Dark Book Review – Peel Back The Skin

Dark Book Review – Peel Back The Skin

Review Written By Casey Douglass

They live down the street, in the apartment next door and even in our own homes. They are the real monsters, and they stare back at us from our own bedroom mirrors.

PEEL BACK THE SKIN is a powerhouse anthology of terror that removes the human mask from the real monsters that walk among us, those who stare back at us from our own mirrors. PEEL BACK THE SKIN begins a new chapter in the man as monster saga that started as soon as humans first walked upright and evolved into the killing machines they are.

Peel Back The Skin is an upcoming anthology from horror masters Grey Matter Press and one in which the focus of the horror zeroes in on the evil that humans are capable of, whether assisted by the supernatural or not. In its pages are fifteen stories, all of them taking the reader to a “horror destination”. Some stories take the back roads, others burn down the interstate at 150mph.

For the most part, I enjoyed all of the stories. Some authors had a more appealing style to me personally, but even the ones that didn’t, I could appreciate what they were doing and how they did it. I will talk about the six standout tales for me personally:

I think my favourite story is Charles Austin Muir’s – “Party Monster”. The story begins with a confession but only paragraphs later, gets spiced up even more by the character creating mystical sigils to aid him in his goals. What unfolds is a tale of reality bending carnage that all serves to highlight and explore the unresolved issues of the lead character and the concepts he holds dear. Trippy and brutal, with the added esoteric element of sigils. I really enjoyed it.

Next up is Erik Williams’ – “The Long Bright Descent”, a tale that focuses on two characters racing each other on seemingly strange terms. One has to agree to the terms of the other, whether to be chased or to play a game of wits. Night and day play their role too, and there are some strange and ancient powers at work. I enjoyed The Long Bright Descent because it had me scratching my head and pondering, while also enjoying the dance of hunter and prey, a great combination.

Jonathan Maberry’s – “Mystic” is another great tale, this one featuring a guy that can see dead people, and that has a unique way of helping them deal with their unresolved issues via tattoos and violence. As all good main characters, it is a burden as much as anything, but his sense of compassion drives him on into the fiery pain of vengeance. A gritty and hard-hitting story.

A lot of the stories in Peel Back The Skin feature some gore and violence but a couple did stand out for being particularly “nasty”. Graham Masterton’s - “The Greatest Gift” had a scene in which the female lead character did things that had me grimacing as I read, which is a rare thing. Yvonne Navarro’s – “Superheated” was an arid tale of kidnap and torture in which the victim was as unaware of what was going on as the reader, until the truth was laid bare. It didn’t make me grimace like The Greatest Gift but it certainly stays with you once you've finished reading.

As I said, these are the stories that I wanted to give special mention to, but there wasn’t really a bad story in the bunch, just some I clicked with more than others. If you enjoy variety in your horror, whether that variety comes in pace, location or theme, I think you will find something to like in Peel Back The Skin’s pages. I give it 4/5.

Visit the Peel Back The Skin page on Grey Matter Press here for more information.

Book Title: Peel Back The Skin

Author: Anthology

Publisher: Grey Matter Press

Release Date: 7th June 2016

I was given a free copy of the book to review.

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Dark Book Review – Death’s Realm

Written By Casey Douglass

Death’s Realm is the latest horror anthology from Grey Matter Press. It features sixteen tales that investigate what might happen when we expire and where we might end up after the event, many looking on the darker side of the available possibilities.

“Whether we choose to think about it or not, somewhere ahead of each of us on this road of life is a dark intersection where everyone will certainly arrive,” said Anthony Rivera, Grey Matter Press publisher and DEATH’S REALM editor. “It’s this much-dreaded and deeply mysterious convergence between life and death where the exceptional horror stories in DEATH’S REALM take place.”

I’ve read a fair number of Grey Matter Press’ anthologies and have come to know a little of what to expect, the twisted vistas, the warped characters and The Outer Limits style unhappy endings. Does Death’s Realm deliver another dose of what ails you? Read on to find out.

First, a brief summary of the stories:

Omniscopic by Rhoads Brazos – A lovely dark science tale that made my skin scrawl. Sometimes, scientific techniques reveal things better left unseen and unknown.

Some Other Day by John F.D. Taff – A unique way of showing that loss can cause all manner of problems if it isn't expressed properly.

Haunter by Hank Schwaeble – What happens while you sleep? Normal things I would imagine, but imagine if ghastly things happened! This story paints that picture.

Burial Suit by John C. Foster – An ex-con decides that his dead father mustn’t go to the next life alone; with bloody consequences for a number of people.

