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Love and Other Dead Things: A Collection
From Astrid Addams, author of The Haunting of Hacket House and the Zombie Santa Claus series, comes Love & Other Dead Things: A Collection.
Within these pages you will find eleven tales of terror, from the chilling to the outright horrifying. Nothing is ever as it seems as each story takes unexpected turns - vengeance is sought, blood is spilled, and death is the only certainty.
Within these pages you will find eleven tales of terror, from the chilling to the outright horrifying. Nothing is ever as it seems as each story takes unexpected turns - vengeance is sought, blood is spilled, and death is the only certainty.
165 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 13, 2022
Love & Other Dead Things is Astrid Addams’s debut short story collection, and these stories are exceptionally dark. In a good way. These stories range from darkly entertaining to deeply disturbing, and some also have an underlying social statement. All of them are good, but my favorite is the first one.
“Jimmy’s F***ked Up” grabbed me from the start. It is one of those stories that starts out with a bang and keeps getting darker as it goes. It’s incredible. And the ending was not at all what I expected, but it was well done. I don’t know that finding it humorous was appropriate, but …
Speaking of dark, “He’s Behind You” is disturbingly dark on every level. Every level. By contrast, “Dead Men at Dead Man’s Cliff” is a deep and evocative story about horrors people inflict on each other. And “The Rubies” is a complex bizzarro tale about social indoctrination (creepy because it’s well-done). And there are many others.
This is a diverse collection that showcases Astrid Addams’s impressive range of storytelling as well as he talent as an author. Highly recommended reading for all horror fans.
“Jimmy’s F***ked Up” grabbed me from the start. It is one of those stories that starts out with a bang and keeps getting darker as it goes. It’s incredible. And the ending was not at all what I expected, but it was well done. I don’t know that finding it humorous was appropriate, but …
Speaking of dark, “He’s Behind You” is disturbingly dark on every level. Every level. By contrast, “Dead Men at Dead Man’s Cliff” is a deep and evocative story about horrors people inflict on each other. And “The Rubies” is a complex bizzarro tale about social indoctrination (creepy because it’s well-done). And there are many others.
This is a diverse collection that showcases Astrid Addams’s impressive range of storytelling as well as he talent as an author. Highly recommended reading for all horror fans.
April 30, 2022
I really enjoyed this. I think my favourite was the first story but it was hard to pick just one. Dark and chilling tales that any horror fan will love.
March 20, 2023
Book Review
Title: Love and Other Dead Things by Astrid Addams
Genre: Short Stories, Horror
Rating: 4.5 Stars
My reviews for short story collections tend to be shorter than my other reviews, purely because I don’t want to spoil the stories for other readers. Horror short stories are also hit or miss for me, because of the length of the stories some have a huge impact, while others completely fall flat. The first story, Jimmy Fucked Up was good and a nice introduction to the collection as it looks at revenge and parenthood in an interesting way with plenty of horrific moments from Jimmy himself and others but it felt a little rushed which isn’t uncommon with short stories but I will see where the collection goes.
The next story, He’s Behind You was a strange combination of psychological horror and almost gothic horror featuring a mysterious entity and a murderous teddy bear haunting the life of Gemma. I thought it to be a depiction of mental health with how the people that died were people who abused Gemma before the creature came for her like she killed them and then committed suicide and created the creature to not take responsibility for the crimes but it could be something else entirely. The third story, The Tower, was a good story especially if you liked the vibes of The Shining. This was quick, creepy and definitely gory featuring a similar bathroom scene but it really focused on how spirits linger after death and what that means for the living and I would have liked for this to have been longer.
Dead Men at Dead Man’s Cliff might just be my favourite story of the collection so far as it was heart-breaking but at the same time hopeful and once again focuses on revenge but the kind you see far more often in real life than in fiction. The next story, Love and Other Chainsaws, was a story that could have been an amazing full length novel with the premise. Essentially it asks what if war and other corruptions created by humans created demons who further corrupt and destroy creating more of themselves over time but it also had themes of love, loyalty and family which added a nice twist to it. The Rubies was a story that reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale, while I haven’t read the book or seen the show, the premise is well known but this was far darker and gorier than I expect The Handmaid’s Tale is and honestly I was down for it. If The Handmaid’s Tale has a tenth of the intrigue and terror that this story had then I am going to love it when I eventually get to it.
Beware was a story that sparks memories of Halloween horror films in the back of my brain and I’m almost certain it would make a great slasher film and if you like over the top gore with witchcraft and revenge elements then this would definitely be the story for you. Then we reach the story that gives its name to the collection, Love and Other Dead Things. This story was amazing it had a real chilling atmosphere, interesting characters and a different look on vampires. The vampires features in this story are more like the vampires of folklore rather than the ones created in popular culture like Dracula and Twilight so if that’s your thing then definitely check this story out. In Memory Of was a seriously dark and disturbing story focusing on mental illness and child abuse so I would recommend seriously checking out the trigger warnings before diving into this collection because it was taxing to get through at times especially this story. I swear Poppy is going to haunt me for the rest of my days.
The Blue Dress was another haunting story and this one had a twist that I didn’t see coming, in fact, it had two that took me completely by surprise. One thing I have been loving about this collection is the LGBT representation with both gay and lesbian couples as well as a transgender character as well as amazing but horrific depictions of mental illness in its many forms. Judge Dead is the last story in the collection and it was a unique look on zombies as well as making some social commentary which I found extremely interesting. Overall, this collection didn’t look like much in the beginning but it definitely held some real gems. My favourite story would be a tie between The Tower and The Blue Dress and I highly recommend this collection to fans of the slasher genre.
Title: Love and Other Dead Things by Astrid Addams
Genre: Short Stories, Horror
Rating: 4.5 Stars
My reviews for short story collections tend to be shorter than my other reviews, purely because I don’t want to spoil the stories for other readers. Horror short stories are also hit or miss for me, because of the length of the stories some have a huge impact, while others completely fall flat. The first story, Jimmy Fucked Up was good and a nice introduction to the collection as it looks at revenge and parenthood in an interesting way with plenty of horrific moments from Jimmy himself and others but it felt a little rushed which isn’t uncommon with short stories but I will see where the collection goes.
The next story, He’s Behind You was a strange combination of psychological horror and almost gothic horror featuring a mysterious entity and a murderous teddy bear haunting the life of Gemma. I thought it to be a depiction of mental health with how the people that died were people who abused Gemma before the creature came for her like she killed them and then committed suicide and created the creature to not take responsibility for the crimes but it could be something else entirely. The third story, The Tower, was a good story especially if you liked the vibes of The Shining. This was quick, creepy and definitely gory featuring a similar bathroom scene but it really focused on how spirits linger after death and what that means for the living and I would have liked for this to have been longer.
Dead Men at Dead Man’s Cliff might just be my favourite story of the collection so far as it was heart-breaking but at the same time hopeful and once again focuses on revenge but the kind you see far more often in real life than in fiction. The next story, Love and Other Chainsaws, was a story that could have been an amazing full length novel with the premise. Essentially it asks what if war and other corruptions created by humans created demons who further corrupt and destroy creating more of themselves over time but it also had themes of love, loyalty and family which added a nice twist to it. The Rubies was a story that reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale, while I haven’t read the book or seen the show, the premise is well known but this was far darker and gorier than I expect The Handmaid’s Tale is and honestly I was down for it. If The Handmaid’s Tale has a tenth of the intrigue and terror that this story had then I am going to love it when I eventually get to it.
Beware was a story that sparks memories of Halloween horror films in the back of my brain and I’m almost certain it would make a great slasher film and if you like over the top gore with witchcraft and revenge elements then this would definitely be the story for you. Then we reach the story that gives its name to the collection, Love and Other Dead Things. This story was amazing it had a real chilling atmosphere, interesting characters and a different look on vampires. The vampires features in this story are more like the vampires of folklore rather than the ones created in popular culture like Dracula and Twilight so if that’s your thing then definitely check this story out. In Memory Of was a seriously dark and disturbing story focusing on mental illness and child abuse so I would recommend seriously checking out the trigger warnings before diving into this collection because it was taxing to get through at times especially this story. I swear Poppy is going to haunt me for the rest of my days.
The Blue Dress was another haunting story and this one had a twist that I didn’t see coming, in fact, it had two that took me completely by surprise. One thing I have been loving about this collection is the LGBT representation with both gay and lesbian couples as well as a transgender character as well as amazing but horrific depictions of mental illness in its many forms. Judge Dead is the last story in the collection and it was a unique look on zombies as well as making some social commentary which I found extremely interesting. Overall, this collection didn’t look like much in the beginning but it definitely held some real gems. My favourite story would be a tie between The Tower and The Blue Dress and I highly recommend this collection to fans of the slasher genre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2022
Astrid Addams has concocted a great collection of tales here that certainly reside on the darker side. As with most short story collections some are better than others, but I generally had a pretty good time with these.
Things kick off with the brilliantly titled Jimmy’s Fucked Up. And he certainly has. This dude, who exists to bring torture and suffering to others, is about to get a big, bloody surprise
In He’s Behind You the darkness is coming for Gemma, but can she escape it?
The Tower is the tale of a home carer sent to an infamous tower block where a psycho sacrificed women to Satan before killing himself. Surely she isn’t visiting that flat? The description of the home here made my skin crawl.
Dead Men at Dead Man’s Cliff is yet another dose of darkness. When a dude’s boyfriend is killed by a cyclist, he goes to great – and rather psychotic – lengths to exact his revenge.
We are treated to a grandfather’s letter explaining what made him so murderous in Love and Other Chainsaws. Basically he was evacuated during the war to live with a seemingly loving family. But this family were hiding a great and macabre secret.
The Rubies is a dystopian nightmare that is really rather uncomfortable to read. And then the ending smashes its way in with shocks a-plenty. This was my favourite story here.
In Beware there are some creepy Halloween jack-o-laterns and scarecrows lurking in this spooky old house. More darkness is coming to consume
Things get romantic in Love and Other Dead Things. Our protagonist is planning the most mushy, yet grotesque surprise for her wife on their anniversary.
The one story I really didn’t feel here was In Memory of… I just didn’t like the narrator for a start. There were some great ideas and chilling imagery, but it seemed a little rushed to me. Now if this was fleshed out with a more engaging protagonist, I’d be there!!
Awww, The Blue Dress. This beautiful garment promises you the world and everything in it, surely nothing could go wrong, eh? I’ll be honest I didn’t understand some of the characters’ behaviour in this one, but it was certainly shocking and nasty.
Judge Dead brings this collection to a close. This was quite a weird tale where zombies get political, something I’d never thought of before.
So all in all, this is a decent book of short stories that would be a good introduction to Astrid Addams’ work. If macabre darkness is your thing, of course, and why wouldn’t it be?
Things kick off with the brilliantly titled Jimmy’s Fucked Up. And he certainly has. This dude, who exists to bring torture and suffering to others, is about to get a big, bloody surprise
In He’s Behind You the darkness is coming for Gemma, but can she escape it?
The Tower is the tale of a home carer sent to an infamous tower block where a psycho sacrificed women to Satan before killing himself. Surely she isn’t visiting that flat? The description of the home here made my skin crawl.
Dead Men at Dead Man’s Cliff is yet another dose of darkness. When a dude’s boyfriend is killed by a cyclist, he goes to great – and rather psychotic – lengths to exact his revenge.
We are treated to a grandfather’s letter explaining what made him so murderous in Love and Other Chainsaws. Basically he was evacuated during the war to live with a seemingly loving family. But this family were hiding a great and macabre secret.
The Rubies is a dystopian nightmare that is really rather uncomfortable to read. And then the ending smashes its way in with shocks a-plenty. This was my favourite story here.
In Beware there are some creepy Halloween jack-o-laterns and scarecrows lurking in this spooky old house. More darkness is coming to consume
Things get romantic in Love and Other Dead Things. Our protagonist is planning the most mushy, yet grotesque surprise for her wife on their anniversary.
The one story I really didn’t feel here was In Memory of… I just didn’t like the narrator for a start. There were some great ideas and chilling imagery, but it seemed a little rushed to me. Now if this was fleshed out with a more engaging protagonist, I’d be there!!
Awww, The Blue Dress. This beautiful garment promises you the world and everything in it, surely nothing could go wrong, eh? I’ll be honest I didn’t understand some of the characters’ behaviour in this one, but it was certainly shocking and nasty.
Judge Dead brings this collection to a close. This was quite a weird tale where zombies get political, something I’d never thought of before.
So all in all, this is a decent book of short stories that would be a good introduction to Astrid Addams’ work. If macabre darkness is your thing, of course, and why wouldn’t it be?
March 16, 2023
The eleven short stories are:
- Jimmy's F***ed Up
- He's Behind You
- The Tower
- Dead Men at Dead Man's Cliff
- Love and Other Chainsaws
- The Rubies
- Beware
- Love and Other Dead Things
- In Memory Of...
- The Blue Dress
- Judge Dead
These are horror stories reflecting dark minds and presented in well described visual narratives. My favourite are Jimmy's F***ed Up and He's Behind You.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
- Jimmy's F***ed Up
- He's Behind You
- The Tower
- Dead Men at Dead Man's Cliff
- Love and Other Chainsaws
- The Rubies
- Beware
- Love and Other Dead Things
- In Memory Of...
- The Blue Dress
- Judge Dead
These are horror stories reflecting dark minds and presented in well described visual narratives. My favourite are Jimmy's F***ed Up and He's Behind You.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews