The reader makes it bearable

I was provided an audible credit in exchange for my honest review of this book. It is below.

I'm not honestly sure what part of this was meant to be horror. Most of it was juvenile, references to genitals, sex with minors and stories with either no movement whatsoever or a lot going on that made little sense.

Between the "cannabis kills" message of one story and the self insert fiction where this self published nobody compares himself to Stephen King and brags about his penis size (no, really) ...none of these stories had any kind of subtlety. None of them had a hint of development or originality.

It was mostly tripe and I honestly rolled my eyes through most of this. What wasn't garbage was borderline plagiarized from other authors or movies. Ultimately his style falls far short of what is normally read cheerfully. Tons of mentions of Google, Facebook, Twitter, iPhones and other fads got in the way of really immersing myself in the stories. I don't give a damn about the product your characters use. You have maybe 30 pages to tell me a story and you're pushing this instead of detail that matters? Hard pass.

The guy also uses the same odd phrases multiple times throughout the stories, making the reader think (mistakenly) that they might be connected. But they aren't, it's just weak writing exemplified by the author's inability to sound like anyone other than himself.

Overall, this collection comes across as being written by a man with a far higher opinion of himself than is merited... while having a very low opinion of more successful writers as he disparaged then in favor of pushing the ludicrous idea that vanity press publication is incredibly lucrative. I have friends who are self published... It will not make you a lot of money unless you have incredible luck and outreach.

The reader, on the other hand, was rather good. The only pointer that I would offer him is to go ahead and do multiple takes and focus on what accent he wants to use. In one, he used an "American accent" (flat inflection with a slight New York sound) only to reveal that the story was set in the English countryside. That seemed to throw the reader a bit and his own natural tone came back off and on for the rest of the story. Otherwise, he was great and I would be more than interested in hearing more of him. With better authors, of course.

This is only my personal opinion. If this collection worked for you on any level, that's awesome and I'm happy for you. I just prefer more cerebral horror that doesn't have to rely on tearing down more successful authors in order to be edgy.

The best part of this book was where he had other authors' stories... And that's not exactly a compliment.

22 people found this helpful

This Guy is a Perve

This book is horrid. I couldnt make it through the first three stories. Every story contained rape, masturbation and other disgusting acts. I cannot believe this even has four stars. Why does every wannabe horror writer add their perverted thoughts to the page? Why cant you just have horror without feeling like needing to take a shower after? I would not recommend this book to anyone. The narrator was pretty good but that was the only enjoyment I got out of this

21 people found this helpful

Good and creepy.

A good collection of tales from the psychological to the weird to the visceral. Any fan of horror will enjoy this collection.

8 people found this helpful

I Would Skip It

There were probably like 3-4 stories that were really enjoyable and the others not so much. Plus the narrator has a very unpleasant (to me) voice.

3 people found this helpful

Loved it

I laughed, I cried, I threw up a little

One of the best short horror collections I’ve come across
Excellent narration from Aubrey a very talented VO artist
Super creative you won’t be disappointed
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

5 people found this helpful

Beyond Expectations

I must say I was a little hesitant going into this book at first. I’d heard of Iain Rob Wright but had never had the pleasure of reading his work; also, A to Z compendiums such as these tend to be hit or miss, a mishmash of stories poorly executed. Not with Mr. Wright. These stories were smart, funny, wickedly terrifying, and, in some cases, downright garishly good. I support his work all the way, and look forward to devouring more from Iain Rob Wright.

7 people found this helpful

Horror collections

Thanks for the gross outs, terror, humor & entertainment Mr. W! Highly recommend this to all fans of modern horror!

4 people found this helpful

Great for All Fans of Horror!

I received a free audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection of horror stories! There were the 26 A-Z stories, plus a few bonus stories. My favorites were A is for Antichrist, B is for Bogeywoman, G is for Genome, and M is for Matty-Bob. There were only two or three stories I couldn't connect with, but I will definitely reread this book and each story. I would recommend this book for any fan of horror.

1 person found this helpful

Awesome collection!

Just a heads up to potential listeners, some of these stories are pretty gruesome. I actually said WTF out loud a few times.

2 people found this helpful

Well done, Iain!

I enjoyed this from beginning to end. The pacing was fantastic. The stories kept my interest. I will definitely be looking for more of his books.