9 Horror Stories: The Sequel by Josh Darling

He ain't no Darling!!

Well, don't let the name fool you! Josh Darling is no darling!! He's a sick, twisted, messed up individual....my favourite kind of individual! He's up their with the best for extreme fuckedupness! These 9 horror stories are all different in their own way, whilst all being extreme and horrific. All well written, great descriptive imagery, maybe too descriptive sometimes! I thoroughly enjoyed them all and my favourites were... ENTRY OF THE GLADIATORS & CAKE EATS DOG! I'm just going to write a few words for each story, but let me tell you, if you're a fan of extreme shorts, you'll love these! UNSAFE HOUSE - Voodoo Walmart!! Robbers on the run and zombie cops! This one was great, grisly fun! THE STIFF AND THE DEAD - Woah! This one was shocking and brutal! A persistent vicar intent on necrophilia! *also contains paedophilia!* BEST VACATION EVER - a man in denial, a murdered wife and sister, and a stranger with a gunshot wound and a bag full of cash! ENTRY OF THE GLADIATORS - Like a brutal, bizarre, horrific and creepy fever dream!! With clowns!! I loved it!! NOT WERE, NOT WOLF - Pet revenge, with a twist!! NOT JUST THE MONEY - Sweet revenge! THE CELLULAR FAMILY - too much screen time is bad for you, so bad! This one was creepy, weird and a little sad too! CAKE EATS DOG - heartbreaking and brutal! THE LAST DAY AT THE OFFICE - brutal, twisted and sick! As I said, every story was great, an all round 5/5

One of the Best New Horror Collections of 2022

If you're looking for a reason to purchase this book, it's "The Stiff and the Dead." "The Stiff and the Dead" is one of the best short horror stories ever written. Period.

A Chamber of Horrors With Brains As Well As Blood

A disgraced cop and a mess of Payo Mayombe zombies, a trauma-stricken mortician and a pederast priest, a wounded recidivist and a delusional tax accountant, a rural town full of psychopathic carnies and degenerate bureaucrats, a peculiar little girl with ungodly choices in baked goods, and an office drone with a sexual appetite to rival Caligula. These are only some of the characters whose hideous stories will unspool before your eyes as if you were subject to a solo screening of a snuff film. Author Josh Darling’s debut short story collection is a chamber of horrors that’s as thoughtful as it is gritty. Many of the tales herein are ugly and unflinching, but the better of the batch are penned with a generous mixture of introspection and wit. Don’t get it twisted, there are plenty of cheap jokes and gory details to satiate those who like their horror familiar, but Darling is at his best when he finds that thrilling place where author and character overlap; you’ll be able to recognize the strongest stories at once because their plots or asides are powered by their author’s sui genesis meditations, those Jack Handey shower thoughts that so many of us experience without warning and rarely remember to write down. Last Day at the Office is one such story, a slice of marital and occupational purgatory whose satisfying and sinister outcome is second only to the domestic insight of its first act. This one can teach genre aspirants a thing or two about the importance of treating horror as any other literary form - the finest writing is not necessarily the bloodiest. Eagle-eyed readers will even get a subtle deep cut reference to Canadian comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. Entry of the Gladiators is unlike any story I’ve read before and is sure to please even the most jaded genre fan. Those who think they’ve seen and heard the gore all before will be left in sheer awe. I guarantee you you’ve never read a more unique take on clown horror in your life. Like a poo-poo platter, 9 Horror Stories: The Sequel gives the keen reader a cornucopia of flavors and styles to choose from. How palatable you find this dish will depend on the sensitivity of your gag reflex and the degree of literary fortitude you bring to it. My advice is to lie back and let Darling stick his trocar in you. That first jab is a hell of a rush.