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The Hunt and More Fright with a Bite
SOFTBOUND - GLUED BINDING
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 3, 2026
One thing that will stick with me having read this book is the fact that this is probably one of the most consistent anthologies I’ve ever read. Most stories were pretty good, with one mid entry and two great ones thrown in here. Probably the best mix I’ve seen so far. Writing was great here overall and I think these understood that they were short stories better than most kids’ horror anthologies I’ve read. Here’s my ratings and reviews for each:
The Hunt - 7/10.
Really fucking good idea for a kids horror story and vampire tale in general, but the execution is just decent. Some mild convenience for the story bothered me, but a good start no less.
Death To Vampires - 7/10.
Same quality as the first; good idea, decent execution, but this one is extremely linear.
All Hallow’s Eve - 7.5/10.
I liked the emotional value this one offered with the main’s obsession with Halloween. Then it turns into an alright vampire tale with a semi-dark ending.
The Vampire’s Hideout - 8/10.
This has gotta be one of the weirdest kids horror stories EVER. Child abduction and ransom, Nosferatu (and accurate too), murder—it’s a bizarre one but quite fun. But this feels like two ideas slapped together and not in the most congruent way.
A Bloody Good History Lesson - 6/10.
Um… outside of the fact that Linda (an eighth grader, probably like 14) is feverishly horny for a 400 year old vampire teacher who is lowk chill and thankfully doesn’t return her love… this was good. But that factor is just not vibing with me, so uh… ew.
Curfew - 7/10.
Not any real plot for this one but a nice, lively, atmospheric, and fun quickie. Great ending.
Cold Turkey - 7.5/10.
Being a very obvious drug use and withdrawal allegory even from the title, this was another solid short story here. I liked the dark ending and the plot is super random (but creative), and I didn’t take much issue here. Just too linear.
The Vampire Express - 5/10.
Feels like an outline of a better story idea. I liked the dire situation and events, but the format of diary entries didn’t make sense nor work well. This has a flow problem thanks to that, and the ending is kinda dumb. Good story, bad way to tell it.
A Night in Tombstone - 9/10 👑.
Clocking in as the shortest story here, this one impressed me the most. It’s a vampire gunslinger in the 1800s, and the ending is fire. Could’ve been longer, but it’s honestly great as is. But there’s a loose end with the town doctor which is a bit odd. Crown jewel for sure.
The Living Legend - 8.5/10.
A delightful close to this collection but didn’t really have an efficient ending to it; it just kinda left off on act two per se. But still, I liked it a lot.
——————
Overall, 8/10. I gave some bonus points for consistency and writing. This was a pretty enjoyable read that truly utilized the vampiric element every story had. Very inoffensive collection. Only strong negative I have here is that the cover is terrible—butt ugly.
The Hunt - 7/10.
Really fucking good idea for a kids horror story and vampire tale in general, but the execution is just decent. Some mild convenience for the story bothered me, but a good start no less.
Death To Vampires - 7/10.
Same quality as the first; good idea, decent execution, but this one is extremely linear.
All Hallow’s Eve - 7.5/10.
I liked the emotional value this one offered with the main’s obsession with Halloween. Then it turns into an alright vampire tale with a semi-dark ending.
The Vampire’s Hideout - 8/10.
This has gotta be one of the weirdest kids horror stories EVER. Child abduction and ransom, Nosferatu (and accurate too), murder—it’s a bizarre one but quite fun. But this feels like two ideas slapped together and not in the most congruent way.
A Bloody Good History Lesson - 6/10.
Um… outside of the fact that Linda (an eighth grader, probably like 14) is feverishly horny for a 400 year old vampire teacher who is lowk chill and thankfully doesn’t return her love… this was good. But that factor is just not vibing with me, so uh… ew.
Curfew - 7/10.
Not any real plot for this one but a nice, lively, atmospheric, and fun quickie. Great ending.
Cold Turkey - 7.5/10.
Being a very obvious drug use and withdrawal allegory even from the title, this was another solid short story here. I liked the dark ending and the plot is super random (but creative), and I didn’t take much issue here. Just too linear.
The Vampire Express - 5/10.
Feels like an outline of a better story idea. I liked the dire situation and events, but the format of diary entries didn’t make sense nor work well. This has a flow problem thanks to that, and the ending is kinda dumb. Good story, bad way to tell it.
A Night in Tombstone - 9/10 👑.
Clocking in as the shortest story here, this one impressed me the most. It’s a vampire gunslinger in the 1800s, and the ending is fire. Could’ve been longer, but it’s honestly great as is. But there’s a loose end with the town doctor which is a bit odd. Crown jewel for sure.
The Living Legend - 8.5/10.
A delightful close to this collection but didn’t really have an efficient ending to it; it just kinda left off on act two per se. But still, I liked it a lot.
——————
Overall, 8/10. I gave some bonus points for consistency and writing. This was a pretty enjoyable read that truly utilized the vampiric element every story had. Very inoffensive collection. Only strong negative I have here is that the cover is terrible—butt ugly.
December 19, 2023
Quality writing, but the stories failed to thrill or chill me. Potential but no sparks.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews