| Title | : | The Best of Indie Horror |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 390 |
| Publication | : | First published November 26, 2020 |
Over 100K of new stories by:
Shaun Hutson
Tim Curran
Mark Lukens
Lee Mountford
John R. Little
Andrew Lennon
Calvin Demmer
J.C. Michael
David Owain Hughes
Lee Murray
Christina Bergling
Mark Cassell
Christopher Motz
Mike Duke
Kyle M. Scott
Steven Stacy
Lex Jones
Douglas Hackle
Nicola Lombardi
The Best of Indie Horror Reviews
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Generally, I like to read short stories in between longer reads, so it takes me a long while to make it through an anthology this big. The stories here are creative and the subject matter varies wildly from one to the next. They all offer a window onto the dark side and all that that entails. I liked almost all of these stories, but these are the ones I liked the most:
REFUGE by Lee Mountford. This tale only reinforces what we already know from horror films. Never turn down an isolated dirt/gravel road late at night. The houses that tend to be at the end of those roads are never filled with hospitality, in fact, it's almost always exactly the opposite.
MISDIALE by Mark Lukens is scary at first and then you might feel a false sense of security thinking that it's all rather silly. But then your mind keeps working, thinking about what you might do in the same situation. Creepy and uneasy stuff, right here.
Mike Duke, John R. Little, (I've liked this author since I read his book THE MEMORY TREE, back in the day), Shaun Hutson, Lee Murray and Andy Lennon all contributed great tales to this mix.
GOBSTOPPER by Kyle M. Scott was tale about a desperate boy , tired of being bullied. There's always a massive well of emotions from which to draw horrific narratives when you're talking coming of age stories.
Tim Curran's story knocked my socks off as always, as did Christopher Motz's LOVE ON A ROOFTOP. Sometimes a couple has grown so far apart they can't even see the bridge that originally brought them together. THE DARK SIGN by Christina Bergling was simply magnificent. So well crafted, that it's difficult to fathom how tightly written it really was, not a wasted word anywhere.
THE DUFFLE BAG by Douglas Hackle was freakishly entertaining, disgusting and fun all at once. Bravo!
Finally, my favorite story: THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by Lex H. Jones was a melancholy journey for a father and daughter. Sometimes even the best of fathers run out of choices.
My only issue was that I wish there had been more female authors included within. There was only one here, to the best of my knowledge, but she knocked it out of the park!
Overall, this was a marvelous collection of stories that ran the gamut of the horror genre. Hopeful tales and ones with no hope at all. Gory tales and some without a drop of blood. A bit of Splatterpunk and a smidge of Bizarro. It's all here and you don't want to miss it! Highly recommended!
*Thanks to Andy Lennon for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!* -
For the sake of complete transparency, I’ll start off by saying, Kevin J. Kennedy has been very kind to me in my short writing career. Not only did Kevin send me my first acceptance, I’ve been fortunate enough to appear in four different releases through Kevin J. Kennedy Publishing, including two of his Horror Anthologies.
I’ve always loved Kevin’s packaging both visually but artistically. He has his finger on the pulse of who delivers great stories and so, when he announced the next anthology would be titled ‘The Best of Indie Horror,’ I knew we’d be getting some fantastic short fiction.
Before I dive into my normal format, I do want to say – if you’ve not read any of the previous Kevin J. Kennedy Publishing Anthologies, I highly recommend you do. You’re guaranteed to discover new to you authors who have amazing back catalogs, but also some very familiar names that you’ve already grown to love.
What I liked: ‘The Best of Indie Horror’ features some of the best names out there right now and the highlight here is that every single reader will discover a story inside that will be their personal favorite. I found the quality of stories here outstanding and it shows that Kevin really devotes time and love into these releases. His investment in the quality allows the readers to benefit ten-fold.
For me, the stories from Christina Bergling, Lee Murray and Nicola Lombardi, Mark Cassell, Andrew Lennon and Mark Lukens were superb. Each one crackled and the energy was fantastic. Saying that, there were a few stories that I found to be my personal favorites.
The anthology opens with a really great story from Calvin Demmer. Following a warrior attempting to find paradise, he must complete three tasks to arrive at the desired destination. Each task was written so well that it was a classic Demmer offering: 300 pages of story in only a dozen or so pages. The ending was superb.
Tim Curran’s offering roughly 30% in was another amazing story for me. I wish I could find more stories centered around Urban Exploring as it greatly intrigues me. We get to see a group of UrbEx people head into a place that not many have explored. When they arrive, things go sideways and Curran decides to ramp up the HOLY-HELL horror and we get some stunningly brutal scenes. Well done.
Showing just how solid this anthology is, the final story from Lex H Jones was also one of the best. Featuring a narrative that felt influenced by King’s ‘The Mist,’ we follow a father and daughter trying to survive after sinkholes open and things crawl out. A short story that packed a wallop of action and emotion, I was captivated from start to finish. Jones is such an amazing author and I’ve loved everything I’ve read of his. This one was perfect.
What I didn’t like: As with any anthology, some of the stories won’t resonate with each reader. In this case every story here was a good time, but mileage will vary from reader to reader. My fav may be your least.
Why you should buy this: As I mentioned in the intro, Kevin J. Kennedy keeps churning out great anthologies and this one is no exception. It would be a great place for any reader to dive in and discover new talent, or simply a place to read stories from authors they already enjoy. I loved the mix of plots and tropes and there really wasn’t a let down between one to the next.
Great stuff from a great group of authors and an anthology that I highly recommend! -
I was so excited to see this line up of authors in the Table of Contents of The Best Of Indie Horror presented by Kevin J Kennedy! And many of these titles really sparked my interest.
This collection is another 5 star read for me!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way. I also purchased a copy!
Okay, first things first… I’m OBSESSED with this cover. How amazing is that?! I need a print copy of this one ASAP.
Per usual, here are my quick thoughts on each tale:
Another Warrior in Paradise by Calvin Demmer – 5/5
Oh the promise of Paradise… It just never seems to work out, does it? The second our main character entered the cave, I dreaded seeing what would happen next. Absolutely terrifying!
Refuge by Lee Mountford – 5/5
What a twisted tale! After a group go on the run after a robbery gone wrong, this tale takes a brutal and horrific turn!
Misdiale by Mark Lukens – 5/5
Goodness… the number of times I have accidentally called a wrong number. What a terrifying plot!
Over the Precipice by J.C. Michael- 4/5
My goodness, the anger in this man! Phew!!
Making a Difference by Mike Duke- 5/5
Phew! First of all, what a conversation to have with a bunch of six year olds! That was insanely brutal! Second, what an intense and scary world they all live in!
Martina’s Gelato by John R. Little – 4/5
This poor girl! What a way to spend a birthday…
Cold Blooded by Tim Curran – 4/5
Phew, what an intense tale! I loved not knowing what creature we were dealing with up until the very end.
The Suicide Shagger by David Owain Hughes – 4/5
This guy…. I was so glad to see that he was about to finally change his mindset, but by then it was too late.
On Set with North by Mark Cassell- 4/5
Phew. This one reminded me of Color Out Of Space a bit, but technology based. What a bizarre and creepy tale!
The Black Rock by Andrew Lennon – 4/5
Yessss I loved the path this one took!
The Dark Sign by Christina Bergling – 4/5
Good lord this one was messed up! This poor teenager…
Love on a Rooftop by Christopher Motz – 3/5
My god the anger in these two! I hate them both! What a scary tale to read on a rainy day…
Into the Mystic by Steven Stacy – 3/5
Oh no! Well, that Valentine’s Day certainly took a turn!
The Duffle Bag by Douglas Hackle –
Not one for me.
Gobstopper by Kyle M. Scott – 5/5
My goodness!! I loved this one so much. It was absolutely brutal with the bullying, but that candy shop and the candy the kid walked away with was amazing!
Out of the Strong by Shaun Hutson – 4/5
Go bees! I loved the payback here.
Dreamtime by Lee Murray and Nichola Lombardi – 4/5
What a heartbreaking and terrifying tale! This one started out in such a normal, everyday life scene. I definitely couldn’t have guessed where it was going!
The Edge of the World by Lex H Jones – 5/5
Ah! Another heartbreaking and terrifying tale! This one made me tear up!
My Final Thoughts
Another amazing collection of tales that I would be happy to return to time and time again! I don’t know how Kevin J. Kennedy does it, but he always includes so many killer stories that I just love! -
This is a great collection by some of indie horror’s finest contemporary authors. As stated in the synopsis, The Best of Indie Horror from KJK Publications has no real subgenre theme; the publisher has simply gathered indie horror stories from favored authors. This makes for a truly eclectic collection, full of the unexpected and unimaginable.
These stories range from haunting to brutal to nightmare-inducing. It would be easy to say there is something in here for everyone, and that is true, but I feel the stories individually and this anthology as a whole is more than that. I believe it is more appropriate to say each story brings something different to each reader; each story has its own complexity, depth, flow … its own horrors …
“Another Warrior in Paradise” is a driving story of dark lore while “Refuge” is suspenseful and intense. “Misdiale” is maddening psychological horror and “Over the Precipice” is a dark and sinister tale. “Making a Difference” is the kind of sociological horror that lingers in one’s mind for days while “Martina’s Gelato” is the kind of haunting and compelling story that sucks one’s mind in. “Cold Blooded” is an adventure terror story and “The Suicide Shagger” is just disturbing. “On Set with North” is a bizarre and compellingly intricate story while “The Black Rock” mixes real life horror with dark paranormal elements. “The Dark Sign” is a dark and haunting tale and “Love on a Rooftop” combines dark humor with apocalyptic terrors. “Into the Mystic” is ominous and suspenseful while “The Duffle Bag” is psychological horror with a brutal supernatural twist. “Gobstopper” is brutal and twisted but “Out of the Strong” is twisted and fun. “Dreamtime” has building, compelling dread and “The Edge of the World” is a gut wrencher.
I found entertainment and value in every story, just in different ways and on different levels. This is a horror library must, and incredible value on Kindle—these are not short short stories but fully developed tales. -
The best indeed!
Kept notes after reading every story. Just because I didn't include them doesn't mean they weren't good or interesting. Read for yourself. Totally worth it! Here are the ones that really stood out for me personally but there wasn't a dud in the mix.
Refuge By Lee Mountford:
An awesome story of unintended and unforseen consequences. Mountford delivers! Love that ending where you THINK the bad guy gets away.
Over the Precipice By J. C. Michael:
"Demons walk among us. Creatures monstrous in their actions, but far from the bat-winged, goat-horned, flame spewing monsters of myth and scripture. They are individuals who look like us, yet are not like us. They take people and twist them into tools of destruction. They lure the flawed over the precipice and into the abyss. That is their evil. Their ability to find and encourage the darkness that can so easily be found within us."
Off to a fine start! Great story about a demon taking over. Powerful but ambiguous ending. (Not everyone is a fan of those. I for one, love em!)
Making a Difference By Mike Duke:
A powerful look at maybe the not so distant future? At what happens when we take to heart "an eye for an eye."
It may SOUND good on paper but do we really want people like that having children. Being heroes and looked up to?
The story may be over but the message will stay with me for a long, long time.
Making a note to look for more by this author.
Cold Blooded By Tim Curran:
Wow. This one story.. the slow burn, the awesome death scenes..I'm a fan! Haven't finished the book so I don't want to be premature but THIS is my favorite story so far. Tim Curran is an author I will be looking in to.
The Suicide Shagger By David Owain Hughes:
What can I say about DOH? Disturbed, demented. A good time (lol)
The Dark Sign By Christina Bergling:
Anything by Christina is a treat. Could be a shopping list. You WILL be entertained.
The only even remotely bad thing I can say about this story is that I wanted more! For my own selfish entertainment reasons though. Not because the author failed to convey anything.
Love the secrecy of Juno. Would jump at the chance to read anything about how she came to the state she did. Not trying to share spoilers so I will stop there. There is a curse of sorts going on. Is there a way to break it? How did it come to pass? Why would you do this to me Christina! Also, thanks for the awesome story! :)
Love on a Rooftop By Christopher Motz:
A bitter marriage ends at the same time a flood of Biblical proportions hits. Can the marriage be salvaged once and for all?
Love the humor in this one. Despite the horror it had me laughing as well. Love horror, love it even more when an author can make you laugh one second and be scared the next. Noting the name of this author so I can find more titles by him when I've finished this one.
The Duffle Bag by Douglas Hackle:
What a strange and awesome story! Loved the ending even though it got me some funny looks in a doctors office. Oh well.I was amused and that's all that matters.
Gobstopper by Kyle M. Scott:
Always a treat to read a story by Kyle M Scott. In Gobstopper we are treated to a coming of age story mixed with an killer revenge story. Not trying to give away spoilers so let's move along.
(Kyle Scott's name was a factor in picking this anthology)
Dreamtime By Lee Murray and Nicola Lombardi:
What an odd and interesting story. Enjoyed it.
The Edge of the World By Lex H Jones:
This story alone is worth all five stars. <3 Looks like the author has some anthology contributions as well as a novel. Definitely looking forward to reading more by him. What he did in this short story..it takes some authors many more words to accomplish what Jones did and this is why I'll always say that short stories deserve far more credit than they are given. -
An awesome collection of shorts and a chance to discover some new authors. All of these shorts were good but some of these really stuck with me.
-
The Best of Indie Horror
What an excellent line up of authors, some I had read their work before and others I'd been wanting to read something by. This book also introduced me to some new authors I hadn't heard of. The stories were all good, overall this was a very enjoyable read and one I'd definately recommend -
The Best of Indie Horror
Presented by Kevin J. Kennedy, Contributors: Calvin Demmer, Lee Mountford, Mark Lukens, J.C. Michaels, Mike Duke, John R. Little, Tim Curran, David Owain Hughes, Mark Cassel, Andrew Lennon, Christina Bergling, Christopher Motz, Steven Stacy, Douglas Hackle, Kyle M. Scott, Shaun Hutson, Lee Murray & Nicola Lombardi, Lex H. Jones
Genre - Fiction/Horror/Anthology/Short Stories
Format - Digital (mobi)
Pages - 390
Publication Information - KJK Publishing, November 26, 2020, ASIN: B08P7NQWZ7
Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Reviewed by - William C. Bitner, Jr.
https://booksinmylibraryblog.wordpres...
This has got to be one of the best anthologies I’ve read in some time. Within are a vast and eclectic array of stories from the horror genre and subgenres, and penned by some of the very best contemporary Indie Authors out there. I’ve been lucky enough to have read at least one other story/book/novel, etc. from each of these authors in the past and am happy to say that they have all continued their masterful wordsmanship or have outdone themselves with this publication. If you are a collector of horror anthologies you will want to add this one to your library. As I’ve said before about this format, it’s a wonderful way to be introduced to new and interesting authors you may not have heard of or have been wanting to read but weren’t sure where to start with their work. It’s also a great way to maintain a copy of some of your favorite authors all in one publication. Kevin J. Kennedy has put together some wonderful, artistic and meaty collections, most of which I’m happy to say I’ve had the pleasure of reading. I think this is one of his best groupings. He has a wonderful eye, ear, insight and a great deal of knowledge when it comes to putting together these publications. You will find just about anything and everything within the pages of this fabulous collection. You will not be disappointed.
From the back cover - After releasing several best-selling anthology series, I wanted to do something new. Having worked with a tremendous number of authors over the years, I decided to gather some of my favourites together and do an unthemed book. This book is the result of that idea. Inside the cover, you will find an array of styles covering a wealth of sub genres. I present you with, The Best of Indie Horror.
Contents of this book - Another Warrior in Paradise by Calvin Demmer, Refuge by Lee Mountford, Misdiale by Mark Lukens, Over the Precipice by J.C. Michael, Making a Difference by Mike Duke, Martina’s Gelato by John R. Little, Cold Blooded by Tim Curran, The Suicide Shagger by David Owain Hughes, On Set with North by Mark Cassell, The Black Rock by Andrew Lennon, The Dark Sign by Christine Bergling, Love on a Rooftop by Christopher Motz, Into the Mystic by Steven Stacy, The Duffle Bag by Douglas Hackle, Gobstopper by Kyle M. Scott, Out of the Strong by Shaun Hutson, Dreamtime by Lee Murray & Nicloa Lombardi, The Edge of the World by Lex H. Jones. -
This book was absolutely fantastic I loved it. I love horror books and this book was awesome. It’s a huge collection of eighteen creepy, spooky, horror stories by eighteen different talented authors. I love reading short horror stories and the fact that book is full of them is absolutely perfect. If you love horror stories you should definitely check out this one it’s absolutely amazing.
Another warrior in paradise by Calvin Demmer. Tells the story of a young man belonging to an African tribe who goes through a series of trials to prove himself worthy to the tribe and to be allowed to ascend to paradise with all the other honoured warriors and restore honour to his family name, he must compete alongside four other warriors by decapitating a rival tribesmen, be the first to complete a disgusting meal of animal body parts and fight to death. He wins the trials and expects his reward of entry to paradise only to realise Paradise was all a lie all the tribes do these sort of rituals to find someone worthy enough to sacrifice to the giant spider. Poor Senghor really never got a break in life. I enjoyed this story.
Refuge by Lee Mountford when four acquaintances are on the run from the police after a robbery gone wrong gets to young people killed they think they have problems but for Troy, Terrence, Curtis and Amber more trouble waits for them as they come across a isolated cabin they storm the house hold the family hostage but are unnerved by the family’s strange calmness and being exploring the house only to discover a horrifying secret they sacrificed one of their sons in a ritual to summon some kind of demonic spirit into the world Saleos. The demonic creature attacks the robbers and family killing them all except Terrence with plans to have him feed him more souls. Now this was a really good story the horror of the family willing to sacrifice one of their children to bring a creature into the world Is definitely one kind of horror definitely enjoyed reading this story.
Misdiale by Mark Lukens tells the story of a young man Craig trying to call his friend Ty ends up dialing the wrong number and the old guy who answers isn’t happy and ends up harassing him, for days constantly calling his house phone, then his cellphone even when Craig gets a new cell phone doesn’t stop the guy, he breaks into Craig’s house kills his cat and ends up later kidnapping Criag and burying him alive. All because he called him and bothered him. Talk about crazy but still a intriguing story to read.
Over the precipice by JC Michael tells the story of a demon in human disguise reads the minds of humans although their thoughts usually bore him with their simplicity but in one human mind catches his interested by the amount of hate filling this man thoughts,Andrew he listens to Andrews thoughts on everyone and is deeply pleased by the amount of hate inside the man, this man full of racist, sexists, homophobic and psychopathic thoughts they meet and he offers him a interesting deal. Not a bad story I enjoyed reading it.
Making a difference by Mike Duke set in a futuristic dystopian world Albert is talking to his daughter and her classmates at a bring your dad to school day where he goes into details of what his job is as an avenger of death that for murderers, rapists and pedophiles he gets to torture them before executing them. He tells them how he came into this profession from his own experience of punishing his older brother who molested him as a child and later molested and killed his son and was offered the job for avenger. A dark twisted tale I very much enjoyed reading this story.
Martina’s gelato by John R Little tells the story of Tanya a woman heading to a family cabin after her boyfriend breaks up with her, while driving through a storm gets lost and comes across an old ice cream store the elderly couple talk about their deceased daughter Susie who committed suicide after her boyfriend broke her heart, they seek to replace her with Tanya and posion the ice cream if that ain’t creepy enough they’re actually ghosts which explains the seventies decorated shop covered in dust. A very intriguing story to read.
Cold blooded by Tim Curran when a group of acquaintances are doing documentaries on exploring ghost towns and abandoned buildings summer, Moxie, Kronk, Bruce, Pugman and Shriek explore Silver Craig but get more than they bargain for when a creature attacks them killing them off one by one until only Moxie is left she discovers the creature is a vampire named Mrs Vorga whom they awoke and now she’s the vampires slave. I really enjoyed reading this one it was a great horror story.
The suicide Shagger by David Owain Hughes is an Ironic horror story. About a man whose wife leaves him, takes the dog and gets with the milkman Fred his former best man. He sinks into depression loses his job and decides to go hang him self off a bridge only to be stopped by a kind woman whom he has a sexual encounter which becomes a routine for him he tries new ways to Jill himself gets stopped by a woman has sex with and repeat. Until he gets the reputation as the sad man and finds a woman that actually makes him stop his sad thoughts but she kills him because she believes he won’t be happy with anyone and loves him enough to end his suffering talk about an ironic ending. Loved it.
On set with North by Mark Cassell tells the story of Jason and Duncan North are heading to where a movie is being filmed but they discovered dead bodies all over and learn that experimental technology has attached itself to Gabe and chases them seeking to absorb them after a chance that leads them to being absorbed the melded creature they’ve become seeks to absorb more. A very interesting sci fi horror story.
The black rock by Andrew Lennon tells the story of Brad who gets bullied a lot and stands up for himself when he discovers a rock that vibrates gaining him confidence as the years go by he kept the rock, in high school he gets four new bullies that with the help of the rock he kills them and gets away with it, he moves onto university but he’s changed he’s dangerous and becomes popular out of fear he becomes a bully with his own cronies and ends up killing another student he was bullying more time goes by and he is a unsatisfied adult not happy with his dead end job his abusive to his wife and son until one day his son kills him with the rock he found as a child to make his bully stop, talk about full circle irony right here but very entertaining to read.
The dark sign by Christina Bergling has a lot to do with the crab horoscope Cancer in this story. Brad and Sadie are teenage siblings with Helen a drunk and their father Dave, it’s no surprise to Brad that Helen absolutely hates his guts and often refers to him as bastard and he knows she’s not his biological mother because he and Sadie are only four months apart. The family are at their dads family beach house and Helen is in a foul mood. Turns out that Dave cheated on Helen when she was pregnant with Sadie with a chick he picked up on the beach she got pregnant but died giving birth so Helen agreed to raise him but hates him because he is a reminder of her husband’s infidelity. Sadie and Brad go to a beach party and he meets a girl named Juno whom he has sex with at the beach and later in the home, she tells him to keep Sadie out of the cottage and will kill his parents only to be horrified by her monstrous transformation into a giant crab creature and hear his father recognise her Juno signalling she’s his mother that’s why she knew so much about him. This was definitely a different kind of horror you’ve got the deceased shapeshifter crab creature element to this horror on top of she slept with her son element talk about gross definitely a horror this one.
Love on the rooftop by Christopher Motz tells the story of two people during a raining storm that has lasted for months flooding the whole area Brad Collins and his ex wife Susan are trapped together which for him is worse than the world ending in his mind with her nonstop insults and nagging his only relief is when they get thrown into the water he can swim and she cannot the end of the world is what it takes to get her to shut up and be free of her. This was definitely dark story I enjoyed reading it.
Into the mystic by Steven Stacy by sandy a yoga teacher is dating Jimmy a waiter they make plans for Valentine’s Day but she starts receiving creepy valentines notes and cards thinking it’s Jimmy playing a prank but soon discovers it isn’t him or a joke no it’s Louise from her yoga class she and Jimmy had an affair and she’s pregnant but he won’t have her because Sandy is in the way so she has to get rid of her. Love triangles can be deadly. This was a thriller horror but I loved reading it.
The duffle bag by Douglas Hackle tells the story of a therapist session between Dr Bruner and his patient Ben Fisher who always carry’s a black duffle bag. Ben had a breakdown after the death of his girlfriend, he researches her cultures lore and finds a way to summon her spirit but what comes isn’t her spirit but a demonic succubus with a creepy sexual encounter that leads him to have a supernaturally elongated penis of course telling the Dr this he doesn’t believe him until he shows him for himself that’s what was hidden in the duffle bag shocking the doctor. A interesting story.
Gobstopper by Kyle M Scott. This story was my absolute favourite one in this collection. David is a young primary school aged boy he has abusive drunk parents his older brother fled with the promise they will be together again when he’s older and leaves him some old books and teaches him about religion and prayer which David does asking for help. At school he is bullied badly by Ronnie and his cronies. He stops in a new candy store with an elderly man whom gives him hot gobstoppers with a warning to give them to only those who deserve it, David understands his dark meaning and tricks Ronnie into having one and watches as he boils to death he keeps the last two for his parents he gives a thankful prayer to…. Lucifer. That’s right his brother taught him satanic religion and prayed to Lucifer who answered his call for revenge. Loved this horror story the death scene was graphic and gory loved it.
Out of the strong by Shaun Hutson tells the story of a unhappy married woman named Lucy her husband Andy is obsessed with bees. She is having an affair with Paul Webber and brings him home when her husband is away in Paris for a business trip they kill bee and get attacked by the rest of the bees killing them at the same time in Paris Andy is smiling a creepy story.
Dreamtime by Lee Murray and Nicola Lambardi tells the story of Anna, her husband Steven and their twelve year old daughter Linda who wakes them up crying because she gets her first period and had dreams of a girl named Emily, Anna’s deceased sister whom haunts Linda with watery apparitions until she resides inside of Linda making Anna happy to have a second chance with her sister and horrifying Steven who hated Emily because she was nothing but a burden and was thankful for her death by drowning in a boating accideny accident over a decade ago. Interesting and intriguing story.
The edge of the world by Lex H Jones Kyle is a widowed single father his wife died of cancer a few years ago leaving him to raise their daughter sally as a single father. But one day things changed a quake, unnatural silence the appearance of sink holes all over the world and some kind of creature comes out of it eating people and others mutating he takes his daughter and flees heading to the coast but he learns the horror is spread worldwide on the way both him and his daughter are infected and are surrounded the story ends with him grabbing for his gun and promising his daughter that they will be home soon and the story ends kind of abruptly but heavily implied that he will shoot his daughter and himself before they become like the rest of the infected creature. This is definitely a horror story I really enjoyed reading this story. -
The Best of Indie Horror is a huge collection of Indie Horror with names such as Mark Cassell, Lex H Jones and Shaun Hutson to name a few. This is definitely a collection to behold with some great talent in it.
For me, unfortunately I struggled to get through this collection at first. It’s not for a lack of talent as I know the work of many of these Authors, although some were new to me. I just for some reason didn’t gel with as many of the stories at the start of the book as I did with those towards the end of the book.
Luckily, I refuse to ever put an innocent book down, so I pressed on and I’m glad I did. With a collection this size, you are never going to enjoy every single story. I read them all because I kind of have to. It’s unfair to pick out favourite stories in a review if you’ve skipped half of them the moment you didn’t exactly gel with the subject or perhaps the writing style. So I read everything I’m given just incase a story surprises me – which has happened before.
My favourites in this book have to be the following;
The Suicide Shagger by David Owain Hughes – I enjoyed this story as it deals well with the principle of what’s going on and the fact that suicide is not a happy subject but yet manages to bring humour into the story also. I felt like I’d read this before and I’m not sure if that’s because it’s been in a previous collection or if it was just one of those put your feet up and enjoy it stories so it felt familiar somehow. Either way it was a good bit of fun to break up the stories at the from of the book and those towards the end of the book. Bit of a tone change and a nice welcome distraction.
On Set with North by Mark Cassell – As always, Cassell brings it to the table. A fantastic story with amazing imagery, this is not one to be ignored. What I like about Cassell’s stories is that I have enough artistic license over the imagery as a reader to avoid reading 65 pages about what one particular leaf looks like, but yet the writing is so strong that I am transported to the area and following like a fly on the wall even so. The fact that Cassell always brings action to his horror makes this a nicely paced thrill ride.
Gobstopper by Kyle M Scott – I liked this one because there’s something of a Dark Willy Wonka about it, that and it reminds me of one of my favourite ever childhood sweets, and it made me want to eat said sweets. Alas, I did not get them as I’m not even sure they make them anymore. Again the imagery was nicely done in this one, a more simple environment than Cassell’s story but one that easily flows into the reader’s mind along with the story.
Out of the Strong by Shaun Hutson – This was a brilliant story. I was really pleased that I got a string of stories I could get on with, and this one has bee keeping! The pay off at the end of the story was brilliant, the imagery fantastic and just something really enjoyable to read. I don’t think I’ve read Hutson’s work before but I’ll try to make sure I do it again. This took a fairly simple idea and ran with it and worked out brilliantly.
And last but not least, my favourite of the book and the best way it could possibly have ended The Edge of the World by Lex H Jones. Bleakly does it, Jones brings imagery and horror to his tale as he doesn’t shy away from the gore with this one. The world is ending and the tone shows it, we watch a Father do the only thing he can do in the worst possible situation. And with that, the story and the book end together.
One thing I do like and what I’ve mentioned before is that whether I’ve enjoyed every story or liked the writing style of every author, Kevin J Kennedy sure knows how to pick them! Not just the selection, but the order he places the stories and the tone of each story all work brilliantly together to bring us to the end of the book. I definitely enjoyed this book, as much as it took me some time to reach the end of it, and I’d recommend it.
As always, if you’ve read this book and you favoured other stories over my selections then let me know. Let’s chat books! -
Grab bag of horror…
Recommend by a fellow reader on here… to say I was so excited to see this line up of authors in the Table of Contents of The Best Of Indie Horror presented by Kevin J Kennedy! And many of these titles really sparked my interest. Truly eclectic collection, full of the unexpected and unimaginable, ranging from haunting, to brutal, to nightmare-inducing, there’s is something in here for everyone. Totally worth the read. -
An interesting collection
This book was recommended to me on Goodreads. I really enjoyed the stories and they were varied in their content.
If you enjoy thrillers or indie horror you'll enjoy most of these. Like all good horror stories, a few I'm still thinking about. However, there were also a few that fell flat. There were also a few that, despite excellent plots, were let down by weak writing.
Overall though I really enjoyed the collection and will look for more KJK Publications. -
I got this through kindleunlimited, and wow. I told myself I'd buy it if I bookmarked 3 stories, and I did 7. Excellent, no 'creepy stuff happens for no reason the end' tales. Very good.
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Trash
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Stories Ended Too Soon
Most of the stories were pretty good, but some of them ended just when they started to get good! There were strange endings too, endings that left me feeling very unsatisfied.