Nine by Aaron Polson – Two children and their anthropologist mother struggle to come to terms with loss, especially when it seems to entwine with her studies of a lost tribe.

Penumbra by Jay Caselberg – A tale following the efforts of a dead man to contact the ‘loved one’ he left behind. Flights of fancy and things not being all they seem make this a great read.

Foxhole by JG Faherty – Futuristic jungle warfare and companionship as two friends cross more than physical borders in their journey home.

Drowning by Gregory L. Norris – Water and the fear of drowning haunt a Titanic survivor to such a degree that his whole life is tainted by the fear of them and the ghosts they contain.

The Weight by Jane Brooks – Emotional and psychic baggage is given sinister form in this tale of one woman’s struggle for life.

Harder You Fall by Brian Fatah Steele – Necromancy and an uneasy association with your mentor all merge in this story of deceit and corruption.

Mirrorworld by Martin Rose – A Satanist tricks a man into becoming another item of curiosity in his apartment.

March Hays by Matthew Pegg – Convalescing after WWII, a man discovers that a place he knew as child has become the domicile of strange beings.

High Art by Karen Runge and Simon Dewar – A man who loses his wife is enjoying life now that she’s gone. He soon comes to regret his part in things however.

A Pirate’s Ransom by Jay O’Shea – Pirates get far more than they bargained for on an old abandoned freighter.

To Touch The Dead by Paul Michael Anderson – A psychic reader examines objects from the lives of the deceased and gets far more than he expected.

You Only Die Once by Stephen Graham Jones – A strange tale of death and waiting complete with bizarre creatures and dark rules.

Thoughts

As was stated at the start, each tale in this collection deals with the afterlife and issues that could arise if certain states and beliefs were true. As a consequence, the tone is unremittingly bleak, as would be expected. Stand-out tales for me were Omniscopic, Penumbra, Foxhole and March Hays.

Ominscopic has the air of ‘mad scientist’ about it, all crackling energies and forces best not tampered with. The descriptive passages that cover the bleak discovery paint a very detailed picture of something truly hideous. I liked it very much.

Penumbra takes place mainly in the wishy-washy fluid-like realm of the dead and is a love story unlike any other I’ve read. The language used and the shifting reality of what is happening make it a riveting read.

I enjoyed Foxhole for its mixture of seemingly traditional jungle warfare with super-advanced weaponry. I enjoyed the narrative as well but the setting won my heart.

Finally, March Hays was another favourite as it’s set in a seemingly normal world before little bits of ‘sinister’ start to creep in. I like it because it anchors the strange to the normal, rather than being disconnected and fluttering free. It’s also a story in which the reader doesn’t see all that is going on until the end.

The other tales are all likeable for varying reasons and I didn't actively dislike any of them. Death’s Realm paints a bleak picture of the afterlife and life in general. This I cannot applaud more. I give Death’s Realm 4/5, an enjoyable trip into realities not really meant to be known, written by authors who have visited them, in mind at least, many times over.

Visit the Grey Matter Press page here for more info.

I was given a free copy of this book for review.

Book Title: Death’s Realm

Book Author: Anthology

Publisher: Grey Matter Press

Released: 3rd December 2014

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Dark Review - Equilibrium Overturned

Equilibrium Overturned Review

By Casey Douglass

(I was given a free copy to review)

Equilibrium Overturned from Grey Matter Press is billed as a collection of tales that are defined as ‘horror-laced science fiction and dark fantasy’, some verging on the more realistic end of the spectrum, others more supernatural in their designs. Reflecting on this as I write these words and scanning down the list of stories, I find myself nodding in agreement with this assessment. It also occurs to me that nearly all of them would make terrific episodes for The Outer Limits or X-Files, two of my favourite shows.

Each story shows humanities struggle against the odds when the natural order of things is turned upside down. As a consequence, there are few happy endings here. Fans of unhappy endings or at best pyrrhic ones will feel right at home with Equilibrium Overturned.

A brief summary of the stories:

The Final Testimony of Molly Ryder by Jeff Hemenway, is a great start to the anthology and deals with crime, punishment and the ability of the mind to meld with another’s. 

Amnion by John Everson, illustrates the dangers of questing after youth when the rest of the world might not be ready for such a thing.

Martial Law by JG Faherty, depicts a strange parade that threatens to topple the biggest organisations of power in the modern world.

Through the Ghostlands by Rose Blackthorn, is a haunting tale of desolation and lives stopped in mid-flow.

The Collected Syliva, Volumes 1 to 1388 by Geoffrey W. Cole, tells the tale of a futuristic couple that are on the search for their new home.

