Book Review: Horror Library, Volume 8 edited by Eric J. Guignard , Jana Heidersdorf (Illustrator),

Horror Library, Volume 8 edited by Eric J. Guignard , Jana Heidersdorf (Illustrator),

338 pages, Paperback

Published July, 2023 by Dark Moon Books

I don’t have a ton to say about Vol.8 of this very reliable series of horror fiction stories. Eric J. Guinard has become horror’s most prolific anthology editor and, amazingly, he keeps up the quality, the stories he publishes are wide and diverse. I understand that means that he is reading and passing on three times that number of stories, which in itself is impressive.

If you want markets for this kind of horror fiction, then you need to support it. The Horror Library series is not one Eric started, but he has taken a series with a good reputation, and it has been made better. What can you expect from a HL volume? A mixture of established big-name and award-winning authors like Bentley Little and Steve Rasic Tem and the newer voices. Guignard has an eye for new talent. Thanks to doing books like World of Horror he also is good at getting national diversity. There is always gender and racial diversity not exactly the strengths of the early volumes of this series.

All the stories in this collection were good and entertaining enough that rarely skipped or tapped out on stories something I do on occasion. My favorites were Only the Stones Will Hear Scream by R.A Busby, Blockchain by Dexter Mcleod, H Is for the Hunt by Steve Rasnic Tem, and Solace by Anna Zielgelhof.

Solace was my favorite a short, and experimental Sci-fi story with a corporate nightmare feel. Steve Rasnic Tem has always been a great short story writer and H is for the Hunt is also short but the story builds a dark vibe. Blockchain could also be at home in a science fiction anthology and is a story about technology. The R.A. Busby story is a very claustrophobic tale that stokes my fear of isolation.

If you are a devotee of the horror short story the work of Eric J. Guinard and Dark Moon books you should follow closely. Also the book comes Also including a special guest artist's gallery of Jana Heidersdorf, which is a special and fun part of the book.