Kevin J. Kennedy

The plot was interesting. The writing was passable. The characters were decent. My main complaints are all spoilers.

***SPOILERS***

There was no point in Zak and Wendy going back to the carnival since the clown did all the work. They just seemed to be along for the ride, where the clown saves their asses every time the carnival shifts. Even at the very end! The clown, by herself while Zak & Wendy are sitting on their asses, destroys the carnival!!! Why were Zak and Wendy even there? I could've maybe been on board if the clown was protecting them until they got to the final boss, but they don't even figure anything out. The clown just conveniently info dumps everything they need to know. So infuriating.… (más)

With this being an anthology I won't be doing a backstory, but I will be listing out the stories and a cryptic note next to each story.

This collection of 10 short stories took me on one hell of a terror ride filled with thrills and chills!

1) Preignition by Steve Stred: Four friends are together till the end of time.

2) A Campfire Tale by Tom Deady: Will the true killer please stand up.

3) Tanglewood by Ronald Kelly: Sometimes the dead come back.

4) New Skulls for the Old Cemetery by Calvin Demmer: Respect the dead or else.

5) Larry's Guest by Guy N. Smith: Vampire becomes part of the family.

6) Where the Holly Ceases to Grow by Lex H. Jones: An unexpected being becomes a lifelong friend.

7) Crabs by Kevin J. Kennedy: No one is able to eat these crabs!

8) Dead Ends and Open Roads by Kyle M. Scott: An abusive husband gets his just desserts.

9) Lifewatch by Christopher Motz: A watch that predicts time of death.

10) Family Ties by John Kennedy: A heartfelt poem about family.

Thoughts:

All the stories were great and all of them had some type of horror/terror that was weaved throughout each story. Once again, the author, Kevin J. Kennedy was able to gather quite a few authors together for these stories. As always with these book anthologies I know of a couple or so authors as I have read them before and find some more authors to explore which within this book I found a few. Giving this book five "Terror Tension" stars!… (más)

This was a great collection of short stories!

A small cryptic note for each story:

The House in the Ground by author, Christian Laforet: Dead or not? Is the house haunted or is it something else?

Satan's Apocalypse by Kevin J. Kennedy: If you want to take control of your destiny you sometimes have to do whatever it takes to get there even if it is bad.

In A Pale, Rainy Morning by Ramsey Campbell & Nicola Lombardi: What really lies within the rain? Something is moving....

Haunting at Stump Lake by Mark Allan Gunnells: A haunting that goes awry when an apparition appears.

Road Rage Revenge by Veronica Smith: Be careful who you cut off in traffic! Road rage that goes to extreme lengths....

Tendrils by Steve Stred: A house that eats its occupants.....

Radiator Demon Bitches of Hell by Zoltan Komor: If women were radiators.....

All in all I really loved all the stories as they range from hauntings to bizarro horror! Out of all the stories only three authors I have read before and everyone else is new to me. I will be pursuing the new authors as it seems there are quite a few books out by some of them.

I am always impressed by author, Kevin J. Kennedy as he is able to bring together some amazing authors in all of his anthologies and I have always found new authors to explore by just reading his books. Giving this book five "Fun Filled Spooky" stars!

For more thoughts on this review, please see my blog:
https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-horror-collection-emerald-editi...… (más)

Cool and twisted carnival horror fun!



A small backstory without giving away spoilers:

Come one come all as the carnival is coming to town!

Zak and Wendy (best friends) start seeing flyers all over town for a carnival that is headed their way on Halloween. When the day arrives they both dress up in their Halloween costumes and head down to the carnival as they want to try out the funhouse.

When they go through the funhouse and come out the other end things are not what they seem as the carnival has shifted into an alternate reality void of the townspeople. As they make their way through the alternate carnival they end up being chased by creepy clowns that are out to do them harm! Fun has turned into fear as the friends try to fight off the clowns and as they try to figure out how to get back to their own reality!

Thoughts:

This was a fun horror read loaded with action and fast paced page turning. There is more to the story then what is above as more events take place in the future dealing with the carnival, but I don't want to go into details because of spoilers so you will just have to read the book if you want to find out more about what happens.

The characters, Zak and Wendy are very attachable and I really loved both characters right away. The pace of the book takes off as soon as the kids get to the carnival and end up in the alternate reality. From that point on the story goes into overdrive as the two friends fight for survival against the clowns. Giving this book five "ferris wheel" stars!

My thanks to author, Kevin J. Kennedy, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (más)