Other Terrors

Other Terrors is an inclusive anthology by various authors. We follow different stories across many different themes in this collection.

All quotes are from an advanced reader copy, and may or may not reflect the published edition.

From Goodreads:
An anthology of original new horror stories edited by Bram Stoker Award winners Vince Liaguno and Rena Mason that showcases authors from underrepresented backgrounds telling terrifying tales of what it means to be, or merely to seem, “other”

Offering original new stories from some of the biggest names in horror as well as some of the hottest up-and-coming talents, Other Fears will provide the ultimate reading experience for horror fans who want to celebrate fear of “the other.” Be they of a different culture, a different background, a different sexual preference, a different belief system, or a different skin color, some people simply aren’t part of the dominant community—and are perceived as scary. Humans are almost instinctively inclined to fear what’s different, as foolish as that may be, and there are a multitude of individuals who have spent far too long on the outside looking in. And the thing about the outside is . . . it’s much larger than you think.

In Other Fears, horror writers from a multitude of underrepresented backgrounds will be putting a new, terrifying spin on what it means to be “the other.” People, places, and things once considered normal will suddenly appear different, striking a deeper, much more primal, chord of fear. Are our eyes playing tricks on us, or is there something truly sinister lurking under the surface of what we thought we knew? And who among us who is really of the other, after all?

“Maybe, I think, standing there, facing him, that makes me my own kind of monster.”

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 6 | Atmosphere: 7 | Writing: 7 | Plot: 5 | Intrigue: 6 | Logic: 6 | Enjoyment: 6
Total: 6.14

Reviewing a short story collection is always tricky, especially as some stories were fantastic and others…not so much. There were some that suffered from the short story format, and others that flourished under it. This is normal for these kinds of collections, in my opinion, and makes reviewing them as a whole something I’ve wanted to figure out how to do effectively.

“The sea is timekeeper and time itself. Older than all our mothers, younger than the freshest babe, it sheds its skin every moment of every day.”

I gave each short story an individual CAWPILE rating and I think this is the best way to go about this. There was only one short story I had to skip, and this was due to the style of writing and that it was in the second person POV. That’s just personal preference, though, and I’m sure the story was fine.

“Mother of otherness, eat me.”

This collection, looked at as a whole, was entertaining and worth the read. It uses different diverse backgrounds and histories as grounds for horror telling. This concept is played out incredibly well here. There were some stories that left me feeling disgusted in the best way. With horror, that’s all I can ask for.

“Don’t worry,” said Martha with a lilt. “Deader is better.”

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read more reviews here.