| Title | : | The Horror Collection: Gold Edition |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 221 |
| Publication | : | First published September 28, 2018 |
Featuring stories by Amy Cross, Mike Duke, Matthew Brockmeyer, Lex H. Jones, J.C. Michael and Kevin J. Kennedy.
The Horror Collection: Gold Edition Reviews
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Wow!
This is the first anthology in this collection, and it is terrific! So many stories, and all of them are wonderful!
The authors are getting familiar to me and I’m getting to know them.
If you like short story collections, you will love this one…I promise.
Five beautiful stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
The Horror Collection: Gold Edition is yet another awesome collection of tales that had a story for all types of horror fans; from light horror to heartbreaking and gore filled!
This collection was so much fun!
In this collection, Flesh by Kevin J. Kennedy and Ghost Train by Mike Duke were my two favorites.
Per usual, here are my quick breakdowns and reactions for each story that was included.
The Paperboy by Amy Cross – 4/5
Oh gosh! What an intense loop! I usually hate repetition, but in this case it made the story that much more suspenseful. The obsession with the adult seeing the paperboys eyes was certainly intriguing. I was definitely left wondering what happened after the hat was lifted… and what’s up with all the wounds?
The Man Who Lost Paradise by J.C. Michael -2/5
Woah. What an interesting take on addiction! I liked the possession element to this, but I’m personally not a fan of stories that center around addiction. It was wonderfully written, just not for me.
The September Laments of Annaleigh by Matthew Brockmeyer – 3/5
Jeeze! What a messed up little family. And what in the world were those critters bred for?!
Flesh by Kevin J. Kennedy – 5/5
Ever wonder what would happen if a family lived away from the public, in a cave that over the years, has the ability to change them into lizard-like creatures? Oh goodness!! This certainly made me was to go read The Tale of Sawney Bean again! I loved that this one picked up a time after that book ended. I had been wondering how the family may have fared in later years… What an interesting storyline! I loved the zombie element!
At Peace Now? by Lex H Jones – 4/5
Phew! What an intense tale right from the start! The afterlife is such an interesting thing. I love seeing the different settings that people come up with! I certainly wouldn’t want to end up in this one!
Ghost Train by Mike Duke – 5/5
Oh my goodness. That first scene was brutal. Thoughts of anyone getting into an accident with a train is horrific. But kids? So horrible! I felt bad for the kid that was supposed to be on the bus that day as well! Then we jump to when that kid is all grown up and has a kid of his own named Billy. Billy and his friends want to go see the rumored ghost train… of course that sets off a tale of mystery and determination to get their friends back.
My Final Thoughts:
I read this while on an early morning flight from Boston to Phoenix and I was totally drawn in. Thank goodness too, because I hate flying! This helped pass the time wonderfully!
*2023 Update:
I got to revisit these tales in audio form and what a blast it was! This time around, my two favorites were still Flesh by Kevin J. Kennedy and Ghost Train by Mike Duke! But the rest of these hit way harder in audio form, The September Laments of Annaleigh by Matthew Brockmeyer especially! -
Just one week after the release of COLLECTED CHRISTMAS HORROR SHORTS VOL.II, KJK Publishing unleashes another anthology book.
This anthology consists of 6 stories. Unlike the last collection, this anthology has no set theme. All the stories range in topic and scope. Kevin J. Kennedy has once again pulled togther some amazing talent to fill the pages.
Let's take a look inside.
THE PAPERBOY by Amy Cross
One womans obsession with her paperboy boy could lead to a much darker and horrifying truth.
THE MAN WHO LOST PARADISE by J.C. Michael
An addict finds a ay to cheat damnation, but what he must do to stay on this plane could be worse than his final fate.
This is really a great story. It's a horror story, but also a look at the downfall and loss caused by addiction.
THE SEPTEMBER LAMENTS OF ANNALEIGH by Matthew Brockmeyer
A backwoods family living in the mountains keep a dark and monstrous secret in their animal pens.
FLESH by Kevin J Kennedy
What more could you ask for, Subterranean Dwellers vs Zombies. 'nuff said!
AT PEACE NOW by Lex H. Jones
A Beast is loose in Heaven and it's path of destruction will effect both the living and the dead.
GHOST TRAIN by Mike Duke
Years ago there was a horrible train accident that left a small town in shock. Now four friends venture out to see the fabled Ghost Train as it travels it's ill-fated route.
Another great story. This is a coming of age story type story reminiscent of Stranger Things or Stand By Me. The author keeps the tension rolling and closes the story with a bang.
This was an overall entertaining collection and at 133 pages makes for a nice weekend read. I look forward to the next installment of this new mini-anthology series. -
Great short story collection!
Every story in this collection was excellent!!! I highly recommend this book! I am excited to read the author’s other story collections! -
Damn!!
It’s no big secret that I am a fan of Kevin j Kennedy and his anthologies. This one is no different. I love every story so well written. The last story was my favorite by Michael Duke, but every one of them were fantastic. Can’t get enough of these!!!! -
Very Good Collection
The stories in this one were pretty good, really kept my interest piqued. I enjoyed them all, although the one with the critters was a little off. -
As with any short story anthology, I “hope for the best and prepare for the worst.” The Horror Collection 1: The Gold Collection, a compilation of six short stories by authors unfamiliar to me, was no exception.
My personal favorite was “The Man Who Lost Paradise” by JC Michal, a brilliant take on body possession and drug addiction. My second favorite was “Ghost Train” by Mike Duke. A coming of age story reminiscent of Stephen King’s “The Body”, four childhood friends sneak out in the middle of the night when the moon is full to find out for themselves if the ghost train legend truly exists. My least favorite: “The Paperboy” by Amy Cross, a time loop story that did not offer anything new or interesting.
Another short story worth commenting on is “Flesh” by Kevin J Kennedy. This one had so many interesting ideas (i.e., generations of in-breeding among tribe members leading to mutations, evolutionary adaptations that led some animal species to seek shelter deeper and deeper into a cave system, a variation on the zombie trope in which the uneaten leftovers of a cave-dwelling tribe rise from the dead and go after the tribe members). That said, the author tried to pack too many ideas into one short story, diluting the impact of each of these innovative ideas.
One volume down. Fourteen to go. (As of this writing, there are 15 volumes that comprise The Horror Collection). -
This book was an ARC given to me. This is my no spoiler review.
The Paperboy is wonderfully creepy- 5 stars.
The Man Who Lost Paradise is an interesting take on both possession and addiction- 4 stars.
The September Laments of Annaleigh is a dark tale about family life- 3.5 stars.
Flesh is a story of survival- 4 stars.
At Peace Now? is about a lone survivor in an empty city- 5 stars.
Ghost Train; sometimes you just have to see a ghost no matter the consequences- 4 stars.
John Walker is a good narrator, with a strong clear voice who really sells the stories. Overall I give this collection 5 stars -
WOW
This collection of short stories are quite the read. Amy Cross is one of the authors, and she writes a confusing one about a paper boy and an old man. Still haven't figured it out. -
I really liked this book. Sometimes its nice to just have some smaller reads. A story or too you can read in a single sitting. Whilst im 75% complete i feel ive read enough to review. Generally gripping content. From drug overdosed possession to canibles. will most definitely be buying more books in this series and especially looking forward to the extreme edition.
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It was ok
Good read. Will try some mire from this author. I read it in two days so it keeps you interested -
THC Book 1
Ok book. Some stories not that scary, then three or four that really kept you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what was going to happen next..😱 -
Interesting
I really enjoyed this book. All the stories except a few where really good otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.
