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wulfwyn's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kurbanski's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alittlemixofvix's review against another edition
4.0
A great book prepping for Halloween - with all the different types of stories, there is bound to be at least one you love.
I was particularly drawn to three of the stories:
'Best Safe Life for You' by Muriel Gray - about protecting the family home against threats. It felt so realistic, although extreme, and the ending was a nice touch
'In the Wabe' by Alison Littlewood - about a missing daughter and a strange bronze statue. Eerie and heartbreaking with great imagery
'Autumn Sugar' by Philip Fracassi - about a young boy trying to find his dog and an earlier incident with his father. Great differing points of view about an event seen from both the adult and child, and it has the most chilling ending
Of course there were lots of other stories I enjoyed, but those were just my stand outs.
Overall, a nice collection of chilling tales that you probably don't want to be reading at night.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from RandomThingsTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I was particularly drawn to three of the stories:
'Best Safe Life for You' by Muriel Gray - about protecting the family home against threats. It felt so realistic, although extreme, and the ending was a nice touch
'In the Wabe' by Alison Littlewood - about a missing daughter and a strange bronze statue. Eerie and heartbreaking with great imagery
'Autumn Sugar' by Philip Fracassi - about a young boy trying to find his dog and an earlier incident with his father. Great differing points of view about an event seen from both the adult and child, and it has the most chilling ending
Of course there were lots of other stories I enjoyed, but those were just my stand outs.
Overall, a nice collection of chilling tales that you probably don't want to be reading at night.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from RandomThingsTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
4.0
Hi and welcome to my review of Close to Midnight!
Massive thanks to Anne Cater for the invite and to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
Close to Midnight is the third volume in an annual, non-themed horror series of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer, and edited by Mark Morris. This new anthology contains 20 original horror stories, 16 of which have been commissioned from some of the top names in the genre, and 4 of which have been selected from the 100s of stories sent to Flame Tree during a 2-week open submissions window.
I love short stories, but I’m very particular about them: I need them to tell me a full story in a limited number of pages, the ideal short story is a novel told in a fraction of the pages it would normally take to tell. As I’ve come to expect from the Flame Tree anthologies, there is not one short story in this collection that doesn’t meet that requirement, which once again made me a very happy reader.
Like its predecessors, Close to Midnight is an eclectic collection of stories, tackling many of the horror subgenres and I had a great time with it. It was the contributions of authors like Jonathan Janz, Adam Nevill, Alison Littlewood and Ramsey Campbell that drew me to this collection but I was happy to discover a bunch of new-to-me authors whose stories are every bit as good.
For those of you who like to know exactly what you’re buying, here’s an overview:
Wolves (Rio Youers): I had no idea what was going on and I still don’t but a creepy and isolated cult-like setting always does the trick, so no complaints here.
Best Safe Life for You (Muriel Gray) is short but it hits that horror sweet spot like a boss. Word to the wise: if your spouse suggests you get a dog to increase the safety of your home, just go with it.
Souvenirs (Sharon Gosling) shows that people aren’t always what they seem, including helpless old folks, who have a history, including some souvenirs, that might surprise you, and not in a good way. This story did surprise me in a very good way, though!
The Operated (Ramsey Campbell) proves that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Although it makes for a very entertaining tale. Just remember: if anyone refers you to an obscure organisation to have god-knows-what implanted so you’ll never be sick again, run for the hills!
In the Wabe (Alison Littlewood) is one of the creepiest missing child stories I’ve ever read, mystery and chills galore in a taut short story by an author I seek out for precisely this type of tale.
I Promise (Conrad Williams) is more heartbreaking than scary (although there are some chills as well). A terribly sad tale that makes you ponder loss, mourning and the power of promises.
Flat 19 (Jenn Ashworth) is one of my favourites in this collection. Don’t we all need a break once in a while, a flat 19 where time is of no importance and you can just be without having to perform a billion tasks and fulfill the roles of mother, wife, daughter, career woman, … Be careful what you wish for, though.
The Forbidden Sandwich (Carl Tait)… Holy tomatoes but WTH did I just read?! Great build-up and a nice slice of body horror.
Autumn Sugar (Philip Fracassi) filled me with dread from the very beginning. A terrible, horrible, heartbreaking story that packs the enormous punch I’d been dreading from the get-go. Despite this, or maybe because of this, it’s one of my favourites in this anthology.
Collagen (Seanan McGuire) is body horror at its finest (or gooiest?
Massive thanks to Anne Cater for the invite and to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
Close to Midnight is the third volume in an annual, non-themed horror series of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer, and edited by Mark Morris. This new anthology contains 20 original horror stories, 16 of which have been commissioned from some of the top names in the genre, and 4 of which have been selected from the 100s of stories sent to Flame Tree during a 2-week open submissions window.
I love short stories, but I’m very particular about them: I need them to tell me a full story in a limited number of pages, the ideal short story is a novel told in a fraction of the pages it would normally take to tell. As I’ve come to expect from the Flame Tree anthologies, there is not one short story in this collection that doesn’t meet that requirement, which once again made me a very happy reader.
Like its predecessors, Close to Midnight is an eclectic collection of stories, tackling many of the horror subgenres and I had a great time with it. It was the contributions of authors like Jonathan Janz, Adam Nevill, Alison Littlewood and Ramsey Campbell that drew me to this collection but I was happy to discover a bunch of new-to-me authors whose stories are every bit as good.
For those of you who like to know exactly what you’re buying, here’s an overview:
Wolves (Rio Youers): I had no idea what was going on and I still don’t but a creepy and isolated cult-like setting always does the trick, so no complaints here.
Best Safe Life for You (Muriel Gray) is short but it hits that horror sweet spot like a boss. Word to the wise: if your spouse suggests you get a dog to increase the safety of your home, just go with it.
Souvenirs (Sharon Gosling) shows that people aren’t always what they seem, including helpless old folks, who have a history, including some souvenirs, that might surprise you, and not in a good way. This story did surprise me in a very good way, though!
The Operated (Ramsey Campbell) proves that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Although it makes for a very entertaining tale. Just remember: if anyone refers you to an obscure organisation to have god-knows-what implanted so you’ll never be sick again, run for the hills!
In the Wabe (Alison Littlewood) is one of the creepiest missing child stories I’ve ever read, mystery and chills galore in a taut short story by an author I seek out for precisely this type of tale.
I Promise (Conrad Williams) is more heartbreaking than scary (although there are some chills as well). A terribly sad tale that makes you ponder loss, mourning and the power of promises.
Flat 19 (Jenn Ashworth) is one of my favourites in this collection. Don’t we all need a break once in a while, a flat 19 where time is of no importance and you can just be without having to perform a billion tasks and fulfill the roles of mother, wife, daughter, career woman, … Be careful what you wish for, though.
The Forbidden Sandwich (Carl Tait)… Holy tomatoes but WTH did I just read?! Great build-up and a nice slice of body horror.
Autumn Sugar (Philip Fracassi) filled me with dread from the very beginning. A terrible, horrible, heartbreaking story that packs the enormous punch I’d been dreading from the get-go. Despite this, or maybe because of this, it’s one of my favourites in this anthology.
Collagen (Seanan McGuire) is body horror at its finest (or gooiest?
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
A good antohology of short horror stories, it features some author I love (Ramsey Campbell,Seanan McGuire) and some new to me.
There's a sort of fil rouge which is the sense of loss but any story is original and well done.
i discovered some new author and thoroughly enjoyed the other stories.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
There's a sort of fil rouge which is the sense of loss but any story is original and well done.
i discovered some new author and thoroughly enjoyed the other stories.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
rebekahg101's review against another edition
4.0
Close to Midnight is the third instalment to a series of anthologies centred around horror short stories.
I loved the introduction- it brings up a huge dialogue about the horror genre in general. Even if it’s short, it certainly is thought provoking. A wonderful start.
