Authors: Various
Halloween Carnival Volume 5 is the last in a series of 5 horror short story collections from Random House. The volumes will release -- one every week -- throughout the month of October. Love the covers! Love the variety of stories! Great way to scream your way to the holiday this year!
Volume 5, which releases on Halloween Day Oct 31st, contains five horrific tales. These tales are subtle, a smooth, slow build of uneasiness that morphs into horror just before the end. A slow ride....to hell. I prefer that type of horror story to the more in-your-face, spurting blood, b-movie sort.
Devil's Night by Richard Chizmar. Everyone has heard the news stories about the man who fought off a killer. But, nobody knows the whole story. A nice creepy read that builds slowly before smacking you in the face with the truth. Great read!
The Last Dare by Lisa Tuttle. Lane returns to her hometown to visit with her daughter and grand-daughter. She happens to meet Bobbi, her childhood best friend. They reminisce about all sorts of things, even the time Bobbi dared Lane to go into the Tower House. Lane discovers that while her childhood home has been torn down, the old Tower still stands. And it's just as dangerous as it was in the 1950s. Dare to go in? Lovely creepy story. Every town has that One House -- the abandoned one nobody wants to enter. Probably for good reason.
The Halloween Bleed (A Dr. Sibley Curiosity) by Norman Prentiss. One really should not assume that evil and magic only come out on Halloween. Real magic can pop up anywhere at anytime....especially when it's a surprise. This is hands down my favorite story from this collection! Awesome ending!
Swing by Kevin Quigley. Swing music brings memories of Jessica to him. He remembers her dancing. He remembers her dying. But then again, everyone he loves dies. And he falls in love all the time. This is an odd, but mesmerizing, bit of creepiness. Definitely a twisted love story. After all, there are all different types of love. Right?
Pork Pie Hat by Peter Straub. A famous Jazz musician recounts a tale from his childhood. But some tales are best kept secret. This story fell a bit flat for me....maybe because it develops slowly? I'm not sure exactly...but it was my least favorite of the 5. Worth a read....but not scary/horrific. More disturbing than frightening.
All in all, this is a Halloween anthology worth reading! The tales are not screaming, wild, ripper tales but more subtle in their horror. The sort of story that sneaks up on you, rather than chases you down the lane. I think the release of one story anthology a week throughout the month of October is an awesome way to lead up to Halloween! And the ebooks are affordable! Excellent short stories at a price any reader can afford. Although some readers might have to take a glance behind to see if something is following them, the stories aren't so frightening to give sleepless nights and vivid nightmares.
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Random House Hydra via NetGalley. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
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