The Horror Collection: Crystal Edition

The Horror Collection #22

by Kevin J. Kennedy, Jeff Strand, Lee Mountford

Book 22 in The Horror Collection series is a delectable nightmare of new stories from an elite team of horror authors. The stories inside cover a range of horror sub genres to keep the most hardcore horror fans turning those pages like a maniac.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Anthologies

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2025

About the author

Kevin J. Kennedy is a Scottish horror author known for his fast-paced storytelling, dark humor, and unforgettable characters. He is also the curator of the bestselling The Horror Collection and Classic Monsters anthology series.

When he’s not writing tales of blood-soaked chaos, Kevin champions indie horror, supports fellow authors, and dreams up new ways to keep readers sleeping with the lights on.

Reviews

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another high-quality Kennedy anthology, the 22nd in "The Horror Collection" series. By now, we all know what to expect: great stories, by both well-known names and new people in the writing scene, the horror wide-ranging, the endings hitting hard and satisfyingly. And indeed, the Crystal Edition's fifteen stories are entirely unpredictable in theme and style, covering everything from ghost stories to creature features; the authors are easily recognizable as some of the best in indie horror (and beyond!); and there's not a single tale leaving the reader's craving for a short dose of terror unfulfilled!

I'll mention the ones I enjoyed most, which weren't necessarily the strongest in the bunch (so it's worth giving the book a shot and make your own selection). The opening story of "Mistral" by Mark Morris has an incredible ending and a very good ploy to keep the tension escalating: a family of three visits the French countryside for a few days of vacation - but their French hosts keep acting weird. Brian Moreland's "Chasing the Dragon" was an absolute delight to read; it's certainly not for everyone, but every story I've read of this author has really made a huge impression; this one, taking place in Hong Kong, with an American trying to locate his Chinese girlfriend who's disappeared, is no exception! "The Devereauxs" by Lisa Breanne is a very creepy tale of a woman discovering she has family in West Virginia; she's informed of a will and decides to check it out, but she needs a place to stay. Should have brought her own tent tho! Jeff Strand's "Dummy" is about sex and a ventriloquist's dummy, but not about sex WITH the dummy (as you'd expect from a Strand story lol); there IS a dummy in the story though, figuratively speaking. "Gracious Mother" by Stephen Barnard starts calmly about nuns, and ends explosively with serial killers. Great story!

Needless to say, this is an anthology series that's an automatic five-stars from me. Most of the stories'll stick with me for some time. "The Crystal Edition" will upset and horrify in equal measure, but also entertain. Highly recommend!

[Andrew Kurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A taste of terror

  The latest in Kevin Kennedy's Horror Collection is Crystal. Though there are no stories about Crystal balls, you won't be disappointed.

  You will encounter a dinner feast where the menu will shock you, a woman who uses the occult to get revenge on her cheating husband, splatter films that are more real than they seem, a succubus and how she lures her victims, a horrifying method to prolong life, a carnivorous yeti, a fanatic which would go beyond the grave to keep his idol famous, a wooden dummy with a soul searing secret, a flesh eating Wendigo, a man's killer solution to end his coworkers obnoxiousness, a serial killer who decapitated heads, a nun who takes the rules to a deadly end, a woman who carries her abusive father's corpse through the desert, the monstrosities that Darwin held secret, and a radio which is the tool to an alien invasion.

  

  

[Jen Ramsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin J Kennedy has mastered grouping together stories that, although have completely different themes, work together really well in an anthology. The Crystal Edition is no different. With stories from some beloved authors, and some authors that are new to me, this collection is a fun and entertaining read.

[Catty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading these anthologies, as I feel they are a very good representation of what modern horror is doing. This collection is evidently some of the editor’s favorites (I assume from other Collections), and a decent lineup it is too!
Whilst some of the stories I had to read twice to remember, there were some standouts. I particularly enjoyed Brian Moreland’s “Chasing The Dragon” with its mix of noir, mysticism, and an interesting concept I hadn’t experienced before in all my years in reading this genre, and I absolutely roared laughing at Veronica Smith’s “Misophonia”; whilst simultaneously feeling bad for the poor MC and his situation!
However, the absolute standout in this collection for me was “Remembering Falls” by Zachary Ashford. As an Australian who understands exactly how remote some of the places in our country are, and intimately knows similar experiences of the MC on both a personal and professional level, this one really got me. It was also the most beautifully written, and best flowing story in the collection, and is well worth the effort to check out.
Having said that, the other stories were pretty good too, and I must say I will be haunted for a long time by the song coming out of Stephen Mark Rainey’s “Magic Eye” radio for quite some time to come! 4 stars.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collection

Inside these pages are stories of assorted horrors. Some from your favorite authors and many from new authors on their way to be your favorite. Delightful book of horrors.

[Lisa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bibliophilia Templum review
https://bibliophiliatemplum.wordpress.com
The Horror Collection: Crystal Edition is book 22 in the amazing Horror Collection series from KJK Publishing. This edition brings a diversity of tales, from dark fiction to outright horror, 15 stories in all, by some incredibly talented authors. There is no way I can do them all justice, but let’s look at what’s inside.

First is “Mistral” by Mark Morris, and said author can kiss my whatever for creeping me the heck out with SCORPIONS! in a story that is actually about much more than that. It is expertly executed with creeping dread and has a brilliantly done ending. But scorpions.

“In Three Days” by Thomas Steward is a compelling, suspenseful, and satisfying horror story. “The Nightmare Channel” by Lee Mountford is an absolutely gruesome and gripping tale that reads like an extreme horror Twilight Zone episode. And “Chasing the Dragon” by Brian Moreland is an immersive story of obsession, love, and a mysterious, dangerous back-alley underground.

I loved Lisa Breanne’s “The Devereauxs,” a complex and enthralling story with a gut-clenching climax and masterful ending. Next is Devin Cabrera’s “Frozen in Terror,” a brilliant and brutal tale of adventure turned torment and terror, then “Celebrity Skin” by Harrison Phillips, an unnerving story of obsession. That is followed by Jeff Strand’s “Dummy,” which is both horrifying and darkly hilarious, as one would expect.

“Headed North” by Sarah Jules is a mysterious tale with a wicked twist, and “Misophonia” by the talented Veronica Smith is a driving story with a horrifying twist. “Winter’s Whistle” by Dexter McLeod is an intense, suspenseful, and horrifying story with an unexpected but amazing and dark ending. It’s followed by Stephen Barnard’s “Gracious Mother,” a compelling tale of a whispered curse in a convent.

“Remembering Falls” by Zachary Ashford is a gut-twisting and evocative story of dark secrets and torment, a brutal and wrenching tale. Next is “Unnatural Selection” by Gord Rollo, a vivid, engrossing, and creepy story of evolution horror. The anthology closes with “Magic Eye” by Stephen Mark Rainey, a haunting tale of cosmic terror.

The Crystal Edition is an outstanding anthology, highly recommended.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a blast reading this collection! I was actually lucky enough to buy my copy through one of the authors that contributed to this collection. Every story was entertaining, and I now have even more authors that I plan on following because of this book.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Horror Collection: Crystal Edition, is another banger anthology from Kevin J. Kennedy. What I love about his anthos is that I always see authors I’m familiar with and ones who are new to me, so I can find some new work to check out when I finish. True to form, this one has several sub genres and will appeal to a wide variety of horror lovers.

It’s hard to choose among so many great stories, but these are my personal favorites:

Mistral by Mark Morris
The Nightmare Channel by Lee Mountford
Dummy by Jeff Strand
Misophoboia by Veronica Smith
Gracious Mother by Stephen Barnard
Magic Eye by Stephen Mark Rainey

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories just keep getting better and better. I love Kevin's horror collection series. Keep putting these out, Kevin, and I'll keep reading them 😉

[Dan Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far my favorite book of the year so far

[Leighah · Rating 4 out of 5]

there's just something about short stories that just draw me in and this collection, and this is another cracker. this had a varied selection of tales that covered many emotions. from creepy to funny to straight out bizarre. my personal favourite was Chasing the Dragon by Brian Moreland. the way he captured the love and horror in this story was really well done.

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any surprise this is another KJK masterpiece?
If you cant tell, I'm a long time fan lol

This one was even more fun then usual, it had a lot of names I recognized from the indie community, but that also means it was hard to choose favorites lol

I think my top three are probably

The Nightmare Channel by Lee Mountford

Holy crap on that one, okay I have had insomnia since I was a child, and mean child, not teen, so that opening line, i knew shit was going to be really really messed up.
Nothing ever ends well, when you stay up into the late hours watching TV lol
I like to think Im too smart for things like this to happen, but could i really stop being curious if it did..
The last two pages made it hard to breathe, I loved every freaking moment, but I doo related to David and that music, that freaking music..

Frozen in Terror by Devin Cabrera

No shocker here, Devin's is one of my favorite Indie Authors, Welcome To Nightmare Island has a small fragment of my soul, which to be honest sounds dangerous, if you have read that book lol .

This is a little trip gone super wrong, another favorite troupe for me.
When the action started, I couldn't decide what was happening, I want to say more, but it being a short story, its hard to with out spoiling, and I do not spoil stories.
This gave the phrase "Frozen in Terror" a real different turn lol


Dummy by Jeff Strand

Dolls and mannequins freak me out just a tab bit lol
Just a little..
The black bra part, had me cackling, what a train of thought lol .

But then the line, " That thing gonna sit on your lap the whole time?" and that folks, is where shit got real real weird..
Going to leave you with that one, but do not miss this story. WTF, this one was unhinged in the best way possible.

[Veronica Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have a story in this anthology I am only reviewing the other stories, not my own.

I've read every antho in The Horror Collection. The Crystal Edition is the latest. If you want horror and gore you need to read this book! I loved all the stories, each was unique and kept me on the edge of my seat. I did have three favorites:

In Three Days by Thomas Stewart
Dummy by Jeff Strand
Remembering Falls by Zachary Ashford

If you've read any KJK anthologies you know they only get better the more get published. You will love this one!

Veronica Smith - author of Salvation in the Wasteland, Nightmare on Indigo Street, & Chalk Outline

[Erica Robyn Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished reading The Horror Collection: Crystal Edition presented by KJK Publishing and I’ll kick off this review by saying it yet again because it’s true: the variety in these collections is WILD. In The Crystal Edition, there’s so much to take in and so many of these stories stuck with me. Some even got under my skin in a way I didn’t expect.

My favorites from this collection include:
Headed North by Sarah Jules
Winter’s Whistle by Dexter McLeod
Magic Eye by Stephen Mark Rainey

If you’re looking for a collection that’s going to stick with you long after you’ve finished, this one’s it. It’s a wild ride and I’m excited to revisit it down the road!

Check out my full review here: https://www.ericarobynreads.com/the-h...