Scott T. Goudsward

As a horror fan and long time resident of New England I have always been interested in stories about witches so this gorgeous cover immediately caught my eye. Beyond this cover, Wicked Witches is just plain "wicked good" story telling. The tales that cast the strongest spell on me were as follows..
"In Agatha Craggins' Defense by John McIlveen -
To say Agatha was unattractive was a gross understatement but does that make her a wicked witch just because the townsfolk point and stare and gossip about her? You will have to read to find out.
"The Witch's Apprentice" by Morven Westfield - Callie has had enough of her annoying noisy neighbor and decides to use witchcraft to get some peace and quiet.
"Going Home" by James A Moore - A witch returns to Salem but are her intentions good or evil?
"White Witch" by Catherine Grant -When a baby is born the "wrong color" it will take the power of a mother's love and some help from voodoo to protect her.
"Baskets" by Paul McMahon- When Tommy shows up at Grandma Shawl's house uninvited and unwelcome they're both going to be sorry.
"Portrait of an Old Woman with Crows" by Peter N. Dudar
When a woman begins painting a portrait without asking the subject for permission to use her likeness the results are horrifying. This one had me almost afraid to turn the pages.
"To Dance The Witches Circle Again" by Morgan Sylvia- This story was amazing! Trouble is brewing as more and more witches are arrested and put to death.
"Another Plane" by Patrick Lacey-
Matt is fed up with his wife Kelly's interest in witchcraft. It's not real. Or is it?
"The Jatinga Effect" by Doug Rinaldi-
Edson is having a really bad day at work, and so are his coworkers thanks to a curse.

I would highly recommend this anthology to any fan of horror, dark fiction, or witches in general. All the stories were good, some were spectacular.

I received a complimentary copy for review… (altro)

What a wonderfully wicked short story and poetry anthology!

Wicked Witches gathers 22 stories about witches. The New England states have been rich in Witch lore for hundreds of years. This anthology gathers new modern tales of witchery, ranging from misunderstood crones to evil satanists.

I enjoyed every story in this collection. Some were humorous, others chilling. But all were delightfully witchy and wonderful.

My favorite tale is T.S. Eliot Burns in Hell penned by GD Dearborn. A reporter searches out a long-missing former rock star, only to find he has gotten himself into real trouble. From the setting -- a crumbling, old farmhouse filled with cannibalistic cats -- to the slow build of terror, the story was fantastic! Sometimes things that disappear should best be left to the shadows where they belong. The story was just awesomely horrific! It left me staring at my cats with awe and major distrust for the rest of the day.


Included in the anthology are:

That Witch We Dread - Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert
In Agatha Craggins' Defense - John McIlveen
Welcome to the D.I.V. - Errick A. Nunnally
The Witch's Apprentice - Morven Westfield
Going Home - James A. Moore
White Witch - Catherine Grant
Baskets - Paul McMahon
The Saint of Regret - Nick Manzolillo
Witch - Trisha J. Wooldridge
Run in the Widow's Hell - K.H. Vaughan
Portrait of an Old Woman with Crows - Peter N. Dudar
Tilberian Holiday - Izzy Lee
To Dance the Witches Circle Again - Morgan Sylvia
Another Plane - Patrick Lacey
Access Violation - Jeremy Flagg
T.S. Eliot Burns in Hell - GD Dearborn
Black Forest, Black Heart - Joshua Goudreau
The Jatinga Effect - Doug Rinaldi
The Place of Bones - Barry Lee Dejasu
Creaking Through Salem - Ogmios
Blessed Be & Kick Ass - Jan Kozlowski
Moving House - Rob Smales

The wicked cover art was designed by artist Mikio Murakami. The anthology's introduction was provided by Penny Dreadful, hostess of Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers.

I definitely recommend this collection of witchy writings for anyone who enjoys horror and dark fantasy!





… (altro)

3.5 stars

Zombies! And not just human ones either! Very cool!

Fountain of the Dead starts out in the suburbs of what's left of Boston about 10 years after Storm Night. That was the night a pretty meteor shower turned into meteors actually hitting the earth and somehow raising the dead. Our plucky group of survivors has come together and started to make a community, sometimes trading with their evil neighbors who control Boston itself. One night a stranger comes to the gates ranting about finding a cure and, of course, they let him in. So begins their journey towards the truth.

I'll have to leave the plot off there, other than to say there were a few turns that did surprise me. I think it's pretty hard to do that, especially being as big a fan of The Walking Dead as I am. The premise of finding a cure is an intriguing one, as most other zombie novels are wholly immersed in just surviving. These characters were well developed, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the bad guys. I also liked the imagination and creativity on hand for the very last portion of this novel. Bravo to what happened outside that shed!

I did have some issues with the editing. There were more typos than I would have liked, as well as missing or incorrectly spelled words, which took me out of the story here and there. Luckily, the pacing was good and I was able to hop back into the action without too much trouble.

Fountain of the Dead shows off some incredible imagination, especially towards the end, and for this reason I feel comfortable recommending it to fans of horror, but especially to fans of zombie stories and/or The Walking Dead.

*Horror After Dark received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is it*… (altro)