Mike Finn’s Reviews > Infinite Pieces Volume 1: "The Devil's Punchbowl" and Other Horror Stories > Status Update

ATLANTIS BLACKOUT by David W. Wright

That was intense. Action almost from the beginning. Great setting on a semi-submersible rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The situation is a sort of 'Into The Drowning Deep' meets 'Alien' but with an overlay of an abusive relationship that makes the story personal and adds even more tension.

NO RETREAT by Percival Constantine

That was original and strange. I liked the suspense. The ending was a little abrupt and not entirely convincing but the idea is a good one.

THE HEIRLOOM by Kathryn Cottam

Wow! That was a ride. It was dark and violent. There was child abuse, self harm, and immolation and yet it remained a story about two sisters helping each other to survive. The supernatural element was a scary twist on a new idea. I loved that the story deviated from the "They're doomed and nothing can help them!" and gave me something just as scary but a little more hopeful.

THE DEVIL'S SON by Sean Platt

From the beginning, it's clear that something is badly wrong here. Something evil. But what? And what can or should be done about it. The answer depends on what you believe and the consequences depend on whether what you believe is true. This was tense and stimulating and I'm still in two minds about whether I have the right answer. I love that.

THE Z.O.A. by Kim M. Watt

That was fun - bloody and tense but fun. I'm enjoy Kim Watt's books. I was curious to see what she'd write when she freed her imagination from the contratints of cosy stories. I love the result. The humour is still there. The intimidatingly ruthless old ladies are still in charge but there's a little more chaos and a lot more blood. This is one of most ejoyable zombie stories I've read.

THE KIDDIES by Sawyer Black

I liked this. An original take on the zombie apocalypose. A sort of 'Gone World' twist but with the toddlers being the threat. A wave of mindless carnivore kiddies was surprisingly revolting. I like the tight focus of the story as a personal journey. The ending was inspired.

THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL by Ebony Graves

This didn't work for me. The plot was pedestrian - entitled white man gets his comeuppance in the form of body horror for disrespecting a site made sacred when recently emancipated slaves were imprisoned there and left to starve. The main character was a caricature The prose read like a high school essay. I'm surprised this got included in the collection.

ECHO by Kathryn Cottam

I liked the plot. It would make a great short story. It hasn't made a great short story yet because this reads more like an outline to get a publisher interested or a scenario pitch that may later become a script. It's all tell and no show and the telling reads like a PowerPoint presentatin. There's not a word of dialogue. Perhaps it's an experiement in form that I'm missing the point of?

ZOMBIE RUN by Jason Krumbine

Wow. that packed a lot into a short story. Vivid, tense, action-packed. It's Zombie Apocalypse meets Groundhog day. The ending was strange and unexpected but I liked it. Just because it's a short story doesn't mean everything has to be neatly explained.