Dread Cold

by Matt Adcock

Here comes the fear.

Inspired by a lonely vista – white snow, a still blue lake, a castle on a hill – these authors weave their magic.

Is it an ancient castle or a modern hotel? Is the horror dressed in darkness waiting in the dungeons, or dressed as an innocent by the side of the lake?

The stories play out across the seasons, across the ages, across the stars …

Includes competition winner, The Loop, by novelist Mark Henderson and an invited contribution from guest editor and award-winning horror author, Matt Adcock.

This collection is not for the faint hearted. You have been warned.

Contains frightfully fear inducing fables by;
Matt Adcock
Max Bantleman
JC Bateman
Stephanie Billen
Lorraine Childerstone
Jeremy Childerstone
Bill Davidson
Joe Doliczny
Peter Ford
Jacci Gooding
Caroline Hardwick
Tansy Hawksley
Mark P. Henderson
Valerie Moyses
Alan R Paine
Kester Robert Park
Steven Patchett
David Stewart
John Tolmie

208 pages, Paperback

Published June 3, 2022

Reviews

[Mark Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt Adcock’s story The Power of Darkness to Reach Out and Touch Us provides a fitting climax to this collection of twenty-five short horror fiction stories, Dread Cold. Adcock’ theme, the catastrophic effect of sustained total darkness on the human mind, was explored in hair-raising detail in his scary novel Complete Darkness, which won critical accolades after its publication in 2019. The opening sentence of his new story points the direction: “Humans are creatures that take natural light for granted”. But Adcock doesn’t plagiarise, even from himself. He’s given us another original, deeply unsettling tale, one that explores not only the impact of darkness but also the depths of human cruelty. It made me shudder.

Dread Cold is the product of the most recent writing competition from Fantastic Books Publishing (FBP). The prompt was a picture of a winter landscape with a large building in the middle distance and snow-clad mountains in the background, with the invitation “Write a short horror fiction story, no more than 2000 words”. In view of the success of his novel, Matt Adcock was invited to judge the competition. He accepted the invitation, selected what he deemed to be the twenty-five best stories submitted in response to the prompt, and added a foreword. Then he added this story of his own - to show everyone else how to do it, one might say. Several of the stories in the anthology are well-writen and effective, but Adcock’s own contribution really sticks in the mind.

FBP donates a significant part of its proceeds from publications to charities. The agreed percentage of its income from Dread Cold will go to Anti-Slavery International and Embrace the Middle East. Therefore, if you follow my recommendation and buy this book, you’ll not only have Matt Adcock’s terrifying story (along with others) to look forward to, you’ll also be contributing to excellent causes.

[Stuart Aken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Horror Anthology
This charity anthology, the proceeds of which will go to Anti-Slavery International and Embrace the Middle East, encloses 25 horror tales between its covers.
These are thoughtful, speculative tales to make your hair stand on end rather than blood and guts fiestas. These are stories that will play with your mind after reading them. They’ll disturb your sleep as you ponder the cruelty of man upon his fellows.
Everyone will have their favourite among such a collection, but my own was Jeremy Childerstone’s ‘Collapse’, which paints a story of unknown infection utterly destroying, in the most hideous way, all who come into contact with it. There is a sense of realism, that this really could happen, in the story arc, the references to aspects of living we all recognise. The story was placed 3rd in the contest that brought together these tales inspired by the cover picture.
These gripping stories will inspire fear, anxiety, and the dread of the title. You’ll feel the cold, the inescapable chill that numbs the body while leaving the mind free to dwell on the inevitable fate facing the protagonists encountering such horrors.
Unless you like your sleep interrupted by images of death dredged from stories full of pain, terror and torture, I advise against reading this book before bedtime. You have been warned!

[Stefanie Barnfather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought about this compilation of short stories for days after I read it—I talked about it, too! Loved it! The writers selected in this competition are exceptional. The pace of each tale moves, the stakes are high, and the character-driven action is authentic. The narrative tension established on each first page held me until each final word. I enjoyed the connections to literature sprinkled in many of the stories, and the imagery that sucked me into the worlds—not one word is wasted in the entire book. I especially liked, OPEN PRISON, by Alan R. Paine (large-scale art on a different planet to represent emotional heartbreak?—WHAT!) and, THE GIANTS, by Kester Robert Park (a modern, science-led revision of bodysnatchers). I highly recommend this book; my blood was more than chilled.