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A Sinister Quartet
Behind the walls of an invulnerable city ruled by angels, old movies provide balm for the soul and a plan to escape risks grisly retribution. A princess discovers a passage to a nightmarish world of deception and blood-sealed enchantment. A woman who has lost everything meets a man of great wealth and ominous secrets. In a town haunted by tragedy, malevolent supernatural entities converge, and the conflict that ensues unleashes chaos.
A Sinister Quartet gathers original long-form wonders and horrors composed in unusual keys, with a short novel by World Fantasy Award winner C.S E. Cooney and a new novella from two-time World Fantasy Award finalist Mike Allen joined by debut novellas from rising talents Amanda J. McGee and Jessica P. Wick. All four offer immersions into strange, beautiful and frightening milieus.
Cover art by Jason Wren; cover design by Brett Massé.
A Sinister Quartet gathers original long-form wonders and horrors composed in unusual keys, with a short novel by World Fantasy Award winner C.S E. Cooney and a new novella from two-time World Fantasy Award finalist Mike Allen joined by debut novellas from rising talents Amanda J. McGee and Jessica P. Wick. All four offer immersions into strange, beautiful and frightening milieus.
Cover art by Jason Wren; cover design by Brett Massé.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 9, 2020
17 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Mike Allen
93 books155 followersMike Allen wears many creative hats, at least one of them tailor-made by his wife and partner-in-crime Anita.
An author, editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy and horror, Mike has written, edited, or co-edited thirty-nine books, among them his forthcoming dark fantasy novel TRAIL OF SHADOWS, his sidearms, sorcery, and zombies sequence THE BLACK FIRE CONCERTO and THE GHOULMAKER’S ARIA, and his newest horror collection, SLOW BURN.
UNSEAMING and AFTERMATH OF AN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT, his first two volumes of horror tales, were both finalists for the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Story Collection, and his dark fable “The Button Bin” was a nominee for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story. Another collection, THE SPIDER TAPESTRIES, contains experiments in weird science fiction and fantasy.
As an editor and publisher, Mike has been nominated twice for the World Fantasy Award: first, for his anthology CLOCKWORK PHOENIX 5, the culmination of the Clockwork Phoenix series showcasing tales of beauty and strangeness that defy genre classification; and then, for MYTHIC DELIRIUM, the magazine of poetry and fiction he edited for twenty years.
He’s a three-time winner of the Rhysling Award for poetry. His six poetry collections include STRANGE WISDOMS OF THE DEAD, a Philadelphia Inquirer Editor’s Choice selection, and HUNGRY CONSTELLATIONS, a Suzette Haden Elgin Award nominee.
With Anita, he runs Mythic Delirium Books, based in Roanoke, Virginia. Their cat Pandora assists.
An author, editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy and horror, Mike has written, edited, or co-edited thirty-nine books, among them his forthcoming dark fantasy novel TRAIL OF SHADOWS, his sidearms, sorcery, and zombies sequence THE BLACK FIRE CONCERTO and THE GHOULMAKER’S ARIA, and his newest horror collection, SLOW BURN.
UNSEAMING and AFTERMATH OF AN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT, his first two volumes of horror tales, were both finalists for the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Story Collection, and his dark fable “The Button Bin” was a nominee for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story. Another collection, THE SPIDER TAPESTRIES, contains experiments in weird science fiction and fantasy.
As an editor and publisher, Mike has been nominated twice for the World Fantasy Award: first, for his anthology CLOCKWORK PHOENIX 5, the culmination of the Clockwork Phoenix series showcasing tales of beauty and strangeness that defy genre classification; and then, for MYTHIC DELIRIUM, the magazine of poetry and fiction he edited for twenty years.
He’s a three-time winner of the Rhysling Award for poetry. His six poetry collections include STRANGE WISDOMS OF THE DEAD, a Philadelphia Inquirer Editor’s Choice selection, and HUNGRY CONSTELLATIONS, a Suzette Haden Elgin Award nominee.
With Anita, he runs Mythic Delirium Books, based in Roanoke, Virginia. Their cat Pandora assists.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 10, 2020
All four stories in A SINISTER QUARTET have something dark and unsettling about them, and all of them are masterfully told, but beyond that, they’re very, very different. CSE Cooney’s “The Twice-Drowned Saint” and Jessica Wick’s “An Unkindness” are fantasy tales with monstrous elements infusing them, whereas Amanda McGee’s “Viridian” and Mike Allen’s “The Comforter” are set in our world. McGee’s tale has a cinematic, gothic vibe (I was reminded a lot of Rebecca, if Maximillian DeWinter had been a different sort of person), while Allen’s is full-bore horror.
“The Twice-Drowned Saint” accounts for 40 percent of the anthology and is a breathtaking tour-de-force, so much so that I almost wonder if it wouldn’t have been better published on its own. It’s kind of hard to give the other stories their due when they’re sharing covers with “The Twice-Drowned Saint”—and yet the other stories are awesome too and deserve a lot of love. So I’m going to follow the lead of The Little Red Reviewer and talk about the others first.
I really loved Wick’s “An Unkindness,” the story of Princess Ravenna’s mission to rescue her brother Aliver from the fairies. What really made this story for me was Princess Ravenna’s way of telling it, her simultaneous determination and self-doubt, and through everything, humor. Consider the following conversation with an owl-faced guest at a fairy ball:
One dark thread in this story is the decadence and insouciant cruelty of fairy customs; the other is depression, which can transform a person as surely as fairy enchantment. If you ever fall victim to either the fairies or depression, I hope you have a Ravenna in your life.
The theme of depression in “An Unkindness” makes a good lead-in for Amanda McGee’s “Viridian,” whose protagonist Lorelei (Lori) is deeply grieving the loss of the little sister whom she had the care of for half the sister’s life. Just as depression made Aliver vulnerable in “An Unkindness,” grief makes Lori vulnerable in “Viridian,” only in her cases it’s not the fairies but a rich widower who ensnares her. Fortunately she turns out to have allies where perhaps she’d least expect them.
This story was great at evoking grief: “Grief is like a rodent in the walls. It has filled this apartment with remnants, stored in odd places.”
Mike Allen’s “The Comforter” is straight-up eldritch horror, manifesting in a very body-horror sort of way. It continues the story he began in “The Button Bin” and expanded in “The Quiltmaker,” but it works perfectly well as a stand-alone story—though it has an open-ended conclusion that leads me to believe (and hope, for the sake of the characters) that there is more to come. The fears the story evokes are really visceral (perfect word for the story): of being consumed and subsumed, of being trapped forever in hellish, suffocating closeness with others who have similarly been consumed. And there’s the added terror and danger of the fact that the entities with the power to unmake and consume people in this way can then wear the forms of their prey. The story unfolds from multiple perspectives, but the character I was rooting for most was Maddie.
That brings me to CSE Cooney’s “The Twice-Drowned Saint,” whose subtitle tells us it’s “A Tale of Fabulous Gelethel, the Invisible Wonders Who Rule There, and the Apostates Who Try to Escape Its Walls.” The invisible wonders are angels—originally fifteen, but one forsook the city, so now there are only fourteen. Gelethel is surrounded by an impregnable wall of serac (I looked it up—it means iceberg ice) that protects it from the wars raging in the outside world. Half-starved refugees will do anything to be granted sanctuary, and the angels have developed an unfortunate addiction to human sacrifice as an offering in exchange for citizenship:
Only one of the angels doesn’t participate in this feeding frenzy: Alizar the Eleven-Eyed. He and his hidden saint, Ishtu (herself the daughter of an immigrant), aren’t down with the status quo, and although they aren’t actively plotting anything, change it is a-coming.
But the story isn’t just or even mainly about overthrowing an unholy city; it’s also about family bonds, forgiveness, sacrifice, bravery … and how gods are born.
I like the wisdom of Ishtu’s sister-saint Betony, who announces at one point, “Weakness is killin’ someone for their bread. Strength is splittin’ your last loaf with them.” Not much later comes this sweet moment between her and Ishtu:
Totally my jam.
This quartet of fabulous stories is now available! I highly recommend it!
“The Twice-Drowned Saint” accounts for 40 percent of the anthology and is a breathtaking tour-de-force, so much so that I almost wonder if it wouldn’t have been better published on its own. It’s kind of hard to give the other stories their due when they’re sharing covers with “The Twice-Drowned Saint”—and yet the other stories are awesome too and deserve a lot of love. So I’m going to follow the lead of The Little Red Reviewer and talk about the others first.
I really loved Wick’s “An Unkindness,” the story of Princess Ravenna’s mission to rescue her brother Aliver from the fairies. What really made this story for me was Princess Ravenna’s way of telling it, her simultaneous determination and self-doubt, and through everything, humor. Consider the following conversation with an owl-faced guest at a fairy ball:
[The owl-woman] repeated, “Have you seen my glove? I was sitting here,” and gestured to a cushioned bench I’d been about to stumble over.
“Um, I have not,” I said, with what I’m afraid is my typical level of cleverness when taken very off guard at a ball. “What does it look like?”
“It has four tubes for my fingers and one tube for my thumb. Like this.” The women held up her still-gloved hand.
“I will keep an eye out for it,” I said, sympathetically, but also in a firm conversation-ending way.
One dark thread in this story is the decadence and insouciant cruelty of fairy customs; the other is depression, which can transform a person as surely as fairy enchantment. If you ever fall victim to either the fairies or depression, I hope you have a Ravenna in your life.
The theme of depression in “An Unkindness” makes a good lead-in for Amanda McGee’s “Viridian,” whose protagonist Lorelei (Lori) is deeply grieving the loss of the little sister whom she had the care of for half the sister’s life. Just as depression made Aliver vulnerable in “An Unkindness,” grief makes Lori vulnerable in “Viridian,” only in her cases it’s not the fairies but a rich widower who ensnares her. Fortunately she turns out to have allies where perhaps she’d least expect them.
This story was great at evoking grief: “Grief is like a rodent in the walls. It has filled this apartment with remnants, stored in odd places.”
Mike Allen’s “The Comforter” is straight-up eldritch horror, manifesting in a very body-horror sort of way. It continues the story he began in “The Button Bin” and expanded in “The Quiltmaker,” but it works perfectly well as a stand-alone story—though it has an open-ended conclusion that leads me to believe (and hope, for the sake of the characters) that there is more to come. The fears the story evokes are really visceral (perfect word for the story): of being consumed and subsumed, of being trapped forever in hellish, suffocating closeness with others who have similarly been consumed. And there’s the added terror and danger of the fact that the entities with the power to unmake and consume people in this way can then wear the forms of their prey. The story unfolds from multiple perspectives, but the character I was rooting for most was Maddie.
That brings me to CSE Cooney’s “The Twice-Drowned Saint,” whose subtitle tells us it’s “A Tale of Fabulous Gelethel, the Invisible Wonders Who Rule There, and the Apostates Who Try to Escape Its Walls.” The invisible wonders are angels—originally fifteen, but one forsook the city, so now there are only fourteen. Gelethel is surrounded by an impregnable wall of serac (I looked it up—it means iceberg ice) that protects it from the wars raging in the outside world. Half-starved refugees will do anything to be granted sanctuary, and the angels have developed an unfortunate addiction to human sacrifice as an offering in exchange for citizenship:
It was like nothing they’d ever tasted before, the death offering of a human being. Oh, the jolt of it! The juice! The effervescent intoxication!
Only one of the angels doesn’t participate in this feeding frenzy: Alizar the Eleven-Eyed. He and his hidden saint, Ishtu (herself the daughter of an immigrant), aren’t down with the status quo, and although they aren’t actively plotting anything, change it is a-coming.
But the story isn’t just or even mainly about overthrowing an unholy city; it’s also about family bonds, forgiveness, sacrifice, bravery … and how gods are born.
I like the wisdom of Ishtu’s sister-saint Betony, who announces at one point, “Weakness is killin’ someone for their bread. Strength is splittin’ your last loaf with them.” Not much later comes this sweet moment between her and Ishtu:
“Always wanted a sister” [said Betony].
My heart belled within me; I became a cathedral. “Me too.”
Totally my jam.
This quartet of fabulous stories is now available! I highly recommend it!
May 2, 2020
I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of this anthology from NetGalley. I snagged it because I was familiar with a couple of the authors' writing, and boy, am I glad I did.
First up was C. S. E. Cooney's short novel "The Twice-Drowned Saint." If you're familiar with her work, you would not be surprised to find a world of menacing angels, missing gods, and gorgeous wordplay. It's a story that manages to be bizarre and terrifying and at the same time a comforting exploration of love and family.
I've read Jessica Wick's poetry and had the benefit of her eye as an editor, but this was the first fiction of hers that I'd read. "An Unkindness" is a dazzling blend of motifs from several fairy tales that I love on their own merits, and together they made something greater than the sum of their parts. Courage and the elegant menace of Faerie combine in an enchanting story.
This book marks my first encounter with Amanda McGee's work, and if "Viridian" was the most solidly settled in a world very like ours, it was also the most viscerally disturbing to me. A modern-day take on the Bluebeard tale, it combines supernatural threat with the more mundane horror of grief, and I will definitely look for more of McGee's writing as a result of this introduction.
Lastly is Mike Allen's "The Comforter," with its echoes of religious imagery and his own style of nightmares from beyond. Every time I read one of his stories, he makes me terrified of something that used to look normal to me, and this time its stage curtains, which I at least meet less often than buttons in my day-to-day life.
All in all, a book that delivers on its promise of both unearthly beauty and unnerving chills. 4 1/2 stars.
First up was C. S. E. Cooney's short novel "The Twice-Drowned Saint." If you're familiar with her work, you would not be surprised to find a world of menacing angels, missing gods, and gorgeous wordplay. It's a story that manages to be bizarre and terrifying and at the same time a comforting exploration of love and family.
I've read Jessica Wick's poetry and had the benefit of her eye as an editor, but this was the first fiction of hers that I'd read. "An Unkindness" is a dazzling blend of motifs from several fairy tales that I love on their own merits, and together they made something greater than the sum of their parts. Courage and the elegant menace of Faerie combine in an enchanting story.
This book marks my first encounter with Amanda McGee's work, and if "Viridian" was the most solidly settled in a world very like ours, it was also the most viscerally disturbing to me. A modern-day take on the Bluebeard tale, it combines supernatural threat with the more mundane horror of grief, and I will definitely look for more of McGee's writing as a result of this introduction.
Lastly is Mike Allen's "The Comforter," with its echoes of religious imagery and his own style of nightmares from beyond. Every time I read one of his stories, he makes me terrified of something that used to look normal to me, and this time its stage curtains, which I at least meet less often than buttons in my day-to-day life.
All in all, a book that delivers on its promise of both unearthly beauty and unnerving chills. 4 1/2 stars.
May 20, 2020
I have been following the progress of the publication of this book for months now, and I squeeeee'd about it SO HARD on Twitter that I was allowed to read the ARC on NetGalley in return for reviewing it. BUT I MUST ALSO CONFESS: It took me over a month to finish this book, because it really is that scary.
I seriously considered locking my phone (or, at least, a stand-in book in which I could temporarily house this books demons) in the freezer. I slept with the lights on more than once. And I love, love, love this book, in part because there is something here for every type of horror fan. So, let's review!
THE TWICE-DROWNED SAINT by C.S.E. Cooney - I first discovered C.S.E. Cooney when Mythic Delirium published her collection Bone Swans in 2015, which contains her startling, beautiful, and heart-rending novella Life on The Sun. The-Twice Drowned Saint is set on the same world but so far in the future that the events of the former have passed into mythology, making this latter story a complete stand-alone. It is both haunted and haunting, wonderful for fans of alt-universe fantasy spec-fic and body horror. At the core, it is also a deeply furious parable of modern war and climate refugees hanging on for dear life on the nightmare fringes of Western society. I expected a lot from this story because I have come to expect a lot from Cooney (https://csecooney.com/publications/), and I was completely blown away.
AN UNKINDNESS by Jessica P. Wick - despite her having been published many times since 2008 (https://jessicapwick.com/writings/), I'd never encountered Wick's writing before, and it is glorious. The heroine of this tale, Ravenna, has a fantastic voice and Wick captured in it my fiercest memories of being a late-teen-young-adult sister who would do anything to protect my #*&% brothers from whatever jackass thing they'd done this time. This is a glorious medieval faerie story in the truest, darkest, goriest sense - just the way I like it. This shit is not for kids, but maaaybe (probably, definitely) for angsty teenagers who are deeply suspicious of topiary. ::evil grin::
VIRIDIAN by Amanda J. McGee - McGee is yet another author that I had never heard of, despite being rather prolific (https://amandajmcgee.com/fiction/). Clearly, I need to get my act together! Viridian is a retelling of an old, chilling tale set in modern-day Burlington, Vermont, a place where I Have People and know intimately. Burlington's particular form of identity angst has always been a bit of an enigma to me: a gun & ammo store operates alongside eye-poppingly expensive vegan bistros just a short stroll down Church Street from a regular old shopping mall that I once got banned from by an angry teenage mall cop who got mad at me for breaking his buddy's drone "on purpose" when, in reality, his buddy flew the flimsy drone into my head on purpose. (An appeal to mall management did not alter the situation, so I assume I'm still banned?) But also, Bernie Sanders! Liberal icon and local hero! Viridian captures the strange dread of this angst and shapes the old story into new channels of lust and power and always, always control. ::shudder::
THE COMFORTER by Mike Allen - So, this is where my reading speed went completely off the rails. This story is so fundamentally distressing, nay disturbing, NAY - TERRIFYING - that I couldn't make myself read more than a few pages a day. If I had held my breath and clutched my cat and powered through it in one sitting, *maybe* I would have only had nightmares for days instead of weeks. No such luck, because what I was scared of the most was the ENDING. You see, I've read Allen's stuff before and the ending doesn't make it all better. But eventually, I did reach the end. And it definitely ended. But it is never, never, never over. As with Cooney's story, The Comforter is related to Allen's previous work The Button Bin (among others: http://descentintolight.com/), but stands completely alone.
Perhaps the weakest part of this book overall is the introduction, which sets the reader up for a nice little read of peaceful stories by a pleasant brook in a sunny glen rather than the nightmare roller-coaster haunted house that it is. OR WAS THAT THE PLAN ALL ALONG???
Go read this book the *second* you can get your hands on it - three weeks from today, 09Jun2020!
I seriously considered locking my phone (or, at least, a stand-in book in which I could temporarily house this books demons) in the freezer. I slept with the lights on more than once. And I love, love, love this book, in part because there is something here for every type of horror fan. So, let's review!
THE TWICE-DROWNED SAINT by C.S.E. Cooney - I first discovered C.S.E. Cooney when Mythic Delirium published her collection Bone Swans in 2015, which contains her startling, beautiful, and heart-rending novella Life on The Sun. The-Twice Drowned Saint is set on the same world but so far in the future that the events of the former have passed into mythology, making this latter story a complete stand-alone. It is both haunted and haunting, wonderful for fans of alt-universe fantasy spec-fic and body horror. At the core, it is also a deeply furious parable of modern war and climate refugees hanging on for dear life on the nightmare fringes of Western society. I expected a lot from this story because I have come to expect a lot from Cooney (https://csecooney.com/publications/), and I was completely blown away.
AN UNKINDNESS by Jessica P. Wick - despite her having been published many times since 2008 (https://jessicapwick.com/writings/), I'd never encountered Wick's writing before, and it is glorious. The heroine of this tale, Ravenna, has a fantastic voice and Wick captured in it my fiercest memories of being a late-teen-young-adult sister who would do anything to protect my #*&% brothers from whatever jackass thing they'd done this time. This is a glorious medieval faerie story in the truest, darkest, goriest sense - just the way I like it. This shit is not for kids, but maaaybe (probably, definitely) for angsty teenagers who are deeply suspicious of topiary. ::evil grin::
VIRIDIAN by Amanda J. McGee - McGee is yet another author that I had never heard of, despite being rather prolific (https://amandajmcgee.com/fiction/). Clearly, I need to get my act together! Viridian is a retelling of an old, chilling tale set in modern-day Burlington, Vermont, a place where I Have People and know intimately. Burlington's particular form of identity angst has always been a bit of an enigma to me: a gun & ammo store operates alongside eye-poppingly expensive vegan bistros just a short stroll down Church Street from a regular old shopping mall that I once got banned from by an angry teenage mall cop who got mad at me for breaking his buddy's drone "on purpose" when, in reality, his buddy flew the flimsy drone into my head on purpose. (An appeal to mall management did not alter the situation, so I assume I'm still banned?) But also, Bernie Sanders! Liberal icon and local hero! Viridian captures the strange dread of this angst and shapes the old story into new channels of lust and power and always, always control. ::shudder::
THE COMFORTER by Mike Allen - So, this is where my reading speed went completely off the rails. This story is so fundamentally distressing, nay disturbing, NAY - TERRIFYING - that I couldn't make myself read more than a few pages a day. If I had held my breath and clutched my cat and powered through it in one sitting, *maybe* I would have only had nightmares for days instead of weeks. No such luck, because what I was scared of the most was the ENDING. You see, I've read Allen's stuff before and the ending doesn't make it all better. But eventually, I did reach the end. And it definitely ended. But it is never, never, never over. As with Cooney's story, The Comforter is related to Allen's previous work The Button Bin (among others: http://descentintolight.com/), but stands completely alone.
Perhaps the weakest part of this book overall is the introduction, which sets the reader up for a nice little read of peaceful stories by a pleasant brook in a sunny glen rather than the nightmare roller-coaster haunted house that it is. OR WAS THAT THE PLAN ALL ALONG???
Go read this book the *second* you can get your hands on it - three weeks from today, 09Jun2020!
May 13, 2020
This was a strong collection of dark fantasy/horror novellas. On the whole they were very different but all enjoyable and definitely showed off the imagination of the authors included.
The first and longest of the collection "The Twice-Drowned Saint" was written as a short novel, but with the amount of detail and imagination the author threw into the world it could've easily been a longer novel. There's so much going on and references to things that had happened and things that will happen but it never felt like too much info-dump. The world building was great, but never overtook the current thread of narrative which kept things going forward. I really appreciated the setting of the city, the saints, and the angels and the balance in which they existed.
The second was a shorter more straight forward novella called "An Unkindness" and that name fits this perfectly. It's a story of faeries and ravens and unkindness and has some generally unsettling content. But it doesn't revel in that, rather the story and narrator agree that there's something wrong.
The third "Viridian" was fairly straight forward as well with a repeating structure that leads to foreshadowing and a general sense of dread. In true fashion however the last bit of the story gets increasingly thrilling and horrific as it frenetically heads towards the ending.
The fourth "The Comforter" was bizarre, but probably my favorite of the bunch. Once things picked up and got a little crazy I wasn't always sure what was going on, but it was very imaginative and entertaining with some real crazy descriptions body horror. It's just something that has to be read to be experienced.
All in all this was a solid collection and I'm glad I read them and would definitely recommend the collection. It won't be the easiest read you'll pick up, but the pay off is worth it considering how much thought and imagination went into each of these stories.
The first and longest of the collection "The Twice-Drowned Saint" was written as a short novel, but with the amount of detail and imagination the author threw into the world it could've easily been a longer novel. There's so much going on and references to things that had happened and things that will happen but it never felt like too much info-dump. The world building was great, but never overtook the current thread of narrative which kept things going forward. I really appreciated the setting of the city, the saints, and the angels and the balance in which they existed.
The second was a shorter more straight forward novella called "An Unkindness" and that name fits this perfectly. It's a story of faeries and ravens and unkindness and has some generally unsettling content. But it doesn't revel in that, rather the story and narrator agree that there's something wrong.
The third "Viridian" was fairly straight forward as well with a repeating structure that leads to foreshadowing and a general sense of dread. In true fashion however the last bit of the story gets increasingly thrilling and horrific as it frenetically heads towards the ending.
The fourth "The Comforter" was bizarre, but probably my favorite of the bunch. Once things picked up and got a little crazy I wasn't always sure what was going on, but it was very imaginative and entertaining with some real crazy descriptions body horror. It's just something that has to be read to be experienced.
All in all this was a solid collection and I'm glad I read them and would definitely recommend the collection. It won't be the easiest read you'll pick up, but the pay off is worth it considering how much thought and imagination went into each of these stories.
June 1, 2020
When offered the chance to read the anthology A SINISTER QUARTET as an ARC via NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. While I am not necessarily a horror fan, I do love the weird. I love beautiful words and unusual descriptions. I enjoy unique places and stories that linger. Every story in this anthology met those expectations and I highly recommend reading more of each author’s work.
The anthology begins with a short novel by C. S. E. Cooney, “The Twice-Drowned Saint.” This is a strange and imaginative tale about a sacred city of angels, their saints, the citizens of the city, and the pilgrims who vie for citizenship among these privileged few. It’s a reminder of how power can twist even the divine.
“An Unkindness” by Jessica P. Wick is a hauntingly beautiful faerie tale about a sister’s determination to save her brother from a dark and mysterious unknown. Something has changed her loving and lighthearted brother, and when she catches him sneaking out at night, it’s so much worse than she could have ever imagined.
Amanda J. McGee’s “Viridian” has a sinister mood from the very beginning and keeps that tension throughout. While this story is the most realistic one in the anthology, being based in a world like our own, that is most likely what makes it the most disturbing. A grief-stricken woman moves to a small town in Vermont, where she falls in love with a wealthy widower. He’s keeping deadly secrets, however, and has a plan for his newest wife.
The final story in this anthology is “The Comforter” by Mike Allen. The title is amusingly deceptive. This story has the most characters, and it takes time for the reader to see how their lives weave together into the complex web of the story. The images that will haunt me the most are a girl’s sketches in a notebook, and a flap of skin under a school desk attacking a teacher and then spelling the word, “Run,” in his blood. That does not convey the plot of the story, but I’m not sure anything would to my satisfaction without giving the story away. Suffice it to say it is a dark and twisty tale.
This truly is a sinister quartet, though the introduction itself is a powerful opening. Beautiful imagery, and a story unto itself - it’s very well-written. The “About The Authors” at the end are also worth reading, as they explain more about the stories, and their inclusion in the anthology.
A SINISTER QUARTET is the perfect anthology for those who enjoy haunting stories that will stay with you long after you put a book down.
The anthology begins with a short novel by C. S. E. Cooney, “The Twice-Drowned Saint.” This is a strange and imaginative tale about a sacred city of angels, their saints, the citizens of the city, and the pilgrims who vie for citizenship among these privileged few. It’s a reminder of how power can twist even the divine.
“An Unkindness” by Jessica P. Wick is a hauntingly beautiful faerie tale about a sister’s determination to save her brother from a dark and mysterious unknown. Something has changed her loving and lighthearted brother, and when she catches him sneaking out at night, it’s so much worse than she could have ever imagined.
Amanda J. McGee’s “Viridian” has a sinister mood from the very beginning and keeps that tension throughout. While this story is the most realistic one in the anthology, being based in a world like our own, that is most likely what makes it the most disturbing. A grief-stricken woman moves to a small town in Vermont, where she falls in love with a wealthy widower. He’s keeping deadly secrets, however, and has a plan for his newest wife.
The final story in this anthology is “The Comforter” by Mike Allen. The title is amusingly deceptive. This story has the most characters, and it takes time for the reader to see how their lives weave together into the complex web of the story. The images that will haunt me the most are a girl’s sketches in a notebook, and a flap of skin under a school desk attacking a teacher and then spelling the word, “Run,” in his blood. That does not convey the plot of the story, but I’m not sure anything would to my satisfaction without giving the story away. Suffice it to say it is a dark and twisty tale.
This truly is a sinister quartet, though the introduction itself is a powerful opening. Beautiful imagery, and a story unto itself - it’s very well-written. The “About The Authors” at the end are also worth reading, as they explain more about the stories, and their inclusion in the anthology.
A SINISTER QUARTET is the perfect anthology for those who enjoy haunting stories that will stay with you long after you put a book down.
June 14, 2020
“You have arrived to join us in response to our invitation. Your entrancement, your trepidation, your fatal curiosity is our delight. The prelude has ended, and we open out our secret symphonies to engulf your senses, to welcome you.“
A Sinister Quartet is a collection of four short stories, ranging from roughly fifty pages to one hundred fifty pages each.
‘The Twice Drowned Saint’ by C.S.E. Cooney is the longest of the bunch and the most epic in scale. You will find yourself drawn into the mythical city of Gelethel, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of ice and ruled by fourteen angels and their chosen saints. But trouble has been brewing in Gelethel, and revolution is on the way.
‘An Unkindness’ by Jessica P. Wick is a dark tale in which a young princess travels magical paths to a fairy world and finds herself doing battle for her brother’s soul.
‘Viridian’ by Amanda J. McGee reads like a fast (but never fast enough!) paced thriller with a supernatural twist and was creepy enough to give me chills even on a summer day.
‘The Comforter’ by Mike Allen ventures into the realm of weird fiction with strange inhuman things that terrorize whole neighborhoods and a quilt made of faces. Yes, you read that right.
There are no bad stories here. Each one drew me in and held me captive. The whole book is a strange fever dream of a collection and the stories will leave you thinking over their events long after you have closed its covers.
A Sinister Quartet is published by Mythic Delirium Books and released in paperback and ebook format on June 9, 2020.
I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A Sinister Quartet is a collection of four short stories, ranging from roughly fifty pages to one hundred fifty pages each.
‘The Twice Drowned Saint’ by C.S.E. Cooney is the longest of the bunch and the most epic in scale. You will find yourself drawn into the mythical city of Gelethel, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of ice and ruled by fourteen angels and their chosen saints. But trouble has been brewing in Gelethel, and revolution is on the way.
‘An Unkindness’ by Jessica P. Wick is a dark tale in which a young princess travels magical paths to a fairy world and finds herself doing battle for her brother’s soul.
‘Viridian’ by Amanda J. McGee reads like a fast (but never fast enough!) paced thriller with a supernatural twist and was creepy enough to give me chills even on a summer day.
‘The Comforter’ by Mike Allen ventures into the realm of weird fiction with strange inhuman things that terrorize whole neighborhoods and a quilt made of faces. Yes, you read that right.
There are no bad stories here. Each one drew me in and held me captive. The whole book is a strange fever dream of a collection and the stories will leave you thinking over their events long after you have closed its covers.
A Sinister Quartet is published by Mythic Delirium Books and released in paperback and ebook format on June 9, 2020.
I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2020
Halloween has arrived early in the form of A Sinister Quartet as authors Cooney, Wick, McGee and Allen put together a compilation of four completely unique tales of horror.
Let me just say that reading this book was akin to escaping into a nightmare. I enjoyed a lot the captivating writing, the nightmarish worlds each story conjured, the bizarre twists and turns and the absolute unreality of it all. It was unlike anything I've read so far. That being said, I'll admit that I also had difficulties reading this.
The collection starts strong with 'The Twice-Drowned Saint'. I just love the bizarre take on angels and saints, the world building and the unique cast of characters. However, it wasn't an easy read. There were many parts I had trouble understanding that I had to go back and read them multiple times. Otherwise, it was amazing.
Next is a novella entitled 'An Unkindness'. This was more of a familiar territory because obviously - ravens and fairyland. I can't count how many of these I've read. But Jessica Wick's story was just plain eerie. The party scene in particular was very disturbing (I just hate all forms of animal abuse, mythical or not).
Then comes 'Viridian'. Though it rarely used fancy language, I felt utterly satisfied by the pacing. It's just right, and the premise is also quite interesting. The plot may be a tad predictable yet it doesn't diminish the thrill. Proof that it was well-done.
The last one is 'The Comforter', which was downright weird and hard to imagine. It was made more difficult by the constant switching of POVs, some told in the third person, another in second person. The Quiltmaker actually reminded me of a horror cartoon that I loved as a child, which made reading it more enjoyable.
All in all, this collection was a compelling, albeit difficult read to have. You need to have a strong concentration and imagination to get through this one. I'm not a hundred percent sure it will appeal to other readers but if you're like me, looking for something unique and special, you might want to try A Sinister Quartet.
Thanks again to Mythic Delirium and Netgalley for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review!
#ASinisterQuartet
#Netgalley
Let me just say that reading this book was akin to escaping into a nightmare. I enjoyed a lot the captivating writing, the nightmarish worlds each story conjured, the bizarre twists and turns and the absolute unreality of it all. It was unlike anything I've read so far. That being said, I'll admit that I also had difficulties reading this.
The collection starts strong with 'The Twice-Drowned Saint'. I just love the bizarre take on angels and saints, the world building and the unique cast of characters. However, it wasn't an easy read. There were many parts I had trouble understanding that I had to go back and read them multiple times. Otherwise, it was amazing.
Next is a novella entitled 'An Unkindness'. This was more of a familiar territory because obviously - ravens and fairyland. I can't count how many of these I've read. But Jessica Wick's story was just plain eerie. The party scene in particular was very disturbing (I just hate all forms of animal abuse, mythical or not).
Then comes 'Viridian'. Though it rarely used fancy language, I felt utterly satisfied by the pacing. It's just right, and the premise is also quite interesting. The plot may be a tad predictable yet it doesn't diminish the thrill. Proof that it was well-done.
The last one is 'The Comforter', which was downright weird and hard to imagine. It was made more difficult by the constant switching of POVs, some told in the third person, another in second person. The Quiltmaker actually reminded me of a horror cartoon that I loved as a child, which made reading it more enjoyable.
All in all, this collection was a compelling, albeit difficult read to have. You need to have a strong concentration and imagination to get through this one. I'm not a hundred percent sure it will appeal to other readers but if you're like me, looking for something unique and special, you might want to try A Sinister Quartet.
Thanks again to Mythic Delirium and Netgalley for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review!
#ASinisterQuartet
#Netgalley
January 12, 2022
A wonderful quartet of fantasy/horror novellas.
--“The Twice-Drowned Saint” by C.S.E Cooney, is actually technically a short novel, and it’s one bursting with wild, fantastical world-building and emotion, lit with the pyrotechnics of Cooney’s prose. In the city of Gelethel, terrible angels rule and demand human sacrifice. But one marginalized angel, who has the ability “to spontaneously produce eyeballs whenever and wherever he fancied” (though never more than eleven at a time) is different. And this angel and his secret saint, the woman who runs the Quicksilver Cinema movie palace, will (along with a second saint) change the city of Gelethel forever. A rollicking adventure that is by turns joyous, funny, horrifying, moving, and tender.
--“An Unkindness” by Jessica Wick
A sister determined to rescue her brother from the Faeries. A graceful and witty reworking of old fairy tales, woven into something new and both lovely and sinister.
--“Viridian” by Amanda J. McGee
A modern-day Bluebeard retelling. This starts off deceptively quiet, in a moving realist-mode, as we meet a lonely woman grieving the loss of her sister. But from the beginning there are notes of foreboding, and the tension ratchets up steadily. A gracefully told tale that explodes into full-blown horror and then a satisfying, cathartic ending.
--“The Comforter” by Mike Allen
The third in a series of horror tales that began with the Nebula award-nominated “The Button Bin” and continued with “The Quiltmaker.” Although “The Comforter” picks up the narrative where “The Quiltmaker” left off, and features characters from that previous work, this story also works as a stand-alone novella. It is epically weird, a wild cosmic horror fantasia about dark forces possessing the bodies and minds of a town’s people. Rich in body horror, this tale is perhaps not for the squeamish; but oh, Allen is good at evoking absolutely bizarre, grotesque, and vivid images.
--“The Twice-Drowned Saint” by C.S.E Cooney, is actually technically a short novel, and it’s one bursting with wild, fantastical world-building and emotion, lit with the pyrotechnics of Cooney’s prose. In the city of Gelethel, terrible angels rule and demand human sacrifice. But one marginalized angel, who has the ability “to spontaneously produce eyeballs whenever and wherever he fancied” (though never more than eleven at a time) is different. And this angel and his secret saint, the woman who runs the Quicksilver Cinema movie palace, will (along with a second saint) change the city of Gelethel forever. A rollicking adventure that is by turns joyous, funny, horrifying, moving, and tender.
--“An Unkindness” by Jessica Wick
A sister determined to rescue her brother from the Faeries. A graceful and witty reworking of old fairy tales, woven into something new and both lovely and sinister.
--“Viridian” by Amanda J. McGee
A modern-day Bluebeard retelling. This starts off deceptively quiet, in a moving realist-mode, as we meet a lonely woman grieving the loss of her sister. But from the beginning there are notes of foreboding, and the tension ratchets up steadily. A gracefully told tale that explodes into full-blown horror and then a satisfying, cathartic ending.
--“The Comforter” by Mike Allen
The third in a series of horror tales that began with the Nebula award-nominated “The Button Bin” and continued with “The Quiltmaker.” Although “The Comforter” picks up the narrative where “The Quiltmaker” left off, and features characters from that previous work, this story also works as a stand-alone novella. It is epically weird, a wild cosmic horror fantasia about dark forces possessing the bodies and minds of a town’s people. Rich in body horror, this tale is perhaps not for the squeamish; but oh, Allen is good at evoking absolutely bizarre, grotesque, and vivid images.
June 10, 2020
This is an incredibly strong collection of novellas by four different authors. CSE Cooney has the lead-off spot and publisher Mike Allen the closer, with tales by Jessica P. Wick and Amanda J. McGee in between. The collection releases June 9. I received an e-ARC from the publisher.
A longer review is forthcoming, but for now I have to say there's not a bad story in this book, as disparate as they are. There's traditional fantasy, body horror, modern fairy tale horror/fantasy ... something for everyone.
My full, detailed, but lacking-spoilers, review is now up on my website: https://www.anthonycardno.com/blog/20...
A longer review is forthcoming, but for now I have to say there's not a bad story in this book, as disparate as they are. There's traditional fantasy, body horror, modern fairy tale horror/fantasy ... something for everyone.
My full, detailed, but lacking-spoilers, review is now up on my website: https://www.anthonycardno.com/blog/20...
November 13, 2020
So this was a really good time.
The Twice-Drowned Saint.
In many ways this is the stand out, in part because of its length, and its unique world building and really nuanced horror. I really like the repurposing of certain judeo-christian terms/ideas in a wholly original way. I thought the world-building was well done, especially for such a weird and sprawling world.
While I liked the story beats of the ending, after everything I would actually say it felt a bit rushed and I would have been ok with this book being a little longer to fully explore the ideas. But the horror here is so good, from the savagery of the social structure, the liberal use of surreal body horror, and an extremely subtle and harrowing scene that is so scary. I liked the characters, and I liked the clearly different voices they used. This was very, very good. Refreshing and extremely fucked up.
An Unkindness.
I hate saying I think this is the weakest story in the collection. It was not a bad story, and I think the writing itself is full of personality and some beautiful prose. Also, I'll admit I'm not a big fan of dark fey stories, so I had the lowest interest going in. I'd say it speaks more to the strength of the collection overall.
With that said, I thought there were extra characters who could've been cut and side characters who could've received more focus. I think the world building needed more work. I understood I was in a fairy world, but what the main character did or did not know didn't seem consistent throughout. Mostly, I'm missing the heart. I can see what the story is going for, but I think the central relationship needed to get more focus and grow/change more throughout the story.
Again, I generally enjoyed reading this story, it was just very easy for me to recognise what was not working for me. I'd encourage people who love dark fey stories to give it a go--it might read a lot better.
Veridian.
What I think is coolest about this story is that it's really the only story in this collection that does not really need a supernatural element to be scary. In many ways this is a character study about grief, and how it makes people isolated and vulnerable. I think there are lots of scary moments, particularly in how the interludes are written and the little clues to what's going on. But the strength of this story is how well it writes an abusive relationship without any obvious physical abuse. There's a fight early on between the characters that just so accurate.
I do think the ending is again a little rushed, once things are revealed. But that might just be personal preference. I will say the story did make me want to visit Vermont, monsters and all. I'd say if you liked The Hollow Places or the Twisted Ones, it is very similar (albeit sadder tone-wise-it is about grief).
The Comforter.
I came into this story without having read the prior stories in-universe. And I think it does matter. I really like this idea of a monster, and there are some amazing scenes in this story in terms of gore. I liked how Maddy was written, and Rochelle. But it was a little hard to keep up with some of the clearly established characters from other stories, especially since we jump from viewpoint character on a regular basis. That said, I still enjoyed the gross body horror, and it reminded me very much of what I expect from Clive Barker. And you know, that's pretty good.
The Twice-Drowned Saint.
In many ways this is the stand out, in part because of its length, and its unique world building and really nuanced horror. I really like the repurposing of certain judeo-christian terms/ideas in a wholly original way. I thought the world-building was well done, especially for such a weird and sprawling world.
While I liked the story beats of the ending, after everything I would actually say it felt a bit rushed and I would have been ok with this book being a little longer to fully explore the ideas. But the horror here is so good, from the savagery of the social structure, the liberal use of surreal body horror, and an extremely subtle and harrowing scene that is so scary. I liked the characters, and I liked the clearly different voices they used. This was very, very good. Refreshing and extremely fucked up.
An Unkindness.
I hate saying I think this is the weakest story in the collection. It was not a bad story, and I think the writing itself is full of personality and some beautiful prose. Also, I'll admit I'm not a big fan of dark fey stories, so I had the lowest interest going in. I'd say it speaks more to the strength of the collection overall.
With that said, I thought there were extra characters who could've been cut and side characters who could've received more focus. I think the world building needed more work. I understood I was in a fairy world, but what the main character did or did not know didn't seem consistent throughout. Mostly, I'm missing the heart. I can see what the story is going for, but I think the central relationship needed to get more focus and grow/change more throughout the story.
Again, I generally enjoyed reading this story, it was just very easy for me to recognise what was not working for me. I'd encourage people who love dark fey stories to give it a go--it might read a lot better.
Veridian.
What I think is coolest about this story is that it's really the only story in this collection that does not really need a supernatural element to be scary. In many ways this is a character study about grief, and how it makes people isolated and vulnerable. I think there are lots of scary moments, particularly in how the interludes are written and the little clues to what's going on. But the strength of this story is how well it writes an abusive relationship without any obvious physical abuse. There's a fight early on between the characters that just so accurate.
I do think the ending is again a little rushed, once things are revealed. But that might just be personal preference. I will say the story did make me want to visit Vermont, monsters and all. I'd say if you liked The Hollow Places or the Twisted Ones, it is very similar (albeit sadder tone-wise-it is about grief).
The Comforter.
I came into this story without having read the prior stories in-universe. And I think it does matter. I really like this idea of a monster, and there are some amazing scenes in this story in terms of gore. I liked how Maddy was written, and Rochelle. But it was a little hard to keep up with some of the clearly established characters from other stories, especially since we jump from viewpoint character on a regular basis. That said, I still enjoyed the gross body horror, and it reminded me very much of what I expect from Clive Barker. And you know, that's pretty good.
June 25, 2020
This collection of four stories is the equivalent of a hearty meal. My favorite part of collections is that you get the voices of four different writers in one beautifully bound book.
C.S.E. Cooney's novella "The Twice-Drowned Saint" immerses you in an entire quirky world of humor and dark whimsy with the same ease you might slid into a pool on a hot day. It's effortless. You want to learn more about this mythical angelic city that is strangely familiar (there are movies and popcorn!) and utterly alien (there are also some truly grotesque creatures that do things like eat deaths and manifest food). Cooney is also amazing at building relationships between characters. You just want to give everyone a hug and the entire thing is over far too soon.
Jessica P. Wick's "An Unkindness" takes some familiar ideas about the faerie realm that play backdrop to a story about the love of one sibling for another, grief and depression. Made me cry. She painted a beautiful, haunting realm in my imagination.
"Viridian" by Amanda J McGee also deals with grief set into a Bluebeard horror story that has you cheering on the main character as she struggles to move forward and heal.
Mike Allen's "The Comforter" has one of the most interesting monsters I've ever read about described in such a way that it was pure, disgusting poetry. It's like one of those things you just can't look away from even though it's gross!
The entire collection is typical Mythical Delirium style: beautiful written, novel, engrossing and wonderful put together to take the reader on a journey through the imaginations of four talented writers. I can't really compare these works to anything else out there. Mike Allen, once again, showcases some one-of-a-kind fiction. They aren't stories, they are beautiful confections. It isn't just what is told but the way it is told. Some phenomenal writing is found here. Highly recommend.
C.S.E. Cooney's novella "The Twice-Drowned Saint" immerses you in an entire quirky world of humor and dark whimsy with the same ease you might slid into a pool on a hot day. It's effortless. You want to learn more about this mythical angelic city that is strangely familiar (there are movies and popcorn!) and utterly alien (there are also some truly grotesque creatures that do things like eat deaths and manifest food). Cooney is also amazing at building relationships between characters. You just want to give everyone a hug and the entire thing is over far too soon.
Jessica P. Wick's "An Unkindness" takes some familiar ideas about the faerie realm that play backdrop to a story about the love of one sibling for another, grief and depression. Made me cry. She painted a beautiful, haunting realm in my imagination.
"Viridian" by Amanda J McGee also deals with grief set into a Bluebeard horror story that has you cheering on the main character as she struggles to move forward and heal.
Mike Allen's "The Comforter" has one of the most interesting monsters I've ever read about described in such a way that it was pure, disgusting poetry. It's like one of those things you just can't look away from even though it's gross!
The entire collection is typical Mythical Delirium style: beautiful written, novel, engrossing and wonderful put together to take the reader on a journey through the imaginations of four talented writers. I can't really compare these works to anything else out there. Mike Allen, once again, showcases some one-of-a-kind fiction. They aren't stories, they are beautiful confections. It isn't just what is told but the way it is told. Some phenomenal writing is found here. Highly recommend.
January 13, 2021
I got this book because at the end of Bone Swans, there was an excerpt from the first story in this collection offered as a preview, and it hooked me but good. I'm glad I went ahead and gave into temptation, because I was blown away by that story --The Twice-Drowned Saint- and kind of wish it had been published on its own as a novella. The other three stories in the collection were 3- to 4-star reads for me, with the two that immediately followed it being loosely associated retellings of fairy tales, more or less . I liked them, so it feels like a bit of a disservice to just go on to gush about The Twice-Drowned Saint, but it was great.
Perhaps most interesting for me was that I retroactively enjoyed The Bone Swans more through reading The Twice-Drowned Saint. Two stories in that collection, which struck me as nice when I read them (Life on the Sun and The Big Bah-Ha), ended up being so much more interesting to me once I saw they were tied to this world/story I was in the middle of. I think it's no spoiler to either work to say that Life on the Sun is revealed as a movie plot that exists in the world of TTDS. The connection in The Big Bah-Ha (a nightmarish, late-stage-apocalypse story) was more subtle, but a detail that stood out to me as odd when reading that story bore an uncanny resemblance to a detail given in the description of a certain group in TTDS. So it seems that these interconnected pieces are fragments from the timeline and geography/peoples of the same world. That's really, really neat, and it left me wanting to hear more stories from that world.
Perhaps most interesting for me was that I retroactively enjoyed The Bone Swans more through reading The Twice-Drowned Saint. Two stories in that collection, which struck me as nice when I read them (Life on the Sun and The Big Bah-Ha), ended up being so much more interesting to me once I saw they were tied to this world/story I was in the middle of. I think it's no spoiler to either work to say that Life on the Sun is revealed as a movie plot that exists in the world of TTDS. The connection in The Big Bah-Ha (a nightmarish, late-stage-apocalypse story) was more subtle, but a detail that stood out to me as odd when reading that story bore an uncanny resemblance to a detail given in the description of a certain group in TTDS. So it seems that these interconnected pieces are fragments from the timeline and geography/peoples of the same world. That's really, really neat, and it left me wanting to hear more stories from that world.
April 8, 2020
A Sinister Quartet is a collection of novellas and a short novel by four established authors and let me say right from the very beginning, this book has some very beautiful writing.
However! Collections of short stories should always start strong and with the first story for me was just so filled with description and beauty, complicated and compact adjectives, I found myself struggling to get through one beautifully composed description, before I was hit with another. Plus you're dealing with a different world, so some of the terms were fictional and made-up and never actually explained what they were, so left me sometimes confused and having to re-read sentences to understand where it was going.
For me, the second story of the quartet was the most enjoyable with its tale of the saints and angels, that was most compelling.
Overall I did enjoy the stories, but they were hard work to get through. If you like beautiful descriptions and scene setting, the this is the book for you.
However! Collections of short stories should always start strong and with the first story for me was just so filled with description and beauty, complicated and compact adjectives, I found myself struggling to get through one beautifully composed description, before I was hit with another. Plus you're dealing with a different world, so some of the terms were fictional and made-up and never actually explained what they were, so left me sometimes confused and having to re-read sentences to understand where it was going.
For me, the second story of the quartet was the most enjoyable with its tale of the saints and angels, that was most compelling.
Overall I did enjoy the stories, but they were hard work to get through. If you like beautiful descriptions and scene setting, the this is the book for you.
October 29, 2020
This was a quartet of stories by separate authors & I blew through the entire book as I didn't seem to really connect with any of them. But I wanted to finish it to give the review. There is plenty of dark, creepy, horror, scary vibes in the stories and descriptive so it was right on with the sinister quality and that is sure to please readers of those genres and the name fits perfectly. I have nothing bad to say about the stories but it just isn't one my favorites at this time.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion from NetGalley.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion from NetGalley.
June 16, 2021
Four entrancing stories of dark fantastic fiction. These stories are indeed sinister, so if you have a taste for that you won't be disappointed.
May 6, 2025
A great collection of stories, here! All four authors kept my attention and their stories were very unique. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from each author.
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