Take Shadowy Natures Interpreted By Rebecca Rowland Expressed As E-Text
received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher
I truly enjoyed the stories in this psychological horror anthology.
The stories and writing styles are vastly different from each other, so there should be something for everyone in this book.
I particularly enjoyed these stories:
"Taking Out the Garbage" by Thomas Vaughn, About being the one upstanding citizen in a bad neighborhood, where a strange man walks around like a ghost and broken women disappear.
A dark and gloomy story, very rich in atmosphere images kept popping up in my head when I read it.
"Accessory" by K, N. Johnson. You can't always trust your friends, This is like a horror version of Mean Girls, and what's not to love about that
"Like Abigail Winchell" by Christina Delia.
The perfect mom with the perfect house, kids, and book club, invents a notsoperfect imaginary friend for herself.
I only wish this story was longer!
Full disclosure, I'm one of the authors in this collection.
But of course, that leavesother stories for me to appreciate, and appreciate I do! For fans of dark, twisted, creepy horror, this is the book for you! Each story is excellent, but Scotty Milder's "Seven Days of Dog Walking" and Elin Olausson's "Uncle" in particular have haunted me for months now.
You won't regret reading this! Except maybe when all of the lights are off, . . and the shadows in your bedroom look a little longer than normal, . . and what was that sound in the hall But hey, isn't that what you paid for Whoa.
Just finished this tome of madness, Couldnt be more impressed with the stories in this collection, and truly think its a candidate for Best Anthology of the Year.
I have my favorites, notably KC Grifant's “Maternal Bond,” James Edward OBriens “Ring Rock” and Scotty Milders “Seven Days of Dog Walking” but holy cats, did I really dig this entire smorgasbord of psychological horror edited by the awesome Rebecca Rowland.
I'm really floored by the quality on display here, and the varied concepts being played with by everyone on tap really delivered something special here.
To skip this one would be a huge mistake,.rounded up tofor Goodreads,
While not every story had the same impact for me, there wasnt one here that I didnt like at least a little, which is great tbh.
A lot of times in anthologies there will be a story or two that I just give up on so any time that doesnt happen, its a win, dont you think
You can read my full review which looks at each individual story at:
sitelink wordpress. com/
"The boundary line between instinct and reason is of a very shadowy nature, ” Edgar Allan Poe.
With its twentyone stories of serial killers and sociopaths, fixations and fetishes, breakdowns and bad decisions crafted by authors as diverse as their writing styles, Shadowy Natures leads fans of psychological horror down dark and treacherous roads to destinations they will be too unsettled to leave.
Under the tutelage of a charismatic caretaker, a young boy learns that the rules dont apply to 'exceptional' people under the blinders of parental love, a parent considers the aftereffects of his daughters criminal exoneration.
One suburban dad finds himself inexplicably drawn to something he spies while walking the family pet, and another discovers buried compulsions awakened by his daughters dental deformity.
Sorting through a deceased relatives belongings, a family stumbles upon a horrific treasure, as a drifter with a dark secret wanders the Old West.
While a military officer spends his days delivering despair, a procrastinator is consumed by guilt after making a deadly mistake, and a businessman stumbles upon a bizarre family photo gallery.
Postpartum paranoia and isolation threaten one mothers sanity until an outside threat pushes her over the edge while another mother picks at her sons psychological scabs until he scrambles for release.
Urban blight bears down on a convenience store owner a middleaged man takes a terminally ill acquaintance captive to avenge his lovers death a depressed suburban housewife makes a strange new friend, and a neglected teen finds solace and inspiration in a vicious classmates company.
When her brother moves back into the family home, a woman becomes consumed by what he leaves behind when a man disappears, his sister considers the warning signs he may have been leaving since childhood.
One couple abandons urban life for the isolating wilderness while another plays a dangerous game, hoping to rekindle their relationship.
While one son revisits the scene of his fathers horrific crime spree, another returns home to ponder his familys wellhidden secret.
From unique twists on traditional terror tropes to fresh frights found in the most innocuous of places, these tales will surprise and unnerve even the most veteran horror fans.
The subtitle hits the nail on the head for this book Stories of Psychological Horror, The tales in Shadowy Natures truly mess with your head,
I have always had a long standing believe that the art you keep thinking about is truly the ones that have the most impact.
With Shadowy
Natures, I found myself thinking about numerous stories later in the day or even days later.
They truly got into my head, Especially the ones that at first reading I either didnt get or thought ended abruptly, At first, I questioned the story, wondering if they worked, but as I thought more and more, I realized they did work, almost too well as they wormed their way into my brain.
As a parent, Heart Kull Heart by Bryan Miller and Maternal Bond by KC Grifant really struck me hard.
Seven Days of Dog Waling by Scotty Milder and In a Mothers Eyes by Andrew Punzo both also stood out to me in creepy and entertaining ways.
Lastly, Accessory by K. N. Johnson was the stand out to me as I could see it playing out like a creepy and twisted Heathers style movie in my head.
As the editor, Rebecca Rowland truly did a superb job at choosing stories that work well together.
While they are all vastly different, each fit into the theme snuggly, Im looking forward to more collections edited by Rebecca,
.