Thursday, April 5, 2012

Risen -by Jan Strnad

                   
"Previously published by Pinnacle Books." Welcome to Anderson. It's quiet here and that's how we like it. Except....

Madge Duffy sliced her husband's throat last week. Thought she killed him, but then John walked out of the morgue none the worse for wear.

The new preacher's calling it a "miracle," but I don't know. It isn't right.

I think there might be other people coming back, too.

Like Deputy Haws, for one. He's got a bullet hole in his one good shirt and he won't talk about it.

You know Peg Culler down at the diner...the one with the little girl on life support? Well, she's talking about pulling the plug, and nobody ever thought she'd do that, not in a million years. She thinks it might be the only way to get her back.

Then there's that gang of kids that hangs around the reservoir...not one of them can look you in the eye without breaking into a cold sweat. They're keeping a secret, and it's got them all on edge.

Something's going on in this town of ours, something that makes your skin crawl and your teeth grind in the night. I don't know what it is, but I know this:

It scares me.


A supernatural tale set in a quiet little town where suddenly the dead don't stay that way for long. At midnight, when the church bell rings the newly dead become the risen. The sick are healed, the insane are sane, all it takes is the miracle of dying first and rising again... but just maybe... death was better.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

IN 666 WORDS by Michael E. Grant

Description
666, the number that invokes fear in all. Somewhere lurking within these 33 tales of flash-fiction true terror exists for those brave enough to read on.

Travel along with:
-a generations spanning cannibal clan eating their way through America
-serial killers crossing paths on deserted train tracks
-spouses finding unique ways of adjusting to being married to vampires
-greedy people trying to make win-it-all deals with the Devil

If that’s not enough, you’ll encounter sprinting zombies, giant insects, carpet-dwelling aliens, beautification medicine gone awry, unsuccessful dental procedures, the darkest corners of science, the extremes of parental punishment, clowns(!), and a slew of unfortunate people finding themselves in the wrong place at a very wrong time.

In 666 Words presents each pulse-pounding offering in a “hit them fast and leave them terrified” jolt of precisely 666 words. It’s an ode to the classic genre stories that used to inhabit the comic books and magazines of the 1950’s and 60’s.

Unless you already suffer from hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, prepare for scares!

This 30,000 word (100+ page) book also includes the terrifying short story "Doors Locked, Lights Out" from the upcoming full length collection Late Night Horrors

Looking for some tasty little tidbits of horror? These dark humored morsels may be just what you need. I am not usually a fan of flash fiction, but these stories are exactly the right length. Quick and to the point, and highly entertaining. My favorites were Sketches, Adjusted, and Blemished.
I received a complimentary copy for review. This was my first time reading anything by Michael E. Grant but I will be on the look out for more of his work.

http://www.amazon.com/IN-666-WORDS-ebook/dp/B0077DR4PM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330811787&sr=1-1

Saturday, February 4, 2012

A Land of Ash by David Dalglish

The Yellowstone Caldera has erupted once every 600,000 years. We're 40,000 years overdue. A LAND OF ASH Lava flows stretch for hundreds of miles. A cloud of ash billows east, burying the Midwest, destroying crops, and falling upon the Pacific Coast like a warm, dead snow. The remnants of the United States flees south as the global temperatures plummet. Amid this total devastation are stories of families, friends, sons and fathers and wives: the survivors. Within are eleven stories focusing on the human element of such a catastrophe, from an elderly couple gathering to await their death to a father sealing his shelter in hopes of keeping the air breathable for his daughter. Contributing to this collection include many popular and up-and-coming independent authors, including David McAfee, Daniel Arenson, and more.


Chilling tales of desperation, survival, and hope, in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. I couldn't put it down. 

Monday, January 30, 2012

Peril by Ruby Barnes

Description
Gerard Mayes is in a mess. During a mugging gone wrong, he kills his assailant and becomes the blackmail target of a vicious Romanian crime gang. In a deadly struggle to cast off the gang's net, Ger becomes more entangled. Can he find a way out and save those he loves?


If you're looking for an everyone lives happily ever after tale, keep on looking, you won't find it here. The world seems to be crashing down around Ger in this witty, well written, engaging story. Even though much of Ger's "peril" is due to his own lack of self control I couldn't help but feel sorry for him as he dug himself in deeper and deeper from one bad situation to the next. A very enjoyable read.