The Unleashed Series
Blurb:
Stories of famous monsters in a new horror anthology edited by James Aquilone and featuring Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, and many others.
Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Moreau, the Headless Horseman, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, the Wicked Witch of the West—they’re all here, in this collection of horror short stories that reimagine, subvert, and pay homage to our favorite monsters and creatures.
Written by the biggest names in the genre—including Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Owl Goingback, Richard Christian Matheson, Seanan McGuire, Maurice Broaddus, Dacre Stoker, Linda D. Addison, Alessandro Manzetti, Tim Waggoner, John Palisano, Mercedes M. Yardley, Lucy A. Snyder, Gary A. Braunbeck, Rena Mason, and Monique Snyman.
And monstrously illustrated by Colton Worley and Mister Sam Shearon.
My Review…as I’m currently reading
I do believe I ended up here after agreeing to read/review Shakespeare Unleashed and while I have quite started either am I excited to see where James Aquilone will take me…anthology editor or mad scientist.
Normally, I don’t like (or read) book introductions, but Kim Newman’s had me cheering her on for the simple reason she was speaking my language. The movies and stories she was recounting, I’ve watched/read multiple times for their pure joy. Now let’s start…
Inferno by Alessandro Manzetti…A fun prose. A well-placed piece.
Hollenlegion by Jonathan Maberry…Moreau’s, what fun. What happened after the original story? WWII, an army of…? Whoa!
They Call Me Mother by Geneve Flynn…This is filling my craving for an old Victorian scare read. OH WOW! Never suspected.
Old Monsters Never Die by Tim Waggoner…Having read another piece by Mr. Waggoner, I’m excited for this one and I wasn’t disappointed. What’s funny is that years ago a teacher told my class about story writing…there are only so many story themes, the difference is in the writer. Something along that line, well, I’m glad my own idea is far different than Tim Waggoner’s.
She-Creature From the Golden Cove by John Palisano…I can’t say anything without giving something away, but I will tell you…My thought was right 🙂
Dreams by F. Paul Wilson…Okay, let’s see if my first thought is correct, based on title and opening line, I’m thinking….dang, I’m wrong and it took one word for me to realize this is going in a different…interesting…direction.
OH MY…WOW
Talk about framing someone for murder. Revenge…payback. Just WOW, what a way to think a classic.
Blood Hunt by Owl Goingback…
Blurb:
SHAKESPEARE IN BLOOD!
From the blood of Macbeth and the ghosts of Hamlet, to the dark fantasy of The Tempest and the twisted love of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Unleashed reimagines the Bard’s greatest works as short horror stories…as well as horror sonnets.
With new stories by Ian Doescher, Hailey Piper, Gwendolyn Kiste, Tim Waggoner, Jonathan Maberry, Lee Murray, Seanan McGuire, John Palisano, Philip Fracassi, Geneve Flynn, Simon Bestwick, Lisa Morton, Gemma Files, Steve Rasnic Tem, Epiphany Ferrell, James Chambers, JG Faherty, Dan Coxon, Donna J. W. Munro, Marisca Pichette, Amanda Dier, Kenneth W. Cain, Zachary Rosenberg, Jo Kaplan, Joe R. Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale.
Dark sonnets by Jessica McHugh, Alessandro Manzetti, Linda D. Addison, Lucy A. Snyder, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Sara Tantlinger, Vince A. Liaguno, Maxwell I. Gold, Michael Nethercott, Ahlissa Eichhorn, Megan Kiekel Anderson, Mary Berman, Lindy Ryan, Rebecca Cuthbert, L. Marie Wood, Stephanie Ellis, and Cindy O’Quinn.
And an introduction by Weston Ochse.
My Review: