Go Through Hell For Charity

AT HELL'S GATES: BOUND BY BLOOD donates proceeds to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. This third volume focuses on the dark side of family:

LITTLE LOST LAMB by Patrick D'Orazio is a suspense story about a religious foster couple accepting a challenge.

THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT by C.T. Phipps is a post-apocalyptic tale about a diabetic father rescuing his wheelchair bound daughter from a cult.

MONSTERS by Sharon Stevenson recalls a father-son moment in an apocalypse.

THE RIDE by Sean T. Smith is a drama about breaking a vicious cycle of violence.

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEESAW by Stephen Kozeniewski is one of the freakiest zombie stories that I've ever read.

SPENCER FAMILY TRADITION by Stevie Kopas is the most disturbing family tradition EVER.

ROAD TRIP by Curran Geist is a fantastic sci-fi story filled with horror and is one of my favorites.

A MOTHER'S HEART by S.G. Lee is a twisted adoption story with a dramatic ending.

BEAUTIFUL SAVAGE by Devan Sagliani is an interesting perspective of a zombie outbreak.

PLANETOIDS, PRIVATEERS, AND OLDER THINGS by S.P. Durnin is a sci-fi story that would impress Lovecraft...with a touch of humor.

DAMAGED by Tim Marquitz is a story about domestic abuse with a supernatural twist.

THE MOTHER TONGUE by Terry Maggert is a vampire story with a religious theme.

THROUGH MOURNING by Brian W. Taylor is about a father missing his daughter.

NIGHTMARES DO COME TRUE by Suzanne Robb is a fantastic and horrific twist on werewolf lore.

LOVE THAT BINDS by Mikhail Lerma is a father-daughter moment in the apocalypse.

THE COFFIN IN THE REEDS by RJ Kennett warns that some things should be left unopen.

IN MINT CONDITION by David Sakmyster is a classic suspense story that is another favorite of mine.

ARM-RINGS AND HACK-SILVER by Christine Morgan is a tale about dysfunctional Norse family.

BLOOD TYPE by Paul Mannering takes the vampire genre to a new, scary place.

NEIGHBORS GOOD AND FAIR by Douglas Draa is a novella about a folklore nightmare.

FROM DARKNESS WE COME by Kerry Alan Denney is a frightening kidnapping.

DOMINIC by Shana Festa is a terrifying zombie short.

SACRIFICE by TM Caldwell is a great fantasy story about demonic possession.

A MATTER OF PERCEPTION by Lesa Kinney Anders is one of the best in the collection, with incredible narration from a young boy.

WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN by Sarah Lyons Fleming is a hellish homecoming.

THE MOTHER IN THE LAKE by Chris Philbrook has a Lovecraft element and is one of the most chilling stories in this anthology.

SUGAR AND SPICE AND SOMETHING NOT SO NICE by M. Lauryl Lewis shows how awful a dog bite can get.

NO MAN LEFT BEHIND by Timothy W. Long features a battle of epic proportions...great story to end on.

At Hell's Gates: Bound By Blood is an excellent assortment of both new and established horror authors who twist and distort several sub-genres to create numerous versions of Hell. This includes quality storytelling without the stereotypical genre gimmicks, and horror fans will enjoy this creative effort for a worthy cause.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Hell's Gates Look Inviting

AT HELL'S GATES: ORIGINS OF EVIL is the second volume of an effort to raise money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. I have already read volume one, and whatever method they are using to choose the stories, it's working well. There is something for every horror fan, including science fiction and fantasy subgenres mixed with classical horror elements, and, if you're not normally a fan of the horror genre, you will be after reading this anthology.

This particular volume had numerous stories bordering on the bizarro genre, so, once again, the volume is unique:

PULSE BY MARK TUFO is a fantastic thriller about a bug zapper, kind of like Borne Identity meets the SyFy channel.

COOKIES FOR THE GENTLEMAN BY C.T. PHIPPS is a dark and hopeless tale about an unwanted visitor.

BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY BY EVIN AGER introduces an Army MP with a Lovecraft-type of deployment.

HISTORY'S END BY FRANK TAYELL is proof that even the smartest person can make a really stupid mistake.

A MOTHER'S NIGHTMARE BY J. RUDOLPH is a sad zombie story that will tear your heart out.

PATIENT 63 BY STEVE KOPAS is one of my favorites; this is an excellent outbreak story.

TYRANNICAL ASCENSION BY SHANA FESTA is a twisted apocalypse story that I enjoyed a lot.

INK BY JAMES CRAWFORD is another favorite of mine about the dark meaning of a tattoo.

THE MAN WITH FOUR SCARS BY STEPHEN KOZENIEWSKI is Clan of the Cave Bear meets Night of the Comet, and is one of the very best stories in this volume.

DADDY'S GIRL BY IAN McCLELLAN caught me off-guard with the twist; well-written.

OPERATION DEVIL WALK BY DAVID MIKOLAS is a personal holocaust.

THE INFECTED BY SG LEE shows how a zombie virus is born.

FORGET ME NEVER BY SHARON STEVENSON tells the tale of a starlet's dark secret to success.

MIRAGE BY SEAN T. SMITH is a story that Ray Bradbury would be proud of.

THE MILLSTONE BY LESA KINNEY ANDERS is another favorite in this collection; it's one of the best vampire stories that I've ever read.

GENESIS BY KIT POWER is an intense thriller-prequel to the novel "Godbomb!"

LOCKDOWN BY TIM CALDWELL features a zombie outbreak at a school.

COLLECTION NIGHT BY CURREN GEIST is a gut-wrenching sci-fi story...a damn good one.

THE COLD BY DEVAN SAGLIANI is one of the most unusual stories in the entire anthology.

A DIFFERENT COCKTAIL BY CLAIRE C. RILEY is about a cult meeting that goes horribly wrong for one young man.

A SONG TO SING IN BABYON BY BOBBY METEVIER & MATTHEW BAUGH is very weird...told from a demonic POV.

THE GOUGER BY PAUL MANNERING is a brutal ending to a brutal anthology.

The variety and originality of the stories makes this a perfect gift for horror fans, while contributing to a good cause.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Top Five Anthologies of 2015

I've read a lot of anthologies this year, and a few of them were fundraisers for some excellent charities. However, I know how little time many of you have for reading, especially at this time of year, so I've limited my Top Anthology list to five:

#5 - Whines and Spirits by John A Connor has an excellent variety of twenty-two stories, each with their own unique plots. Connor is an upcoming author I will be reviewing again in the future.

#4 - Deadsville by Dale Elster and T.D. Trask is a collection of stories that take place in a fictional town in New York. The two make an excellent writing duo, and I hope they release another volume soon.

#3 - Fantasy For Good is a charity anthology that supports The Colon Cancer Alliance. The stories, written by some of the most well-known authors in the business, include a variety of fantasy sub-genres.

#2 - Times of Trouble is an anthology featuring a time-travel theme. I found this collection to be one of the best science fiction anthologies ever published.

Last, but not least...



#1 - At Hell's Gates: Bound By Blood, another charity anthology, which donates proceeds to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. There are actually three volumes currently available, each with its own theme, but this volume is my favorite of the three and focuses on the dark side of family.

There you have it, horror fans, my TOP FIVE ANTHOLOGY picks for 2015. Check back for my next top five: NOVELS.

As always,
AstraDaemon

P.S. Not all of the titles were published in 2015, but they are from my 2015 review list.