Midnight From Beyond the Stars

by Kenneth W. Cain (Editor), Gabino Iglesias, James Newman

There’s life out there… and it’s coming for you!It starts as a mild rattling of the windows disturbing your pleasant dreams. Then the trees outside your bedroom rustle from a mysterious celestial wind. When the neighborhood dogs erupt in a cacophony of terrified barking, you’re jerked from your peaceful slumber. Through bleary eyes you look at the display on the nightstand. Midnight. A roar cracks the obsidian night sky as a ball of blinding light streaks out of the heavens, crashing with an earthshaking explosion on the other side of the hill. Racing to the open window, you smell the electric scent of charred ozone in the night air. The pulsing glow in the distance mesmerizes your senses. There’s something pulling you from its rhythmic humming. Something too enticing to resist. Something’s out there, and it has a story to tell. Lots of stories. You slip on your shoes and make your way for the door…

Introduction by Richard Chizmar
“Attack of the Killer Tumbleweed!” by Antonia Rachel Ward
"Abduction Annie" by Ronald Kelly
“Roadkill” by Samantha Kolesnik
“Embryo” by Tim Curran
“Scan for Life” by Jason Parent
“Unravelling” by Stephanie Ellis
“Snow Blind" by Kristopher Triana
“Death and Decay” by Shelly Campbell
“The Fear of Fallen Leaves" by James Newman
“The Bulge” by Rob E. Boley
“Phantom Limb” by Kay Hanifen
“Incident on Saddle Road” by Brian Moreland
"Skin-Wrapped Gift” by Chad Lutzke
“We Still Have Time" by Amanda Headlee
“I Will Meet You There” by Brennan LaFaro
“A Monstrous Hunger" by Simon Clark
“To Sing with the Choir Invisible” by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
"Too Many to Count" by Jeremy Hepler
“A Cat Named Sue” by Jennifer Soucy
"The Bluehaul" by Lee Murray
“The Little Voice” by Gabino Iglesias
"The Sky and Above" by Patrick Lacey
“Count Backward From Ten” by Meghan Arcuri
“Midnight Dreary” by Owl Goingback
“Skin Tags” by Vivian Kasley
"Virescent Sky” by Tim Meyer
“Sometimes All of Our Thoughts are Misgiven" by Janine Pipe
“Whatever You Want Most” by Megan E. Hart
"Who Built the Moon?” by Tyler Jones
"Stasis" by John Lynch
“Fourteen Gallons” by Red Lagoe
“Broken Star” by Lucas Milliron
"Chittering" by Bob Pastorella

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Collections, Adult

579 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 28, 2021

About the author

Kenneth W. Cain first got the itch for storytelling during his formative years in the suburbs of Chicago, where he got to listen to his grandfather spin tales by the glow of a barrel fire. But it was a reading of Baba Yaga that grew his desire for dark fiction. Shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and One Step Beyond furthered that sense of wonder for the unknown, and he’s been writing ever since.

Cain is the author of The Saga of I trilogy, United States of the Dead, the short story collections These Old Tales and Fresh Cut Tales, and the forthcoming Embers: A Collection of Dark Fiction. Writing, reading, fine art, graphic design, and Cardinals baseball are but a few of his passions. Cain now resides in Chester County, Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pleasant Collection.

This collection is a wonderful collaboration of many authors. I believe there are about thirty authors and maybe a few more stories.

They are “doing” a science fiction anthology of space aliens. Each story is about an encounter with space, or space beings.

All of the stories are delightful. I did not get a bad one in the bunch. This rarely happens and it’s good when it does.

Reading this book was a treasure and a pleasure.

Four stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[LTJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Midnight From Beyond the Stars” by Kenneth W. Cain is a fantastic collection of short stories packaged together as an anthology for those that love to get a bit of everything. There’s all sorts of different types of horror short stories here from traditional, outer space, creepy, weird, and everything else in between.

It’s really easy to get lost in this collection as you go from story to story since it’s a genuine page-turner. Now, to be fair, since there are so many subgenres in horror that are featured here that some stories you’ll like a lot more than others. Some stories also felt a bit flat for me but everyone is different and in general, there is definitely something in this collection for any horror fan to enjoy. There is a very good variety of authors here which makes it a perfect book to read right before Halloween.

I give “Midnight From Beyond the Stars” a 4/5 as it undoubtedly got me even more into the Halloween spirit. The only reason it didn’t get a perfect 5/5 is that personally, some of the stories just didn’t do it for me and that’s okay as it’s expected in an anthology. I also felt there were way more outer space/sci-fi stories added to fit the theme and title of the collection. I’m not a huge fan of this horror subgenre but if you love outer space/sci-fi stories, you’ll love this anthology even more then.

Regardless, this should be something every horror fan should read at least once and it should definitely be done in October right before Halloween for extra awesomeness. It’s a very well done anthology and something I’d recommend to any fan of horror because the variety in here is great. No doubt, you’ll easily enjoy many stories here that you’ll never forget. I say that because a few of them genuinely creeped me out!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

With any anthology, you know that there will be stories that resonate with you, and those that don't. It's inevitable considering the variety of authors. In MIDNIGHT FROM BEYOND THE STARS, however, I honestly enjoyed nearly every one. There were only a couple that I could say I didn't care for, but the overwhelming majority brought something "new" to the table.

Recommended.

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a good feeling about this collection as soon as I saw the line up. Many of these authors I have read before, but only a handful in short form. Anyway, here are some quick thoughts on each story below, and although I'm not grading them individually here, I want to say that not one of them felt like it was below a 4 out of 5 stars for me. This is great stuff. Truly.

ATTACK OF THE KILLER TUMBLEWEED by Antonia Rachel Ward: Great way to start the collection. Such a cool idea and it was executed really well.

ABDUCTION ANNIE by Ronald Kelly: An author which seems to be making a bit of a comeback these days, and I'm glad to have finally read something by him. This one got quite creepy towards the end. Great job. I plan to read more of his work.

ROADKILL by Samantha Kolesnik: This is the first short story I have read by Samantha. I read her novella TRUE CRIME last year and loved it. What I like about her work is the way she quickly sets the tone. Superb.

EMBRYO by Tim Curran: First time I've read Tim Curran's work as well and this was a great introduction. He has such a firm grasp of making the unbelievable believable. He just seems to get the science spot on. An author you know you're in safe hands with. Quality.

SCAN FOR LIFE by Jason Parent: A countdown-to-death story that really kept its grip all the way through. Loved the ending, too. This one is a real standout.

UNRAVELING by Stephanie Ellis: Top notch stuff and another standout in this anthology for me. Atmosphere, tension and tremendous imagery all packed up into fourteen pages.

SNOWBLIND by Kristopher Triana: The pages flew by. One of those stories I wished was a wee bit longer, but that's not to say it needed to be. Really enjoyed this.

DEATH AND DECAY by Shelly Campbell: The order of these stories have been spot on. Can't fault this one, either. Great characters. Really love Shelly's descriptive writing. It makes me want to check out more of her work. Nothing fancy here. Just clean and on point. Wonderful.

THE FEAR OF FALLEN LEAVES by James Newman: A perfect story for the month of October. James always delivers. Loved it.

THE BULGE by Rob E. Boley: Twisted, gross and had me smiling the entire time. A real welcome change in the dynamics.
Brilliant toe-curling fun.

PHANTOM LIMB by Kay Hanifen: Like I said earlier regarding the welcome change in dynamics, we are here again with a proper gut punch from the start. This one is a story of love and loss, and it's a real heavy hitter. Look out for those bold letters at the end too. Fantastic work.

INCIDENT ON SADDLE ROAD by Brian Moreland: A creature-feature story that reminded me of The Mist by Stephen King. Enjoyed this one, too. Brian digs in deep and paints a real vivid picture with his words.

SKIN-WRAPPED GIFT by Chad Lutzke. What on earth is inside the box. Well... is it even from earth? Ha. I always look forward to reading Chad's work. He has such a clean writing style and there's never any fluff. He's crammed a hell of a lot into a mere five and a half pages here. You know things aren't going to end well.

WE STILL HAVE TIME by Amanda Headlee: Like I said earlier, I do feel these stories have been carefully placed in this anthology, and probably to not feel too samey back to back. This could have easily happened with the theme of this book, and that's how I felt at the beginning of this one. But this one took a turn and the story just seemed to keep growing legs. I loved the whole time frame thing, the jump between present day and the hours remaining. Good story.

I WILL MEET YOU THERE by Brennan LaFaro: After reading Brennan's latest novella, SLATTERY FALLS, I knew he'd be one to watch. Again, this is a well-thought-out story that weaves between time frames. Loved it. Great ending.

A MONSTROUS HUNGER by Simon Clark: An absolute stormer from the start. No time to breathe reading this. Superb.

TO SING WITH THE CHOIR INVISIBLE by Chelsea Quinn Yarbo: A welcome change of pace here and quite thought-provoking at the end. Hugely enjoyable.

TOO MANY TO COUNT by Jeremy Hepler: It's been a while since I've read something by Jeremy, so I was glad to see something from him in this anthology. I really enjoy his work. Great writer. This one starts and ends with a bang, and the story was handled beautifully. I had no doubts. Yes, all these little reviews are very vague, but why spoil all the fun? Be like me and go in blind. Just know that you're in safe hands.

A CAT NAMED SUE by Jennifer Soucy: So many different writing styles on display in this anthology, and what I noticed and really enjoyed about Jennifer's piece was the amount of detail and energy in every single line. Cool little story, too.

THE BLUEHALL by Lee Murray: Another standout for me. Completely engaging. Didn't want it to end really. The whole idea of different earth's and the mission to retrieve fresh resources was so well executed. Great characters in this one.

THE LITTLE VOICE by Gabino Iglesias: Quite the gut-punch ending from Gabino. It really surprises me to see writers take on something that you'd expect to be out of their comfort zone and then somehow make it look easy. Mind you, this one goes into the psychology of what a person is capable of. Gabino is good at that. I really dug it. Top stuff.

THE SKY ABOVE by Patrick Lacey: I don't know why this was not in the ARC I received from Silver Shamrock, and the only reason I discovered it was because I was querying the page count. I checked on Kindle Unlimited and noticed this story. I also noticed at this point that the introduction by Richard Chizmar was different, too. I gave it a quick scan through and everything else seemed to be same. Anyway, it would have been a shame to have left this one out of the review as it really is an enjoyable piece of work. It makes me wonder if that's why it was included at the last minute. Who knows. Although Kindle isn't ideal for me these days, it's still an option I'm glad is there. You still can't beat paper if you ask me. From the opening line: "The thing in the backseat mewled" we are thrown right into the thick of things. Patrick makes the reader work at times with certain things left unsaid, and I always appreciate when an author does that.

COUNT BACKWARD FROM TEN by Meghan Arcuri: Some good banter between the doctor and patient kept this one fun. Again, another welcome change in the dynamics.

MIDNIGHT DREARY by Owl Goingback: Another fun idea. Having plenty of audiobooks to listen to on a long journey seems like a perfect way to get by doesn't it? Well, you'd think so, but things soon start happening because of it. That's all I'm saying. Loved the way the countdown element was used here. Just a clever and fun little story. Nothing serious. It just gave me a smile. Really enjoyed it.

SKIN TAGS by Vivian Kasley: If I started asking questions about this story I'd probably never be done, because for the most part it was completely absurd, but I mean that in the kindest way. It was an absolute blast to read. I imagine the author having a great time writing it, too. One of my favourites.

VIRESCENT SKY by Tim Meyer: So many standouts in this collection, but I'm putting this down as my absolute. A story about an alien and medieval times. I felt this one just ticked every single box for me. The setting, the humour, just everything. Spot on.

SOMETIMES ALL OF OUR THOUGHTS ARE MISGIVEN by Janine Pipe: Set in the 80's and not overplayed. No lists here. Just enough to set the tone. Good little story this. The ending, although it came a little quick for my liking, was still pretty sweet. It was perfectly placed in this collection.

WHATEVER YOU WANT MOST by Megan Hart: Well, this one took be by surprise. Talk about a complete contrast with the last story. Put it this way: Megan isn't playing around.

WHO BUILT THE MOON by Tyler Jones: A Cabin-In-The-Woods type of story. Loved the atmosphere in this one and how quickly everything was set up. No time wasted here. Admirable stuff. Quality.

STASIS by John Lynch: What feels similar to another story in the book (no fault of the author given the theme) ends up with a damn cool ending. Simple yet so visual.

FOURTEEN GALLONS by Red Lagoe: I read somewhere that Red Lagoe has a love for astronomy, and it definitely shows in this short piece. I'm glad her work was included in this anthology. It just feels right. Loved the inner struggle the characters faced in this one, how they became delirious. What a great story.

BROKEN STAR by Lucas Milliron: Punchy-style writing with a gut-punch ending. Good stuff.

CHITTERING by Bob Pastorella: A good story to end the collection with. This one felt like it was going to be longer. It just had that settling kind of feeling about it. I enjoyed it, and like so many others here, a certain care was taken with the ending.


All in all this is a brilliant collection. One of the best I've read. No filler whatsoever. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves. There's a lot of love went into this one from everyone involved.

Five stars deserved.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fall is the best season of the year for horror AND the best anthology releases. Midnight From Beyond The Stars is a monster 411 pages of pure unadulterated alien science fiction horror stories by some of the best horror writers. This is a INSANE author line-up. I loved this entire book. Alien horror is one of my favorite genres and this anthology is going down in history. Invasions, parasites, plagues, alien cults, gene splicing, delicious Lovecraftian cosmic horrors, lost in space, and Schwarzenegger’s Junior movie but with aliens.

My top four:

Attack of the Killer Tumbleweed! by Antonia Rachel Ward

I may be a tad biased being from Vegas but this is set in………. Vegas and has the feel of the last scene in Mars Attacks with Tom Jones. Millions of razor sharp tumbleweed roll down the strip slicing everything in it’s path. A Vegas singer, a showgirl, and a newlywed couple flee together in a Cadillac.

Snow Blind by Kristopher Triana

A group of people have their vehicles die in the middle of a freak snowstorm and seek shelter in a nearby cabin. The group gets picked off one by one as they go outside to investigate a loud crash. Lovecraftian elements and space cults always go well together.

The Fear of Fallen Leaves by James Newman

A woman with a phobia of autumn leaves is faced with her worst fear and able to survive an alien invasion on Halloween night.

Skin Tags by Vivian Kasley

Possibly the most uncomfortable short story I’ve ever read. I LOVED IT. A middle aged hairdresser is tasked with a customer that claims to have just come back from space and is covered in skin tags.

I couldn’t possibly cover every story in this but I promise you won’t be disappointed. This is the anthology of 2021.

https://piratetwinkiereadsblog.wordpr...

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthologies are tricky things, trying to collect high quality stories, especially one with this many contributors. But this anthology succeeds in providing a fun, creepy and exhilarating experience. With Sci-Fi horror being the common element, there are tales ranging from Earth encounters with alien entities to horror in Earth's orbit to terrors in the far reaches of deep space. I don't really have a favorite, but out of the 32 stories I enjoyed the vast majority of them, with only two or three that I really didn't like. If you want great Sci-Fi/horror stories that pay homage to the classics as well as those that introduce something entirely new, this is the book you want.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the previous horror anthologies published by Silver Shamrock, but I had put off reading this one for a while. I do love short horror stories but the title and the cover made me think this one may be just a little too outer spacey and sci fi for me. Well I'm here to say I was wrong. There were some stories that were not my cup of Tang, but most are full of terror and suspense that occur right here on earth. In fact you need not venture further than your local diner or hair salon for some of these spine tinglers.
My many favorites were-
Abduction Annie by Ronald Kelly in which a meddlesome mother in law finds out whether her daughter in law was truly abducted by aliens.
Unravelling by Stephanie Ellis, about a mother's boundless love.
Snow Blind by Kristopher Triana, in which a woman seeks shelter on the road from a brutal storm.
The Fear of Fallen Leaves by James Newman takes place in my favorite time of year, but Halloween is rough on a single mom who has a phobia of fallen leaves.
The Bulge by Rob E. Boley is a darkly humorous bit of body horror in which a man fears he has caught a "sex disease" but then probably wishes it was that simple.
Skin-Wrapped Gift by Chad Lutzke in which a lonely old man receives a gift that can end the world.
Too Many To Count by Jeremy Hepler in which a quiet evening at home is interrupted by strange creatures.
A Cat Named Sue by Jennifer Soucy begins with a girl who is desperate to keep her cat alive after it tried to defend her from her abusive step father.
The Sky and Above by Patrick Lacey is about a man who would do whatever it takes to get his missing girlfriend back
Skin Tags by Vivian Kasley is another really fun but gross body horror that begins innocently enough with a hair cut.
Whatever You Want Most by Megan E. Hart is about a lonely widow who drowns her sorrows in alcohol and edibles while raising her kids alone.
So whether you do like tales of life from other planets or whether you just enjoy straight up horror as I do, I think you will find this anthology to be an out of this world read.

My thanks to Silver Shamrock Publishing for the review copy.

[Ctgt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong collection, only a couple that didn't work for me.

Highlights for me

“Embryo” by Tim Curran
“Scan for Life” by Jason Parent
“Unravelling” by Stephanie Ellis
“Incident on Saddle Road” by Brian Moreland
“Midnight Dreary” by Owl Goingback
"Virescent Sky” by Tim Meyer
“Broken Star” by Lucas Milliron
"Chittering" by Bob Pastorella

[Adrian Coombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some absolutely brilliant stories in this, the standout being Jason Parent's story "Scan for Life" which I really thought was perfect. The big hitters Gabino Iglesias and Lee Murray also add quality to this great collection. Shout out also for Vivian Kasley "skin tags". I felt the collection was a little too big at nearly 600 ones, but the quality was great throughout.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the variety stagnates at times, this large collection (33 stories) contains an unusual number of very high quality pieces, which is balanced out by the unusual number of low quality works, with an expected scattering of middling tales between them. The focus of the book is more specific than I realized from descriptions, in that each story revolves around an alien lifeform, rather than simply being set in space, on another planet or in some alternative universe. This actually turned out to be a great fit for me, because I love monster horror, so, to me this was just a collection of monster stories (often) set in space.

Standouts, in no particular order, include:

"The Fear of Fallen Leaves" by James Newman
"A Cat Named Sue" by Jennifer Soucy
"Midnight Dreary" by Owl Goingback
"Whatever You Want Most" by Megan E. Hart
"From the Sky and Above" by Patrick Lacey

[Shanna Swenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is jam-packed with all the creepiness that we love about aliens and then some.

A wide variety of horror, suspense, and out of this world (pun intended) fiction abound in this big book of all things alien.

I enjoyed the different degrees of stories and look forward to reading more from this talented lot (some authors are new to me, some I've read prior).

Check this anthology out, if you're into all things otherworldly, you won't be disappointed.

[Phrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used this anthology to get me through exam week. I got to read 1 story every study break & it definitely broke up the monotony. I don’t think there were any I didn’t like. Apprently I’m a big fan of cosmic/space horror, which is odd because my brain shuts down at the mere mention of anything sci-fi. I guess I just like my space to have crystalized blood floating throughout it. 🛸👽🩸🩻🦠

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this collection of sci-fi/horror short stories. I have never read a collection that had such a high quality and consistency. None of the stories would I rate less than 4 stars and some actually hit 5 stars. I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and I am still thinking of a few of the stories.

It was incredible. Many of these short stories managed to establish character depth that I don't get in many full length books. Some were just nauseating, some horrifying, some thought provoking. Some earth based, some in space. Some were even sweet and romantic. And some I wanted to go on.

Loved this!!

[Aiden Merchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me months to work read this anthology due to its size and slow start. With every large anthology I read, the more I think they should not surpass 60k words. I would say MIDNIGHT BEYOND THE STARS is at least twice that. So, when I hit stories that did nothing for me, the remainder of the book became more daunting and I put off returning to it. Luckily, MBTS does get better as it moves along and provides a fair list of good stories I did truly enjoy. I think PENTAGRAM was a better anthology, but STARS is still scattered with gems. Some of my favorites follow with the notes I took while reading:

Embryo - by Tim Curran
Was the anthology cover influenced by this story or vice versa? Either way, this was the first story to actually keep me interested from start to finish. It's weird, cosmic, horrific, unsettling...just what you want.

Scan for Life - by Jason Parent
Similar to the previous story, Embryo, in some ways, but I still dig that weirdness at the end and the ultimate conclusion where the astronaut becomes one with the transparent membrane.

Snow Blind - by Kristopher Triana
This would have worked better in longer form, but this weird story was enjoyable and strange despite it's lack of explanation.

Skin-Wrapped Gift - by Chad Lutzke
Quick and effective, approachable writing style as usual, easy but interesting concept

We Still Have Time - by Amanda Headlee
I could definitely see this making a good movie adaptation, interesting idea

I Will Meet You There - by Brennan LaFaro
Well written and eerie, great atmosphere and a chilling end, I like the idea of a shadow being that controls you and wants to reach Earth as much as the MC who misses his family

The Bluehaul - by Lee Murray
Not very exciting, but smart and interesting. More of a slow-burn

The Little Voice - by Gabino Inglesias
Gets wild real fast, well written and creepy and full of potential for future stories

Sometimes All of Our Thoughts are Misgiven - by Janine Pipe
I liked the writing a lot, the element of fantasy with the staircase, and how she refers to other stories from her debut collection

Whatever You Want Most - by Megan E. Hart
I liked the writing style and the ending was really weird and fucked up and disturbing

Who Built the Moon? - by Tyler Jones
Really liked the writing and suspense and mystery behind this one. Felt more gritty drama than science fiction, which I liked

Fourteen Gallons - by Red Lagoe
Interesting concept with a post-apocalyptic backdrop

As usual with anthologies, you have the stories you like and the ones you rather skip. To return to this book reading just the titles mentioned above would be an enjoyable time and worthy of a couple hours craving some sci-fi/horror.

[Violet (Biblioteca di Violet) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Score: 4.5/5

Midnight from Beyond the Stars is a short story collection. It contains 33 stories from 33 awesome authors. The theme is alien horror, which, to be honest with you guys, I’ve never read anything like that before. Every single author put their ideas into their stories very well. Some of them were brutal. Some of them were full-on action. Only a couple that I found were not that good.

I was in the group called “Horror Aficionados” on Goodreads. As you can tell from the title, it’s a group of horror lovers. Every month, the group members will pick 2 horror books for a group read. Some months will have special guest authors. Midnight from Beyond the Stars was the book in October 2021, this was from the special author category.

Because this book has 33 short stories, I can’t summary every story for you guys. Therefore, I decided to pick 3 of my favourite stories from the book.

The first one is Abduction Annie by Ronald Kelly. It is about Annie Newman, a waitress at a restaurant, told people in her town that she was abducted by aliens. Not a single person believed her, plus she got teased a lot by the customers in town. I felt so sorry for her because the story was hard to believe. The whole town accused her of lying. Her family drama was another headache subject. Annie had to deal with a lot of issues. Why do I like it then? Well, there was sadism and rape. I know not many people like those but I’m a weird one. I love those stuff (in the books, obviously). It was pitiless and I could see the dark side of humans. I finished this story with big satisfaction.

The next story is called The Little Voice by Gabino Iglesias. It’s about a dad named Andy who had to go to the sun for mining. Andy didn’t want to do the job but the money he’s going to get was amazing. While Andy was in a spaceship, there was something wrong with the teammates. Will Andy survive? OMG! This story was remarkable. I adored it so much. I could feel the father emotion from Andy. He was willing to do anything for his baby girl. Not just that, the horror was also provocative and hideous. It gave me Alien vibes.

The last story is Fourteen Gallons by Red Lagoe. Meredia and Elle had to stay inside the house only because there were extraterrestrial microorganisms outside the environment. They couldn’t drink or eat anything due to the contamination of the microorganisms. They sustained their life with canned food and leftover juice from the cans. This story made me think of global warming so much. It was so real. What if in the next 40 years we have to live like that. Survive by drinking canned juice only because everything outside can kill us. That was truly a real horror story, in my opinion.

Those are just 3 stories of many. Other stories were also excellent. I want everyone to give this book a shot because it is packed with excellent horror authors and well worth the money and time.

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[Sotiris Kosmas · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mostly forgettable anthology of stories that unfortunately fail to make an impact on the reader.

[Broken Bones Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good stories in here, for sure, but this anthology is too big for its own good. For every story that bored me, I took two steps back from this collection. Though equally big (or bigger), I definitely enjoyed Midnight in the Pentagram more. Too many of these stories left me wanting more direction and explanation.

[BookswithLydscl | · Rating 4 out of 5]

a really strong collection overall, a few duds but mostly great quality writing. good variety on the theme but very long so dip in and out.

[M.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of stories but only a few that I cared for. They started feeling very samey very quickly and I had to push myself on more than one occasion to just... keep....reading. This collection/theme was not for me, I think .

I thought "Embryo" was very well written and scary. At least one other story had nearly the same plot as it and much more than a few had the same themes and setting. Embryo was by far the best iteration imo but it was also the first occurrence so that may have given it the advantage too.
"The Fear of Fallen Leaves" was fantastically weird.
"Skin Tags" started out strong, and then .. "
Attack of the Killer Tumbleweed" had a unique voice.
Other than that as I look back over the table of contents I'm struggling to remember which story was which.

[AHZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 for this one. Some stories are cinematic while others are a hit and miss. There is a running theme in all the stories that make them accessible but the delivery makes them unique in their own way. I really enjoyed the Kingdom story as that was a new take on alien horror.