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Truth or Dare?
Halloween night. The freaks are out and having the time of their lives. The kids of Greene Point High School have organized a massive bonfire out in the woods. One drunken teen suggests playing a game, a game called Truth or Dare. That’s always a fun game. Always good for a laugh. By the end of this night, nobody will be laughing. Alcohol, sex, deadly secrets, and oceans of blood await them.
Do you dare to play?
Truth or Dare is a shared-world horror anthology featuring the morbid writings of many prominent authors in the field today, as well as quite a few new kids on the block you’re gonna want to keep an eye on.
Do you dare to play?
Truth or Dare is a shared-world horror anthology featuring the morbid writings of many prominent authors in the field today, as well as quite a few new kids on the block you’re gonna want to keep an eye on.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 15, 2015
Short stories are something that seems more difficult to sell than to create. If a collection doesn't add up to more than the sum of its parts, it's just bad value for the customer at some point. Max Booth III and Lori Michelle, the people behind Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, have come up with an interesting twist with their Halloween-themed anthology of last year: Truth or Dare.
Not every story is a hit and some people didn't seem to get the memo that the stories should preferably be about the same group of kids, but it's to be expected of any anthology, really. The pleasant surprises with TRUTH OR DARE was the sheer amount of killer stories from authors I previously didn't know: Eric J. Guignard, Eli Wilde, Jay Wilburn and Joe McKinney. Special mention to T. Fox Dunham, who creeped the everloving hell out of me. I was also charmed by the lovably insane story by Vincenzo Bilof and the strong offering by Nik Korpon, whom I was familiar with both.
TRUTH OR DARE is a window on budding talent you might not yet know. It goes in every directions a little, but I can't help loving an anthology that crackles with creative energy.
Not every story is a hit and some people didn't seem to get the memo that the stories should preferably be about the same group of kids, but it's to be expected of any anthology, really. The pleasant surprises with TRUTH OR DARE was the sheer amount of killer stories from authors I previously didn't know: Eric J. Guignard, Eli Wilde, Jay Wilburn and Joe McKinney. Special mention to T. Fox Dunham, who creeped the everloving hell out of me. I was also charmed by the lovably insane story by Vincenzo Bilof and the strong offering by Nik Korpon, whom I was familiar with both.
TRUTH OR DARE is a window on budding talent you might not yet know. It goes in every directions a little, but I can't help loving an anthology that crackles with creative energy.
May 16, 2015
I wish I would've had copy of this back around the time it was initially released, because it would be the perfect thing to read through the nights around Halloween. The short stories of this themed horror collection Truth or Dare of course share a framework around the party game. But they also share a common universe in setting and characters, the high school students of Greene Point High in Ohio who gather around a bonfire on Halloween night to reveal untold tales or meet the twisted challenges of peers.
While the shared aspect works fine as a setup, the collection doesn't really hold up to many strong linkages between stories, and it is hard to envision how the events of all the stories could possibly all have occurred during this one supposed night. Yet, this aspect is something that can just be basically ignored, and each of the stories work fine with separate consideration as part of a shared theme collection rather than a shared universe narrative as well.
The stories reminded me of the quality and breadth that readers could expect from typical horror short fiction markets, including Nightmare Magazine, which I'm most familiar with, and the collection includes well-established authors and new-comers alike. A few of the stories didn't impress me much, but on the whole the collection kept me entertained and provided the slight chills that scary stories and horror provide.
Truth or Dare opens with Thomas' "Shackled to the Shadows", which does a good job at setting the overall tone, first person narration, and a general structure shared by many of the loosely connected stories. With this story one already gets a sense that there are many levels of horror surrounding this high school game: the pains of being an outsider within the harsh realms of teenage existence, the monstrosity that people can manifest and the hatred it can in turn engender from victims. Beyond the internal viciousness of the characters there is also the impression of external malevolence, supernatural and ancient. In this opening story and beyond the reader sees that there is the horror of the story itself, but like all good campfire tales they conclude with hints of an even greater horror awakened, to come.
After the opening story heavy on tone, Guignard's "An Unpleasant Truth about Death" relates an interesting plot about a near (or perhaps actual) death experience that highlights the dangers of intense curiosity and touches upon the power that games like Truth or Dare have, a superstitious hold of rules that one doesn't take seriously on the level of rationality, but breeds deep fear in the soul upon transgression.
Though entertaining, Guignard's story (or the one related by the character at least) has the feeling of being contrived - to have that creepy effect on the reader (or the fictional audience in the story). This isn't a bad thing, I think it's partially something integral to these kinds of stories, and it reminded me somewhat of the way classic creepy folklore goes, having an emotional effect but then triggering questions about how some plot detail could really happen - or why. This kind of effect casts doubt on whether the scary story is true, giving the audience a rational out to discount danger and allay fear. But what if it did happen?
Perhaps you can recall Schwartz's classic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark collections? Many of the stories in Truth or Dare reminded me of that style, tone, and plotting, but for an adult audience. Jessica McHugh's "A Ribbon, Rover" is a great example of that, with a compelling plot that seems inventive yet also something born of ageless tales, mirroring the character of the story itself. I've read one novel of McHugh's prior, but this is closer to actual classic horror and I look forward to reading more in that vein from her lovely mind. "The Bone Witch" and "Rattlebone Express" are two others that recalled those feelings of fairy tale and folklore in excellent modern fashion.
"The Bone Witch" also had slight tones of humor in it, despite a rather horrific situation and outcome. "Change" later in the collection from the Giglios also has this certain lightness, which provides some nice variety amid the more darkly emotional stories or the creature horrors of stories like "Mantid" and McKinney's closing piece.
A few stories also delve into deeper waters of real horror, or in the case of "Iz" tackle the general issue of what makes a monster, what they do both to threaten society or perhaps provide for society. "The Pole" almost literally brings up Nazi skeletons in the closet and "Marco Polo" tackles the very real horrors of abuse. Malik provides a story (Laal Andhi, or Crimson Storm) of horrors from Pakistan, linking uncanny events with the real violence of terrorism, where macabre events from childhood end up imprinting damage on a young boy leading him to senseless and hopeless conflagration in the future.
A satisfying collection that would particularly fit reading in situations (beyond Halloween time) like a summer camping trip, Truth or Dare features a really good idea with the game as a theme for the horror genre. Even if Booth's collection fails to make a cohesive narrative taken all together, it succeeds well in providing a range of tales that horror fans would enjoy and perhaps some new authors to discover.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
CONTENTS:
“Shackled to the Shadows”, by Richard Thomas
“An Unpleasant Truth about Death”, by Eric J. Guignard
“Mantid”, by Kenneth W. Cain
“A Ribbon, a Rover”, by Jessica McHugh
“Iz”, by Eli Wilde
“Laal Andhi”, by Usman T. Malik
“The Bone Witch”, by Chantal Noordeloos
“The Pole”, by William Meikle
“Lucy’s Arrow”, by Jay Wilburn
“Change”, by Peter & Shannon Giglio
“Marco Polo”, by James Chambers
“The Dog Metaphor”, by Vincenzo Bilof
“The Whited Sepulchre”, by Nik Korpon
“Rattlebone Express”, by Sanford Allen
“The Shadow Life of Suburbia”, by T. Fox Dunham
“The Other Bonfire”, by Jeremy C. Shipp
“Oh Fuck, it’s the Cops”, by Joe McKinney
While the shared aspect works fine as a setup, the collection doesn't really hold up to many strong linkages between stories, and it is hard to envision how the events of all the stories could possibly all have occurred during this one supposed night. Yet, this aspect is something that can just be basically ignored, and each of the stories work fine with separate consideration as part of a shared theme collection rather than a shared universe narrative as well.
The stories reminded me of the quality and breadth that readers could expect from typical horror short fiction markets, including Nightmare Magazine, which I'm most familiar with, and the collection includes well-established authors and new-comers alike. A few of the stories didn't impress me much, but on the whole the collection kept me entertained and provided the slight chills that scary stories and horror provide.
Truth or Dare opens with Thomas' "Shackled to the Shadows", which does a good job at setting the overall tone, first person narration, and a general structure shared by many of the loosely connected stories. With this story one already gets a sense that there are many levels of horror surrounding this high school game: the pains of being an outsider within the harsh realms of teenage existence, the monstrosity that people can manifest and the hatred it can in turn engender from victims. Beyond the internal viciousness of the characters there is also the impression of external malevolence, supernatural and ancient. In this opening story and beyond the reader sees that there is the horror of the story itself, but like all good campfire tales they conclude with hints of an even greater horror awakened, to come.
After the opening story heavy on tone, Guignard's "An Unpleasant Truth about Death" relates an interesting plot about a near (or perhaps actual) death experience that highlights the dangers of intense curiosity and touches upon the power that games like Truth or Dare have, a superstitious hold of rules that one doesn't take seriously on the level of rationality, but breeds deep fear in the soul upon transgression.
Though entertaining, Guignard's story (or the one related by the character at least) has the feeling of being contrived - to have that creepy effect on the reader (or the fictional audience in the story). This isn't a bad thing, I think it's partially something integral to these kinds of stories, and it reminded me somewhat of the way classic creepy folklore goes, having an emotional effect but then triggering questions about how some plot detail could really happen - or why. This kind of effect casts doubt on whether the scary story is true, giving the audience a rational out to discount danger and allay fear. But what if it did happen?
Perhaps you can recall Schwartz's classic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark collections? Many of the stories in Truth or Dare reminded me of that style, tone, and plotting, but for an adult audience. Jessica McHugh's "A Ribbon, Rover" is a great example of that, with a compelling plot that seems inventive yet also something born of ageless tales, mirroring the character of the story itself. I've read one novel of McHugh's prior, but this is closer to actual classic horror and I look forward to reading more in that vein from her lovely mind. "The Bone Witch" and "Rattlebone Express" are two others that recalled those feelings of fairy tale and folklore in excellent modern fashion.
"The Bone Witch" also had slight tones of humor in it, despite a rather horrific situation and outcome. "Change" later in the collection from the Giglios also has this certain lightness, which provides some nice variety amid the more darkly emotional stories or the creature horrors of stories like "Mantid" and McKinney's closing piece.
A few stories also delve into deeper waters of real horror, or in the case of "Iz" tackle the general issue of what makes a monster, what they do both to threaten society or perhaps provide for society. "The Pole" almost literally brings up Nazi skeletons in the closet and "Marco Polo" tackles the very real horrors of abuse. Malik provides a story (Laal Andhi, or Crimson Storm) of horrors from Pakistan, linking uncanny events with the real violence of terrorism, where macabre events from childhood end up imprinting damage on a young boy leading him to senseless and hopeless conflagration in the future.
A satisfying collection that would particularly fit reading in situations (beyond Halloween time) like a summer camping trip, Truth or Dare features a really good idea with the game as a theme for the horror genre. Even if Booth's collection fails to make a cohesive narrative taken all together, it succeeds well in providing a range of tales that horror fans would enjoy and perhaps some new authors to discover.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
CONTENTS:
“Shackled to the Shadows”, by Richard Thomas
“An Unpleasant Truth about Death”, by Eric J. Guignard
“Mantid”, by Kenneth W. Cain
“A Ribbon, a Rover”, by Jessica McHugh
“Iz”, by Eli Wilde
“Laal Andhi”, by Usman T. Malik
“The Bone Witch”, by Chantal Noordeloos
“The Pole”, by William Meikle
“Lucy’s Arrow”, by Jay Wilburn
“Change”, by Peter & Shannon Giglio
“Marco Polo”, by James Chambers
“The Dog Metaphor”, by Vincenzo Bilof
“The Whited Sepulchre”, by Nik Korpon
“Rattlebone Express”, by Sanford Allen
“The Shadow Life of Suburbia”, by T. Fox Dunham
“The Other Bonfire”, by Jeremy C. Shipp
“Oh Fuck, it’s the Cops”, by Joe McKinney
April 13, 2015
Review: TRUTH OR DARE edited by Max Booth III (Multiple Authors)
An electrifyingly frightening collection of themed horror tales, TRUTH OR DARE definitely should not be read at night and finished just before sleep (as I did); but I do recommend it whenever you want your scares delivered non-stop, by a team of excellent authors in seamless collaboration.
Developed around an adolescent "campfire-in-the-woods" theme, the classic challenge of "Truth or Dare" takes on horrifying meaning. Some of the stories tell "truths," others relate the outcome of "challenges." All will stand your hair on end and make you jump to check your locked doors and windows.
An electrifyingly frightening collection of themed horror tales, TRUTH OR DARE definitely should not be read at night and finished just before sleep (as I did); but I do recommend it whenever you want your scares delivered non-stop, by a team of excellent authors in seamless collaboration.
Developed around an adolescent "campfire-in-the-woods" theme, the classic challenge of "Truth or Dare" takes on horrifying meaning. Some of the stories tell "truths," others relate the outcome of "challenges." All will stand your hair on end and make you jump to check your locked doors and windows.
July 25, 2015
Truth or Dare is a solid anthology from editor Max Booth II and Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing. It’s a shared world collection centering on a situation rife with storytelling opportunities: a drunken high school game of “Truth or Dare” in a dark Ohio forest on a Halloween full moon night. The stories are all firmly grounded in horror, but explore a wide variety of subgenres and situations.
Richard Thomas kicks things off with his short entry “Shackled to the Shadows”. It’s a nice, if lean, story that establishes the setting and concept of the anthology more than anything else. “The Unpleasant Truth About Death”, by Eric J. Guignard, follows are is an interesting tale about an ill-fated childhood game of “Dead Man’s Reflection”, probably better known in the “Bloody Mary” incarnation. The character in this story chooses “truth” and must share how he died, exactly three years prior, when playing the ominous game. The creature feature “Mantid” by Kenneth W. Cain is a traditional but very effective entry that finds a character on a dare attacked by tiny river monsters. Jessica McHugh’s “A Ribbon, A Rover” is a unique and creepy tale of a girl, new to the group of friends, who keeps her secrets tied up with a ribbon around her neck. “Iz” brings some real claustrophobia to the book with a story of a dare that takes the title character into an abandoned church, from author Eli Wilde.
Usman T. Malik’s story “Laal Andhi” is a fascinating story, lyrical and mythical in its prose, about life far away from Ohio. It is about life in a land of violent and mysterious death, overtaken by the wars of outsiders. As strong as the story is, it and the collection suffer from the fact that it feels very much like a square peg that’s been pounded into a round hole. It just doesn’t fit well with the shared world as well as the other stories.
“The Pole” by William Meikle is interesting, told in the first person, as though the storyteller is presenting his story to the group around the campfire directly. Jay Wilburn presents “Lucy’s Arrow” which is a guilty pleasure, highlighted by an act of cathartic violence taken out against a sexual predator. “Change”, by Peter and Shannon Giglio, is a short and strong story. It’s roots are firmly in classic horror and the story reads like a sort of mash-up of Vincent Price’s The Fly and The Incredible Shrinking Man.
“The Bone Witch” by Chantal Noordeloos is decent if uninspiring tale of a high school outsider and a local “witch”. Other avarage, if forgettable stories include “Marco Polo” by James Chambers, “The White Sepulchre” by Nik Korpon, Sanford Annel’s “Rattlebone Express”, “The Shadow Life of Suburbia” from T. Fox Dunham and “The Other Bonfire” by Jeremy C. Shipp.
The strongest story in the collection is Vincenzo Bilof’s “The Dog Metaphor”. It’s the story of a class clown, a boy only noticed when the other students are in need of a laugh, and then so used, is promptly forgotten again. He is compelled by the game to tell the truth and tell the rest of the students why he is who he is. What results is a story about the nature of storytelling, an almost postmodern meditation of the nature of creating the tales we tell. The prose is also stunning and original and every word seems like it was slaved over to make sure it was perfect. This is Bilof’s first published story and it prompted me to immediately pick-up his debut novel, Vampire Strippers From Saturn.
Bestselling author Joe McKinney closes the book out with a story that both ties-up the shared world aspect for the anthology and works on its own as a solid tale that ends in an unexpected classic monster twist. Truth or Dare works because most of the stories are quite good and almost all of the stories work well as part of the same world. It’s a bit uneven, as virtually all collections are, but the highlights make this a strong selection for a horror anthology.
Richard Thomas kicks things off with his short entry “Shackled to the Shadows”. It’s a nice, if lean, story that establishes the setting and concept of the anthology more than anything else. “The Unpleasant Truth About Death”, by Eric J. Guignard, follows are is an interesting tale about an ill-fated childhood game of “Dead Man’s Reflection”, probably better known in the “Bloody Mary” incarnation. The character in this story chooses “truth” and must share how he died, exactly three years prior, when playing the ominous game. The creature feature “Mantid” by Kenneth W. Cain is a traditional but very effective entry that finds a character on a dare attacked by tiny river monsters. Jessica McHugh’s “A Ribbon, A Rover” is a unique and creepy tale of a girl, new to the group of friends, who keeps her secrets tied up with a ribbon around her neck. “Iz” brings some real claustrophobia to the book with a story of a dare that takes the title character into an abandoned church, from author Eli Wilde.
Usman T. Malik’s story “Laal Andhi” is a fascinating story, lyrical and mythical in its prose, about life far away from Ohio. It is about life in a land of violent and mysterious death, overtaken by the wars of outsiders. As strong as the story is, it and the collection suffer from the fact that it feels very much like a square peg that’s been pounded into a round hole. It just doesn’t fit well with the shared world as well as the other stories.
“The Pole” by William Meikle is interesting, told in the first person, as though the storyteller is presenting his story to the group around the campfire directly. Jay Wilburn presents “Lucy’s Arrow” which is a guilty pleasure, highlighted by an act of cathartic violence taken out against a sexual predator. “Change”, by Peter and Shannon Giglio, is a short and strong story. It’s roots are firmly in classic horror and the story reads like a sort of mash-up of Vincent Price’s The Fly and The Incredible Shrinking Man.
“The Bone Witch” by Chantal Noordeloos is decent if uninspiring tale of a high school outsider and a local “witch”. Other avarage, if forgettable stories include “Marco Polo” by James Chambers, “The White Sepulchre” by Nik Korpon, Sanford Annel’s “Rattlebone Express”, “The Shadow Life of Suburbia” from T. Fox Dunham and “The Other Bonfire” by Jeremy C. Shipp.
The strongest story in the collection is Vincenzo Bilof’s “The Dog Metaphor”. It’s the story of a class clown, a boy only noticed when the other students are in need of a laugh, and then so used, is promptly forgotten again. He is compelled by the game to tell the truth and tell the rest of the students why he is who he is. What results is a story about the nature of storytelling, an almost postmodern meditation of the nature of creating the tales we tell. The prose is also stunning and original and every word seems like it was slaved over to make sure it was perfect. This is Bilof’s first published story and it prompted me to immediately pick-up his debut novel, Vampire Strippers From Saturn.
Bestselling author Joe McKinney closes the book out with a story that both ties-up the shared world aspect for the anthology and works on its own as a solid tale that ends in an unexpected classic monster twist. Truth or Dare works because most of the stories are quite good and almost all of the stories work well as part of the same world. It’s a bit uneven, as virtually all collections are, but the highlights make this a strong selection for a horror anthology.
June 2, 2015
This anthology starts with the writing of Richard Thomas, who includes a very short story of only a few pages long. He was definitely the right choice to start the anthology as he immediately draws the reader in by getting straight to the point and the whole story feels so tense. I can literally feel the anger seeping from Damon. Eric J. Guignard is the next author. His piece begins with a lot of repetition and beautiful descriptions that made me smile, but with a single line: ‘this night was like none of that’ your mind is straight away cut off from the beautiful imagery. His story sounds like a children’s tale when it begins and I was a little confused and definitely would have picked a different name than ‘The Cleaners’ but when you realise that the story was not meant to be told, you know something bad is going to happen! Kenneth W. Cain has produced a story that to me is extremely satisfying. I am a huge supporter of animal rights and so although this is meant to be a horror, a story about animals getting revenge is brilliant. Stories continue on until you reach my favourite of the anthology by Eli Wilde. It is in my opinion the goriest and most confusing, as being inside the head of the main character is a very different experience. All other authors featured in this book were just as good and it was an experience seeing so many different writing skills. I wouldn't say this book 'terrified' me though.
April 19, 2015
Highly recommend for teens looking for a fright.
There are a few creepy stories in there. I'm lucky I read the book in daylight hours, reading this before bed would have surely resulted in nightmares.
I think my teen daughter would love this book....
There are a few creepy stories in there. I'm lucky I read the book in daylight hours, reading this before bed would have surely resulted in nightmares.
I think my teen daughter would love this book....
June 24, 2015
I received this book via NetGalley to give an honest review.
I actually thought I downloaded this book via NetGalley but it must not have went through so I bought the book instead as it was archived before I got to it.
This is a book that I think the teenagers and YA will enjoy. They are random short stories that are decently good. Truth or Dare? It is a game many play but for the students of Greene Point High School it may be much more than that. What will each teen that is picked take a truth or a dare? Sometimes the truth is harder than the dare and some of the kids will learn this the hard way.
This is anthology from a group of authors who have some great creepy stories to tell it all goes together one story ending and the other coming into play with a different character. Some of them were creepy, others for me were just okay nothing creepy or scary , and the rest I was some times lost and confused with the story. The two stories I did enjoy are below.
1.An Unpleasant Truth About Death- this one was ghostly
2. The Shadow Life of Suburbia- really creepy with twins. Makes you truly think about it.
If you are looking for something different a combination of different minds coming together to tell stories then pick this one up. As far as being a good Halloween stories I am not quite sure on that one, though I would say reading it around Halloween could be good. Because of this book and seeing a lot of new authors come to light for me there are few that I will be looking into their work.
I actually thought I downloaded this book via NetGalley but it must not have went through so I bought the book instead as it was archived before I got to it.
This is a book that I think the teenagers and YA will enjoy. They are random short stories that are decently good. Truth or Dare? It is a game many play but for the students of Greene Point High School it may be much more than that. What will each teen that is picked take a truth or a dare? Sometimes the truth is harder than the dare and some of the kids will learn this the hard way.
