| Title | : | Campfire Macabre |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 310 |
| Publication | : | First published December 31, 2020 |
Campfire Macabre Reviews
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Horror readers looking for a who's who in indie horror fiction as well as some new, up and coming voices need to buy this anthology! The submission call to CAMPFIRE MACABRE was for 500-1,000 word stories in a variety of horror sub-genres. Editor, Joe Sullivan states in the introduction, "Each of the five sections seeks to deliver a mini-anthology experience."
It's my opinion that this book delivers on just that.
I was able to breeze effortlessly through each section on a long three-day weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this book listening to the wide range of storytelling voices.
Here's a breakdown of the entire TOC.
“The Forever Awful House” Cynthia Pelayo- this was a creepy piece about "that house" where all the bad things happen. It made me wonder how many of those houses are out there and we just drive or walk past them every day.
Spook Houses
“Best Friends Forever” Priya Chand- Wasps have always freaked me out!
“Making a Believer” Chad Lutzke- The ending made my jaw drop.
“RV” Mark Cowling- I was not expecting where this one went.
“Best House” Donyae Coles- I loved the theme of denial.
“Sound Never Lasts” Corey Farrenkopf- This is the perfect example of very short fiction that makes the reader thirst for more.
“The Words in the House” R.K. Duncan- This is had an effective literary device I enjoyed
“The Annex” Lisa Short- again, I wanted more with this one. I got a glimpse of something, a piece of the larger narrative but I want to see what happened!
“Cabin Fever” Sydney Richardson-immediately creepy and felt complete.
“Ride Like the Devil” Jason Parent- I love Jason Parent's storytelling. Just a quick, tight, horror tale.
“Keepers of the Light” Sonora Taylor- I thought the ghost lights were so unique! I'd love to see a little graphic novel of this.
“Lullaby” Trevor Tolliver- succinct; dark.
Supernatural Slashers
“Final Girl” Derek Austin Johnson- this was brilliant. I really enjoyed it.
“A Sleepwalker’s Hands” Corey Farrenkopf- This had an urban legend feel. Like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
“Scabby Abby” Lana Cooper- CREEPY!! I enjoyed this one.
“So Many Teeth” Jon Gauthier- I loved this! The ending was so visual and terrifying
“The Crayfish God” Kevin Lucia- My first time reading Kevin's work-I enjoyed it. It gave me the willies.
“All the Makings” Glen Krisch- Interesting take on a ghost/haunting story
“House of Summons” Yolanda Sfetsos- Another little story that felt like a snippet from a much larger universe. Curious if Yolanda has developed this one into a longer story?
“Collateral Damage” John Lynch- I've read this one before and it has an especially visual "jump scare"
“A Busy Season” Adam Godfrey- "The baby was hungry" Adam Godfrey has chops! I liked this intro to his work
“The Sharp Edge of Midnight” Tim Waggoner- in classic Waggoner fashion, this one delivers on the scares-loved the POV
Witchcraft
“I Believe in Witches” Matthew Stott- I liked the idea of the repeated curse here. Well done!
“Bernard” Ky Huddleston- This was so immersive--I enjoyed it.
“The Art of Darkness” Regina Garza Mitchell- This one made me a bit sad...until the end.
“The Girl in the Window” Patrick R. McDonough- An interesting urban-legend.
“The Lake of Poppets” Jessica Ann York- Creepy kids up to no good are always my favorite stories
“A Little Justice” Ali Seay- I just enjoy Ali's storytelling. I'm a big fan. This one is quick and nasty
“Eye of Newt” Jessica McHugh- Jessica's narrative drew me in immediately with its special quality.
“Swallowing the Fire” V. Castro- V. Castro can tell me stories about brujas, ghost worlds, and ancestors all day, every day
“Manhunter” Eddie Generous- Despite some awkward word choices, I enjoyed this conjuring tale; scary
“My Evening with the Witch” Brandon Scott--I liked this one "unshackled my spine" was a particularly cool visual
“The Hag’s Gift” Villimey Mist- My first time reading Villimey and it did not disappoint! Some disturbing, gross-out moments
Within the Woods
“The Shimmer of Trees” Eric J. Guignard- I've read enough of Guignard's brand of horror that this was easily recognizable as his own. I loved it.
“Blackjack” Kealan Patrick Burke- The same goes for Kealan. I fancy myself a bit of a KPB aficionado at this point. I think out of all the stories, this one is the most "Campfire Tale"
“Fruiting Bodies” Jude Reid- ugh, just the title was grossing me out, and then the story was also quite visual. Ew, spores. *shivers*
“Its Black and Beating Heart” Robert S. Wilson- I like the style and mood here
“The Wishing Box” Michael Harris Cohen- ugh, this one made my tummy feel sick. I actually played hide and go seek once and hid in an old refrigerator that locked from
“Boys and Girls Come Out to Play” Beverley Lee-One of my favorites from the collection. I love the POV and the atmosphere of this one. Beautiful prose.
“Dewdrops and Blood” Sara Tantlinger- TERRIFYING! Bev and Sara's back to back pieces made for some spine chilling moments. This little tale packs a punch.
“The Bird with the Clownish Plumage” Hailey Piper- Ugh, why is any horror that involves clowns already so unsettling? This story disturbs.
“Heartwood” doungjai gam- I love when inexperienced people dabble in witchcraft/black magic. The result is always so unpredictable.
“Instructions for the Broken Hearted Who Venture into Devil’s Horn Woods” Tiffany Michelle Brown
This was fun. Written like a Wilderness Survival Guide for some Haunted/Spooky woods.
“Her Favorite Story” John Timm- So much building dread for such a short tale!
Cemetery Chillers
“Silence Which Comforted Me” Eugie Foster- I couldn't remember this story so I went back to read it and I smiled. I saw "maggots" and skimmed through. Because--maggots.
“Waking the Dead” Monique Youzwa- This one is hard/sad. Trigger: Animal cruelty. Moral of the story: Don't fuck with cats. I liked the ending.
“The Intern” Michael J. Moore- A fellow Washingtonian! (Is that how you spell that? I'm new here) Visceral/Immersive. I liked this story and trying to figure out where it was going.
“On Halloween Night” Janine Pipe- My girl, Janine!! I love that this story starts off, "Here we come, bitches!" This is classic Janine. There are some nods in this story that are just so sweet-you might see some familiar names. This was a fun story that feels authentic.
“Death Toll” Alex Ebenstein- Ugh, so sad! The last words of this story. *frown* I love when an author can pack so much underlying emotion in the sub-text. Especially in a quick story!
“Midnight Snack” Angela Sylvaine- Another favorite. I love a damned good revenge story.
“The Grave Listeners” Andrew Cull- It's always special when Andrew treats his fans to child protagonists-It's his wheelhouse.
“I Would Have Rescued Them All” R.J. Joseph- After loving, RING SHOUT so much last year, I was excited to see another OwnVoices story with haint folklore. I love Joeseph's storytelling voice. I'll be checking out more of her work.
“Hunger” S.H. Cooper- This feels like the beginning or section of a whole novella! Could read more.
“Shattered World” Kenneth W. Cain- Aww, another sad one. I love how this anthology is good at bouncing the reader's feelings back and forth.
“Up from Under” Tyler Jones- Okay, this one got me! I felt like I was really there with Sam and it made me think about people who really do work in the business of the dead. Just...no. Never. Why?
“We Need Your Donations!” Elford Alley- A great ending! I loved the novelty of this piece. -
I devoured this creepy collection in just a couple of sittings. As with any anthology, some stories are stronger than others, but the good outweighs the bad here. There were plenty of excellent stories, and very few that just didn't work.
Highlights include:
Cynthia Pelayo's poetic analysis of the lure of creepy houses, "The Forever Awful House" starts off the collection.
"The Annex" by Lisa Short is one of the creepiest stories, about a haunted school building and a mean teacher.
Derek Austin Johnson's "Final Girl" delves into what happens to the titular heroine after that fateful night.
"Scabby Abby" by Lana Cooper is a new take on the Bloody Mary myth.
"So Many Teeth" by Jon Gauthier upset me due to , but it was also genuinely unnerving and another of the book's creepiest stories.
"The Sharp Edge of Midnight" by Tim Waggoner answers the question what would happen if a bunch of masked slashers couldn't find any victims.
Ali Seay doles out just desserts in a modern take on Hansel and Great in "A Little Justice."
V. Castro's "Swallowing the Fire" is beautifully written.
Eddie Generous's "Manhunter" tells the story of what became of the missing friend of a group of boys.
"The Bird With the Clownish Plumage" by Hailey Piper is a wonderfully strange tale of killer clowns on Halloween night.
S.H. Cooper's "Hunger" inverts a classic trope in an unexpected way.
Finally, the book concludes on an amusing note with Elford Ailey's "We Need Your Donations!"
Those are personal favorites, but there are many more entertaining entries in this collection, and every horror fan is sure to find something they like here. -
Campfire Macabre is a giant collection of flash fiction horror stories from various indie authors. The themes of the stories are split into six categories. Haunted Houses, Supernatural Slashers, Witchcraft, Within the Woods and Cemetery Chillers. There's a wide array of talents on display. Like most anthologies with over 50 authors, it's hit or miss overall.
I wouldn't say there were any bad stories, so much as it's very challenging for authors to write compelling and complete stories in so few words. Flash fiction isn't for everyone and that's okay. That said, it can be a good way to get a feel for an author's style without much commitment. The stories in the collection aren't the greatest on their own, but they're a good way of discovering modern talents within the genre.
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If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs... -
Really enjoyed this collection on short stories. They are split into different categories- Spooky Houses, Supernatural Slashers, Witchcraft, Within The Woods and Cametery Chillers. Each section providing enough for any horror fan.
Tons of different stories from new indie writers and seasoned pros. -
There are almost too many good stories/story tellers in this book of outdoorsy horror that I feel bad calling out favorites.
Here are some highlights none the less:
One of my favorite settings for horror is, you guessed it, a cemetery. So the stories in that section were incredibly appealing and I wasn’t disappointed.
I especially loved S.H. Cooper’s Hunger and Shattered World by Kenneth W. Cain. Both revolve around families and providing, albeit in very different ways. Excellent characters in such short stories.
Janine Pipe’s On Halloween Night was full of violence, drugs, and a freak lightning storm. It was quick like a sucker punch and that’s kind of how I felt after reading it. Especially, the death scenes...brilliant!
And I have to mention Hailey Piper’s The Bird with the Clownish Plumage because...well...clowns. The idea that clowns are born and that there breeds?? No, not just a little scary, but mind numbingly terrifying!
“Bozorica breed!” Hope cried, clapping giddy hands. “Ooh, and Hyenazus! Rarely see bone-eaters this far north.”
Although I only mentioned a few these were all sweet little horrifying morsels that I thoroughly enjoyed! -
I rarely give multiple-author anthologies a 5 out of 5, but Campfire Macabre earned it. It’s filled with an astounding number of flash fiction horror stories–500-1000 words long each. If you enjoy both horror and the short-short story, you should absolutely read this book.
The anthology is divided into several themed sections. The first is “Spook Houses,” followed by “Supernatural Slashers,” “Witchcraft,” “Within the Woods,” and “Cemetery Chillers.” This is a great way to provide both some variety in story and topic, while keeping things themed enough to please those of us who like themed anthologies. The haunted house section includes wasps in the walls, the creation of a haunted house, a woman’s sacrifices for her music, and a haunted lighthouse. The slashers include an urban legend tale, a critter with a lot of teeth, a giant crayfish(!), a dead woman’s special recipe being made by her widower husband, a really interesting summoned demon tale, and a hungry pregnant woman. Witch stories involve some revenge, some favor-seeking, some desperate spells, and an old woman who keeps stealing her neighbor’s milk deliveries. Woods tales tell of a baby found in the woods, a mysterious giant tree, and an old abandoned freezer. Cemetery tales include multiple ways and types of life beyond the grave: I know that sounds pretty basic, but there are some powerful stories in here.
So many of these stories are quite wonderful; I’ll just touch on a few of my favorites plus a few notes here and there.
A couple of these stories could do with either being a bit longer to wrap things up, or being re-written to be much longer stories on the whole. For instance, I really hope Sonora Taylor decides to write a longer version of her haunted lighthouse story, “Keepers of the Light.” I felt like it needed (and was worth) more depth; that there was more story there to be experienced. On the “just a bit longer please” end of the spectrum is Adam Godfrey’s “A Busy Season,” in which a pregnant woman has some interesting cravings. I really wanted to see where this was going! As for Sara Tantlinger’s “Dewdrops and Blood,” I desperately wanted to know what mistake had turned the local Puca against the characters.
One of my frequent complaints about horror stories regards the stories that make perfect sense right up until the ending, when the author decides to throw something in that suddenly clouds or confuses the issue, or sends the story off in a weird direction with no time to spend on it. Derek Austin Johnson’s “Final Girl” was one of these–I absolutely loved the story, but the ending got a little confusing.
Corey Farrenkopf’s “A Sleepwalker’s Hands” is a flash fiction about someone who keeps waking up to find people’s lost items in their bedroom. I absolutely love where this one goes. Hailey Piper’s “The Bird With the Clownish Plumage” is a wonderful, wild story about two kids dressed up as clowns on Halloween, and the feral clowns they encounter in the woods. “Heartwood,” by doungjai gam, is a really neat story about two girls making up spells in the woods.
“The Intern,” by Michael J. Moore, could have leaned into its seemingly stereotypical story of an older, married lawyer who slept with his intern after a few drinks, but it ended up being more interesting than that, and I loved where it went. Monique Youzwa’s “Waking the Dead” and Kenneth W. Cain’s “Shattered World” were particularly powerful, for very different reasons. One shows the strength of hatred, while the other explores the consequences of grief. S.H. Cooper’s “Hunger” similarly could have fallen into a cliche but turned out to be really fun.
Ali Seay’s “A Little Justice” sees a woman named Heather who’s driving through a snowstorm while trying to figure out how to break it to her boyfriend–who’s sitting next to her–that she knows he’s cheating on her. This may be the first time I’ve met another Heather in literature whom I could enjoy relating to!
If you enjoy most types of horror, you’ll find plenty of excellent authors and stories in here. It might introduce you to a few new names to look up!
Content note: suicide, homicide, blood, a couple of slurs, child death, and general horror story mischief.
Original review posted on my blog:
https://www.errantdreams.com/2021/05/... -
So many good authors here!
As with every anthology (and especially one with 50+ short stories like this), some stories were way better than others. And it's not necessarily my preference for stories to be this short (I prefer stories longer than 5 pages overall) but this was still so fun. What a great range of moods, writing styles, and creep factors. So far I've loved everything John Brhel has edited. -
This book is a collection of short (some, very short) horror stories. It’s divided in 6 sections: Spooky Houses, Supernatural Slashers, Witchcraft, Within the Woods and Cemetery Chillers. As always, in a book of varied authors, styles and stories some are good some not so good. I can recall some that I liked more than others like The Annex by Lisa Short, Keepers of the Light by Sonora Taylor, A Sleepwalker’s Hands by Corey Farrenkopf, The Lake of Poppets by Jessica Ann York, Blackjack by Kealan Patrick Burke, Boys and Girls Come Out to Play by Beverley Lee, Death Toll by Alex Ebenstein, Hunger by S. H. Cooper and Up From Under by Tyler Jones. The art cover of this book is really good and it was what attracted me to it.
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I’ve been reading a lot of anthologies lately, especially horror. Big fan of the short story format here. The nice thing about anthologies is that if you don’t like one story, you can skip over it, and jump into the next. With that being said, there were hardly any stories in this anthology CAMPFIRE MACABRE, that I found myself skipping over. Good stories all the way, lots of scares, lots of just unique ideas, dark takes on the traditional “campfire yarn,” all created in a very short-short format, called “Flash Fiction.” All well written in their own ways, but some of my favorites were these: “Final Girl” Derek Austin Johnson; “Blackjack” Kealan Patrick Burke; “The Shimmer of Trees” Eric J. Guignard; “Dewdrops and Blood” Sara Tantlinger; and “Swallowing the Fire” V. Castro.
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Review to come!
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Nice and creepy collection
As with all anthologies some stories were better than others. In this collection there were more really good stories than mediocre ones. -
Campfire Macabre is a flash fiction anthology that draws a pentagram with five themes - Spook Houses, Supernatural Slashers, Witchcraft, Within the Woods, and Cemetery Chillers.
There's some really fun stuff in here. I rather enjoyed "Eye of Newt" by Jessica McHugh which is more than just a story about storytelling. I love the relationships in "The Lake of Poppets" by Jessica Ann York and the witchcraft is excellent. "The Shimmer of Trees" by Eric J. Guignard has some lovely writing and an excellent setting. The monsters are fun, too. "Blackjack” by Kealan Patrick Burke is a nicely encapsulated and framed folk tale. "Fruiting Bodies" by Jude Reid is grotesque and somehow both tragic and hopeful. "The Bird with the Clownish Plumage" by Hailey Piper is one of the best coulrophobia stories I've read, if that niche sub-genre does it for you. In the Cemetery Chillers section, "Silence Which Comforted Me" by Eugie Foster is an excellent, grotesque prose poem to open the graveyard. I thoroughly enjoyed my time grazing through this flash buffet. -
A creepy collection of flash fiction
This anthology is jam-packed with scary short stories, the best of which subvert your expectations with clever twists. Even the stories where you feel you know where they’re going are well-written and ramp up the creep factor. And best of all, there’s lots of them, so there’s something for everyone! -
This was a great collection of horror Flash fiction. I liked that it was broken up into different subjects. This had a great mix of established authors and some I’ve never heard of before. There wasn’t really a bad story in the bunch.
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Wow, January 4th to October 4th. I've been quite busy and this sat on the digital shelf between readings multiple times. But here I am at the finish line. A good antho of flash horror.
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Overall I really enjoyed reading these stories. At first I was worried about the word limitation but it ended being perfect. Whenever I had a quick minute I'd pick this up.
Found some really great ones in here and new authors to check out. I call that a win!
Here's a breakdown of the stories and how I felt about them:
The Forever Awful House by Cynthia Pelayo
3 stars. Not actually sure if this should be rated. It's a great intro to the upcoming subgenre.
Spook Houses
Best Friends Forever by Priya Chand
2 stars. This is on me. POV from a child. But it was also just... lacking. Maybe if it'd been longer...?
Making a Believer by Chad Lutzke
4 stars. Oh snap. One way to teach someone... D: (Love Lutzke's work. Even with something so short he does a great job.)
RV by Mark Cowling
4 stars. Ends creepy. Going to be making some different calls now!
Best House by Donyae Coles
3 stars. Just a bit of denial. I actually wanted this to be a little longer...
Sounds Never Last by Corey Farrenkopf
5 stars. Wow. This is a great one. Poor guy. Will check out more by this author.
The Words in the House by R.K. Duncan
4 stars. Chilling. Will check out more by this author.
The Annex by Lisa Short
4 stars. Really enjoyed this. So well done. Creepy. As said above: will check out more.
Cabin Fever by Sydney Richardson
3 stars. Wanted more from the ending. Kind of spooky... Could easily have been more so.
Ride Like the Devil by Jason Parent
3 stars. Great concept.
Keepers of the Light by Sonora Taylor
2 stars. The ending was really disappointing.
Lullaby by Trevor Tolliver
1 star. Meh, nothing to it for me. Sad concept.
Supernatural Slashers
Final Girl by Derek Austin Johnson
1 star. Maybe it was the second POV that got me (strongly dislike it) but I just didn't like this one.
A Sleepwalker's Hands by Corey Farrenkopf
3 stars. Very interesting and well done. (Enjoyed the other by this author too.)
Scabby Abby by Lana Cooper
1 star. Probably all me. I don't like phone apps or the like to enter my stories. It was also a bit... bland.
So Many Teeth by Jon Gauthier
3 stars. Very interesting...
The Crayfish God by Kevin Lucia
1 star. I don't even know what to say... Just didn't like it. Maybe if it was longer...? Didn't like the characters much either.
All the Makings by Glen Krisch
4 stars. This has a great build up and a bit of a creep factor. Might check out more by this author.
House of Summons by Yolanda Sfetsos
2 stars. Interesting concept but this fell short for me.
Collateral Damage by John Lynch
3 stars. Ouch. Creepy.
A Busy Season by Adam Godfrey
2 stars. Nothing really happens here. Internal monologue. Concept is fun though.
The Sharp Edge of Midnight by Tim Waggoner
1 star. Might be all me on this one. Second person POV. Especially didn't work in this context.
Witchcraft
I Believe In Witches by Matthew Stott
2 stars. Maybe it was the writing style. Maybe it would have been better if it was longer.
Bernard by Ky Huddleston
3 stars. Interesting concept. This was a great length for this. Kinda creepy.
The Art of Darkness by Regina Garza Mitchell
3 stars. Fun. In a twisted way...
The Girl in the Window by Patrick R. McDonough
3 stars. Very sad.
The Lake of Poppets by Jessica Ann York
3 stars. Nice short story and good stopping point.
A Little Justice by Ali Seay
3 stars. Huh. Redeemed itself at the end. Very interesting. It was a great place to stop this short but I would like to read more about it. Might check out more by this author.
Eye of Newt by Jessica McHugh
1 star. All me on this one. I don't like this type of storytelling where the character speaks to you. Especially when most things it's implying I feel, I don't.
Swallowing the Fire by V. Castro
3 stars. Would like more of this world.
Manhunter by Eddie Generous
3 stars. The beginning is meh but the ending is fantastic and creepy.
My Evening With the Witch by Brandon Scott
2 stars. Just didn't do anything for me. Had potential though.
The Hag's Gift by Villimey Mist
4 stars. Fascinating and creepy. And sad. Probably check out more by this author.
Within the Woods
The Shimmer of Trees by Eric J. Guignard
1 star. Don't like the writing style. My thoughts wandered multiple times on such a short piece. "You" narrative too.
Blackjack by Kealan Patrick Burke
1 star. Narrative again towards audience: "you might." Don't like writing style. Probably would have been more interesting otherwise.
Fruiting Bodies by Jude Reid
4 stars. This was so great. So interesting and creepy and sad. Had a lot of details go it especially for being so short. Will check out more by this author.
Its Black and Beating Heart by Robert S. Wilson
1 star. Writing style again. Second POV. Longwinded. Lost interest. All me. Probably.
The Wishing Box by Michael Harris Cohen
3 stars. Don't mess with people!
Boys and Girls Come Out to Play by Beverley Lee
1 star. Again! Second POV. Couldn't pay attention.
Dewdrops and Blood by Sara Tantlinger
2 stars. Meh. Didn't do anything. All the guy was trying to do was help his family ... I liked To Be Devoured by her.
The Bird With the Clownish Plumage by Hailey Piper
2 stars. This should have been a lot more creepy. I do not like clowns. Instead this was just... I guess the writing style just didn't resonate with me.
Heartwood by Doungjai Gam
2 stars. Had interesting concept but wasn't for me.
Instructions for the Broken Hearted Who Venture into Devil's Horn Woods by Tiffany Michelle Brown
1 star. Writing style again for me. What is with the woods portion is this that apparently gave room for all (most) of them to be this way...? D:
Her Favorite Story by John Timm
1 star. Didn't do anything for me...
Cemetary Chillers
Silence Which Comforted Me by Eugie Foster
1 star. Dunno. Didn't connect.
Waking the Dead by Monique Youzwa
3 stars. The ending though...!
The Intern by Michael J. Moore
2 stars. Writing style not fire me but interesting...
On Halloween Night by Janine Pipe
1 star. Was a jumble. All over the place. The ending was off too.
Death Toll by Alex Ebenstein
2 stars. Interesting concept but fell flat for me.
Midnight Snack by Angela Sylvaine
3 stars. This one has creepy elements, and sad. The ending lines were very well suited.
The Grave Listeners by Andrew Cull
3 stars. Sad. Last bit was creepy.
I Would Have Rescued Them All by R.J. Joseph
2 stars. Had potential but maybe it was the writing style, maybe the length...
Hunger by S.H. Cooper
4 stars. Unexpected and chilling. Great end.
Shattered World by Kenneth W. Cain
1 star. Not for me. Lots of dialogue, and with a child.
Up From Under by Tyler Jones
2 stars. Was beginning to get creepy and then fell... -
Campfire Macabre is a great collection of flash fiction horror. Featuring (very) short stories from genre veterans and newcomers alike, this stockpile of the horrific has something to please all horror readers!
The collection is broken in to five sections:
Spooky Houses
Supernatural Slashers
Witchcraft
Within The Woods
Cemetery Chillers
Each section has some losers, a lot of winners, and some stories that are really cool new takes on old tropes.
Campfire Macabre is the kind of book you can pick up whenever you need to kill a few minutes and you’ll always come away with something to remember.
I’m going to try and keep this review as short and sweet as the stories within and just recommend you spend a few nights by the fire with this collection! -
Entertaining Snippets of creative horror stories.
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In 500 to 1000 words, some of the most talented voices in horror create new worlds, fascinating characters, and breathe new life in beloved horror tropes and set pieces. Divided into sections covering haunted houses, murderous slashers, witches, the woods, and cemeteries, this collection is a must for any horror fan. Highly recommend.
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Seriously fun stuff. Every story has a chilling twist. The stories aren't very long, so it's great to pick one randomly and enjoy this little scary morsel.
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This was a fun horror anthology! Going into it, I didn't realize that they were flash stories, so I was a bit disappointed by that, and for a lot of the stories, they got interesting right when they were finishing. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed a lot of stories and discovered authors that I want to read more from!
My favorite stories were:
The Forever Awful House by Cynthia Pelayo (It was a very good way to introduce haunted house stories):
"Haunted houses are meant to lure, are meant to fall on the lips of those around campfires."
So Many Teeth by Jon Gauthier (This one stuck with me the most, the description of the creature was terrifying, it gave me chills!)
The Shimmer of Trees by Eric J. Guignard (I really felt like I was in the woods with the character, and I loved that kind of sci-fi/otherworldly touch):
"There’s something to be said about immersing yourself into deep wilderness, to allow your soul to transcend its mortal confines and meld with ancient surrounds, to commune with the shadowed pockets of our nativity. There’s a relationship between spirituality and human health, an instinctive process that runs through nature, through the lichen and sequoias, the luminous violet, the tranquil toad, the soil, the stone, the seed."
Waking the Dead by Monique Youzwa (Talk about a cruel revenge!)
The Grave Listeners by Andrew Cull (The writing was so nostalgic and comforting in this one, it reminded me of Stephen King's writing!)
Another quote that I liked :
"Only in pure silence does the whole world seem to echo. The most benign things, like the ticking of the clock on the wall thunders with sledgehammer force. The pulse in my veins had become the beckoning force of an angry ocean against the storm laden sky." (My Evening With the Witch by Brandon Scott) -
An enjoyable collection of horror shorts that run the gamut of topics and situations. The fun is they are short enough to creep you out but don't go on too long. Great read!
