By Year’s End – A Year 47 Anthology: Edited by Bo Chappell

Reviewed by Steve Stred

Western Horror. Is there a better off-shoot/mini-genre of horror out there? I have always loved reading western books and watching western movies. But westerns are always elevated to another level for me when they are tinged or drenched by horror themes.

By Year’s End: A Year 47 Anthology is one of the single best releases I have ever read. Not simply as an anthology, but as a release by and whole. This Anthology is so well done, that by the half way mark I purchased Bo Chappell’s Year 47 novel that inspired this Anthology.

The book opens with a remark that I think is beneficial for everyone reading this review or who plans on reading either the novel or the anthology.

It states, in summary, that while both are related, neither will spoil the other. You can have read the novel first or read this anthology first and both are only related through themes and the creatures that reside within this new world.

For those unaware, the easiest way to sum up this new world is that Hell has now overtaken society. Cities have fallen, left in ruin, and the survivors are doing what they can to survive. Oddly enough, I recently read a novel very similar to this and with similar themes; Revelations from C. Dennis Moore. It feels like a fantastic companion piece now, after having read these two so close together.

Now as for the authors and stories themselves, there is simply no stand out tale, as every single story is exceptional. You find out more and more of the world through different years post incident. You discover more about the various creatures and you discover the lengths that each survivor will go to. What they will do to survive.

The authors chosen for this release were fantastic choices. Each person contributing their own story, but the whole anthology reads as though one person wrote it. Kudo’s to the editor for compiling this group.

This easily has bolted itself into my all-time favourite releases, and while I typically never re-read something after I have read it, I suspect I will return to this anthology after I read the Year 47 stand-alone release. I only hope that there are further releases planned in this horrible, hideous, grotesque world that has been created.

Star Rating (out of 5): 5*

“ONLY AT THE END CAN WE LOOK BACK…”Does hope alongside God?

From the world of YEAR 47 comes nine short stories of survival-horror in The New West, where humanity is left to judge themselves among the remnants of Heaven and Hell in an amalgamated world orphaned by its creator. Featuring eight of the most talented writers in the indie horror community, BY YEAR’S END shows us where we’ve been and where we’re going, leading up to the events of the Best Selling Novel YEAR 47 (Named 2016’s Horror Book of the Year by Horror-Writers.com).So whether this is your first step into the New West, or you’re returning to find answers, prepare yourself for a wild ride filled with adventure, sorrow, and terror on every page.YEAR 47 and it’s bonus book, MISSING DAYS, are available on Amazon.

Steve Stred

Steve has a new book coming out will ALL PROCEEDs going to charity!

Please read the following announcement and we’d love it if you could preorder ‘Dim The Sun’. 

Steve Stred is an up-an-coming Dark Horror author. Steve is the author of the novel Invisible, the novellas Wagon Buddy, Yuri and Jane: the 816 Chronicles and two collections of short stories; Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick.

Steve also has a number of works on the go and enjoys all this horror, occult, supernatural and paranormal.

Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog Oj.

You can follow Steve on Twitter @stevestred

You can visit Steve’s Official Website here