Scan barcode
cabinet_13_review's review
4.0
Ash and Bone: Tales of Terror is a collection of horror stories ranging from the undead to the wish they were dead (you'll understand that last part if you read it through to the end).
I love horror. Anthologies, even horror ones, not necessarily my favorite. That being said. I enjoyed this. More than I thought I would. Sometimes the scary part is not getting all the information. Part of the fun is having to fill in some blanks with your own imagination. Each of these stories gives you plenty to go off of without giving you everything and it's done in a way that isn't frustrating to the reader.
My definite favorites are:
Nature of the Business-starts strong with a good balance between comedy and horror. The first paragraph starts off describing what the outside of this building looks like (like shit by the way) only to end with it saying
The Corpse Walker-(semi-spolier?)
Lechuza- I love witches, I love owls....do I need to say more?
Junkman-This one is probably my favorite, favorite. When I read it I could see it. I could literally see the one-hour Guillermo Del Toro, Cabinet of Curiosities adaptation. No joke.
The only one I would say I didn't care for at all was Lost in the Parallel Forest I really found it boring, comparatively. It felt, flat. The characters were uninteresting the story felt rushed (even for a short story). On a re-read, I will probably skip it entirely.
I love horror. Anthologies, even horror ones, not necessarily my favorite. That being said. I enjoyed this. More than I thought I would. Sometimes the scary part is not getting all the information. Part of the fun is having to fill in some blanks with your own imagination. Each of these stories gives you plenty to go off of without giving you everything and it's done in a way that isn't frustrating to the reader.
My definite favorites are:
Nature of the Business-starts strong with a good balance between comedy and horror. The first paragraph starts off describing what the outside of this building looks like (like shit by the way) only to end with it saying
We have an image to uphold, and that image is plausible deniability that we're even open.And now I need to go destroy my front yard to save myself from unwanted guests.
The Corpse Walker-(semi-spolier?)
Spoiler
I really love the idea that a woman can nag a man from the afterlife long enough and with enough ferocity to get her revenge.Lechuza- I love witches, I love owls....do I need to say more?
Junkman-This one is probably my favorite, favorite. When I read it I could see it. I could literally see the one-hour Guillermo Del Toro, Cabinet of Curiosities adaptation. No joke.
The only one I would say I didn't care for at all was Lost in the Parallel Forest I really found it boring, comparatively. It felt, flat. The characters were uninteresting the story felt rushed (even for a short story). On a re-read, I will probably skip it entirely.
usuallydave's review
4.0
Having read one of Elford Alley's other collections, The Last Night in the Damned House, and enjoying it I decided to give this short collection/anthology of stories a go.
The stories are not interconnected and all stand alone nicely with a blend of folklore and myth mixed with the dark fiction and horror the author is known for.
I'll hopefully have a little more detailed review up on aicstories.com soon but in the meantime I'd recommend this for any fans of dark fiction and horror with a dark, dusty Texas vibe.
I actually enjoyed this collection better than The Last Night in the Damned House, which was also a fun read.
The stories are not interconnected and all stand alone nicely with a blend of folklore and myth mixed with the dark fiction and horror the author is known for.
I'll hopefully have a little more detailed review up on aicstories.com soon but in the meantime I'd recommend this for any fans of dark fiction and horror with a dark, dusty Texas vibe.
I actually enjoyed this collection better than The Last Night in the Damned House, which was also a fun read.
More...