This is anthology from a group of authors who have some great creepy stories to tell it all goes together one story ending and the other coming into play with a different character. Some of them were creepy, others for me were just okay nothing creepy or scary , and the rest I was some times lost and confused with the story. The two stories I did enjoy are below.
1.An Unpleasant Truth About Death- this one was ghostly
2. The Shadow Life of Suburbia- really creepy with twins. Makes you truly think about it.
If you are looking for something different a combination of different minds coming together to tell stories then pick this one up. As far as being a good Halloween stories I am not quite sure on that one, though I would say reading it around Halloween could be good. Because of this book and seeing a lot of new authors come to light for me there are few that I will be looking into their work.
March 25, 2017
I received this book for an honest review through Goodreads First Reads program. I love anthologies, especially now when I have so much to read for college classes. I can read one or two short stories as a break from homework. I was thrilled when this book came in I needed a new book to get me psyched up for Halloween, and yes I do start my Halloween celebrating in September. The stories while not super scary do have a bit of spook factor to them and are great reads. The fact that they are set it in the state of Ohio, my home state, made them even better. I seriously suggest picking this up if you are looking for some Pre-Halloween reading.
June 12, 2015
(I received this book for free, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I felt this was a fairly interesting anthology to read. It was good to see all of these authors writing in a shared universe and how some of the characters were mentioned in more than one story. There were a lot of different kinds of stories, ranging from the truly bizarre to the truly disturbing. It was good to get something of an insight into the characters' heads.
The first story, I found quite confusing. I wasn't sure if the narrator was supposed to be one of the kids involved, or a spectator who was unseen. There was an awful lot of violence in some of the stories. The ones that stated the violence outright were disturbing... but the ones that left it up to your imagination were even worse.
The one with the ribbon was particularly interesting, especially considering that something like a ribbon worn around a neck is so innocuous. The personality of the teller seemed completely at odds with what she claimed, though.
I found the story of the twins one that was quite disturbing, too. The whole mistaken identity thing is something that I've seen a lot in fiction... but it never fails to be disturbing when one person takes on the identity of another.
There was a good mixture of truths and dares, I felt, and a lot of the short stories did follow the criteria of the normal horror story - especially in there not being a wholly satisfactory conclusion by the end. The short story about the mask creeped me out no end; and the bone witch was truly terrifying.
I was a bit confused about how many there were involved in the Truth or Dare? game. The final story stated at least two hundred... but I'm not sure I could realistically imagine that amount. Not all playing a game together, but perhaps if they'd broken off into small groups.
I found it hard to care about many of the characters, since a lot of them did come across as not very nice people. I would be interested in reading more of these authors' works in the future, though, and seeing what larger universes they've come up with are like.
(This review may contain spoilers).
I felt this was a fairly interesting anthology to read. It was good to see all of these authors writing in a shared universe and how some of the characters were mentioned in more than one story. There were a lot of different kinds of stories, ranging from the truly bizarre to the truly disturbing. It was good to get something of an insight into the characters' heads.
The first story, I found quite confusing. I wasn't sure if the narrator was supposed to be one of the kids involved, or a spectator who was unseen. There was an awful lot of violence in some of the stories. The ones that stated the violence outright were disturbing... but the ones that left it up to your imagination were even worse.
The one with the ribbon was particularly interesting, especially considering that something like a ribbon worn around a neck is so innocuous. The personality of the teller seemed completely at odds with what she claimed, though.
I found the story of the twins one that was quite disturbing, too. The whole mistaken identity thing is something that I've seen a lot in fiction... but it never fails to be disturbing when one person takes on the identity of another.
There was a good mixture of truths and dares, I felt, and a lot of the short stories did follow the criteria of the normal horror story - especially in there not being a wholly satisfactory conclusion by the end. The short story about the mask creeped me out no end; and the bone witch was truly terrifying.
I was a bit confused about how many there were involved in the Truth or Dare? game. The final story stated at least two hundred... but I'm not sure I could realistically imagine that amount. Not all playing a game together, but perhaps if they'd broken off into small groups.
I found it hard to care about many of the characters, since a lot of them did come across as not very nice people. I would be interested in reading more of these authors' works in the future, though, and seeing what larger universes they've come up with are like.
December 10, 2014
I don't usually read anthologies but the concept of this was enough for me to give it a try. I was glad I did.
This is a shared world anthology where each author tells the story of a different character playing the same game of 'truth or dare' on Halloween around a bonfire. Regardless of which choice the different authors have their characters pick, the results are sometimes funny, frequently scary, and every time disturbing.
Part of the benefit of reading this book is that you never know what to expect. The book is set up as one continuous stream of events in one night in this shared universe. By presenting the story in this way, you get tricked into thinking that you understand the rhythm until each author continuously smacks you out of your comfort zone with their own unique style of horror storytelling. It's refreshing to read something that continuously throws you for a loop but doesn't feel like a random mess of Frankensteined-stories forced together.
Each of the chapters were great in their own way. Iz, The Bone Witch, The Whited Sepulchre and The Other Campfire especially have stuck with me after finishing. Shackled to the Shadows is a perfect introduction into the world and horror of 'Truth of Dare?' that immediately sets the proper tone for the insanity the reader is about to face. The last story written by Joe McKinney does an expert job of rounding out the story with his disturbing and hypnotic conclusion to this impressive body of work.
Definite recommendation from someone that usually doesn't prefer short stories or anthologies. Its a great introduction to a bunch of horror authors that you'll want to read more from.
This is a shared world anthology where each author tells the story of a different character playing the same game of 'truth or dare' on Halloween around a bonfire. Regardless of which choice the different authors have their characters pick, the results are sometimes funny, frequently scary, and every time disturbing.
Part of the benefit of reading this book is that you never know what to expect. The book is set up as one continuous stream of events in one night in this shared universe. By presenting the story in this way, you get tricked into thinking that you understand the rhythm until each author continuously smacks you out of your comfort zone with their own unique style of horror storytelling. It's refreshing to read something that continuously throws you for a loop but doesn't feel like a random mess of Frankensteined-stories forced together.
Each of the chapters were great in their own way. Iz, The Bone Witch, The Whited Sepulchre and The Other Campfire especially have stuck with me after finishing. Shackled to the Shadows is a perfect introduction into the world and horror of 'Truth of Dare?' that immediately sets the proper tone for the insanity the reader is about to face. The last story written by Joe McKinney does an expert job of rounding out the story with his disturbing and hypnotic conclusion to this impressive body of work.
Definite recommendation from someone that usually doesn't prefer short stories or anthologies. Its a great introduction to a bunch of horror authors that you'll want to read more from.
February 11, 2015
Perpetual Motion Machine is a publisher that has impressed me with the quality of writers on their roster and because of that I decided to read Truth or Dare. The writers I am a fan of, such as Richard Thomas, Nik Korpon, and Jessica Mchugh, did not disappoint. Mchugh's was straight up brutal, just the way I like it! I have to say the star of the show for me was "Laal Andhi" by Usman T. Malik. I have never heard of Malik before this but now I plan to read more from him. His descriptions of Pakistan were beautiful and haunting, that to me we reminiscent of Laird Barron or John Langan. It is a cosmic horror story with evil just bubbling under the surface. Sometime subtlety is scarier than gory violence especially if it is written in the aphotic prose that Malik seems to be skilled in. I definitely look forward to reading more from the authors i mentioned as well as more from PMMP.
September 20, 2015
It's a common occurrence with anthologies for me to like some stories and not care for others. The same is true for Truth or Dare. This book is a collection of stories set on Halloween night, with a group of kids around a bonfire. The theme to all the tales is that game we all played as teens, Truth or Dare.
My favorite stories were The Bone Witch, The Pole, and Rattlebone Express. The first one is about an old witch with bones surrounding her house, the second involves a WWII German uniform and a classroom skeleton, the third is about the legend of a train made of bones.
I'm sure there is something for everyone's taste in this anthology. If you're looking for something to read on Halloween, this book may just be the answer.
My favorite stories were The Bone Witch, The Pole, and Rattlebone Express. The first one is about an old witch with bones surrounding her house, the second involves a WWII German uniform and a classroom skeleton, the third is about the legend of a train made of bones.
I'm sure there is something for everyone's taste in this anthology. If you're looking for something to read on Halloween, this book may just be the answer.
May 24, 2015
I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley for review purposes.
This is a very strong horror anthology about the childhood game "Truth or Dare." I'm not sure which choice was worse for the characters in this. I don't often get afraid or have feelings of thrill and anticipation while reading horror. This I had all three.
I really liked it. The editor made good choices in the authors he choose for this.
This is a very strong horror anthology about the childhood game "Truth or Dare." I'm not sure which choice was worse for the characters in this. I don't often get afraid or have feelings of thrill and anticipation while reading horror. This I had all three.
I really liked it. The editor made good choices in the authors he choose for this.
June 20, 2021
It was difficult to rate this, as I was a little confused on how to piece my own opinions together on it. Though it’s an anthology of separate stories, it takes place with characters from the same high school and would be difficult to believe it all happened in one night. That aside, it definitely holds its own weight in the horror section.
