Horrors! 365/7 #2

Horrors!    365/7    #2

01/07/17 – 01/13/17

The horror short-short isn’t easy to master, but more than 100 of the genre’s critically acclaimed authors & hottest up-&-comers have taken a stab at it in Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, an anthology that contains a short tale for every day of the year. Steve Rasnic Tem, Wm F. Nolan, Tom Piccirilli, Yvonne Navarro, Peter Atkins, Brian Hodge, Martin Mundt & 166 others give you short, sharp shocks.

In case you missed it, please see the first Horrors! review here to catch up on what’s going on.

1. And Baby Makes 13 – Del Howison Jr.      01/07/2017

Synopsis: A pregnant lady goes to the Company doctor to see how her pregnancy is coming along. What she doesn’t know is that her husband’s work in Hormonocides and bugs may affect their brood.

Review:  This one really grossed me out because, well, I hate bugs. A lot. Even with the story being somewhat far-fetched I still wouldn’t read it while I was pregnant.

2. And the Woman Said – Don Webb      01/08/2017

Synopsis: A man gets a decidedly strange phone call from a woman claiming that his wife is cheating on him. His dead wife. She decides that the logical thing is for them to cheat as well. Little does he know he’s going to get more than he bargained for.

Review: I really liked it, it had an interesting spin on the ‘cheating lover’ cliche. And the twist at the end was certainly unexpected.

3. And Then the Music Stopped – Greg McElhatton      01/09/2017

Synopsis: Just a game played by children. A game of musical chairs…where the consequences for losing are horrifying.

Review: I love how creepy this story is. No backstory is needed, just the game and the consequences. And how the mind of a child can turn devious given the right circumstances. Plus, musical chairs is really a creepy and unfair game

4. Anniversary – Aaron Vanek      01/10/2017

Synopsis: A scientist working on the first nuclear weapon waxes nostalgic at the site of the first test.

Review: Definitely a “reap what you sow” kind of story.

5. Another Night – Brian McNaughton      01/11/2017

Synopsis: Scheherazade spins a story about a jealous Sultan and his faithful wife. the Sultan pays dearly for his misplaced jealousy.

Review: A tidy little story about the green-eyed monster and his comeuppance for doubting his wife’s fidelity.

6. Are You the One? – David Niall Wilson      01/12/2017

Synopsis: Ed likes to bring his dates to the graveyard to meet Lillian. Hoping this time that they’ll be The One.

Review: The end catches you a bit off-guard as it starts out seeming like the typical ghost story. But that it certainly is not.

7. As Thousands Screamed – Gregory Nicoll      01/13/2017   (Hey! Friday the 13th!)

Synopsis: A deranged fan has assured Darrien that this tour will be the last time he ever plays. Darrien is very relieved to hear the guy is caught and he can breathe easy again. But the stalker has one more nasty surprise in store for Darrien.

Review: This story makes me cringe every time and has got to be a guitarist’s worst nightmare.

Favorite of the Week:

Actually, there’s two this week. I love And Then the Music Stopped because it’s just so damn creepy. The other is As Thousands Screamed by Gregory Nicoll. Because, damn that’d be painful. Strumming down only to find a bit too late that your guitar strings are razor wire? Ouch.