Reviews

Garden of Fiends: Tales of Addiction Horror by Jessica McHugh, Jack Ketchum, Mark Matthews, Johann Thorsson, Max Booth III, Kealan Patrick Burke, Glen Krisch, John Fd Taff

tidey's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

seydaneen's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Body horror

michaellouisdixon's review against another edition

3.0

I found a few of these stories very good, some of them okay, and one was a slog to get through.
All-in-all, it was fairly enjoyable.

felifirefly's review

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

5hadow_girl's review against another edition

5.0

* The reality of addiction is darker than any fiction. *
"Drinking and drugging provide the height of human experience.
It's the promise of heaven on earth, but the hell that follows is a constant hunger, a cold emptiness."

Before I read even one story in this 'reality horror' anthology - Mark Matthews had me crying so hard that I could barely see. He presents an addiction anthology with compassion, casting no aspersions on anyone. I wan't to meet Mark Matthews, and give him the tightest hug ever.
"Imagine yourself drowning and being told not to swim to the surface for air.
Obsessions should be so mild."

I'll have my full review posted HERE
soon - I was going over my notes for this review, and I'm 'emotional' again...


shortlink: https://goo.gl/HGRbsX

ratstick's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Don't read the last story because

Spoiler

a cat dies

and it's sad and also Jack Ketchum really really hates women.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Drug abuse, and Drug use

gteal's review against another edition

4.0

Such a great collection of gut wrenching stories. I actually felt physically ill during a couple of them.

sdmftn's review against another edition

5.0

Dark, just like addiction

Wow. That’s really all I can fathom to say about this dark, depraving look into the horrors of addiction. Although most of these stories have an almost supernatural bent to them, so the same can be said about the powers and torture of active addiction, when one can hardly determine reality and illusion. Several of these stories took me back into dark places and memories but all were powerful reminders of places I never want to be again.

hollie347's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Returns by Jack Ketchum was the best story. 

barbtrek's review against another edition

4.0

I almost set this book aside a few times because it has some very dark, depressing, and disgusting parts! But, if you don’t mind things like that, these were all excellent stories. The story the book was named after was really good. “First, just bite a finger” I probably could’ve skipped. Same with “Everywhere you’ve bled...” Still, I’m glad I finished. I don’t feel permanently scarred but I wouldn’t recommend reading this over lunch if you’ve got a weak stomach.