You never know what's lurking in the dark! Presenting 24 monstrous tales from some of your favorite HorrorTubers!
This latest HorrorTube anthology deals with the very bedrock layer of the horror monsters. HorrorTube is the dark corner of YouTube where horror aficionados – and horror authors – hang out and make videos, and in these pages several of HorrorTube’s brightest stars spin tales about that bedrock horror layer, the monster. (from the foreword by Steve Donoghue)
Foreword by Steve Donoghue Preface by R. Saint Claire Beneath the Dark by D.L. Tillery Aftermath by Mister Morningstar Stryga by James Ippoliti Bad Moon Rising by Amy McCaw Split the Flesh by Oliver C. Seneca Titanium by Alexandra Challoner Truckenstein Must Die! by The Kool Ghoul It's My Job by Pax Panic Werewolf of Distinction by Austin Smith Diplomatic Immunity by Dave Aldrich Severance Pay by Cam Wolfe The Passenger by Matt Wall The Feelings of Sheep by Andrew Lyall Zipper Face by Nicholas Gray Growing Love by Juan Valencia The Angela by R. Saint Claire Skull by A.B. Frank The Horror at Dyer's Grove by Jason White Wendigoner by Jeremy Fee Don't Go Into the Forest by Mers Sumida One Lonesome Night by E.D. Lewis Guilt Trip by James Flynn Little Wolfy Nipperkin by Michael Taylor Midnight by Marie McWilliams
Cover art by Cameron Roubique
*All proceeds for Lurking in the Dark go to the literacy charity, First Book.
Regina writes adult and young adult fiction, but always with a dark flair. Writing honors include a Watty Award for best horror novel and multiple screenwriting awards, including a Webby Honoree. Regina is also the contributing editor of the bestselling Local Haunts: A HorrorTube Anthology. Find Regina, and her alter-ego Batilda, at her BookTube channel, Regina's Haunted Library, and on her blog RSaintClaire.com.
A delightfully varied collection of horror tales with my favourites being:
Bad Moon Rising- Amy McCaw Titanium (my absolute favourite) - Alexandra Challoner It's My Job - Pax Panic (the only one that made me cry) Growing Love - Juan Valenica
Honestly there weren't any stories in the collection I disliked, all in all a consistent, and quality book.
What a terrific collection! I think this is the strongest of the horrortube anthologies yet. All of the entries (which include poems and art alongside short fiction) are strong and there is a wide range in tone and style.
I enjoyed everything, but my personal favorites were:
Titanium by Alexandra Challoner - Bonkers (in the best way) story of a woman who gets possessed by her right breast!
Truckenstein Must Die! by Kool Ghoul - Humor is completely subjective, but this REALLY landed for me. The pacing, action and humor clicked, and I had a great time. I would read an entire novel set in this universe!
It's My Job by Pax Panic - told through the eyes of a dog trying to protect his owner. The way Pax captures the voice of the dog is pure genius. Anyone who's lived with a dog will tear up (if not cry) while reading this.
Severance Pay by Cam Wolfe - begins with a man stuck in an elevator. When he hears screams coming from the office floor, everything goes off the rails in an amazing way. I thought this was incredibly fun.
The Horror at Dyer's Grove by Jason White - I really related to the setting/community described in this story and that gave it an added sense of realism for me. My family doesn't hunt, but I know many people who do. In this story, a young woman's boyfriend returns from a hunting trip with a bunch of the local men. They got something big, that's got them really excited, but they're being cagey about what it is...
Don't Go into the Forest by Mers Sumida - I loved the beautiful descriptions and sense of place in this story. A woman visits a farm in Germany to investigate a series of disappearances. Once there, she hears a seemingly unrelated but disturbing local legend. Is this what they call "folk horror?" I really enjoyed the vibes of this one.
Growing Love by Juan Valencia - this story is surreal and brilliant. There's a dreamlike quality to it at first, while you try to wrap your head around what's happening. Then it becomes clearer and steadily more horrific. A possession story and a monster story that also grapples with grief and addiction.
This is the perfect anthology to pick up for Halloween. I'm impressed by the breadth of monster stories contained in this collection - you've got some comedy (which I love) and then you've also got grittier, gorier pieces. You've got serial killers, urban legend style creatures (Zipper Face by Nicholas Gray could be the new Slenderman) and then your classics (werewolves, vampires, sea monsters.) There are even a couple of stories set in historical settings (R. Saint Claire successfully captures the language and tone of her historical setting in The Angela.) I can already tell that some of these stories are going to stay with me for a long time. Guilt Trip by James Flynn I find particularly haunting.
Some of the authors included in this collection are making their writing debut, and I really hope that all of them keep writing. I had a blast reading this and would readily read more from everyone involved.
A great collection of monster-themed stories put together by R. Saint Claire, featuring entries from our lovely community known as "HorrorTube", a niche side of Youtube where we primarily review and discuss horror literature! Many of the authors here are beginners/amateurs, such as myself, but we all share a passion for writing and spooky stories, and there is a nice variety here in terms of tone and content. You have some darker, more subtle pieces in this collection, and there are also some wild and gory creature feature entries. Overall this was a fun collaboration to be a part of and I had fun reading the stories of those I consider my friends in this tight-knit online community.
If I had to pick a few favorite stories, they would probably be: Titanium It's My Job Diplomatic Immunity Severance Pay Zipper Face and Midnight
I enjoyed this HorrorTube Anthology recently and was blown away by the creativity and talent within this group of authors. I know of at least one who published for the very first time and she totally could have fooled me into thinking she was a seasoned professional. 💚
This book explores monsters of all kinds, with unique twists on familiar tropes, completely original ideas, and loads of darkness. I enjoyed each story, appreciating the diversity these voices offered. What a treat it was!
What a fun time I had reading this! It’s so cool reading stories from those I watch on booktube and communicate with through social media. Aside from being “monster themed” This anthology really did include a little bit of everything! It was by no means perfect but I enjoyed the vastly different and bizarre ideas all of these authors came up with. I hope for more of these in the future!
With the profits from this book going to charity, when you purchase it you're helping with literacy and getting books to those who need them. Also, you can interact with the authors on YouTube.
Disclaimer: I have a short story in this collection; my review here is of the other stories, which were all great to read. The theme of monster/creature features helps tie the anthology together, even with a variety of styles and unique voices. I considered providing a description of each story in this review, but Pax Panic has already provided an amazing discussion of them all in her YouTube video about Lurking in the Dark. You should definitely watch that one!
So why are you still reading this review when you could be clicking on some links to buy the book? It’s available as both an e-book and a paperback; pick your poison.
I was lucky enough to win a copy of this through the social media pages of one of the contributors. This is a collection of short stories by various authors who regularly post content on YouTube. I usually find that with any anthology there's generally a couple of standout stories, a few duds and most are simply okay. This was not the case here. Not a single dud for me and the majority of the stories were top notch. A great read for any horror fan.
Most of the stories in this book were good, some great. There are authors of different styles and sensibilities that make it an entertaining read. Some of the story ideas are wild and out there in a refreshing way.
Love the other two instalments but to me this one is best of these anthologies trilogy :) I wonder if there is going to be more HorrorTube anthologies?