Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Dark Screams, Volume 4

Now, I know it says volume four, but you don't have to read the other volumes. This acts as a stand alone, and it you like scary, horror, and are not an absolute wussy like me, then you will absolutely love this book!

Dark Screams, volume 4
Dark Screams: Volume Four
Clive Barker, Heather Graham, Lisa Morton, Ray Garton, and Ed Gorman lead readers down a twisted labyrinth of terror, horror, and suspense inDark Screams: Volume Four, from Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the revered Cemetery Dance Publications.
 
THE DEPARTED by Clive Barker
On All Hallows’ Eve, a dead and disembodied mother yearns to touch her young son one last time. But will making contact destroy them both?
 
CREATURE FEATURE by Heather Graham
What could be better publicity for a horror convention than an honest-to-goodness curse? It’s only after lights out that the hype—and the Jack the Ripper mannequin—starts to feel a little too real.
 
THE NEW WAR by Lisa Morton
Mike Carson is a war hero and a decorated vet. He doesn’t deserve to be trapped in a hospital with some black thing sitting on his chest as patients die all around him. His only hope is to take out the nurse—before it’s his turn.
 
SAMMY COMES HOME by Ray Garton
It’s what every family prays for: a lost pet returning home. But when Sammy, the Hale family sheepdog, appears on their doorstep, he brings back something no parent would ever wish upon his or her child.
 
THE BRASHER GIRL by Ed Gorman
Cindy Marie Brasher is the prettiest girl in the Valley, and Spence just has to have her. Unfortunately, Cindy has a “friend” . . . a friend who tells her to do things . . . bad things. 

I will tell you that the only reason I signed up for this book tour was for Heather Graham. I have read a few of her books, some for review and some for fun, and I really enjoy her writing. It's always fast pace and before I know it, I've finished the book and want more. The other thing I really liked about this was I got small snippets of some other really great authors and two I was really loving the most were Clive Barker and Lisa Morton. I liked them all quite a bit, but if I had to pick two authors from here that I would buy more books of right away? It would be them. Generally, I'm not a huge fan of short stories but I do like them to try out new to me authors without the commitment.

I will say though, that The Departed is the least scary of the bunch, which is maybe why it's first. I felt kind of OK after I read that though it's kind of a sad, but scary, story. Perhaps not the best selection to read as I'm rocking baby Penelope to sleep. Creature Feature actually takes some characters from Heather's previous books and plays with them more here. If you've read some of her other books it's a nice visit with old friends really, but you don't need to read her previous stories to enjoy this one. You'll be just fine picking up here. The New War also wasn't super scary, I was OK after that one, too. Loved the ending, It was the ending alone that made me want to read more from her. Also, the entire time I was reading this I kept thinking back on my days working with seniors and honestly, anyone who breaks a hip basically dies within a year. Statistically, from my experience, that's what I honestly believe. So while reading this I'm thinking, oh lord- this guy is a total goner. But it was a good story, a good scary nursing home story. Sammy Comes Home if you are an animal lover... this one might be tough for you to read. It's basically about animals returning home with "passengers". Honestly, it was kind of creepy and no joke, I was almost to the end of this one and my dog started barking and jumped on me as if I was being attacked and he was going to save me. Scared the crap out of me. The Basher Girl was maybe my least favorite of all of them only because I didn't feel really satisfied at the end. This one maybe could have been a great full length novel and a short story form didn't do it justice.

Dark Screams is available at Amazon now, so if you are looking for a fun, kind of scary/weird read for this fall? This would be an excellent choice!

There is a giveaway for this short story series that you can participate in as well!

1 comment:

Heather J @ TLC Book Tours said...

Thanks for being a part of tour!