Brace yourself for another two-barrel blast of unrelenting horror and suspense. Volume 3 of the ‘Double Barrel Horror’ anthology series delivers two chilling tales from each of six talented authors for a twelve-story onslaught that will blow you out of your sneakers. This time around, your fate lies in the hands of Christine Morgan, Mark Matthews, Theresa Braun, Calvin Demmer, Glenn Rolfe, and … Robert Essig.
more
Just wow, talk about a powerhouse line up of horror writers here! To be honest, I picked this book of stories up solely based on my readership to Theresa Braun. I’ve been following her short stories ever since I read Dead Over Heels as a part of its release tour back in 2018. Ever since then I’ve been completely hooked on her stuff. I was really excited to see her paired up with so many other writers, as it’s been a while since I picked up a really scary read, and even longer since I found new authors that I truly enjoy in this genre. Sadly it’s been a little hit and miss for some time. I’m happy to announce that it was a win!
Such as any collection of short stories, not every single one of them are to be loved by every single reader. As a writer of such anthologies, I understand that fact very well. That said, there were a couple stories that after a few pages in, I really had to swallow my cringes and digest them with a very heavy dose of speed-reading and swallows of bile. However, it really seemed like each one that I didn’t like was followed up by something that I absolutely did! Each author in the line up had more than one tale, and every single one of them had so much talent.
I think it’s safe to say that Theresa is still my favorite of the group, namely her story about the nurse who uncovers a gruesome happening with her supervising doctor and the unruly use of human death. Of course, at first I was thinking what the hell, this is so awful,and then, just like all of her stories, the twist in the last few pages drops your jaw and leaves the entire story line to linger in mind like a plague. Well done!!
My second favorite is actually the very first story in the entire book. It’s written by Christine Morgan, and this is the first of her work I’ve ever read. The story was great, as it described a young child with a sickness in her head. The way she viewed the world was exactly as a child would, and eventually her obsession with a watching eye drove her insane. It wasn’t just the story itself that caught and held my attention, it was the way it was written. Very intense and fast paced. By the time I finished it, I felt like I had only read a mere couple pages, I was engulfed and buried in it. I actually doubled back after reading the whole set to look over this first story. It stuck, even after all the others, this is the one that stood out in mind.
Overall, I’d say that this collection has excellent symmetry, with a blend of stories that provide practically every angle of horror. It’s a bite sized read, even with so many tales inside, it weighs in at less than 200 pages. I read it in a day, and was equally shocked and satisfied with what I’d read. It’s gory, it’s nasty, its nail biting, cringe-worthy material from cover to cover. The only reason I’m rating it a 4 instead of a 5 is because a couple of the stories just plain grossed me out rather than scared me. Thanks to the authors and Reads and Reels Book tours for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Double Barrel series features two stories by each author, and these collected volumes put them all together in one handy paperback. Volume 3 features 6 authors, most of whom I’ve read before.
From Christine Morgan, (whose novel WHITE DEATH I’ve previously read and enjoyed), we have EYE SEE YOU, and it knocked my socks off. What a great way to kick off a collection!
From Robert Essig, (an author I have not had the pleasure of reading prior to this), we have FROM UNCLEAN SPELLS. I always have enjoyed tales about calling up ancient beings and/or casting spells and this one is a doozy.
Mark Matthews is an author I’ve followed for years now and his two stories were very different from each other, but GOODWIN wrecked me. It seems like it’s easy for Mark to rip my heart out and it happened yet again with this tale of guilt, motherhood and death.
Theresa Braun is an author I’ve followed on social media for a while, but I believe this is my first exposure to her work. Both of her tales were AH-MAZING, but STILLBORN-wow. Just… WOW.
Calvin Demmer’s short stories are nearly works of art. He’s wonderful at toying with the feelings of the reader. Both of his tales here were great, but HIGHWAY HUNGER is one that’s going to stay with me for a long, long time.
I’m familiar with and have even read some of Glenn Rolfe’s work in the past, but it seems to me that he has grown as a writer since that time. THE HOUSE ON MAYFLOWER STREET was fun and creepy and makes me want to read some of Glenn’s more recent work, and soon!
I liked the About the Author sections after their stories, and I liked that the covers from the previous individual issues were featured before each author’s tales. The artwork on them is kind of cool and has something to do with the tales within.
Overall I had great fun with DOUBLE BARREL HORROR VOLUME 3 and I recommend it, especially to those readers looking for new authors. Collections such as these let you discover new voices in the genre without spending an arm and a leg, or investing lots of time buying and/or reading novels only to discover that a certain author isn’t right for you. I know that I’ll be adding novels, (if they’ve written them) from a couple of these authors, (Robert Essig & Theresa Braun, I’m looking at you!!), to my To Be Read pile. Honestly, I look forward to reading more from all of these writers!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3bAMknY
*Thanks to Calvin Demmer and Pint Bottle Press for the paperback copy with no strings attached. I freely chose to review it and I’m glad I did!*