Year's Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2
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Narrated by:
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Joe Hempel
About this listen
Year's Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2.
Not your mama's best-of horror annual.
This year brings 22 more in-your-face stories that break boundaries and trash taboos, transgressive tales you can't "unread" (as Chuck Palahniuk says).
Some of the stories you'll find here are loaded with very graphic descriptions of violence, sex, and depravities, while others may contain only one shocking moment of brutality. In others, the hardcore aspect may be less graphic and subtler than you might expect. Some of these quieter tales offer the listener some time to recover from the more disturbing ones preceding.
Table of Contents
Michael A. Arnzen "55 Ways I'd Prefer Not to Die"
Jasper Bark "Bed of Crimson Joy"
Christa Carmen "The Girl Who Loved Bruce Campbell"
Marvin Brown "The Field"
Adam Cesare "Please Subscribe"
Matthew Chabin "Father of Dread"
Jose Cruz "American Gods, American Monsters"
Andrew Darlington "Coming of the Darkula"
Paolo Di Orazio "The Contract"
Stefanie Elrick "Mother's Nature"
William Grabowski "Out Hunting for Teeth"
Sarah L. Johnson "Little Sister, Little Brother"
Eric LaRocca "Miss_Vertebrae"
Alessandro Manzetti "Kozmic Blues"
Tim Miller "Backne"
Alexandra Renwick "Redux"
Bryan Smith "Implant"
Jeremy Thompson "The Hallowfiend Remembers"
Tim Waggoner "A Face in the Crowd"
Wrath James White "Ownership"
Stephanie M. Wytovich "On This Side of Bloodletting" & selected poems from "Brothel"
Full list of authors includes: Stephanie M. Wytovich, Paolo Di Orazio, Sarah L. Johnson, Adam Cesare, Michael A. Arnzen, Jeremy Thompson, Stefanie Elrick, Eric LaRocca, Wrath James White, Tim Miller, Bryan Smith, Tim Waggoner, Alessandro Manzetti, and Jasper Bark
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The end of the world didn't happen overnight. After years of war, societal breakdown, freak storms, and rising tides, humanity already hovered near the edge. Then came the most unexpected threat of all: the world's corpses rising up to deliver the final blow.
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Not worth more than $1.00 or so
- By cristina on 11-20-15
By: Isaac Marion
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Ghost Road Blues
- The Pine Deep Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Maberry
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The cozy little town of Pine Deep buried the horrors of its past a long time ago. Thirty years have gone by since the darkness descended and the Black Harvest began, a time when a serial killer sheared a bloody swath through the quiet Pennsylvania village. The evil that once coursed through Pine Deep has been replaced by cheerful tourists getting ready to enjoy the country’s largest Halloween celebration in what is now called “The Spookiest Town in America.”
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Love Joe Ledger Series? Avoid This Trainwreck.
- By Kathleen on 10-21-13
By: Jonathan Maberry
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Horror Stories
- Twenty-Six Scary Tales
- By: Jack Kilborn, J. A. Konrath
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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This collection features a menagerie of horror stories. Some are scary. Some are disturbing. Some are funny. Meet werewolves, vampires, zombies, psychopaths, aliens, cannibals, ghosts, and various things that go bump in the night. Previously published in dozens of anthologies and magazines, some of these tales are mild, but some are extreme. Let the reader beware...
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IS A PIECE OF A@@, WORTH PRISON?, HELL YA!
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 02-10-16
By: Jack Kilborn, and others
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Carniepunk
- By: Rachel Caine, Rob Thurman, Kevin Hearne, and others
- Narrated by: Candace Thaxton, Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Come one, come all! The Carniepunk Midway promises you every thrill and chill a traveling carnival can provide. But fear not! Urban fantasy's biggest stars are here to guide you through this strange and dangerous world....
