There’s a famous quote (often misattributed to Winston Churchill) that says, “History is written by the victors.” While that may be true in certain instances, what if the history we think we know was written in such a way as to hide the true nature of the events that occurred? What if the historians would rather say that Native Americans met Custer at Little Big Horn, rather than what he actually faced? Or, what If Elvis didn’t really die, and just faked it to retire early, only to end up in a retirement home to battle much worse? Well, Eugene Johnson has put together a fantastic collection of “alternate history” stories that will make you go, “Hmmm, I wonder.” With some of the biggest names in the horror writing community, this is, without a doubt, one of my favorite anthologies of 2018.
Here’s a quick run-down of each story with my ratings (1-5):
Introduction by Tony Todd - right off the bat, you have to love this. I mean, come on – the Candyman himself was inspired enough to write the introduction. You know this will be a great read.
“The Deep Delight of Blood” by Tim Waggoner - Bela Lugosi didn’t hang up his Dracula cape. In fact, he’s mentoring someone to take his place; with horrific, yet quite funny, results. 4 of 5.
“Unpretty Monster” by Mercedes Yardley - Lately there has been some speculation as to just what did sink the Titanic (and yes, there was room on that door Rose); was it really an iceberg, or was it a fire? What if it was something completely different and much more terrifying? 4 of 5.
“The Tell-Tale Mind” by Kevin J. Anderson - Did Poe have a vivid imagination, or did he just write accounts of things that actually happened? The truth might surprise you. 5 of 5.
“Topsy-Turvy” by Elizabeth Massie - This story may be a little obscure for some younger readers, and that’s what makes it so good, they’ll have to do some research and maybe learn something. A great take on a ghost story, from a non-human perspective. 5 of 5.
“Ray and the Martian” by Bev Vincent - Ray Bradbury’s name is synonymous with Science Fiction. But what really inspired him to jump into that genre? Maybe it was something that happened in his childhood? 4 of 5.
“The Girl with the Death Mask” by Stephanie M. Wytovich - I’ll admit, I had to do some research on this one. I wasn’t familiar with Frieda and Diego Rivera. But even still, the story holds its own as an interesting “deal with the Devil” tale. 3 of 5.
“On a Train Bound for Home” by Christopher Golden - This one, while one of my favorites, may confuse a lot of people. In 1924, H.P. Lovecraft wrote a story called “Imprisoned with the Pharaohs” which is a first-person fictional account of an encounter Houdini had in Egypt. This story is a sequel to that one. So, unless you’ve read Lovecraft’s story, this one might not make sense. However, I have, so this gets a 5 of 5.
“The Custer Files” by Richard Chizmar - Well, it’s no secret that Richard is one of my favorite authors, and can do no wrong. This “true” account of what really happened at Little Big Horn is fantastic and scary. 5 of 5.
“Red Moon” by Michael Paul Gonzalez – Was Neil Armstrong really the first person to step foot on the Moon? Did Russia beat us, and the Apollo 11 mission was something much more than we were told? As someone who has studied astronomy, and wanted to be an aerospace engineer (stupid Differential Equations), I have to give this one a 5 of 5.
“The Prince of Darkness and the Showgirl” by John Palisano – I guess you could also call this one, “Marilyn Monroe – Demon Hunter”. An interesting story revolving around a talent that nobody knew Miss Monroe had. 3 of 5.
“The Secret Engravings” by Lisa Morton – If you haven’t heard of Lisa Morton, you are missing out. She is the premier authority on Halloween, and has written a number of books and stories. This one revolves around the true nature of Hans Holbein’s Dance of Death series of paintings. 5 of 5.
“Mutter” by Jess Landry – My apologies to both Rich and Lisa, but this story from Jess Landry is – hands down – my favorite of the lot. Revolving around the true nature of the Hindenburg crash, it was just absolutely perfect. Sadly, I don’t want to say exactly why, but if you know me, and get to the ending, you’ll understand. 5 of 5.
“La Llorona” by Cullen Bunn – This story tells of what exactly happened to Ambrose Bierce when he went to Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. He encountered something more sinister than rebels. 3 of 4.
“The London Encounter” by Vince Liaguno – Judy Garland was found dead in a bathroom of a rented house from an apparent overdose; or was that really the cause of death? Could she have received a visit from an infamous London resident named Jack? 4 of 4.
