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The Horror Collection #3
The Horror Collection: Purple Edition
The Horror Collection book 3 is the newest in a series of mini anthologies. This edition brings together some of the best horror writers from the last few decades. Featuring stories from Ray Garton, Kelley Armstrong, Simon Clark, Gord Rollo, Chad Lutzke, Mike Duke, Christina Bergling, David Owain Hughes, P. Mattern & Kevin J. Kennedy.
114 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2019
101 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Kevin J. Kennedy
141 books325 followersKevin J. Kennedy is a horror author, editor, and anthologist. He is the owner of KJK Publishing and runs the bestselling 'The Horror Collection' series. He is the author of Halloween Land, The Clown and Nothing is Real.
He lives in the heart of Scotland with his beautiful wife, three cats, Carlito, Ariel and Luna, and a Pomchi called Orko. He can be found on Facebook if you want to chat with him.
He lives in the heart of Scotland with his beautiful wife, three cats, Carlito, Ariel and Luna, and a Pomchi called Orko. He can be found on Facebook if you want to chat with him.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 20, 2021
Book Three!
This is book number three in a wonderful collection of short stories. Not only are the stories horrific, but many have an interesting ending.
You are probably familiar with most of the authors. Many of them are well-known. I am definitely enjoying this series and you can bet l will be reading the next anthology.
I’ve already purchased it and added it to my TBR list. Now just wait for my next review.
Five fantastic stars 🌟.
This is book number three in a wonderful collection of short stories. Not only are the stories horrific, but many have an interesting ending.
You are probably familiar with most of the authors. Many of them are well-known. I am definitely enjoying this series and you can bet l will be reading the next anthology.
I’ve already purchased it and added it to my TBR list. Now just wait for my next review.
Five fantastic stars 🌟.
May 11, 2021
Engaging collection of stories with only one I wasn't overly keen on.
A mix of known and unknown authors and I'd be keen to explore more, Ray Garton and Kevin Kennedy provided great stories but no surprises there!
A mix of known and unknown authors and I'd be keen to explore more, Ray Garton and Kevin Kennedy provided great stories but no surprises there!
February 28, 2020
Amazing
Amazing short stories. Two of my favorite ones are Don't Grass and Deprivation. Most people can identify with being bullied, and wanting to get back. And a toothache is never any fun, even if your a bad guy or not.
Amazing short stories. Two of my favorite ones are Don't Grass and Deprivation. Most people can identify with being bullied, and wanting to get back. And a toothache is never any fun, even if your a bad guy or not.
December 30, 2019
The Horror Collection: Purple Edition: THC Book 3 by Kevin J. Kennedy is another amazing collection of tales that range from creepy to totally terrifying. Two stories had me squirming in my chair! I mean, in the famous words from Ron Weasley… “Why spiders?”
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
What a bad time to have finally gotten a reading chair in my library! I was reading this collection and then suddenly realized that I don’t have any curtains over the windows that are ground level…
Needless to say, I went right upstairs to continue reading in the light, away from windows where someone could be standing just on the other side of the glass, looking in…
Per usual with these types of collections, here are my rating breakdowns for each story along with some immediate thoughts/reactions:
Cat Lover by Ray Garton 4/5
YIKES! This poor guy! This tale was heartbreaking and horrible. I wanted someone decent to pop by so badly!
To Love Is To Hate by Mike Duke 5/5
Oh good lord. This one was terrifying on so many different levels. First the virus and the betrayal, then the spiders, no thanks!!
Malignant by Christina Bergling 4/5
Horribly dark and sad. Wonderfully written!
The Twelfth Labour of Hercules by David Owain Hughes – 4/5
Woah. I loved that this one had you guessing at what happened right until it laid everything out for you.
An Evacuation of Bones by P. Mattern 5/5
Oh my gosh! I loved this one so much! I’m a total sucker for tales about a haunted space that has the power to drive someone to change. This one had light ‘The Shining’ vibes, but was SO much creepier!
All That Glitters by Gord Rollo 4/5
Whoa! What a neat idea! I did not see that coming at all! I was picturing a Sasquatch or something…
Rakshasi by Kelley Armstrong 4/5
Another interesting one! I love the idea behind this being ridding the world of crooks.
Don’t Grass by Kevin J. Kennedy 5/5
Oh my God, this tale. The poor kid! This was the second time I’ve read this one, and this read was just as shocking as my first!
Live Wire by Simon Clark 4/5
Woah! I really liked the choppy monologue format of this one!
Deprivation by Chad Lutzke 4/5
Oh boy, this one had me cringing!! And that ending- WHAT?!
My Final Thoughts:
Another amazing collection from Kevin J. Kennedy!! This one had so many tales that are going to really stick with me…
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
What a bad time to have finally gotten a reading chair in my library! I was reading this collection and then suddenly realized that I don’t have any curtains over the windows that are ground level…
Needless to say, I went right upstairs to continue reading in the light, away from windows where someone could be standing just on the other side of the glass, looking in…
Per usual with these types of collections, here are my rating breakdowns for each story along with some immediate thoughts/reactions:
Cat Lover by Ray Garton 4/5
YIKES! This poor guy! This tale was heartbreaking and horrible. I wanted someone decent to pop by so badly!
To Love Is To Hate by Mike Duke 5/5
Oh good lord. This one was terrifying on so many different levels. First the virus and the betrayal, then the spiders, no thanks!!
Malignant by Christina Bergling 4/5
Horribly dark and sad. Wonderfully written!
The Twelfth Labour of Hercules by David Owain Hughes – 4/5
Woah. I loved that this one had you guessing at what happened right until it laid everything out for you.
An Evacuation of Bones by P. Mattern 5/5
Oh my gosh! I loved this one so much! I’m a total sucker for tales about a haunted space that has the power to drive someone to change. This one had light ‘The Shining’ vibes, but was SO much creepier!
All That Glitters by Gord Rollo 4/5
Whoa! What a neat idea! I did not see that coming at all! I was picturing a Sasquatch or something…
Rakshasi by Kelley Armstrong 4/5
Another interesting one! I love the idea behind this being ridding the world of crooks.
Don’t Grass by Kevin J. Kennedy 5/5
Oh my God, this tale. The poor kid! This was the second time I’ve read this one, and this read was just as shocking as my first!
Live Wire by Simon Clark 4/5
Woah! I really liked the choppy monologue format of this one!
Deprivation by Chad Lutzke 4/5
Oh boy, this one had me cringing!! And that ending- WHAT?!
My Final Thoughts:
Another amazing collection from Kevin J. Kennedy!! This one had so many tales that are going to really stick with me…
September 10, 2019
A horror party mix
There was a few stand out stories for me, which I was going to list, however, I would end up reviewing every story!
So, to shorten this there were a few pieces I thoroughly enjoyed and will certainly be looking to read more from those writers that I hadn’t read before.
There were a couple of shorts I felt I knew where they were heading but, for the most part, that didn’t detract from how well executed those stories were.
As with most anthologies there were one or two stories that didn’t do much for me, that’s not any slight on the writing, the stories just didn’t ignite my interest as others in the anthology did. That’s just down to individual taste nothing else.
Here, the publisher KJK also had a short of his own within the selection, ‘Don’t Grass.’ This was amongst one of the highlights of this book; really well written, skilfully taking the reader right down to the grit and bone of the MCs situation, the emotional turmoil between home life and (the journey to) school was brilliantly executed. Every detail was spot on, from the character descriptions to the drama each day and what brought him to those latter scenes, a great read.
There was a few stand out stories for me, which I was going to list, however, I would end up reviewing every story!
So, to shorten this there were a few pieces I thoroughly enjoyed and will certainly be looking to read more from those writers that I hadn’t read before.
There were a couple of shorts I felt I knew where they were heading but, for the most part, that didn’t detract from how well executed those stories were.
As with most anthologies there were one or two stories that didn’t do much for me, that’s not any slight on the writing, the stories just didn’t ignite my interest as others in the anthology did. That’s just down to individual taste nothing else.
Here, the publisher KJK also had a short of his own within the selection, ‘Don’t Grass.’ This was amongst one of the highlights of this book; really well written, skilfully taking the reader right down to the grit and bone of the MCs situation, the emotional turmoil between home life and (the journey to) school was brilliantly executed. Every detail was spot on, from the character descriptions to the drama each day and what brought him to those latter scenes, a great read.
September 25, 2019
Enjoyed it. Easy read. Sorry when I finished it that it wasn't longer.
July 13, 2021
Great stories.
This book was a wonderful collection of short stories. They were very entertaining an the book was a quick read.
This book was a wonderful collection of short stories. They were very entertaining an the book was a quick read.
July 18, 2023
Excellent
These weremperfectly creepy, gross and scary. I look forward to read more scary stories. I'm q suckered foe horror b99ks
These weremperfectly creepy, gross and scary. I look forward to read more scary stories. I'm q suckered foe horror b99ks
November 8, 2024
A delightful collection of horrifying tales
October 25, 2024
The Purple Edition of The Horror Collection started off fairly strong but ended with some weaker stories. The prose didn't feel quite up to par with the previous Collection. However, the Purple Collection did bring some really gut-wrenching horror. Some of these stories aren't for the faint of heart.
My Favorite Story: To Love Is To Hate by Mike Duke
- Genuinely made my skin crawl
- I always love a well-written revenge story and this one fit the bill
- Vivid and creative
Honorable Mention: Malignant by Christina Bergling
- Flips the idea of having cancer on its head, playing into how you can lash out because you have nothing to live for
- Short and to the point, how I feel a short story should be
Least Favorite Story: Live Wire by Simon Clark
- Didn't like the choppy prose
- It was creative, just not effective
- Zero connection to characters
My Favorite Story: To Love Is To Hate by Mike Duke
- Genuinely made my skin crawl
- I always love a well-written revenge story and this one fit the bill
- Vivid and creative
Honorable Mention: Malignant by Christina Bergling
- Flips the idea of having cancer on its head, playing into how you can lash out because you have nothing to live for
- Short and to the point, how I feel a short story should be
Least Favorite Story: Live Wire by Simon Clark
- Didn't like the choppy prose
- It was creative, just not effective
- Zero connection to characters
July 10, 2019
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
DO YOU LIKE HORROR?
The Horror Collection, The Purple Edition: THC Book 3 is just what you need. This book is full of short stories by some of the best horror authors out there! I’ve read a few and they were really fantastic. One I read was by P. Mattern, “AN EXCAVATION OF BONES”. This story is stupendous! It’s about a couple who have won the lottery, plus they are still happily married. They purchase a large plot of land with a very old, old, old house on it. You have to read it if you want to know more but take my word for it the ending will blow your mind! Totally unexpected! I also enjoyed the short story by Kevin J. Kennedy, “DON’T GRASS”. This was also an enjoyable horror story. It’s about a poor young man who is constantly picked on by bullies. I mean every day. They are vicious in their attacks but he has a way to get back. Read the story to see what he does. I’ll be reading more of these great stories. You may even find a new horror author that you have never read. I loved it.
DO YOU LIKE HORROR?
The Horror Collection, The Purple Edition: THC Book 3 is just what you need. This book is full of short stories by some of the best horror authors out there! I’ve read a few and they were really fantastic. One I read was by P. Mattern, “AN EXCAVATION OF BONES”. This story is stupendous! It’s about a couple who have won the lottery, plus they are still happily married. They purchase a large plot of land with a very old, old, old house on it. You have to read it if you want to know more but take my word for it the ending will blow your mind! Totally unexpected! I also enjoyed the short story by Kevin J. Kennedy, “DON’T GRASS”. This was also an enjoyable horror story. It’s about a poor young man who is constantly picked on by bullies. I mean every day. They are vicious in their attacks but he has a way to get back. Read the story to see what he does. I’ll be reading more of these great stories. You may even find a new horror author that you have never read. I loved it.
July 19, 2019
Okay
None of the stories were bad but none stuck with me or stood out either. Quick read if you're looking for something to pass the time.
None of the stories were bad but none stuck with me or stood out either. Quick read if you're looking for something to pass the time.
August 13, 2019
Try another book
Not scary or really interesting. Not worth the time to read. Many better options are out there so do not waste the time on this book
Not scary or really interesting. Not worth the time to read. Many better options are out there so do not waste the time on this book
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews