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A to Z of Horror

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A to Z of Horror is Kennedy's best work yet. This collection of twenty-four stories, ten drabbles, and three poems covers every sub-genre of Horror, from the extreme to the outright bizarre. Between the pages, you'll be confronted with the monsters of humanity and beyond, including shapeshifters, cryptids, and vampires. This creepy, bloodthirsty tomb is not for the faint of heart. What are you waiting for? Kennedy's monsters welcome you to join them between the covers of A to Z of Horror .

Unknown Binding

First published January 21, 2023

46 people are currently reading
103 people want to read

About the author

Kevin J. Kennedy

140 books325 followers
Kevin J. Kennedy is a horror author, editor, and anthologist. He is the owner of KJK Publishing and runs the bestselling 'The Horror Collection' series. He is the author of Halloween Land, The Clown and Nothing is Real.

He lives in the heart of Scotland with his beautiful wife, three cats, Carlito, Ariel and Luna, and a Pomchi called Orko. He can be found on Facebook if you want to chat with him.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for Marie.
1,121 reviews392 followers
January 28, 2023
I am not going to be doing a backstory but I will give out thoughts on the book.

Thoughts:

Author, Kevin J. Kennedy wrote short stories for the A-Z alphabet and all of them are loaded with some type of horror. You will find all kind of stories to fit your horror needs. I have read quite a few of this author's anthologies and have read a few of his own stories.

I always look forward to whatever he puts out there as I know that the stories within will always satisfy my horror cravings! Another great book by this author and looking forward to whatever else he has coming in the future! Giving this book four "Horrific Shorts" stars!
Profile Image for Calvin Demmer.
Author 84 books497 followers
Read
February 25, 2023
A is no longer for apple. B is no longer for ball. No letter of the alphabet is safe anymore as Kevin J. Kennedy arrives with a diverse collection of dark tales. A treat for readers who enjoy short journeys of terror and suspense.
Profile Image for The_5ft_reader.
504 reviews7 followers
March 24, 2023
Great little collection of stories was not expecting the illustrations, though, and the first one I came to as I flicked the page made me jump!
Profile Image for Diana  | Indie Book Addict.
542 reviews24 followers
February 17, 2023
Kevin J. Kennedy’s A to Z of Horror features 22 pieces of flash fiction with almost every type of horror imaginable. Cannibals, dark fairy tale characters, huge spiders, sugar people and much more! Kennedy offers up a mixed bag of darkness, gore, and humor with this collection. I enjoyed all of them, but my favorites were After the Apocalypse, By the Seaside, It’s No Fairy Tale Out There and Rage. If you enjoy quick reads that pack a punch grab this book!
Profile Image for Chiara Cooper.
499 reviews29 followers
January 31, 2023
Great collection of diverse horror stories! There is literally something for everyone and it's true to its title! It is full of gore and rage but also fun and humour and I have shed a tear or two whilst reading some of the stories!
Not only gives an insight into the author's talent but the freedom in writing the stories really transpires not just because of the diversity of the content but in the format as well, with pleasurable poetry and drabbles included.
This is my first experience with a horror collection and I'm glad I read it as the expectations for a next one are now high thanks to Kevin J. Kennedy!
Profile Image for Nick Scarbrough.
Author 4 books23 followers
February 13, 2024
This book covers 24 short stories, 10 dribbles, and 3 poems. They range from classic horror, bizarro, extreme, supernatural, cryptic, vampires and everything in between.

He literally goes from A to Z with his titles.
My favorite was K.
K is for Killer Big-Ass Fuckin' Spiders. 🤣

While the stories are fun that's not what I want to talk about. Short stories are always challenging and this guy wrote a whole slew of them. What makes it even better is how well each of them are done. Not a single one in the entire book stood out to me as weak. Super strong writing showcased in this fun little book.

I would recommend this book to just about any horror lover out there. The stories are so diverse that it offers something for everyone.

I'm so glad I picked this one up!
Profile Image for Nancy Sundquist.
30 reviews11 followers
February 7, 2023
I recently finished the upcoming Kevin J Kennedy Collection: A to Z of Horror. This is my first full-length work of his, though I've read a couple of shorts of his here and there in various anthologies. He usually can be found promoting other authors' works through his impressive 15-book series The Horror Collection featuring a bunch of great authors that he thinks deserve some recognition. When he's not doing that he seems to just submit stories to themed anthologies and this A to Z concept allowed him to write about anything his heart fancied and hopefully, the reader will too. I certainly did and plan to read more of his work in the future.

This collection has a bit of everything as you can imagine. You've got a great story about cannibals in the woods (that I am hoping could be built upon for something longer in the future), and you've got your various creature features. Want a cool apocalyptic tale? You got it. There's a section of drabbles, and another of poems (that I dug). There's an example of when a 3 some goes very wrong.. or right? You've got good amounts of gore and violence but not so much that you'd have to avoid the entire book if that's not your thing. There's a bit for everyone. The only bit I didn't care for was the drabbles but even with that I still give the overall collection 5 stars.
Profile Image for Dan Lawson.
100 reviews3 followers
February 27, 2023
Man oh man! Let me start me start by saying thanks to the man himself the author the one the only Kevin J Kennedy for letting me get an ARC Copy of this incredible fantastic epic spectacular book. From the moment I received this I was instantly dragged into the stories. From A to Z I was on a ride of amazing spooky horrifying stories. Kevin was very kind to speak to me with any of my questions which you don't get to do a lot. The mate is an incredible person and heck of a writer. I consider him a friend now and Can't wait to see what's next. I highly recommend this book to all horror fans even book fans. This is one you have to have on your shelf. Buy this now and enjoy the ride. Thank you Kevin! Awesome job mate. Enjoy the ride to my friend. You nailed it
14 reviews2 followers
January 29, 2023
I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this in return for an honest review, I’m not normally a fan of books of short stories but this book has changed has that, I read the whole book in a day as I couldn’t put it down!
As with most collections, I preferred some stories to others but I still enjoyed them all. My personal favourites were E is for Elena, I is for It’s no Fairy Tale Out There, K is for Killer Big-Ass, Fuckin’ Spiders (who wouldn’t love a story with a title like that??) M is for My Cuddly Monster, R is for Rage and Z is for Zoning Out. Some of them left me wanting more, I really need to know what Elena and Isla got up to next!
All in all this was a fantastic collection of stories and I highly recommend it, it was easily 5 stars from me.
Profile Image for Ali  O.
778 reviews44 followers
November 9, 2024
A To Z of Horror by Kevin J. Kennedy
🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a fun collection of short stories from
A to Z. There are several different styles of horror involved within this anthology.
There is definitely something for everyone to enjoy in this book! All of the stories are very well written!

Some of my stand outs were:

B is for By the Seaside
I is for It’s no Fairy Tale Out There
J is for Jawbreaker
M is for My Cuddly Monster
S is for Satan’s Apocalypse
W is for Where am I
X is for Zoning Out

This is a quick and entertaining read!! This collection is out now, so go check out the fun A to Z of Horror!
Profile Image for Corrie.
15 reviews
September 11, 2023
Great book of horror short stories as always by Mr Kennedy. In a collection like this there are always some you wish were longer and personal favourites. Definitely worth a read, grab a brew sit back and enjoy.
Profile Image for Tasha.
478 reviews15 followers
January 25, 2023
Kevin J. Kennedy gives us 26 short stories of cryptids, sex, drugs, and gore. All equally just as entertaining as the next. At the time of this review, the letters Q and Y are not in the book just yet, they will be a pleasant surprise when this is released soon.

*Another long review, as I break down the 24 stories I had the privilege to read and review.

A is for After the Apocalypse. An awesome story of a man reflecting on his life during an apocalypse. A very well written story, I loved this one.

B is for By the Seaside. A family on vacation turns into a nightmare. This one has an awesome little twist.

C is for Crabs Vs. the A.Y.T. Freaking hilarious story of a group of kids trying a crab invasion. Lots of laughs in this one!

D is for Drabble. A drabble is a 100 word story, Kennedy shares 10 drabbles. Every single one of them is entertaining.

E is for Elena. Elena is on a little trip with her boyfriend, lots of sex and drugs and having a fabulous time! I liked where this ended up going.

F is for Family. Family isn’t always by blood. We have our best friends that are our family, those that really relate to us and understand us. A dark and twisted story.

G is for Gills. Such an odd story, but I liked it a lot! It’s about gills, no more will be said on this one.

H is for the Hooch and Honey. If I say anything about this story it will give away a lot of its magic. I will say this is an awesome but odd story. I really did like all the twists it takes. Definitely one of my favorites.

I is for It’s No Fairy Tale Out There. Oh gosh..is this Kennedy’s retelling of a fairy tale?? It seems so! Hilarious, dark, and evil. Perfection!

J is Jawbreaker. You are what you eat!! Hehehe. A fun and “sweet” story.

K. is for Killer Big Ass, F***in’ Spiders. Yes, it is about big ass spiders. And yes, I did get the chills and freaked out.

L is for Last of the Selkies. There is so much more to this story than the last of the remaining selkies. It’s kinda sad in a way, but I did like this one quite a bit. One of my top stories in this anthology.
M is for My Cuddly Monster. Looks can be so deceiving and rewarding at the same time. Awesome story, totally unexpected where it went.

N is for Nightmare Farm. Another hilarious story, I literally laughed out loud due to the absurdness of this one! A guy living on a farm, and it’s a nightmare!

O is for Outback Raccoon. How do I explain this one….a man is tired of his wife and does something about her constantly doing things wrong. Weird short story, but I did like this one in the end. I wasn’t sure at first.

P is for Poems. Kennedy wrote some poetry for us! Lots of fun here.

R is for Rage. A nasty story of a man that finally finds a way to handle his internal rage. Loved it!

S is for Satan’s Apocalypse. Here is another apocalypse story but so much different than the first one. I love apocalypse stories, and this one delivers.

T is for Time Left. A story of what would happen is we are all on borrowed time. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 Years? Check this story out to find out!

U is for Up-and-Comer. This one is about a kid growing up to be angry and mean. I kind of time lapse sort of story about his childhood moving into young adulthood. Lots of good gore and horror.

V is Vampire Fae Scotland. A short story on the drawbacks and perks of being a vampire. Groovy story, I liked it.

W is for Where Am I? A kid gets lost and tries to find his way back to his parents. Very cool story.

X is for Xana. This is a kind of supernatural cryptid type story. So fantastic, I loved this one! Definitely another favorite.

Z is for Zoning Out. This is such an odd story about a person who zones out and wakes up elsewhere not knowing what happened when he zoned out. An awesome plot twist. This is a good ending story.


As you can see, the stories in this collection vary so much. Every story is unique and well written. There are a few that could be turned into a novella that would be very enjoyable. I am looking forward to reading the two other stories that will be with the final version of the anthology.

Keep your eyes out for this one! It’ll be worth it!!
Profile Image for Andrew Kurtz.
45 reviews8 followers
January 28, 2023
Kevin J. Kennedy has done it again. He has turned the alphabet into a horror bet.

After the Appoclapse:
The greatest enemy of the last survivors of the human race will send chills down your spine.

By the Seaside
Is Sawney Bean just a legend?

Crabs vs the A.T.Y.
Can two weed smoking teens defeat an army of flesh eating crabs?

Drabble
100 word horrors at their best

Elena
Sometimes sex literally brings out the beast within.

Family
In this family, horror is the norm.

Gills
People don't have gills, or do they?

Hooch and Honey
Hold your bile in when you discover how the hooch is made.

It's No Fairy Tale There
Forget all you know about the Three Little Pigs and Seven Dwarfs. These fairytale characters literally bite and maul.

Jawbreaker
You are what you eat.

Killer Big - Ass Fucking Spiders
They are so easy to kill, and I am not referring to the giant spiders.

Last of the Selkies
When mankind devastates the planet, can the Selkies survive?

My Cuddly Monster
Just because a pet monster sleeps all the time, doesn't mean it can't tear you to shreds.

Nightmare Farm
Pigs and cows belong on a farm. How about one thousand of each species?

Outback Raccoon
Some women need to be kept in their place, even if it is in a wooden shed away from the husband.

Poems
Rhythm and rhyme, it's dying time.

Rage
Taking out you rage on bullies is fun, especially when you dismember and kill them as well.

Satan's Appoclapse
In this bar, murder is the way to pay.

Time-Left
Being unemployed is bad. Being executed for it is even worse.

Up and Comer
When your competition is the Joneses, keeping up with them is not an option.

Vampire Fae Scotland
You think you have problems? Wait til you read what troubles this Vampire.

Where Am I?
In this carnival, you become part of the show for eternity.

Xana
Harm the environment and the Xana will take revenge. If the Xana die out, the Old Ones take over and they are much worse.

Zoning Out
Some people collect stamps, others collect human tits.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Milt Theo.
1,837 reviews151 followers
January 31, 2023
Kevin Kennedy offered an advanced copy of his fourth collection in return for an honest review. Being a fan of short stories, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this! The new collection is inspired by the alphabet, a captivating series from A to Z of haunting tales that cover the whole gamut of horror genres, each one standing on its own and introducing readers to the sheer variety of Kennedy’s tropes of imagination. The stories are often short, compact, always interesting, and many fall into the sub-genre of Flash Fiction (the letter D stands for Drabbles, 100 word stories, of which Kennedy has 10, all sure to leave a lasting impression; P is for Poems.) I found them perfect for reading whenever I had a little free time: each story has amazing dialogue, very natural sounding, with a nice Scottish slant on both setting and characters. Most of them hide a different type of surprise, keeping things fresh, sometimes going very dark, sometimes satirical, but always fun for any fan of the horror genre. Some stories were standouts for me: ‘B is for By the Seaside’ (a truly disturbing story, one to be enjoyed over the campfire), ‘E is for Elena’ (a gory tale of depravity with an unpredictable ending!), ‘F is for Family’ (a story about the dark net, very worrisome since it might be true), ‘G is for Gills’ (very very short and atmospheric, very sad too), and ‘M is for My Cuddly Monster’ (my favorite, I really enjoyed this one, and wanted more! What a brilliant story, blending the love for a pet with the creepiness of genuine monstrosity.) Overall, this was a fantastic read. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Erica Robyn Metcalf.
1,342 reviews108 followers
February 6, 2023
A to Z of Horror by Kevin J. Kennedy is a collection of horror tales that range from drabbles and poems to flash fiction and short stories, covering everything from humorous horror to extreme horror! This is a collection that all horror fans will love something from!

Hearing that Kevin had another short story collection out that was all his work, I immediately couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. This author is unmatched in his short story writing skill and I can never wait to see what he is going to serve up next. Kevin has an unusual way of making me love even the stories that make my stomach turn sour and my blood boil.

I absolutely devoured this collection.

My favorites stories from A to Z of Horror include:

B is for By the Seaside
I is for It’s No Fairy Tale Out There
J is for Jawbreaker
M is for My Cuddly Monster
S is for Satan’s Apocalypse
T is for Time Left

If you’re looking for a great collection of horror tales that are sure to leave you feeling many different emotions, then look no further! Some of these tales will leave you unsettled, some will make you laugh, and some will make you feel ill.

This is another killer collection from the master of short stories, Kevin J. Kennedy.

Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/a-to-...
Profile Image for Lisa Swearengin.
63 reviews9 followers
January 31, 2023
I absolutely LOVED every story in this deliciously dark A-Z book. It has a little something to satisfy every horror lover.

I don’t do spoilers…you can see plenty of that in other reviews if you want to. I personally don’t, which is why I don’t watch movie trailers either.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book!! Kevin in absolutely masterful at his story weaving. He uses so many different styles and keeps me guessing and wanting more. That is one of the keys to knowing you wrote something good…when you leave them wanting more.

Kudos to you, Kevin!!!
Profile Image for Leighah.
328 reviews4 followers
November 19, 2024
Another solid collection of short creepy tales. This authors writing style is very easy to read, the stories flow nicely and are very entertaining. My favourite has to be the letter I. That was just too funny that story. I also really enjoyed the letter T. That one left me thinking for a few days "what if that were to happen?" If you like short stories that are a little left of centre this is the book for you.
Profile Image for Amanda Elizabeth Myers.
266 reviews7 followers
February 1, 2023
Ok, I’m horrible at reviews but I’ll give it a shot. These stories were fantastic. Something for everybody. Not all of them were gory and bloody. Some made me giggle and some made me say “WTF”. There’s even some poetry thrown in there too. This was my first book by Kevin and it will not be the only one. He really is very talented. Also, his books have some of the best covers!!
Profile Image for ScarlettAnomalyReads.
639 reviews39 followers
November 18, 2024
Loved it another great one, and I loved how each story was a letter of the alphabet, made it whimsical fun but still this was absolutely horror lol.

My favorites were

F is for Family
O is for Outback Racoon 👀
T is for Time Left
Profile Image for Joan Smith.
813 reviews21 followers
January 4, 2025
This collection of 26 stories is clever and original. It made me laugh throughout the book. Gore hounds will be in for a real treat.

Many stories were really spine-tingling with great twists. C is for Crabs vs A. Y. T.

The spice level Chocolate Habanero *425, 000.

I will be reading more of this author.



LGBTQ plus
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1,717 reviews11 followers
January 31, 2023
Fantastic assortment of stories to make your blood flow freely. Exciting, stimulating, scary and some that are indescribably delicious!
Profile Image for Joshua Dahlin.
150 reviews
February 7, 2023
This book was a lot of fun! With some really interesting topics. Who gets power from tits? Anyway there was poetry, monsters, apocalyptic adventures, and just about everything else in the horror genre. Truly a testament of a great writer. Every story was entertaining. Some of them were downright hysterical. Absolutely amazing book.
Profile Image for A Bacon.
4 reviews
January 25, 2023
On Kevin J Kennedy’s A To Z Of Horror Collection:

I managed to devour this collection of carnage in the equivalent of one sitting. KJK has a bit of everything you could ask for in a horror selection. From Post Apocalypse tales to Vampires, Psychos to Xana, Drabbles and a bit of thought provoking Poetry thrown in. He has certainly brought some interesting twists, turns, and trauma into the fray known as storytelling. Give it a shot. Or two or three…Oh, and watch out for the crabs! The bastards will eat you alive!

-A M Bacon, Author of the upcoming novel Tendrils
Profile Image for Dale Robertson.
Author 6 books35 followers
July 31, 2023
A good variety of horror is contained within these pages. Some short, some long, all brutal. Well written with interesting story elements.
Profile Image for Tracy Wright.
95 reviews5 followers
February 22, 2025
I enjoyed this. Some stories were better than others but they all kept my interest.
Profile Image for Laurie C..
168 reviews5 followers
Read
November 27, 2024
Try and Read only One a Night 🕷️

Like a potato chip. I couldn't just read one. The stories are short, and few really are a bit longer. Creep value ten skulls ☠️
Profile Image for Alexandra Nisneru.
Author 3 books52 followers
January 25, 2023
The latest of Kevin J. Kennedy is pretty awesome. A refreshing idea of creating a story for each letter of the alphabet done in a very original way and filled with everything you.re looking for : violence, blood, creepy crawlies, dystopian sceneries and so so much more.
Profile Image for Veronica Smith.
Author 120 books33 followers
January 26, 2023
Extreme horror at its best! Reading a Kevin Kennedy book is like swimming in a pool of bloody goodness. So much of this book to love! A to Z of Horror was a violently fun read.
127 reviews2 followers
November 12, 2024
A fun and bloody way to play with the alphabet! A great collection!
Profile Image for Svea Neitzke.
120 reviews1 follower
June 11, 2024
I listened to Kevin Kennedy 's A-Z of horror. It's such a creative way to write a collection! I enjoyed the stories, especially the ones about the apocalypse. T is for Time Left is an eerie, political dystopian story. On the opposite side of horror, I enjoyed the heartwarming, but gruesome, story M is for my Cuddly Monster too!

The narrator of this collection, Andy Barker, does a wonderful job with all of the different voices and accents! I highly recommend getting this from Audible and Kindle.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews

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