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Shrieks and Shivers From The Horror Zine
The Horror Zine - the critically acclaimed magazine - brings you a wicked brew of new short stories from some of the finest talents in the genre. Featuring dark fantasy, mystery, pure suspense and classic horror, SHRIEKS AND SHIVERS From The Horror Zine is relentless in its approach to basic fears and has twisted, unexpected endings.
SHRIEKS AND SHIVERS From The Horror Zine contains all original fiction from such "masters of the macabre" as William F. Nolan, Joe McKinney, Ray Garton, Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, PD Cacek, Jason V. Brock, Lisa Morton, Rena Mason, Eric J. Guignard, and Tom Piccirilli. Night of the Living Dead co-writer John Russo is included, along with a Foreward from horror great Bentley Little.
SHRIEKS AND SHIVERS From The Horror Zine contains all original fiction from such "masters of the macabre" as William F. Nolan, Joe McKinney, Ray Garton, Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, PD Cacek, Jason V. Brock, Lisa Morton, Rena Mason, Eric J. Guignard, and Tom Piccirilli. Night of the Living Dead co-writer John Russo is included, along with a Foreward from horror great Bentley Little.
297 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 4, 2016
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
Horror short stories are my favorite form of literature, hands down. So when Jeani Rector offered me a copy of Shrieks and Shivers From The Horror Zine to review, there was zero possibility I was going to say no. With a few well-known names in the table of contents, and my love of discovering new horror talent, I really couldn't see a downside.
The book itself is fairly handsome, certainly one of the better covers from Post Mortem Press.
Let's start with the positive: The first actual story in the collection, TAPEWORM by Martin Rose, was quite good. For my tastes, this collection was about a 30% hit rate of stories that I really enjoyed, 20% that were okay, leaving a remainder that wasn't horrible. In fact, it's some sort of achievement that there really weren't any "terrible" stories here.
In addition to the aforementioned TAPEWORM, my favorites in this collection were penned by Joe McKinney, Bruce Memblatt, Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, Dean H. Wild, Lisa Morton, Garrett Rowlan and Eric J. Guignard. Honorable mention also goes to tales from Shaun Meeks, Ray Garton, Kristen Houghton, and Joseph Rubas.
The contributions from William F. Nolan and Tom Piccirilli, two writers I quite enjoy, were so slight as to barely qualify as actual stories, apparently included only to bolster the appearance of the roster.
Dropping stories from big names into an anthology such as this is one way to get attention, however it's a double-edge: you expect the stories from the big names to be GOOD, and keep your fingers crossed that at least a few of the stories from lesser-known authors hit the mark.
So now for the grumbles:
This anthology stumbles hard out of the gate, with one of the most cringe-worthy introductions to an anthology I've ever read, by the straight-shootin' Bentley Little: He hasn't read the stories, doesn't know the authors contributing to the volume. Goes on to say that Jeani contacted him out of the blue hoping to get a story from him for a previous anthology for an earlier anthology she was doing, so he sent her something he had lying around, something he implied wasn't good enough to submit elsewhere.
Maybe this introduction would've worked better at the end of the book? Or maybe just drop it and let the stories fall or stand on their own?
I soldiered on.
The very first piece in the book wasn't a killer short story to draw me in, but rather a rambling non-fiction bit by John Russo that sounded exactly like someone had bought him a few drinks at a convention, set an audio recorder down on the bar while he rambled, and then transcribed it as "A WORD ABOUT ZOMBIES". Why? What on earth does this have to do with anything? It's a fiction anthology and I'm immediately subjected to John Russo rambling like Grandpa Simpson about zombie movies.
Removing these two bits by Little and Russo would've gotten the whole thing off to much more solid start, in my opinion.
Fortunately, things began to look up after that and before long a few decent stories washed that initial sour taste out of my mouth.
The final verdict?
All in all, a pretty decent collection that does what it's supposed to do: entertain and introduce new authors to a wider audience, and in that it succeeds. Check it out!
I know I will certainly be seeking out more from Bruce Memblatt, Dean H. Wild, Garrett Rowlan, and Eric J. Guignard in the future, as well as digging more deeply into Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, and Lisa Morton's work to boot.
Horror short stories are my favorite form of literature, hands down. So when Jeani Rector offered me a copy of Shrieks and Shivers From The Horror Zine to review, there was zero possibility I was going to say no. With a few well-known names in the table of contents, and my love of discovering new horror talent, I really couldn't see a downside.
The book itself is fairly handsome, certainly one of the better covers from Post Mortem Press.
Let's start with the positive: The first actual story in the collection, TAPEWORM by Martin Rose, was quite good. For my tastes, this collection was about a 30% hit rate of stories that I really enjoyed, 20% that were okay, leaving a remainder that wasn't horrible. In fact, it's some sort of achievement that there really weren't any "terrible" stories here.
In addition to the aforementioned TAPEWORM, my favorites in this collection were penned by Joe McKinney, Bruce Memblatt, Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, Dean H. Wild, Lisa Morton, Garrett Rowlan and Eric J. Guignard. Honorable mention also goes to tales from Shaun Meeks, Ray Garton, Kristen Houghton, and Joseph Rubas.
The contributions from William F. Nolan and Tom Piccirilli, two writers I quite enjoy, were so slight as to barely qualify as actual stories, apparently included only to bolster the appearance of the roster.
Dropping stories from big names into an anthology such as this is one way to get attention, however it's a double-edge: you expect the stories from the big names to be GOOD, and keep your fingers crossed that at least a few of the stories from lesser-known authors hit the mark.
So now for the grumbles:
This anthology stumbles hard out of the gate, with one of the most cringe-worthy introductions to an anthology I've ever read, by the straight-shootin' Bentley Little: He hasn't read the stories, doesn't know the authors contributing to the volume. Goes on to say that Jeani contacted him out of the blue hoping to get a story from him for a previous anthology for an earlier anthology she was doing, so he sent her something he had lying around, something he implied wasn't good enough to submit elsewhere.
Maybe this introduction would've worked better at the end of the book? Or maybe just drop it and let the stories fall or stand on their own?
I soldiered on.
The very first piece in the book wasn't a killer short story to draw me in, but rather a rambling non-fiction bit by John Russo that sounded exactly like someone had bought him a few drinks at a convention, set an audio recorder down on the bar while he rambled, and then transcribed it as "A WORD ABOUT ZOMBIES". Why? What on earth does this have to do with anything? It's a fiction anthology and I'm immediately subjected to John Russo rambling like Grandpa Simpson about zombie movies.
Removing these two bits by Little and Russo would've gotten the whole thing off to much more solid start, in my opinion.
Fortunately, things began to look up after that and before long a few decent stories washed that initial sour taste out of my mouth.
The final verdict?
All in all, a pretty decent collection that does what it's supposed to do: entertain and introduce new authors to a wider audience, and in that it succeeds. Check it out!
I know I will certainly be seeking out more from Bruce Memblatt, Dean H. Wild, Garrett Rowlan, and Eric J. Guignard in the future, as well as digging more deeply into Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, and Lisa Morton's work to boot.
January 11, 2015
Jeani Rector has done it again, though this may be the best anthology she's put together so far. As much as I liked the last one, Shadow Masters, this one is far above that. The stories in here are diverse and well written, full of scares, creeps and utterly horrifying things. It really has something for everyone. Do you like monsters? Check. Twilight Zone type of stories? Check. Subtle horror? Check. Whatever your taste there's some great stories in this one you can't miss. Not to mention a great introduction by Bentley Little and one by John Russo. Stories in here that can't be missed are by Ray Garton, William F. Nolan, Jason V. Brock, Shaun Meeks, Christian A. Larsen, Tom Piccirilli, Lisa Morton and really, I loved every single one in this. Going back over the names and stories right now, there's not a single one I wouldn't read again. Each writer in here has just earned a new fan.
February 27, 2015
This review originally appeared on Shock Totem's blog (http://www.shocktotem.com/02/15/2015/...).
The Horror Zine’s latest short story anthology, Shrieks and Shivers from the Horror Zine, edited by Jeani Rector and printed by Post Mortem Press, is allegedly also their final one. Listed as “the scariest book that [they have] ever produced” on the Zine’s website, there are some big-name authors to be found here, including Elizabeth Massie, P.D. Cacek, Tom Piccirilli, Ray Garton, and Joe McKinney, alongside many other, newer and lesser-known authors.
There were stories in this anthology that particularly stood out. Martin Rose’s opener, “Tapeworm,” had me squirming with its subdued, suggested-but-not-seen horrors. Eric J. Guignard’s “One Last Tweet” was a delightfully disorienting second-person story-cum-postmodern social commentary about our Internet age. Elizabeth Massie’s “Squatters” was a solid, old-fashioned tale of a vile man getting his just desserts. P.D. Cacek’s “Somniphobia” was a fun, hallucinatory ride through night (and day) terrors. At first glance, Nathan Robinson’s “Old Haunts” was a typically gory zombie apocalypse tale, until it cleverly asks the reader to wonder just who is narrating the story. And let’s just say that Ray Garton’s “Parasites” is NOT a story to be read in the bathroom.
I have to admit that going into this anthology I was fairly stoked, but ultimately, I was a bit disappointed. A number of the stories just didn’t groove with me, often suffering from the common storytelling problem of “too much tell, not enough show.” Others were too heavy-handed with their horror delivery. Now, every multiple-author story anthology runs the risk of having some stories that don’t work for every reader; it’s a given evil in any art field. In this case, however, the sheer number of weaker stories hurt my overall opinion of the anthology.
Bentley Little’s introduction, in which he all but literally admits that he’s only included for cosmetic purposes, didn’t help. “I haven’t read any of the stories in this anthology,” he states in his opening paragraph. “I don’t even know the names of the authors contributing to this volume.” His admission left me desiring a more dedicated introduction, be it by Little or someone else. His lack of enthusiasm didn’t help my overall opinion of the stories and my feelings of their quality.
