The Fourth Corona Book of Horror Stories: The Best in New Horror Short Stories
The Fourth Corona Book of Horror Stories: The Best in New Horror Short Stories is an anthology published on October 1, 2022 by Corona Books UK. It weighs in at 252 pages and contains 20 short horror stories.
When I received a message asking me to review this collection, I jumped at the chance. As soon as I saw that Deborah Sheldon had a short story in the book, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy.
This horror short story collection is a conglomeration of horror styles. I enjoyed the differences between each piece, and it was exciting to see what was coming next. I was only familiar with the work of one contributing author, so I was thrilled to get the chance to be introduced to some “new to me” voices in the horror genre. I had a lot of fun reading this dark and gripping anthology, even though not every story hit home with me. The majority did, though, and for that I am chalking this collection up as a win.
Many of the stories don’t hold back when it comes to subject matter and attempting to get under a reader’s skin. I didn’t have any issues reading them, but there could be a few stories that have the potential to trigger some readers. The authors aren’t afraid to bring some tough subjects to life. Not all of the stories take you to those places, though. There is a good mix of heavy-hitting and delightfully macabre tales.
I enjoyed matching the authors and their bios up to my favorite stories. There are some very talented people involved in this collection, each with a distinct voice in horror. I love dark and twisted tales, and these stories didn’t disappoint.
I’m looking forward to checking out more of Corona Books UK’s publications as well as many of the authors involved.
MY TOP 5 TALES
These five stories gripped me the most and are listed in order of appearance in the book. Though I enjoyed the entire collection, these are the ones that stuck with me. I’ve included my notes I jotted after reading each story.
Gloria by Donna L. Greenwood - I enjoyed the gore in this story. It kept me riveted and intrigued the whole time.
Musica Mortis by Wink Taylor - This story is so clever, eerie, and magical - the author’s attention to musical details adds another layer. Great word play throughout. I was transported.
Angel - Deborah Sheldon - Such a fun and creepy story! Desolate. Desperate. Survival. Crushing. Smothering. Alone. Deborah never disappoints. This is a story filled with a visceral fear and dread. She brought a phobia to life.
There is a Man in Edith’s Home by Sam Rebelein - I love a story where I can feel the internal struggle and unease of the main character. This story made me feel like I was experiencing Edith’s mindset, and I loved it.
Sunday Supper by Vanessa Reid - This grim and dark story kept me guessing. I loved the inclusion of the church hymns adding a unique atmosphere to the story. Great characters.
Check out these other books from Corona Books UK:
ABOUT CORONA BOOKS:
Corona Books UK is a fiercely independent publishing company based here in the UK, specialising in publishing the best short stories in genre fiction to the highest standards. Moving forward, we're committed to publishing horror and sci-fi anthologies annually (...and more), bringing the very best new short stories to our thousands of readers, and bringing publishing opportunities to a new and diverse range of talented authors. We love what we do, we love short speculative fiction, and we love to celebrate the writing talent that's out there that more mainstream publishers are apt to ignore.
***Info from the Corona Books website
