Year's Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2 by Randy Chandler, Cheryl Mullenax, Michael A. Arnzen, Jasper Bark, Christa Carmen, Marvin Brown, Adam Cesare, Matthew Chabin, José Cruz, Andrew Darlington, Paolo Di Orazio, Stefanie Elrick, William Grabowski, Sarah L. Johnson, Eric LaRocca, Alessandro Manzetti, Alexandra Renwick, Bryan Smith, Jeremy Thompson, Tim Waggoner, Wrath James White, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Tim Miller Series: Year's Best Hardcore Horror #2
Published by Comet Press on June 1st 2017
Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
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Overal Rating:
YEAR'S BEST HARDCORE HORROR VOLUME 2.Comet Press is extremely proud to present its second annual anthology featuring this year's hardcore corps of authors with the best extreme horror fiction of 2016 that breaks boundaries and trashes taboos.
Selected from indie publishers and magazines such as Weirdpunk Books, Necro Publications, Splatterpunk Zine, Corner Bar Magazine, Carrion Blue and Raw Dog Screaming Press, these stories represent the state of the art of extreme horror fiction. Whether extreme in theme or with gore galore, these disturbing tales will be hard to forget even though you may wish you could.
Yes, there will be blood. Lots of it. Gore galore and plenty of the gushy stuff. But you'll also find tales less graphic but with hardcore attitudes, transgressive stories you're not sure you should be reading, stories showing you things you shouldn't see. Visceral fiction.
Read at your own risk.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Michael A. Arnzen "55 Ways I'd Prefer Not to Die" Jasper Bark "Bed of Crimson Joy" Christa Carmen "The Girl Who Loved Bruce Campbell" Marvin Brown "The Field" Adam Cesare "Please Subscribe" Matthew Chabin "Father of Dread" Jose Cruz "American Gods, American Monsters" Andrew Darlington "Coming of the Darkula" Paolo Di Orazio "The Contract" Stefanie Elrick "Mother's Nature" William Grabowski "Out Hunting for Teeth" Sarah L. Johnson "Little Sister, Little Brother" Eric LaRocca "Miss_Vertebrae" Alessandro Manzetti "Kozmic Blues" Tim Miller "Backne" Alexandra Renwick "Redux" Bryan Smith "Implant" Jeremy Thompson "The Hallowfiend Remembers" Tim Waggoner "A Face in the Crowd" Wrath James White "Ownership" Stephanie M. Wytovich "On This Side of Bloodletting" & selected poems from Brothel
I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
These are twenty one short horror stories from indie authors. They all explore different sides of horror: from psychological to gore, and in some occasions with a mix of science-fiction too, those were my favorites.
I am not usually one to go for short stories, but I was curious about this one. And it was a hell of a listen! Some stories touched me more than others, but on the whole I greatly enjoyed this book. There are great authors at play here, with the capability to evoke very vivid images on the listener. Warning for sensitive listeners: there several stories with very explicit sex scenes, including a couple of snuff stories. Not for the light of heart, but I have to say that to succeed in writing horror, one has to be bold, and these authors are.
I especially enjoyed “The Girl Who Loved Bruce Campbell” by Christa Carmen, “Please Subscribe” by Adam Cesare, “Little Sister, Little Brother” by Sarah L. Johnson, “Miss_Vertebrae” by Eric LaRocca, “Backne” by Tim Miller, and “Implant” by Bryan Smith. Not that the others were not good but these were the ones which resonated most with me. Definitely, this compendium of horror stories has everything for everyone, and it is a must listen for any fan of the genre.
Some of the stories have some notes about how they were conceived. I found this interesting and inspiring, since I am always curious about the creative process in writing a story.
Joe Hempel’s narration was perfect for these stories, even though I have to say that I have not yet found a book in which Hempel did not deliver a superb narration. But one can feel that he really enjoys this kind of stories and transmits this to the listener. He impersonated each one of the characters, making them unique, transmitting their emotions and bringing them closer to the listener. I love love Hempel’s narrations, with him the good ride is guaranteed.
Available at Amazon/Audible
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My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.
I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.
