Review of Horror Collection - Lost Edition by Kevin J. Kennedy
A.E. Jackson Review Score: 3 / 5 Ravens
How was this review scored?
Readers can’t go wrong with a horror collection assembled by Kevin J. Kennedy. He knows scary stories forward and back. The fourteenth in The Horror Collection series delivers even more new horror from some of today’s leading fright writers. Kennedy blends the great work of Richard Chizmar, Mark Towse, Daemon Manx, C.M. Forest, Mark Allan Gunnells, Edward Lee, Candace Nola, and many more.
Which terrifying tales make the skin crawl? They were all good. However, a few of the stories were incredible. Of course, when it comes to the horror Kennedy selects for his collection, they come with an explicit content warning. You’ve been warned - some of these are not for the faint of heart.
“Perfect Match” by Russell James is a well done horror with a complete Western theme. From scene, to dialogue, to situations - the reader is transported to the deadly dusty west. This tale is a twist on Jack the Ripper lore, and the Buffalo Bill character from Silence of Lambs.
“Eric’s Tune” by Mark Towse demonstrates that a joke can go too far. A haunted prison tour turns into and endless nightmare for one prankster.
“13 Hook Street” by Tim Curran reminds readers of Amityville Horror, as this story involves a young couple in a small old house. The telling is filled with visceral, unsettling descriptions.
“Excoriation” by J.A. Sullivan delivers a classic Wickerman setup, with a Lovecraftian human abomination twist at the end. How this abomination never crossed past writers minds is hard to comprehend after watching Sullivan breath life into the creatures so well.
“He” by Konn Lavery mounts the tension with each moment in this taut food delivery tale. An old man performs a ritual, and Lavery ensures the great twist ending doesn’t disappoint.
“Glass Weavers” by C.M. Forest was a bit of a boring sci-fi story with a lot of potential. The main character’s disintegrating mental state reveals the twist ending. The story has promise to be a good cosmic horror but the slow start is a hurdle.
“From a Colder Place” by Judith Sonnet places readers right in the middle of a creepy encounter with a stranger on a snow covered road. The family dealing with the blizzard and the creature show off Sonnet’s character development capabilities.
“Shameless Sam Changes His Life” by Steve Stred was an interesting tale, but there was far too much exposition. The opportunity to utilize deep point of view from inside Sam’s head was missed by the author.
“The Association” by Richard Chizmar is an HOA horror story. Don’t think they exist, search YouTube for a recent Last Week Tonight episode on Home Owner’s Associations. Terrifying! This story is uncanny masterfully executed. Chizmar may remind some readers of a classic X-Files episode in which the HOA is a bit too excessive in upholding the rules of the community. This tale was good but the ending felt rushed, without much climax, and no surprise twist to wrap it up.
“Bad Ink” by Matthew V. Brockmeyer was an enjoyable story about suffering incredible pain, seeking revenge, and what that costs in the end.
Kevin J. Kennedy is the author of Halloween Land, also reviewed here. He is co-author of You Only Get One Shot and Screechers & Stitches. Kennedy released three solo collections of short horror stories and is one of the UK’s most prominent horror anthologists.
Kevin and his wife live in the heart of Scotland with three small fur people - Carlito, Ariel and Luna.
Read more from Kevin J. Kennedy at https://www.kevinjkennedy.co.uk and find him on social media at Facebook(@authorkevinjkennedy), and Twitter(@KevinJKennedy01).