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Sins and Tragedies – An Anthology by The Dark Fiction Spotlight staff. Published by Panic Press.
Stephen W. Roberts, Thadd Presley, Stacy Bolli and JD Stone, showcase their talents by weaving morbid tales with bizarre and curious scenarios that will tantalize the reader, yet leave them unnerved.
Stephen W. Robert’s contribution to this collection feature, ‘A Voice Within’, ‘Rose’s Roses’ and ‘Clutch My Heart, Nevermore’. Each story is written with menacing grace, pain and trauma flowing naturally within every sentence. Stephen W. Roberts is a heartfelt and beautiful writer who targets your inner emotion with his pungent tales of dark personal horror and tragedy. ‘Clutch My Heart, Nevermore’ is a poignant account of a suicidal father, and ‘A Voice Within’ deals with a fatal car crash that takes the life of a young couple. Stephen writes with a graphic poetical approach, trickling the reader with empathy for each character that leaves a lingering shudder of intense sadness.
JD Stone pens, ‘Glass Atrophy’, ‘Phantom Weight’ and ‘Cursed Blessing’, all three written with vibrant horrific vocabulary leading the reader to experience the very essence of the story. With 'Glass Atrophy', one can be part of the sights and smells of an exotic yet squalid region of India, and then indulge in the graphic horror that soon unfolds. 'Cursed Blessing' tells of a rock band sharing a very dark bloody secret. JD Stone is a writer with a natural skill of the narrative, stained with a chilling brutality that will leave horror fans satisfied.
Stacy Bolli stories comprise of, ‘Momma’s Boy’, ‘Toilet Troubles’ and ‘Music Of The Swamp’. I respect the way Stacy is unafraid to venture into new territory for a female writer. 'Toilet Troubles' will leave you squirming and itching but also with an evil smirk on your face. 'Momma’s Boy' is a tale of a vampire hybrid that soon unearths his darkened past. With an ability to menace with her descriptive prose, she is a fine example of a skilful female writer within today’s horror genre. Stacy Bolli writes with conviction, wit and an understanding of the darkness that dwells within us all.
Thadd Presley’s, ‘The Treatment’, ‘Shallow Grave’ and ‘Halloween’ are vivid accounts on the depravity of human nature. Thadd writes with a passion and rawness that can be unsettling, perfect for the current horror genre. In 'The Treatment' the taboo subject of paedophilia is written with sensitivity, yet bringing home the true horror of child predators. With 'Halloween', domestic violence is portrayed at its very worse. A beguiling writer, Thadd leaves the reader wanting more, yet you are left reeling from his explicit and dynamic stories.
Reviewed by Charlotte Emma Gledson – Author of ‘The Lonely Tree and Other Twisted Tales of Torment’.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR WORK REVIEWED, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT charlotte@gledson.co.uk or on facebook www.facebook.com/CharlotteGledson