I found it to be a very well thought out anthology; subject and author wise. They all blended very well, while each being very diverse. Twenty short stories that include cult horror to security systems and body horror.
Wolves is a hard hitting start for this anthology-it grabs you by your hand and just takes off running. My favourite so far has been the second one, Best Safe Life For You. Each story has been a wonderful slice of the author’s potential- they leave me wanting more from everyone. The anthology blended and flowed very well.
I loved the introduction- it brings up a huge dialogue about the horror genre in general. Even if it’s short, it certainly is thought provoking. A wonderful start.
I found it to be a very well thought out anthology; subject and author wise. They all blended very well, while each being very diverse. Twenty short stories that include cult horror to security systems and body horror.
Wolves is a hard hitting start for this anthology-it grabs you by your hand and just takes off running. My favourite so far has been the second one, Best Safe Life For You. Each story has been a wonderful slice of the author’s potential- they leave me wanting more from everyone. The anthology blended and flowed very well.
ljwrites85's review against another edition
5.0
So the spooky season is upon us, so that means it's time for a new collection of short stories from Flame Tree Press. This is their third year so far, and I've devoured them all.
Like the previous collections, close to midnight has a great range of stories from dystopian realities, demonic entities to the downright creepy.
There are twenty stories in the collection, some from familiar names to authors that I don't know, but I will be keeping an eye out for future work from.
My standout stories were:
Remains by Charlie Hughes. This one is my absolute favourite of the collection. A woman is stuck in a sort of purgatory-like state watching the commuters at a train station, her body undiscovered just beyond the platform.
The nine of diamonds by Carole Johnstone. This gripping story came in a close second. A woman's life is falling down around her when she lands a job interview at a mysterious agency that specialises in 'cursing' people.
Best Safe Life For You by Muriel Gray. A brilliantly creepy story about a couple whose neighbourhood is being terrorised by a gang of youths, so they contact a mysterious company to provide them with security.
The Forbidden Sandwich by Carl Tait. A unique tale about a care assistant is told about a sandwich by one of his patients that will induce brilliance for a short time. He tries it out regardless of the consequences.
Going Home by Evelyn Teng. An almost fairytale-like story about a young boy returns home, but his parents are not acting the way they used to.
Rise Up Together by Adam LG Nevill. A mind bending story about a man who goes to visit his friend in a weird town with some very unnerving residents.
Honestly, if you love short and sometimes shocking horror stories, you can't go wrong with this collection! I will be looking forward to next year's collection.
Like the previous collections, close to midnight has a great range of stories from dystopian realities, demonic entities to the downright creepy.
There are twenty stories in the collection, some from familiar names to authors that I don't know, but I will be keeping an eye out for future work from.
My standout stories were:
Remains by Charlie Hughes. This one is my absolute favourite of the collection. A woman is stuck in a sort of purgatory-like state watching the commuters at a train station, her body undiscovered just beyond the platform.
The nine of diamonds by Carole Johnstone. This gripping story came in a close second. A woman's life is falling down around her when she lands a job interview at a mysterious agency that specialises in 'cursing' people.
Best Safe Life For You by Muriel Gray. A brilliantly creepy story about a couple whose neighbourhood is being terrorised by a gang of youths, so they contact a mysterious company to provide them with security.
The Forbidden Sandwich by Carl Tait. A unique tale about a care assistant is told about a sandwich by one of his patients that will induce brilliance for a short time. He tries it out regardless of the consequences.
Going Home by Evelyn Teng. An almost fairytale-like story about a young boy returns home, but his parents are not acting the way they used to.
Rise Up Together by Adam LG Nevill. A mind bending story about a man who goes to visit his friend in a weird town with some very unnerving residents.
Honestly, if you love short and sometimes shocking horror stories, you can't go wrong with this collection! I will be looking forward to next year's collection.
sucharita's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookivore's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Perhaps not quite as strong overall as the earlier anthologies, this is still a solid collection of new stories, with some great authors included. There was one story I couldn't finish reading. I could see what was going to happen and couldn't bear it. I skipped through enough to know, yep, I can't do that one.