ljwrites85's review against another edition
5.0
I love short stories and I don’t read them often enough, particularly horror, and I saw that Diabolica Britannica was all for a good cause, with all profits going to fund the NHS' efforts COVID-19 research, so I thought why not.
What I loved was the variety of British horror that was in Diabolica Britannica, from monsters to folklore inspired tales to psychological horror and so much more. Another thing I loved was I now have a whole host of new authors I want to read.
Each story may have only been short but they were creepy, chilling and utterly captivating! Of course there were a few stand outs for me:
Tourist Traps by Christopher Henderson, is a story about a boy who is obsessed with ghost hunting, so much so he takes a ghost tour of London and gets more than he’s bargained for.
The Secret of Westport Fell by Beverley Lee, was an atmospheric historical story about a young woman sent to look after her ailing aunt and ends up taking in a young girl she finds wandering in the cold.
Scripted in Shadows by Morgan K Tanner, is a blood soaked story about a mysterious and murderous book.
The Coven by Sarah E England is about a woman who returns to the town she was born in to find out why her family was forced to flee the country.
I could go on but I’d think I’d be boring you with this review soon!
Diabolica Britannica is packed to the brim with talented authors and a must if you love horror.
What I loved was the variety of British horror that was in Diabolica Britannica, from monsters to folklore inspired tales to psychological horror and so much more. Another thing I loved was I now have a whole host of new authors I want to read.
Each story may have only been short but they were creepy, chilling and utterly captivating! Of course there were a few stand outs for me:
Tourist Traps by Christopher Henderson, is a story about a boy who is obsessed with ghost hunting, so much so he takes a ghost tour of London and gets more than he’s bargained for.
The Secret of Westport Fell by Beverley Lee, was an atmospheric historical story about a young woman sent to look after her ailing aunt and ends up taking in a young girl she finds wandering in the cold.
Scripted in Shadows by Morgan K Tanner, is a blood soaked story about a mysterious and murderous book.
The Coven by Sarah E England is about a woman who returns to the town she was born in to find out why her family was forced to flee the country.
I could go on but I’d think I’d be boring you with this review soon!
Diabolica Britannica is packed to the brim with talented authors and a must if you love horror.
lunordraconis's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
janinepipe's review against another edition
5.0
I preface this review by saying that I am one of the contributing authors but I will not talk about FOOTSTEPS. I am also just going to say that both Adam and Tim's stories are 10/10 as one would expect from such horror legends.
CARREG SAMSON gorgeous language, brutal message. Folklore, folktale, magic. Perfect start.
TOURIST TRAPS my personal favourite. Echoes of Jack the Ripper, could envision myself there. Perfect ending. 10/10
THE SECRET OF WESTPORT FELL gorgeous gothic language. Beautiful scenery. Immersive and A Class prose.
THE CONDUCTOR An episode of The Twilight Zone in the making. Wonderful creeeepy imagery.
WE PLOUGH THE FIELDS AND SCATTER An episode of Midsommer Murders with a lot more blood. Folktale, brutal ending.
LINGER a book in a story. Awesome imagery again. Polished writing. Lots of intrigue, awesome end.
SONG OF THE MOOR would NOT want to mess with one of the characters in this! Spooky setting and great ending.
WALED A PALE HORSE ON CELTIC FROST very Poe, loved it, Kept me turning the page and wanting more. Love a bit of gore.
THE HOLE horrendous story but only for the heartbreaking content. Beautifully written, echoes of Susan Hill. Brought a lump to my throat. Kudos.
SCRIPTED IN SHADOWS loved it!!! My kind of story, like a Barker or King with an awesome plot and plenty of violence. Rock on, Morgan!
THE COVEN kept trying to guess what would happen. Was wrong and enjoyed that! Witchcraft is always fun to read about.
CARREG SAMSON gorgeous language, brutal message. Folklore, folktale, magic. Perfect start.
TOURIST TRAPS my personal favourite. Echoes of Jack the Ripper, could envision myself there. Perfect ending. 10/10
THE SECRET OF WESTPORT FELL gorgeous gothic language. Beautiful scenery. Immersive and A Class prose.
THE CONDUCTOR An episode of The Twilight Zone in the making. Wonderful creeeepy imagery.
WE PLOUGH THE FIELDS AND SCATTER An episode of Midsommer Murders with a lot more blood. Folktale, brutal ending.
LINGER a book in a story. Awesome imagery again. Polished writing. Lots of intrigue, awesome end.
SONG OF THE MOOR would NOT want to mess with one of the characters in this! Spooky setting and great ending.
WALED A PALE HORSE ON CELTIC FROST very Poe, loved it, Kept me turning the page and wanting more. Love a bit of gore.
THE HOLE horrendous story but only for the heartbreaking content. Beautifully written, echoes of Susan Hill. Brought a lump to my throat. Kudos.
SCRIPTED IN SHADOWS loved it!!! My kind of story, like a Barker or King with an awesome plot and plenty of violence. Rock on, Morgan!
THE COVEN kept trying to guess what would happen. Was wrong and enjoyed that! Witchcraft is always fun to read about.
candacerobinsonauthor's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a cool and fun collection!! S.J. Budd’s story was my favorite and felt unique to this genre! I loved the writing on this story and the characters! I can’t wait to read more from this author!
charshorrorcorner's review against another edition
4.0
DIABOLICA BRITANNICA is an anthology of stories put together to benefit COVID19 research in the U.K. When one of the authors contacted me about reviewing the book, I jumped on the chance, (and then I bought a copy too.) These tales do not have a connecting theme, but damn! This was a great bunch of stories.
Among my favorites were:
The Conductor by Arthur M. Harper: A man is waiting on the platform just before the midnight hour when the conductor appears. I'm not saying any more about it, but I LOVED this tale!
Footsteps by Janine Pipe: Just...wow! Loved this short tale complete with its prologue. I have a fondness for stories that start off going in one direction and then end in a completely different one. Bravo!
The Flow by Tim Lebbon: This author's tales are always good, but The Flow was EXTRA good because of the themes involved-domestic violence being one of them.
We Plough the Fields and Scatter by Stephanie Ellis: I love folk horror tales or stories where local rituals are followed. It's time to harvest and some rituals are still in place in those small, dark, farming towns.
Linger by John Leonard: This one is part of Leonard's Dead Boxes Archive. The tale itself is an age old one in the horror genre: A man inherits a house/mansion from a man he never met. These types of stories are excellent when done well and this one definitely is.
The Hole by Sarah Budd. It's always hard on the children when a widowed parent remarries. This one made me chuckle because it was so dark. (I'm obviously a terrible person.)
Scripted in Shadows by Morgan K. Tanner. Where did this author come from? WOW, this story was super fun and sick all at once. A seemingly normal woman is having problems tearing herself away from her book. To the point of not working, not shopping, not eating. Hehehe, that's all I'm going to say. This was my favorite story of the collection.
With a formidable introduction by the legendary Ramsey Campbell, this anthology is sure to please and all proceeds go to to Covid research in the U.K. It's a win-win situation!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/325ZMgW
*I was provided an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. Then I bought my own copy as well.*
Among my favorites were:
The Conductor by Arthur M. Harper: A man is waiting on the platform just before the midnight hour when the conductor appears. I'm not saying any more about it, but I LOVED this tale!
Footsteps by Janine Pipe: Just...wow! Loved this short tale complete with its prologue. I have a fondness for stories that start off going in one direction and then end in a completely different one. Bravo!
The Flow by Tim Lebbon: This author's tales are always good, but The Flow was EXTRA good because of the themes involved-domestic violence being one of them.
We Plough the Fields and Scatter by Stephanie Ellis: I love folk horror tales or stories where local rituals are followed. It's time to harvest and some rituals are still in place in those small, dark, farming towns.
Linger by John Leonard: This one is part of Leonard's Dead Boxes Archive. The tale itself is an age old one in the horror genre: A man inherits a house/mansion from a man he never met. These types of stories are excellent when done well and this one definitely is.
The Hole by Sarah Budd. It's always hard on the children when a widowed parent remarries. This one made me chuckle because it was so dark. (I'm obviously a terrible person.)
Scripted in Shadows by Morgan K. Tanner. Where did this author come from? WOW, this story was super fun and sick all at once. A seemingly normal woman is having problems tearing herself away from her book. To the point of not working, not shopping, not eating. Hehehe, that's all I'm going to say. This was my favorite story of the collection.
With a formidable introduction by the legendary Ramsey Campbell, this anthology is sure to please and all proceeds go to to Covid research in the U.K. It's a win-win situation!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/325ZMgW
*I was provided an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. Then I bought my own copy as well.*
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