Ghastly Games: Zombicide

GhastlyGames
On episode #129, hear our resident Ghastly Gamer, Chantal Noordeloos talk about Zombicide.

 

zombZombicide is a collaborative game for 1 to 6 players, for 13 years old and up. A game lasts for 20 minutes (beginner board) to 3 hours (expert board). Each player controls from one (for 6 players) to four (solo game) “survivors”, human beings in a zombie-infested town. In fact, “survivors” hastily change to “hunters” to smash zombies through and through. However, the team must constantly keep the balance between survival and slaughter: as the zombicide’s going on, the “Danger level” is going up and infected are growing in numbers. Any misstep can turn to disaster.
Zombicide is a fun and easy game with cool minis in an archetypical, popular and comics-inspired environment. zombicideAmbiance is constantly kept between “beat’em up” and “survival horror” as characters keep on turning from preys to predators. Humor and gloom happily marry in a zombie-fest. Find weapons, kill zombies. The more zombies you kill, the more skilled you get, the more skilled you get, the more zombies appear. The only way out is Zombicide! Play 10 scenarios on different maps made from the included modular map tiles, or create your own.

Find out more about Zombicide on Episode #129, coming July 9th.

 

Ghastly Games: Panic Station

GhastlyGames
On episode #128, hear our resident Ghastly Gamer, Chantal Noordeloos talk about Panic Station.

panicstationA team of heavily armed troopers enter a desolate army base. The collective mission: destroy the alien parasite that lurks within the darkness. Your team has only half an hour to locate the parasite hive and destroy it. But one member of your team has transformed into a host andwill attempt to infect your team one by one. Panic Station is a paranoia-driven cooperative game in which you control two characters in the Extermination Corps sent out by the government to investigate the presence of fiendish alien life forms. Players move both their Androids and Troopers through the base, exploring and gathering equipment that will help them to complete their mission: to find and destroy the Parasite Hive hidden somewhere in the inner depths of this doomed location. A player who gets his Trooper into the Hive and plays three gas can cards to fuel his Flamethrower wins the game for the humans. However, one of the players will become a Host. psationHe must keep this identity secret, infecting as many team members as possible to gain allies and prevent the humans from completing their mission. Only players who carefully watch the behavior of team members will stand a chance against the infected players and roaming parasites.

Find out more about Panic Station on Episode #128, coming June 25th.

 

Ghastly Games: Mansion of Madness

GhastlyGames
On episode #127, hear our resident Ghastly Gamer, Chantal Noordeloos talk about Mansion of Madness.

mofmUp ahead, isolated in the Massachusetts countryside, stands a secluded mansion. This is where the clues have led you. This is where you will finally find the answers you have been seeking. As you advance through the cold, driving rain, the dim light dancing in the ornate windows gives the appearance of a dozen sinister eyes watching your approach. The very walls are infested with evil and the great house seems to stare at you with hostility, but despite the growing fear gnawing at your soul, you press on. You must. This madness has to end, and by God, it will end tonight… even if it kills you.

Designed by Corey Konieczka, Mansions of Madness is a scenario-driven board game of occult horror and mystery for two to five players. One player takes on the role of the keeper, a malevolent force working to complete a sinister plot. All other players take on the roles of investigators who explore an eerie location in the hopes of solving a mystery before it’s too late. The keeper’s goal is to fulfill an evil scheme, using the weapons of fear, paranoia, and terrifying monsters. The investigators win or lose as a team, and must keep their wits about them to find the artifacts, weapons, and clues needed to stop the keeper’s diabolical plot. Can a handful of brave investigators uncover the truth in time or will the wicked plans of the keeper come to fruition?

Find out more about this awesome board game on Episode #127, coming June 11th.

 

Ghastly Games: Bloody Inn

GhastlyGames
On episode #126, hear our resident Ghastly Gamer, Chantal Noordeloos talk about Bloody Inn.

bloody inn1831 Peyrebeille, France. Times are tough for the common man. It’s all your family can do to make ends meet as lowly innkeepers. Together you hatch a plan, so diabolical it just might work. Preying upon the wealthy travelers who frequent your establishment you’ve been led to commit robbery and even murder! However, the greed has caught up with you and now it’s everyone for themselves. The Bloody Inn is a devilish game that pits family members against each other in a battle to see who can walk away with the most francs. No crime is too sinister, no traveler is safe! Hey, an innkeeper has to do what an innkeeper has to do! CONTENTS: 78 Guest cards, 4 Player aid cards, An Inn game board, A First Player card, 20 10F (10-franc) Check tiles, 20 Key/Room Service tokens, 4 white Key tokens, 4 wooden player discs, 1 rulebook.

