Book 3 of the 100 Word Horrors Series
Over 100 drabbles by some of the finest horror authors writing today.
Title: 100 Word Horrors 3 | Edited by: Kevin J. Kennedy | Publisher: Amazon Digital Services | Pub. Date: 4th of September, 2019 | Pages: 110 | ASIN: B07XDCJ9GM | Genre: Horror | Language: English | Source: Received from the author/publisher for review consideration | Starred Review
100 Word Horrors 3 Review
Drabbles are short flash fictions, precisely one hundred words in length. This is a really hard book to review because I generally like to go story by story and there are just too many stories in this to list separately.
In general, as a whole, they were very good. It might seem to be really easy to create a drabble. And it probably can be but at the same time I think it would also be incredibly difficult to create a full feeling slice of life story in just one hundred words.
A lot of them end on slight twists, which can be really hard to pull off in so few words.
It would be almost impossible to rate each and every story like I normally would. There were a few that really stood out, however.
Dead Girl Speak by Terry Miller was a slice of Lovecraftian goodness. Too Many by Valerie Lioudis was morbidly funny. Hot Car by Aron Beauregard was a scathing look at social media (not entirely unjustified). Narrative by Kevin Cathy is a very nice, “you’re in the story” type of story. Masks by Ryan Colley was a very, uh, timely story revolving around masks.
Somniophobia by Essel Pratt really captures the fear of falling asleep. Whether it’s night terrors that plague you or you dread the feeling you get before sleep paralysis pins you down, sometimes the act of falling asleep, an act that is supposed to usher you into blissful peace, can be something to dread.
The Midnight Circus by Sheldon Woodbury has a very Something Wicked This Way Comes feel to it. Houston, I have a Circus Here by Norbert Garcia is the planet I picture the Killer Klowns to come from.
Death Rattles by Terry Miller is a very spooky and effective ghost story. Sleep, My Darling by Toneye Eyenot is very sweet and very sad. The Room Upstairs by Ryan Woods is another creepy little ghost story.
A Bedtime Story by Duncan Thompson has an interesting twist at the end. The Tools of His Trade by Howard Carlyle is very interesting (and not super unrealistic). The Fungus Among Us by P. Mattern is again, another creepily specific timely story (particularly the Lysol being out of stock). The Rusted Island by Dennis Mombauer has a very Silent Hill feel to it that I liked very much. The Difference by C.S. Anderson was really funny.
Even the ‘bad’ ones weren’t bad, exactly. I enjoyed them all, for the most part. If anything I’d just say that they weren’t super memorable.
100 Word Horrors is a good, quick read that I think most horror lovers will like and find at least a couple that will appeal to everyone.
You can find 100 Word Horrors 3 via its Goodreads link or, if you’d like to help support literacy programs, through Better World Books.
GracieKat was the first co-host of Sci-Fi & Scary, Lilyn’s partner-in-crime, and sub-head of the Kali Krew. She reviews horror books, movies, and games for the site. She also does a weekly Focus on the Frightful feature, and is the site list-maker. She is also in control of the Sci-Fi & Scary podcast which will relaunch soon.