Preview & Review: HOTEL MACABRE, VOLUME TWO

Editor's Note:  I'm a big fan of small indie publishers, and Crystal Lake Publishing (from South Africa, and featuring creators from all over the globe) is one of my favorites. Below the promotional information below is a short version of my longer review posted to Goodreads . . . . .

Today is the release of Hotel Macabre Vol.2 edited by Joe Mynhardt.  Welcome back to the Hotel Macabre—where nightmares check in, but they never check out.   Step inside for another unforgettable stay in Hotel Macabre Vol. 2, a groundbreaking horror anthology where short stories, novellas, poetry, flash fiction, a dramatic reading, and even comics collide to create a dark literary experience like no other.   Featuring some of horror’s most celebrated voices—Graham Masterton, Nick Roberts, Ramsey Campbell, Gwendolyn Kiste, Jasper Bark, John Durgin, Viggy Parr Hampton, Gage Greenwood, Kyle Toucher, Tom Deady, Robert Ford, Alison Littlewood, John Ward, Jamal Hodge, Leigh Kenny, Jay Bechtol, Karolina Mogielska, Jonathan Gensler, S. C. Fisher, Larry Hinkle, Ben Eads, Matthew Mercier, and Mike Deady—this collection blurs the boundaries between traditional and experimental horror. Includes an introduction by the Bram Stoker Award-winning editor/publisher Joe Mynhardt.   Whether you crave psychological unease, supernatural horror, or raw, visceral nightmares, Hotel Macabre Vol. 2 delivers a room full of voices you’ll never forget.   And remember… You can check out, but you can never truly leave the Hotel Macabre.

Buy Hotel Macabre Vol.2 HERE!

Today is the release of Hotel Macabre Vol.2 edited by Joe Mynhardt.  Welcome back to the Hotel Macabre—where nightmares check in, but they never check out.   Step inside for another unforgettable stay in Hotel Macabre Vol. 2, a groundbreaking horror anthology where short stories, novellas, poetry, flash fiction, a dramatic reading, and even comics collide to create a dark literary experience like no other.   Featuring some of horror’s most celebrated voices—Graham Masterton, Nick Roberts, Ramsey Campbell, Gwendolyn Kiste, Jasper Bark, John Durgin, Viggy Parr Hampton, Gage Greenwood, Kyle Toucher, Tom Deady, Robert Ford, Alison Littlewood, John Ward, Jamal Hodge, Leigh Kenny, Jay Bechtol, Karolina Mogielska, Jonathan Gensler, S. C. Fisher, Larry Hinkle, Ben Eads, Matthew Mercier, and Mike Deady—this collection blurs the boundaries between traditional and experimental horror. Includes an introduction by the Bram Stoker Award-winning editor/publisher Joe Mynhardt.   Whether you crave psychological unease, supernatural horror, or raw, visceral nightmares, Hotel Macabre Vol. 2 delivers a room full of voices you’ll never forget.   And remember… You can check out, but you can never truly leave the Hotel Macabre. Buy Hotel Macabre Vol.2 HERE! My review of HOTEL MACABRE, VOLUME 2: Overall, FOUR STARS. You can always count on Crystal Lake to publish well-curated anthologies with diverse themes, and HOTEL MACABRE is a good example of that.  Of the 24 stories here, my ratings averaged 3.5 stars - which is close enough to 4 stars for me.  I was not disappointed in any of these stories, and I have several favorites that I considered well above expectations. "Racing The Milk" by Robert Ford is presented through a video link and it is the five-star entry (in my opinion) worthy of award consideration and best-of collections. These stories deserved a four-star rating: "Don't Cry For The Dead" by Graham Masterton and Kristina Megielska; "Gene of the Obscene" by Nick Roberts; "Death's Door" by Ben Eads; “:Dinner With The Schimbator” by Jasper Bark; ”Deep Cuts" by Michael Deadly; and "Unconditional" by John Durgin. NOTES ON THE STORIES  DON’T CRY FOR THE DEAD by Graham Masterton and Kristina Mogielska A chilling spin on vampire lore. Greive for the deceased too long and bad things can happen. Set within a peasant village, quaint but restless. FOUR STARS. GENE OF THE OBSCENE by Nick Roberts Grim, chilling, dark - - short and to the point. On the nose and disturbing. Does the killing gene get passed down through generations? FOUR STARS. RACING THE MILK by Robert Ford - - The author gives an emotional reading of his story via a YouTube video. A man deals with grief by writing letters to his deceased wife. There’s a link to the video in the digital edition, and a QR code to access it in the paperback anthology. Powerful and moving. FIVE STARS. DEATH’S DOOR by Ben Eads: This gets my vote as the creepiest story so far. A children’s book author is also a counselor for children suffering from terminal diseases and often makes deathbed visits to provide them false hope. It catches up to her in a very disturbing way. FOUR STARS. DINNER WITH THE SCHIMBATOR by Jasper Barks - - A different spin on mythic themes - a Schimbator is a vampire with doppelgänger properties weaved into a story about secret orders of the Catholic Church, fundraising schemes, corruption and manipulation and family squabbles/in-breeding. It’s a lot to take in, which the longer story accommodates. FOUR STARS. DEEP CUTS by Michael Deadly - - - A song becomes a social media fad that dares listeners to endure it for six minutes and sixty seven seconds incites a murder spree that goes off the rails. FOUR STARS. UNCONDITIONAL by John Durgin - - Very short, but it gets darker with every paragraph. A loving father devoted to his five-year old daughter worries that someday she will turn on him. He wants to preserve the good memories. Grim and unsettling. FOUR STARS.