Tavern of Terror: Volume 8; David Longhorn, Sara Clancy, Ian Fortey, Chris Clarke, Ron Ripley, and Simon Cluett. Edited by Street. ScareStreet.com, 2023

I loved pretty much all of this story collection- which is unusual for me. An epic prank, a sleep disorder, bats, a serial killer, horrifying body horror, and, my favorite, a ghost tour. And many more, 12 tales in all. One thing I liked was that the titular tavern, Hannigan’s is used a lot more in this volume. The bartender/manager, Harry, is seen interacting with people (and sometimes things that aren’t exactly people anymore) and becoming somewhat fleshed out. This series keeps on getting better!

 

Tavern of Terror: Volume 6, Sare Clancy, Ian Fortey, Simon Cluett, Chris Clarke, Nick Efstathiou, Ron Ripley, and David Longhorn.  ScareStreet, 2023    

Another fine collection of horror stories, and this is my favorite volume so far. For one thing, some of the stories actually involve the tavern- Hannigan’s- of the title. Hannigan’s is slowly being established as not just a place where spooky stories are told, but as a place with spookiness of its own. But that’s not the only reason I loved this book more than the others; usually. with a short story collection, things are hit or miss, but I loved all the stories in this collection. There is some serious weirdness going on in this tales, from banshees to horrible old gods to antiques that possess people. Five stars.

 

Short Horror Stories Vol 4, Scare Street. Written by Ron Ripley, Rowen Rook, and Sara Clancy; Edited by Kathryn St. John-Sinn. 2019

There are only three stories in this collection, but they are satisfying. All convey an odd sense of claustrophobia- even though none of them is physically cramped. It’s a feeling of… being smothered by the unseen. Being stalked by the unknown.

The first starts with a woman taking a late afternoon walk through a deserted cemetery and the woods behind it. Even though it’s in the middle of a developed area, it seems to go on a very, very long way- and something is following her.

In the second, in the middle of the night, a father searches for his teenaged daughter in an eerie carnival that has mysteriously popped up next to his house, only to find his past catching up to him.

The third finds a grieving widow facing real horrors in her house; horrors that her friend thinks are grief induced. They aren’t.

A quick read, but worthwhile. Four stars.