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.

Thank you NetGalley for approving me for this book. A good read that I definitely enjoyed and am glad to have been able to read.

A fantastic collection of stories from a diverse range of authors from the subtle to the extreme. I especially liked Elizabeth Hand’s extremely creepy story Near Zennor and Whatever Remains Afrer You by Eric LaRocca. My favorite story, however, was the final story by Adam Cesare. It is a fascinating dive into why people love horror and is a fantastic horror story itself as well!

A collection of stories about stories, a book about books. Inside these pages you will find a haunted, ancient text; a strange fairytale; a book that tells the future; a lost diary that brings one man’s nightmares to life; a book bound in human skin; and more.

Edited by Johnny Mains. Contributors include Charlie Higson; A.K. Benedict; Alison Moore; Eric LaRocca; Nadia Bulkin; Lucie McKnight Hardy; Priya Sharma; Isy Suttie; Kim Newman; Zin E. Rocklyn; A.G. Slatter; Amanda DeBord; Jeremy Dyson; Ramsey Campbell; Robert Shearman; Guy Adams; Elizabeth Hand; Adam Cesare; plus a story from the editor himself.

I’m always excited to read a collection of stories from authors we all know and love but sometimes those stories let you down because of high expectations. In this instance, I hadn’t heard of many of these authors which, surprisingly, enticed me because I was hoping that I could use this anthology to find new horror authors to love. I am happy to report that I found some winners. With that said, I notice that it is usually difficult to find a collection of stories—whether from the same author or in the case of this book, from a slew of authors—where the stories are consistently enjoyable throughout. There are generally clear winners and clear stinkers and this collection was no exception. For (what should be) obvious reasons, I won't list my "stinkers" here but I will highlight a few of my favorites:

"From the sea" by Charlie Higson
"Choose Your Own Adventure" by Nadia Bulkin
"The Man Who Collected Barker" by Kim Newman
“Bell, Book and Lamp” by A.G. Slatter
“Near Zennor” by Elizabeth Hand

Overall, this is a strong collection of creepy stories and I would recommend them for a chilling autumn read.

Review to be posted during the month of book publication, per request from the publisher. Thank you Titan Books and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 09/10/2024.