vondav's review against another edition
4.0
According to Google, Arithmophobia is the exaggerated, constant and often irrational fear of numbers.
Ruschelle plays on your fears with 9 short stories. Each short story featured the number 1-9. With a mixture of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and horror, some blended with humour, there is a short story to suit most readers.
Some of the stories I enjoyed were:
It Takes Two: Ahnna was rich and was never happy with her body. She knew that getting her breasts done would make her happy. So when her plastic surgeon, came up with a new procedure she knew she needed them and what was one little lie. This story builds up to the finale and what a finale. What I enjoyed was that there was no hints on the procedure until then end.
Three is as Magic as can be: When parents are being taken and all that remains is the child. Detective Oswald Quinn is on the case, 6 months on and still no suspect. Not only that but he is having problems at home with his son. With its dark thriller feel, this story grabbed me from the 1st blood stain on the floor. Reading this story, there was a feeling of dread and you could see Quinn slowly cracking under the pressure, as he was torn between his family and the case. A unexpected, heart-breaking ending.
A Perfect Eight: Dawn and Nicole are sisters. Both worked at their parent’s restaurant. Nicole the oldest and prettiest didn’t realise what she was doing to her sister. Things took a turn for the worse when customers who ate The Live Plate began to die. Made up of shrimp, oysters and octopus, the customers had to sign a waiver to eat it. But was it the dish that killed them. The story shows how far sisterly love can go. Throughout this story the author leads you down the wrong path, whilst I had my suspicions I could not work out the how. A story with a difference.
These are only three stories, but also making an appearance is a cheeky crude hysterical leprechaun in Seven Colors and the Four horseman in Four Men on Horses.
As an introduction to this author this a good read and I will be looking out for more from her
Ruschelle plays on your fears with 9 short stories. Each short story featured the number 1-9. With a mixture of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and horror, some blended with humour, there is a short story to suit most readers.
Some of the stories I enjoyed were:
It Takes Two: Ahnna was rich and was never happy with her body. She knew that getting her breasts done would make her happy. So when her plastic surgeon, came up with a new procedure she knew she needed them and what was one little lie. This story builds up to the finale and what a finale. What I enjoyed was that there was no hints on the procedure until then end.
Three is as Magic as can be: When parents are being taken and all that remains is the child. Detective Oswald Quinn is on the case, 6 months on and still no suspect. Not only that but he is having problems at home with his son. With its dark thriller feel, this story grabbed me from the 1st blood stain on the floor. Reading this story, there was a feeling of dread and you could see Quinn slowly cracking under the pressure, as he was torn between his family and the case. A unexpected, heart-breaking ending.
A Perfect Eight: Dawn and Nicole are sisters. Both worked at their parent’s restaurant. Nicole the oldest and prettiest didn’t realise what she was doing to her sister. Things took a turn for the worse when customers who ate The Live Plate began to die. Made up of shrimp, oysters and octopus, the customers had to sign a waiver to eat it. But was it the dish that killed them. The story shows how far sisterly love can go. Throughout this story the author leads you down the wrong path, whilst I had my suspicions I could not work out the how. A story with a difference.
These are only three stories, but also making an appearance is a cheeky crude hysterical leprechaun in Seven Colors and the Four horseman in Four Men on Horses.
As an introduction to this author this a good read and I will be looking out for more from her
el_stevie's review against another edition
5.0
I have read some of Ruschelle’s work previously online and in the latest Women In Horror Annual 2 so I was curious to see what sort of collection she would come up with. I had high expectations as she writes to a high standard and I am pleased to say this was reflected throughout her book.
Arithmophobia is a Greek word meaning the fear of numbers. Each story within this collection carries the importance of a particular number as a central theme; the numbers ranging from one to nine. These stories range from the squeamishly horrific, to the horrifically tragic with a dollop of dark humour thrown in for good measure. The standard is such that it is hard to pick a favourite, but here are my standouts:
Three is as Magic as can be. A cop hunts for parents who have disappeared in strange and worrying circumstances as his own family life crumbles around him. The eventual discovery of the murderer also allows him to resolve his own personal issues and you think, ah a happy ending until you get to that final, tragic twist; a heartbreaking denouement.
Four Men on Horses. I love Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and this tale of the Four Horsemen of the (failed) Apocalypse is wonderful and strongly reminds me of his writing. War, Famine, Death and Pestilence each take on the modern human and each is defeated. The responses of man, woman and child, whether the desire to take selfies with War or happily join a new Death ‘cult’, are not what the four expect and ultimately defeats them.
Seven Colors focusses on a scientist who, whilst experimenting with light, captures himself a leprechaun … and good old-fashioned chaos ensues.
Ruschelle Dillon is certainly a woman in horror to watch out for.
Arithmophobia is a Greek word meaning the fear of numbers. Each story within this collection carries the importance of a particular number as a central theme; the numbers ranging from one to nine. These stories range from the squeamishly horrific, to the horrifically tragic with a dollop of dark humour thrown in for good measure. The standard is such that it is hard to pick a favourite, but here are my standouts:
Three is as Magic as can be. A cop hunts for parents who have disappeared in strange and worrying circumstances as his own family life crumbles around him. The eventual discovery of the murderer also allows him to resolve his own personal issues and you think, ah a happy ending until you get to that final, tragic twist; a heartbreaking denouement.
Four Men on Horses. I love Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and this tale of the Four Horsemen of the (failed) Apocalypse is wonderful and strongly reminds me of his writing. War, Famine, Death and Pestilence each take on the modern human and each is defeated. The responses of man, woman and child, whether the desire to take selfies with War or happily join a new Death ‘cult’, are not what the four expect and ultimately defeats them.
Seven Colors focusses on a scientist who, whilst experimenting with light, captures himself a leprechaun … and good old-fashioned chaos ensues.
Ruschelle Dillon is certainly a woman in horror to watch out for.
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