HONEST Reviews of DOA III and Memento Mori anthologies

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: DOA III
Theme: EXTREME horror
Publisher: Blood Bound Books
Editors: Marc Ciccarone and Andrea Dawn
Number of stories: 30
Pages: 397
Price: $15.99 paperback, $6.66 Kindle

Favorite stories: "The Broken Hearted" by T. Fox Dunham, "N Word" by Shane McKenzie (this one nauseated me--yes, that's a compliment), "The Machine" by Bentley Little, "Bury Them Deeper" by David Sandner, "Beer Battered" by K. Trap Jones, "Taking Root" by Christoph Weber, and "Ritchie" by Eric Guignard.

My story: "Proud Papa," in which a man gets to experience a lifetime of parenthood in a single hour, but with horrifying results.

Final thoughts: Honored to share a table of contents with legendary authors like Bentley Little, Richard Christian Matheson, John Skipp, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Wrath James White, and Jeff Strand. I own books by all these authors, and they're all famous in the world of horror literature for a reason. The up-and-comers all bring great stories to the table as well. This book is a bargain for the price. A+

You can order DOA III here.

Title: Memento Mori
Theme: dark stories about death
Publisher: Digital Fiction Publishing
Editors: Wills, Lockhart, Reeves-McMillan
Number of stories: 30
Pages: 424
Price: $16.29 paperback, $2.99 Kindle

Favorite stories: "My Wasteland" by T. Fox Dunham (surreal, harrowing, and semi-autobiographical), "Dead Men Tell No Tales" by Elaine Cunningham, "The Broken Silence of Fanghan" by Jennifer Brozek (fascinating concept), "Father Figure" by Tracie McBride (Oh. My. God.), "The Cottage of Curiosities" by Annie Neugebauer (holy crap that one was scary), "Dead Girls Don't Love" by Sarah Hans and "Acrylic on Canvas" by William Holden. My favorite (though it was almost impossible to pick) was the haunting and heartbreaking "Ghost Story" by Carly Holmes.

My story: "Cold Feet," in which a mortician's assistant goes to great lengths to win the affection of the man she loves. Part creature horror, part body horror, part morbid humor. One of my favorites.

Final thoughts: This book doesn't have as many "big name" authors as the other one I reviewed, but I actually liked it just as much, if not better. It's a good deal, packed with stories, and the Kindle is super cheap.

And WOW! so many female authors totally kicked ass in this anthology. Remember these names: Elaine Cunningham, Jennifer Brozek, Tracie McBride,  Annie Neugebauer, Sarah Hans, Carly Holmes. Those happened to be my favorites, but do yourself a favor and buy this book. No matter what, I think you'll be impressed by the authors (men AND women) featured! A+

You can order Memento Mori by clicking this link.