Review of S.A. Gambino’s “Twisted Tales of Terror”

Sheri Gambino has put together an assortment of tales that spring from her dark and vivid imagination for Twisted Tales of Terror.  This anthology has several zombie apocalypse tales, but the author mixes things up with an assortment of other stories to stir the pot.  Included in this book are a few twisty, surprise entries that were unexpected, including one about a mad scientist, a vampire waging a war against evil, a truly killer clown, and the author’s own slant on “Kiss of the Spider Woman”.  She includes a dash of voodoo and a couple of tales of menace from space along with her zombie stories, most of which are traditional survival tales, but with an assortment of demonic invaders thrown in for good measure.

The author creates some solid characters along with a few throw away ones that come with the typical short story.  I grew attached to a few of the characters that I felt like could have been delved into deeper, with grander tales crafted around them.  They drew me in and kept me intrigued.  As for the “throw away” characters, I don’t mean that in a negative way-but when you are dealing with the apocalypse, you tend to need a lot of grist for the mill, and Sheri carves up the bodies here quite nicely.

Overall, this was a brisk, easy read that entertained me and was done far more quickly than expected.  The editing is sharp and I could see making a commitment to a full sized novel by this author with one, or several of her more intriguing characters that she has to offer.

Twisted Tales of Terror can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Twisted-Tales-of-Terror-ebook/dp/B004YQVOXS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308014835&sr=8-1