Customer Reviews

Sinister Landscapes

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Billowing mists enveloping worn gravestones, haunted castles, blood moons, voices from the past, echoing fears from the future . . . the very best from the long forgotten gothic horror genre. Here, in this one volume lies a veritable cornucopia of devilish hauntings, sinister mishaps, and undead pleasures. Beautiful and deadly, deformed and despicable, everything that awakens the dark fears of the human psyche arises and tugs at the cringing corners of our minds encouraging us to step into a world of long forgotten lore and deadly pleasures. For once, the horror fans' needs for the best of gothic storytelling are fulfilled and a soon-to-be classic is made! Dare to explore your world!

Alan Draven, editor and creator of this compilation, has collected together for his dark project eighteen chilling tales of woe from old and new voices alike. The chosen material is extremely conducive and although penned by different authors, each story compliments the grim atmosphere of the tale before. Draven has chosen well including tales that are both modern and old world at the same time adding a dashing of sophistication to the heady brew of deathly desolation. The tales are surprisingly well written and refreshingly unique, presenting new concepts and dalliances in the dark domains of horror.

One of the most exceptional tales in this impressive collection is From a Whisper to a Dream by Gordon Anthony Bean which takes a nightmarish reality concerning one man's struggle to escape those who will eat your soul, and shifts from scene to scene, building horror and insanity through excellently crafted prose creating a tale that is mesmerizing in its very bizarreness. Twisting and convoluted, this is a tale that is unique in and of itself, adds a new tone to the genre that is extremely enticing in its morbid creativity.

Another tale particularity worthy of mention is Beyond the Doomed cave by the editor and creator himself, Alan Draven. The tale takes on a Poe-esque incantation rhythm, relating the misadventures of a group of children, their tormentors, a haunted cave and an insane baroness. Like the finest of bubbling poisons, the tale chills in its killing fury and exciting pace delivering an action/horror adventure where legends can, and will, come true.

The Broken Spell of Castle Thaddeus by David Boyle is another tale of dourness and despair taking a negative spin on religion that, while a little heavy, is so well told and enacted as to pull the spellbound reader into the inner machinations of an evil castle and a corrupted cult. Blood-chilling and suitably dramatic, Castle Thaddeus with its crumbling walls and proclivity toward thunderstorms make it the perfect place for a dark moonlight night's literary sojourn.

Scotland Yard Demons by Ryan B. Clark is the most disturbing story presented in the compilation, detailing a Scotland Yard detective whose life has slide into oblivion as his obsession with discovering a vicious child murderer has lead to insanity and death, revealing an evil eons in the making. Atmospheric and heavily morbid, this is a story with a sledge hammer tone, drilling horror and mayhem into the reader's brain to ferment into something dreadful.

My Elf by R. Vance was by far the most poignant, and possibly impacting tale in the compilation as it depicted one man's fall from grace and his consequential unrequited love gone horribly, irrevocably wrong. Both sweet and sour, this is a tale of missed redemption and life long fear, coupled with a desire for love perverted in childhood. Less horrifying, but more emotional, this is a tale that demands attention and will linger always in the reader's memory.

And, last in my list of favorites, but certainly not least, is Visions of Merlot by Jeff Ezell which is a thriller with supernatural horror overtones taking an ordinary tale of a bad marriage and adding an extraordinary dose of unexpected revenge foiled by a trick worthy of the devil. Dreamy and silky this is a story that strokes, and then strangles, leading the readers into a surrealistic tale of generations old deception and the unrequited appetite for murderous revenge.

Of course, these examples are only a few of my favorite tales in this excellent compilation. Not one tale is unworthy of being present. All are extremely well written, with vividly gloomy atmospheres and varying specters and creatures of destruction. Also, when putting together this anthology, Draven had a great deal of foresight, including an introduction by himself detailing the creation of this particular anthology and future books to come. And, as an added extra, horror author Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc wrote an eloquent and entirely fetching introduction entitled "Let The Shadows Envelop You" which makes a first-rate prelude to the tales of darkness that are to come. Also, each story is presented with a brief introduction by the editor relating fascinating information about each author's life and achievements and information on how to reach said author giving the reader the impression that a great deal of time and forethought was put into making this book not only good, but the quintessential corner stone of gothic horror. This is an anthology of the greatest quality that is sure to please all horror and literature fans, delivering an electric ride through the dark domains of horror and intrigue. Unequivocally recommended.

- Ravenova

For those who are curious (or seeking out a favorite author) these are the stories included within this volume:

Polite Society by Thad Linson

Sins of the Fathers by Sarah Wilson Basore

Throat of Stone by Eric Enck

The Widow's Curse by Jessica Lynne Gardner

Scotland Yard Demons by Ryan B. Clark

Severed by Brandon Ford

The Spirit of Death by Jeani Rector

The Broken Spell of Castle Thaddeus by David Boyle

From a Whisper to a Dream by Gordon Anthony Bean

Ghost in the Hardware by Bret Jordon

Beyond the Doomed Cave by Alan Draven

Proof by Stephanie J

Final Exam by T.G. Reaper

My Elf by R. Vance

Visions of Merlot by Jeff Ezell

Come Follow Me My Love by Charlotte Emma Gledson

The Encounter by Charlie Glover

Lead Me Into Temptation by Frank E. Bittinger

I just finished reading Sinister Landscapes and I have to say how impressed I was by the quality of stories in this anthology.

I'm a huge fan of horror and read roughly a dozen books a month. When I saw that Sinister Landscapes was offering a fresh approach on the concept of the gothic horror story with new and emerging writers, I was intrigued.

The book started off well, with a Jack the Ripper story with a twist. First time writer Thad Linson did a solid job in getting the book started.

Severed by Brandon Ford was another standout tale of dark and nasty revenge. Well written, it grabs you by the jugular.

From a Whisper to a Dream by Gordon Anthony Bean and Final Exam by T.G Reaper were two of the scariest stories in the book. Both were dark and disturbing and I actually found myself glancing over my shoulder as I read these alone at home at night. The former is a nightmarish tale of two brothers waiting for the arrival of creatures who threaten to eat their souls. The latter is a short but memorable tale set in a haunted hospital.

All other stories made for enjoyable reading except for two which just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the book. Overall, Alan Draven has done an excellent job of pulling together some exceptional stories to make a truly memorable anthology. Well worth the cost, these stories will linger long after the book is finished.

REVIEWED BY THE FUNKY WEREPIG


The best anthologies pick smart themes. Nothing worse than reading your 10th story under the theme `Chainsaw Killings'. With Sinister Landscapes, editor Alan Draven scores. His theme's goal is to bring back those wonderful Gothic tales, the kind of horror the Hammer or Val Lewton films gave us. So Draven fills his book with ghosts and witches, werewolves and demons, and one incredibly frightening elf. With each new page, we can easily see Vincent Price or Christopher Lee walking through the mist or creeping up a staircase in some forgotten church.

Sinister Landscapes also presents great diversity. Draven makes sure no two stories are alike. He successfully mixes tales from novelists, proven short story writers and newcomers. While many editors would go out of their way to adjust every story to an equal playing field, Draven bravely lets the writer's voice be heard, no matter how `inexperienced'. I for one appreciate that. I found a couple of the lesser known talents brought some of the stronger stories in this anthology.

Of the eighteen Gothic tales in this book, four of them grabbed me by the throat and absolutely scared the crap out of me. One other, a dark comedy, had me laughing aloud. Sarah Basore and Bret Jordan are among the standout writers. And R Vance's 'My Elf' gave me my favorite story of the entire year. For the sake of honesty, I do have to say there were two stories that made me put the book down and shake my head. But overall Sinister Landscapes delivered enjoyable old style horror with original twists and vivid imagery.

Sinister Landscapes is one of the best quality showcases for fresh and exciting voices in the horror genre. Draven ends by saying he would like to do one of these anthologies every Halloween. I will be disappointed if he doesn't.

Now have you ever come across a lot of horror collections that say they are one thing and then assuming you can even finish the stories, they turn out to be exactly what was promoted? Well, do not look any further. This collection is exactly what it states it is, gothic tales of horror (and scary I should add) with a modern twist.

There is no ho-hum boring 19th century gothic here. This is modern gothic tales of the supernatural and bone chilling fear. I pretty much read right through all the stories within a week. Reading two a night was a great pleasure and since it is an anthology of unknowns, it was refreshing to get some original work.

I must say the publisher's story called Beyond the Doomed Cave was definately a standout. It can be seen why Alan Draven is a nice addition to the horror writing community. As a result, he is a great judger of talent and has brought in a collection of some outstanding stories by up and coming writers. Think of the book as a "hits of the 90's" CD; a book with all great stories with no filler tracks.

Three other fantastic stories were Visions of Merlot by Jeff Ezell, From a Whisper to a Dream, by Gordon Anthony Bean, and The Spirit of Death by Jeani Rector. Though every story was outstanding in its own way, these three were the ones that definately [...........] me in the most. If you wanted to read them out of order, I'd start with these three (plus Alan Draven's).

And for the price, definately a good investment, a good read, and most importantly, jolly good fun!

Sinister Landscapes is a great read from cover to cover! I finished it in just two days, and I was captured by the chilling twisted tales; tales that took me out of my reading room and took me into the darkness. I traveled along through the creepy old cemeteries, old churches, haunted manors, and many other sinister places not of this earth. I also write horror, I just started, and I must also say that this book is a learning tool for any new dark/horror/gothic writer. The carefully chosen words sent chills through out my body as the rain poured outside. I started reading the day light hours and night slowly fell upon me, and then the rain started to pour. I read with my door open, and the sound of the rain; the cool and damp feeling made me question if anyone strangers were going to walk up my street?

You have to grab this book, it is a must read for gothic and horror fans; also fellow writers alike. Whether you are just starting out, or have been writing and reading horror for decades; Sinister Landscapes is a pure gothic and twisted anthology of brilliance!

Thanks
Mikey/PA (Reclusive Knight) Writing.com!

Sometimes I forget how good a nice, short story collection can be. Anthologies such as this one are perfect for a satisfying fix for horror fans without having to read hundreds of pages to see a scary resolution. These were so entertaining and interesting that I would read a few at a time, marveling at what each author brought to the table. There are eighteen scrumptious Gothic horror tales that range in style and content but each is brilliant and satisfying, sometimes making me wish they could have been turned into full books or that the story would never end.

Gothic fiction is generally thought of as a mixture of horror and romance but what I like about it is the fusion of psychical and mental anguish combined with ancient places and costumes and old-fashioned and deeply rooted primordial terrors, there are no modern marvels to save the stars of the stories, they are often on their own armed with nothing more than their wits and muscles. Keeping with the traditional characters of the Gothic genre there were witches and an evil baroness, plenty of maniacs, maidens in distress, ghosts and monsters and some regular folks who simply went down the wrong path.

Each tale here is suave, dark and chillingly terrifying as it entangles the reader into the whirlpool of curiosity that carries a hefty price for sticking around to see the ending. I had a blast getting to meet new authors, some all ready well known such as Jeani Rector and Alan Draven and some new to me as the left me hungry for more of their work. Overall I loved all the tales but there were a few favorites, and even though I read this a few days ago I still think about the tales fondly, recalling how they made me feel as I read them. When reading this anthology I was always looking for spare time when I could sneak a few stories in and when the book actually ended I felt like someone took the rug from under my feet, so I hope that next year we get to see a whole new set and even more great reading.

Some of my favorites were : "The Widows Curse" by Jessica Lynne Gardener, a really spine tingling terror mixed with ancient traditions that grabbed a hold of a young widow and took something from her, very visually stirring and rich story. "My Elf" by R. Vance was a really interesting read, something I would love to have read as a full novel, it reminded me of some good teen horror I used to read, mixing all kinds of emotions as the reader feel sorry for the poor girl and the "bad" guy. "The Spirit of Death" by Jeani Rector was amazing, a really brilliant and gripping tale with an intense ending, I was blown away at the conclusion. "Beyond the Doomed Cave" by Alan Draven himself was just another fine example of his skill; the tale was short but immensely packed with great character development, eerie and dangerous places and some really witty moments. "Visions of Merlot" by Jeff Ezell was another stunning Hitchcock like tale that found a spot in my heart with every page. "Proof" by Stephanie J. was also excellent and masterfully written, it was not only very creative but also very easily absorbed by my imagination. I can go on and on and probably list the rest as my favorites too, they were really all good tales and I hope that all the authors involved will have a bright literary future ahead of them. The ideas are all there, they just need to reach the reader and thanks to Alan Draven, gothic delicacies such as this one are possible.

- Kasia S.

Alan Draven has broght together a group of gothic horror writers to bring you the reader a book of short stories just in time for Halloween - The diversity of stories will tease all readers of horror.
From Witches to Cemeteries, Draven has taken the time to pick the best of the best. This is one book that you will want to add to your library to read over and over again.
Run don't walk to the local store and pick one up today

Lead Me Into Temptation by Frank E. Bittinger is a great read...not only does he write well, but he is the best damn hairdresser in Cumberland, Maryland!!!

If you like this story by Frank, then you need to read his other books. Can't put the books down once you start reading.