Mindy's Book Journey

  Title: Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror Editor: John F. D. Taff Authors: Caroline Kepnes, Ramsey Campbell, Priya Sharma, Livia Llewellyn, Stephen Graham Jones, Chesya Burke, Alma Katsu, John F. D. Taff, Gemma Files, Josh Malerman, Usman T. Malik, John Langan Genre: Horror  Published: May 10, 2022 by Tor Nightfire I recieved a copy for review from the publisher through NetGalley.  I liked this collection of Novelettes from some of the top names in horror and thrillers today. All the stories were well written with really interesting concepts. I was left thinking that I wished they would have gone further or were shorter. I think the title was a bit misleading. The stories could have been darker to be considered "darkest horror". Like most collections I enjoyed some stories more than others. There were a couple stand out stories that I think really delivered. I will give some of my thoughts on the individual stories. Overall, I think this is an approachable collection t

  Title: Under Fortunate Stars Author: Ren Hutchings Genre: Science Fiction/ Space Opera Published: 5/10/22 by Rebellion/ Solaris Fleeing the final days of the generations-long war with the alien Felen, smuggler Jereth Keeven's freighter the Jonah breaks down in a strange rift in deep space, with little chance of rescue—until they encounter the research vessel Gallion , which claims to be from 152 years in the future. The Gallion 's chief engineer Uma Ozakka has always been fascinated with the past, especially the tale of the Fortunate Five, who ended the war with the Felen. When the Gallion rescues a run-down junk freighter, Ozakka is shocked to recognize the Five's legendary ship—and the Five's famed leader, Eldric Leesongronski, among the crew. But nothing else about Leesongronski and his crewmates seems to match up with the historical record. With their ships running out of power in the rift, more than the lives of both crews may be at stake. Goodreads  I

  Title: The Hand That Pulls You Under: Tales of Absurdity and Lunacy  Author: James Flynn Genre: Science Fiction Horror short story collection Published: December 10, 2021 Thank you to the author for providing a copy for review.  This collection contains 10 short stories with very creative ideas that blend science fiction, and/or psychological with a lot of horror. This happens to be a big winning combination for me. These stories were disturbing and mind-bending. I absolutely loved most of the stories. A couple of the stories were not for me, because of the content. I am not a fan of graphic sex or animal death in my horror stories. Each story started with a poem that gave a little information on the story which was a really nice addition. Since the aim of these stories was to bring the reader to unsettle and disturb I think they were all very effective.  The Residents of Hilltop Harrows (4.5 stars)- A drifter takes up residence in an abandoned building full of squatters filled with