Home » Posts tagged "women writers" (Page 3)

Book Review: Hear Us Scream: The Voices of Horror edited by Catherine Benstead, S.C. Parris, and Violet Burns

cover art for Hear Us Scream: The Voices of Horror

Hear Us Scream: The Voices of Horror edited by Catherine Benstead, S.C. Parris, and Violet Burns

Hear Us Scream, 2021

ISBN: 9780645235500

Available:  Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition  ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

Vivid and intimate, these nonfiction reflections examine how and why folks find homes in the horror genre.

 

The women and nonbinary contributors’ offer personal horror journeys that blend and balance scholarly insights with intensely personal revelations for a unique and powerful reading experience. Despite considerable diversity in contributors’ backgrounds, some common threads emerge in the essays. Authors address themes like life lessons from horror’s surviving characters; horror as a place of self- recognition, community, and discovery; first experiences with horror; the connection between histories of trauma and horror enthusiasm; and the (mis)representations of marginalized identities. The result of the converging themes from distinct perspectives delivers a smart celebration that find pleasure and critical engagement with the genre. The inclusive potential of horror is centered, while raising incisive questions about future directions, and the pathways presented reflect the dynamic value of horror’s diverse voices. Horror lovers will find an enthusiastic appreciation of horror’s many worlds, interesting entry points, and room for emerging conversations. Much like the genre itself, I suspect this book will feel like home to many readers, who recognize and revere similar moments and remembrances.

 

Hear Us Scream is a welcome addition that will find enthusiastic readers across the community of horror lovers. Both horror content creators and fans will find much to enjoy and relate to in this empowering set of reflections about all types of horror, from B-movies to mainstream features, and more. Some individual essays include trigger warnings for a range of topics, and complex topics are handled with candor and care. Libraries with strong horror collections and pop culture sections will benefit from adding this title. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by E.F. Schraeder

Posted on February 5, 2022 by , Reply

It’s Women in Horror Month! Book Review: A Quaint and Curious Volume of Gothic Tales edited by Alex Woodroe

cover art for A Quaint and Curious Volume of Gothic Tales edited by Alex Woodroe

A Quaint and Curious Volume of Gothic Tales edited by Alex Woodroe

Brigids Gate Press, 2022

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09QHKS4GJ

Available: Kindle edition ( Amazon.com )

 

Just in time for Women in Horror Month, along comes A Quaint and Curious Volume of Gothic Tales. This anthology of stories by women writers uses the gothic horror tradition to and illuminate the present by giving women a voice. An introduction by Stephanie Ellis provides background on the origins and characteristics of gothic horror and short summaries of each story.

 

Standout stories include “Penance” by Lindsey King Miller, a heartbreaking tale of a daughter’s unresolved fear, anger, and grief after the death of her estranged mother;  “What The Dead Whisper to the Living”  by Mary Rajotte, in which a father reveals unspeakable secrets to his daughter; “Picture Perfect” by Patricia Miller, a short, vicious, piece about an artist who pours all her feelings into her work; “Arbor Hills” by Deana Lisenby, a beautiful piece with an unreliable narrator that takes place in an Alzheimer’s unit; “Down with the Holly, Ivy, All” by Jessica Lévai , a Christmas tale of greed and just desserts that feels like it is straight out of Dickens; and “Speak Ill of the Dead” by Briana McGuckin is an entertaining tale about a forensics technician facing the consequences of feeling sympathy for the ghost of a victim she examined. The laginappe, or final story in the book, “The Sweetlings” by S.H. Cooper ,  could be an episode of  The Twilight Zone. 

 

Other good stories include  “Mercy” by Catherine McCarthy, which features a man with the supernatural power to end lives peacefully, at a cost; “Slave of the Living Dead” by Kasimma, which moves the gothic sensibility to Nigeria, where a family curse caused by destroying the lineage of a beloved ancestor and selling him into slavery dooms them at age thirty-five;  “A Kindness of Ravens” by April Yates, a tale of unhappy marriage, betrayal, sapphic love, and the supernatural; “The Half-Moon Casita” by Anna Fitzgerald Healy, about a couple in an unsatisfactory relationship, each haunted by uncomfortable doubts of the other; and “Scabrous” by Victoria Nations, a disturbing story of a haunted shed.

 

I appreciated the inclusion of “Slave of the Living Dead” , set outside the typical European locations and culture associated with the gothic tradition,, and would love to see more diverse authors’ interpretations if there is a second volume planned. This is a fine choice for readers wanting to explore the gothic horror genre and celebrate women in horror.  The variety of settings, styles, and lengths in this anthology however, means that everyone should be able to find something they can enjoy. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on February 2, 2022 by , Reply

Book Review: Castle of Horror Anthology Volume 6: Femme Fatales

cover art for castle of horror volume 6

Castle of Horror Anthology Volume 6: Femme Fatales

Castle Bridge Media, 2021

ISBN: 9781736472682

Available : Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

This is the sixth installment in a series of horror anthologies which, somehow, sadly had escaped my radar. Too bad, because if the previous five volumes are as good as this one I missed a lot of good dark fiction.

 

The present book assembles sixteen short stories, none of which is a misfire. Some tales are excellent, some are good, and a few just fairly good. All the authors are women as are the main characters involved in the narratives.

 

I will focus on the best (to me) of the lot.

 

“The Hunt” by PJ Hoover is a superb, tense, piece of graphic horror with a nice little twist in the tail, while “Poker” by S. de Freitas is a great tale describing a tantalizing poker game between two dangerous predators.

 

SN Rodriguez contributes “ The Carpenter”, a dark fable about unrequited love, and Jess Hagemann provides “Comfort Woman”, a perceptive, well-told story about women taking care of lonely and/or suicidal men.

 

In the enticing “Maidel” by Beth Kander, a disembodied female spirit makes an unusual proposal to a living woman.

 

My favorites are the splendid “Lovesome” by Katya de Becerra, a tale featuring a young, sensitive witch dealing with magic, power and love, and “ Do You Want to Live Forever?” by Christina Berry, an outstanding  story with a distinct vampiresque flavor and a slightly melancholy undercurrent.

 

While you’re enjoying volume six, I’m going to secure a copy of the previous five….

 

Reviewed by Mario Guslandi

Posted on January 2, 2022 by , Reply
First « 12345 » Last