Horror collections are always a yes. Great was to find works from established and lesser known authors. Loved the theme and bought a copy for my home library. Thank you for the advanced reader NetGalley and the publisher.

In the course of reading this anthology, I overlooked this book’s subtitle: cursed books, damned libraries, and unearthly authors. There stories do cover the gamut—not just written manuscripts, but even a photo album and a screenplay. As a writer and a book collector, this is a anthology pretty much made for me.

My favorites:

“From the Sea” by Charlie Higson – The anthology starts off strong with this Necronomicon-adjacent tale, told in 21st century epistolary-style (via email exchange).
“Footnotes” by A. K. Benedict – Aisling, a young woman more comfortable in a library, is chosen to be the next Inscriber of a prophetic book.
“Bloodhound” by Zin E. Rocklyn – A woman with some psychic ability searches for her sister, a collector of rare books.
“The Wretched Tome” by Jeremy Dyson – Another prophetic book, but this one much more sinister. Very M. R. James in tone.
“Beneath the Diaphragm, the Gut Itself” by Robert Shearman – A fantastical story about a world in which every book that will ever exist is birthed by someone. Everyone births a book, but some people birth Charlotte Brontë and some birth “The Cursed Book” by J. J. Jacobs.

Overall great stories. I look forward to reading individual titles by each of these authors. My only grievance was the first story being told via a series of emails made it difficult to maintain focus on the story itself (though the plot and story itself were excellent).

Nineteen short stories about haunted books, stories, journals and the like. I love horror. I love books about books. What could go wrong?

A lot. Thank you, BOUND IN BLOOD for giving me nothing. I don’t think there was even one story here that I enjoyed or would recommend. So very, very disappointing, I was really looking forward to this.

I was excited to read this because 2 of my favourite authors have stories in here. I’ve come to realise that anthologies aren’t my thing. I found more misses than hits but I’m certain others will love this more than me.

A wonderful collection of horror short stories all of them good. It hard to pick out a favourite because they all have something to offer but if I had to choose it would be Eric La Rocca's Whatever Remains After You Leave Me. It remains long after you've finished the book. Thanks to Titan books and Netgalley for this review copy.

With 19 stories in total Bound in Blood is a brilliant Horror collection. As with all anthologies each reader may find some hits and some misses but for me even the ‘misses’ were extremely good just not for me at the time.

I do think this anthology brings a lot to the table and is a great introduction to the authors who have offerings inside. While I didn’t love every single entry and most certainly liked them all and a couple of the authors who I haven’t read previously (Lucie McKnight Hardy, Alison Moore & Izy Suttie) I will definitely be looking into their work. I will say that a few were instant hits because I like the authors. I really liked The House Witch and From the Sea in terms of real standout stories but did enjoy them all.

Being a book fan, obviously, I can say I did love the theme of cursed books, ‘evil’ books, eldritch horrors and the like entertaining throughout. I will most definitely get this in physical form to take pride of place on my bookshelves.

As always thank you to Titan Books for the copy to review. My review is always honest and truthful.

What I loved most about the selection here was the broad definition of what a book is. A "book" can be a diary, a scrying tool, or serve as a guide or set of instructions, and it's not always found in a store or library. The tales are written in differing narrative styles and with a diverse cast. For my followers, I listed a few of my favorites:

In "The House Witch" by Alison Moore, the book serves as a trusted companion rather than a mysterious object. It's very rare that I am left with so many questions and at the same time completely satisfied with the ending.

In "Whatever Remains After You Leave Me" by Eric LaRocca, I was amazed how quickly LaRocca can pull you in, get you invested, and shock you with a tragic twist. In this instance, the book is a photo album, which again is a clever choice my Mains. The ending left me unnerved and wondering if something else was invited in.

"Broken Back Man" by Lucie Hardy was an unexpected delight. At first I wasn't crazy about the narrator, but then it spiralled into something akin to Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House! I'm glad Mains included this one because unlike the others, it's a physical, body altering type of horror and changes up the pace nicely.

"Book Worm" by Isy Suttie was like a mix between a Stephen King childhood novel and Twilight Zone's Time Enough at Last. What's unique about this tale is that the man is a willing participant in his own demise. The man's obsession is dangerous but it never feels like a curse or a burden to him. What's more, it's too many books that is the threat rather than just one. Another excellent choice by Mains!

Finally there's "Cora Jarrett Gets into Trouble" by Johnny Mains himself. I appreciate how Mains wrote Mrs Jarrett's inner monologues as scattered but never hard to follow. Her thoughts are constant and at times deeply threatening, but one can still read between the lines. The reader is not sure if what happens is real or simply in Cora's mind until it's all over!

Highly recommend! 5/5! It's perfect for spooky season, book lovers, and you can't beat the variety! Thank you Titan Books for approving my request on NetGalley!

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for an eARC version of this novel! Opinions are my own.

BOUND IN BLOOD is a collection of some of my favorite voices in horror, and these stories did not disappoint. Tales of the written word are explored through a variety of fresh and chilling concepts, and I'm excited to read more by each of the featured authors.

Thank you again to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review and to the authors who make it difficult to turn off the lights at night.

This collection had such a good variety of authors which made it exciting to read, I was full of fear of excitement when reading this.

I really enjoyed Bound in Blood. This is a diverse, entertaining collection of short stories. I’m familiar with some of the authors such as Eric LaRocca and Kim Newman but many were new to me. One of the strengths of the collection is now different and varied the stories are. No two are alike and you won’t get bored reading this. The stories explore a range of themes and ideas and I was never sure what to expect when I started a fresh story. The best stories include From The Sea by Charlie Higson, Whatever Remains After You Leave Me by Eric LaRocca, Book Worm by Isy Suttie and Beneath The Diaphragm The Gut Itself by Robert Shearman. I’d recommend this collection.

Fantastic horror anthology full of unique and terrifying short stories. Perfect for the fall season for any fan of horror.

Bound in Blood is a themed anthology of 19 stories, all related to cursed "books" of some kind.  The types of books in the stories range from a photo album to the granddaddy of all cursed tomes, the Necronomicon itself.  It's an enjoyable, if not altogether original, theme for a horror collection.  Well, a sometimes-horror collection, because, despite what the title of this volume would seem to imply, there are several stories that are really fantasy or even just weird or experimental fiction, and don't touch on horror at all.

As with most anthologies, there are some winners and some losers, and in this instance, I feel like I rated more stories than I normally do as only two stars.  But, there were also some enjoyable tales in here.  Favorites of mine include the stories "From the Sea," by Charlie Higson, "The Man Who Collected Barker," by Kim Newman, "Cora Jarret Gets Into Trouble," by Johnny Mains (who also edited the book), and "Written On," by Ramsey Campbell.   And the two real standouts, "Bell, Book and Lamp," by A.G. Slatter, and "Near Zennor," by Elizabeth Hand, made wading through the slog of some of the 2 and middling 3 star stories worth it.  

My thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for a digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.  Bound in Blood will be released on September 10, 2024.

Anthologies are always a mixed bag, you get some really great stories, and then some that might not be for you. Such is the nature of anthologies I suppose. This one did have a little bit of everything to please most readers. They all centered around books, whether it be cursed books, or mysterious writers, each entry had something to do with the written word, hence the title, Bound in Blood. Overall, I'd say this was an above average anthology for me. I mostly wanted to read this for the Eric LaRocca and Adam Cesare stories, as I am fans of both authors. The Cesare story closed out the book and I really enjoyed that, it went out with a bang! My other favorites were: the Broken Back Man, the Witch's Pillowbook, and the Man Who Collected Barker. I also enjoyed Bloodhound, the Wretched Tome, and Beneath the Diaphragm, the Gut Itself (which was exceptionally strange but intriguing!!) The stories ran the gamut from books that can tell you your future to people becoming books or birthing books, witches, people with powers, deals with the devil, just a bunch of really interesting ideas! Would definitely check out some of these authors other books after reading them here, even if there were a few stories that just weren't my cup of tea.

An anthology of horror stories that concerns books themselves? I’ll take it! The stories run the gamut between quiet and often surrealistic horror (see Ramsey Campbell’s contribution) that is fun and engaging. This is one to put on your TBR list. Recommended.

This is a great horror anthology about stories and books. Ranging from creepy and unsettling to supernatural and witchy I definitely feel there's something for every horror reader in this. Each story sucks you in in it's own way and I was gripped through every one. I enjoyed some stories more than others but this has introduced me to so many new horror authors and I'll definitely be checking out their other work. Highly recommend.

This book is a must-read for horror enthusiasts. The stories in this book are wonderful and based firmly in an appreciation and love for the genre. The collection is well-organized and is enjoyable to read. All of the stories are equally well-written and unnerving. I highly, highly recommend this book

Psssst come closer. CLOSERRRR. Okay okay thats too close. Back up a lil bit.

This book was so freaking good. It has some of my favorite authors writing and they did not disappoint. Every story was on point.

Thank you so much Netgalley.

Bound in Blood is a bountiful horror/quirky short story anthology.
The blurb excited me plenty, and I appreciate the opportunity.
Pros: the range, the number of stories, the variety of themes and styles.
Beneath the Diaphragm, The Gut Itself was quite compelling.

Cons - this is quite subjective; I found some of the stories interesting / almost all of them had an interesting concept and premise, some perhaps a bit ambitious as a short, and leaving the reader asking for more. I struggled with the writing styles of quite many of them. I was looking for a different kind of depth. I found myself being very critical about From the Sea as I was reading it (Scott’s material coming from third parties, the show-tell tell-show; I believe the continuous email format ruined it for me).

I recommend this title because I trust that you will find a couple stories you will enjoy, and hopefully more.

This is my second horror anthology I've read from Titan and, sadly to say, also the second I've been massively disappointed by. Like Isolation, the other collection I read, I was immediately grabbed by the premise and was looking for some great stories about cursed books.

I love a good cursed book story, so I requested this advance copy from NetGalley as soon as I could. There were authors I knew and liked, as well as a number I hadn't read before. Unfortunately I felt like I slogged through, with only a few highlights that encouraged me to keep reading.

While I actively disliked most of the stories, I did enjoy these:

"From the Sea" by Charlie Higson - This story opens the book and I was so excited. It involves a horror movie props designer that gains access to a cursed book he uses for inspiration, but leads to a terrible descent into madness.

"Choose Your Own Adventure" by Nadia Bulkin - A newlywed couple come across a spiritual shop with a book that will tell your future. The new bride takes it seriously and returns multiple times hoping to change the ending.

"Broken Back Man" by Lucie McKnight Hardy - A bartender has been haunted by a recurring dream that he detailed in his diary that has gone missing.

"Beneath the Diaphragm, the Gut Itself" by Robert Sherman - This was genuinely one of the weirder tales I've read, but I was engaged and couldn't put the book down. It takes place in a world where everyone "births" a book that had been written in a different (our?), alternate world.

2.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.