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13 Again
Thirteen Again (Short Stories) (Point Horror 13's S.) Various
361 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 24, 2015
This is the third 13-story collection published under the Point Horror imprint, and like the previous two collections, it's much gorier in nature than most of the single PH titles. In addition, most if not all of the stories in this (as well as in
13 More Tales of Horror
) are by British writers, who tend to be much darker than most American YA authors. Those two things mean that this book is probably better for older teenagers than for the pre-teen crowd that most Point Horrors cater to. I think this fact affected my enjoyment (or lack of) of the stories - while I like YA horror (and American YA horror in particular), I dislike anything too gory or with an unhappy ending.
But onto the stories.
(I'm posting my status updates from this book as a review, since there aren't any reviews yet and I'm fairly sure nobody looks at status updates.)
Anjelica's Room by Laurence Staig
I'm not quite sure why everyone was obsessed with this story when I was in Year Seven. I remember everyone in my class passing the book around, exclaiming, "Oh my God! You HAVE to read this story." Rereading it now, I'm not sure of the attraction. It was gory, but not particularly suspenseful, and the main character was such a douchebag that I didn't care much if he survived.
Foxgloves by Susan Price
I enjoyed the descriptive language and the subtle suspense. Most of the story was written as an inner monologue, which meant lots of telling, not much showing. I liked this, but YMMV. The ending seemed a little rushed.
The Ultimate Assassin by Malcolm Rose
I enjoyed this one quite a lot, although not the ending. It was creative, with nice scene-setting, and Kate's empathy was very realistically portrayed. I think this story formed a lot of my childhood, although I didn't really remember it. I was always convinced that I had to keep quiet about my abilities or someone would come after me. Tragic ending - after all Kate went through I wanted her to live happily ever after. :(
The Rattan Collar by Garry Kilworth
An average tale of demonic possession and fear of 'elsewhere' (in this case Borneo). Not great, not awful. But I did like the sting in the tail / tale - I enjoy little surprises towards the end of stories like this.
Boomerang by David Belbin
This was so depressing, but very chilling, and painfully apt considering the economy right now. Despite her murderous tendencies, I couldn't help but sympathise with Kate, although I did enjoy the surprising twist towards the end.
The Delinquent by Maresa Morgan
Now THIS is how to write a horror story. It was horrible, but effective - subtle enough that it takes a few moments to get it, but creepy enough to haunt.
The Ghost Trap by Lisa Tuttle
Interesting idea here, although I think it would have worked better with different reasons behind it. Pure human evil would have made it a tighter story.
Close Cut by Philip Gross
A strange and sad story, this one. I liked that it didn't batter you with information, but made you work for it and use your imagination to fill in the blanks and decide for yourself what happened. I'll keep an eye out for this author in the future.
Grandma by Colin Greenland
Yeesh. If you've ever wondered, 'What would happen if someone with homicidal tendencies got Alzheimer's?' - then read this story, and you'll find out. I loved this story as a kid - probably because it reminded me of my grandmother, and that helped me to deal with my feelings - but as an adult I can't decide if I find it offensive or just kind of gross and depressing.
Vampire in Venice by John Gordon
Not much plot to this one, but it made a nice change from the depressing feel of the last few stories.
Picking Up the Tab by Stan Nicholls
Another interesting concept. Would probably have made a better novelette or novella than short story - there was a lot of material here that felt like it could have been explored further. Not really scary, but the kind of story that haunts you later, when you think, 'What if?'
Evidence of Angels by Graham Masterton
(Probably you should read this one last, as I did, 'cause Hospital Trust is so horrible.) Lovely story, really captured the feelings of isolation that sensitive teenage girls get. I'm very impressed with everything of Graham Masterton's that I've read, and will look out for more of his stories later. They're the strangest mixture of terrifying and uplifting - the heroes and heroines tend to be rescued by violent saviours who really stretch the definition of 'the good guy', and this story fits that pattern perfectly.
Hospital Trust by Dennis Hamley
I remembered this story as being icky-scary, and it was. It was full of silly character choices, though. If you feel uncomfortable with a person, leave. Trust your instincts. Poor Morley obviously never learned this. And Dr Grimes and Dr Hough have to be the most ineffective doctors ever. Eyeroll.
All in all, I wasn't overly impressed with the book. It was readable, and there were a couple of stories that I quite enjoyed - I think Evidence of Angels and The Ultimate Assassin were the most successful, although Picking Up the Tab had promise as a longer tale - but none really stood out as spectacular. I read the first collection, 13 Tales of Horror , a few months ago, and while I wasn't a huge fan of that book either, I found that it at least had a couple of stories that really stood out for me. This collection was mostly cheap scares that faded away as soon as I closed the cover. I'm not overly surprised that they didn't make another 13-story collection after this one; the tales in this were too dark and icky to be right for young teenagers, and (mostly) not written well enough to appeal to older readers.
That said, if you're looking for a cheap scare then this might hit the spot for you. As for me, I'll pass.
But onto the stories.
(I'm posting my status updates from this book as a review, since there aren't any reviews yet and I'm fairly sure nobody looks at status updates.)
Anjelica's Room by Laurence Staig
I'm not quite sure why everyone was obsessed with this story when I was in Year Seven. I remember everyone in my class passing the book around, exclaiming, "Oh my God! You HAVE to read this story." Rereading it now, I'm not sure of the attraction. It was gory, but not particularly suspenseful, and the main character was such a douchebag that I didn't care much if he survived.
Foxgloves by Susan Price
I enjoyed the descriptive language and the subtle suspense. Most of the story was written as an inner monologue, which meant lots of telling, not much showing. I liked this, but YMMV. The ending seemed a little rushed.
The Ultimate Assassin by Malcolm Rose
I enjoyed this one quite a lot, although not the ending. It was creative, with nice scene-setting, and Kate's empathy was very realistically portrayed. I think this story formed a lot of my childhood, although I didn't really remember it. I was always convinced that I had to keep quiet about my abilities or someone would come after me. Tragic ending - after all Kate went through I wanted her to live happily ever after. :(
The Rattan Collar by Garry Kilworth
An average tale of demonic possession and fear of 'elsewhere' (in this case Borneo). Not great, not awful. But I did like the sting in the tail / tale - I enjoy little surprises towards the end of stories like this.
Boomerang by David Belbin
This was so depressing, but very chilling, and painfully apt considering the economy right now. Despite her murderous tendencies, I couldn't help but sympathise with Kate, although I did enjoy the surprising twist towards the end.
The Delinquent by Maresa Morgan
Now THIS is how to write a horror story. It was horrible, but effective - subtle enough that it takes a few moments to get it, but creepy enough to haunt.
The Ghost Trap by Lisa Tuttle
Interesting idea here, although I think it would have worked better with different reasons behind it. Pure human evil would have made it a tighter story.
Close Cut by Philip Gross
A strange and sad story, this one. I liked that it didn't batter you with information, but made you work for it and use your imagination to fill in the blanks and decide for yourself what happened. I'll keep an eye out for this author in the future.
Grandma by Colin Greenland
Yeesh. If you've ever wondered, 'What would happen if someone with homicidal tendencies got Alzheimer's?' - then read this story, and you'll find out. I loved this story as a kid - probably because it reminded me of my grandmother, and that helped me to deal with my feelings - but as an adult I can't decide if I find it offensive or just kind of gross and depressing.
Vampire in Venice by John Gordon
Not much plot to this one, but it made a nice change from the depressing feel of the last few stories.
Picking Up the Tab by Stan Nicholls
Another interesting concept. Would probably have made a better novelette or novella than short story - there was a lot of material here that felt like it could have been explored further. Not really scary, but the kind of story that haunts you later, when you think, 'What if?'
Evidence of Angels by Graham Masterton
(Probably you should read this one last, as I did, 'cause Hospital Trust is so horrible.) Lovely story, really captured the feelings of isolation that sensitive teenage girls get. I'm very impressed with everything of Graham Masterton's that I've read, and will look out for more of his stories later. They're the strangest mixture of terrifying and uplifting - the heroes and heroines tend to be rescued by violent saviours who really stretch the definition of 'the good guy', and this story fits that pattern perfectly.
Hospital Trust by Dennis Hamley
I remembered this story as being icky-scary, and it was. It was full of silly character choices, though. If you feel uncomfortable with a person, leave. Trust your instincts. Poor Morley obviously never learned this. And Dr Grimes and Dr Hough have to be the most ineffective doctors ever. Eyeroll.
All in all, I wasn't overly impressed with the book. It was readable, and there were a couple of stories that I quite enjoyed - I think Evidence of Angels and The Ultimate Assassin were the most successful, although Picking Up the Tab had promise as a longer tale - but none really stood out as spectacular. I read the first collection, 13 Tales of Horror , a few months ago, and while I wasn't a huge fan of that book either, I found that it at least had a couple of stories that really stood out for me. This collection was mostly cheap scares that faded away as soon as I closed the cover. I'm not overly surprised that they didn't make another 13-story collection after this one; the tales in this were too dark and icky to be right for young teenagers, and (mostly) not written well enough to appeal to older readers.
That said, if you're looking for a cheap scare then this might hit the spot for you. As for me, I'll pass.
May 16, 2016
Nice gentle horror stories with some little touches of humour that draws you in and makes you want to read more.
February 28, 2025
I technically started reading this last year in October for spooky season, but I stopped because I had other books I wanted to read first.
I wanted to finish it now, but I just can't quite get into short stories. I find it difficult to get invested in a short story or for a character because it's obviously not going to be as fleshed out as a full length novel.
Naturally, there were certain stories that were better than others, however I did find most of them quite dark (which isn't a bad thing - I was just a bit surprised that was all)
I wanted to finish it now, but I just can't quite get into short stories. I find it difficult to get invested in a short story or for a character because it's obviously not going to be as fleshed out as a full length novel.
Naturally, there were certain stories that were better than others, however I did find most of them quite dark (which isn't a bad thing - I was just a bit surprised that was all)
January 2, 2024
love point horror, no notes.
September 4, 2016
Anjelica's Room- Has some fairly disturbing and eerie parts but this story boils down to gory story, instead of something subtle and unknown. Overall, not good
Foxgloves- weak plot but really like the storytelling where there's less dialogue but more description of what's going on. It really makes me picture the story really well.
Ultimate Assassin- Very interesting premise. Not only that, it also provided some really suspenseful parts. I sort of don't like the ending but it was frightening.
Rattan Collar- I like the twist but the story was mostly forgettable but alright, if you're into demon possession story.
Boomerang- Depressing story but the story really does a good job of painting the life of an unemployed college youth, just wish the story wasn't This realistic
Delinquent- Disturbing setting and extremely horrifying ending that I like. But, I'm uncomfortable with the way detention center is portrayed, unimpressed with the basic gist of this plot, and less caring to "protagonist" It's a bust.
Ghost Trap- It's okay for one read if not for the premise but the short story was just meh.
Close Cut- Good message mixed with interesting theme but the short story wasn't that suspenseful and the ending seems to come out of no more. I don't it as it does have interesting parts.
Grandma- Stupid, offensive and boring is all I can say about this terrible story.
Vampire in Venice- Pretty plotless. ALthough the ending was a bit humorous for its ironically romantic ending.
Picking Up the Tab- A really creative short story as this story makes money scary. Wish the story can expand more
Evidence of Angels- I thought the religious tone can be overbearing a little but I liked this one due to portrayals of angel and the portrayal of the main character
Hospital Trust- Scary setting with intresting mystery, somewhat ruined by a really silly twist.
Overall, this is less impressive than the last collection. The short stories do have some merits as they have interesting ideas so it gets average rating.
Foxgloves- weak plot but really like the storytelling where there's less dialogue but more description of what's going on. It really makes me picture the story really well.
Ultimate Assassin- Very interesting premise. Not only that, it also provided some really suspenseful parts. I sort of don't like the ending but it was frightening.
Rattan Collar- I like the twist but the story was mostly forgettable but alright, if you're into demon possession story.
Boomerang- Depressing story but the story really does a good job of painting the life of an unemployed college youth, just wish the story wasn't This realistic
Delinquent- Disturbing setting and extremely horrifying ending that I like. But, I'm uncomfortable with the way detention center is portrayed, unimpressed with the basic gist of this plot, and less caring to "protagonist" It's a bust.
Ghost Trap- It's okay for one read if not for the premise but the short story was just meh.
Close Cut- Good message mixed with interesting theme but the short story wasn't that suspenseful and the ending seems to come out of no more. I don't it as it does have interesting parts.
Grandma- Stupid, offensive and boring is all I can say about this terrible story.
Vampire in Venice- Pretty plotless. ALthough the ending was a bit humorous for its ironically romantic ending.
Picking Up the Tab- A really creative short story as this story makes money scary. Wish the story can expand more
Evidence of Angels- I thought the religious tone can be overbearing a little but I liked this one due to portrayals of angel and the portrayal of the main character
Hospital Trust- Scary setting with intresting mystery, somewhat ruined by a really silly twist.
Overall, this is less impressive than the last collection. The short stories do have some merits as they have interesting ideas so it gets average rating.
June 17, 2015
Enjoyed these stories.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews