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Blood Iris 2012
Drift into darkness with the Blood Iris 2012 anthology–a collection of eerie dark fantasy shorts that will chill you to the core. From classic surreal horror to paranormal romance, from werewolves to vampires and everything in between, Blood Iris features some of the best fiction from talented dark fantasy authors to keep you up all night long...
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2012
5 people are currently reading
317 people want to read
About the author
Annie Bellet
83 books838 followersAnnie Bellet is a full-time speculative fiction writer. She holds a BA in English and a BA in Medieval Studies and thus can speak a smattering of useful languages such as Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Welsh.
Her books include Avarice (Pyrrh Considerable Crimes Division: Book 1), The Gryphonpike Chronicles series, and the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series.
Her interests besides writing include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs, and many other nerdy pursuits.
Want to be notified when her next book is released, receive free stories and books, and be notified about sales and other goodies? Sign up for Annie Bellet's mailing list
Or if you want sneak peaks, regular updates, and exclusive stories, consider supporting her Patreon. Patreon is here!
Her books include Avarice (Pyrrh Considerable Crimes Division: Book 1), The Gryphonpike Chronicles series, and the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series.
Her interests besides writing include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs, and many other nerdy pursuits.
Want to be notified when her next book is released, receive free stories and books, and be notified about sales and other goodies? Sign up for Annie Bellet's mailing list
Or if you want sneak peaks, regular updates, and exclusive stories, consider supporting her Patreon. Patreon is here!
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 15, 2013
To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
So, here’s my thought concerning anthologies. They really need a table of contents. If I’m going to be reading a series of short stories, all disconnected from the next, then I want to be able to peruse, skip ahead, and re-read. But, if there isn’t a table of contents, then I have to search for certain authors/stories on my own. On a Kindle, that isn’t particularly fun, and I’ll admit that I was none too pleased to note the lack of a table of contents both in this anthology, and in the synopsis online as well. I mean, I at least want to know the titles of the shorts I’m going to be reading so I have an idea of what I’m about to get into. And I figure, if I want to know that information, then I bet perspective readers would like that information as well. This anthology has a bit of everything, and I think it’s important readers know that going in. It has psychics, witchcraft, fairytales, fantasy, werewolves, vampires, lgbt, and also, to my discomfort, some explicit sexual material within a few of the stories, as well. I don’t have page numbers to give you, but I can give you titles, a synopsis, and my personal thoughts on each story (hopefully in order)… so, here we go.
1. “’Til Human Voices Wake Us,” by Annie Bellet, is great short story about a psychic of sorts who ends up working with police due to the growing rate of drowned men in one particular area. Our psychic goes to check it out, and stumbles upon some alarming paranormal information that no one would ever take seriously… so he decides he must deal with the case of drowning men on his own. I really enjoyed this story. The characterization was just enough, as was the foreshadowing, so I had an inkling of what was to come, but I couldn’t be certain. I really enjoyed the bit of shock value this short story harbored, and I am interested to read more of Bellet’s writing.
2. “Monkey Business,” by Elle Casey, was another great short story that deals with a woman scorned, her ex boyfriend’s rampage, and a crazy older aunt. Initially, I wasn’t sure how all this was going to come together, but Casey quickly draws the reader in and sets up the paranormal scene, revealing that not all is what it seemes in a kick butt sort of way. I really enjoyed this story and, like Bellet’s writing, am interested in reading more by Casey.
3. “The Grimm Brother,” by B.D. Greyer, was just as good as the previous two shorts that come before it. Greyer focuses his story on Hansel, taking it out of the surreal fairytale realm and telling us what really, truly happened, because what we think we know, and what is true are two completely different things. If for nothing else, I’d buy this anthology just for this story. I absolutely loved it—I’m a bit of a fairytale junkie, and Greyer blew me away. I am very impressed, and am really looking forward to reading more by this author.
4. “Mama’s Sword,” by Ada Hoffman, is a story about a young girl who’s mother goes off to fight in other realms. She is a warrior with a great sword, and she must leave in order to keep the monsters out. But, not all that is good or strong will last forever, and the young girl watches as all she’s known begins to deteriorate, and the monsters begin their advance. This was a very interesting concept, but I just wasn’t pulled in to the story as much as I was with the others. One thing I’ve learned about myself over the past two years is that I’m not really much of a true fantasy fan, and as this short story is fantasy at its best, it really isn’t for me. I like paranormal, fallen angels, witchcraft, vampires, etc., but for some reason, I just can’t get into fantasy. If you’re a fantasy fan, then I think this short story is for you.
5. “Faithful,” by Maurice Lawless, is a real quick read about a man who’s dead wife is hanging out under the house, begging to be let in. He doesn’t want to let her in because, well, she’s dead, and as he contemplates his life as she softly coos to him, we learn what happened to get him into his current situation. I liked this story a lot. My interest was piqued as soon as I realized the wife was a zombie, and I couldn’t wait to see what she would do. The story does not unravel the way I thought it would, which made it a great read as I couldn’t tell what was coming next. I am looking forward to reading more by Lawless, as well.
6. “The Door in Red Hook,” by Joshua Grover-David Patterson, is another fantastyish piece. I wouldn’t say it’s full fledged fantasy, as there isn’t any world building, per se, but it leans in that direction as the story unfolds. In this short story, a man inherits a vacant plot of land on which a single door stands. People shy away from the land and the door because it seems evil. As the man learns more about the door, we learn the secrets it holds and why it has remained locked for so long. Patterson is a great author and I’ve loved all of the novels and novellas he’s written (which are fantastic—go read them stat), but this short story was a little out of my league. Again, I think it’s due to the fact that it sort of leans towards fantasy, and I like more paranormal type reads, which is what Patterson’s previous novels have been. So, like with “Mama’s Sword,” if you’re a fantasy fan, I think this short story is for you.
7. “The Raven and the Razor, by Chelsea Pitcher, is a piece about sexual abuse. It also delves into lesbian relationships between what I believe is a fairy of some type, and a girl. It’s not the type of story I search out and want to read about because, first of all, it’s about sexual abuse, and second of all, I don’t care for stories in which sexual deeds are described in too much detail. So, this one wasn’t for me.
8. “The Werewolf of Narasktovik,” by Edward W. Robertson, is a story about city guards who keep being killed off by what is believed to be a werewolf. The main characters spends much of the story searching for the werewolf and, at the end, we learn some very interesting things about said werewolf. I’m not really sure what to classify this short story as in terms of genres. I want to say it’s steampunk, but it’s not. It’s not exactly fantasy, per se, but it’s borderline. This is a world very different from our own, but there was enough in it that made it seem like it was our world. I don’t know, it’s a bit uncanny, and I had a little difficulty getting into the story myself. Again, I think those who really enjoy fantasy and the unusual will like this one.
9. “”With the Sun and the Moon in His Eyes,” by A. Merc Rustad, is about the sun, moon, and stars brother trio. Stars is upset with sun and moon and has locked them in towers, and to be honest, that’s all I really got out of this story. I think maybe sun and moon cast stars out of their brother/lovers circle, and so stars is retaliating, but I’m not certain. I had a hard time understanding all that was happening, so I have to say this one isn’t for me.
10. “Fire Licked,” by Anna Sanders, is not for me. I have to admit, it was good until I got to the detailed sexual scene, and then I skipped on to the next short story. I didn’t read enough to really give you a synopsis, but from what I did read, a group of scavengers believes that the sudden upheaval and volcanic eruptions across the world are due to a certain being (a god?) and so they must sacrifice one of their own to him. A woman volunteers to be the sacrifice, and is nearly dead when a demon photographer finds her and nurses her back to health. Really, this was a very interesting premise and I enjoyed it, but then the sexual escapades ensued, and it was over for me. The writing was fantastic, but I honestly don’t want to read about sex, so, this one was a no go for me. It was quite long, so there is much more to the story than I know about, but I was turned off initally and was, threfore, unable to conintue reading it.