Find out more about this awesome  board game on Episode #126, coming May 21st.

 

Ghastly Games: Gloom

 

GhastlyGames
On episode #125, hear our resident Ghastly Gamer, Chantal Noordeloos talk about Gloom.

1250In the Gloom card game, you assume control of the fate of an eccentric family of misfits and misanthropes. The goal of the game is sad, but simple: you want your characters to suffer the greatest tragedies possible before passing on to the well-deserved respite of death. Play horrible mishaps like Pursued by Poodles or Mocked by Midgets on your own characters, while trying to cheer your opponents’ characters with marriages and other happy occasions.

gloomPrinted on transparent plastic cards, Gloom features an innovative design by Keith Baker. Multiple modifier cards can be played on top of the same character card; since the cards are transparent, elements from previously played modifier cards either show through or are obscured by those played above them. You’ll immediately and easily know the worth of every character, no matter how many modifiers they have. You’ve got to see (through) this game to believe it!

Find out more about this awesome  game on Episode #125, coming May 7th.

 

Ghastly Games: Arkham Horror

GhastlyGames
On episode #124, hear our resident Ghastly Gamer, Chantal Noordeloos talk about Arkham Horror.

ArkhamHorrorIt is the roaring 20’s, and while there’s electricity in the air, unnatural storms are brewing as well. Strange things are happening in the small Massachusetts town of Arkham; people have gone missing, sightings of indescribable creatures grow more and more frequent. And the very air thickens with a sense of foreboding that roils like an acrid mist through the streets.

The Ancient Ones are stirring…

arkhamArkham Horror was originally published by Chaosium, Inc., in 1987. This new, updated edition features stunning new artwork and graphical design (including a new gameboard, counters, cards, and playing pieces) as well as revised and expanded rules from the game’s original creator, Richard Launius.

Players can select from 16 unique playable investigator characters, each with unique abilities, and will square off against the diabolical servants of 8 Ancient Ones, including Ithaqua, Hastur, and the terrible Cthulhu! No fan of the Cthulhu Mythos will want to miss the opportunity to acquire this classic Call of Cthulhu board game!

Arkham Horror is a cooperative game for 1-8 players ages 12 and up, and can be played in 2-3 hours.

Find out more about this awesome Cthulhu-inspired board game on Episode #124, coming April 23rd.

 

HorrorAddicts.net 120, Chantal Noordeloos

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Horror Addicts Episode# 120

Horror Hostess: Emerian Rich

Intro Music by: Valentine Wolfe

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chantal noordeloos | madalice | found footage

Find all articles and interviews at: http://www.horroraddicts.net

54 days till halloween

chantal noordeloos, babymetal, gimme chocolate, wes craven, a.d. vick, nightmare on elm street, horror news, vampire squirrel, vampire ride, 16 slices, ghost golf, daryn coleman, stephen king, carrie, christine, the stand, phantom of the opera, don post, mask maker, dead babies, alex s. johnson, books, david watson, crystal connor, the darkness, the end is now, IMDB, chris jackson, kbatz, dress your dreams, fashion, d.j. pitsiladis, nightmare fuel, elisa lam, elevators, castle, american horror story, morbid meals, dan shaurette, queen of hearts tarts!, alice in wonderland, lewis carroll, best band season 9, murder weapons, madalice, dawn wood, bless the bitch, midnight syndicate, christmas album, yuletide, jesse orr, grant me serenity, missy, black jack, movies, the taking of deborah logan, found footage, the quiet ones, blair witch, shaky camera, ghost scent tour, scent kit, los angeles, marc vale, advice, stephanie, santa fe, new mexico, self-surgery, dr.frankenstein, chantal noordeloos, angel manor, deeply twisted

Horror Addicts Guide to Life now available on Amazon!
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Write in re: ideas, questions, opinions, horror cartoons, favorite movies, etc…

