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Purgatorium: The Element of Horror
Move away from the safety of the light, and confront what lingers in the shadowy places.
Ten genre authors deliver a glimpse of their own personal brand of horror. These eleven stories are the twisted fruits of their labours.
In 'Dubious Pickles' a child's curiosity can go too far.
A dark entity stalks the woman who escaped him in 'Carousel Eyes'.
Unrequited love can be bloody murder in 'Victim of Love'.
Replacing body parts is child's play for Frankenstein, but the decay of his mind is not so easily remedied in 'Pieces'.
A mere sampling of what lies between the covers of this book.
Welcome to Purgatorium: The Element of Horror.
Ten genre authors deliver a glimpse of their own personal brand of horror. These eleven stories are the twisted fruits of their labours.
In 'Dubious Pickles' a child's curiosity can go too far.
A dark entity stalks the woman who escaped him in 'Carousel Eyes'.
Unrequited love can be bloody murder in 'Victim of Love'.
Replacing body parts is child's play for Frankenstein, but the decay of his mind is not so easily remedied in 'Pieces'.
A mere sampling of what lies between the covers of this book.
Welcome to Purgatorium: The Element of Horror.
300 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 3, 2017
I confess! I know each of the 10 authors in this collection personally. I met them all at various writing events across Ontario over the past seven years. I have previously read work by Kevin Craig, Pat Flewwelling and Tobin Elliott, but I’ve never had the pleasure of reading anything by anyone else in this collection, so I was excited to get my hands on this book. I’m a huge fan of horror. I actually enjoy reading it and get quite excited if an author can write a story that can actually scare me or freak me out. In this collection of 11 stories, there were a few stand-out stories that I thought were fantastic, well written and made me keep reading WAY past my bedtime. To be honest, I read each and every story in this collection twice, and found the stories to be all intriguing in their own way and highly entertaining, which is exactly what I want out of a book.
My favourite short story in Purgatorium was “Fight or Flight” by Tobin Elliott. To me, horror is most alive when the topic of the story is about controlling the real-life demons found in our everyday ordinary life. This one is the scariest story of all, because I actually know a few people quite similar to the main character in this story. They live amongst us, just waiting to do something outrageous and horrific to someone else. Quite often, we don’t know why they do it, and sometimes, neither does the monster himself. It was a brilliant story, Tobin. I loved it.
My second favourite story was called “Pieces”, a collaboration of two authors, Robert Edgar Walton and Tobin Elliott writing about the brilliant minds of two evil mad scientists and the battle for who has the upper hand and control over their experiments. These two authors need to write a novel together, as their minds work wonderfully when they are joined.
Best visual has to go to the story, “Terminal” by Robert Edgar Walton. I could picture this story from start to finish; watching the stress develop into full-blown panic as the main character figures out what the heck is going on. It reminded me of an old Sci-Fi Horror movie called “The Blob”, that I watched at a drive-in theatre the year I got married (the first time around). It rated right up there with the movie “Jaws” for freaking me out.
The story that caused me to read the fastest (and give me a brain cramp), because I needed to know the ending immediately, goes to “Mule” by Pat Flewwelling, with excellent descriptions throughout the action scenes and of course, I always love reading about blood… and murder.
The creepiest story with the best ending goes to “Unstrung” by Connie Di Pietro. As I read this story, I kept nodding my head up and down wondering this question about the author: “Is she going to go there?” Yep, she did. Loved it! I think this could be a psychological thriller movie… or a novel.
In the story “Carousel Eyes”, author Yvonne Hess took a happy object that everyone loves to see (and touch and ride at every Fall Fair or amusement park) and turned it into something I never want to look at again. Seriously, I won’t be able to glimpse into the eyes of any animal on a merry-go-round without thinking about her story and wondering, “What if?” Great job.
A.L. Tompkins gave us a nice little twist in this haunted house story by merging a little Japanese Folklore into it. “Nekomata” was the story that taught me something I didn’t already know. I love being educated, especially about creatures with frightening supernatural power. The only Japanese culture I have been aware of up to this point in my life was based on “Sailor Moon”, a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. Well done, Amanda… I feel smarter now.
Kate Arms, author of “Blood Pies” already had me shaking my head no in the first few paragraphs, and thinking, “Don’t do that Victoro. Don’t deliver pizza to THAT place!” But, it wouldn’t be labeled as a horror short story, if the main character didn’t have to go to the spookiest place in town, that late at night… Alone.
In “Victim of Love”, Samantha Banik had me falling back through time with words such as Lady, My Lord, carriages, horses, darkness, chains, chills and whispers… and Transylvania. Excellent story.
Kevin Craig always entertains me with everything he writes, and the story, “Dubious Pickles” was no different. It was a wonderful tale about a magical boy who was not quite right (according to everyone else in town) and another boy, that let his curiosity get the best of him. They end up in a mysterious mansion where things take a weird turn, taking secrets and magic to a whole new freaky level.
Sometimes, little girls hear more than their parents’ nagging… sometimes they hear evil voices, encouraging them to do things they shouldn’t do. In the story “Ivy” by Mel E. Cober, you get to glimpse the world from a child’s perspective, a child who is caught up in a dangerous dark place, which takes her to a place of doom. After reading this story, you may want to keep one eye on your child at all times, just in case.
Overall, even though I read this entire book sitting in a dark basement, holding a small flashlight, ALONE, on Friday the 13th, I still didn’t read anything that jarred me enough to cause me any frightening nightmares… although, maybe that’s a good thing? So, for the people who say “I can’t read horror, it’s too scary!” I think you should give this a try. Purgatorium is an excellent anthology of horror stories that will make you think twice about what is “outside the box” in the horror genre. Not everything needs to scare you like “The Shining”, for it to be a great read. It is definitely worth your time to read it.
My favourite short story in Purgatorium was “Fight or Flight” by Tobin Elliott. To me, horror is most alive when the topic of the story is about controlling the real-life demons found in our everyday ordinary life. This one is the scariest story of all, because I actually know a few people quite similar to the main character in this story. They live amongst us, just waiting to do something outrageous and horrific to someone else. Quite often, we don’t know why they do it, and sometimes, neither does the monster himself. It was a brilliant story, Tobin. I loved it.
My second favourite story was called “Pieces”, a collaboration of two authors, Robert Edgar Walton and Tobin Elliott writing about the brilliant minds of two evil mad scientists and the battle for who has the upper hand and control over their experiments. These two authors need to write a novel together, as their minds work wonderfully when they are joined.
Best visual has to go to the story, “Terminal” by Robert Edgar Walton. I could picture this story from start to finish; watching the stress develop into full-blown panic as the main character figures out what the heck is going on. It reminded me of an old Sci-Fi Horror movie called “The Blob”, that I watched at a drive-in theatre the year I got married (the first time around). It rated right up there with the movie “Jaws” for freaking me out.
The story that caused me to read the fastest (and give me a brain cramp), because I needed to know the ending immediately, goes to “Mule” by Pat Flewwelling, with excellent descriptions throughout the action scenes and of course, I always love reading about blood… and murder.
The creepiest story with the best ending goes to “Unstrung” by Connie Di Pietro. As I read this story, I kept nodding my head up and down wondering this question about the author: “Is she going to go there?” Yep, she did. Loved it! I think this could be a psychological thriller movie… or a novel.
In the story “Carousel Eyes”, author Yvonne Hess took a happy object that everyone loves to see (and touch and ride at every Fall Fair or amusement park) and turned it into something I never want to look at again. Seriously, I won’t be able to glimpse into the eyes of any animal on a merry-go-round without thinking about her story and wondering, “What if?” Great job.
A.L. Tompkins gave us a nice little twist in this haunted house story by merging a little Japanese Folklore into it. “Nekomata” was the story that taught me something I didn’t already know. I love being educated, especially about creatures with frightening supernatural power. The only Japanese culture I have been aware of up to this point in my life was based on “Sailor Moon”, a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. Well done, Amanda… I feel smarter now.
Kate Arms, author of “Blood Pies” already had me shaking my head no in the first few paragraphs, and thinking, “Don’t do that Victoro. Don’t deliver pizza to THAT place!” But, it wouldn’t be labeled as a horror short story, if the main character didn’t have to go to the spookiest place in town, that late at night… Alone.
In “Victim of Love”, Samantha Banik had me falling back through time with words such as Lady, My Lord, carriages, horses, darkness, chains, chills and whispers… and Transylvania. Excellent story.
Kevin Craig always entertains me with everything he writes, and the story, “Dubious Pickles” was no different. It was a wonderful tale about a magical boy who was not quite right (according to everyone else in town) and another boy, that let his curiosity get the best of him. They end up in a mysterious mansion where things take a weird turn, taking secrets and magic to a whole new freaky level.
Sometimes, little girls hear more than their parents’ nagging… sometimes they hear evil voices, encouraging them to do things they shouldn’t do. In the story “Ivy” by Mel E. Cober, you get to glimpse the world from a child’s perspective, a child who is caught up in a dangerous dark place, which takes her to a place of doom. After reading this story, you may want to keep one eye on your child at all times, just in case.
Overall, even though I read this entire book sitting in a dark basement, holding a small flashlight, ALONE, on Friday the 13th, I still didn’t read anything that jarred me enough to cause me any frightening nightmares… although, maybe that’s a good thing? So, for the people who say “I can’t read horror, it’s too scary!” I think you should give this a try. Purgatorium is an excellent anthology of horror stories that will make you think twice about what is “outside the box” in the horror genre. Not everything needs to scare you like “The Shining”, for it to be a great read. It is definitely worth your time to read it.
December 27, 2016
I not only love what these authors did when putting this collection together, but I adore the manner by which the entire thing came together. The imagery and the design is perfect for the overall mood of the collection, and the internal layout and artwork is top notch.
And that's something you'll notice before you even get into the stories themselves, that are all grouped together around the theme of transitions. This book is an excellent serving of horror on that theme. This book is a wonderfully dark and eerie collection of tales that will keep you turning the pages. If you are a fan of Twilight Zone, The Outter Limits or Black Mirror, you'll love what Purgatorium: The Element of Horror has to offer.
And that's something you'll notice before you even get into the stories themselves, that are all grouped together around the theme of transitions. This book is an excellent serving of horror on that theme. This book is a wonderfully dark and eerie collection of tales that will keep you turning the pages. If you are a fan of Twilight Zone, The Outter Limits or Black Mirror, you'll love what Purgatorium: The Element of Horror has to offer.
March 1, 2023
70% of the short stories are very good, 20% are average and still nice to read, 10% are not really my thing. So overall for a collection of short stories (for rather unknown authors) not bad but surprisingly good.
Would recommend if you are into horror stories.
Would recommend if you are into horror stories.
Read
November 11, 2016All I can say is...I'm rather biased in favour of this book.
February 1, 2017
Good
Most of the short stories were good, some were a bit better and a couple were just barely ok. This book is more for young adults than for people who really want to be scared.
Most of the short stories were good, some were a bit better and a couple were just barely ok. This book is more for young adults than for people who really want to be scared.
August 16, 2017
I’ll start off by saying that I love anthologies. Collections of short stories are fantastic to have on your shelf for times when you have a few spare moments, but don’t quite want to sit down with a long novel. Being able to start and finish a story in one sitting is a wonderful gift, and Purgatorium is definitely one you’ll want to have on your shelf.
Purgatorium: The Element of Horror is exactly what it says it is: a collection of horror stories. There are eleven wonderfully horrifying stories in the book, but I’ll pick out a few of my favourites.
The anthology starts with a story called “Dubious Pickles” by Kevin Craig. Honestly, before I began reading it the title threw me off a little. I’m not a fan of pickles, and I was worried this would be a story of horrifyingly rotten pickles. Luckily, I was wrong. Don’t judge a story by its title, folks! The story gave me a serious To Kill a Mockingbird crossed with The Goonies vibe. I won’t tell you why because it would spoil the fun. Read it and find out!
You can find more of this review and more on my professional book review blog Scribbles, Quibbles, and Scrawlings: http://sqsreviews.com/book-reviews/ho...
Purgatorium: The Element of Horror is exactly what it says it is: a collection of horror stories. There are eleven wonderfully horrifying stories in the book, but I’ll pick out a few of my favourites.
The anthology starts with a story called “Dubious Pickles” by Kevin Craig. Honestly, before I began reading it the title threw me off a little. I’m not a fan of pickles, and I was worried this would be a story of horrifyingly rotten pickles. Luckily, I was wrong. Don’t judge a story by its title, folks! The story gave me a serious To Kill a Mockingbird crossed with The Goonies vibe. I won’t tell you why because it would spoil the fun. Read it and find out!
You can find more of this review and more on my professional book review blog Scribbles, Quibbles, and Scrawlings: http://sqsreviews.com/book-reviews/ho...
December 12, 2018
Purchased for a gift (not a horror fan myself) but wanted to read Terminal by Robert E. Walton before giving. If that story is what horror is all about, I'm sold! A wonderful collection to peak your interest to read more from these authors.
July 1, 2020
You may not want to read some of these stories before bed!
February 22, 2017
A fantastic collection of short stories from a number of different writers exploring the macabre.
From Tobin Elliott & Robert E Walton's "Pieces", a modern day Frankenstein tale; to Mel E Cober's "Ivy" disturbing tale of a troubled young girl; each of these tales of horror have their own unique tone, some playful, others unnerving and claustrophobic, but each as delicious as the next.
Some, like Pat Flewwelling's "Mule" which seems at first to be a distressing tale of abuse, take a more sinister and unpredictable turn later on.
Others, like Yvonne Hess' "Carousel Eyes", Connie Di Pietro's "Unstrung" and Robert E Walton's other tale, "Terminus", feel like lost Rod Serling stories and are, unsurprisingly, some of my favourites in this collection.
I've only mentioned half of the stories here but this collection is definitely worth a read for anyone who's not only interested in horror anthologies but for anyone who's ever tuned into an episode of The Twilight Zone, or The X Files, or Black Mirror.
These are stories that stay with you, whether you want them to or not.
Hopefully it's only the first of many more anthology collections to come.
From Tobin Elliott & Robert E Walton's "Pieces", a modern day Frankenstein tale; to Mel E Cober's "Ivy" disturbing tale of a troubled young girl; each of these tales of horror have their own unique tone, some playful, others unnerving and claustrophobic, but each as delicious as the next.
Some, like Pat Flewwelling's "Mule" which seems at first to be a distressing tale of abuse, take a more sinister and unpredictable turn later on.
Others, like Yvonne Hess' "Carousel Eyes", Connie Di Pietro's "Unstrung" and Robert E Walton's other tale, "Terminus", feel like lost Rod Serling stories and are, unsurprisingly, some of my favourites in this collection.
I've only mentioned half of the stories here but this collection is definitely worth a read for anyone who's not only interested in horror anthologies but for anyone who's ever tuned into an episode of The Twilight Zone, or The X Files, or Black Mirror.
These are stories that stay with you, whether you want them to or not.
Hopefully it's only the first of many more anthology collections to come.
February 9, 2017
The stories in this book draw you in. Raise the tiny hairs on the back of your neck. Make you stop and think....was that story autobiographical..... ? And then you shake off that creepy feeling and get ready for the next story. The anchor story.... the last one, brings you to the end, rushing to see where the story takes you, and then you read the last word and say to yourself 'whoa didn't see that coming'
I enjoyed the book and all the many stories that highlight how twisted our fellow man can truly be.
I enjoyed the book and all the many stories that highlight how twisted our fellow man can truly be.
January 19, 2017
A diverse collection of voices and horror stories. Great fodder for nightmares!
November 7, 2017
More of a 3.5 My favorite stories in this collection were Fight or Flight by Tobin Elliot and Mule by Pat Flewwelling. I also enjoyed Nekomato by A.L. Tompkins.
It was interesting to me that many of the contributors equated horror with child endangerment--lots of kids in danger, lots of ghostly kids who were in danger, lots of dead kids. So, if children in peril isn't your gig, you may want to give this one a pass.
It was interesting to me that many of the contributors equated horror with child endangerment--lots of kids in danger, lots of ghostly kids who were in danger, lots of dead kids. So, if children in peril isn't your gig, you may want to give this one a pass.
February 9, 2017
A diverse collection of voices and horror stories. Great fodder for nightmares!
March 25, 2017
Excellent Read.
I have always been a fan of scary stories. This book was as much fun to read as Stephen King or the old Alfred Hitchcock presents. Loved it.
I have always been a fan of scary stories. This book was as much fun to read as Stephen King or the old Alfred Hitchcock presents. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews