Slashertorte: An Anthology Of Cake Horror
Reviewed By J.A. Sullivan
Food in horror stories generally makes me think of poisonings, cannibalism, and tales of a more absurd nature, but Slashertorte: An Anthology of Cake Horror opened my eyes to the overflowing buffet of ideas that food can represent. The sixteen brilliant stories in this collection explore greed, family rituals, love, grief, and envy in mind blowing ways, and are sure to keep you feasting through the book until you’ve devoured every single word.
From the very first story, “Tres Leches” by V. Castro, where the reader gains secret information on the specialty bakery called Dark Delights, I knew this anthology was something special. Not only is Castro’s story inventive and creepy, but the writing style was captivating.
Overall, stylistic choices are a huge part of why this collection works so well. All the stories have interesting plots, but the way in which they are told are simply sumptuous. Each writer delivers a unique dark voice adding different tones and textures throughout the book. And, like a master pâtissier, editor Ben Walker exquisitely layered these tales to build upon each other. What follows are just a few of the stories I enjoyed so much I read them several times.
To me, the most heart-wrenching stories was “Tiers” by Belinda Ferguson. Blending magic spells, buttercream salted with tears, and a shotgun wedding, this story enters the thoughts of a disturbed baker motivated by her own tragic past. The author brilliantly captures how villains are seen as heroes in their own minds. (Please note, this story does deal with pregnancy and miscarriage, and may be triggering for some readers. A full list of content warnings is included at the end of the book.)
On the lighter side, “Mrs Betty Briggs and the Angel Food Cake from Hell” by Kelly Robinson was a terrific piece of cosmic horror. Set in the late 1950s, the women of Franklinville are turning green with envy as Mrs. Betty Briggs wins the blue ribbon at the annual fair year after year with her simple angel food cake. Determined to break Betty’s streak, the women begin spying on their rival, hoping to discover her secret ingredient. But no one is prepared for what they witness, and Franklinville will never be the same.
Sinking into the darkest depths of grief was “Black Teeth” by Sam Richard. At the funeral reception of his late wife, the main character grapples with his loss and feels unanchored from reality. This is only made worse when he sees a strange woman eating cake, her smile filled with black teeth. What follows is like a night terror for the character and feels like sleep paralysis to the reader. With its raw emotions and terrifying visions, this was my absolute favourite of the anthology.
Slashertorte: An Anthology of Cake Horror is a solid collection of unusual horrors, and although some stories impacted me more than others, I truly enjoyed every twisted tale. Even more impressive is this is the debut release by Sliced Up Press, which has me highly anticipating their upcoming menopause themed anthology Bodies Full of Burning.
Slashertorte
Sliced Up Press is delighted to present its debut anthology, featuring sixteen sweetly sinister stories.
Grab your fork and dig into tales of tiered cakes and teary eyes, plump currants and sinister undercurrents, all-consuming hunger and bizarre gluttony.
There’s something for all tastes here, though you might think twice before ordering dessert…
With all-new fiction from Tiffany Michelle Brown, V Castro, Belinda Ferguson, Douglas Ford, Benjamin Franke, Liam Hogan, R.J. Joseph, Red Lagoe, Madison McSweeney, Jackson Nash, Sam Richard, Kelly Robinson, E. Seneca, Risa Wolf, Nicole M Wolverton and Stephanie Yu.
You can buy Slashertorte from Amazon UK & Amazon US
J.A. Sullivan
J. A. Sullivan is a horror writer and paranormal enthusiast, based in Brantford, ON, Canada. Attracted to everything non-horror folks consider strange, she’s spent years as a paranormal investigator, has an insatiable appetite for serial killer information, and would live inside a library if she could.
As curator of “Scary’s Voices” on Kendall Reviews, an article series reviewing horror podcasts, Sullivan loves listening to all things spooky. If you have a horror podcast recommendation, let her know.
On top of contributing short stories to Kendall Reviews, her fiction has appeared in Don’t Open the Door (2019), It Came From The Darkness (2020), and she acted as an assistant editor for Black Dogs, Black Tales (2020). Other spooky tales and updates on her writing journey can be found on her blog.
You can follow J. A. on Twitter @ScaryJASullivan
Check out her blog https://writingscaredblog.wordpress.com
Find her on Instagram www.instagram.com/j.a_sullivan
Find her on Instagram www.instagram.com/j.a_sullivan
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