The Dead Boxes Archive: Dark Tales of Horror and the Diabolical by John F. Leonard
4 stars
The Dead Boxes Archive Volume One is a collection of seven dark stories. I would describe the genre as mild horror.
Call Drops – a retired mobile phone enthusiast buys an unusual phone at a car boot sale, which is more a toy or collector’s piece than a second hand phone. But then it rings, and the voice at the other end has a chilling message.
Doggem – about a soft toy used as a teaching tool to encourage children to write a diary of events. But this fluffy friend is no ordinary mute toy, and the things that he witnesses are quite macabre.
A Plague Of Pages – this is the story of a deadly pen, which in the hands of one author creates some grisly events.
Night Service – a gruesome tale about one trip on the last bus out of town.
Burntbridge Boys – is set in an old football ground and involves a washed-up manager who is offered one last team to coach.
Linger – was a chilling tale about the inheritance of a house, one filled with very strange artwork.
The Screaming Mike Hawkins – is the tale of a musician. Leonard uses lyrics from some of Mike’s work as introductions to several of the stories mentioned above, so it felt right to have it included here.
I don’t generally read horror, as I need to sleep at night, but something mildly morbid, like these tales, is just fine. I would describe them as creepy more than gory. Leonard writes with a succinct style which is full of vivid description. I liked this collection, and am happy to recommend it.
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The Dead Boxes Archive is a chilling collection of short horror stories and horror novellas. Together for the first time in one volume, seven tales from the critically acclaimed Dead Boxes series.
Dead Boxes are scary things. Wonderful and dreadful secrets hiding themselves in plain view.
On the surface, they often appear to be ordinary, everyday objects. Items which are easily overlooked at first glance. Perhaps that’s just as well because the Dead Boxes are as far from ordinary and everyday as you can get. They hold miracle and mystery, horror and salvation, answers to questions best not asked and directions to places better left unfound.
This collection offers an insight into some of these delightfully eerie articles. A stunning omnibus of old school inspired horror, the brooding and ominous variety. Not to say that there isn’t a little gore and gruesome in the mix. But one of the beauties of horror is that it comes in many forms. Blood and guts don’t need to be stars of the show for a story to be dark and disturbing. Something that will stay with you long after the reading is done.
Rosie Amber 