Welcome to my Saturday Screams!
With Halloween fast approaching, I’ve amassed a bunch of creepy stories to share with you.
Recently I showcased several books I won from Michael Phillip Cash and I asked you to help me choose which order I should review them in.
The Flip was the top choice and you can read my review HERE.
Next up was The After House. Check out my review HERE.
Third up was The Hanging Tree. Check out my review HERE.
And now for Brood X.
Come on in and get your scare on!
Brood X
My Review
I swear I was itching all over after reading this book. I’m not crazy about bugs and Brood X are huge cicadas.
I’m sure you’ve heard them in the summer, calling each other from tree to tree. They can get so loud it drives you indoors.
A lot of the people in Long Island heeding the warnings and packed up, heading to somewhere safe until the outbreak is over. The cicadas, Brood X, are due to hatch and they’ll number in the trillions.
Some people scoff and say it’s just bugs. Well, try this. Hold out your hand. Now picture a cicada as long as that hand. Have you ever seen one up close. They’re not pretty. And though they aren’t known to bite, the bugs don’t know that.
One bite from these buggers is excruciating. Imagine a swarm covering your body. And the females are the worst. They have stingers, and will try to lay their eggs in any available orifice.
So, in the beginning. Seth and his pregnant wife aren’t leaving. He blows it all off as nonsense. This didn’t sit well with me. What if it gets bad? No water. No electricity. No one to rescue them. And his wife is very pregnant. He came off as selfish and and a boor. I never did warm up to him.
And sure enough, things get really bad. The neighborhood is unrecognizable. It’s coated with crawling cicadas. They are clogging up the water supply. Chewing through the electric wires. And are so thick you can’t see to drive, even if you dared to go outside.
This story moves quickly. It doesn’t take long for you to get to know the characters and once the cicadas enter the tale things go bad fast. You’ll think of this book whenever you hear a cicada’s call.
Are you itching yet?
4 Stars
Synopsis
Seth is laid off from work. His wife Lara just found out they are expecting a baby this summer. Seth plans on documenting the entire pregnancy with his brand new digital camcorder.
During an evening home watching television, the news reports that a swarm of cicada (Brood Ten) are expected to overwhelm the entire Northeast.
Brood Ten is vicious and ready to invade.
During a sweltering summer night, Brood Ten emerges and wreaks havoc with the electric grid, phone and cell service, wi-fi, food and water supply. Civilization as they know it is gone.
Seth and Lara are thrown back to the stone age in their own home with trillions of cicada trying to deposit their eggs and breed.
Fast paced and filled with tension, Brood Ten is the perfect summer read when you’re sitting outside listening to the cicadas sing.
Click on the cover to get your copy.
~~~~~
EXTRA! EXTRA!
And I have one more I want to squeeze in before Halloween is over.
I’ve read all of Anthony Renfros’ stories and I’m thrilled to share his newest collection with you.
***And Anthony has a giveaway on Goodreads.***
Go HERE and scroll down for a chance to win a print copy!
Nightlight Tales
My Review
It’s been my pleasure to read all of Anthony’s stories and now he has gathered them together in one volume.
I’d love to share my reviews of each story individually but that would be one huge review. So I’ll tease you instead.
Looking for some scary good reads?
From demon possession to fanatics.
From a cave dwelling monster to a haunted house.
From zombies to she devils.
There’s daylight vampires and sunrise werewolves.
And all things haunted and beastly.
There are plenty of ways to get your fright on in these pages.
These stories, spun from Anthony’s imagination, will fill you with wonder and hope and the darkness beyond.
Lots of action. Lots of suspense. Well developed characters. And terrific plots. There’s something for everyone in this collection.
5 Stars
~~~~
Synopsis
13 tales of terror.
13 tales that will have you reaching for the nightlight before you go to bed tonight.
The stories in this chilling collection are as follows.
1. The Man from the Road: A man suddenly appears on a road. He’s lost, confused, no clue as to how he got there. He starts to walk and stops suddenly. There’s a bonfire in a field nearby. He sees people dancing around this fire. They are performing some kind of ritual. He turns to flee, but he’s captured. No chance of escape. He hopes he is only dreaming, because all of this seems a bit too real.
2. The Living Sand: Two boys discover a hidden beach and the evil deadly secrets that lie within its soft white grains of sand.
3. SHe: A monster stalks the city of Tampa Bay. This monster is only attacking women taking only the one thing it needs. Tim Roberts, a detective, is hot on this monster’s trail. Will he catch this monster in time or will this monster feed until it has its fill? Be careful Tim, this monster has a secret yet to be revealed.
4. A Zombie Christmas: Three men risk life and limb in a Zombie Apocalypse in order to bring happiness to surviving kids on Christmas Morning.
5. Need to Feed: Another year. Another massacre looming. When the sun rises on the Old West town of Saltwater Junction this town will face head on two fierce predators. Vampires who stalk you in the sunlight and werewolves that transform with the sunrise. This short story rewrites the legends and all you’ve ever known about these creatures of the night. Where do you go when there’s no place left to hide?
6. A Haunted House Tale: Five college students on Halloween night set out to discover the secrets of the town’s most infamous haunted house. Will these students live to see the morning or will this house claim five more victims?
7. A Zombie Thanksgiving: A woman risks life and limb in a Zombie Apocalypse in order to keep the Thanksgiving tradition alive.
8. Sandy and The Stranger: A road racing champion meets his match in the form of a stranger who may or may not be the ghost of James Dean himself.
9. Demon Energy: A short story about 1 man possessed and tormented by a 1000 demons who must fight for a soul he is starting to lose. Will he ever find salvation or is his body now an eternal host of hell?
10. Killer Treads: A short story about a man who sees a flashy ad online advertising a twenty dollar treadmill. He buys the machine, too cheap to be scared, and realizes much to his dismay that this machine has a taste for blood. Big Bob better run like his life depends on it because in many ways it does.
11. A Zombie New Year’s Eve: Becky and Joe are separated in a Zombie Apocalypse and risk life and limb in order to reunite for their New Year’s Eve kiss.
12. Joyride: A Joyride in a Chevy Chevelle. The car was just sitting there for the taking. What could possibly go wrong? Vinnie and Mike are about to find out what can and will go wrong once they turn the key. Evil awaits.
13. A Vampire at Christmas: A Vampire uses his riches and immortal skills to bring joy to those in need during the Christmas Season.
Click on the cover to get your copy.
~~~~
You can click on the covers below to read my reviews.
Be sure to stop back by for next Saturday’s choice.
And thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!