4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific Stories from Great Authors, August 24, 2011
This review is from: Aberrations: Horror Stories (Kindle Edition)
Recovering from oral surgery, I picked up this new anthology from Jeremy C. Shipp, the talented author that brought us CURSED and VACATION. Though his one offering in this collection is short, it is exactly what we've come to expect from him - crisp, comedic, and haunting. Not surprisingly, the best story in this collection, "Survivors," comes from Joe McKinney. I love McKinney's realistic take on all matters zombie, and this story is no exception. Here we deal with the scars of war and the limits of human endurance. McKinney's prose is simple, elegant, and always effective! Another great story comes from Lisa Morton. "Tested" deals with true courage against the things that should not be and is deeply satisfying and unpredictable. All the stories here are good or better. Pick this up today!!!!!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Aberrations Indeed, September 21, 2011
This review is from: Aberrations: Horror Stories (Kindle Edition)
Aberrations was a good, diverse batch of stories, and I want to take a moment to discuss my three favorites.
The anthology kicks off with "Money Well Earned" by Joseph Nassise. A hit man is hired to rid Point Pleasant, West Virginia of the Mothman. Never one to turn down a job, he goes, but is surprised by what he finds there. I like the blend of urban legend and gritty crime story. The twist was clever (I knew something was coming, but didn't know what) and the tone really propelled the piece. Great story.
Another that I really dug was Joe McKinney's contribution, "Survivors". I've read Apocalypse of the Dead and thought it was decent, but this one really moved me, a story about survivor's guilt set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse. I like zombie stories that aren't about zombies, and this one pulled that off nicely. This tale was all about Canavan, and could have been superimposed over any disaster. That said, McKinney took advantage of the zombies for some nice, non-gratuitous gore. Nice blend.
The piece that knocked my socks off, though, blew me away, was "The Hounds of Love" by Scott Nicholson. I was turned off at first: a kid who tortures animals named Dexter? That's been done. But I stopped caring about that after a page or two. This book explores the concept of love, what it means, what it can do, through an awesome sick and sad lens. It's really hard to read, as an animal lover, but Nicholoson's ending is just fantastic. I can't say anything else about the end `cause I want every person who reads this review to run out and read the story. Three thumbs up.
Editor Jeremy C. Shipp's contribution, "Goat Boy" was good, short and sweet, and I enjoyed Elizabeth Massie's "Beggars at Dawn". Some of the other tales I wasn't wild about, but the good stories make this anthology a must have, especially since the Kindle version is $2.99. That's less than a snack, and infinitely more satisfying. Also, the cover art is beautiful!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read, November 2, 2011
This review is from: Aberrations: Horror Stories (Kindle Edition)
I really enjoyed this collection of creepy, haunting stories. Goat Boy is a terrific story by Jeremy C. Shipp; exactly what I've come to expect from his writing. The other writers were just as good. Definitely a 5-star read!
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