Aric Sundquist

If you’re a fan of the survival horror sub-genre then this book is definitely for you! But even if you’re just a fan of horror in general I guarantee you’ll find things you like here.

Editor Aric Sundquist (also owner of the publisher Dark Peninsula Press) writes in the introduction how he loved the glory days of survival horror video games and was wondering if the sub-genre would translate well to story form. Well, I’m happy to report it very much does!

There are twelve stories here, all fairly different in terms of plot and horrors (aliens, sentient robots, monsters, murderers, the apocalypse, etc). Honestly I don’t think I rated any story less than four stars, but here are some stand outs for me:

⭐️”Luminescence” by Scotty Milder (@scottypotty2317)
A few months into a sea monster apocalypse; beautifully descriptive, unnerving, and gory cosmic-type horror

⭐️”Puzzled Pieces, Locked-in Places” by Amelia Gorman
A woman trapped alone in a blizzard fights for survival against beings made of ice and light; terrifying in its imagery and incomprehensibility

⭐️”Rhapsody in Flesh” by Maggie Slater
A woman is trapped in the sleeping quarters of a space station while a ghastly, multi-limbed alien tries to get in; traces of The Thing

⭐️”Midnight, Off Arkansas River Trail” by Eric J Guignard (@eric_j._guignard)
Three friends cross the wrong old lady in the remote nighttime woods; a fast-paced and vicious possession story

⭐️”The Artist and the Muse” by Jay Wilburn (@amongthezombies)
In a post-apocalyptic setting, a mysterious “artist” is leaving “gifts” for a woman in the form of horrifically mutilated (and often intertwined) human and animal bodies; like the most disturbing of Clive Barker tales, it’s a story so vividly unsettling you just have to read it yourself to fully understand

From looking at the number of reviews online I can tell this book is grossly underrated and unread by many, and I’m hoping this changes over time. Seriously, check it out! There are stories here that will haunt me for years to come… (meer)