Perfect Soldiers by S.G. Larner, describes the desperate plight of humanity as an evil force threatens to invade the world, the only resistance being found in horrible acts of our own.

Wombie by Martin Slag, is a naturalistic tale that merges nature with other designs that result in nothing but horror for one group of people.

No-Man’s Land by Roger Jackson, a tale of the horrors of war made worse by the unwholesome practices of elements in the trenches.

The Alamo Incident: From The Chronicles of Timaeus Shields by Sean Eads, the tale of a man sent to investigate the force that has been killing soldiers left right and center at the Alamo. The truth is far worse than history led us to believe.

The Butcher of Gad Street by Stephen T. Vessels, shows the forces of good and evil in direct conflict as the barometer of human mood and deed swings dangerously into the red.

Queen of Thermodynamic Equilibrium by Josh R. Vogt, depicts deep space and a future where death has almost been eradicated. This doesn’t please everyone however...

Compartmental by Jay Caselberg, what begins as a train journey and a reflection on the way the human mind files away experience dissolves into a deep tale that reveals what we might truly be looking for.

This is not a Horror Story by Tim Waggoner, a strange trip to the DMV turns into a fight for survival.

Sunrise by Tony Knighton, shows the health of an ailing child failing as the world around him begins to decay and slip from humanities grasp.

All very good stories, but as with anything, a handful struck me harder than others. I think my favourite was Queen of Thermodynamic Equilibrium, as it was set in a pure space environment with all manner of technology and other doodads around it. It also achieved some great friction as science and religion clashed (as is usually the way).

The Final Testimony of Molly Ryder is my second favourite. I have always been interested in other realities, whether virtual, parallel or whatever. The story also kept me guessing until the end which is another thumbs up from me.

Finally I would choose The Alamo Incident: From The Chronicles of Timaeus Shields as another personal favourite. I am not big on American history and don’t much care for it in the scheme of things. I couldn’t help finding the mixture of the mundane gritty setting with the strangeness of what is happening intoxicating however.

I would say that I didn’t dislike any of the stories but some I felt a little bit indifferent to. Just personal preference at the end of the day. 

I give Equilibrium Overturned 4/5. A satisfying and dark read, high in strangeness and grim situations but not enough to tickle my horror gland fully. Visit the Grey Matter Press site here for more information.

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Dark Review - Ominous Realities

Ominous Realities Review

By Casey Douglass

 

If you are a fan of happy endings, I wouldn’t pick up a copy of Grey Matter Press’ Ominous Realities. Some of the tales inside might not have a particularly bad ending, but even those don’t come anywhere near happy. If happy was an exclusive VIP bar where all of the drinks are free, these stories linger two blocks away huddled around burning tires fighting over who gets to swig the turpentine next.

Sixteen stories are contained within, each offering the authors’ own takes on speculative fiction and reality, from hellish beings to apocalyptic end of times survivalists struggling to keep humanity going.

The stories are:

“How to Make a Human” by Martin Rose is a tale of robots trying to recreate the extinct human race.

“Angie” by John F.D. Taff is the tasty survival tale of a bickering couple during a zombie-type apocalypse.

“On the Threshold” by William Meikle is a tale of boffins bringing dangerous things into our own reality.

“Doyoshota” by Ken Altabef is the story of a strange background hum that residents of Doyoshota begin to hear one day.

“Third Offense” by Gregory L. Norris follows an unhappy soul who just wants to express himself in a world of advertising and stifled creativity.

“Metamorphosis” by J. Daniel Stone follows a brother and sister on a subway ride that opens their eyes to a whole new aspect of the world.

“We Are Hale, We Are Whole” by Eric Del Carlo depicts a future where people are paid in health credits and the ones with the deadliest jobs gain the most whilst risking it all.

“Pure Blood and Evergreen” by Bracken MacLeod is set in an internment camp and tells the tribulations of two strangers who develop a painful friendship.

“John, Paul, Xavier, Ironside and George (But Not Vincent)” by Hugh A.D. Spencer tells the story of a world beset by dangerous clouds of nano-bots ripping everything asunder and one man’s job of caring for a disabled man in the final days of his life.

“And the Hunter, Home from the Hill” by Edward Morris is a quirky look at superhero tales and what they might really be based on.

“Born Bad” by Jonathan Balog delves into the topic of good and evil and nature against nurture. Which will prevail?

“The Last Bastion of Space” by Ewan C. Forbes shows a world where corporations pay people for the unused capacity in their brains.

“Every Soul is a Grimoire” by Allen Griffin is a story of the occult, madness and the perils of dabbling.

“From the East” by Alice Goldfuss follows a scientist lost in a jungle and desperately trying to work out what has brought about the end of humanity.

“Deciding Identity” by Paul Williams is the tale of two parallel worlds about to collide and a vote to decide which will be destroyed.

“The Last Elf” by T. Fox Dunham is a tale of the hunt for and extermination of the thing that brings man false hope.

I enjoyed reading all of the stories in Ominous Realities but the couple of stand-out ones for me were We Are Hale, We Are Whole and Deciding Identity. The former just intrigued me with its look at the question of taking the safe route through life or going all out and hoping for something great to come of it. The latter I enjoyed because it was written in a clever alternating paragraph way and gave the ending that I didn’t expect.

I would recommend Ominous Realities to anyone who enjoys dark and apocalyptic fiction, and who used to enjoy The Outer Limits kind of ending, where the best outcome you might hope for was somewhere between the poles of happy or sad.

Ominous Realities is bleak, in a cerebral and satisfying way.

Check out the Grey Matter Press page for Ominous Realities here.

Rating: 4/5

You might also like to check out my review of Grey Matter Press’ Splatterlands here. A compilation of splatterpunk stories that make you feel dirty for reading them.

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Dark Review - Splatterlands

A Review of Splatterlands

By Casey Douglass

I haven’t read many books that made me feel dirty. Splatterlands, published by Grey Matter Press managed to do that repeatedly. The stories inside are so gory, charnal and raw that the 13 tales flashed by all too quickly.

As the title of the book might suggest, this is a decidedly adult book. It features the strongest language possible, scenes of rape, sexual kinkiness, cannibalism and brutal murder, so if that kind of thing leaves you colder than a ravaged corpse, I doubt this book will be for you.

Below, I have given only the briefest titillation as to what the short stories are about. I don’t want to ruin their impact if you do decide to purchase the book.

The first tale is Heirloom by Michael Laimo. It follows a young girl who takes possession of her father’s antique rifle and puts it to uses that would surely void the original warranty if it was still in force.

The second, Violence for Fun and Profit by Gregory L. Norris, follows the fortunes of a poor soul who has fallen foul of the banking system and the arseholes that make the decisions. What starts as revenge soon turns into something far more profitable.

The third story is Empty by A.A. Garrison, a tale that features so much swearing and gore that the universe it plays out in begins to rip under the pressure.

Number four is Amputations in the Key of D by Jack Maddox, a fascinating look at the creative process and a way that an artist might find his true ability.

Five is Housesitting by Ray Garton, a cautionary tale about rummaging through other peoples property if ever there was one.

Number six is Dis by Michele Garber, a descent into madness and demon pleasing barbarity that twists the psyche into a wretched and brutal thing.

Tale seven is Dwellers by Paul M. Collrin, a mystical desert trip that turns out to be the most eye opening thing in main character Scrye’s life.

Eight is Party Guests by Chad Stroup, a look into the mind of Geoffrey, a ‘special’ young man who sees the world in his own unique and bloody way.

Story number nine is The Viscera of Worship by Allen Griffin, which follows the travails of a man who walks the dark path of Leviathan, out to test his faith and prove himself worthy of his God.

Number ten is The Defiled by Christine Morgan. A group of raping warriors comes up against a foe that just happens to treat them the way they most sorely deserve.

Story eleven is The Artist by James S. Dorr, a tale that finds the joy in meat being moulded into various forms.

Number twelve is A Letter To My Ex by J. Michael Major, a confessional suicide email filled with enough suffering to scar the recipient for life.

The final story is Devil Rides Shotgun by Eric Del Carlo. A struggling detective invokes outside forces in his hunt for a vicious serial killer.

I enjoyed all of the stories but the stand out ones for me at least, were: A Letter To My Ex, Heirloom and The Viscera of Worship. The first is just mind numbing, the second so rudely sexual and the third so dark and meaty that they stayed with me the longest of any of the tales.

There were a couple I didn’t enjoy, partly due to their writing style but I won’t single them out as it will be a very subjective thing from reader to reader.

I would happily recommend Splatterlands to any lover of the extreme side of fiction; someone who doesn’t feel averse to the feeling of sleaze seeping into their mind until they can almost taste it.

Rating : 5/5

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Competition Result - Honourable Mention in Grey Matter Press Flash Comp

I entered the Grey Matter Press Flash fiction competition a few days ago and was surprised to see that I was given an honourable mention and a free ebook. Thanks to everyone who voted for me, I really appreciate it. You can read my own and the other winners tales here. Just click their names.

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