To think of the abyss that dwells within each of us, hiding horrors unknown to the rest of the world… ah, such sweet dreams are made of these. But not all of us have dreams wrought with teeming terrors and dark whispers; that’s why we need to have new horror novels and movies to help stir the pot, so to speak. With the coming of the bitter chill of winter comes the time to give the gift of horror to your loved ones. Here are a few worth looking into, should you dare.
Bleed, written and compiled by one Lori Michelle, is a short story anthology with stories based around the terror that comes from cancer. The nice thing about purchasing this book for someone is the proceeds go to charities helping children battling cancer. The other nice thing is that this book is scary as hell. Story after story unfolds, giving way to terrifying tales of cancerous creatures and conditions slowly cutting away at the flesh of the protagonists like a dull scalpel to unadorned flesh. All of the stories are written (and edited) well so you will hardly find any errors that otherwise ruin a story for me. You can find the kindle and paperback edition of this anthology at Amazon (of course) and have it shipped as a gift to a loved one for the holidays.
Another book worth looking into is not for the faint of heart, nor the weak of stomach; Monster Island by David Wellington is a zombie-apocalypse novel where the zombies are more than mere cannibals: they eat all life, including grass and trees. From a character that kept his mind intact through his infection to a former UN weapons specialist, the book has many different personalities to experience, all of which are fully fleshed out and made to leave a lasting memory. The first part of a trilogy, this is a must read for anyone who enjoys zombie movies, though I would keep it out of the hands of the younger generation: it does have some adult content, such as drugs and disturbing imagery.
For a lighter side of horror, without losing any of the punch, you can always look into the Demonic Visions anthology series, which is going into its fifth book now pretty soon. Started by an editor by the name of Chris Robertson, who has contributed to the potluck of terror in a few of the books. Each book is composed of fifty or more tales, none of which are necessarily related, but all of which create a rich tapestry of terror that can only be made when you gather a large group of talented writers together and give them one goal. That’s right, each one of the books in these anthologies is (mostly) written by the same authors from the previous collection, with a few choice additions added in each time. There are four, soon to be five, editions of this anthology series, so I would go read the reviews and find the one that appeals most to you. I myself enjoy the first and third in the series the most, and am anxiously awaiting the fifth.
Whether you celebrate the holiday season or not is beside the point: this is a time when gift giving is thrust upon us all, with expectations being that we put some thought into the present we are to hand over. So why not introduce a little fear into the hearts of those who would receive? These three book series and collections I have shown you are all readily available for any and all who would want them and they are all well-worth the money. So give them a try, and don’t forget to smile as you hand over your wrapped parcel. After all, the gift of horror is a gift that keeps on giving!
Sweet Dreams
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