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Book Review: Halloween Carnival: Volume 2 edited by Brian James Freeman

Halloween Carnival: Volume 2 edited by Brian James Freeman

Hydra, 2017

ISBN-13: 9780399182044

Available: Kindle edition

 

Spring is upon us, and that means, for me anyway, lamenting the passing of the fall and winter. In doing so, I like to read Halloween anthologies, prepping for the year’s best holiday. I originally picked these titles up on Net Galley, but I enjoyed the Halloween Carnival volumes so much that I purchased them so that I could relish the tales of the macabre throughout the year. Halloween Carnival: Volume 1 was a lovely little read, and Volume 2 is equally as good.

Five tales are contained within the pages of this book. Leading off is “Mr. Dark’s Carnival” by Glen Hirshberg. Professor R. loves Halloween, especially regarding the history of the local legend, Mr. Dark’s Carnival. Little is known about Mr. Dark, let alone the carnival itself. There are second and third hand accounts, but never, as the professor mentions in a lecture to his students, primary source accounts. The carnivals that people are invited to, by ticket only, are never the real thing—merely pranks or frat parties. Will this year be any different? He will only find out if he accepts the ticket from the body on the bridge.

“The Facts in the Case of My Sister” by Lee Thomas introduces us to young David, who loves magic, mesmerism, and hypnosis. When David’s little sister, Joyce, becomes so wracked with fear at the monsters in her closet that her screams echo the halls, he feels compelled to help her. He discovers much too late that his aid was a terrible thing to inflict on her. This story goes back and forth between adulthood and childhood and does so effectively. This is one of the strongest stories in this collection. I had to put the book down for a bit to let it sink in. I won’t ruin it, but the tension and realization of what happens because of David’s influence is dense and heartbreaking.

“Mischief Night” by Holly Newstein tells the tale of Willard, an alcoholic with a temper, and Nolan, an angry teenager from a broken home. When Nolan injures himself in his attempt to hide after a Mischief Night prank gone wrong, the two find themselves in a deadly situation.

In “The Ghost Maker” by Del James, a gangster, who is good at his job of making people disappear, answers the door to the wrong person when he’s invited to a Halloween party thrown by one of the big bosses. I think this had an interesting premise, but it wasn’t the strongest story in this collection.

“The Pumpkin Boy” by Al Sarrantonio is a chilling little story about missing children, a town legend, and the adults who struggle with their own demons while trying to make sense of the events that unfold. Jody Wendt has gone missing. Detective Len Schneider, with  perpetual doubt lingering in his mind, after he was too late during a previous case, is convinced this case will redeem him. More boys go missing in the meantime, and reports are coming in of sightings of the mysterious Pumpkin Boy.

The stories in this volume are less about gory scares than they are about psychological horror. Other than the theme of Halloween, the themes of struggle and loss permeate the tales in different ways. This is evidenced strongly in “The Facts in the Case of My Sister,” “Mischief Night,” and “The Pumpkin Boy” particularly. Recommended, especially for  fans of the Dark Screams anthologies.

Contains:

“Mr. Dark’s Carnival”: suicide

“The Facts in the Case of My Sister”: graphic description of domestic abuse

“Mischief Night”: alcoholism, death

“The Pumpkin Boy”: child abduction, child murder, gore

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on April 13, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: Halloween Carnival, Volume 1 edited by Brian James Freeman

Halloween Carnival, Volume 1 edited by Brian James Freeman

Hydra, 2017

ISBN: 9780399182037

Available: Kindle edition

Halloween Carnival, Volume 1 is the first of five collections of five Halloween-themed stories, with each story by a different writer in the horror genre. Curated by Brian James Freeman, the short collections were published as individual ebooks in a series, with one releasing in consecutive order on each Tuesday in October of 2017.

Robert McCammon’s “Strange Candy” is a bittersweet ghost story. A father finds an odd piece of unwrapped candy is found in the bottom of his child’s candy bag, and when he doesn’t heed the kidding chides of his wife about eating tampered candy. and consumes it, he is visited by a spirit for each of the gnarled peppermint shaped fingers. Each one brings him urgent messages to deliver to the living. When he receives his own visit from a very human messenger, he knows what he must do.

Kevin Lucia’s “The Rage of Achilles, or When Mockingbirds Sing,” returns readers of his previous books to Clifton Heights. Father Ward volunteers to hear confessions on All Hallow’s Eve. The father of a dead boy apologizes for what he is about to do after delivering his story. Will Father Ward be too late to stop the distraught father, or is there something more to the events of this strange night?

In John R. Little’s “Demon Air”, Halle is headed to Australia on the cheapest flight possible. When the stewards and pilot get in on the Halloween fun, it seems like all fun and games, until the danger becomes too real on the long flight.

In Lisa Morton’s “La Hacienda de lost Muertos,” Trick McGrew, an old-time cowboy star of the silver screen, is thrown into a real ghost story when he walks onto the set of his new film in Mexico. He discovers the sad La Llorona, searching endlessly for her lost children, is more than just a legend. He also discovers the truth behind her death, and what became of her babies.

Everyone is using hashtags these days. What happens when someone takes it too far? That’s the question Mark Allen Gunnells poses in “#MakeHalloweenScaryAgain.” Dustin, an author working on his next novel, starts the infamous hashtag that will change the town he lives in forever. When journalist Shawn befriends the author, and the major suspect in a grisly chain of events, things get even stranger. The use of social media in this story adds to the intrigue the author sets. Who is using the author’s hashtag to drive his push to make Halloween scary again?

I enjoyed this short anthology very much. The stories are short, entertaining reads, especially appropriate for the most wonderful time of the year for those of us who love Halloween. “The Rage of Achilles” is a particular favourite. The story is subtle in its horror, and the author’s treatment of a child with autism is very real, well-written, and sensitive to the fact that not every person with autism has every single marker of the spectrum. Recommended.

Contains: some violence

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on November 13, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: Dark Screams: Volume 7 edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar

Dark Screams: Volume 7 edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar

Hydra, 2017

ISBN: 9780399181948

Available: Kindle edition
 

After reading Dark Screams Volume 6, I knew I had to read Volume 7. Freeman and Chizmar have another great anthology here.

Robert McCammon weaves a tale of the “Lizardman”, who thinks he is the mightiest predator living in the Florida swamp, until he meets the real “big bad” lurking in the waters. Old Pope can drive people to madness and devour them quickly. What will become of the Lizardman when he meets the great beast?

James Renner’s story, “A Monster Comes to Ashdown Forest (in Which Christopher Robin Says Goodbye),” is both heartbreaking and terrifying at the same time. A caretaker working at a hospital at Dartmouth meets the real Christopher Robin, a seventy-five year old senile man who lived as a recluse so no one could find him and torment him about that silly old bear. There’s a very good reason why he wanted to forget the bear, the forest, and the carnage wrought beneath its trees.

Death comes to four families in “Furtherest” by Kaaron Warren. Grandpa Sheet, the old man living in one of the houses, rewards children who wander the dunes the furtherest where they find the graves of the boys who died. How far is the girl from House 1 willing to go out past the dunes?

Brian Hodge’s “West of Matamoros, North of Hell” is probably the most brutal story of the anthology. After the success of their latest album, Sebastián, Sofia, and Enrique head to Mexico for a photo shoot at a shrine to Santa Muerte, but instead they find themselves tormented and held prisoner by worshipers of the Saint of Death with others who have met the same fate. One by one, prisoners are dragged out of their dark enclosure. Unfortunately for those remaining it isn’t dark enough. Through one small window looking out to the giant statue of Santa Muerte, the prisoners witness the grisly sacrifices their captors make to their deity. However, when Sebastián and Enrique’s turns come, things are a little different.

A wolf is stalking Lieutenant Dietrich Drexler and his men through the Carpathian Mountains in “The Expedition” by Bill Schweigart. When Drexler is the only man left, he must take the news of what happened back to the Führer. Fortunately for Drexler, another fate awaits him.

Mick Garris’ story, “Snow Shadows,” revolves around a schoolteacher’s affair and a student’s infatuation that teaches a lesson in death and revenge.

While I enjoyed the sixth volume of the anthology more, Dark Screams Volume 7 was outstanding. I particularly enjoyed the story of Christopher Robin and the dark version of Pooh and the rest of the gang from the Hundred-Acre Wood. This volume is not to be missed if you have found this series. Recommended.

 

Contains: blood, brief sex, gore

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on July 26, 2017 by , Reply
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