Here Be Monsters - An Anthology of Monster Tales

 I picked this up because it was free on Amazon and I'm a sucker for short horror stories. They are extremely hard to pull off properly, though, and anthologies are almost always a mixed bag at best. That was true of this one. They all kind of came across as "B" movie-type stories, which isn't bad, but meant that I was rarely actually scared or even that involved. Blackmail: This was just okay. I thought the idea was interesting, but in practice I didn't really care much by the end. The characters were not terribly developed I didn't feel and I wasn't terribly surprised by the ending. Also, "Lucifera" is a ridiculous name for a bad guy character you aren't supposed to realize is bad. Something Wrong: This was creepy, though a little more clarification on what the child actually was would have been appreciated. The Reaver: Some kind of horrifying concotion of fantasy/horror. Not badly written, though violent and not my favorite. LUX: A very twisted "Frankenstein"-esque story, this was probably my favorite of the bunch. Figs: This was just strange. I kind of saw what was coming much earlier than the main character. Deals and Demons: This was all a bit much for me. Periphery People: This was quite possibly tied for second favorite. It was creepy and satisfying. Spider Bag: This was creepy, but also kind of disgusting and a bit ridiculous, honestly. I was not a fan. Taken together, they were a decent read, but nothing I was terribly excited about. Definitely not the worst horror anthology I have ever read, but hardly the best either.