Today’s team review is from Terry, she blogs here https://terrytylerbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/
Terry has been reading Diabolica Britannia: A collection of 14 dark tales from the dark isles by Keith Anthony Baird, Catherine McCarthy, Christopher Henderson, Beverley Lee, Arthur M. Harper, Janine Pipe, Tim Lebbon, Stephanie Ellis, John F. Leonard, Alyson Faye, Sarah J. Budd, Morgan K. Tanner, Sarah E. England, Adam L.G. Nevill and Ramsey Campbell.
I’m delighted to see that this anthology, for such a good cause, is still doing well on Amazon. At just £2.99 or $3.77 (or equivalent, depending on where you are), everyone should purchase a copy!
Keith Baird, whose project this is and who published the book, has brought together a fine group of horror authors to bring you a selection of stories, all very different, that covers the wide range of the horror genre as a whole, so there’s something for everyone. As with any such collection, some stand out more than others, though of course this is largely a matter of personal taste.
My favourites are the first and last:
Carreg Samson by Catherine McCarthy
About an ancient stone, all that it has seen over millennia, and the dark ‘It’ that counters man’s greed and destruction of the earth. Loved every word.
Call The Name by Adam L. G. Nevill
Another story about the destruction of the earth by man, set forty years in the future; it’s a long one, a fine way to end the anthology – fabulous.
Others that stood out for me:
The Secret of Westport Fell by Beverley Lee
A superbly atmospheric story set in the 19th century, about a young woman who, failing to find a husband, goes to live in the back of a dark, misty beyond to tend her ailing aunt.
We Plough The Fields and Scatter by Stephanie Ellis
Eerie, sinister traditions in a remote village that doesn’t want anyone to leave…
Linger by John F Leonard
A man is bequeathed a mansion by his father, who he has never met, and discovers it might be more of a curse than a gift. What lurks behind that hidden door?
Even if the purpose of its publication didn’t make it a ‘must buy’, it’s worth getting for these five stories alone.
Rosie Amber 