Dead Endings

Dead Endings certainly earns the warning on the description.

“Beware! For once the spine is cracked, and these tales are experienced, the act of reading them cannot be undone and the stain of their horror will forever remain.”

The stain will certainly linger.

The three stories in this collection all had their pros and cons but each was horrifying and indeed upsetting in its own unique way. The initial tale, Lustmord, while in my opinion the weakest of the collected stories, does an excellent job setting the tone with some truly upsetting imagery in the vein of a horror story by the likes of Eric LaRocca. After that story, you never know quite what the author is going to do, what image he’s going to put in your head of how his stories will end. This created a pleasantly unsettling sense of apprehension that heightened the horror of the other two tales. Brimstone, was the most gripping story for me and I would gladly read a much longer collection from this writer if all the short stories were of that caliber.

Overall this was a decent collection that definitely delivers on the premise of extreme horror. While I wasn’t completely blow away I did find something unique and compelling in each story. I’d be interested to see how this author grows and develops. I hope he keeps writing.

Henry Ben Edom's 'Dead Endings' was great fun to read, if you're a hardcore horror fan and enjoy thoughtful, creepy stories with satisfying endings. It contains three stories, each one very different from the others. There's some gore, especially in the first one, though always necessary to the plot of the story. The author has a flair for imagery, rather than intricate plot, so expect a couple of shocking scenes and several deranged developments. The second story shows that characterization is also his strong suit, and that's a good thing since the second story is, in my opinion, the weakest of the three in terms of originality and suspense.. The first story was my favorite: it has an insane supernatural creature playing mother to a teenage boy who can't keep his hands off himself. What excites the couple, however, is anything but your standard fare of sexual experiences. The second story is steeped in sinister magic and the occult. Prepare for some triggering moments as well. The last story is essentially a love story, though the ending turns it into something entirely different - it's a horror story, after all! Overall, 'Dead Endings' shows great promise and won't disappoint. Give it a chance!

Dead Endings was indeed a very macabre collection of short stories.

First, I had to say that I'm not the biggest fan of extreme horror as a genre, but I can appreciate it when it's done right. I don't see the point when the story leans only towards gore and shock factory, but luckily, it wasn't a case of this book.

Author succees to create very eerie atmosphere wanting reader to seek more what's coming next.

Each story had a different feel while them all led towards the inevitable dead end (hence the name). It didn't feel that I was reading the same story all over again.

Some of the phrases and chosen terms bothered me a bit, but not that much that they would affect my reading experience. Some things felt quite clumsy sort of?

For me, the second story, Brimstone, was the strongest of the three. I would happily read longer stories like that.

After all, each book has elements I really enjoyed.

“In darkness, we’re never truly alone.”

Henry Ben Edom’s collection of macabre stories will stick in your mind long after you’ve read them. Each touches on death and the beyond. They creep deeply into the realms of darkness and misery.

There are three stories that centre around the occult and dark evil forces. Something that drives the characters to commit unspeakable acts.

The imagery alone is enough to turn any readers stomach. What each does well is to set up the tone and atmosphere, allowing glimpses into what horrors are awaiting to be revealed.

I found all of these to be messed up and enjoyable. If one or two were fleshed out a little further I know I’d enjoy reading them as novels.

Overall a very dark and twisted collection that will appeal to horror fans.

Thank you NetGalley and Swann + Bedlam for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars

Dead Endings is a collection of short stories that all share one theme: death. Each story explores the topic in their own way involving the occult. No story overstayed its welcome, but each were long enough to convey what it wanted to convey. Often in short stories, not as much detail is able to be given to the characters involved. The first story was the longest, and also my favorite since it gave just the tiniest bit more depth to the characters compared to the other stories in the collection.

As the reader you aren't given much of an idea of how each character looks, just a feel for their personality, which for me made it a little harder to picture the scenes. With that being said, the gruesome descriptions of the horrors taking place in each story were well written and gave me the chills I was looking for in the horror genre. As told in the summary, "These stories are not merely they are steeped in the pure essence of darkness and evil and are sure to leave an indelible mark on the psyche of their readers." While I typically look for more character depth in the horror I read, I won't be forgetting these stories, especially the first story of Mama.