Every nation of the globe has unique tales to tell, whispers that settle in through the land, creatures or superstitions that enliven the night, but rarely do readers get to experience such a diversity of these voices in one place as in A World of Horror, the latest anthology book created by award-winning editor Eric J. Guignard, and beautifully illustrated by artist Steve Lines.
Enclosed within these pages are twenty-two all-new dark and speculative fiction stories written by authors from around the world that explore the myths and monsters, fables and fears of their homelands.
- In "The Wife Who Didn't Eat," a modest Japanese farmer's prayer to the gods comes true . . . much to his dismay
- In "Things I Do for Love," the intertwined lives in an Indonesian village are upended by as diabolical and otherworldly a device as a simple whisper
- In "Mutshidzi," an African teen must raise her brother and run the household after their mother dies. But there is so much to do
- In "Sick Cats in Small Spaces," a vacationing Australian family come upon a ghost town where the actual ghosts are bottled and kept
Also encounter the haunting things that stalk those radioactive forests outside Chernobyl in Ukraine; sample the curious dishes one may eat in Canada; beware the veldt monster that mirrors yourself in Uganda; or simply battle mountain trolls alongside Alfred Nobel in Sweden. These stories and more are found within A World of Horror.
Enter and discover, truly, there's no place on the planet devoid of frights, thrills, and wondrous imagination!
***
[MUTSHIDZI-SEVENTEEN-GOING-ON-EIGHTEEN - MUTSHIDZI BY MOHALE MASHIGO]***
(Dark Moon Books, 10 September 2018, 332 pages, ebook, review copy via @ericjguignard and voluntarily reviewed)
***
Stories included:
- Mutshidzi by Mohale Mashigo
- ne Last Wayang by L Chan
- Things I Do for Love by Nadia Bulkin
- On a Wooden Plate, on a Winter's Night by David Nickle
- Country Boy by Billie Sue Mosiman
- The Wife Who Didn't Eat by Thersa Matsuura
- The Disappeared by Kristine Ong Muslim
- The Secret Life of the Unclaimed by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
- How Alfred Nobel Got His Mojo by Johannes Pinter
- Sick Cats in Small Spaces by Kaaron Warren
- Obibi by Dilman Dila
- The Nightmare by Rhea Daniel
- Chemirocha by Charlie Human
- Honey by Valya Dudycz Lupescu
- Warning: Flammable, See Back Label by Marcia Douglas
- Arlecchino by Carla Negrini
- The Man at Table Nine by Ray Cluley
- The Mantle of Flesh by Ashlee Scheuerman
- The Shadows of Saint Urban by Claudio Foti
- Warashi's Grip by Yukimi Ogawa
- The White Monkey by Carlos Orsi
- The West Wind by David McGroarty
***
***
This is my first time reading many of the authors in this anthology with the exception of Kaaron Warren and Ray Cluley. I love discovering new authors and this is one of the most enjoyable things about reading anthologies. I have a list of new authors to check out. I love horror fiction and have specific tastes. I enjoy everything except horror that is over the top and gory for the sake of being gory. I love horror that is subtle and unsettling. A World of Horror contains great examples of the horror I enjoy the most. The best stories are Things I Do for Love by Nadia Bulkin, The Wife Who Didn't Eat by Thersa Matsuura, Sick Cats in Small Spaces by Kaaron Warren, The Man at Table Nine by Ray Cluley and The West Wind by David McGroarty.
