Honest Reviews of Hinnom Magazine 3 and Crimson Streets 2

Since Amazon 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: Hinnom Magazine #003
Theme: "dark fiction and cosmic horror"
Publisher: Gehenna & Hinnom Books
Editor: C.P. Dunphey
Number of stories: 7 (plus articles, reviews and an interview)
Pages: 133
Price: $6.99 paperback, $2.99 Kindle

Favorite stories: "Jennifer Brings it to Work" by Jack Lothian, which involves a mysterious entity that serves a massive distraction for an office staff, but might also be the harbinger of the end of life as we know it; and "The Enameled Crown" by Steve Toase, which is set in a dentist's office. It reminded me of a Bentley Little story (a compliment).

My story: "Home Again." This story is inspired by my own tiny home town and the idea of all points in history overlapping in the afterlife. At first I had a typical "horror" ending but the editor encouraged me to try for something with more of an emotional impact. Full disclosure: the paperback version has a continuity error I missed, while the Kindle version should have it fixed.

Final thoughts: I give this magazine a B. It has a gorgeous cover paying homage to a number of supernatural characters (villains) from classic horror literature. I skipped all the non-fiction and only read the stories. Leaving mine out of the equation, I enjoyed five of the six stories, especially the two noted above. It's a good deal for the price, especially if you opt for the updated Kindle version.

You can order a copy of Hinnom Magazine #003 right here.

Title: Crimson Streets 2
Theme: "stories inspired by the classic pulp magazines"
Publisher: portableNOUNS
Editor: Janet Carden and G. Shane Meeks
Number of stories: 12
Pages: 155
Price: $7.99 paperback, $2.99 Kindle

Favorite stories: "Five Crisp Tens" by Chris Bauer, an interesting mystery with a shocking twist, which would have been a perfect fit in the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents crime anthologies; "Three on a Match" by Robb White, which started as a heist story but ended in Tarrantino territory; and "Under the Earth" by Micah Castle, a creepy story that reminded me of the vintage Weird Tales.

My story: "Nic Fits," is a humorous story in which a mob hit man with serious anger issues wakes up dead and buried. Things get worse for Nic when a rat decides to nest in the casket.

Final thoughts: I give this magazine a B. Every story features an illustration, which is awesome. Some of the stories entertained me more than others. Most were either fun or suspenseful, with only one I didn't care for. Plenty of variety too!

You can order a copy of Crimson Streets 2 at this link.