It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Dies

by Dawn Shea, Mark Towse, Tim Mendees

We all know the games. The ones we played as kids. The ones we all have fond memories of, crowded around a kitchen table with family, piled in the floor with friends around the tv, or standing in front of the flashing lights of an arcade game. The games that when we look back at our childhood, we have at least one memory of. But what if, those games turned sinister? What if they were real and out for revenge? In this story collection, the games are taking over and they're out for blood.

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2021

Reviews

[Dakota Dawe · Rating 5 out of 5]

You remember all of those games you used to play as a kid, or the ones you were too scared to play? Spin the bottle, shooting dice, finding rituals online to play hide and seek with a ghost. You know, normal games. This collection takes those beloved childhood pass times and turns them deadly. Kids turn killers, video games rot more than just your brain, and embarrassment isn’t always the worst thing at a party. Every story in this collection is killer, I can’t pick a single one as my favorite! The range of horror was really refreshing too. Some stories could get pretty dark, some extreme, and some had a great creepy vibe. Usually with collections I can only read one at a time, but there’s something about these stories that held my attention and made me want to read it in long sittings, finishing a few stories at a time. I highly suggest this collection!

[Candace Nola · Rating 5 out of 5]

D&T Publishing has put out one sick little collection in this anthology, “It’s All Fun and Games Until Somebody Dies,” wherein each short story tells a tale of a game and its outcome, each horrifying, bloody, unexpected outcome. I enjoyed each gruesome game that this cast of characters played beginning with “The Gauntlet”, which takes a school-yard recess game to a whole other level in which a little girl’s social reputation relies on running the “The Gauntlet”, a jump-rope obstacle course designed and carried out by her fifth-grade classmates. A lucky bargain find at a yard-sale takes this game to a whole new level, as she quickly discovers. This one caught me gasping with chills and gleeful chuckles at the end.
In “Game Over”, young Cal, hoping to score big with a sexy young lady is forced to play the game of his life, by her jealous boyfriend. Cal considers himself to be a gamer at heart, having played thousands of hours and the boyfriend seems fair enough, giving Cal a day to practice and learn how the game goes. How hard could it be? He has no choice but to find out.
Another favorite tale tells us of teenage relationships and how hard it can be to be a teen in this world, with all the pressures they face. “Friendship” shows us just how far a teen will go to be remembered. I know I certainly will remember this one for a long time.
Gameshow junkies will get a gory surprise from “The Grid” as our lonely gameshow junkie Jimmy, finds himself an unexpected contestant on a new game show. Sitting down to dinner one boring evening, Jimmy scrolls through the channels only to find disappoint when no game shows are on, until a few cable glitches later, one pops up that he has never seen before. Satisfied and ready to eat, he settles in with his pizza and his beer, getting ready to play along. Only this time, Jimmy finds himself part of the show, rather than just watching the show. Root along as Jimmy faces “The Grid” for more money than he’s ever dreamed of, there are just a few rules.
D&T is becoming one of my favorite publishers for anthologies and the caliber of authors involved never disappoints. The stories are always amazing, disturbing and chilling and they always stay true to the theme of the collection. I always find a new favorite tale or a new favorite author to add to my ever-growing list and I guarantee that you will too.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Loved It!!!

I am a reader who usually would shy away from books that are anthologies, but every individual story by each of the author's had me mesmerized from the first page to the very last page of each unique tale.

This book has it all the horror, gore, intensity plus the cringe factor too. Some parts of the book was absolutely shocking, I literally had to look away from the page and have a minute to gather myself before I continued on. Every avid horror reader loves it when a horror book escalates so much you end up having an increased heart rate.

Edge of your seat reading throughout.

I can now say this book has converted me to reading anthologies.

Excited for more!!

[Mark Towse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read. Exceptional stuff!

[Bob Comparda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiffany Michelle Brown - The Gauntlet ⭐⭐⭐
John Cady - Wedge War ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dawn DeBraal - Game Over ⭐
Caitlin Duffy - The Hidden Guest Game ⭐⭐⭐
Bert Edens - Friendship ⭐⭐⭐⭐
E.C. Hanson - The Pumpkin Thief ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chisto Healy - Pipes and Ladders ⭐⭐⭐
Heidi Hess - Spin the Bottle ⭐
Ruthann Jagge - The Contract ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nerisha Kemraj - 2 Choices ⭐⭐⭐
Nathan D. Ludwig - Mick Winkerson's Awfully Big Day ⭐⭐
Tim Mendees - Red Ring of Death ⭐⭐⭐
Gary McDonough - May Just Cost You an Arm and a Leg ⭐
Joe Scipione - The Grid ⭐⭐⭐
Dawn Shea - The New Neighbors Game ⭐⭐⭐
Mark Towse - The Only Way To Be Sure ⭐⭐⭐

[A.L. Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing collection of stories that will have you up all night

[Shannon Everyday · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great anthology of horror. I loved the premise of the stories involving games, from video, to childhood games. There's a good variety of stories and styles. Favorite stories were The Gauntlet, The Pumpkin Thief, and Mick Winkerson's Awfully Big Day.
Definitely give this anthology a read!