I love horror but I don’t get to read much of it, and don’t really push myself to because it’s so hit or miss. This collection was great for me because there’s variety and many more hits than misses. Most of the authors I’d never heard of, and now that I’ve been introduced, I have so many more to works to read. Many of them just creeped the hell out of me. True horror writers.
If you’re getting tired of what you’re finding on the shelves in the horror section, this is definitely worth your time.
I love horror but I don’t get to read much of it, and don’t really push myself to because it’s so hit or miss. This collection was great for me because there’s variety and many more hits than misses. Most of the authors I’d never heard of, and now that I’ve been introduced, I have so many more to works to read. Many of them just creeped the hell out of me. True horror writers.
If you’re getting tired of what you’re finding on the shelves in the horror section, this is definitely worth your time.
April 23, 2015
ARC for review.
What looked like a promising premise (a group of teenagers get together in the woods for a nighttime game of Truth or Dare) ended up as a mess. Maybe this was simply a case of too many cooks (it appears there was a different writer for each story, but the group was definitely supposed to be a group of about two hundred (two hundred? Good Lord!) kids, linked by....school, I think, even though that isn't really clear). Anyway, there are a few bridges between the various "truths" (which can be anything from fairy tales told by an uncle (what?) to answering questions from your fellow players (I thought that was the whole point) and "dares"....and based on the dares this annual events takes place out in the woods, but within walking distance of a stream, fast food restaurants, several kids' homes, various abandoned and/or "haunted" houses. See? It just doesn't really work.
Oh, and despite all these locations being so close together, none of the kids hear the screams, crashes and other noisy goings on that occur during some of the dares. One of the kids who gets a dare COMES BACK WITHOUT AN ARM and although some kids notice, it just doesn't seem to be THAT big a deal. You know how it is - you go out, you're in the woods, you're drinking....maybe you lose your earring. Or a limb.
I wish I could say that even a few of the stories could have been good had they stood alone, but when I looked back, none stuck out in any sort of good way. Disappointing use of a concept.
What looked like a promising premise (a group of teenagers get together in the woods for a nighttime game of Truth or Dare) ended up as a mess. Maybe this was simply a case of too many cooks (it appears there was a different writer for each story, but the group was definitely supposed to be a group of about two hundred (two hundred? Good Lord!) kids, linked by....school, I think, even though that isn't really clear). Anyway, there are a few bridges between the various "truths" (which can be anything from fairy tales told by an uncle (what?) to answering questions from your fellow players (I thought that was the whole point) and "dares"....and based on the dares this annual events takes place out in the woods, but within walking distance of a stream, fast food restaurants, several kids' homes, various abandoned and/or "haunted" houses. See? It just doesn't really work.
Oh, and despite all these locations being so close together, none of the kids hear the screams, crashes and other noisy goings on that occur during some of the dares. One of the kids who gets a dare COMES BACK WITHOUT AN ARM and although some kids notice, it just doesn't seem to be THAT big a deal. You know how it is - you go out, you're in the woods, you're drinking....maybe you lose your earring. Or a limb.
I wish I could say that even a few of the stories could have been good had they stood alone, but when I looked back, none stuck out in any sort of good way. Disappointing use of a concept.
June 11, 2015
'Truth or Dare' is a collection of campfire tales of truth or dare.
The cover really drew me to this book and I tore through the tales. While there were a few stories that I just didn't connect with, there were a lot of creepy ideas overall and a few really excellent stories that I found myself thinking about long after I finished reading.
This is definitely worth picking up if you're a fan of short horror tales!
Note: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
The cover really drew me to this book and I tore through the tales. While there were a few stories that I just didn't connect with, there were a lot of creepy ideas overall and a few really excellent stories that I found myself thinking about long after I finished reading.
This is definitely worth picking up if you're a fan of short horror tales!
Note: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
April 20, 2015
*received this book free in exchange for an honest review*
this one was a hard one to rate as some of the stories were great and others too long winded and confusing.
overall it is a great mixture of stories all following the truth or dare theme and trust me when i say it is far safer to say truth.
this one was a hard one to rate as some of the stories were great and others too long winded and confusing.
overall it is a great mixture of stories all following the truth or dare theme and trust me when i say it is far safer to say truth.
August 24, 2015
A strong horror anthology
For a full review, please go to http://www.examiner.com/review/truth-... and follow me on Twitter @josenher
For a full review, please go to http://www.examiner.com/review/truth-... and follow me on Twitter @josenher
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April 12, 2015** E-Arc provided by NetGalley ** (4/12/15)
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