Sins & Tragedies

TITLE: Sins and Tragedies

AUTHORS: 

Stephen W. Roberts

JD Stone 

Thadd Presley 

Stacy Bolli

PUBLISHER: Panic Press

MAIN GENRE: Contemporary, Paranormal, Dark Fantasy

SECONDARY GENRE: Suspense, Horror  

LENGTH: 168

HEAT LEVEL: Mostly simmering, 

some 911 descriptions

OTHER:  M/F, M/M  

ROSE RATING: 3 ½ roses

REVIEWED BY: Phoenix

BLURB:

Stephen W. Roberts, JD Stone, Thadd Presley & Stacy Bolli aim to
re-define what it takes to stand in the spotlight of the dark fiction
genre with their sinfully tragic tales of murder, mischief, and
mayhem; the nefarious, loathsome, fiendish, depraved and deprived
populous of their psyche.
 
If you dare to face your inner most fears, then follow these authors
as they take you on a journey down the darkest alleys and rural dirt
roads that map out the twists and turns of their tainted minds.

REVIEW:

It’s tales from the crypt with a new spin. From pedophiles to cheating wives, wannabe vampires to naughty little boys, and a few creepy-crawlies in between, this book is filled with various tales of the macabre and grim. Karma can be a bitch, as many of these morbid tales portray.

Several short stories written by four different authors make up this collection of horror and wit. Each author has a distinctive voice and a unique way of writing. While I noticed some similarities to other authors (Stephen King for example) in a few of the tales, the authors were able to add enough twist to make them their own.

With such a large collection of stories from so many different sources, it’s difficult to go in to detail about each individual story. As a whole, I felt the collection was interesting, some tales more so than others, and there’d likely be something that appealed to every reader.  I must warn young horror fans though; some sexual content and references would make this book inappropriate for anyone under age 17.

As for editing errors, I did notice that some authors seemed to have more than others—mainly missing words or words used in the wrong form (there/their, etc.). While sketchy in a few areas, point-of-view was handled pretty well, as was grammar and punctuation. My only complaint is the lack of character development in some of the tales. However, because this is a collection of short stories, that is to be expected.

Overall, I enjoyed reading these tales of the grim and bizarre. While the purpose of some seemed merely to entertain others delivered a sense of grim justice for characters of, should I say, poor character, making the title a perfect fit for the content. If you’re looking for something that will amuse your dark side, then grab a copy of Sins & Tragedies by Stephen W. Robert, JD Stone, Thadd Presley, and Stacy Bolli, it’s sure to entertain.