The BHF Book of Horror Stories Book 12 Review: Part 2

Dunrotten'

Simon J.Ballard

Something is causing a massive stink on the street where Steve and Peter live. A couple embarking in a May to December relationship where Peter the older party is starting to notice some of the incompatibility.

I'm glad I could smell this story is the first thing I would say. Ballard (or should I say J. Ballard, I'll say Ballard and probably be corrected later) has rendered a tale that evokes the senses to elicit nausea and then I would imagine vomiting.

That's a good thing though. Seriously, the main theme carried within this story is rot, decay and the powers of attraction. I fully experienced the stench of this one thanks to living descriptions of the rotting dead flesh. The bugs that moved and thrived on decomposition and of course the description of something smelling of eggs and shit sets off your gag reflex.

The attraction element is seen within Peter and Steve’s own relationship. Their noss pot neighbours curtain twitching, how the public behave to what happens in the story. And finally the attraction insects and vermin have to decay and as you will find out, people.

This story made me feel sick and that's great. Nice work Mr.Ballard.


Softflesh, Cold Blood

Jed Vespers

This book has Nigel Farrage on the cover and people could say the cover does not relate to this books content. HOWEVER, this story actually seems to tie in to Farrage frog face.
Written in the format of diary entries or possibly a data log from a mid-distant dystopia. We follow Phillipa Juliet Tranters final act of living starting of her unnerving death in an execution chamber that has disturbing echos of the holocaust to inception of all the other dark events to brought her to her demise.

The reverse technique is effective with the opening entry a sight of hell that could be possible in our own nation. It seemed to me that try as I might in searching for a trigger point where things for Phillipa could have been different, it was absent.

There seemed to be a bigger point being made here aside from sexual violence and injustice. Something more inline with fate and how it can be sealed when your environment is anti-human, anti-empathy.

Mr.Vespers that opening entry will stay with me for a while. Effective and traumatising story.


The Critic

Richard Freeman

Mori Hediki is a feared food critic who twins his work with being a massive twat. Single handedly destroying restaurants around the world based on his sadistic whim and inability to wield power responsibly.

I felt the setting of this story and the different cultural landscape of Freemans tale refreshing. Set in Japan and focussing on Japanese restaurants. The story added variety to the BHF collection.

After gleefully ruining yet another restaurant, despite enjoying the meal he was critiquing Mori sets out on his way. The a familiar scent catches his nostrils and his is drawn toward a certain eatery that he did not know existed.

I must say right now that unlike Ballads story this is a tale I DID want to smell. I loved the descriptions of the various dishes Hediki is served and I could help but start imagining them with my stomach. Hediki being a pompous prick is written effectively here and I didn't give him the benefit of the doubt. You'll see if the story itself has more mercy on him than I when you read it.

Good delivery here from Richard Freeman.

 

 

The BHF Book of Horror Stories Book 12 Review 

The British Horror Forum Book of Horror Stories started life as a humble creative effort of a number of enthusiastic members the British Horror Film Forum. A forum now long since dead and never to be resurrected as a member of the undead.

The dead and the undead are main themes of this the twelfth edition of this book. A land mark issue for any horror anthology. 

Well what is this book like? With its Farrage face beaming at us with all the five million quid corruption grin it can muster. Well for a kick-off this edition has no connection to politics. At least that is not the intention of this volume. No, as the tag line suggests it is about the DYING, DEAD and UNDEAD. Which is the direction I hope Farrage's career veers toward.

I aim to review every story and I will do so in parts, so this is Part 1.

Let's get on with the tales:

THE MANY DEATHS OF JULIE-THE-JUNKIE A Flash McGrath Side-Step 
Ian Talbot Taylor 

Julie-The-Junkie has died many,many times. She has also lived out a multitude of lives where many of them end in rather violent circumstances. A punk/goth rebel who has grown jaded with her ability to be resurrected repetitively and ability to observe the many strands of alternative realities.
She is constantly bothered by the devil, who tries to get her to make a pact with him and turn to the dark side. And Flash McGrath, Julies boyfriend, who has accepted a deal with devil and now Julie is losing him throughout time and space.

Ian's story is cosmic in scope and contains a great deal of sci-fi elements without losing its horror footing. This story is part of wider arch, you can tell this short story hasn't began or ended with this episode and it is more of an entry within a wider epic.

This is something for those who like to mix genres and have their tales given a grand flavour.


VINEGAR AND BROWN PAPER 
Jez Conolly 


This one is a creepy one. I'm a big fan of urban horror. I mean why do people have curtains? The only reason why you draw your curtains is if your up to no good. Right?

Jez Conolly's story is disquieting and I hope I am not completely off base when I say this, but it also feels a little like "What if Alan Bennet had his characters eat each other".
The lead characters narration of the tale led me to trust him, I felt I was in safe hands with Peter, a passive, amiable man. Though he is far from ordinary like his mother and their eating habits are terribly extraordinary.

They seemed to love their food though, which must count for something.

This is local horror, it's not bombastic but that makes it all more the unnerving.

FACELESS 
Mark Humphries

A man in search for his lost brother finds himself looking in a rather rough club. His search so far is fruitless. He asks an evasive barmaid who appears not to want to answer his enquiries about his missing brother.

Or maybe she does and there is something else at hand here, something the barmaid is frightened to reveal. This night club also has live music, a band that the patrons are encapsulated by. Though the band  seem unremarkable at first there is also something uncanny about them.

Mark Humphries shows us another way a person can join a band. I have always wanted to be a lead signer of a rock band  but I never wanted to join a band the way Mark describes.