Review of Rhonny Reaper’s Creature Features

It is always worth checking out an anthology done for charity, even if it perhaps isn’t something up your alley.  Fortunately for me, I dig horror and so it wasn’t so difficult for me to pick this up on the kindle not long after it was published a few months back.  I’ve been to Rhonny’s website, Dollar Bin Horror, and had heard tell of this anthology over on Facebook as well.  So I thought I would see what assortment of stories she had put together for this one.

What we have are fifteen stories written primarily by newer authors, though a few tales have been penned by more established writers.

Here is a brief overview of the stories and the authors:

indiviDUALITY by Dan Dillard tells the tale of a jaded serial killer who is gains insight on life and death from a potential victim

Tuesdays Suck by Jesse Gable dips into the worlds of the narrator, who apparently always has the worst, and most twisted, adventures on Tuesdays

A Mother’s Love by Rhonda E. Kachur tells of a mother’s heartbreak and quest for revenge

The Devils of Logan Square by Scott and Sean Kenemore is about a man has a transplant and receives a new heart with a dark past

ZOMBIE WORLD by Calvin A.L. Miller II shows the world zombies in their natural habitat-locked up in a park that people are charged admittance to so they can check them out safely behind walls…sort of

The Conqueror Worm by JZ Murdock tells of the misadventures of Jimmy and James, two boys who like exploring and dig up something very strange in the side yard

The Station by David Naughton-Shires takes us on train ride to destiny

Radiant by R.D. Penning gives us old-fashion creature feature scares with some deep dwelling lizard who rises up from the depths to find a new food source during a flood

Vigor After Death by Lyle Perez-Tinics provides his slant on zombie patient zero

The 1207 to Stoningham by Erik Polk is about another train ride to destiny, but this one is going in a different direction entirely

How Much Do I Love Thee by Cinsearae S. tells a tale of love, loneliness, and how far someone would go to get one while ridding the world of the other

Christmas Wishes by Chris Saunders is a surprisingly touching tale of zombies at Christmas, and the wishes we all have for happiness

The Ugly Side of Pretty by Petra Ylva Steele is a parable of true beauty, anger, and unfettered jealousy

Stranded in the Storm by Sean Thompson is a good old werewolf tale in its rawest form

Beasts of the Shadows by Holly K. Wood takes the zombie apocalypse one step further along the evolutionary trail

Overall, this is a solid anthology with a diverse group of stories for a variety of horror tastes.  As is the case with almost every anthology of this sort, some of the stories didn’t resonate quite as much for me as some of the others, and it was easy to see that a few of the efforts were the first published tales of some of the authors.  I’m not sure that is criticism as much as it is pointing out that it will be interesting to see how those authors mature and come forward with even better work as time goes on.  There was, without a doubt, a lot of enthusiasm and some really creative ideas mixed in with this bunch, and it was certainly fun to read.  If I have to pick out one story that resonated with me the most, it would have to be Christmas Wishes by Chris Saunders.  I have read my share of touching zombie stories, but almost without exception, it isn’t the zombies that lend themselves to the emotional tenor of those tales.  Chris was able to make me care about a little zombie girl and her brothers, which is pretty tough to pull off.

Definitely an entertaining anthology, and worth checking out if you like your horror in bite-sized pieces.

You can find Rhonny Reaper’s Creature Features here: http://www.amazon.com/Rhonny-Reapers-Creature-Features-Anthology/dp/1936809060/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306765299&sr=1-1