can’t really explain much about the stories main elements without giving it away other than the ending leaves you with a cold shudder in on a warm sunny day! Although that was my first read of it back last, last summer! On the night before Halloween it still gave me a shocking chill!

A great, quick read for a lunch time scare.

Fangs in Vain by Scott Nicholson:

Sabrina is an Angel and Luke is a Vampire, strange combination of lovers, but SN makes it work in this fascinating novella.

Initially I felt a little out of synch with the story, feeling that maybe I had missed the other parts of the story or that this was a little novella in the middle of a series of novels, but apparently not; it’s a stand-alone or possibly the start of a series.

Whilst this clearly shows off the talent of SN I felt the story lacked a proper start, had a good middle but left me hanging and wanting at the end.

There was a huge amount of humour and I really wanted to find out more about these two brilliant characters, so I hope SN picks them up some other time, maybe when he gets bored writing all his other fabulous novels!

The Unsaintly by Lisa Vasquez:

LV can certainly ping you into a scene, I was so engrossed in the scenes I almost forgot the underlying storyline.

The initial scenes of Demons, God, Angels and Hell were amazing although I felt the eventual fall of Lucifer was a little anti-climactic after all that wonderful build up.

Then the story swapped to a different era and setting and I was a little confused.

The beautiful, intricate descriptions continue however as LV now starts a seemingly new story about Isabel, daughter of the King of France, eventually to become a Saint, she links the two stories as Isabel is “tested” with all the horror that befalls her and the terrible nightmares of Hell that she suffers.

There seems to be lots of sub plots going on with Marciel her guardian Angel and Lucifer sending various Demons after her, whilst in the background God and Marciel have random meetings and strange chess matches that LV plots meticulously via sequenced moves – which meant nothing to me!

I did enjoy the humour as the Angels and Demons have petty arguments but also felt that it was almost out of tune with the thrust of the book. I found the jumping around of narratives and storylines very confusing and really distracted from the overall feel of the book.

Will I pick up the other two in this trilogy? Doubtful unless they pop up on a good offer etc. I was not drawn to this author style but her attention to detail was amazing.

Generation Evil by Eric A Shelman:

This novel has a complex setting of past, not so past and present which is articulated very well by EAS.

I felt the characters were realistic, 3D and mostly likeable without being perfect so I developed a bit of bond with them, which is needed as the plot lines are deep, clever and the twists keep coming but EAS was able to keep me focused and not lose me in the broil.

Five witches are burned at the stake in Massachusetts in the late 17th century. Four are good and one is bad, evil, nasty bad! As the flames consume them the evil warlock casts a spell for eternal rebirth to torture mankind, the four good witches join together and cast their own spell for rebirth and chase him through time to protect those he touches and try to destroy him; however they miss that bit of the spell that grants their new bodies pre-knowledge.

Fast forward more than three-hundred years; which is a shame as I think EAS could of given a few snippets of previous lives instead the reader is thrust into a dusty attic in California where a trunk is found by four friends. What they then find inside changes their lives forever, hence why snippets of their previous incarnations would have been good to show an on-going pattern.

I am very tempted to seek out more novels by this author and that’s why I love anthologies so much!

Pride by Chantal Noordeloos:

So I originally read this as a short story, it has since been updated, lengthened and some serious eeew moments added.

Adolf Zakerny is a notorious serial killer, he has no set Modis Operandi he merely seeks to inflict as much pain as possible, and he is a master of his work, giving tribute to his Lord of Lies.

Eventually the time comes when he feels ready to share his true calling and nature with Hell, and as he plummets to his death, you may think the book has started at the wrong end of the story. However, CN excruciatingly makes us witness his rebirth, cell to sinew, bone to muscle. Every little nuance of tension is explained, like reading in slow motion with HiDef.

The road to Hell ala CN is a revolting sounding one, and he witnesses things that make you feel sick to your stomach with expectant glee. It is soon his turn, as Adolf’s sins are “weighed” and a punishment is suggested, he looks forward to meeting his new boss, but soon becomes confused when he steps into a scene from Perfect Houses.

CN has certainly done her homework on Demons and mythology. Demons loiter around Lucifer’s mansion house and she does a brilliant interpretation of making it seem like a normal work place on a regular day.

Adolf is invited to sample Hell and he enters the Redemption Labyrinth and finally finds some of the bliss he seeks. No over the top gore description is required as CN taps into the true horrors of torture and the internal removal of hope, to make your goosebumps rise and the hairs on your neck tingle.

After much discussion and some feather preening (did you see the title?) Lucifer has a room suited exactly for Adolf’s needs.

CN is such an eloquent author, not a word is out of place or written down without thought, this line alone really made me think; "their own preconception of sin, often most find it most difficult to forgive themselves ".

An enjoyable, yet icky, read with some thought provoking issues and images. I do hope that CN is going to expand on this a little….7 deadly sins and all that!

Whispers by Heath Stallcup:

The story starts in 1885 with Sheriff “two guns” and an amazing breakfast that I could almost smell.  This started to feel like a good old fashioned western book; an honest Sheriff and some bad out of towners intent on mayhem and evil.

HS then fast forwarded me to modern day Texas, which strangely feels like it has not changed much!  A collector of Old West antiques  “buys” some naughty items off two drug addicts, Casper and Roger, who have been raiding the Little Hope cemetery, and you just know that no good (or Hope) can come of that! And so begins the story.

The story flicks back and forth between the two eras; you can start to feel the story and tension build up. It is the perfect mix of good, old fashioned justice, twist, turns and things that go bump in the night; something that HS is perfect at (I love his Monster Squad series). The book spans over 100 years and as another reviewer put beautifully this is a story about “a festering vengeance waiting, waiting to have revenge on evil, true evil”.

Whilst this is a long read I really felt hard pushed to find a “put down” moment and ended up with two very, very long days routed to a chair reading – hard work!   I don’t usually do ghost stories but this has so much more to it, so take your time with this novel and savour all the subtle horror and spooks provided by HS.

Shifters by Jaime Johnesee:

This was one of the first ebooks I read when I got my kindle and the first of JJ’s books and I was so blown away I bought everything else that she has published since then!

Loved the myth explosion right at the beginning! and the dead pan delivery was brilliant.   Lots of really great humour moments!

I really hope this is the start of a series as the character and "world" is fantastic!   An FBI werepanther!

There were a few little bits that niggled and could have been written better, such as the partners ignorance of her studying seemed a little off and the "change" would have worked better as a flashback maybe, as thought she would have shared this with her partner long before.....

I have loved rereading this but can also see how JJ has grown as an author and that this little novel needs an update, spit n polish! But I believe this is in the works.

Tool Shed by Armand Rosamilia:

Michael Zaun has arrived on his newly inherited farm and is investigating exploding cows – what a great first line and start to a story; loved the little CSI and music references.

Michael is also 300lbs of blubber and lives in the never, never land of diets which start tomorrow and dreams of living off the land, something he needs to research and finds himself at the local library where he meets Susan; AR plays this meet and relationship really well. Both are characters that you want to like and I really felt myself having feelings for them throughout the story.

Next AR throws in the group of teenagers who are at “play” in the shed with weed and almost-sex. Strangely enough this ends up calling the “monster” aka Dir of the Earth who wants only to live among us, eat cheeseburgers and have sex (don’t all underworld beings?), but this comes at a price, of course, and it soon becomes obvious what happened to the cows.

I found this story really intense as Michael must live up to his families calling and Dir does what Dir does!

Oooh a prequel in 2015!! Yippee!!

Dust to Dust by Eden Crowne:

Well, I have to admit I originally picked this up as part of a free promotion on a FB page. However, I am so glad to have had the opportunity to reread this as I clearly missed some of the little nuances last time, and loved hearing about Tasmin again.

Tasmin has been tricked by Soul Eaters, they befriended her when she was lonely, gained her trust and then split her soul between them like a take away one night. She soon learns how to jump into near death bodies and now seeks out these people to regain the pieces of her soul. 

We first meet her as she chooses a not very nice vampire body to jump into, who is currently ending life by being strangled by Drake, a Fae with issues.

The story is intricate, well thought out, with lots of differing strings attached but so wonderfully written you have NO trouble keeping up.  As Tasmin keeps having to jump bodies to track down her Soul Eating fiends the sense of humour is a great relief amongst the gore; one reincarnation is of a bo-peep/sheep hybrid!

Throughout reading this story (a straight 4hr read, I could NOT put it down) I just kept feeling myself say WOW. I love how EC writes her characters, surroundings and takes you on a fantastic journey.  There is also a touch of raunchy in there.

All the different supernatural beings are in there, I don’t think the EC left one out! but none are gratuitous, all have a place!

What really comes through is the sense of story and how far this could go, as EC is already on her third in this series I am pleased to say I am BIG fan.

Hallowed Horror

Even Hell has Standards: Pride by Chantal Noordeloos

So I originally read this as a short story, it has since been updated, lengthened and some serious eeew moments added.

Adolf Zakerny is a notorious serial killer, he has no set Modis Operandi he merely seeks to inflict as much pain as possible, and he is a master of his work, giving tribute to his Lord of Lies.

Eventually the time comes when he feels ready to share his true calling and nature with Hell, and as he plummets to his death, you may think the book has started at the wrong end of the story. However, Chantel Nordeloos excruciatingly makes us witness his rebirth, cell to sinew, bone to muscle. Every little nuance of tension is explained, like reading in slow motion with HiDef.

The road to Hell ala CN is a revolting sounding one, and he witnesses things that make you feel sick to your stomach with expectant glee. It is soon his turn, as Adolf’s sins are “weighed” and a punishment is suggested, he looks forward to meeting his new boss, but soon becomes confused when he steps into a scene from Perfect Houses.

CN has certainly done her homework on Demons and mythology. Demons loiter around Lucifer’s mansion house and she does a brilliant interpretation of making it seem like a normal work place on a regular day.

Adolf is invited to sample Hell and he enters the Redemption Labyrinth and finally finds some of the bliss he seeks.  No over the top gore description is required as CN taps into the true horrors of torture and the internal removal of hope, to make your goosebumps rise and the hairs on your neck tingle. 

After much discussion and some feather preening (did you see the title?) Lucifer has a room suited exactly for Adolf’s needs.

CN is such an eloquent author, not a word is out of place or written down without thought, this line alone really made me think; "their own preconception of sin, often most find it most difficult to forgive themselves ".

An enjoyable, yet icky, read with some thought provoking issues and images. I do hope that CN is going to expand on this a little….7 deadly sins and all that!

Pride

Some silly questions with Chantal Noordeloos and review of Deeply Twisted

Chantal Noordeloos was apparently born in the Hague, and not found in a cabbage patch as some people may suggest. 

She lives in the Netherlands, where she spends her time with her wacky, supportive husband, and outrageously cunning daughter, who is growing up to be a super villain. When she is not busy exploring interesting new realities, or arguing with characters (aka writing), she likes to dabble in drawing.

There are many genres that CN likes to explore in her writing, currently Sci-fi Steampunk is one of her favourites, but her ‘go to’ genre will always be horror. “It helps being scared of everything; that gives me plenty of inspiration,” she says.

CN likes to write for all ages, and storytelling is the element of writing that she enjoys most. “Writing should be an escape from everyday life, and I like to provide people with new places to escape to, and new people to meet.”

What is your favourite sandwich? Drink? Chocolate/candy bar? (you can just pick one if you like!)

I suck at these questions, because it sort of depends on what mood I’m in. My tastes switch a lot. If I would have to choose now, I would say the ‘All 

American Sandwich’ at the Earl of Sandwich in Walt Disney world *grin*. 

My favourite alcoholic drink would be Safari, and non alcoholic I think I would say ‘Milkshake’ (preferably a peanut butter and jelly one)

Do you have a favourite place to write?

Anywhere where it’s quiet and I have a comfortable chair and computer. I honestly don’t mind. Good temperature too please.

Who or What is your personal favourite character/novel?

That I’ve read? Novel: Neverwhere. Character: Oh… that’s a tough one. My oldest favourite novel character is Raistlin Majere from the Dragonlance books.

That I've written? Novel: I've only written two so far, so I guess it would be Coyote. Actually that’s not true, because I've written more, but the other’s just aren't ready for publishing yet. Celestials would be a ‘tie’ with Coyote. Character is more difficult. I've written a lot of those. I love Coyote, but there are more darlings, like my Soulman character. I also love Lily and Holden from my upcoming Celestial series. Too much too choose from ;)

If you had a theme track, what would it be?

A bit cheesy, it’s been done before, but Sympathy for the Devil would be one of them. It stems back from my larp years. Lol

If you were to write  your “memoirs”  who would play you and key members of your life in the televised series?

I would love to see Drew Barrimore as me. And Gerard Butler as Daan… *gurrr*

And back to silly, if you could have any supernatural power what would it be?

I would want to teleport. I absolutely love traveling, so that would be awesome. I’d need to be able to take people with me though. 

So here is my review of her collection, Deeply Twisted, a brilliant gathering of short stories and flash fiction.

English is not CN first language, she is after all from the Netherlands, so I was really surprised at her command of the English language and her ability to utilize it in scaring the socks off me. Now she is the sort of lady who will try to push all the credit on to her wonderful editor but the talent must be there to start with and CN has it in bucket loads.

Soulman: Three homeless men under a bridge tell their life stories to the Soulman and his Raven, each singing their woeful tale; murderers, perverts and junkies. When the twist is revealed at the end it did feel very cathartic.  CN has such a beautiful way of describing things that even the revolting clothing and sleeping area of the homeless is made to sound gorgeous and comfortable.

The Widow: Who are the worse monsters in this story, with the casual telling of the horrors it’s hard to tell; the Widow, the naughty children, the Witte Wieven, Father or Opoe with her scary ghost stories. Such an intricately woven tale CN has managed to create her own urban legends. This little story really freaked me out. The family life she describes is harsh but real and as the story develops and explodes with the horror at the end, all the little pieces slot nicely in, giving that sense of a reality that all myths stem from.

A Taste of Darkness: This is written in a very staccato style which lends itself very well to the buildup of terror. When the final cut came I felt myself gulp in disgust.

When the Bell Tolls: In the middle of a park a strange clock tower springs up and as its reaches each hour a new surprise arrives, will the world survive? CN manages to baffle and scare all at the same time with this weird little tale.

Death Awaits You: A reflective Judge contemplates the horror she has unleashed by finding a woman guilty of murder in this brief tale of death. The crime scene report made me feel a little sick but it was nothing compared to the bedroom ceiling. CN can certainly conjure up revolting images.

Uncle Edmund’s Funeral: Very short, not so sweet but rather funny afternoon spent at Uncle Edmunds funeral!!

Victims of Evolution: This little zompoc story starts off like most, a brief snapshot of hell, how we got there, individual horrors and some observations at how stupid humanity is, this is the point that CN manages to switch positions and give a unique insight into the zombie and what happens next. I can’t go into detail without giving the plot away but it’s well told, with some wonderful emotive moments.

Little Death: Are there monsters that live under the bed? A very sad and terrifying tale of sickness; CN is able to evoke emotions that make your heart still.

The Dispensation of Jack Harrington: a club meeting for serial killers, complete with guest speakers, master classes and new member initiation. Great sting in the tail!

Deeply Twisted:  CN continues the Widow legend and adds some back story that reignited that spine tingle. Such wonderful story telling.

The Angel’s Grave: a spooky little tale about penance and redemption. Whilst it had a great build up I found the ending a little bit of letdown, especially as I now expect so much from CN.

Dinner Date: a dinner party gets out of hand, CN has a real “thing” for revenge and punishment, and it’s very awesome in how she vents it. I am impressed with her Judge/Jury/Executioner style of retribution. It has put me off scallops for a while though!

When the Heavens Cried Gold: wow, just wow. A beautiful piece of flash fiction that left me in a state of shock.

The Door: even though you can guess what is behind the door and what will happen once the hooks are free, the gore which CN presents to you is well worth the read. I so want to know what happens now!

Out of the Storm: not my cup of tea this one, it just did not resonate with me, but the description of the storm was original. 

The Message:  a messenger on a mission, this story was gripping and fast paced but then stopped abruptly, so I hope it continues later on as it was full of promised horror.

Jade: grave robbing is really not good for your health! The buildup is really good, the trouble with these short stories is that CN packs so much in I want to know more about these worlds she creates.

Your Familiar Smile: CN really knows how to wring emotions from you in this feeding/ghost story.

In the Dead of Night: oh just gross! Wonderfully, gross.

The Hungering Depths: set as observations and news reports of various happenings along a stretch of ocean CN builds the tension, never quite giving you a full glance of the monster to come. Now, THIS story she must expand on.

At the end of the book CN comments on how she came to make this collection and then tells us of her new project Even Hell Has Standards, having read the Adolf Zakernay story as a brief short that CN had out I am uber excited as it was this story that turned me on to CN to start with!

Deeply Twisted

Splatterpunk Saints - charity anthology

So this was advertised as a ‘Pay it forward’ organization. Fantastic idea!

After my last disastrous anthology read I was really not sure what to expect but it wasn't THIS.

A beautiful collection of poetry begins the book. I can't review them individually as some are only a few sentences long, others are many pages, but as a collection it was refreshing, humorous  charming and a real soul cleanser even if they were mostly scary, gory, horror filled or just downright spooky!

"worms crawl in, maggots crawl out"  or "It was just past November but not quite December"

RED, Crime Scene Footage & The Village were my favourites.

Then came some short stories.

Prisoner on Chamber Lane by AM Reign: poor Sara what a rotten start to life and then it only gets worse. The torturous description of the fingers really had me gagging.  The question "why" and then "who cares" really freaked me out in the middle. A really great read.

There Goes The Neighbourhood by Murphy Edwards: it was a fun read, sort of, with two old ladies bickering in a car whilst a burglar ransacks their house. The ending was funny but stomach churning.

Necrofreaks by Timothy Frasier: sexed up teenagers in a cemetery  what can go wrong! well reanimated corpses, Nephilium, demons, you name it! Well written with an exciting pace as you are dragged the climax, which does not disappoint.

Red on the Head by Timothy Frasier: a strange little story that I couldn't really get in to.

Headcase by Lori R. Lopez: from the first line you cant help but giggle in gruesome fascination. As the tale winds it way to the finale in the bunker.... well, you need to read it!

Fire & Brimstone by Paul DeThroe:  a real twist in the tale, some strange torture scenes but grossness is WAY out there.

On The Road Again by Mark C. Scioneaux: Chad the serial killer, oh but he is an animal lover, so not totally bad IMO! Brilliant twist.

'Til Death Do Us Part by William Cook: blimey never mind a woman scorned. A wonderfully written total grossfest.

Dark World Tirade by Jonathon Dark: I couldn't really get into the rhythm that the author was trying to convey.

Bereft by James Ward Kirk: what's in the cellar? and who is the more mad, killer or cop?

Filthy Water by Alex Stephens: I found the staccato writing very hard to engage with, so I think I missed half the story.

Victims of Evolution by Chantal Noordeloos: the zompoc is neatly , if gruesomely, described. The attempted survival of a family, the inevitable failure. Then came the evolution, so what would happen if nature were to exert its force over zombies? read and see.....

Dark Dwellings by Dale Eldon: Actors in a haunted house, but not all are what they seem, a good premise with some yucky scenes, a really good read. At the beginning I was a bit dissuaded by the main characters downer comments on the horror culture of today, a shame that "everyone" harks make to yesteryear - things move on! 

Dealer of Death by Mark Gardener: a strange glimpse into Hell and deal done with the Devil. Nicely written, almost on the first person but not quite.

One Night in October by Michael Bray: inside a killers mind, yup its dirty. I felt like a needed a shower after this one.

The Roadie by K. Trap Jones: very clever; song lyrics that take you to Hell with a few really great nods to Metal Bands. Some fantastic imagery is conveyed, as if being drenched in the Devils blood is not bad enough he vomits on a few people! I really enjoyed this little story, and love when I find a new author to stalk (sorry, follow) - thats the BEST bit about anthologies.

The Vegetarian Zombie by K. Trap Jones: I'g glad I was not eating my lunch during this amusing tale of veggie turned zombie! I this was my favourite.

The Thing in the Shadows by Donald White: eeeek, this was really freaky, a goblin in the woods, a tale of discovery and revenge. It really gave me the shivers.

The Monsters of Capital Hill by Robert Holt: I love when humour and outright daftness plays a part in horror, that wonderful ease of tension before the slap around the head. As myths and monsters battle it out it all becomes a bit teeth, fur and claw.

Mary Me by Alex Stephens & James Ward Kirk: theories of two, dancing mice, murderers and mad Drs. All very peculiar but intriguing. 

Part of Me by Paula D. Ashe: I'm not sure if the author meant to be offensive or not but I did not see the point in the homophobic or racist jibes, so sorry, I could not finish this, maybe I missed a good story.

Parkland by William Markly: a very strange concept, a ?succubus transformed from a vampire post a deal with the Devil. As she floats around her chosen Banquet she feeds on the suffering she comes across many ghosts, which freak her out, ha! not as much as me reading the tale.

The Teppanyaki of Truth by Andrew Freudenberg:  a strange way to gratify a desire for something tasty, but what a wonderful way too.

Splatterpunk Saints