I am not one for VR horror, but Arcranium captured me, hook, line and sinker from page one. I absolutely loved that it was multiple horror authors together with different troupes. I can usually figure out twists ahead of time, but I was completely wrong and loved that I was. The ending was perfect and very much elitist, which I loved. Daemon Manx hit it out of the park again. Mark Towse's short at the end was a perfect little old school horror story. Rachel annoyed me at first and then scared the crap out of me. LOVED it

Arcranium follows a group of 4 horror authors who meet regularly to discuss their work and the industry, though their egos and insecurities often get in the way and they compete against each other to be the best horror author of the group. To settle this competition, the group heads to a virtual reality facility, Arcranium, which allows each other to concoct a fully immersive horror story for the others to live through, attempting to scare the scarers.

I have been looking forward to reading this since I first heard about it, as it is such a cool concept. Unfortunately, I found each VR story incredibly basic and anticlimactic. Personally it wasn't scary and overall very predictable. Both the individual stories and overarching plot were akin to creepypasta's, and I was disappointed with the execution of such an interesting concept.

The ARC ends with a short story and an exert - Happy Returns by Mark Townsend and Scream in the Dark: An excerpt from The Ojanox: Book I by Daemon Manx respectively. I struggled to find any information on if this was intentional or a bonus. Unfortunately, I hated every second of the short story. It dragged and I struggled finishing the book as a result. Every character was unlikable (especially insulting the 80s), featuring frequent fatphobia and some sexual assault. The excerpt was marginally better, however by this point I was just done with the book.

Overall, this was unfortunately a let down for me. I wish more was done with the concept. This would probably be good for those just branching out into reading horror and haven’t spent too much time reading creepypasta's over the last couple of decades, but as a veteran horror lover, it didn't deliver for me. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

I realy enjoyed this, I even bought a copy. Four horror writers use experimental AI to settle the argument of who writes the best horror. Creative concept. There were a lot of instances that needed editing; I hope they are able to fix that in the future as it can take away from the enjoyment a little for anyone that notices things of that nature.

4 / 5
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy/early read opportunity!

I liked the idea of this novella - four horror writers using an experimental AI technology to settle the argument of who writes the best horror.

The concept of bringing the stories to life and putting the writers into them was interesting, and the whole thing was pretty gripping. Some of the stories within the story were actually quite creepy and disturbing.

The characters were all unlikeable in their own ways. One thing that stood out well was the atmosphere and the settings - that all felt well developed.

My enjoyment of the book was spoiled, unfortunately, by sloppy editing/proofreading. After requesting the book and downloading to my Kindle, I realised I had already bought it from Amazon and forgotten. I read the Kindle edition, assuming it was the more polished in comparison to the ARC. Sadly, the version I purchased from Amazon has a lot of typos, incorrectly used words, misplaced capitalisation, and some sentences that just don’t make sense. Comparing it to the ARC, they appear to the the same.

Maybe it's me, but this book didn't quite hit. If this was a movie, I would think the dialogue felt unnatural and forced. There are some great descriptions of horror though.

Artificial intelligence and Virtual reality can not be termed anymore as 'technology round the corner'. We are already living in a world propelled by generative AI and Metaverse. There are books available online, which are generated by AI, future of literature is already on the path to upgrade.

Arcranium™ is built on the concept of metaverse which lets creators generate a simulated narrative and participants to interact with it virtually. The concept is interesting and the most promising part of the book. The underlying message that this may not be a science fiction and we may soon be experiencing it, is what makes it the true horror story. The society is heading towards a virtual reality where the lines between good and evil may easily get blurred between what is a fact and what is just a fun game.

The four egomaniac horror authors decide to use Arcranium™ technology to settle the score and decide who can create the most scariest narrative. The book proceeds to have 4 horror stories each by one author, which is then experience by the 3 others differently. In short, if we do proper permutation and combination mathematical formula, we get 12 different short stories, none of which I found scary enough and struggled to get them over. Somewhere along the line author mentions, "Gore is not horror' and I cant agree more. I know the publisher advised the reader about this trigger warning, but gore can not be the only content to generate horror and mystery. Alien parasites inside oesophagus, ear and even womb is just creepy and gross. Anyone experiencing it in virtual reality will definitely tap out using the 'safe word' that doesnt mean its a high class horror.

The underlying theme of ego clashes and how twisted and clouded it can make someone's thinking, is the only part I liked about this book. The constant check on humanity and its thought process while being dominated by technology. We may be our own end, technology may just have to wait and watch.

First, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. Arcranium is an interesting concept and it definitely had me intrigued! But that's kinda where it ended. Not to say I wasn't curious to see how each character played out their stories, because I was. But with each story, I lost more and more of that curiosity about what was going to happen. And let's not talk about the ending.
Overall, I believe there is an audience for this short story. It just wasn't for me.

I really wanted to like this book because it sounded so good. Unfortunately it took to long for me to get into the book and it didn't really hold my interest while I was reading it.

"Arcranium™" by Daemon Manx and Mark Towse is a captivating horror novel that pits four writers against each other in a unique competition to create the scariest story using the Arcranium™, a device that brings their tales to life in a VR space. The integration of different horror styles within a single narrative framework is brilliantly executed, with each story reflecting the distinct nature and strengths of its respective writer. The immersive VR setting adds an extra layer of intensity, making the horror feel palpably real and engaging.

While the conclusion felt a bit rushed, it ultimately made sense within the broader context of the story, tying together the various narrative threads. Despite this minor drawback, "Arcranium™" remains a standout read for horror enthusiasts, showcasing the innovative storytelling and compelling characters of both Manx and Towse. The novel's unique concept and execution earn it a solid four stars.

Very interesting concept, but the characters were all very unlikeable. Thank you to NetGalley and Last Waltz Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The concept of the main story was fascinating for sure — an AI program that helps you create any story your brain can cook up, a horror simulator that grabs all the notions of the genre and where the ‘narrator’ can make the others live whatever scenario, whatever emotion, whatever nightmare they want.
The way these characters ended up using this powerful program was unfortunately pretty disappointing.
It had potential to achieve something exceptionally creepy, but missed the mark with the characterizations and the bland horror simulations.

What if you could participate in a horror story? Take part in the terror, feel the pain, the anxiety, taste the copper as you bite down on your tongue and try not to scream. What if this story was customized just for you? Customized by someone you know.
Fears and guilt pulled straight from the hidden folds of your mind and thrust unceremoniously in your face.
New technology brings out the worst in people.
That is what Arcranium can do…but don’t worry, there is a safe word if you are a chicken and want to lose the challenge.

There are two short stories tacked on to the end of this. The one by Towse was blatantly fat shaming and I was disappointed. I kept waiting for a come back or redemption but *spoiler alert* it just got worse. I’m not going to say it should be removed from the book but it is just one big WTF
The story by Manx is actually the first bit of his new book which I have and will be reading soon so I didn’t start it yet

The description sounded promising, but it took too long to grab my attention and I had other books to get to.

Dark story about four horror writers using a new technology to see who can come up with the scariest stories. Very gory and goes to some pretty extreme places. Characters are a little one note and it leaves you feeling icky but it gets the job done.

I loved the concept of the book didnt really get into it untill about half way through, this was greatly written and the characters were interesting the double plot twist was great, i believe every good horror needs a twist

I really liked this book. Great introduction into horror for me, although I would like to read the 4 complete separate stories from the 4 authors. Maybe a spinoff or something from the original book. But I will recommend and Look forward to reading more !!

Thank you Netgalley, Daemon Manx, Mark Towse and Last Waltz Publishing for the Earl Of Arcranium.

This is a great, fast paced horror, thriller which feasts on deep seated fears of both the power of the mind, egotism and technological advances. After 4 very competitive writers hash things out over the years, in the same pub, one of them suggests a highly secret government advanced technology called Arcranium. A powerful virtual reality where they can pick each other off to find out who is the best writer and what tropes work best. This very quickly decends into using the deepest, darkest fears to weaken each other into submission. But there is one thing they didn't take into account!

I loved this quick horror. I felt is was mainly plot driven but the characters were fleshed out with some great deep seated fears that made you cringe. The narrative was faced paced to the end ( took me a few hrs to read ) and loved the twist in the storyline. Didn't really see that coming!

3.75 rounded to 4

This was such a fun and unique concept!! I was viscerally reacting to so many of the scenes and the horrors our characters face. I think there is a TNTD version of this that I need to find stat!!!! If not, I need it!

I was weirdly uninterested in this book based on a summary and the title. But, my friend read it and said it was great, then I grabbed Ojanox and Manxiety and loved both of those, so I gave it a go. My fear was that it would be too science/techno fiction-y, which is not the case. It's really a fun, novel and phenomenal take on virtual gaming and reality. I would strongly recommend all of these books, but if anything is putting you off because it sounds like to much science fiction, it really isn't. It is set in a virtual world, but that is really just the setting the story is truly all horror.

Now, this is the type of book I want and need when I am looking for a horror read. I liked the concept of four horror authors using like AI technology to break out of their writer's block and find inspiration.

Mike, Yas, Alex, and Noah all could be just normal people but with each interaction, I was drawn to them and their stories. Each one allowed me to get to know them better and their dynamics as a group. Each story built upon each other and got more gruesome. I would have liked the stories to be a bit longer to really stretch out my mind. Although all four stories are what nightmares are made of. I would not want to be trapped in any of the stories.

Now that I have had a taste of what authors, Mark and Daemon are all about, I will be checking out more books by them.