I'm always dubious of reviews of anthologies that claim that 'all the stories are worth reading'. It's as if the reviewer either doesn't have any critical acumen or they daren't upset any of the authors involved. However...
Horror Uncut, from Gray Friar Press, is an anthology of 'austerity themed horror' in which, uh, all the stories are very much worth reading. Honest.
Of course I had my favourites. Joel Lane's dark and twisted A Cry For Help couldn't have been a more chilling opening tale; Pieces Of Ourselves by Rosanne Rabinowitz contained a brilliantly evocative description of modern day protesting before becoming enjoyable surreal. Laura Mauro's Ptichka was utterly heartbreaking, whilst John Llewellyn Probert's The Lucky Ones was delightfully sadistic. Oh, and Stephen Bacon's The Devil's Only Friend and Andrew Hook's The Opaque District were both wonderfully constructed pieces of weird fiction, and the Gary McMahon and Simon Bestwick stories were up to their usual high standards. Plus there were fantastic stories by Alison Littlewood and Thana Niveau and.. well, did I mention every story here is worth reading?
It's theme of modern day austerity, its victims and its monsters, makes this a timely anthology, but the sheer quality of stories on display makes it one for the ages as well. Thoroughly recommended; buy it before your native currency collapses.