“Bubba Ho-Tep” by Joe R. Lansdale – Sorry, Joe. I love your writing, but this one just didn’t do it for me. The premise is that Elvis faked his death, and is now in a retirement home. He soon finds himself battling an ancient Egyptian soul-sucker. I understand this one was made into a movie, but I had a really hard time getting through it. 2 of 5.
“Gorilla my Dreams” by Jonathan Maberry – I think we’ve all seen at least one version of the King Kong story. But what we never find out is this – what happened to the body after it fell from the Empire State Building? I know that always bothered me. Well, read this and find out the gruesome details. 5 of 5.
“Articles of Teleforce” by Michael Bailey – I read this story twice and actually still don’t really get it. The story revolves around a weapon that was developed by Tesla, and it’s somehow tied into the events of 9/11/11. I found it to be confusing enough that I felt the need to read it twice to see if I missed something. 1 of 5.
“Sic Olim Tyrannis” by David Wellington – I make no qualms about thinking the zombie genre has been over-played. I feel the market has been saturated with brain-eating undead, and that it’s become stale and pedestrian. Because of that, I try to avoid it when I can. I can honestly say (and I pointed this out to Eugene) that I despise David Wellington for writing a refreshing, enjoyable, and twisted take on the zombie story. 5 of 5.
“The Washingtonians” by Bentley Little – We think of George Washington as an upstanding person; I mean, he is considered the “Father of our Country” here in the USA. But what if a note is found showing that Washington belonged to a group of people that wasn’t as upstanding as we’d like to think? 5 of 5.
“Scent of Flesh” by Jessica Marie Baumgartner – What a great story revolving around Annie Oakley and her husband, Frank Butler. Targets aren’t the only thing they are good at shooting. 5 of 5.
“Rotoscoping Toodies” by Mort Castle – This was a bizarre story revolving around Disney, and what cartoons are really about. Ever wonder why Snow White looked so real, while everything else looked like a cartoon? It’s know that Disney was obsessed with Snow White, and this story tells the real reason. 5 of 5.
“Lone Wolves” by Paul Moore – The adventures of Teddy Roosevelt are endless, and legendary. But this adventure is one you’ll never see in the history books. My only issue with the story is this – Roosevelt is joined by the famous Native American Avonaco. The story takes place in 1886, but Avonaco died in 1864, and there’s no record of him and Roosevelt ever meeting (although he did meet Lincoln). But I still found this very enjoyable. 5 of 5.
“The Great Stone Face vs. the Gargoyles” by Jeff Strand – This was a cute story revolving around Buster Keaton (I’m sure there are a lot of younger readers who have no idea who that is, and that’s a shame) and the reason he was called “The Great Stone Face”. Join Buster on the set of a movie that was never released. 4 of 5.
“The Return of the Thin White Duke” by Neil Gaiman – A beautiful tribute to the late, great, David Bowie. I can’t say more than that. 5 of 5.
There you have it. There were some stories that I thoroughly enjoyed, and others that fell flat. But the anthology as a whole was rock solid. Eugene reached out to me concerned that it would find an audience. My response was that yes, the subject matter is a niche market (history isn’t many people’s “cup of tea”), however, those who read it will find that within its pages are some Fantastic Tales of Terror; and if only a handful of people take the time to Google some of the historical references within, then that’s just a bonus on top.
