A review by thefirstelevenminutes
Beyond the Veil by Mark Morris
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.