A review by bludfellow
Shock Totem 5: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted by Kurt Newton, F.J. Bergmann, D. Thomas Mooers, Sean Eads, Mekenzie Larsen, Jack Ketchum, Anaea Lay, Jaelithe Ingold, Nick Contor, Joe Mirabello, Mercedes M. Yardley, Darrell Schweitzer, K. Allen Wood, Ari Marmell, John Boden

5.0

Having been published in Shock Totem twice, I'm ashamed to admit it took this long to pick up an issue and read it through. This is a great mix of weird and creepy. The interviews are enlightening and the reviews are snappy, and the "Howling Through the Keyhole" feature at the end, where the authors share the inspiration for their stories, wraps everything up in a neat little bow. And the covers! Gorgeous, possibly the best you'll see from a small press.

Personal favorites: "Postmortem" by Kurt Newton, "Jimmy Bunny" by Darrell Schweitzer, "Little Knife Houses" by Jaelithe Ingold, and "The Catch" by Joe Mirabello.

Now I just have to work my way through the first four issues. Excellent work.