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Its A Separate 14 Short Stories
- By Hassan on 07-27-13
By: Rachel Caine, and others
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Damoren
- Valducan, Book 1
- By: Seth Skorkowsky
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Matt Hollis is the current wielder of the holy weapon, DÄMOREN. With it, he stalks and destroys demons. A secret society called the VALDUCANS has taken an interest in Matt's activities. They see him as a reckless rogue - little more than a "cowboy" corrupted by a monster - and a potential threat to their ancient order. As knights and their sentient weapons begin dying, Matt teams up with other hunters of his kind such as LUIZA, a woman with a conquistador blade; ALLAN, an Englishman with an Egyptian khopesh; MALCOLM, a voodoo priest with a sanctified machete; and TAKAIRA, a naginata-swinging Samurai.
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The Expendables meets Monster Squad
- By Adam on 01-06-15
By: Seth Skorkowsky
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The Sky Is Yours
- A Novel
- By: Chandler Klang Smith
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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In the burned-out, futuristic city of Empire Island, three young people navigate a crumbling metropolis constantly under threat from a pair of dragons that circle the skies. When violence strikes, reality star Duncan Humphrey Ripple V, the spoiled scion of the metropolis' last dynasty; Baroness Swan Lenore Dahlberg, his tempestuous, death-obsessed betrothed; and Abby, a feral beauty he discovered tossed out with the trash; are forced to flee everything they've ever known.
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a hot mess
- By Alison on 04-09-19
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The City of Lost Fortunes
- By: Bryan Camp
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The post-Katrina New Orleans of The City of Lost Fortunes is a place haunted by its history and by the hurricane's destruction, a place that is hoping to survive the rebuilding of its present long enough to ensure that it has a future. Street magician Jude Dubuisson is likewise burdened by his past and by the consequences of the storm, because he has a secret: the magical ability to find lost things, a gift passed down to him by the father he has never known - a father who just happens to be more than human.
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Enchanting Creative Story
- By William on 09-02-18
By: Bryan Camp
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13 Bullets
- A Vampire Tale
- By: David Wellington
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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All the official reports say they are dead—extinct since the late ’80s, when a fed named Arkeley nailed the last vampire in a fight that nearly killed him. But Arkeley knows what most people don’t: there is one left. In an abandoned asylum she is rotting, plotting, and biding her time in a way that only the undead can. When state trooper Laura Caxton calls the FBI looking for help in the middle of the night, it is Arkeley who gets the assignment.
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HER LARYNX ROTTED AWAY YEARS AGO
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 10-20-16
By: David Wellington
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Blackbirds
- Miriam Black, Book 1
- By: Chuck Wendig
- Narrated by: Emily Beresford
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Miriam Black knows when you will die. Still in her early twenties, she’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and slow deaths by cancer. But when Miriam hitches a ride with truck driver Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days he will be gruesomely murdered while he calls her name. Miriam has given up trying to save people; that only makes their deaths happen. No matter what she does, she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.
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Not for the faint of heart or kids but exciting
- By Steph on 04-07-14
By: Chuck Wendig
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Dead Spots
- By: Rhiannon Frater
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The stillbirth of Mackenzie's son destroyed her marriage. Grieving, Mac reluctantly heads for her childhood home to seek refuge with her mother, who constantly reminds her of life's dangers. Driving across Texas, Mac swerves to avoid hitting a deer... and winds up in a dead spot, a frightening place that lies between the worlds of the living and the dead. If they can control their imaginations, people can literally bring their dreams to life - but most are besieged by fears and nightmares which pursue them relentlessly.
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Good concept for a story that is badly portrayed.
- By L.M. on 10-13-15
By: Rhiannon Frater
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Halcyon
- A Thriller
- By: Rio Youers
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Halcyon is the answer for all Americans who want to escape, but paradise isn't what it seems. A beautiful island in the middle of Lake Ontario - a self-sustaining community made up of people who want to live without fear, crime, or greed. Halcyon is run by Valerie Kemp, aka Mother Moon, benevolent and altruistic on the outside, but hiding an unimaginable darkness inside. She has dedicated her life to the pursuit of Glam Moon, a place of eternal beauty and healing. And she believes the pathway there can only be found at the end of pleasure.
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Intense and mesmerizing
- By Andrea on 09-25-18
By: Rio Youers
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Bleeding Violet
- By: Dia Reeves
- Narrated by: Suzy Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas, in search of a new home. But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. She discovers secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen, and no one is safe.
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Didn't like it. Sorry, not sorry
- By Cii'Em on 02-15-16
By: Dia Reeves
What listeners say about Year's Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dscr5230
- 06-29-17
Not for the faint of heart...
Would you consider the audio edition of Year's Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2 to be better than the print version?
Definitely. Listening to the story helped develop it better in my mind's eye. With this topic, it is always best to be able to visualize the story. There is some pretty rough stuff in this book, but there was a lot of imagination to accompany it.
Who was your favorite character and why?
This is an anthology. There were several characters in several stories that were captivating so it is hard to narrow down to one. There were several stories that didn't really make much sense to me though, so the characters in those were a bit too abstract.
What about Joe Hempel’s performance did you like?
Joe Hempel's performance is quite remarkable. One would imagine it would be difficult to create so many voices for so many characters, yet he does it well. He was able to differentiate the voices so much that you didn't feel like you were listening to the same story over and over. Well done.
Who was the most memorable character of Year's Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2 and why?
Again, this is an anthology so it is hard to choose. There is a character named Grace in a story set in a post apocalyptic world. She was probably the most memorable because of how her story ended. Can't say much more as I would be spoiling the plot for future readers.
Any additional comments?
I was given the free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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- Christian
- 07-06-18
Too Much Flash
There were A LOT of flash-fictions in this collection. Probably would’ve been better if they were spread out and announced as flashes between the longer stories. Fewer flashes in the next edition please. If any at all. The choices seemed a bit overthought as well. Definitely some gems in here though.
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- Crow
- 09-26-17
freaky
overall fun, some was a bit hard to follow. all were very graphic. interesting journey
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- willee
- 06-19-17
Good Anthology
This is one of the good anthologies around but enjoyed volume 1 more. It does contain disturbing, sexual, gore, bizarre and even a ghost. It was hard to choose one favorite one as I could pick out several and leave that for you to decide. I always enjoy Tim Miller, Adam Cesare, and Byran Smith and found a couple more authors I’m going to check out Recommend to anyone who enjoys short horror stories. . I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you!!
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- JenniferLOVESThrillers
- 07-13-17
Lots of Creepy Stories, NO SPOILER REVIEW
Collections are always nice because they give me the chance to tune into authors that perhaps I don't know. This is a nice collection of creepy stories written by a variety of authors. I recommend this for anyone that enjoys horror and wants to find new horror writers to enjoy. It's also a great way to commit to listening to a new writer without getting into a 10 hour book. These stories are short with a little something to please any fan of horror.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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- Jonathan Liechti
- 06-18-17
Not sure if its really my cup of tea?
Would you try another book from the authors and/or Joe Hempel?
Hmmm hard to say since its a ton of different authors. The Narrator was decent, could have used a little more feeling when telling the stories. S
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Bunch of different stories. Some good, some not so good. Though I would definitely put the first story somewhere else than the beginning of the book. Wasn't a fan of the style and it was hard to get through.
Would you listen to another book narrated by Joe Hempel?
He was a decent narrator, needed a bit more acting out of characters though in my opinion.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
It would be one hell of a dark anthology. Not sure I would. I don't mind gore or violence in books, but some of this just felt like it was to shock the listener. I didn't feel scared or creeped out really.
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- Christine Newton
- 07-15-17
Mixed bag of horror stories
Any additional comments?
With such a large volume of short stories, it's inevitable that readers will enjoy some more than others. Also, as the editors explain in their forward, the definitions of 'hardcore' and 'horror' are different for everyone. Thus, there were a number of stories in this collection that I didn't find appealing because they didn't meet my personal definition of either of those terms.
I'm ambivalent, also, about the other part of the title: 'Volume 2'. I think, subconsciously, that I'm predisposed to like this stories slightly less because they didn't make it into 'Volume 1' --- a part of me figures that the cream of the crop is in Volume 1 and these are the 'B-side' stories that didn't make the final cut. That's unfortunate, because sometimes the B-sides are just as good as the A-sides (I'm thinking of Pink Floyd's album 'The Final Cut' which, I've heard, includes songs that weren't considered to be good enough to be added to 'The Wall'. Ironic, because many of my favourite Pink Floyd songs are from 'The Final Cut'.)
My favourites in this collection were "The Field", "Redux", "Little Sister, Little Brother", and "Bed of Crimson Joy". I also liked "Ownership", but I think I would have liked it better if it were a longer story. That way, I could understand the characters, the supernatural context, and the significance of the missing book better. Also, in terms of negotiating safe, sane, and consensual bdsm scenes, I've always had the understanding that there's a difference between a hard limit and a soft limit. In this story, one of the characters calls something a hard limit even though it turns out to be a soft limit. The main character ignored the hard limit and the submissive character allowed the scene to proceed anyway. A very minor thing, but it actually was what turned me off most about the story.
I've listened to other audiobooks narrated by Joe Hempel before and typically enjoy his narration. However, I didn't think this was one of his better projects. Some of his pronunciations were off (for example, I always thought that "Redux" was supposed to be pronounced as "re-ducks", not "re-do"). Also, some of his character voices weren't especially effective for me in this audiobook. I'll definitely listen to him again in the future, based on my enjoyment of some of his other audiobooks.
I provided my opinion in exchange for a complimentary copy of the audiobook from the author, narrator, or publishers.
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- Jen Hansen
- 06-09-17
Worth the listen
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Although NSFW, this book was fun. Each story gave different outlooks and with it being different authors there is something for everyone. It has a few triggers, and so when it says not for the faint of heart it meant it. My favorite had to be Mother Nature. It was a fantastic look at human evolution.
If you like blood violence sex creepy things, it's worth reading.
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- Platypire Bob
- 08-23-17
Bob @ Platypire Reviews
*I requested and was granted an audible code for this audio edition*
This. This is not for the faint of heart, y’all. It’s a deliciously macabre collection. I was super into a lot of them, and started off making short reviews of each story, but only got through 3. Sorry! Part of the reason I like audio books is so that I can do household chores, drive, go for a walk or jog, or go fishing while I listen to the book, so I wasn’t able to keep track. I WILL give you the few I did get, though! With no further ado:
Chapter 4 is AMAZING. I think it was called Gods and Monsters. The Editor’s dogged obsession was intriguing to listen to, and I did not see that twisted ending coming! Very well done, and super creeptastic. Quite possibly my favorite of the entire collection.
Chapter 5, Mother Nature, is trippy. It’s very well written and puts me in the mindset of a fever driven nightmare. I liked it!
Don’t remember what chapter this one was, but it was too much for me. Not the gore or language, but the sex got too violent for me. Not saying there was anything wrong with it, and it felt well written, but I ended up skipping the ending because I’m a wuss lol.
Overall, this is a mixed bag. Some murder, some paranormal, some BDSM, all horrifying and beautiful in their own rights. Some weren’t exactly for me, but I’d be hard pressed to find a collection that WAS made up entirely of books any one person loved. And even the ones that weren’t up my alley were well written and I knew they were good.
The narrator did a wonderful job, he seemed to know all of the stories and had a steady pace. Nice voice and tension, as well.
If you like horror, REAL horror and tales from the darkest corners, if you can handle gore, terror, and short servings of all of these – and if you are over 18! – I would definitely recommend this for you.
Bob says: 4 Platypires!
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- daniel lee oliver
- 03-20-19
One of the best
The whole series of book are the best. I come go back to them again again. Thanks for the Year's Best Hardcore Horror books there great !
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