Furthermore, the book’s early inclusion of an essay by John Russo, co-scribe of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968), was another touch that didn’t quite work. Russo rambles about zombies, and how they’ve changed over the years, yet not once does he mention the following stories, nor Jeani Rector, nor anything else to do with this anthology. Beyond being another big name, its inclusion is not clearly justified.
For all of its content (over 30 stories in all), Shrieks and Shivers from the Horror Zine felt like it was assembled with quantity in mind, rather than a strong sense of overall quality. Here’s to hoping that it isn’t truly The Horror Zine’s final anthology, if nothing else than for the hopes of a more proper send-off.
The Horror Zine’s latest short story anthology, Shrieks and Shivers from the Horror Zine, edited by Jeani Rector and printed by Post Mortem Press, is allegedly also their final one. Listed as “the scariest book that [they have] ever produced” on the Zine’s website, there are some big-name authors to be found here, including Elizabeth Massie, P.D. Cacek, Tom Piccirilli, Ray Garton, and Joe McKinney, alongside many other, newer and lesser-known authors.
There were stories in this anthology that particularly stood out. Martin Rose’s opener, “Tapeworm,” had me squirming with its subdued, suggested-but-not-seen horrors. Eric J. Guignard’s “One Last Tweet” was a delightfully disorienting second-person story-cum-postmodern social commentary about our Internet age. Elizabeth Massie’s “Squatters” was a solid, old-fashioned tale of a vile man getting his just desserts. P.D. Cacek’s “Somniphobia” was a fun, hallucinatory ride through night (and day) terrors. At first glance, Nathan Robinson’s “Old Haunts” was a typically gory zombie apocalypse tale, until it cleverly asks the reader to wonder just who is narrating the story. And let’s just say that Ray Garton’s “Parasites” is NOT a story to be read in the bathroom.
I have to admit that going into this anthology I was fairly stoked, but ultimately, I was a bit disappointed. A number of the stories just didn’t groove with me, often suffering from the common storytelling problem of “too much tell, not enough show.” Others were too heavy-handed with their horror delivery. Now, every multiple-author story anthology runs the risk of having some stories that don’t work for every reader; it’s a given evil in any art field. In this case, however, the sheer number of weaker stories hurt my overall opinion of the anthology.
Bentley Little’s introduction, in which he all but literally admits that he’s only included for cosmetic purposes, didn’t help. “I haven’t read any of the stories in this anthology,” he states in his opening paragraph. “I don’t even know the names of the authors contributing to this volume.” His admission left me desiring a more dedicated introduction, be it by Little or someone else. His lack of enthusiasm didn’t help my overall opinion of the stories and my feelings of their quality.
Furthermore, the book’s early inclusion of an essay by John Russo, co-scribe of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968), was another touch that didn’t quite work. Russo rambles about zombies, and how they’ve changed over the years, yet not once does he mention the following stories, nor Jeani Rector, nor anything else to do with this anthology. Beyond being another big name, its inclusion is not clearly justified.
For all of its content (over 30 stories in all), Shrieks and Shivers from the Horror Zine felt like it was assembled with quantity in mind, rather than a strong sense of overall quality. Here’s to hoping that it isn’t truly The Horror Zine’s final anthology, if nothing else than for the hopes of a more proper send-off.
January 22, 2015
This is a fantastic anthology. Jeani Rector once again lines up so many great writers that provide so many wonderful stories. There's no theme to this other than top notch fiction, and what could be better than a book with William F. Nolan in it?
August 31, 2015
Great creepy read!!! And not just the established horror writers can take all the credit with this one. The stories by newer horror writers, such as Rachel Coles "Nails In Your Coffin," are just as good, if not better, than some of the penmonkeys who've been publishing for years. If you like creepy, horrific tales then you'll enjoy this story collection. Jeani Rector, the editor, made some great pics when she put this one together. I highly recommend it.
October 5, 2015
I enjoyed reading the short stories, some twist in the storyline
January 15, 2018
This book was given to me by a friend who loves horror :) Some of the stories were amazing ( Old Haunts, Pete's Big Break, & The Last Bottle to name a few) but others were kind of meh. Overall though a pretty decent collection of work.
One major complaint--I was super disappointed by the Foreword, where the author mentioned he hadn't even read any of the stories in the collection. It came off as disrespectful and standoffish. But I digress...
One major complaint--I was super disappointed by the Foreword, where the author mentioned he hadn't even read any of the stories in the collection. It came off as disrespectful and standoffish. But I digress...
October 13, 2017
Typical for Anthologies there are good stories, and there are great stories, and then there are just WTF did I just read stories and I mean that in a positive way. This collection was simply a bunch of meh type stories. I think there were 3 that I enjoyed all the rest I don't even remember.
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December 26, 2020Que bajón q justo los últimos dos sean malos. Creo que me gustaron todos.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews