What do you think?
Rate this book
Final Masquerade
The evening is ending and the guests are ready to leave but the final event of the night is just begining the unmasking. Welcome to Final Masquerade where no one is who they seem."
232 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2016
3 people are currently reading
464 people want to read
About the author
Stacey Turner
37 books30 followersStacey Turner lives in West Central Illinois with her husband. Three wonderful, adult children call her “Mom,” and three beautiful little boys call her “Mimi” (Grandma). She is owned by cats. She spends her days writing and editing, but still finds time to review books & interview authors, as well as blog about her absolutely ridiculous family and other adventures.
She enjoys editing because she’s bossy. And also because she revels in helping an author polish their work. She has edited several anthologies, such as Fairly Wicked Tales and Fifty Shades of Decay, as well as many novels & novellas for a variety of authors. To contact her about editing, you can email her at princess.spot@gmail.com.
She has been published in several anthologies and online magazines. Most recently in Grimm Mistresses by Ragnarok Publications.
When not working, she enjoys photographing cemeteries, playing “what if,” and discussing the imminent zombie apocalypse. She does not enjoy scarecrows, creepy dolls, birds (of any sort), snakes, clowns, or garden gnomes.
She enjoys editing because she’s bossy. And also because she revels in helping an author polish their work. She has edited several anthologies, such as Fairly Wicked Tales and Fifty Shades of Decay, as well as many novels & novellas for a variety of authors. To contact her about editing, you can email her at princess.spot@gmail.com.
She has been published in several anthologies and online magazines. Most recently in Grimm Mistresses by Ragnarok Publications.
When not working, she enjoys photographing cemeteries, playing “what if,” and discussing the imminent zombie apocalypse. She does not enjoy scarecrows, creepy dolls, birds (of any sort), snakes, clowns, or garden gnomes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 16, 2017
The book as a whole is a great horror read. Some of the stories do contain some explicit adult content, which is not my thing. However, the writing throughout the collection was well done, and all of these stories delivered on the promise in the editor’s note: they were all unsettling. Some merely unnerving but a few were downright chilling. There are some great examples of masterful suspense and plot twist writing here. The ones I liked the best had powerful ending lines that made me shiver.
There are twenty stories in all:
We Care by Daniel I. Russell was an interesting story, a disturbing narrative with violence and a slowly unfolding mystery.
F**ck Knot by Ken MacGregor was a bizarre story, the main culprit of the explicit adult content which I personally found distasteful, but nevertheless, very creepy.
Monica’s Dream Date by J.C. Delisle had a nice twist ending.
Mummer’s Parade by Joshua Chaplinsky is a wonderfully atmospheric tale. Strange, unnerving, violent, and evocative, this is one of the best stories in this anthology.
Lifetime Guarantee by Lori Safranek is a suspenseful tale with a surprise ending.
Delivery by D.S. Ullery is creepy, with well imagined details and a good ending.
The Artist by Samantha Leinhard is a bizarre story with plenty of action and some gore, with a creepy ending.
First Impressions by Thomas Kleaton was creepy, mainly due to theme, but still well written.
Funeral Candy by Josh Strnad is not so much a horror story as a bizarre little supernatural mystery. Lush in detail.
Hero by Natching T. Kassa is an interesting story with a very fresh approach to a very tired subject. Good action and characterization and a very chilling last line.
Bitter Meat by Roy C. Booth and Axel Kohagen is not really scary, but it’s another fresh approach to a tired subject.
The God of Flesh by Sheldon Woodbury is a disturbing tale with perverse horror and a bit of gore.
Hotline Bling by Craig Steven starts out mildly uncomfortable but quickly spirals into horror and ends on a chilling note. One of the best stories in this anthology.
End of Nights by Gregory L. Norris is suspenseful, the ending let me down a little, but polished off with a good final line.
Made Me Do It by Jay Eales is a cleverly constructed piece, using vibrant detail as it builds up to its violent climax.
Another Night in Paradise by Dale W. Glaser contains some mature material. Great dialogue and characterization. Not very creepy but a good read.
The Other House by R.K. Kombrinck is a creepy tale with a good ending and lots of suspense along the way.
70 Steps of Paranoia by Jonathan Cromack has great setting and detail with a good ending.
Make Believe by Brian C. Bauer is a great story with very little suspense but lots of wonderful detail and a delicious ending. One of the best stories in this anthology and one of the best endings ever.
Urban Renewal by Adrian Chamberlin is a great story, with an intriguing setting, lots of wonderful details and description. Again, not a lot of traditional suspense, but the perfect amount of tension. Another fantastic ending. One of the best stories in this anthology.
There are twenty stories in all:
We Care by Daniel I. Russell was an interesting story, a disturbing narrative with violence and a slowly unfolding mystery.
F**ck Knot by Ken MacGregor was a bizarre story, the main culprit of the explicit adult content which I personally found distasteful, but nevertheless, very creepy.
Monica’s Dream Date by J.C. Delisle had a nice twist ending.
Mummer’s Parade by Joshua Chaplinsky is a wonderfully atmospheric tale. Strange, unnerving, violent, and evocative, this is one of the best stories in this anthology.
Lifetime Guarantee by Lori Safranek is a suspenseful tale with a surprise ending.
Delivery by D.S. Ullery is creepy, with well imagined details and a good ending.
The Artist by Samantha Leinhard is a bizarre story with plenty of action and some gore, with a creepy ending.
First Impressions by Thomas Kleaton was creepy, mainly due to theme, but still well written.
Funeral Candy by Josh Strnad is not so much a horror story as a bizarre little supernatural mystery. Lush in detail.
Hero by Natching T. Kassa is an interesting story with a very fresh approach to a very tired subject. Good action and characterization and a very chilling last line.
Bitter Meat by Roy C. Booth and Axel Kohagen is not really scary, but it’s another fresh approach to a tired subject.
The God of Flesh by Sheldon Woodbury is a disturbing tale with perverse horror and a bit of gore.
Hotline Bling by Craig Steven starts out mildly uncomfortable but quickly spirals into horror and ends on a chilling note. One of the best stories in this anthology.
End of Nights by Gregory L. Norris is suspenseful, the ending let me down a little, but polished off with a good final line.
Made Me Do It by Jay Eales is a cleverly constructed piece, using vibrant detail as it builds up to its violent climax.
Another Night in Paradise by Dale W. Glaser contains some mature material. Great dialogue and characterization. Not very creepy but a good read.
The Other House by R.K. Kombrinck is a creepy tale with a good ending and lots of suspense along the way.
70 Steps of Paranoia by Jonathan Cromack has great setting and detail with a good ending.
Make Believe by Brian C. Bauer is a great story with very little suspense but lots of wonderful detail and a delicious ending. One of the best stories in this anthology and one of the best endings ever.
Urban Renewal by Adrian Chamberlin is a great story, with an intriguing setting, lots of wonderful details and description. Again, not a lot of traditional suspense, but the perfect amount of tension. Another fantastic ending. One of the best stories in this anthology.
July 12, 2017
The Final Masquerade anthology starts with a bang with a story about professional killers who take out the terminally ill. It has a great slasher vibe and focuses on the artistry of the kill. Other stories of note include an unexpectedly sexy tree, a very unusual washing machine repairman, and a suicide prevention hotline worker who has a gift for convincing people to do it.
With so many authors there is a huge variety in the stories and styles, from the supernatural to the more mundane. Most of them end in death. There are twenty tales in this collection. All, as the title suggests, are a masquerade in some form – people and things not as they initially appear. Sometimes even the protagonist is not who we would think and expectations are flipped. The authors do some unique things with characters and take some refreshing approaches. One story is even told from the point of view of a dog. Inevitably, when the mask is removed there is darkness beneath the facade in various forms.
The theme of masquerade that ties the collection together is well used throughout. Unfortunately, I found there were more misses than hits in the collection. An anthology is always going to be a mixed bag and depend on the reader as to which they like. While I certainly enjoyed many of them, there were those that didn’t really grab me and draw me in.
With so many authors there is a huge variety in the stories and styles, from the supernatural to the more mundane. Most of them end in death. There are twenty tales in this collection. All, as the title suggests, are a masquerade in some form – people and things not as they initially appear. Sometimes even the protagonist is not who we would think and expectations are flipped. The authors do some unique things with characters and take some refreshing approaches. One story is even told from the point of view of a dog. Inevitably, when the mask is removed there is darkness beneath the facade in various forms.
The theme of masquerade that ties the collection together is well used throughout. Unfortunately, I found there were more misses than hits in the collection. An anthology is always going to be a mixed bag and depend on the reader as to which they like. While I certainly enjoyed many of them, there were those that didn’t really grab me and draw me in.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews