Great British Horror Volume 1 Review

Horror. Who would have thought the genre would fast become a favorite of mines to read. Let me start off by saying that I am the biggest scaredy cat out there. Though I do love a good scare and well done horror movie, I get spooked easily.  My imagination conjures up different scenarios for whatever potentially scary place I'm at and I do believe in evil. I'm sure that this is the result of watching Nightmare on Elm Street, Poltergeist, Evil Dead, Night of the Creeps and those other scary, possibly cheesy, movies of the 80's. I never watched the Night of the Living Dead movies because zombies are the most vile and terrifying creatures that will exist. This coming from someone who absolutely love The Walking Dead. You better believe I'm learning some zombie survival skills. I'll expand some more of this in my review.

The point of the Great British Horror is that all proceeds received from the sales of the book will go to charity. The charity organization chosen is Centrepoint, a UK based charity that helps homeless young people and children. If you'd like to donate, you can go to Just Giving to help. However, you can also buy the book, know that you are helping a good cause and still get a good read.

The Great British Horror can be read one book at a time over a time frame, depending on the mood you're in or you can choose to read all the stories back to back, which is what I chose to do because I was just too excited.

Before I started reading stories in the horror genre, I thought that horror involved monsters only. Well, it does but I thought these monsters were the ones who chased you in the woods, in the middle of the night. So, pretty much that's why I stay out of woods, in the middle of the night. While reading the Great British Horror, and some horror stories before, I learned these monsters come in very different forms. From the supernatural, to the religious, the human kind, and who knows what else in between. Sometimes the monsters are separate and sometimes that monster embodies all... super scary.

In the Great British Horror, the authors who collaborated together to put this collection forth, did a fantastic job in choosing different stories to show the many faces of horror. There are stories in here that will touch your very soul all the while making you cringe, some that will leave you in disbelief, and some that will make you shudder.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the cover of the collection. It's got a tattered and old look to it. The cover resembles a book that you would find in a box in an old, dusty attic of an abandoned home. One where it would intrigue the person who finds it enough to crack it open and read its content. Only, it won't come with a warning saying that once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down.

I can imagine that reader sitting there and starting with the first story in the collection and being afraid to look 'behind the door' in fear that something festering in the old house would reach out, grab him and not let go. Ending with the knowledge that she stumbled upon some incredibly terrifying stories that sent shivers down her spine.

That's what the Great British Horror did to me. From the very first story down to the last, images were conjured up at most every turn of the page. Images that I would not have thought of on my own. Images that could very well be nightmare inducing. Not only that but there were feelings stirring inside me. Feelings of despair, sadness and anguish. Feelings of pity and humor, at the same time. How could that be? Oh the stories in the Great British Horror did that to me.

It's amazing how when someone thinks of horror they think only of the scare factor. While that is still there, horror is so much more. It's about the human nature and how when someone is pushed past the point of no return, there's no telling what that person is capable of. There's no telling what that person has become vulnerable to and will do for retribution. I believe that evil exists, true and pure evil. The Great British Horror covers evil in different forms such a person falling victim to abuse as a child by the hands of other children and letting that abuse fester in his heart and mind to the point where the only way for vengeance was to allow that hate, anguish and hurt take over him. Evil hidden in what you think is a calm and serene place. Evil in the form of psychotic individuals looking for love, fame and letting their minds become sick with what they feel they deserve. Evil in the form of the unknown and confusion caused by unexplained events. Evil, oh, pure evil in the form innocence.

I have to say that I truly enjoyed reading this collection. It was a welcome break from reading all the paranormal romances I was reading.

Do I recommend the Great British Horror? You bet I do. If you want a good scare or something to think about, because the Great British Horror does provide food for though, I suggest you pick this up. Just read it on a stormy night, when the wind is howling, the rain is pelting on your roof top and the lights are threatening to go out. It's a nice ambiance to read the story in. If for nothing else, you can get the Great British Horror and help to donate funds to Centrepoint.

Title: Great British Horror Volume 1
Publisher: Horrific Tales Publishing
Location Available: Amazon

Synopis:

A new Indie horror omnibus of eight complete novels and novellas, featuring the United Kingdom's heaviest hitters in the genre, with all proceeds being donated to Centrepoint, a UK based charity that cares for homeless children.

The Thing Behind the Door by G.R. Yeates
Acclaimed writer G.R. Yeates builds terror upon terror, as three friends are drawn back to their past to face a living nightmare in 'The Thing Behind the Door'. 

Whisper by Michael Bray
Evil comes in many forms in Michael Bray's dark, atmospheric chiller 'Whisper'. A young couple seeking refuge from dangers of city living escape to the country...but their new home, Hope House, holds a deadly secret.

Happy Ever After by Matt Shaw
A man in love will do anything to win the heart of a beautiful woman. In Matt Shaw's popular introduction to the Peter Chronicles, we find out just how far Peter will go to woo his latest love. Dark, disturbing, with an undercurrent of Shaw's trademark black humour, you'll grow to love Peter...but will Vanessa?

Insulation by Craig Saunders
Good fences may make good neighbours...but in a flat, it's good insulation that makes for good neighbours. In Saunders' tale, 'Insulation', a writer discovers just what her neighbour's been up to with the previous tenants.

High Moor by Graeme Reynolds
In his breakout novel 'High Moor' Graeme Reynolds pits werewolf against werewolf in this stunning debut. Master of Ceremonies over this unholy first volume of Great British Horror, Reynold's werewolves are brutal and bloody in the first book of the High Moor trilogy.

The Copycat Murders by William Meikle
William Meikle's fiction spans the globe. Author of more than 200 short stories and countless novels, he brings us 'The Copycat Murders'. In it, Meikle breathes new life into the murder yarn with a wicked, supernatural twist when a detective travels beyond the borders of our reality to capture a murderer...into Mirrorland.

Duplicity by Ian Woodhead
Ian Woodhead brings his trademark imagination in a gritty tale of shape-changers 'Duplicity', but the heroes might not be who you expect when anything can be anyone and everyone can die. 

Sam by Iain Rob Wright
Fast becoming one of Britain's bestselling horror authors, Iain Rob Wright's offering introduces us to 'Sam' a little boy with a secret. Sam is no ordinary child, and when he's threatened, Sam's secret will come out at last and blood will flow.