When it comes to reading, few things are better than a great short story collection, especially if it comes from the horror genre. The amount of creativity that this genre offers is astounding, and short story collections are where I find it truly comes out. It doesn’t matter if the book has been written by one person, or if it’s a collection of different authors’ contributions.
Above is why I got so excited when I saw the Creature Feature Collection listed on NetGalley. Well, to be honest: It wasn’t just that. I also quickly noticed that three of my favourite authors, and one I also like, had contributed stories towards it. That got me truly excited.
The Creature Feature Collection is another short story collection from Amazon, which is free to borrow for Prime members but will only set you back about $14 if you plan to buy them all. It is comprised of six different stories, written by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son), Paul Tremblay, Josh Malerman, Grady Hendrix, Chandler Baker and Jason Mott. Together, they offer around 3-4 hours of reading or so. I was able to read everything in one morning, starting around 5am and ending at 10:15am, with some breaks in-between.
The stories are, as follows:
- The Pram by Joe Hill: After suffering a miscarriage, a couple decides to leave Brooklyn for the quieter Maine countryside. Upon going to see a farmhouse, they see members of a strange cult but think nothing of it, and go on to buy the house. Then, shortly afterwards, the husband goes to the store and realizes he can’t walk home with all of his groceries. In assistance, the shop proprietor loans him an old pram (baby carriage), which is covered in mold and clearly very old. Upon using it to transport his groceries, the man senses something that shouldn’t exist.
- It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman: A fourteen year-old girl disappears in a Michigan forest/park, after sneaking out there to have some beers by herself. Her family searches for her, as does the community, but she’s not found. Three years later, her sister decides to venture out into the woods to find out what happened to Amanda, after hearing about another young woman having disappeared. She goes out in search of her sister, but also to find out if she was taken by a creature who’s been said to walk the woods in search of his missing face, and the bridge that leads to him.
- In Bloom by Paul Tremblay: Easily the weirdest of these stories, this one centres upon a female reporter who’s doing a story on algae in the nearby water systems and its effect on people. To further her story, she finds a man who’s willing to talk about something similar that happened in 1983, but made little sense. In listening to his story, she hears a tale of weird and wonder, and finds that the truth may be stranger than fiction.
- Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix: Before his father is hauled away for murdering his mother, a young boy is told that he must watch out for the Ankle Snatcher: a creature that lays in wait under one’s bed and will drag them underneath, to their death, if they step out of bed without turning on a light first. As such, the now adult man has never not turned on a light before getting out of bed. Then, he meets a young woman who he’s quickly falling in love with, and invites her back to his place.
- Best of Luck by Jason Mott: A man who’s had nothing but bad luck watches his friend have the exact opposite, leading to great fame, an expensive custom house and lots of fancy things to fill it with. He then confronts his best friend, with a shotgun in hand and the idea that his friend has stolen all of his luck.
- Big Bad by Chandler Baker: A man tries to protect his family from encroaching wildlife, following a mudslide, as well as a threat that lurks even closer.
If I were asked to rank these stories, I’d do so as follows:
- Big Bad by Chandler Baker: This was the first one I read, and it was a really nice surprise. I’d like to read more of her work.
- It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman: This is one of my favourite authors, and he’s returned with another interesting and immersive story. This one will have you scared of going into the woods.
- The Pram by Joe Hill: It was perhaps overhyped for me, as it’s seemingly the highest rated story in this collection. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it took a while to truly get going and had a so-so ending.
- Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix: I’m usually hot or cold on Grady Hendrix’s books, but this is the best thing he’s written in my opinion. This is a good, dark story.
- In Bloom by Paul Tremblay: As I said above, this was the oddest of all these stories, and I didn’t fully connect with it. It’s good, but not great. At least it has a de facto ending, though, and isn’t left open to interpretation.
- Best of Luck by Jason Mott: While it’s still a good story, I simply didn’t enjoy this one as much as the others. It doesn’t stand out as much.
Overall, Amazon’s Creature Feature Collection is a slam dunk. It’s a collection of good to great short stories, all of which are worth reading and better than average. I gave five stars to Chandler Baker’s, and four stars to most of the others. The one I rank lowest ended up receiving a three, which is still a good score. Combined, this makes it a four out of five on average, but I’d honestly give it a four point five if someone put a gun to my head.
The writing is really good, there were almost no errors, and the stories are all pretty memorable. As such, this is an easy one to recommend.
This review is based on a copy of the book we were provided with. Receiving a free copy from NetGalley and Amazon Publishing did not sway our opinion.
