Fearful Fathoms II: Collected Tales of Aquatic Terror

by Mark Parker (Editor), Ray Garton, Luke Spooner (Illustrator)

HOW DEEP DOES YOUR FEAR GO? Scarlet Galleon Publications and editor Mark Parker are here to help you find out!
Volume II of this new double-anthology features a wickedly dark story ("A Night at the Lake with the Weird Girl") from Ray Garton, a short, thought-provoking tale ("Out of Her Depth") by Graham Masterton, and many other eerie offerings set on lakes and other bodies of water. Each story is accompanied by a wonderful, full-color illustration by artist, Luke Spooner.
In order of appearance, the stories include:
"Dry" by Brady Golden
"Undertow" by Ronald Malfi
"Deep Waters" by Michael Bray
"The Lake Bed" by E.G. Smith
"The Terror of Lodgepole Lake" by C.L. Hernandez
"Chums" by Doug Murano
"Damn Wrinklies" by Hunter Shea
"Crude Lake" by Darryl Foster
"Lake of Death" by David Bernstein
"Rise of Finfolkaheem" by JC Braswell
"A Proper Son" by Joshua Rex
"The Eater" by Jeremy Robinson
"Thick Ice" by Kane Gilmour
"Rusalka" by Brian Moreland
"The Bull Hole" by Kristopher Rufty
"Revenant" by Jeffrey Kosh
"Out of Her Depths" by Graham Masterton
"Stannard Rock" by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt
"Lake Effect" by Mark Parker
"A Night at the Lake with the Weird Girl" by Ray Garton

Genres: Horror, Anthologies

326 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2017

About the author

Mark Parker is the founder, publisher, and managing editor of Scarlet Galleon Publications, a small press publishing company that specializes in horror and dark speculative fiction.

Parker has published several novels and edited numerous anthologies.

Reviews

[Mkittysamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really creepy Good Lake Pond Water Horror Stories

I am impressed, the editor picked stories close enough that they could almost be part of one big story, like a “the mythical” bodies of water are all one and the same. All the stories are unique and different yet similar. I only didn’t like the parts in a couple stories where animals got attacked,or hurt because that’s not my thing. I love the mystery of not knowing for sure what actually happened, and even zombies appeared.. love zombies! This is a collection I think I will enjoy reading over and over! I am now a official fan of water monsters!

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of aquatic terrors were less about depth and more about shock— perhaps predictably, since this time the terrors came out of lakes, rivers etc. They were shocking in some cases, competent in other cases. But overall they dealt the darker aspects of human psyche pretty well.
If you wish to read a bunch of competent campfire tales with shades darker than what you usually get, this would be a reasonable place to start with.

[Justin Felgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over all, I liked this volume better than book 1. There were a lot of diverse stories here that didn’t lean too heavily on Lovecraftian themes. Granted, I wouldn’t call any of these stories scary, but they were fun reads.

1. Dry by Brady Golden: Boatshop owner has to contend with his lively literally going down the drain when the lake he lives on starts to dry out. Mysterious, creepy, but no satisfying payoff. 2.5/5

2. Undertow by Ronald Malfi: Couple of kids play at the edge of a forbidden lake next to a nuclear reactor and pay for it. Not exactly scary but well written and it’s the kind of story I’m here for. 4/5

3. Deep Waters by Michael Bray: Creepy but confusing ghost story of a man that finds his late father’s journal, which tells him of dark things at the bottom of a lake. Never really explained itself too well. 3/5

4. The Lake Bed by E.G. Smith: This revenge/ ghost story was honestly pretty boring until the twist at the end. Enough to bump it up. 3/5

5. The Terror of Lodgepole Lake by C.L. Hernandez: Quick, gory and full of creepy, both the spectral and reptilian variety. 4/5

6. Chums by Doug Murano: Another quick one.Recovering drug addict sees a shark in a pond. His friend doesn’t believe him. Guess who’s right? 3/5

7. Damn Wrinklies by Hunter Shea: Tale of creepy old ladies summoning something dark from a lake. Interesting take on the lake monster trope. 3/5

8. Crude Lake by Darryl Foster: Summer camp and ghost stories gone wrong. 3/5

9. Lake of Death by David Bernstein: Science gone wrong leads to killer versions of normal , aquatic animals. Kind of thing you’d see on the budget horror channel in the sixties. 3/5

10. Rise of Finfolkheem by J. C. Braswell: Another story about the relatively obscure finfolk legend. This one dealing with the fall of our world as theirs rises. Decent story, little bit creepy. 4/5

11. A Proper Son by Joshua Rex: A heaping dose of family drama mixed with a ghost story that shares a valuable lesson: if an inanimate object starts talking to you...DONT TALK BACK TO IT. 3.5/5

12. The Eater by Jeremy Robinson: Full disclosure: Jeremy Robinson is one of if not my favorite author and he knows how to tell a fine tale. Not exactly scary but man did that ending make it worth it. 4.5/5

13. Thick Ice by Kane Gilmour: I’ll put this one under the disclosure message of the earlier story. Kane Gilmour has collaborated on many works with Jeremy Robinson and I have enjoyed them all. This story has a very personal feel to it. The creepy parts don’t come from the odd, esoteric monster, but from more tangible fears...like drowning. 4/5

14. Rusalka by Brian Moreland: Strange, naked women lying in ponds are NOT SUITABLE MATES FOLKS! 4/5

15. The Bull Hole by Kristopher Ruffy: Remember kids, “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” 3/5

16. Revenant by Jeffery Kosh: A story of lust, revenge and Voodoo. The writer has an odd writing style but still good nonetheless. Personifies the adage “Never raise up what you can’t put down.” 4/5

17. Out of her Depth by Graham Masterson: Umm what? This story was four pages of “what did this poor girl ever do to you?” 1/5

18. Stannard Rock by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt: Lighthouses are always a creepy setting, with their isolation. Add to that a heaping helping of Native legend and a dose of true Lovecraftian horror, and you got yourself the mix of a great story. 5/5

19. Lake Effect by Mark Parker: I was thoroughly confused at what was going on here. Magic? Creepy fortune teller ladies? Bermuda Triangle esque anomalies? I have no clue. 2/5

20. A Night at the Lake with a Weird Girl by Ray Garton: This was a punchy story that really grabbed you and didn’t let you go. The ending was kinda obvious but still was kind of a punch to the face when it was spelled out on paper. Too cool and creepy not to give it praise. 5/5

[Chance · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sequel flopper

Some times sequel do good, but this one was a Hugh miss.

The book when compared to the first that add 500 pages compared this ones 300 was shorter. It had some more mainstream big authors but it lost that creative integinality less main stream authours in there defined story architecture. The book was a just a money-grab using the fame the first got was just sad to the massing stories the first gave us.

I really do hate when publishing does this and say have abit of pride.

[T.J. Wiess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great variety of stories with barely anything overlapping in the main storylines. Some were good, others were wanting, but definitely not a waste to dip into.