ljwrites85's review
4.0
Last year I read and enjoyed the previous short story collection from Flame Tree Press, After Sundown, last year, so I was eager to see what was on offer this year.
Beyond The Veil is a collection of short horror stories with something for every type of horror fan, from classic monster tales to mind bending sci-fi to gruesome body horror.
I will just put a trigger warning here before I go any further. This novel contains themes of grief, suicide, child abuse, and the death of an animal.
In all honesty, most of the authors were unknown to me, so it was nice to find some new authors to add to my must read list.
Like most types of collections, I found it a good mix of styles. Of course, there were some stories I enjoyed more than others.
My standouts were:
God Bag. The story that followed a man and his dying mum who was in the last grips of dementia. She carried around a strange little God bag containing prayers that started off innocently enough until he started digging. It was both heartbreaking and creepy at the same time.
For All The Dead. A historical story about a young woman who lived in a small fishing village, where life and death were controlled by the sea. There was almost a fairytale-like quality to this one that I found magical.
The Girl In The Pool. A thief breaks into a house planning to rob the place, instead finds a young girl dead in the pool. This was a gripping tale of monsters and morality.
A Mystery for Julie Chu. A young woman has a knack for finding strange artifacts, but when she picks up an old radio from a car boot sale, she gets more than she bargained for. I loved the mix of mystery and spookiness of this one.
The care and feeding of household gods. This is a story about a stay at home dad who makes household gods to help him get everything done. This one took me by surprise, starting off innocent enough, then got more and more sinister. I still can't stop thinking about this one!
I would highly recommend Beyond The Veil if you're looking for a variety of short, sharp and shocking stories.
Beyond The Veil is a collection of short horror stories with something for every type of horror fan, from classic monster tales to mind bending sci-fi to gruesome body horror.
I will just put a trigger warning here before I go any further. This novel contains themes of grief, suicide, child abuse, and the death of an animal.
In all honesty, most of the authors were unknown to me, so it was nice to find some new authors to add to my must read list.
Like most types of collections, I found it a good mix of styles. Of course, there were some stories I enjoyed more than others.
My standouts were:
God Bag. The story that followed a man and his dying mum who was in the last grips of dementia. She carried around a strange little God bag containing prayers that started off innocently enough until he started digging. It was both heartbreaking and creepy at the same time.
For All The Dead. A historical story about a young woman who lived in a small fishing village, where life and death were controlled by the sea. There was almost a fairytale-like quality to this one that I found magical.
The Girl In The Pool. A thief breaks into a house planning to rob the place, instead finds a young girl dead in the pool. This was a gripping tale of monsters and morality.
A Mystery for Julie Chu. A young woman has a knack for finding strange artifacts, but when she picks up an old radio from a car boot sale, she gets more than she bargained for. I loved the mix of mystery and spookiness of this one.
The care and feeding of household gods. This is a story about a stay at home dad who makes household gods to help him get everything done. This one took me by surprise, starting off innocent enough, then got more and more sinister. I still can't stop thinking about this one!
I would highly recommend Beyond The Veil if you're looking for a variety of short, sharp and shocking stories.
stephnixon's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
barb4ry1's review
2.0
Once again, Morris has assembled an impressive line-up of the top names in the genre. Beyond The Veil contains 20 original horror stories. Sixteen stories have been commissioned from established authors. Four have been selected from the stories sent to Flame Tree during a 2-week open submissions window.
I found Morris' previous anthology, After Sundown, more exciting and more consistent - I enjoyed most stories it featured. In Beyond The Veil I loved some of the stories, disliked more than a few, and didn't care about a few.
My favorite story is, without a doubt, Alita Whiteley's Soapstone. It starts as a mundane tale of grief but turns into something else and ends up giving you shivers.
Gemma Files' Yellowback is an interesting take on cosmic horror with a surprising ending and fun story.
Beyond The Veil is a solid horror anthology. Every fan of horror short stories will find something to terrify them.
ARC through NetGalley
I found Morris' previous anthology, After Sundown, more exciting and more consistent - I enjoyed most stories it featured. In Beyond The Veil I loved some of the stories, disliked more than a few, and didn't care about a few.
My favorite story is, without a doubt, Alita Whiteley's Soapstone. It starts as a mundane tale of grief but turns into something else and ends up giving you shivers.
Gemma Files' Yellowback is an interesting take on cosmic horror with a surprising ending and fun story.
Beyond The Veil is a solid horror anthology. Every fan of horror short stories will find something to terrify them.
ARC through NetGalley
jeremyfee's review
4.0
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-book ARC for this book, but this is an honest review.
For me, Beyond the Veil was a 4-star read and I highly recommend it for fans of scary stories. I mostly enjoyed the stories in it, though it was somewhat of a mixed bag at times. Most of the stories have interesting unexpected moments and/or really creepy events happening, but a couple of the them fell flat for me.
Overall, I’d say this collection is worth your time if you are in the mood for some horror and weird tales.
For me, Beyond the Veil was a 4-star read and I highly recommend it for fans of scary stories. I mostly enjoyed the stories in it, though it was somewhat of a mixed bag at times. Most of the stories have interesting unexpected moments and/or really creepy events happening, but a couple of the them fell flat for me.
Overall, I’d say this collection is worth your time if you are in the mood for some horror and weird tales.
beckylej's review
5.0
This is the second collection that Morris has put together for Flame Tree, following last year's After Sundown.
And it's actually the fourth unthemed horror anthology that he's built: New Fears: New Horror Stories by Masters of the Genre released in 2017 from Titan, followed in 2018 by New Fears 2: More New Stories by Masters of the Macabre.
Morris has a real eye for truly terrifying tales and he really may have outdone himself with Beyond the Veil.
The very first story, "The God Bag" from Christopher Golden sets the tone for a seriously unsettling series of stories.
The full story list is as follows:
The God Bag by Christopher Golden
Caker's Man by Matthew Holness
The Beechfield Miracles by Priya Sharma
Clockwork by Dan Coxon
Soapstone by Aliya Whiteley
The Dark Bit by Toby Litt
Provenance Pond by Josh Malerman
For All the Dead by Angeline B. Adams and Remco van Straten
The Girl in the Pool by Bracken MacLeod
Nurse Varden by Jeremy Dyson
If, Then by Lisa L. Hannett
Aquarium Ward by Karter Mycroft
A Mystery for Julie Chu by Stephen Gallagher
Away Day by Lisa Tuttle
Polaroid and Seaweed by Peter Harness
Der Geisterbahnhof by Lynda E. Rucker
Arnie's Ashes by John Everson
A Brief Tour of the Night by Nathan Ballingrud
The Care and Feeded of Household Gods by Frank J. Oreto
Yellowback by Gemma Files
I've said it before and I'll continue to scream it from the rooftops, but I really do love short stories and especially anthologies like this one! When I'm tight for time, a short piece that I can read in between toddler responsibilities and other daily tasks is perfect. And this collection features pieces from favorites like Christopher Golden, Priya Sharma, Josh Malerman, and Stephen Gallagher (to name a few), who I know are going to deliver on a great tale!
Anthologies are also a great way to discover new to you authors, too. Matthew Holness's "Caker's Man" would not leave my head after I read it! Dan Coxon and Lynda E. Rucker are also a few of the names that were completely new to me—and definitely on my to read list from here on out!
Truly, each piece in here is a gem that is guaranteed to give you nightmares! Just what I'm looking for when I dive into a collection. And again, Morris seems to have a sincere talent for bringing together a great collection!
And it's actually the fourth unthemed horror anthology that he's built: New Fears: New Horror Stories by Masters of the Genre released in 2017 from Titan, followed in 2018 by New Fears 2: More New Stories by Masters of the Macabre.
Morris has a real eye for truly terrifying tales and he really may have outdone himself with Beyond the Veil.
The very first story, "The God Bag" from Christopher Golden sets the tone for a seriously unsettling series of stories.
The full story list is as follows:
The God Bag by Christopher Golden
Caker's Man by Matthew Holness
The Beechfield Miracles by Priya Sharma
Clockwork by Dan Coxon
Soapstone by Aliya Whiteley
The Dark Bit by Toby Litt
Provenance Pond by Josh Malerman
For All the Dead by Angeline B. Adams and Remco van Straten
The Girl in the Pool by Bracken MacLeod
Nurse Varden by Jeremy Dyson
If, Then by Lisa L. Hannett
Aquarium Ward by Karter Mycroft
A Mystery for Julie Chu by Stephen Gallagher
Away Day by Lisa Tuttle
Polaroid and Seaweed by Peter Harness
Der Geisterbahnhof by Lynda E. Rucker
Arnie's Ashes by John Everson
A Brief Tour of the Night by Nathan Ballingrud
The Care and Feeded of Household Gods by Frank J. Oreto
Yellowback by Gemma Files
I've said it before and I'll continue to scream it from the rooftops, but I really do love short stories and especially anthologies like this one! When I'm tight for time, a short piece that I can read in between toddler responsibilities and other daily tasks is perfect. And this collection features pieces from favorites like Christopher Golden, Priya Sharma, Josh Malerman, and Stephen Gallagher (to name a few), who I know are going to deliver on a great tale!
Anthologies are also a great way to discover new to you authors, too. Matthew Holness's "Caker's Man" would not leave my head after I read it! Dan Coxon and Lynda E. Rucker are also a few of the names that were completely new to me—and definitely on my to read list from here on out!
Truly, each piece in here is a gem that is guaranteed to give you nightmares! Just what I'm looking for when I dive into a collection. And again, Morris seems to have a sincere talent for bringing together a great collection!
elles_shelves's review
4.0
Beyond the Veil is the latest horror anthology collection from one of my favorite publishers, Flame Tree Press. It contains 20 short stories by some of the best horror authors. This compilation begins with The God Bag by one of my favorite authors, Christopher Golden. It is a solid 5 stars all by itself. The Care and Feeding of Household Gods by Frank J Creto is also another 5 star story. These two stories alone make this book worth reading. There are also solid stories from Josh Malerman, Stephen Gallagher, John Everson, and Gemma Files. Overall, most of the stories are well fleshed out. Of course in any anthology there are stories that don’t necessarily resonate with every reader. That doesn’t mean that the stories aren’t good, just that they aren’t for every reader. I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next anthology collection from Flame Tree Press.
thefirstelevenminutes's review
4.0
Let’s start off by saying I love short stories, particularly those in the horror genre. A slow build up of tension over twenty-odd pages before the pay-off - what’s not to like?
Here we have 20 tales - edited by Mark Morris - each with a sting in their tail. As he says in his introduction, “If you’re coming to this anthology with the hope of experiencing nothing more than a few cosy and familiar chills... you’re in for a rude awakening.”
There are, like in any collection, some stand-outs but these in particular sent the most shivers down my spine...
The opener, Christopher Golden’s The God Bag finds a son discovering his dementia-suffering mother’s bag of prayer requests in two colours of paper. What’s their relevance and have they all been answered? What would YOU sacrifice for you and your family?
The Dark Bit by Toby Litt - a couple can’t quite get at that itch under their skin and go to extreme lengths to relieve it. I actually found myself squirming at this story and if I could shut my eyes while reading, I would have.
Clockwork by Dan Coxon - what’s buried in the garden and can it be be rebuilt? Unsettling.
A mystery for Julie Chu by Stephen Gallagher - On the hunt for curiosities Julie unearths a frog shaped radio that channels voices of the dead! I’ll steer clear of these weird-looking items in carboot sales from now on.
The Care and Feeding of the Household Gods by Frank J. Oreto - a stay-at-home dad relies on some (not-so) higher powers and interesting ingredients for his cuisine. You’ll never look at a hotpot or soufflé in the same way again.
Overall a beautifully put together, solid, scary collection after last year’s volume ‘After Sundown’ - ‘Beyond the Veil’ is out in paperback now. Perfect if you love the horror genre in short form, but be warned - you may find yourselves seeking out full length novels from the contributors. I know I will.
Thanks to Random Things Tours, Flame Tree Press and Mark Morris for my review copy.
Here we have 20 tales - edited by Mark Morris - each with a sting in their tail. As he says in his introduction, “If you’re coming to this anthology with the hope of experiencing nothing more than a few cosy and familiar chills... you’re in for a rude awakening.”
There are, like in any collection, some stand-outs but these in particular sent the most shivers down my spine...
The opener, Christopher Golden’s The God Bag finds a son discovering his dementia-suffering mother’s bag of prayer requests in two colours of paper. What’s their relevance and have they all been answered? What would YOU sacrifice for you and your family?
The Dark Bit by Toby Litt - a couple can’t quite get at that itch under their skin and go to extreme lengths to relieve it. I actually found myself squirming at this story and if I could shut my eyes while reading, I would have.
Clockwork by Dan Coxon - what’s buried in the garden and can it be be rebuilt? Unsettling.
A mystery for Julie Chu by Stephen Gallagher - On the hunt for curiosities Julie unearths a frog shaped radio that channels voices of the dead! I’ll steer clear of these weird-looking items in carboot sales from now on.
The Care and Feeding of the Household Gods by Frank J. Oreto - a stay-at-home dad relies on some (not-so) higher powers and interesting ingredients for his cuisine. You’ll never look at a hotpot or soufflé in the same way again.
Overall a beautifully put together, solid, scary collection after last year’s volume ‘After Sundown’ - ‘Beyond the Veil’ is out in paperback now. Perfect if you love the horror genre in short form, but be warned - you may find yourselves seeking out full length novels from the contributors. I know I will.
Thanks to Random Things Tours, Flame Tree Press and Mark Morris for my review copy.
wellwortharead's review
fast-paced
5.0
I love short horror stories. Anthologies are my addiction and I pick them up whenever I can. I read and enjoyed last year's anthology from Flame Tree Press (After Sundown) and I was so excited to see that they will continue this annual tradition. This year's offering, Beyond The Veil may be even spookier and darker than the first volume.
The first story The God Bag by Christopher Golden is about a woman near the end of her days, who has managed to keep a secret from her family until now. It raises the bar pretty high for those that have to follow, and yet the majority of these tales managed to keep up the deliciously grim tone that blasts off from the beginning, leading us through a procession of the macabre. Another story in the same vein was The Care And Feeding of Household Gods by Frank J. Oreto in which a happily married stay at home dad finds a bit of otherworldly help to get through his daily chores. I was holding my breath at the end of this one, afraid of where it was going to take me. Caker's Man by Matthew Holness was downright scary. A neighbor who has never bothered to introduce himself in the year since he's moved in suddenly becomes extremely pushy in very creepy ways. The Dark Bit by Toby Litt is a gruesome work of body horror not for the squeamish. For All The Dead by Angeline B Adams and Remco Van Straten takes place in a small coastal village where the women know that their men may not always return from the sea. This was suspenseful, sad, and spooky all at once. Away Day by Lisa Tuttle is about a woman who is always left out of everything, until at last she finds a place to belong.
These are just a few of what for me were 5 star reads. If you enjoy short horror stories you are going to want to add this to your collection.
5 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy from Flame Tree Press under no obligation to write a review.
bookivore's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
An anthology of truly disturbing, and new, stories. A great collection of authors and a satisfying depth of variety. One of the stronger anthologies I've read. No filler or fluff in this one.