Honest Reviews of The Book of Blasphemous Words and Ink Stains #5

Since Amazon usually doesn't allow authors to review anthologies that include their work, I've made a habit of posting my reviews here on my blog.

Title: The Book of Blasphemous Words
Theme: horror and supernatural fiction based on religion, deities, and zealotry
Publisher: A Murder of Storytellers
Editor: CJ Miles IV
Number of stories: 29
Pages: 281
Price: $12.99 paperback, $2.54 Kindle

Favorite stories: "A Hole in the Head Reveals the Secret Nature of All Things" by Joseph Shelton (I think he's a brilliant writer with a great voice), "Sack Race to the River" by Chris Kuriata (terrifying ending), "The Unearthed Thing" by Ben Larned (gorgeous use of language), "The Sign" by John Biggs (he never disappoints) and "The Annunciation of Josie" by Jack Burgos (seems like this story could actually happen...)

My story: "Hero Worship," in which a "Christian" heavy metal singer and an impressionable fan exchange a series of emails. The story reads backwards, with the newest email first, and obviously things do not end (or start?) well for the young fan.

Final thoughts: I give the anthology an A-. The publisher, A Murder of Storytellers, always produces excellent anthologies featuring talented authors. I'm never disappointed. Kudos for them always turning out a fine product. And Joseph Shelton and John Biggs deserve a wider audience. Let's start with YOU.

You can order The Book of Blasphemous Words here.

Title: Ink Stains 5
Theme: literary dark fiction
Publisher: Dark Alley Press
Editor: N. Apythia Morges
Number of stories: 12
Pages: 193
Price: $15.95 paperback, $3.99 Kindle

Favorite stories: "Agents of the Seraphim" by Michael Pico, "Dick and Ruth Forever" by Paul Tanner, and "Pleased to Meet Me" by Peter Emmett Naughton. I also want to praise the layout of this book. It's gorgeous and I appreciated the special attention to detail and extra effort that sets it apart.

My story: "Always Confined" in which Johann, an elderly survivor of Nazi-occupied Germany, receives a gift from a well-meaning relative that forces him to relive one of his darkest moments.

Final thoughts: I give this anthology a B. Very solid overall, and I loved the layout. With only 12 stories, I didn't quite LOVE enough of them to give it an A. But it's good, no doubt about it.

You can order Ink Stains #5 via this link. (See what I did there?)