Crooked Souls by Jacob Klop

16 tales of horror that are sure to entertain and thrill.

The collection starts with a nurse who has an unhappy reunion with her patients, and ends with a schoolgirl researching unicorns, who is disappointed with what she finds. Other stories feature food addicts, memory eaters, witches, unusual exams, vampires in original forms, demons and hell on earth.

The stories are well written; focusing on a particular incident, and including a new horror or a new take on an old monster. Each tale is long enough to satisfy, yet never outstays its welcome.

My particular favorites were ‘The Palace Avignon’, about an old movie theatre. I liked the depiction of the once impressive building, now fallen into disrepair, and the employees who tried to drum up customers to save the business.

‘The Memory Witch’, which sees a man give up certain memories in order to gain answers to his questions. Paying for things with memories is an idea I love. I’ve read some great stories that deal with this, and even written a story about it, so this was a winner for me.

‘Not Your Typical Fairy Tale’, about a Selkie stealing a baby and leaving a changeling behind. Being Irish, I love these kind of stories.

Honorable mention goes to ‘Rich Soil’ for its carnovous plant.

Stories that didn’t work quite as well for me include ‘Fingers and Toes’, about a witch’s curse; ‘Trick or Treat’, a Halloween story where the trick was too tame for my liking; ‘The Finger Challenge’, a commentary on social media zombies; and ‘Ashmod the Eternal’, a story about a demon that just didn’t click into place for me.

I award Crooked Souls…