Okay but not amazing. I really love this concept but I feel like it needed to be fleshed out more. I didn’t feel it was one cohesive book.
A group of horror writers come together to have meetings about their latest book. They start to argue about which type of horror is the best and most scary. Noah says that he has a way to tell which is best by using immersive AI.

I enjoyed getting to see different types of horror in one book but it ultimately fell flat.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ebook

#Arcranium #NetGalley

Can you imagine having access to technology that allows you to create virtual worlds where all your senses have a super realistic experience? Can you imagine what 4 horror authors would be capable of creating with this type of technology?
Well, you can discover it in Arcranium, a book that shows us that horror stories are only entertaining in fiction because in reality they bring out all our survival instincts and that often lead us to leave aside morality or ethics. .

This was the first time I read anything by the authors and I must say that it was a pleasant experience. I really enjoyed the scenarios that were presented to us and some of the characters that appear.
I must admit that towards the end I felt that the story was going a bit down, but overall I think it is a very good story.
An additional plus is that at the end two short stories by both authors are included to continue getting to know their pen.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Woooow what a book! Really bloomin enjoyed this, was honestly glued to it for a full day, safe to say I did sod all in work that day and Im not sorry about it either!

From the get go you're sucked in to the story and dragged on a fantastic but horrible roller-coaster ride to hell with no time to brrathe after Skynetting from one author's story to the next!

If you're a fan of horror, as in all the horrors all squished and mushed into one ball of fever dream terror then this is your book.
All kinda horror nightmare stuff goes down, vampires - tick, trauma - tick, gore - tick. The authors managed to create something that flowed so well yet had so much going on.

Fabulous book, I'll be keeping an eye out for other books by both authors involved.

4 ⭐ When fear, jealousy, and greed intertwine with cutting-edge, interactive VR technology, the concoction yields chilling outcomes. Arcranium™ is one riveting revengeful ride!

Arcanium has a really fun concept! The writing style is easy to follow and the characters interactions with each other are some you love to hate. I loved the almost anthology feel despite being one story and I feel like it not only gave great insight into the minds of the characters but it also kept the pace quick and engaging. I loved the overall plot and recommend for anybody looking to get into horror

3.5

For a brief novella, the authors do a masterful job of creating atmosphere and interesting characters. Though each writer comes off as pretentious and unlikeable in their own way, it was also easy to experience sympathy toward each one while they suffered physically and psychologically in each Arcranium scenario they were immersed within.

Also like each writer, I became caught up in my own biases and preferences when it comes to horror, thinking the only writer’s story I would be affected by would be the splatterpunk one. However I was pleasantly surprised by how creeped out and disgusted I was by each writer’s narrative.

Although I did enjoy Arcranium overall, I was disappointed by the ending, which caused my rating to lower. The conclusion felt somewhat lazy and like it fell into common cliches and stereotypes. I would still recommend this to other horror readers, especially ones going through a mini slump. Thanks so much to Last Waltz Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for review.

4 horror authors take their competition for scariest story into an AI virtual program known as Arcranium.

Each person has their own unique style of story telling and draws on their creativity to scare the others. I loved Yas’ turn at the controls as her urban legend story was the scariest in my opinion.

I would’ve liked to see the characters developed a bit further; the reader only gets glimpses of their past and motivations and what drives them. We do learn more about Noah for obvious reasons.

Arcranium was a unique concept for a story, and incorporates scifi, gothic, splatter, & supernatural sub genres of horror.

Thank you to the authors, NetGalley, and Last Waltz Publishing for a copy!

Thank you, Mark Towse, Daemon Manx, and NetGalley for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

Let me tell you something, this book will seriously have you thinking about the future in VR and AI combined. Is it a good thing or something horrendous waiting to happen. It could be a bit of both or just something completely off the charts. I'm not getting into that conspiracy, but reading this will definitely have you thinking things.

A group of authors, all different from one another, always come together one night a month to talk about their writing. They all think in one way or the other they are better than the other. They think their style is the best, but one brings up a way to test all this out. Would you be willing to go deep into the mind to see how horrifying a story you can create? See if you're truly the best? Will there be consequences? We'll read and find out.

This book was fast-paced, and I never once lost interest in anything. Each chapter brings forth more and more of each characters strength and weaknesses. We get to see what the mind is capable of under different horrible situations with these characters. I truly enjoyed every moment of this book.

Short and sweet yet brutal in the best way! I really enjoyed this one. It gets straight to the point and every one of the scenarios was well done and scary by their own rights.

None of the characters were particularly likable which I don’t necessarily think is par for the course for horror writers, but there are DEFINITELY some out there which this book brought to mind.

Anyways, great sci fi horror vibes. Pretty gory and highly recommended.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.