11. “Monster,” by S.M. Reine, is about vampires and monster hunters. The main character falls in love with a guy who leaves her, so she decides to put her all into training to kill monsters. As the story unfolds, we learn that vampires do exist, and there is one in particular out to get the main character due to some jealousy issues. This was an interesting story, but I have to admit that I really like Reine’s werewolf novels more. But, “Monster” is written with the same flare and style as Reine’s other works, which is great, so if you love her novels, then you should definitely check out this short story.
And that about sums it up. Hopefully, I didn’t miss any of the stories in this anthology, and hopefully you now have a better understanding about what’s inside. But honestly, I really do think this is worth the read. You will get to “sample” the writing style of 11 authors, and even if only three or four stories look enticing, it’s worth thefew dollars to check those stories out (oh, hey, and it’s free on Amazon right now, as in, when this post went live).
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
So, here’s my thought concerning anthologies. They really need a table of contents. If I’m going to be reading a series of short stories, all disconnected from the next, then I want to be able to peruse, skip ahead, and re-read. But, if there isn’t a table of contents, then I have to search for certain authors/stories on my own. On a Kindle, that isn’t particularly fun, and I’ll admit that I was none too pleased to note the lack of a table of contents both in this anthology, and in the synopsis online as well. I mean, I at least want to know the titles of the shorts I’m going to be reading so I have an idea of what I’m about to get into. And I figure, if I want to know that information, then I bet perspective readers would like that information as well. This anthology has a bit of everything, and I think it’s important readers know that going in. It has psychics, witchcraft, fairytales, fantasy, werewolves, vampires, lgbt, and also, to my discomfort, some explicit sexual material within a few of the stories, as well. I don’t have page numbers to give you, but I can give you titles, a synopsis, and my personal thoughts on each story (hopefully in order)… so, here we go.
1. “’Til Human Voices Wake Us,” by Annie Bellet, is great short story about a psychic of sorts who ends up working with police due to the growing rate of drowned men in one particular area. Our psychic goes to check it out, and stumbles upon some alarming paranormal information that no one would ever take seriously… so he decides he must deal with the case of drowning men on his own. I really enjoyed this story. The characterization was just enough, as was the foreshadowing, so I had an inkling of what was to come, but I couldn’t be certain. I really enjoyed the bit of shock value this short story harbored, and I am interested to read more of Bellet’s writing.
2. “Monkey Business,” by Elle Casey, was another great short story that deals with a woman scorned, her ex boyfriend’s rampage, and a crazy older aunt. Initially, I wasn’t sure how all this was going to come together, but Casey quickly draws the reader in and sets up the paranormal scene, revealing that not all is what it seemes in a kick butt sort of way. I really enjoyed this story and, like Bellet’s writing, am interested in reading more by Casey.
3. “The Grimm Brother,” by B.D. Greyer, was just as good as the previous two shorts that come before it. Greyer focuses his story on Hansel, taking it out of the surreal fairytale realm and telling us what really, truly happened, because what we think we know, and what is true are two completely different things. If for nothing else, I’d buy this anthology just for this story. I absolutely loved it—I’m a bit of a fairytale junkie, and Greyer blew me away. I am very impressed, and am really looking forward to reading more by this author.
4. “Mama’s Sword,” by Ada Hoffman, is a story about a young girl who’s mother goes off to fight in other realms. She is a warrior with a great sword, and she must leave in order to keep the monsters out. But, not all that is good or strong will last forever, and the young girl watches as all she’s known begins to deteriorate, and the monsters begin their advance. This was a very interesting concept, but I just wasn’t pulled in to the story as much as I was with the others. One thing I’ve learned about myself over the past two years is that I’m not really much of a true fantasy fan, and as this short story is fantasy at its best, it really isn’t for me. I like paranormal, fallen angels, witchcraft, vampires, etc., but for some reason, I just can’t get into fantasy. If you’re a fantasy fan, then I think this short story is for you.
5. “Faithful,” by Maurice Lawless, is a real quick read about a man who’s dead wife is hanging out under the house, begging to be let in. He doesn’t want to let her in because, well, she’s dead, and as he contemplates his life as she softly coos to him, we learn what happened to get him into his current situation. I liked this story a lot. My interest was piqued as soon as I realized the wife was a zombie, and I couldn’t wait to see what she would do. The story does not unravel the way I thought it would, which made it a great read as I couldn’t tell what was coming next. I am looking forward to reading more by Lawless, as well.
6. “The Door in Red Hook,” by Joshua Grover-David Patterson, is another fantastyish piece. I wouldn’t say it’s full fledged fantasy, as there isn’t any world building, per se, but it leans in that direction as the story unfolds. In this short story, a man inherits a vacant plot of land on which a single door stands. People shy away from the land and the door because it seems evil. As the man learns more about the door, we learn the secrets it holds and why it has remained locked for so long. Patterson is a great author and I’ve loved all of the novels and novellas he’s written (which are fantastic—go read them stat), but this short story was a little out of my league. Again, I think it’s due to the fact that it sort of leans towards fantasy, and I like more paranormal type reads, which is what Patterson’s previous novels have been. So, like with “Mama’s Sword,” if you’re a fantasy fan, I think this short story is for you.
7. “The Raven and the Razor, by Chelsea Pitcher, is a piece about sexual abuse. It also delves into lesbian relationships between what I believe is a fairy of some type, and a girl. It’s not the type of story I search out and want to read about because, first of all, it’s about sexual abuse, and second of all, I don’t care for stories in which sexual deeds are described in too much detail. So, this one wasn’t for me.
8. “The Werewolf of Narasktovik,” by Edward W. Robertson, is a story about city guards who keep being killed off by what is believed to be a werewolf. The main characters spends much of the story searching for the werewolf and, at the end, we learn some very interesting things about said werewolf. I’m not really sure what to classify this short story as in terms of genres. I want to say it’s steampunk, but it’s not. It’s not exactly fantasy, per se, but it’s borderline. This is a world very different from our own, but there was enough in it that made it seem like it was our world. I don’t know, it’s a bit uncanny, and I had a little difficulty getting into the story myself. Again, I think those who really enjoy fantasy and the unusual will like this one.
9. “”With the Sun and the Moon in His Eyes,” by A. Merc Rustad, is about the sun, moon, and stars brother trio. Stars is upset with sun and moon and has locked them in towers, and to be honest, that’s all I really got out of this story. I think maybe sun and moon cast stars out of their brother/lovers circle, and so stars is retaliating, but I’m not certain. I had a hard time understanding all that was happening, so I have to say this one isn’t for me.
10. “Fire Licked,” by Anna Sanders, is not for me. I have to admit, it was good until I got to the detailed sexual scene, and then I skipped on to the next short story. I didn’t read enough to really give you a synopsis, but from what I did read, a group of scavengers believes that the sudden upheaval and volcanic eruptions across the world are due to a certain being (a god?) and so they must sacrifice one of their own to him. A woman volunteers to be the sacrifice, and is nearly dead when a demon photographer finds her and nurses her back to health. Really, this was a very interesting premise and I enjoyed it, but then the sexual escapades ensued, and it was over for me. The writing was fantastic, but I honestly don’t want to read about sex, so, this one was a no go for me. It was quite long, so there is much more to the story than I know about, but I was turned off initally and was, threfore, unable to conintue reading it.
11. “Monster,” by S.M. Reine, is about vampires and monster hunters. The main character falls in love with a guy who leaves her, so she decides to put her all into training to kill monsters. As the story unfolds, we learn that vampires do exist, and there is one in particular out to get the main character due to some jealousy issues. This was an interesting story, but I have to admit that I really like Reine’s werewolf novels more. But, “Monster” is written with the same flare and style as Reine’s other works, which is great, so if you love her novels, then you should definitely check out this short story.
And that about sums it up. Hopefully, I didn’t miss any of the stories in this anthology, and hopefully you now have a better understanding about what’s inside. But honestly, I really do think this is worth the read. You will get to “sample” the writing style of 11 authors, and even if only three or four stories look enticing, it’s worth thefew dollars to check those stories out (oh, hey, and it’s free on Amazon right now, as in, when this post went live).
February 24, 2013
This is a good book of various short stories. A nice read!
December 29, 2014
I only read the grimm brother and I never saw it coming.....Way too simple though for me...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews