Customer Reviews

Sins of the Sirens

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anybody who is expecting a collection of tales here of cuddly vampires seducing shy Goth chicks by candlelight is in for a seismic eye opening. SINS OF THE SIRENS offers up (mostly) erotic horror stories by four of the best femme writers in the genre, and these little gems are anything but cuddly.

Loren Rhoads kicks it into high gear with a quartet of stories which reach delirious heights with "Still Life With Broken Glass", an incredibly tense and disturbing story about a female photographer whose death obsession takes some unwholesome turns. Loren's "Sound of Impact" is a quiet piece with a sock-to-the-gut ending, and would be right at home in any Joyce Carol Oates collection.

Next up is Maria Alexander's trio, the centerpiece of which is the novella-length "Pinned", a trip through L.A.'s BDSM scene which feels so real it's almost too real - Alexander's writing makes you equally experience every prick of a needle or shiver of pleasure. "The Dark River in His Flesh" is a tasty reprint oozing fog and absinthe, as the author paints an evocative portrait of Victorian London.

Mehitobel Wilson offers up four of the volumes most downright squirmy works, especially "Close", in which the twist endings reverse themselves at least once after examining the psychology of a hotel employee who hides under a bed to become part of the sex happening above him. "The Wild" and "Parting Jane" both effectively examine the American club scene with a twist of Southern Gothic.

Rounding out the volume are three tales from Christa Faust, including "Love, La Llorona", which mixes a south-of-the-border setting with Japanese-style video obsessions to create one of the creepiest stories in the book. The big surprise here is Faust's "Firebird" a long tale which is more science fiction than horror, as a young woman in a bleak future sets forth on a urban quest to find the source of a new lethal drug. The story, which is both superbly imagined and emotionally detailed, should be a welcome addition to any book, regardless of genre.

The sheer craftsmanship in SINS is uniformly good, and occasionally dazzling, with all four Sirens demonstrating style to burn and chills aplenty.

The book is attractively designed, and kudos are also due to editor John Everson for an insightful introduction.

Well I am French and love good food and wine. These Sirens are the equivalent of a five star meal in Paris: balanced yet surprising, beautiful,well paired, stylish... What else doesone want? Ah ok... good food is like good erotica it teases you to no-end... Well guess what: eroticism and fear are two main ingredients of their dishes... So for the fraction of a price of that good meal in Paris you can own this great anthology (plus you do not have to put up with arrogant Parisians like me!). Run do not walk... these kind of deals do not last....