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| Blurb | From the blood of Macbeth and the ghosts of Hamlet, to the dark fantasy of The Tempest and the twisted love of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Unleashed reimagines the Bard’s greatest works as short horror stories…as well as horror sonnets. | Since the beginning of time, people have argued the meaning of dreams. Are they symbolic visions that hold great meaning and personal significance? Are they portals into other worlds? Or are they just a series of random events? | Haunting podcast transcripts. Blood-soaked police reports. Bewildering court findings. Brace yourself for an anthology that resurrects the chilling power of epistolary fiction—where ordinary documents transform into vessels of absolute terror. | Written by 37 of Horror’s greatest writers, Including 18 Bram Stoker Award Winners, this anthology features diverse voices from every walk of life as they usher you through the darkest and most profound questions of the modern age. | Prepare yourself for a harrowing journey through Dastardly Damsels, an anthology that redefines horror with a powerful lineup of female authors. | This one-of-a-kind collection gathers the chilling voices of horror’s most imaginative minds, presenting a rich blend of flash fiction, short stories, poetry, a suspenseful play, a novella, and even an illustrated comic book section. |
Secret Supernatural Alternate History
Fans of horror fiction can hardly go wrong by picking up any of the many Crystal Lake anthologies. I’ve read many of them over the last several years, and find them always to be premium quality, including many stories worth a second reading, and very affordable in both digital and print versions. Although FANTASTIC TALES OF TERROR fell a little short of my lofty expectations, it still fits the Crystal Lake template and is worthy of your consideration. Inside this new collection are nineteen original stories and five reprints, all tales of alternate history involving a supernatural or secretive element. As a different kind of themed anthology, the title FANTASTIC TALES OF TERROR doesn’t give a true indication of the contents. Too often, the subtitle goes unnoticed or is actually shortened on some listings. Some readers may pass it by, thinking it just another in a long list of horror story collections, and that would be a shame. Some indication of the true nature of this collection should have been included in the title, to at least give readers a better hint of the contents (maybe HORRIFIC SECRETS OF HISTORY or SUPERNATURAL HISTORIES, etc. . .) While I did not enjoy every single story in this collection, I did appreciate the creativity on display and diversity of themes within. All of the authors deserve recognition for their clever twists on historical events. Some of the events referred to are well-known, while other stories revolve around historical or pop culture figures of the past - some significant and some trivial. An introduction to the anthology is provided by horror film icon Tony Todd. There are biographies and additional credits for each author in the end-piece. Among the facts of alternative history I learned while reading are the revelation that Bela Lugosi became a vampire trainer after his film career ended; what really caused the sinking of the Titanic and the crash of the Hindenberg; Edgar Allan Poe was really a police informant; elephants never forget (I already knew that, but not why); what sparked the imagination of Ray Bradbury; Harry Houdini ran afoul of Chthulu cultists; there were vampires at the battle of Little Big Horn; werewolves got to the moon first; both Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland encountered famous murderers; the unlikely muse of a famous painter; what started Ambrose Pierce reflecting; how Elvis really spent his latter years; Tesla’s influence on a modern tech weapon; how George Washington survived the harsh Valley Forge winter and the bad habit he developed; what forced Annie Oakley to become a sharpshooter; how Disney really filmed Snow White; David Bowie was an alien before he became a rock star; Teddy Roosevelt’s connection to weird native American mythology; that Buster Keaton was a documentarian and not a silent comedy star - which would make him the father of reality television; what really killed the dinosaurs; and other bits of trivia. The reprinted stories (only two of which I had read before) are all stellar, the best tales in the collection. Joe R. Lansdale’s “ Bubba Ho-Tep” is the real standout, always good for producing howls of hilarity no matter how many times I’ve read it. Close behind Lansdale is Bentley Little’s conspiracy-laced distortion of American History in “The Washingtonians.” Also worthy of multiple readings are “On A Train Bound For Home” by Christopher Golden, “The Secret Engravings” by Lisa Morton, and “The Return Of The Thin White Duke” by Neil Gaiman. Of the original stories selected for this volume, only “Mutter” by Jess Landry is worthy of a spot on the pedestal besides Lansdale, Little, Golden, Morton and Gaiman. However, nine stories are above average, with only one real clunker in the remaining stories of which eight are amusing but fall a bit short of expectations. These are the other stories that impressed me: “The Deep Delight Of Blood” (Tim Waggoner), Unpretty Monster (Mercedes M Yardley), “The Custer Files” (Richard Chizmar), “La Llorona” (Cullen Bunn), “The London Encounter” (Vince A Liaguno), “Gorilla My Dreams”(Jonathan Maberry), “Sic Olim Tyrannis” (David Wellington), “Rotoscoping Toodies” (Mort Castle), and “Lone Wolves” (Paul Moore). Interesting but lacking in either a dynamic resolution or significance were “The Tell-Tale Mind” (Kevin J Anderson), “Topsy Turvey” (Elizabeth Massie), “Ray And The Martian” (Bev Vincent), “The Girl With The Death Mask” (Stephanie M Wytovich), “Red Moon” (Michael Paul Gonzalez), “The Prince Of Darkness And The Showgirl” (John Palisano), “Scent Of Flesh” (Jessica Marie Baumgartner), and “The Great Stone Face Vs The Gargoyles” (Jeff Strand). I only regretted reading one story, “Articles Of Teleforce” a tale of Tesla by Michael Bailey related through a series of letters, documents, and correspondence that is tedious, boring and lacks emotion. Overall, there’s much to appreciate here. With a digital copy being offered for just $3.99 on Amazon, it’s hard to pass up.
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2018
- Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2018
- Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2018
- Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2018
Fans of horror fiction can hardly go wrong by picking up any of the many Crystal Lake anthologies. I’ve read many of them over the last several years, and find them always to be premium quality, including many stories worth a second reading, and very affordable in both digital and print versions. Although FANTASTIC TALES OF TERROR fell a little short of my lofty expectations, it still fits the Crystal Lake template and is worthy of your consideration.
Secret Supernatural Alternate History
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2018
Inside this new collection are nineteen original stories and five reprints, all tales of alternate history involving a supernatural or secretive element. As a different kind of themed anthology, the title FANTASTIC TALES OF TERROR doesn’t give a true indication of the contents. Too often, the subtitle goes unnoticed or is actually shortened on some listings. Some readers may pass it by, thinking it just another in a long list of horror story collections, and that would be a shame. Some indication of the true nature of this collection should have been included in the title, to at least give readers a better hint of the contents (maybe HORRIFIC SECRETS OF HISTORY or SUPERNATURAL HISTORIES, etc. . .)
While I did not enjoy every single story in this collection, I did appreciate the creativity on display and diversity of themes within. All of the authors deserve recognition for their clever twists on historical events. Some of the events referred to are well-known, while other stories revolve around historical or pop culture figures of the past - some significant and some trivial. An introduction to the anthology is provided by horror film icon Tony Todd. There are biographies and additional credits for each author in the end-piece.
Among the facts of alternative history I learned while reading are the revelation that Bela Lugosi became a vampire trainer after his film career ended; what really caused the sinking of the Titanic and the crash of the Hindenberg; Edgar Allan Poe was really a police informant; elephants never forget (I already knew that, but not why); what sparked the imagination of Ray Bradbury; Harry Houdini ran afoul of Chthulu cultists; there were vampires at the battle of Little Big Horn; werewolves got to the moon first; both Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland encountered famous murderers; the unlikely muse of a famous painter; what started Ambrose Pierce reflecting; how Elvis really spent his latter years; Tesla’s influence on a modern tech weapon; how George Washington survived the harsh Valley Forge winter and the bad habit he developed; what forced Annie Oakley to become a sharpshooter; how Disney really filmed Snow White; David Bowie was an alien before he became a rock star; Teddy Roosevelt’s connection to weird native American mythology; that Buster Keaton was a documentarian and not a silent comedy star - which would make him the father of reality television; what really killed the dinosaurs; and other bits of trivia.
The reprinted stories (only two of which I had read before) are all stellar, the best tales in the collection. Joe R. Lansdale’s “ Bubba Ho-Tep” is the real standout, always good for producing howls of hilarity no matter how many times I’ve read it. Close behind Lansdale is Bentley Little’s conspiracy-laced distortion of American History in “The Washingtonians.” Also worthy of multiple readings are “On A Train Bound For Home” by Christopher Golden, “The Secret Engravings” by Lisa Morton, and “The Return Of The Thin White Duke” by Neil Gaiman.
Of the original stories selected for this volume, only “Mutter” by Jess Landry is worthy of a spot on the pedestal besides Lansdale, Little, Golden, Morton and Gaiman. However, nine stories are above average, with only one real clunker in the remaining stories of which eight are amusing but fall a bit short of expectations.
These are the other stories that impressed me: “The Deep Delight Of Blood” (Tim Waggoner), Unpretty Monster (Mercedes M Yardley), “The Custer Files” (Richard Chizmar), “La Llorona” (Cullen Bunn), “The London Encounter” (Vince A Liaguno), “Gorilla My Dreams”(Jonathan Maberry), “Sic Olim Tyrannis” (David Wellington), “Rotoscoping Toodies” (Mort Castle), and “Lone Wolves” (Paul Moore).
Interesting but lacking in either a dynamic resolution or significance were “The Tell-Tale Mind” (Kevin J Anderson), “Topsy Turvey” (Elizabeth Massie), “Ray And The Martian” (Bev Vincent), “The Girl With The Death Mask” (Stephanie M Wytovich), “Red Moon” (Michael Paul Gonzalez), “The Prince Of Darkness And The Showgirl” (John Palisano), “Scent Of Flesh” (Jessica Marie Baumgartner), and “The Great Stone Face Vs The Gargoyles” (Jeff Strand). I only regretted reading one story, “Articles Of Teleforce” a tale of Tesla by Michael Bailey related through a series of letters, documents, and correspondence that is tedious, boring and lacks emotion.
Overall, there’s much to appreciate here. With a digital copy being offered for just $3.99 on Amazon, it’s hard to pass up.
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Top reviews from other countries
- bobbigypReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2021
A collection of strange tales
