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Black Room Manuscripts #2
The Black Room Manuscripts Volume Two
Some words are born in shadows.
Some tales told only in whispers.
Under the paper thin veneer of our sanity is a world that exists. Hidden just beyond, in plain sight, waiting to consume you should you dare stray from the street-lit paths that sedate our fears.
For centuries the Black Room has stored stories of these encounters, suppressing the knowledge of the rarely seen. Protecting the civilised world from its own dark realities.
The door to the Black Room has once again swung open to unleash twenty one masterful tales of the macabre from the twisted minds of a new breed of horror author.
The Black Room holds many secrets.
Dare you enter... again?
The Sinister Horror Company is proud to present The Black Room Manuscripts Volume Two. All profits made from the sale of this book will go to Alzheimer's Research UK
Some tales told only in whispers.
Under the paper thin veneer of our sanity is a world that exists. Hidden just beyond, in plain sight, waiting to consume you should you dare stray from the street-lit paths that sedate our fears.
For centuries the Black Room has stored stories of these encounters, suppressing the knowledge of the rarely seen. Protecting the civilised world from its own dark realities.
The door to the Black Room has once again swung open to unleash twenty one masterful tales of the macabre from the twisted minds of a new breed of horror author.
The Black Room holds many secrets.
Dare you enter... again?
The Sinister Horror Company is proud to present The Black Room Manuscripts Volume Two. All profits made from the sale of this book will go to Alzheimer's Research UK
402 pages, Paperback
First published July 9, 2016
11 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Park
24 books22 followersJ. R. Park is a writer of Horror Fiction based in Bristol, UK.
Regularly citing Guy N Smith as an influence and inspiration, it was an interview with the said author in Darkside Magazine that was the catalyst for Park to begin his career in literature.
He writes his books as if they were video nasties beamed straight from the golden era of exploitation cinema.
Regularly citing Guy N Smith as an influence and inspiration, it was an interview with the said author in Darkside Magazine that was the catalyst for Park to begin his career in literature.
He writes his books as if they were video nasties beamed straight from the golden era of exploitation cinema.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 22, 2016
The problem with reviewing a charity anthology is that if you give it anything less than a positive rating, you run the risk of shorting the charity in some way. So how to tackle The Black Room Manuscripts Volume 2, the profits of which are set to be donated to Alzheimer’s Research UK? With honesty, of course. Every piece of writing must be judged on its outcome, not its intentions.
Lacking an organizing theme, the anthology encompasses a broad variety of horror motifs, from zombie apocalypse to dead man’s perspectives to Cthulhuesque beasts beneath the earth. Quality also ranges far and wide: some tales were merely banal descriptions of brutality placed under the endlessly-redefined rubric of horror, while others brought scares, revulsion, and pathos in brief, self-contained narratives: the essence of a good horror short. The highlights of the anthology include:
Spores by Jack Rollins. It goes where you expect, but has great power in its graphic description of fungoid horrors.
Graham Masterton’s What the Dark Does packs a lot of story into a small package. Fans of Masterton will find much to like about this tale.
Familial love and parental responsibility get a wrenching workout in Nathan Robinson’s The Glen.
Not quite a horror story, but a sad, sweet tale of loneliness, death, and what lies beyond, The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke by Lily Childs is arguably the best story in the collection.
Stuart Park’s Oranges are Orange is a terribly creepy, tragic tale, one that puts you deeper than you’d ever want to go into the mind of someone profoundly damaged.
Unforgettable in concept, Dr. Lynne Campbell’s Backbone Isn’t Always Enough ekes out a spot among the top stories despite the weakness in narrative.
Jasper Bark’s And the Light Is His Garment takes a well-known story to its bitterest conclusion, making it a cautionary tale for truth-tellers in a time of beloved illusion.
While it lacks surprises, Laura Mauro’s Terry in the Bed by the Window is a good, old-fashioned horror tale, made credible by her obvious knowledge of the subject matter.
In a collection of 21 short stories written by a virtual who’s who of the UK’s indie horror scene, you’re more than likely going to find that your entertainment money was well-spent on The Black Room Manuscripts Volume 2, with the added bonus of the profit going to a worthy cause.
(Review originally published at The Slaughtered Bird: http://theslaughteredbird.com/book-re...)
Lacking an organizing theme, the anthology encompasses a broad variety of horror motifs, from zombie apocalypse to dead man’s perspectives to Cthulhuesque beasts beneath the earth. Quality also ranges far and wide: some tales were merely banal descriptions of brutality placed under the endlessly-redefined rubric of horror, while others brought scares, revulsion, and pathos in brief, self-contained narratives: the essence of a good horror short. The highlights of the anthology include:
Spores by Jack Rollins. It goes where you expect, but has great power in its graphic description of fungoid horrors.
Graham Masterton’s What the Dark Does packs a lot of story into a small package. Fans of Masterton will find much to like about this tale.
Familial love and parental responsibility get a wrenching workout in Nathan Robinson’s The Glen.
Not quite a horror story, but a sad, sweet tale of loneliness, death, and what lies beyond, The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke by Lily Childs is arguably the best story in the collection.
Stuart Park’s Oranges are Orange is a terribly creepy, tragic tale, one that puts you deeper than you’d ever want to go into the mind of someone profoundly damaged.
Unforgettable in concept, Dr. Lynne Campbell’s Backbone Isn’t Always Enough ekes out a spot among the top stories despite the weakness in narrative.
Jasper Bark’s And the Light Is His Garment takes a well-known story to its bitterest conclusion, making it a cautionary tale for truth-tellers in a time of beloved illusion.
While it lacks surprises, Laura Mauro’s Terry in the Bed by the Window is a good, old-fashioned horror tale, made credible by her obvious knowledge of the subject matter.
In a collection of 21 short stories written by a virtual who’s who of the UK’s indie horror scene, you’re more than likely going to find that your entertainment money was well-spent on The Black Room Manuscripts Volume 2, with the added bonus of the profit going to a worthy cause.
(Review originally published at The Slaughtered Bird: http://theslaughteredbird.com/book-re...)
February 7, 2020
So vivid. So good. Thank heavens I have two more volumes to go!
August 27, 2016
Great collection of short stories from all different areas of the horror genre. I bought this having only read previous work by one author, so it was a great introduction to the other contributors. One story fell a bit flat, and one I just plain didn't like - but all the rest are little gems waiting to be discovered. There's even one that made me genuinely sleep with the light on for the first time since I was a kid!
January 1, 2023
A solid anthology of 21 scary stories that are all varied and unique in their own ways. I preferred some over others and obviously have favourites, but I don't think any single story is weak. Love the framing device also!
Favourite stories are Spores (by Jack Rollins), What the Dark Does (Graham Masterton), and Screams i the Night (J.R. Park).
Favourite stories are Spores (by Jack Rollins), What the Dark Does (Graham Masterton), and Screams i the Night (J.R. Park).
February 2, 2025
This series is out of print now, I believe, and hard to come across, but it's worth it if you can find them. They're just really solid horror anthologies.
Highlights from Volume Two include:
The Drawers by Tim Clayton - I don't love that the serial killer here has OCD, but I did (otherwise) love the story. A child murderer keeps his victims in basement freezers that he revisits every day, but things begin to go wrong for him shortly after he breathes a fifth child home. Is he losing his mind or are the children "waking up?"
Screams in the Night by J.R. Park - Daryl is kept up all night, every night, by the screaming of his next door neighbor's baby. Eventually venturing to the flat. next door, he'll find he should have just kept his annoyance to himself.
The Vile Glib of Gideon Wick by Lily Childs - I didn't initially love this story of a man being shepherded into the afterlife by the grumpy title character. But the ending was really heart warming (in a good way, not in a cheesy way).
Oranges Are Organge by Stuart Park - A disturbed child's father gives him an at home lobotomy, horrifying in itself, but it leads to even more chaos and eventual murders. Some really creepy imagery here, but it's played mostly for fun instead of becoming overly serious.
Three Sisters by Sam Sloane - A police inspector investigates a "freak accident" that occurs next door to the home of three beautiful and mysterious sisters. Shades of Macbeth (one of my favorite Shakespearean plays).
Mutant Building 101 by Duncan P. Bradshaw - Clever and witty and boardering on actually hilarioius. An accident at a secret military research base leads to the creation of a "Snakider" with lazer beam eyes. The base's lead scientist comes up with a way to fight it, but causes more problems in the process.
Spores by Jack Rollins - I love some good fungi horror. Some really good body horror in this one too. An elderly couple gets a mushroomy infection and different types of mushrooms begin sprouting out of their bodies.
The Ring of Karnak by Daniel Mark Chant - Our main character receives a decent in heritance from an uncle he's never met. He also receives a mysterious ring, one wich invokes a panicked reaction in everyone who sees it. A clue leads the man to a village his uncle visited shortly before his death. Even though I saw the end of this coming, I loved this story and hope to read more by the author.
Check this anthology and it's companions out if you want a good solid collection of horror.
Highlights from Volume Two include:
The Drawers by Tim Clayton - I don't love that the serial killer here has OCD, but I did (otherwise) love the story. A child murderer keeps his victims in basement freezers that he revisits every day, but things begin to go wrong for him shortly after he breathes a fifth child home. Is he losing his mind or are the children "waking up?"
Screams in the Night by J.R. Park - Daryl is kept up all night, every night, by the screaming of his next door neighbor's baby. Eventually venturing to the flat. next door, he'll find he should have just kept his annoyance to himself.
The Vile Glib of Gideon Wick by Lily Childs - I didn't initially love this story of a man being shepherded into the afterlife by the grumpy title character. But the ending was really heart warming (in a good way, not in a cheesy way).
Oranges Are Organge by Stuart Park - A disturbed child's father gives him an at home lobotomy, horrifying in itself, but it leads to even more chaos and eventual murders. Some really creepy imagery here, but it's played mostly for fun instead of becoming overly serious.
Three Sisters by Sam Sloane - A police inspector investigates a "freak accident" that occurs next door to the home of three beautiful and mysterious sisters. Shades of Macbeth (one of my favorite Shakespearean plays).
Mutant Building 101 by Duncan P. Bradshaw - Clever and witty and boardering on actually hilarioius. An accident at a secret military research base leads to the creation of a "Snakider" with lazer beam eyes. The base's lead scientist comes up with a way to fight it, but causes more problems in the process.
Spores by Jack Rollins - I love some good fungi horror. Some really good body horror in this one too. An elderly couple gets a mushroomy infection and different types of mushrooms begin sprouting out of their bodies.
The Ring of Karnak by Daniel Mark Chant - Our main character receives a decent in heritance from an uncle he's never met. He also receives a mysterious ring, one wich invokes a panicked reaction in everyone who sees it. A clue leads the man to a village his uncle visited shortly before his death. Even though I saw the end of this coming, I loved this story and hope to read more by the author.
Check this anthology and it's companions out if you want a good solid collection of horror.
April 27, 2020
An interesting collection
An interesting collection of short stories, excellent quality of writing, great story ideas and excellent characters throughout
Will defiantly looking more closely at some of the authors from this book who I hadn’t read anything from before
There was one story I skipped as I just couldn’t get into it, it was to far fetched for me and bored me but I’m sure others out there will enjoy the very story I skipped!
An interesting collection of short stories, excellent quality of writing, great story ideas and excellent characters throughout
Will defiantly looking more closely at some of the authors from this book who I hadn’t read anything from before
There was one story I skipped as I just couldn’t get into it, it was to far fetched for me and bored me but I’m sure others out there will enjoy the very story I skipped!
January 25, 2018
So-so
Can't say this is the best or most exciting anthology I've read, despite some big names attaches to the project. Give me stories that make me shudder, that make me laugh or give me goosebumps. Not stories that feel like a chore to get through. Still, it passed the time and its for a good cause.
Can't say this is the best or most exciting anthology I've read, despite some big names attaches to the project. Give me stories that make me shudder, that make me laugh or give me goosebumps. Not stories that feel like a chore to get through. Still, it passed the time and its for a good cause.
July 4, 2024
Full review on Happy Goat Horror:
https://happygoathorror.com/2023/01/2...
This is a strong anthology - some stories are better than others (obviously), but this is a very strong collection by talented authors, and is of Sinister Horror Company's usual high standard. I'd say there's a bit of something for everyone in this book.
https://happygoathorror.com/2023/01/2...
This is a strong anthology - some stories are better than others (obviously), but this is a very strong collection by talented authors, and is of Sinister Horror Company's usual high standard. I'd say there's a bit of something for everyone in this book.
August 28, 2016
Some really fun stuff here
I have always liked anthologies as a way to introduce myself to new authors. It helps more when two of my favorites are also in it.
I have always liked anthologies as a way to introduce myself to new authors. It helps more when two of my favorites are also in it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews