The Horror Collection: Pumpkin Edition

The Horror Collection #8

by Kevin J. Kennedy (Editor), Mark Lukens, J.C. Michael

Book eight in The Horror Collection series brings you stories by Mark Lukens, J.C. Michael, Steven Stacy & Zoltán Komor. Between these pages, you will find 4 brand new pumpkin themed stories by some of my favourite authors. Whether you need a Halloween treat or just a daily dose of horror, there is something between the covers for everyone.

Kevin J. Kennedy

Genres: Horror, Halloween, Short Stories

134 pages, Paperback

Published October 9, 2020

About the author

Kevin J. Kennedy is a Scottish horror author known for his fast-paced storytelling, dark humor, and unforgettable characters. He is also the curator of the bestselling The Horror Collection and Classic Monsters anthology series.

When he’s not writing tales of blood-soaked chaos, Kevin champions indie horror, supports fellow authors, and dreams up new ways to keep readers sleeping with the lights on.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Halloween anthology of four stories. In the first one you'll find a gay couple being haunted by a cursed pumpkin they stole before from a murderer. It was okay, but why had the couple to be gay... anyway. The second story dealt with a cursed sextoy (!) and didn't do it for me. Crap. The next story by Mark Lukens was quite good (as expected), The Scarecrow and the Pumpkin. It was about a Scarecrow brought alive by the grandfather and some trick or treating of his grandchildren. Fine story with a funny twist at the end, really liked it. The last story here is titled "An Act of Mercy". It's about a cursed pumpkin who takes care of people in his very special way. The highlight in here. Overall a solid three stars. If the first two stories would have had the quality of the last two I would have given 4. Nevertheless a good starter for Halloween!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book of four short stories by different authors for the Halloween holiday. Also about three authors are new to me so will be pursuing some more of their work as well.

Following is a short run down on each story:

Pumpking by author, Steven Stacy

A pumpkin sits outside someones house which ends up getting stolen and once the thief takes it inside their house is when the pumpkin seeds hits the fan!

How the Cursed Halloween Party Pumpkin Vibrating Cock Ring Stole My Wife by author, Zoltán Komor

A twisted sexual bizarre tale that you will have to read to understand and it had some weird but funny scenes.

The Scarecrow and the Pumpkin by author, Mark Lukens

A cool tale of how a Grandpa and his grandchildren bring to life a scarecrow and a pumpkin. This was my favorite story in this book. I really didn't want it to end and wish the story had been longer. This story made me smile.

An Act of Mercy by author, J. C. Michael

This twisted horror tale deals with a type of curse - a life for a life so to speak.

All in all the stories were really good and kicks off the Halloween horror spirit.

Another great collection by KJK Publishing! Four "Twisted Tales of Terror" stars!

[William Bitner Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Horror Collection: Pumpkin Edition
Kevin J. Kennedy (Editor/Author)
Steven Stacy (Author), Zoltán Komor (Author), Mark Lukens (Author), J.C. Michael (Author)

Genre - Fiction/Horror/Anthology/Short Stories/Multiple Authors/Quick Read
Publication Information - KJK Publishing, September 6, 2020
Pages - 71
Format - Digital (Kindle)
Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Reviewed by - William C. Bitner, Jr. https://booksinmylibraryblog.wordpres...

Well, it’s nearly Halloween and Kevin J. Kennedy is back to present another volume of creepy pumpkin themed horror tales. The Horror Collection: Pumpkin Edition is a shorter edition compared to his previous editions but don’t let that distract you, there’s plenty of gore, guts, ghosts, ghouls and much more of the unthinkable to be found within these pages. You will find yourself revisiting these tales over and over again from time to time to be sure. Included in this edition are:
Pumpking by Steven Stacy - Love this tale of a gay couple, one of who decides to steals a pumpkin from the outside of someones house and take home as their own. Unfortunately what they brought home was more than just a pumpkin. Dark, distressing and a bit tragic...
How the Cursed Halloween Party Pumpkin Vibrating Cock Ring Stole My Wife by Zoltán Komor - This one had me laughing out loud. Funny, disturbing and oh so cringe worthy. Still have this one embedded in my deranged wee brain…
The Scarecrow and the Pumpkin by Mark Lukens - This one I simply adored, well, as much as one can adore a tale of horror. A scarecrow and pumpkin come to life yarn, with family values. Grandpa and grand-kids get up to some interesting adventures...
An Act of Mercy by J. C. Michael - This one just made my skin crawl. Left me terrified and a bit squeamish. What would you do if given the task of ending your own life or passing a curse on that would affect someone else’s life? Not sure what I would do!!!

From the back cover - Book eight in The Horror Collection series brings you stories by Mark Lukens, J.C. Michael, Steven Stacy & Zoltán Komor. Between these pages, you will find 4 brand new pumpkin themed stories by some of my favourite authors. Whether you need a Halloween treat or just a daily dose of horror, there is something between the covers for everyone.

[Lisa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

KJK Publishing presents the Pumpkin Edition of The Horror Collection series. All four of these engrossing stories have a pumpkin theme, but that is where the similarities end. These stories are as different from each other as jack-o’-lanterns at a pumpkin carving contest.

“Pumpking” by Steven Stacy is a moving and terrifying story about love, devotion, and bad choices. Very bad choices.

“How the Cursed Halloween Party Pumpkin Vibrating Cock Ring Stole my Wife” by Zoltán Komor is, as the title suggests, a Bizarro Horror story, disturbing but funny, in a sick and twisted way.

“The Scarecrow and the Pumpkin” by Mark Lukens is a fun Halloween story of misadventure and consequences. This is one to read aloud on All Hallows’ Eve!

“An Act of Mercy” by J.C. Michael is dark and haunting, suspenseful and horrifying. It is surprisingly deep and evocative for something so dark.

This is a fantastic collection perfect for your Halloween reading, or anytime you want to evoke that Halloween horror.

[Erica Robyn Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Horror Collection: Pumpkin Edition edited by Kevin J. Kennedy is another book in a series that I am just obsessed with! If you haven't gotten into this series yet, I highly recommend changing that asap!

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way. I also purchased a copy!

While these four stories are all about Halloween, they are all so wonderfully different! From one that broke my heart to one that I just couldn’t stop giggling at, this collection certainly takes you on a wonderfully horrific ride!

Per usual, here are my quick notes about each story included:

Pumpking by Steven Stacy – 4/5
Phew!! What a dark and heartbreaking tale! In this story, a pumpkin is stolen from the outside of an old house. But it wasn’t just the pumpkin that went home with the couple…

How The Cursed Halloween Party Pumpkin Vibrating Cock Ring Stole My Wife by Zoltán Komor – 4/5
Oh my god. That’s was hilarious, terrifying, and disgusting all wrapped into one. As you can assume from the title, this one was sex focused. I can’t stop laughing and cringing.

The Scarecrow and the Pumpkin by Mark Lukens – 5/5
I loved this one so much! Such a light and upbeat tale but with a very spooky element! And that ending!!

An Act of Mercy by J.C. Michael – 5/5
Oofh. What a tale. This one was absolutely terrifying. Given the choice, I’m not sure what I would have done!

My Final Thoughts
Another amazing collection of stories that I know I am going to return to time and time again! If you’re looking for a great read to enjoy during the spooky season (or really any other time!) this is a perfect pick!

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Horror Collection, Pumpkin Edition

An excellent collection of pumpkin themed stories. I enjoyed all the stories in this book, I wish it had been longer, but my favourite was The Scarecrow and The Pumpkin by Mark Lukens

[Rose Haskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halloween

Was fun to read, especially when it's Halloween. Enjoyed all but, the second story left a lot to be desired

[Lesley Oddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I do so enjoy the short story horror genre. This has been a very good book series.

[Natasha Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all anthology collections, even mini’s like this little cracker, there are some stories that will appeal to an individual more than others. That’s one my favourite things about picking up an antho, especially one with a blend of sub-genre horror like KJK Publishing’s THC books.

Pumpking By Steven Stacy
A fun read with a very prominent pumpkin(g) - what happens when someone takes something that doesn’t belong? Nothing like a little Obsession, Possession and buckets of blood to kick the season off! Great opening to the collection.

How the Cursed Halloween Party Pumpkin.... By Xolton Komor
As a bizzaro piece this may be considered the more ‘controversial’ of tales in this collection. It was my favourite of the four in its blizzard of twisted creativity. I laughed so hard reading this, and there were a few WTF’s in there too - in a good surprising way. This was the first I’ve read of this author (I think) and it’s fair to say his name is firmly stamped - I’ll be looking out for more.

The Scarecrow and the Pumpkin By Mark Lukens
Really fun, playful adventure piece, playing with the innocence of childhood imagination, infused with wicked horror. I loved running around with this badass, rule-breaking Grandpa.

An Act of Mercy By J.C Michael
Oh yes! A dark little ‘chain letter’ piece. This was an excellent closer. Dark and devious with the lingering of ‘What would you do?’ Filled with tension to sail you through to the end of this mini collection. I Loved this story. Maybe it was a ‘happy’ ending too.

[Randa Sperling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let Halloween begin! Evil pumpkins of the world unite! Great stories, good plots. A good read for a cool September night.

[Bookstarreviews_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Halloween! 🎃

4.5⭐️

This Horror Collection contains 4 pumpkin themed stories by multiple authors and they were all different and brilliant short reads!🔥

👻‘Pumpking’ ~ this short read focusses on two boyfriends, Blake and Zac, who steal a Pumpkin from outside an old house. Blake soon starts acting incredibly strange when they bring the pumpkin home…

I loved the descriptive nature of this one and really felt for Zac who clearly wanted to help Blake and just get rid of the evil pumpkin. The writing was also engaging too! 🎃😍

👻The next short read has a longer title and follows a man who purchases a Halloween Party Pumpkin sex toy that tries to kill him in his sleep.

Wow! What a rollercoaster of a read. This was absolutely hilarious from start to finish as you read about the vibrating device causing mischief and then it leads to shocking events that you definitely will not predict! 😂😮🐟

👻’The Scarecrow and the Pumpkin’ ~ this short read follows Timmy and Teresa who are being looked after by their Grandpa for the day. But things turn a little weird.

This was such a heartwarming read as I envisaged the children having the best Halloween with their Grandfather. This read also reminds me of my own jolly grandfather! 🍬

👻’An Act of Mercy’ ~ The last short story follows Ryan and a pumpkin that appears every Halloween with a note. The note contains actions he needs to follow, otherwise bad things will happen to those he loves.

This was a clever story and I liked the concept. I think Ryan done the best he could in an awful situation in order to save everyone else around him. This short story was cleverly crafted. 🎃📝

I loved these short but brilliant stories and I recommend them. This collection was easy to read and I read them all in one sitting.😍

⚠️ Please check out the trigger warnings! ⚠️

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended horror

I have been a constant reader of Kevin J Kennedy’s ‘The Horror Collection’ series for a few years now. Although each volume is usually only £1.99 on kindle, the low price does not reflect the quality of the short fiction inside the covers. Personally, I have found these stories to be far more enjoyable and effective than those in more expensive anthologies by well-known editors.

One of the strengths of this series is the variety – in terms of story, and also in terms of authors. Some of the contributors are ‘names’ in horror fiction (e.g. Amy Cross, Richard Chizmar, Ray Garton, Kelly Armstrong), but the books also showcase new and lesser-known writers who create equally well-written horror fiction and who deserve greater exposure.

Most of the books in ‘The Horror Collection’ are not themed, so the reader is treated to a pick and mix of stories. However, there are volumes specifically focussed on Christmas, extreme and LGBTQIA+ horror fiction. And this particular audiobook contains four very different stories all about Halloween and pumpkins. To categorise these tales in very broad strokes, the first is gay and bloody, the second is humorous and bizarre, the third is fun and sweet (but why do I find scarecrows so terrifying?), and the last is dark and suspenseful. Readers should find at least one story that will appeal to them.

[Jim Glover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a great collection of Halloween stories. This man never disappoints finding good stories by good authors. There was one story about a possessed sex toy. Now at first I didn’t really like it but the. Saw the humor in it and started liking it. Just a great read and it’s so good that it doesn’t take long to read at all.

[Kendra Raptor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Horror Collection: Pumpkin Edition is a collection of 4 Horror stories that are.. Pumpkin themed.

Personally, I love all of these stories. Each one had a twist that I wasn’t expecting. My favorite one was the second story. It had me cryyinggg (from laughter)

5 stars for sure!
A Favorite of ‘24
Definitely recommend

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook review

The narration was very good. Settled straight into that.
The stories were original & definitely horror.
Erm the second one? Cursed & beyond. You gotta laugh coz it was bizarre.
The others though really good and well thought out.

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved these stories

Really enjoyed all the stories in this collection, but I think I have to say the last one is my favorite.
A great collection to read during October.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

An Act of Mercy - JC
⭐⭐⭐
The second two stories are the only reasons this collection gets a three-star. The first two were atrocious.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read

This was a short fun read. I enjoyed the majority of the stories which were perfect for me. Looking forward to reading more .

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent collection of Halloween-themed horror stories. I found Pumpking to be legitimately creepy, and I also enjoyed The Scarecrow and the Pumpkin and An Act of Mercy. How the Cursed Halloween Party Pumpkin Vibrating Cock Ring Stole My Wife was subpar. It was just silly and borderline ridiculous (not in a good way) and I wish they had given the space in the collection to another writer. Also, the collection could have used a bit more editing as there were a number of typos, especially in the first two stories. As I found three of the four stories to be quite enjoyable, I believe I’ll be trying more editions from the Horror Collection.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best sort story of all was the last one and possibly close to being the best was the talking pumpkin and walking scarecrow. Both were well thought out and flowed nicely without needing to go into too much detail that wasn't beneficial to the story overall. However this book wasn't the greatest that I've read of the other KJK collections. It was just kinda meh like well they're all pumpkin/Halloween themed throw them in a book and call it good. I will say it was a quick read which was good because any longer and I feel it may have felt a bit more like work than fun reading. 2.75/5

[D. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not impressed

I do not recommend this book. It is a waste of time reading it. A few of the stories are ok but the story written by Zoltan Komor is porn. It should not have been in this book. This book is not for children due to very descriptive sexual activities.

[Ian Gielen · Rating 4 out of 5]

good seasonal fun

Containing 4 stories, each varied in tone this was a fun read, the second story in particular was hilarious.
If you’re after a short but wild ride of a read for halloween, this would be one I wouldn’t miss.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 🌟 read rounded ⬆️ to 4 🌟.

A small collection of Halloween themed tales with my favourite being An Act of Mercy By J. C. Michael.

[Kimberley Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maaann. That haunted cock ring story took me by surprise. Sometimes, I judge myself for what I read. Was entertaining in a way I guess 🤣

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A late Halloween read for me in 2024. All the stories are short enough where criticism is nearly void. Kennedy collections always deliver.

[Jen Ramsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of four pumpkin based stories, all going down a different horrible path!

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and unbearably creepy!

[Chad Shadowsfalll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a mediocre read.

I'll give the best story to An Act of Mercy. Other than that, nothing too much stood out.