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Emerian Rich

s t a f f

David Watson, Dan Shaurette, Marc Vale, KBatz (Kristin Battestella), Mimielle, Dawn Wood, Lillian Csernica, Killion Slade, D.J. Pitsiladis, Jesse Orr, A.D. Vick, Mimi Williams

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An interview with Chantal Noordeloos

Our featured author for episode 120 of the Horror Addicts podcast is Chantal Noordeloos. Chantal is a member of the Horror Writers Association and one of her hobbies is board games which you can read about here. Recently Chantal answerd a few questions about her writing:

When did you start writing?

deeplytwistedThat’s one of those ‘tricksy hobbitses’ questions. I can’t tell you when exactly I started. I’ve been making up stories since I was a kid, and even wrote some of them down when I was six or seven (much to the frustration of my mother, who was trying to get me to keep a journal of our holidays) I was also partial to essay writing at school, but I remember in my teens that I thought writing was a bother. I didn’t realize I wanted to be a writer until I turned fifteen, and my English teacher, Bob Harrison, made us do a lot of creative writing. That’s when I knew that this was my passion above all others.

Now, had you asked me “When did you start getting your work published?” I would have had a more straight forward answer *cheeky grin*. My first short story was published in 2012 (unless you count the stories I used to write for my school newspaper) My first novella came out in 2013, and my first novel in 2014.

 

What do you like to write about?

I like to write about ALL THE THINGS *insert little comic meme here* Sorry, I couldn’t control myself there for a second. Ehm… I’m a genre floozy (I don’t just write one genre) and a slipstream Sally (I mix genres) to boot, so I could go in very many directions with this question. I do have some preferences, I guess. I am a big fan of ‘epic stories’. I like to write about angels and demons and the apocalypse. Go big or go home… (not really because I enjoy small stories too, it just felt appropriate to randomly write that) Most of the time I incorporate some sort of mythology or fairytale into my work. Sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes it’s very subtle. That’s just a little thing I do.

In truth, it sometimes feels like the story finds me, rather than me finding the story. Sometimes a thought just hits 23456349me out of the blue, and if it clicks… it’ll become a novel. For me it’s important that I have some sort of connection with my characters. If that works, I enjoy writing.

 

Who are some of your influences?

My main influences are the brothers Grimm, Hans Christiaan Andersen, and all those people who have written down old myths. That’s where my passion started. More contemporary influences are Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett and Joss Whedon, though I am more influenced by my environment than I am by other writers. I think writers are more of a stimulant to each other, than they are an influence. I could never write like any of my heroes, their voices are their own… as is mine.

 

What do you find fascinating about the horror genre?

Horror has a macabre beauty to it. Death is the biggest mystery of them all, because no-one ever lived to tell the tale *grin*. There’s something elegant about horror, even about the gory part of it (though I believe horror is so much more than just gore). To me, as a writer, it’s a challenge to find out what frightens people. There’s something very intriguing about fear. There are also a lot of taboos in the world that are broken by the horror genre, which in a way feels very liberating.

 

What will you be reading for episode 120 of the podcast?

I’m going to read a story called ‘Little Death’. It’s a story I wrote after I saw a real item on the news about a mysterious illness.

 

Where can you we find you online?

*whispers* I’m everywhere…

*serious face* I’m really not, though I do spend a lot of time on facebook, and I’m trying to figure out how to do this twitter thing (does that make me a twit?). So you can find me: https://www.facebook.com/ChantalNoordeloosStoryteller

Or on twitter: https://twitter.com/C_Noordeloos

My website can be found here: www.chantalnoordeloos.info

And of course my favorite hang out is here: http://amzn.to/1NLVtZt

 

Thanks for having me on your show! It’s been a hoot!

 

HorrorAddicts.net 119, Jaq D. Hawkins

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Horror Addicts Episode# 119

Horror Hostess: Emerian Rich

Intro Music by: Valentine Wolfe

jaq d. hawkins | more machine than man | slasher movies

Find all articles and interviews at: http://www.horroraddicts.net

68 days till halloween

la guns, over the edge, anne rice, vampires, glam metal, halloween shopping, scarela, richard carradine, ghoula.org, wickedlit.org, crossroadsescapegames.com, lisa lestrange, living dead, box of dread, bill rude, 7hells.com, horror art, krampus, terry m. west, turning face, wrestling, demon, andy alexander, grimwrether.com, queenie, pocket full of posez, brit austin, edward allen, haunted memories, holographic creepy pics, books, serena toxicat, ghost in bones, david, dance of the goblins, jaq d. hawkins, dreamweavers, kerry alan denney, morbid meals, haggis burgers, the world, tarot, wicked women writers, challengers: jaq d. hawkins, sharmica richardson, master of macabre, challengers: sean t. young, rish outfield, winners announced, judges, evo terra, willo clare hausman, dan shaurette, dario ciriello, lucy blue, sandra saidak, voter winner announced, more machine than man, rob zilla, tasha, music, dawn wood, jesse orr, grant me serenity, black jack, the herd, ed pope, dead kansas, aaron k. carter, slasher movies, kbatz, maniac, the hitcher, j. malcolm stewart, dead mail, swim cap, mimielle, karen, make fun of goths, marc vale, advice, jim, poison, mimi williams, join the staff, social media, jaq d. hawkins, chantal noordeloos

Horror Addicts Guide to Life now available on Amazon!
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Write in re: ideas, questions, opinions, horror cartoons, favorite movies, etc…

horroraddicts@gmail.com

————————

h o s t e s s

Emerian Rich

s t a f f

David Watson, Dan Shaurette, Marc Vale, KBatz (Kristin Battestella), Mimielle, Dawn Wood, Lillian Csernica, Killion Slade, D.J. Pitsiladis, Jesse Orr, A.D. Vick, Mimi Williams

Want to be a part of the HA staff? Email horroraddicts@gmail.com

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Chantal Noordeloos on Horror Writing

Angel Manor, Lucifer Falls book 1

by Chantal Noordeloos

A beautiful house – with a dark and deadly secret. Those who enter will be lucky to escape with their lives. ANGEL MANOR – November 14th

Let’s talk cheeseburger for a moment: “I haz excitement”

In about three weeks time my first full length novel will hit the market, and I can’t wait. It’s not the first novel I wrote (not by a long shot) but it will be the first that goes to print. It’s been a personal challenge writing this one.

First of all, I decided to work with a lot of different characters, which was new to me. Normally I focus my novels very much around one or two main characters and have a few side characters that get a tiny bit of the spotlight. In this case I had several different ‘voices’ and ‘points of view’, sometimes it felt like a juggling act.

When I first presented it to my publisher, it was a monster of a manuscript at 135.000 words. I think I may have heard him cry a little when he saw the size of it. Lucky for him, the manuscript was still in a very rough state, so it needed a bit of trimming. At the same time, lucky for me, the publisher did really like the story, and suddenly I had myself a book deal.

Some trimming was done, and some adding (the publisher slowly weeping again) and as I’m writing this blog, my manuscript is with the editors, so it will (hopefully) be ready in time for its November 14th release date.

So… why Angel Manor? I wrote this novel because I love haunted house stories, and I had some ideas for my own. I like working with classic horror topics and images, so when I started the first thing that came to mind was: this is going to need some creepy nuns. In hindsight, looking at the beautiful cover Stephen Bryant made for me, I’m very glad I went with the nuns.

As I was writing it, I decided that the story was too big for just one book, it needed more. Angel Manor was just the beginning *cue scary music* I’m going to work on at least two more novels following this one. Each will be linked to the fictional area called ‘Lucifer Falls’, which will be the storyline that runs through all three books.

For each of the novels I want to use a classic horror element. The sequel will focus on ‘dolls’, and I think the last one will probably focus on creepy children. Of course all books will have a healthy doses of ghosts and perhaps even other monsters.

This series will be interlinked with another series I’m writing –Celestials—and will exist in the same universe. I’m hoping to have some of the plotline bleed into each other, but in such a way that you can read the series as separate entities. It should just be a pleasant surprise for those who like to read both.

The cover for Angel Manor has done well so far, I’ve noticed that it gets a lot of interest. The artist really did a great job matching it to the story inside. I hope you will all enjoy Angel Manor when it comes out. I know I enjoyed writing it. It’s a little more gory than most of my work is at places, but it felt nice to go full out. I’m sure this novel is not for everyone, and part of me is dreading the reviews of the people who don’t like blood and violence. Only time will tell, I guess.

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0-finished-front-coverAngel Manor, the first full-length novel from Chantal Noordeloos, will be released by Horrific Tales Publishing on November 14th.

