The first came from the Amazon UK kindle store:
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Go, buy!, 12 Nov 2010
This review is from: VAMPIRES, Zombies and Ghosts, Oh My! (and Other Creatures of the Night STORIES) Anthology (Kindle Edition)
Firstly, what a splendid idea to showcase an anthology of short 'horror' stories by different contempory writers. I read 'All the Delicate Things' by Heidi Mannan, and if the standard of writing here is typical of the other stories, then the anthology is superb value for money.
'All the Delicate Things' is the work of a remarkable imagination. To find a completely new angle in the popular 'Vampire' genre in itself is a feat. The idea of a vampire being kept captive by a lady called Rachael, who collects 'exotic' pets and has problems with men, intrigues from the start. 'Does she really fancy the vampire, who is called Sigmund?' enters the mind straight away. The dry sense of humour in play throughout the story counterpoints the horror that is relentlessly dripped in ('thunk' goes another blood-drained rat, into the bin). Credibility for the theme is underpinned by the scientific facts that are shared. For instance, this reader certainly didn't know coconut milk is chemically similar to blood plasma.
The skill of the writer is illustrated by the amount of tension that is built up though the developing relationship between the protagonists. Where is it all going?...the reader has to know, and needs to read the whole story to find out. A lesser writer would spin the idea out into a full novel. Here, the writing is tight and accomplished.
Go read , and find out how a short 'horror' story should be written.
WOW!!!
The second came from writer Elaina J Davidson's blog:
Review Of Vampires, Zombies and GHOSTS, oh, My!
VAMPIRES, Zombies and GHOSTS, Oh My!(and Other Creatures of the Night STORIES) – Anthology Edited by Eve Paludon
Published by http://notreebooks.com/
Recently I have rediscovered the short story after a long hiatus. Generally I prefer a lengthy read, but I find the punchiness of a tale told in a few pages to have huge impact, particularly so when each is kind of off-the-wall, from the dark dungeons of the imagination.
Halloween is over for another year! All ghouls have receded into the woodwork of deadness...or have they? Vampires and zombies, ghosts and other creatures that go bump in the night don't give a whit for one night in a few hundred, oh NO! You may pack away your crazy costume, but you may not ignore a really good read.
From Heidi Mannan’s intriguing tale of a vampire trapped in weakness through JR Rain’s short but potent finale (wonderful imagery), you will be captured.
My favourite is The Bone Flute Maker by Carol J La Valley, a tale of humanity and its delusion after an alien race is rescued to become like gods. Her weaving of music throughout is quite brilliant.
And I simply must mention Eve’s tale, the lady with an imagination who put this anthology together. Pandora’s Boxes is a sweet story of love lost and two women who are receptive enough to deal with ghosts...and Pandora’s actual boxes sound like the kind of thing this reader would love to own!
Here are 16 tales bound to get your attention: an adrenaline rush, a sigh and a gasp, even a smile. To tell you of every tale will make for a too lengthy review, and I’d rather that you discover them yourself. If you enjoy a quick burst of strangeness, this is definitely for you.
Available for purchase on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/27972
Elaina J Davidson
November 2010
It's also available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble
