I finished 5 in October.
1. The End of the World As We Know It was the massive Stand related anthology edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. I went into this with high hopes, as The Stand is one of my all time favorite books, but also with some trepidation, given Golden & Keene’s past editorial history. Overall, I have to say I was pretty impressed with this one. At 34 total stories, there certainly were a few stories that didn’t click with me, and there were a couple of absolute clunkers. But for the most part the stories were pretty good. The two standouts for me were by Meg Gardiner and Rio Yours. There were also very good stories by Tim Lebbon, Ronald Malfi, Michael Koryta, Bev Vincent, Alma Katsu, Sarah Langan, and a few others I can’t remember off the top of my head. Probably the best anthology of original fiction I’ve read in a few years. 3.5 / 5
2. A Little Fuschsia Book of Fears was a collection of ghost stories by J. S. Le Fanu. I enjoyed all the stories in this short collection (5 stories total). Like most of the older writers, Le Fanu can get quite wordy at times, but if you can get past that, he really is an under appreciated writer of classic ghost stories. 4 / 5
3. A Little Black Book of Bedevilment by Algernon Blackwood. I‘ve read some Blackwood in the past, but can’t recall ever reading any of the seven stories in this short collection. The stories were more fantasy (with a couple that could be called straight up melodrama) rather than the weird fiction / horror that Blackwood is most known for. Still, I enjoyed this short collection quite a bit. 4 / 5
4. The Widows of Winding Gale by Kealan Patrick Burke was a cross over cosmic / folk horror tale set on a desolate island off the coast of Ireland at Halloween. What’s not to like! When the men on the island go for a Halloween eve fishing trip, they catch something they shouldn’t, starting off a horrific chain of events on the island. It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by KPB, and this engrossing short novel has reminded me to rectify that. 4 / 5
5. Cold House by A. G. Slatter was another short read, about a widowed woman who uncovers some dark secrets after her husband and daughter are killed in an automobile accident. Generally in the past I’ve enjoyed Slatter’s work, and this short novel was no exception. However, the story is a little too ambitious for it’s own good, given it’s short length. It’s equal parts ghost story, folk horror, and dark family secrets, but was too short to really develop any of those aspects. I was certainly left with wanting to know more background about the lead character and her husband’s dark family. Overall, I still enjoyed the story, but it had the potential to be something more. 3.5 / 5
B
1. The End of the World As We Know It was the massive Stand related anthology edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. I went into this with high hopes, as The Stand is one of my all time favorite books, but also with some trepidation, given Golden & Keene’s past editorial history. Overall, I have to say I was pretty impressed with this one. At 34 total stories, there certainly were a few stories that didn’t click with me, and there were a couple of absolute clunkers. But for the most part the stories were pretty good. The two standouts for me were by Meg Gardiner and Rio Yours. There were also very good stories by Tim Lebbon, Ronald Malfi, Michael Koryta, Bev Vincent, Alma Katsu, Sarah Langan, and a few others I can’t remember off the top of my head. Probably the best anthology of original fiction I’ve read in a few years. 3.5 / 5
2. A Little Fuschsia Book of Fears was a collection of ghost stories by J. S. Le Fanu. I enjoyed all the stories in this short collection (5 stories total). Like most of the older writers, Le Fanu can get quite wordy at times, but if you can get past that, he really is an under appreciated writer of classic ghost stories. 4 / 5
3. A Little Black Book of Bedevilment by Algernon Blackwood. I‘ve read some Blackwood in the past, but can’t recall ever reading any of the seven stories in this short collection. The stories were more fantasy (with a couple that could be called straight up melodrama) rather than the weird fiction / horror that Blackwood is most known for. Still, I enjoyed this short collection quite a bit. 4 / 5
4. The Widows of Winding Gale by Kealan Patrick Burke was a cross over cosmic / folk horror tale set on a desolate island off the coast of Ireland at Halloween. What’s not to like! When the men on the island go for a Halloween eve fishing trip, they catch something they shouldn’t, starting off a horrific chain of events on the island. It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by KPB, and this engrossing short novel has reminded me to rectify that. 4 / 5
5. Cold House by A. G. Slatter was another short read, about a widowed woman who uncovers some dark secrets after her husband and daughter are killed in an automobile accident. Generally in the past I’ve enjoyed Slatter’s work, and this short novel was no exception. However, the story is a little too ambitious for it’s own good, given it’s short length. It’s equal parts ghost story, folk horror, and dark family secrets, but was too short to really develop any of those aspects. I was certainly left with wanting to know more background about the lead character and her husband’s dark family. Overall, I still enjoyed the story, but it had the potential to be something more. 3.5 / 5
B