Evil nuns, satanic practices, and the most deadly haunted house in all of Scotland come together in this dark gothic tale.

“With ANGEL MANOR, Chantal Noordeloos brings a novel that grips you with corpse fingers and drags you into a world of deadly dangers, unresolved sins, haunted basements, and malevolent nightmares. This is not a book for the faint of heart. Noordeloos delivers on her promise to terrify you.” – JG Faherty, Bram Stoker and ITW Thriller Award finalist and author of CARNIVAL OF FEAR and LEGACY.

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2014-05-28 17.56.04Chantal Noordeloos  lives in the Netherlands, where she spends her time with her wacky, supportive husband, and outrageously cunning daughter, who is growing up to be a supervillain. When she is not busy exploring interesting new realities, or arguing with characters (aka writing), she likes to dabble in drawing.

In 1999 she graduated from the Norwich School of Art and Design, where she focused mostly on creative writing.

There are many genres that Chantal likes to explore in her writing, but her ‘go to’ genre will always be horror. “It helps being scared of everything; that gives me plenty of inspiration,” she says.

Chantal likes to write for all ages, and storytelling is the element of writing that she enjoys most. “Writing should be an escape from everyday life, and I like to provide people with new places to escape to, and new people to meet.”

URL to blog: http://chantalnoordeloos.blogspot.nl/2014/10/angel-manor.html

HorrorAddicts.net 101, Ann Wilkes

Horror Addicts Episode# 101

Horror Hostess: Emerian Rich

Intro Music by: Cancer Killing Gemini

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138 days till Halloween!

ann wilkes, murder weapons, lee, cushing, price

vincent price, baycon, horroraddicts.net panel, laurel anne hill, j. malcolm stewart, ha facebook page, buffy the vampire slayer, christopher lee, peter cushing, vincent price, horror addicts guide to life, look back in horror, j. malcolm stewart, a treasury of recipes by mary and vincent price, fashion avatars, world goth day, hr giger, band poll, end of the world radio, murder weapons, perish, even hell has standards, chantal noordeloos, tim lichtenberg, zombie nights, 60 black women in horror fiction, sumiko saulson, camp 417, web of deceit, smothered, deep like a river, tim waggoner, ghosts of punktown, jeffery thomas, events, halloween, jamie lee curtis, michael meyers, lost boys, goonies, joel schumacher, buffy the vampire slayer, joss whedon, kate beckinsale, wesley snipes, dead mail, not for norms, writer’s block, flash fiction friday, anne wilkes.

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Find all articles and interviews at: http://www.horroraddicts.net

Murder Weapons, “Perish”

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Write in re: ideas, questions, opinions, horror cartoons, favorite movies, etc…

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h o s t e s s

Emerian Rich

s t a f f

Sapphire Neal, David Watson, Dan Shaurette, Marc Vale, KBatz, Mimielle, Dawn Wood

Want to be a part of the HA staff? Email horroraddicts@gmail.com

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Cheap reads

21949677First up I want to talk about Even Hell Has Standards: Pride by Chantal Noordeloos. This book is available on amazon for 99 cents and its a great story. Adolf Zakerny is one evil man. He has lived his life as a tribute to hell. He is a serial killer who has killed and tortured hundreds of people and he believes that one day he will go to Hell and become a demon because he was so good at making people suffer.

Finally one day he is gunned down by police, his only regret is that he didn’t make it to 1,000 murders. As he arrives in Hell he finds that things aren’t what he thought they would be. He leaves one body and enters a new one which isn’t as good as the one he had. Also there is no fire and brimstone, just darkness and people waiting in long lines for their punishment. Adolf doesn’t get the hero’s welcome he thought he was going to get, he’s just another soul waiting to learn his fate in Hell.  Adolf doesn’t think of himself as the average soul and demands to see Lucifer.  Adolf is determined to make a name for himself as one of the greatest demons in Hell but Lucifer is not the person Adolf thinks he is and the devil has other plans for his soul.

I’ve read various works by Chantal Noordeloos, she is a great writer and this is another story by her that I couldn’t put down. This story works as a psychological horror story, a disturbing shockfest and a philosophical tale on how to live life. In some horror stories that I’ve read, the author tries hard to shock and terrify the reader but Chantal doesn’t have to try to shock you. The horror in her stories is organic. Chantal’s writing is scary without her even trying to be scary.

It’s hard to talk about my favorite parts of this book without giving to much of the story away but one part I did like was when Adolf gets to take a tour of Hell. In one of the rooms he sees Tantalus. Tantalus is a Greek mythological figure who is being punished for feeding his child to the gods.  When Adolf sees him he tries to prove himself to Lucifer by making Tantalus suffer more. This ends up being an impossible task and not for the reason you might think.

Another thing I liked about this book was how complex of a character Lucifer was. Lucifer also has a servant who is hardly in the story but comes across as being a sympathetic character when you realize who he was talking about when Adolf sees him for the first time. I also love the way he looks at Adolf as he leaves Lucifer’s chamber. At this point I would love to talk about the main theme that Chantal brings up in this story but I can’t without ruining this novella. So I’m just going to say that Even Hell Has Standards: Pride is only 99 cents and you should really go buy a copy.

7940988Here is a book you will find for free on Amazon. It’s Zombie Nights by Tom Lichtenberg. “Being a zombie, not so easy”. That could have been Dave Connor’s six word memoir. “At first he couldn’t remember how he’d ended up in that shallow grave; he just knew it was hell to claw his way out, and that the taste of its dirt would remain in his mouth for the rest of his time on this earth” … Expect the unexpected in this existential resurrection thriller.

The Book’s Review of Itself:

This is not really a story about zombies, for of course there are no such creatures,only maybe that some people are more dead than others, and while some people may have 20947585all the luck, others have very little of it. This is an absurdist fable at heart, whose moral is that no matter where you go, there you are, even after death.

One more book for 99 cents that I’m proud to have a small part in is 60 Black Women in Horror Fiction by Sumiko Saulson. February is African American History Month here in the United States. It is also Women in Horror Month (WiHM). This list of black women who write horror was compiled at the intersection of the two. It consists of an alphabetical listing of the women with biographies, photos, and web addresses, as well as interviews with nine of these women.

 

Cheap Reads

206_SomeoneWicked_Amy_1For this post I want to take a look at anthologies. One anthology I’ve read recently is Someone Wicked which was edited by Weldon Burge and JM Reinbold and available from Smart Rhino Publications. This book is a collection of 21 tales by the Written Remains Writers Guild that cover such genres as horror, comedy, fantasy and mystery. This is one impressive anthology, every story here is well written and each story is different from the last.

One good story in Someone Wicked is Reckonings by Gail Husch. I loved how the main character describes herself in the beginning  and then she gets into all the little things that she does to get vengeance on the people who annoy her. This is a simple story but the way everything is described paints a picture and makes it come to life. The way this one was written made me think this is going be a great anthology and all of the other stories here are just as good.

Reckonings is a  quiet, psychological horror story with a touch of humor. To show the diversity in Someone Wicked the next story is The Flenser by Billie Sue Mosiman. This horror story goes more for the gross out effect but still manages to have interesting characters and a good shocking ending. The Flenser is about a man who gets a job cleaning flesh off of skull so they can be sold to medical facilities. I did not know jobs exsisted like this and it was interesting reading about how these people would interact with others and what their idea of fun might be.

One of my favorites in this book is Mirror, Mirror by Chantal  Noordeloos. This is a dark fantasy story that looks at the legend of bloody Mary. This story begins in 1852 and is told by a girl named Sophie who along with her mother lives on a  plantation. Sophie has a step sister named Marie-Louise who is a bully and likes to make Sophie’s life hard. In addition to bullying, Sophie has a hard life and her mother along with others end up dying under mysterious circumstances. Sophie feels like an outcast and makes friends with some of the slaves. Here Sophie finds out about the cursed mirror in the house. I loved how this story was told with all the details of life in the mid 1800’s and I liked Sophie’s relationship with the slaves. This was one great horror story on a legend that I didn’t know much about.

In addition to the excellent horror stories in this book there is a mystery here called Missing by JM Reinbold, along with some good takes on fairy tales such as Sisters: A Fairy Tale by Liz DeJesus which I would love to see expanded into a novel. I also loved the dramatic Impresario by Maria Masington, this one takes a look at one young person’s descent into drug addiction that I think sadly a lot of people can relate to. This book even has some stories that are just for laughs such as The Semi-Aquatic Blue Baker of Borneo by Justynn Tyme which is a hard story to explain, it just has to be read. This anthology has it all and is a book you shouldn’t pass up. There are also two other anthologies from Smart Rhino that you might enjoy:


13489986Zippered Flesh edited by Weldon Burge

Monstrous transplants. Appalling amputations. Bizarre implants. Nightmarish forms of body enhancements. Disturbing, perverse, often gut-wrenching stories–all between the covers of this anthology. Here are 20 tales by some of today’s best horror, suspense, and science fiction writers, including Graham Masterton, John Shirley, Scott Nicholson, Michael Laimo, Lisa Mannetti, L.L. Soares, Armand Rosamilia, Aaron J. French, Christopher Nadeau, Michael Bailey, Adrienne Jones, Charles Colyott, J. Gregory Smith, Michael Louis Calvillo, Jezzy Wolfe, Jonathan Templar, P.I. Barrington, Elliott Capon, Rob M. Miller, and Weldon Burge. The stories are not for those who are faint of heart or squeamish, or who are easily offended by nasty language, bloody violence, and freakish body augmentations. You’ve been warned!

Broken: Stories of Damaged Psyches edited by Weldon Burge

This is a collection of five horror/suspense stories by Weldon Burge, including:

SIZZLE — A philandering doctor meets a hill man who wants the “sizzle” cut out of his brain

ANOTHER HIGHWAY FATALITY — A college girl, driving alone late at night during a heavy storm, is stalked by a car with a missing headlight

WHITE HELL, WISCONSIN — A snow plow driver, plowing back roads in rural Wisconsin during a blizzard, fights for his life against elusive assailants

PERMANENT DETENTION — A stressed-out teenager believes his History teacher is actually one of the living dead

BLUE EYE BURN — A Vietnam veteran is haunted by a terrifying incident involving a young Vietnamese girl

Deeply Twisted by Chantal Noordeloos

18747855Horror is meant to shock and disturb us. It’s also meant to show how strong people can be when faced with something that is truly terrifying. Horror stories don’t often have happy endings and if someone does get a happy ending they most likely suffered along the way. Horror can be a lot of things and Deeply Twisted by Chantal Noordeloos offers up 20 short stories that show what horror is really all about.

This anthology has a lot to offer, there are stories about witches, alien creatures, the devil at a dinner party, sea monsters, a man who collects souls, a mysterious clock tower, grave robbers, zombies and much more. This is a great horror anthology, some stories are better than others but even the ones I didn’t care for had some great ideas and we’re well written.

One of my favorite stories in this book was the zombie tale: Victims Of Evolution. I loved how Eloise describes her family then describes being bit by a zombie, changing into one and evolving into something else. I loved this concept and it was an original take on zombies. Another great tale is Death Awaits You which has a great twist and some disturbing imagery with some gory descriptions of dead bodies.  Out Of The Storm was also a story that had great imagery with its descriptions of a monster storm and a haunted hotel.

Dinner Date was a fascinating story with a good twist. One of the main characters in this is a woman named Lucretia who has some interesting insights into everyone around her but she isn’t taken seriously because of her personality. She is the only one who notices the truth behind the blind date that another character set her up with. What I loved about this one is how if you scratch the surface of each character in the story you see a different person and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Deeply Twisted also includes two stories about grave robbers which is a subject that fascinates and disturbs me. The first one is The Angel’s Grave, I loved the character of Duff and how he ends up having to rob graves. He doesn’t have a choice but he has to pay for his sins anyway courtesy of a vengeful spirit. The other story is called Jade, despite having the same subject matter it is a very different story and I loved how the man telling them they shouldn’t be doing this gets called a fool and it shows what happens when you get too greedy.

I can’t think of many bad things to say about Deeply Twisted, Chantal makes each story come to life through spooky imagery and memorable characters. If you love short horror fiction then this is a must have. One thing that made this anthology excellent is how some stories are connected. For instance the story The Widow talks about a ghostly urban legend and the children who don’t believe. I thought this story was good but I didn’t understand the ending. Later in the anthology there was a story called Deeply Twisted that gets into how the legend started and added a lot of depth to The Widow. Reading Deeply Twisted reminded me why I love horror fiction and it also made me want to buy Chantel Noordeloo’s novel Coyote: The Outlander. Horror fans don’t pass this book up.