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Parasite Gods
Parasite Gods is the second horror anthology from Blood Rites Horror and the first where all the profits go to charity: in support of Cancer Research UK, this book collects eleven short horror stories from some of the most incredible new names in the genre. With a theme of gods and monsters, this anthology brings together a fantastic range of terror, from classic, Lovecraftian tales of cosmic abominations to exciting takes on myth and legend.
Featuring:
"She Carries the Cosmos" by Kyle J. Durrant
"I Will Devour You" by Spencer Hamilton
"Windows to Your Soul" by Carla Eliot
"The Stalker" by J.D. Wheeldon
"The Turon" by Cass Oakley
"zombie.com" by Marcus Hawke
"The Giant of Goneglade" by David Burchell
"God of Plenty" by Nicole Lynn
"The Mission" by Liam Blunt
"I Fought the Devil" by Morgan Chalfant
"The Great White Winter Reef" by Robin Grieve
Featuring:
"She Carries the Cosmos" by Kyle J. Durrant
"I Will Devour You" by Spencer Hamilton
"Windows to Your Soul" by Carla Eliot
"The Stalker" by J.D. Wheeldon
"The Turon" by Cass Oakley
"zombie.com" by Marcus Hawke
"The Giant of Goneglade" by David Burchell
"God of Plenty" by Nicole Lynn
"The Mission" by Liam Blunt
"I Fought the Devil" by Morgan Chalfant
"The Great White Winter Reef" by Robin Grieve
217 pages, Paperback
First published March 11, 2021
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82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 1, 2021
Another killer compilation from Blood Rites Horror, this grouping of creepy and cosmic stories are some of the best I've read all year.
Not every story is overtly cosmic, so don't let that put you off if you don't prefer that particular flavor of horror. There's plenty of straight up horror and gore to spare, so add this one to your TBR and help support Indie Horror.
Not every story is overtly cosmic, so don't let that put you off if you don't prefer that particular flavor of horror. There's plenty of straight up horror and gore to spare, so add this one to your TBR and help support Indie Horror.
June 6, 2021
NOTE:
This is a review centered around the three anthology releases by Blood Rites Horror (Bitter Chills, Parasite Gods, and Wild Violence) as a whole.
Blood Rites Horror is an up and coming independent publishing press that has seen the release of Those You Killed (Christopher Badcock), Miracle Sin (Marcus Hawke) and Hide (Nick Harper) with many more set for release.
In this trilogy of anthologies they have set out a large net to bring out horror authors from all corners. From established indie authors to those making their debut, these three books showcase the diamonds in the rough of an ever growing market. Each story is unique, each anthology brings a separate challenge and style, and the authors are all on their A games in them.
From literary horror to fun b-movie styled adventures, there is something for everyone in each of these anthologies.
This is a review centered around the three anthology releases by Blood Rites Horror (Bitter Chills, Parasite Gods, and Wild Violence) as a whole.
Blood Rites Horror is an up and coming independent publishing press that has seen the release of Those You Killed (Christopher Badcock), Miracle Sin (Marcus Hawke) and Hide (Nick Harper) with many more set for release.
In this trilogy of anthologies they have set out a large net to bring out horror authors from all corners. From established indie authors to those making their debut, these three books showcase the diamonds in the rough of an ever growing market. Each story is unique, each anthology brings a separate challenge and style, and the authors are all on their A games in them.
From literary horror to fun b-movie styled adventures, there is something for everyone in each of these anthologies.
Read
May 24, 2021This is a great collection featuring all new authors to me, several of whom I've put on my radar for their work outside of this anthology. I was surprised and impressed time and again. This is a relatively quick read, and a dark/gruesome one at that. Definitely recommended!
(I have not scored this read because I have recently been published by this editor and publisher, and do not want people to assume my review is bias)
(I have not scored this read because I have recently been published by this editor and publisher, and do not want people to assume my review is bias)
March 16, 2021
Well, I've only read 1 of the multitudes of stories, She Carries the Cosmos, by Kyle J. Durrant. Let me just say-it's phenomenal!! No spoilers-but if you are a fan of Cosmic Horror-you HAVE to read this!!
June 20, 2021
Great collection with some good cosmic horror. I was a fan of Kyle durrants work and his story was my favorite here, but there was some other good ones too
July 5, 2021
A great range of horror stories. Great range of topics and stories contained in this. Well worth checking out for fans of all things weird and wonderful!
4.5
4.5
October 21, 2021
Great Cosmic Horror Anthology
This little gem has a little bit of everything with a concentration on gods and monsters. It was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for me. Here’s a breakdown by story:
“She Carries The Cosmos”
By Kyle J. Durrant
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ghastly pregnancy and birth story 😳
“I Will Devour You”
By Spencer Hamilton
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Made my skin crawl 🥴.
“Windows to Your Soul”
By Carla Eliot
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Made me fear for the character’s life.
“The Stalker”
By JD Wheeldon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The stalker gets stalked. Retribution 💪🏽. Oddly satisfying.
“The Turon”
By Cass Oakley
⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was ok.
“Zombie.com”
By Marcus Hawke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🧟♀️ I different kind of zombie virus!
“The Giant of Goneglade”
By David Burchell
⭐️⭐️ The wording got me lost.
“God of Plenty”
By Nicole Lynn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Short and eerie.
“The Mission”
By Liam Blunt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The wrath and carnage 😱.
“I Fought the Devil”
By Morgan Chalfant
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My heart pounded so hard in my chest.
“The Great White Winter Reef”
By Robin Grieve
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I could visualize it as if I were in it!
🕷I recommend it to all horror fans. Granted, you will be left with questions after every story, but that’s cosmic horror for ya. Enter if you dare 😈.
This little gem has a little bit of everything with a concentration on gods and monsters. It was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for me. Here’s a breakdown by story:
“She Carries The Cosmos”
By Kyle J. Durrant
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ghastly pregnancy and birth story 😳
“I Will Devour You”
By Spencer Hamilton
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Made my skin crawl 🥴.
“Windows to Your Soul”
By Carla Eliot
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Made me fear for the character’s life.
“The Stalker”
By JD Wheeldon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The stalker gets stalked. Retribution 💪🏽. Oddly satisfying.
“The Turon”
By Cass Oakley
⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was ok.
“Zombie.com”
By Marcus Hawke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🧟♀️ I different kind of zombie virus!
“The Giant of Goneglade”
By David Burchell
⭐️⭐️ The wording got me lost.
“God of Plenty”
By Nicole Lynn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Short and eerie.
“The Mission”
By Liam Blunt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The wrath and carnage 😱.
“I Fought the Devil”
By Morgan Chalfant
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My heart pounded so hard in my chest.
“The Great White Winter Reef”
By Robin Grieve
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I could visualize it as if I were in it!
🕷I recommend it to all horror fans. Granted, you will be left with questions after every story, but that’s cosmic horror for ya. Enter if you dare 😈.
May 30, 2022
This is the first short story collection I think I've ever read.
With a short story collection, as with any collection, you obviously won't like every story. However, this one started and ended off SO WELL. While I wasn't keen on the majority of the stories and thought they were just okay, the first one "she carries the cosmos," one in the middle "The Stalker" and the final one "the great winter reef" was incredible. They were tense, weird, and scary in a different way than I expected. Especially as someone who reads a lot of thrillers but not horror. I will definitely look up those authors and aim to read other bits and other bits and pieces by them.
I felt that the order was okay but the vibes of the stories were so different at times that it sort of gave me whiplash. Again I liked the way it ended and began but that's kind of it. I think that the writing styles were really distinct and each of the stories had its own flair in them which at times can be rare. I am also really impressed by the way that each writer was able to tell a complete story and I was satisfied with how each of them finished.
Overall, I think there's something in there for everyone as there would be in any collection and I would certainly recommend it.
With a short story collection, as with any collection, you obviously won't like every story. However, this one started and ended off SO WELL. While I wasn't keen on the majority of the stories and thought they were just okay, the first one "she carries the cosmos," one in the middle "The Stalker" and the final one "the great winter reef" was incredible. They were tense, weird, and scary in a different way than I expected. Especially as someone who reads a lot of thrillers but not horror. I will definitely look up those authors and aim to read other bits and other bits and pieces by them.
I felt that the order was okay but the vibes of the stories were so different at times that it sort of gave me whiplash. Again I liked the way it ended and began but that's kind of it. I think that the writing styles were really distinct and each of the stories had its own flair in them which at times can be rare. I am also really impressed by the way that each writer was able to tell a complete story and I was satisfied with how each of them finished.
Overall, I think there's something in there for everyone as there would be in any collection and I would certainly recommend it.
March 26, 2023
(I am in this anthology - therefore, I am writing this review not including my own story, for obvious reasons)
Note: This anthology is no longer in print.
This book collects 11 stories based around the concepts of "Gods and Monsters". The blurb advertises it as a cosmic horror anthology, but in my opinion that's not entirely accurate.
Though there are cosmic horror stories in here, it feels like a 50/50 split.
I think if you go into it knowing that, it's more enjoyable overall - but also, if you're not a cosmic horror fan, you may struggle with this one. Me, I love cosmic horror, so I definitely enjoyed this.
Unfortunately, I'd say about a third of the stories fell a little flat for me. One felt particularly out of place in this collection, but I won't say which one.
Overall, though, they're well-written, well-edited, and imaginative. Well worth a read, and I hope the authors find new homes for them now that this anthology is out of print.
(I'll be including mine in my second collection)
My favourites are:
- I Will Devour You by Spencer Hamilton
- The Stalker by J.D. Wheeldon
- zombie.com by Marcus Hawke
- The Giant of Goneglade by David Burchell
- The Great White Winter Reef by Robin Grieve
Note: This anthology is no longer in print.
This book collects 11 stories based around the concepts of "Gods and Monsters". The blurb advertises it as a cosmic horror anthology, but in my opinion that's not entirely accurate.
Though there are cosmic horror stories in here, it feels like a 50/50 split.
I think if you go into it knowing that, it's more enjoyable overall - but also, if you're not a cosmic horror fan, you may struggle with this one. Me, I love cosmic horror, so I definitely enjoyed this.
Unfortunately, I'd say about a third of the stories fell a little flat for me. One felt particularly out of place in this collection, but I won't say which one.
Overall, though, they're well-written, well-edited, and imaginative. Well worth a read, and I hope the authors find new homes for them now that this anthology is out of print.
(I'll be including mine in my second collection)
My favourites are:
- I Will Devour You by Spencer Hamilton
- The Stalker by J.D. Wheeldon
- zombie.com by Marcus Hawke
- The Giant of Goneglade by David Burchell
- The Great White Winter Reef by Robin Grieve
September 15, 2021
Enjoyable
It was a good page turner, I truly enjoy original stories, even if they're cliche (ex. zombie attack) they must have a fresh view.I enjoyed almost every story except two, which in my opinion are terrible and it's not the writing that was awful it was the subject. One of these, the author seemed to lose themselves, I head to reread the first two sentences (which was a paragraph btw) four times and still didn't understand the intro. Besides those two, one which stops the books flow dead,-the other thankfully is the end, this is a book I'd recommend to others. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts, peaceful reading😁
It was a good page turner, I truly enjoy original stories, even if they're cliche (ex. zombie attack) they must have a fresh view.I enjoyed almost every story except two, which in my opinion are terrible and it's not the writing that was awful it was the subject. One of these, the author seemed to lose themselves, I head to reread the first two sentences (which was a paragraph btw) four times and still didn't understand the intro. Besides those two, one which stops the books flow dead,-the other thankfully is the end, this is a book I'd recommend to others. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts, peaceful reading😁
September 23, 2021
Another great anthology of short horror stories… from a huge bear attacking a campground to zombies in an office and from gods to monsters to ghouls… we are sucked into the minds of these indie horror writers!
January 21, 2023
Fantastic, solid collection of cosmic horror. This is hard to find now because I think the publishing company went under but if you can get your hands on it, the opening story is worth the cost of the book alone in my opinion.
July 29, 2021
This was a great Cosmic Anthology made for a great cause! Loved all the stories super original and eerie.
August 25, 2021
3.5
I enjoyed this way more than the first anthology.
Most of the stories are great with the standouts being "I WILL DEVOUR YOU" and "GOD OF PLENTY".
I enjoyed this way more than the first anthology.
Most of the stories are great with the standouts being "I WILL DEVOUR YOU" and "GOD OF PLENTY".
June 6, 2022
Hate to say it but this is a dnf for me. Read a few and none of them were bad but none of them were for me.
July 23, 2021
3.5 stars, like most anthologies it’s a mix of stories I really liked and some I didn’t care for. It’s a bit Lovecraft-ian (neat I made up a word) for my tastes but it’s well written.
January 16, 2022
*May contain spoilers*
Enjoy this stream of conscious thought I had as I read the stories. It's mostly nonsense.
She Carries The Cosmos - 3/5
I don't like cosmic horror. Don't have the baby of a cosmic being. Sounds like Noah's Ark did a Brundlefly. How many times are you going to say "sacrilegious"? Cults man.
I Will Devour You - 2.5/5
A talking tumour? Okay William Wallace. More cosmic horror? The "tumour" is set free to devour.
Windows To Your Soul - 3/5
Don't stray from the path. I don't know what that was. Stay away from dead goats and swarms of flies I guess or a creepy dude will show up at your house.
The Stalker - 3.5/5
Of course she's the monster. You can tell you're a sociopath but not a stalker? Liked that it was from the stalkers perspective.
The Turon - 3/5
Strange devil like creature. "The power of words", pretty boring way to get rid of a monster.
Zombie.com - 3/5
Zombies are not gods. Always check before you stick your head out of a room. A computer virus that caused people to go Zombie and it's still transmitted through bites? Where is the logic?
The Giant Of Goneglade - 3/5
It was basically a giant dog all along. Why'd you break your promise? Maybe don't interfere with other planets. White saviour vibes.
God Of Plenty - 4/5
Best story so far. Creepy scythe carrying dude. Samhain vibes. Short but effective. A god made of man.
The Mission - 3/5
An actual god. Native/Indigenous North American perhaps? Interesting twist but still a little disappointing.
I Fought The Devil - 2/5
It's a bear? The human should have died, not the bear. Scratch isn't The Devil, he's a hungry bear defending his territory.
The Great White Winter Reef - 2.5/5
I keep zoning out while reading. That made no fucking sense, something about dreams and seeing his own disturbed future.
I did not get what the title promised. Where were all the parasitic gods? When will I accept that indie horror just isn't doing it for me?
TW: Body horror, gore, death, murder, violent birth, animal death, fatphobia
Rated: 3/5 stars
Enjoy this stream of conscious thought I had as I read the stories. It's mostly nonsense.
She Carries The Cosmos - 3/5
I don't like cosmic horror. Don't have the baby of a cosmic being. Sounds like Noah's Ark did a Brundlefly. How many times are you going to say "sacrilegious"? Cults man.
I Will Devour You - 2.5/5
A talking tumour? Okay William Wallace. More cosmic horror? The "tumour" is set free to devour.
Windows To Your Soul - 3/5
Don't stray from the path. I don't know what that was. Stay away from dead goats and swarms of flies I guess or a creepy dude will show up at your house.
The Stalker - 3.5/5
Of course she's the monster. You can tell you're a sociopath but not a stalker? Liked that it was from the stalkers perspective.
The Turon - 3/5
Strange devil like creature. "The power of words", pretty boring way to get rid of a monster.
Zombie.com - 3/5
Zombies are not gods. Always check before you stick your head out of a room. A computer virus that caused people to go Zombie and it's still transmitted through bites? Where is the logic?
The Giant Of Goneglade - 3/5
It was basically a giant dog all along. Why'd you break your promise? Maybe don't interfere with other planets. White saviour vibes.
God Of Plenty - 4/5
Best story so far. Creepy scythe carrying dude. Samhain vibes. Short but effective. A god made of man.
The Mission - 3/5
An actual god. Native/Indigenous North American perhaps? Interesting twist but still a little disappointing.
I Fought The Devil - 2/5
It's a bear? The human should have died, not the bear. Scratch isn't The Devil, he's a hungry bear defending his territory.
The Great White Winter Reef - 2.5/5
I keep zoning out while reading. That made no fucking sense, something about dreams and seeing his own disturbed future.
I did not get what the title promised. Where were all the parasitic gods? When will I accept that indie horror just isn't doing it for me?
TW: Body horror, gore, death, murder, violent birth, animal death, fatphobia
Rated: 3/5 stars
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June 1, 2021Includes my story "I Will Devour You," the winner of Blood Rites Horror's flash fiction contest for Cancer Research UK.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews