Book Review: It Came From the Swamp: A Cryptid Anthology edited by Joey R. Poole
It Came From the Swamp: A Cryptid Anthology edited by Joey R. Poole
Malarkey Books, 2022
ISBN-13 : 978-1088025321
Available: Paperback ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )
This short story anthology is themed around cryptids and folkloric creatures. Mermaids and Bigfoot make multiple appearances, but so do more locally known creatures.
Standout stories include: “Flood Tide”, in which a maid for an anti-abortion senator feeds him and his handsy son to a carnivorous mermaid. I felt vicarious pleasure reading this one.In “Ceasing”, a lizard man and a Boo Hag go on a Halloween date. In “Soo-Soo Go Bye-Bye”, a father rushing to Wal-Mart on icy roads for baby supplies thinks he’s spotted a Sasquatch. “Der Butzemann” takes a figure from Pennsylvania Dutch folklore and uses it to enact vengeance on those poisoning the land. There’s some excellent writing in some of the other stories but they don’t quite feel like all the pieces fit together.
In any book themed on cryptids, they are really the stars, and “The Monster Beneath” and “The Valley Where the Fog Has Hooves” both have incredible, lyrical, descriptive writing about the cryptids in the stories. For readers into cryptids and folkloric creatures looking for something a little darker than Harry Dresden’s “Working for Bigfoot”, this is a title you’ll want to check out.
Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski
Book Review: Don’t Break The Oath: Women of Horror Anthology #4 edited by J Girardi and J Pipe
Don’t Break the Oath: Women of Horror Anthology #4 edited by J Girardi & J Pipe
Kandisha Press 2021
ISBN-13: 979-8750064694
Available: Paperback- Kindle edition
Women are increasingly taking the lead as horror authors and the present anthology is already number four in a successful series penned exclusively by female writers.
Unfortunately, I’ve missed the previous three volumes but I’ll certainly do my best in order to secure a copy of the whole series.
The current volume features twenty-three tales and, as customary with short story anthologies, not all the included material worked for me, although the average quality is certainly more than acceptable. But, as always, some stories really stand out and here they are.
“The Coachman’s Cottage” by Anna Taborska is a conventional, yet powerful, tale about the ghost of a woman walled up alive by her vengeful husband, haunting a man occupying an abandoned cottage.
Sonora Taylor contributes “Capable of Loving”, an insightful, disquieting piece featuring a creepy little girl bound to become a criminal, while Angela Yuriko Smith pens “Perfect Girlfriend”, an offbeat tale with a distinct SF flavor, featuring an inhuman doll endowed with extraordinary abilities.
“The Kinda True Story of Bloody Mary” by Tracy Cross is an intriguing, very dark horror story about Bloody Mary, unfortunately wrapped up in a slightly boring context.
The vivid “ Fluid” by RA Busby is a piece of body horror addressing the terrible consequences of physical transformation.
While a fifth installment has been already announced, please enjoy what those dark lady writers have produced so far.
Reviewed by Mario Guslandi
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