2 Book Lovers Reviews

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Creature Feature Collection

See more of Greg's Vampires, Demons and Ghosts...Oh my!

​Amazon has made the decision to not allow the spookiest season of the year to go by without a collection of short stories; I have decided to explore that strange noise in the basement all by myself and see what the Creature Feature collection is all about. What could go wrong?

The Pram by Joe Hill

I’ve been waiting a long time to get something new from Joe Hill. I saved “The Pram” for last.

I appreciate the time Hill spent building up his story. Even in a short story, we need to have some idea of who we are dealing with, what is going on in their twisted mind.

“The Pram” was good, but I am still waiting for my fix of Joe Hill magic; I may have to wait longer for his next full-length novel.

*3.5 Stars

Ankle Snatchers by Grady Hendrix

I’ll be honest, I am a huge fan of Grand Hendrix, I was saving this one.

Hendrix had a great premise for this one and squeezed in some great content into 29 pages. I found this story to be a bit of a departure for him, I was looking for more of the Hendrix humor. I suppose there is only so much an author can do with a short story.

*3.5 Stars

It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman

This story by Malerman is one of the meatiest of the Creature Features at 52 pages.  Malerman has put out some fantastic full-length novels. “It Waits in the Woods” just seemed to be lacking. While the story was entertaining enough, it was forgettable.

*3 Stars

In Bloom by Paul Tremblay

Paul Tremblay has made quite the name for himself in the horror community over the past decade. I’ve never had that winner from him, but I’m reading the collection, let’s see what he does with a short story.

I’ll give Tremblay this, he writes atmospherically, he really sets up the scene. As a reader, I can really feel that I am there with the characters; "In Bloom" is no different in this respect. Despite this, I still didn’t connect with the protagonist or the story itself.

At 35 pages, it wasn’t a waste of time, but I would have liked more.

*3 Stars

Best of Luck by Jason Mott

This is exactly how a short story was meant to be done: twenty-nine pages (easy to read in one sitting), something completely different, and one hell of twist at the end, one that I did not see coming.

Mott sets this story up with a great joke, the rest of the story is no joking matter.

“Best of Luck” is simple and straightforward yet layered with mystery. It is all about the interaction between the two characters. The back and forth between them works perfectly.

If you want a quick, fun read, “Best of Luck” is a perfect book for the season.

*5 Stars

Big Bad by Chandler Baker

Chandler Baker is an unknown commodity to me; so, let’s start at book six and make my way down to book one.

Now, I don’t want to give anything away, but one look at the cover and you may get a clue as to what the creature in this Creature Feature happens to be, that is, if you don’t already have a good idea from the title.

Baker has done something completely different with the genre, I was impressed with what she was able to do in only fifty-nine pages. We have a couple of great characters, complete with a backstory and demons to wrestle with. There are multiple “villains” and just like a box of Cracker Jacks, a surprise inside. What more could a reader want from a Halloween short?

“Big Bad” might be the last in the Creature Feature collection, but it was a great place to start.

*4.5 Stars