Marvelous wonders! Wondrous marvels! Come one, come all to the Carnival Macabre, where the shocking and obscure thrives. See the exquisite oddities, avoid centuries old vampires, meet the Master of Fleas, hear the story of the Bone King and become grateful you’ve never been bequeathed an old clown named Sorry. But do be wary on your travels, for if you reach The Goblin Market, you’ll know you’ve gone too far. Eleven extraordinary tales that will satirist your morbid curiosities. . . and ensure you never look at carnivals quite the same way again.
Rating: ★★★★☆
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As soon as I saw the cover for this anthology, I knew I was in for a treat! Horror is about the unthinkable and gruesome. It dips it’s icy fingers into your mind until you’re consumed with a sense of unimaginable dread. What better setting than a dark carnival to invoke these feelings? Whimsy and the whisper of danger lurk around every corner and that is exactly what these pages contain.
The foreword, by Brad Acevedo, does a wonderful job of setting up the tone of the tales to come. You know exactly what you’re going to get from the beginning.
Carnival Macabre: An Anthology of Gothic Horror is a thoughtfully curated collection of dark tales, each one lovingly crafted to fit the over arching theme.
Admittedly, I was concerned that the stories would be too limited but the tales play well with another, each author offering up something different for the reader to devour. And I did devour.
While I wanted to give this anthology 5 stars, there were a couple tales that fell just a bit short towards the end as they ended slightly too abruptly but overall, it’s an extremely strong collection and I highly recommend it for those who, like me, enjoy rich imagery and a chilling tale.
Ghosts, goblins and demons, oh my!
[Note: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.]