Post by angelac on Aug 22, 2016 10:43:32 GMT -6
From the Description
This collection will worm its way into your nightmares." -Sèphera Girón, author of A Penny Saved and the Witch Upon a Star-
Amaranthine and Other Stories serves up nine schlock horror slices, sprinkled with quirk and humour.
Forget vampires. Forget werewolves. Forget ghosts. Humans are the ultimate grotesques. Variant flavours of woe sift through these pages. The results are sometimes hilarious, sometimes outright hair-raising!
As a bonus, the collection also includes story notes, offering the reader a rare glimpse into the inspiration behind each tale.
Publication Date: May 29, 2016
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Length: 72 pages
I received a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of these stories.
Amaranthine and Other Stories is a mixed bag of mostly real life horrors. Some of these stories are truly disturbing and not for the weak of heart, or stomach. Others are more psychological in nature. A few of them will stick with me for a long time. I won't go into all of the stories but here are a few of my favorites. I think I threw up a little while reading The Birthing Tub, a tale of an unusual birth and the relationship between Sean and his "son" Eli, enjoyable for those not easily grossed out. Amaranthine tells the story of a bookseller who also binds books as keepsakes for loved ones, I really liked this one. The Deep End was one of the only supernatural stories in this book and one of the best in my opinion. The Eucalyptus Grove and Akona were both twisted and disturbing. The story notes at the end were a lot of fun to read and a great bonus for people who want to know where an authors ideas come from. A fast and fun 3.5 star read.
About the Author
Erik Hofstatter is a schlock horror writer and a member of the Horror Writers Association. Born in the wild lands of the Czech Republic, he roamed Europe before subsequently settling on English shores, studying creative writing at the London School of Journalism. He now dwells in Kent, where he can be encountered consuming copious amounts of mead and tyrannizing local peasantry. His work appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as Morpheus Tales, Crystal Lake Publishing, The Literary Hatchet, Sanitarium Magazine, Wicked Library, Tales to Terrify and Manor House Show. Other works include The Pariahs, Amaranthine and Other Stories, Katerina, Moribund Tales and Rare Breeds.
You can find him at erikhofstatter.net and on Facebook , Twitter , or GoodReads
Praise for Eric Hofstatter
"Like Stephen King and Clive Barker, Hofstatter has a voice that is distinctive and highly engaging, and, like those maestros, is certain to become a major writer in the world of horror." - Starburst Magazine
“Erik Hofstatter certainly shows talent.”—Scream Horror Magazine
“Hofstatter is that rare type of genre writer who’s willing to take a risk, a trait that works in his and his readers favor.”—Shotgun Logic
“Hofstatter continues to impress with stories that pull no punches, and travel to some genuinely dark places.”—The Eloquent Page
“An audacious exercise in schlock-horror, gleefully twisted.”—Gary McMahon, author of The Concrete Grove Trilogy
“Erik writes the kind of old school horror fiction that is rarely seen these days, making him a rare breed himself.”—Paul Kane, author of The Rainbow Man