Malinda

I never tire of this story!!

Reviewed: 07-18-24

I LOVE Shirley Jackson's writing. Her novels and short story collections are one of my treasures. But for some reason, this is the story I love best. It may not have the scare factor of Hill House, but the atmosphere and the strangeness of being in Merry Cat's head combines to create something beautiful and Gothic that still sends chills down my spine.

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Excellent Horror.. Takes a lot to creep me out

Reviewed: 07-17-24

I found this to be an excellent written Horror Story. I expected it to be a typical Haunted House story but it was something else altogether. I'm 45yrs old, and have been reading adult horror since 11yrs old, maybe sooner. So, while I still very much enjoy the genre, I am almost never frightened. It takes A LOT just to give me a little chill. This book actually creeped me out pretty good. I didn't even realize how much until I was opening my eyes to check on every little sound I heard in the night. And it held my attention every second of the story. I was not bored once. It has taken me this long to experience a Michael McDowell novel, now I'm off to buy as many as are available! On a side note, narrator did his usual excellent performance.

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1 person found this helpful

I wish I could find a book THIS Thrilling more of!

Reviewed: 08-15-23

I have no words. Let's skip talking about the synopsis because really the only thing I want to pass on us this has got to be one of the most thrilling, entertaining and absolute FUN books I've had the pleasure of trading in all my 43 years! I'm speechless. I finished it in less than 12 hrs.... I literally didn't sleep until 7am the next morning because I COULD NOT make myself turn it off. I'm sure I will listen to it again very soon because I'm going to make my Husband listen with me.... which is very rare but I know he'll thank me for it!! Don't hesitate... Worth a credit for sure!!

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4 people found this helpful

AN EXTREMELY PLEASANT SURPRISE

Reviewed: 07-31-23

Purchasing this was a risk, as I never heard anything about this Author's work. But the synopsis caught my interest and the risk payed off in spades. The Story was very good... VERY dark, but very good. The character of Teo was written very well and his Psychotic personality was consistent throughout. I HATED him as if he was a real person LONG after the book was over. It's not for me faint of heart. It's dark subject material and the plot only gets MORE disturbing the further you get in the story. My heart broke for that poor Woman, and just couldn't wrap my head around just how far one a person's delusions can go. I thought the Narrator did an amazing job with all characters but especially Teo. It would have been too easy to overact as that Psycho, but he maintained an even, rational pitch that made it all the more disturbing because it conveyed just how clueless this guy remained regarding his own actions.
It was a quick listen that didn't lose my attention once yet I was surprised on more than one occasion to find that I was holding a ton of tension, as well as my breath waiting for certain scenes to play out. I really hope to see more of this Author's work in the future and highly recommend this to those who enjoy Dark Thrillers

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A Must have for any lover of Ghost Stories!!!!

Reviewed: 07-03-23

There's not much to say other than if you enjoy Ghost Stories... you're missing out if you haven't perused this book. I've come to have the utmost respect for any anthology edited by Otto Penzler. What makes him stand out from the rest, is the time and care he takes to find an eclectic but highly entertaining blend of stories from Past and Present WITHOUT giving you a book packed with stories that are found in 100 other anthologies on the same subject.
The only reason that I couldn't give this the rare 5 stars is because the female Narrator actually detracts from the stories she reads. If she's not reading with a grating monotonous tone, than she's torturing the audience with a horrendous "Southern" accent

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Amazingly entertaining collection

Reviewed: 07-03-23

Zombie stories have never been particularly interesting to me, so I was VERY surprised at how much I enjoyed this collection. I love books and will read from many genres, though I tend to favor Horror and old school 'Weird Tales', which made this a perfect fit for me despite the Zombie title. Otto Penzler did an amazing job of tracking down stories that encompass every possible definition of 'Zombie Story', from the current depiction of brain-eating Monsters to. what certain ancient beliefs of foreign cultures would define as a zombie. I have a special kind for short stories but I know as well as anyone that NO Anthology is without their weaknesses, BUT considering the huge amount of contents in this book, there were very few that I skipped before the end and most of these, I'm sure to listen to multiple times. This is a great book and has thankfully led to my discovery of a few other Penzler 'Big Books' that one enjoyed as well!

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1 person found this helpful

An Heartbreaking Story, Amazingly Told

Reviewed: 09-07-22

This is the first book I've read/listened to by Courtney Summers, but it is one of those rare books that I know will stay with me even years from now. The story was a hard one to hear at times, but the Author did a brilliant job of telling it. None of the subject matter was taken too lightly or glorified. It's a perfect cautionary tale for the times we live in. The ending felt like a punch to my gut.... though I knew deep down that it was going to end that way, didn't make the tears come any slower. I have a lot of respect when an Author writes an ending that may not be desired by neither the readers or the writer, but does so anyway because to do otherwise would inauthentic. I hurt for Sadie as if she were a real life person who's story I read in the paper or heard on an actual podcast. That is thanks to not only the writing, but the AMAZING Narration all the way around. I especially think the Narrator who played the ghost of the Podcast did a fantastic job. I can't imagine it not sounding the exact same way if I were actually listening to someone actively investigating such a story. Just the right amount of professionalism and emotion towards the outcome. Amazing, Anazing, Amazing!!!!

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