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.