The authors publishing under the Hellbender Books imprint have gathered together to produce a volume of short stories. Enjoy these spine-tingling tales of horror and suspense by established and emerging writers in the genre. Included in this volume:
Foreword – Thomas M. Malafarina Introduction – Catherine Jordan Parallelism – Thomas M. Malafarina Panty Lines – Catherine Jordan A Modern Fable – John B. Kachuba Delerium Tremens – Kyle Alexander Romines Chirurgeon – Chris Pisano & Brian Koscienski Suspect Number Twelve – Michael L. Hawley Escalation – J. B. Toner Chihuahuas – Will Falconer The Mimics – Travis Leibert Laney – Thomas M. Malafarina Mean Streak – Catherine Jordan Heaven Scent – John B. Kachuba The Torment of the Crows – Kyle Alexander Romines Icelus – Chris Pisano & Brian Koscienski The Day in the Life of a Navy Helicopter Pilot, 1989 – Michael L. Hawley The Kindly Dark – J. B. Toner The Hangin' Tree – Thomas M. Malafarina Burning For You – Will Falconer
This volume is the result of the publisher of Hellbender Books to curate an anthology meant to "Feature and promote Hellbender Books" ...by publishing public domain classics alongside current horror...with an eye towards showing how the horror tale has changed....
I consider myself fairly well read within the horror field (although I haven't kept up with small press material much.....)...and none of these authors (aside from E.A. Poe and Ambrose Bierce a'course) are previously known to me.
Some of the selections IMHO have little to do with horror. Tonor's "The Kindly Dark" is a case in point told from the PV of a crow, whose darkened perch near a church door was recently lighted...and the efforts of a murder to smash the light....Catherine Jorden's "Panty Lines"...wherein the husband of the narrator is sampling the joys of one of his students, after commenting on his wife's lingerie.....The ending to "The Day in the Life of a Navy Helicopter Pilot 1989 seemed rushed....
On the plus side, I enjoyed "Laney", where a murdered wife returns from the grave to possess her husband's android - with predictable results. "Heaven Scent" was also well done.
Since its initial publication date...I see there hasn't been a volume 2.....