Lockdown: Horror #2

Lockdown: Horror

by D. Kershaw (Editor), S.N. Graves (Editor), Maggie Pawsey (Editor)

Interpretation by Andra Dill
Left Hanging by Beth W. Patterson
Fast Food by Chris Bannor
The Weathermaster by Christopher T. Dabrowski
Death Becomes Her by Cindar Harrell
Isolation by D.M. Burdett
Flock by David Green
Something Wicked Lives in the Woods by E.L. Giles
Open Windows by Frederick Pangbourne
Done Just Right by Gabriella Balcom
An Unknown Fact by Galina Trefil
A Recovered Letter by Horatio Marissa
The Watcher by Jacqueline Moran Meyer
Eyes for You by K.B. Elijah
The Seed by McKenzie Richardson
Rain by Sarah Jane Justice
Sissy Fuss by Shawn M. Klimek
Bus Trip by Stephen Herczeg
The Face in the Fabric by Tim Mendees
Grave Concerns by Zoey Xolton

262 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2020

Reviews

[K.B.]

*Upfront disclaimer - I am one of the contributing authors to Lockdown Horror#2*

The Lockdown series are short reads available for free on many ebook seller sites, and less than a dollar on Amazon.

What I really enjoyed about this anthology was its diversity: with no common theme or prompt but for the genre overall, the flexibility truly allowed the authors' ideas to shine through into their writing. This technique may not work all the time, sometimes seeming aimless, but this collection was a fantastic variance of length, setting, darkness and characters that gave each story a special something.

My favourite two stories are:
-A Recovered Letter by Horatio Marissa, for a story that reads just like a classic, with its gentle old phrases, style (first person told through a letter), and a great build up of tension and curiosity.
-Bus Trip by Stephen Herczeg, for an engaging piece set in good ole Australia and creepy as hell. I still don't know what happened, but I'm freaked out!

I also have to share my favourite paragraph, from Rain by Sarah Jane Justice: "We had all seen horrendous violence from the comfort of our couches. Observing the far-away aftermath of wars and bombings had led us into the false sense of assurance that we knew the look of brutality."

[Natelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of terrifying tales. All of them were not in the same league, but many of them succeeded in speeding up my heart rate, so give them a try and see what you think.

[David Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

better than #1