Review: Final Masquerade (Anthology)
Collected by Stacey Turner
Published by Lycan Valley Press © 2016
The book as a whole is a great horror read. Some of the stories do contain some explicit
adult content, which is not my thing. However, the writing throughout the
collection was well done, and all of these stories delivered on the promise in
the editor’s note: they were all unsettling. Some merely unnerving but a few
were downright chilling. There are some great examples of masterful suspense
and plot twist writing here. The ones I liked the best had powerful ending
lines that made me shiver.
There are twenty stories in all:
We Care
by Daniel I. Russell was an interesting story, a disturbing narrative with
violence and a slowly unfolding mystery.
F**ck Knot
by Ken MacGregor was a bizarre story, the main culprit of the explicit adult
content which I personally found
distasteful, but nevertheless, very creepy.
Monica’s
Dream Date by J.C. Delisle had a nice twist ending.
Mummer’s
Parade by Joshua Chaplinsky is a wonderfully atmospheric tale. Strange,
unnerving, violent, and evocative, this is one of the best stories in this
anthology.
Lifetime
Guarantee by Lori Safranek is a suspenseful tale with a surprise ending.
Delivery by
D.S. Ullery is creepy, with well imagined details and a good ending.
The Artist by
Samantha Leinhard is a bizarre story with plenty of action and some gore, with
a creepy ending.
First
Impressions by Thomas Kleaton was creepy, mainly due to theme, but still
well written.
Funeral
Candy by Josh Strnad is not so much a horror story as a bizarre little
supernatural mystery. Lush in detail.
Hero by
Natching T. Kassa is an interesting story with a very fresh approach to a very
tired subject. Good action and characterization and a very chilling last line.
Bitter Meat
by Roy C. Booth and Axel Kohagen is not really scary, but it’s another fresh
approach to a tired subject.
The God of
Flesh by Sheldon Woodbury is a disturbing tale with perverse horror and a
bit of gore.
Hotline
Bling by Craig Steven starts out mildly uncomfortable but quickly spirals
into horror and ends on a chilling note. One of the best stories in this
anthology.
End of
Nights by Gregory L. Norris is suspenseful, the ending let me down a
little, but polished off with a good final line.
Made Me Do
It by Jay Eales is a cleverly constructed piece, using vibrant detail as it
builds up to its violent climax.
Another
Night in Paradise by Dale W. Glaser contains some mature material. Great
dialogue and characterization. Not very creepy but a good read.
The Other
House by R.K. Kombrinck is a creepy tale with a good ending and lots of
suspense along the way.
70 Steps of
Paranoia by Jonathan Cromack has great setting and detail with a good
ending.
Make Believe
by Brian C. Bauer is a great story with very little suspense but lots of
wonderful detail and a delicious ending. One of the best stories in this
anthology and one of the best endings ever.
Urban
Renewal by Adrian Chamberlin is a great story, with an intriguing setting,
lots of wonderful details and description. Again, not a lot of traditional
suspense, but the perfect amount of tension. Another fantastic ending. One of
the best stories in this anthology.
Buy the book on amazon
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