Horrors Untold: Matt Wildasin
Reviewed By Brian Bogart
Matt Wildasin is not just a member of multiple podcasts (the pop culture-centric Grindcast and The Horror Show with Brian Keene)- but he enjoys writing horror, as well.
Read more about Matt’s love of horror here on KendallReviews: Matt Wildasin: Why Do You Write Horror?
Horrors Untold is a collection of short stories, originally written and posted to his Facebook group of the same name. Readers seemed to enjoy them, almost as much as he did writing them- so collecting them seemed the next logical step.
But what untold horrors are held within?
Do you like tales of unknown forces tampered with by mere mortals, some ripping and tearing at flesh and sometimes- even reality itself? Some of these tales tiptoe among these themes, while others flat out devour them whole (alongside a protagonist or two).
How about ghost stories? Kids mess with a Quija board and summon a supernatural killing machine. We also have shadowy people lurking in the corners and above you. (It likes watching you sleep, I hear.)
This is a review, Brian. Stop asking the readers questions. It feels like they are taking a quiz.
Alright. Fine….
While most were simply “fun” horror stories, there were a few that stood out to me. I really enjoyed “Vanished”, inspired somewhat by the author’s childhood. “The Object” feels like the abbreviated climax of a much bigger story- or the precursor to an apocalypse. (I’d like to know more about the other artefacts and the organization as a whole, personally.)
“Night Watchers” definitely had a few moments, and I like the idea behind it all. But I think my favorite was probably “The Pit”. This book does indeed feel like a glimpse of the author becoming more comfortable in his own writing as the pages fly by, which bodes well for his future releases.
(I found that very interesting to see, especially as an author myself.)
Overall, Horrors Untold is a six story collection with some definite standouts amid the buckets of blood soaking each page. Kind of like Tales from the Darkside episodes. Or the brutal B-movies of yesterday- minus the popcorn, of course.
It reminded me of when I used to go to school book fairs in elementary school. As a young horror hound, these were the types of books I always hoped to find, nestled in between “Southern Fried Rat and Other Gruesome Tales” and “Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.” (Book fairs was also where I found Lovecraft and Poe, too. Good times.)
This book evokes that same vibe in some ways- albeit more mature with gory entrails and other details, of course.
That’s not a bad feeling to evoke in a reader, at all. I look forward to reading more of Matt’s writing as he continues churning out the horror.
(If I ever get famous, there’s my autobiography title: Gory Entrails and Other Details.)
*NOTE 1: There were a few simple spelling/grammatical errors in the collection. I only mention this for editor/author’s sake, and did not factor this into my review.
*NOTE 2: Why the bloody hell does this review have so many parentheses?
*NOTE 3: Why are you still reading this? Read less notes. Read more books, damn it. And Let’s Promote Horror Together, of course.
Horrors Untold
Welcome to Horrors Untold! This collection of six short horror stories is certain to send a chill down your spine.
BEWARE!
The stories in this book range from cosmic horror, ghost stories, slashers and many more horrifying tales.
Be prepared to be scared!
You can buy Horrors Untold from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Brian Bogart
Brian Bogart is an American author, residing in Northern Ireland. His love of genre fiction started at an early age, consuming every horror and fantasy book available. He has been published in various degrees online and contributed a short fiction piece, “TOCSIN”, to The One Million Project (OMP) Thriller Anthology in an effort to raise money for cancer research and the homeless. He loves to share his enthusiasm for the horror genre with others and help promote other authors.
His latest story, alongside many other authors, can be found in the pages of EPIC FANTASY SHORT STORIES, coming soon from Flame Tree Publishing.
Purchase OMP THRILLER here: Amazon UK
Preorder EPIC FANTASY SHORT STORIES anthology here: Flame Tree Press
Twitter @DreamsDarkly
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Official Blog https://www.dreamdarklyblog.wordpress.com
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