Teeth and Talons a Horror anthology by Samantha Combs

TEETH AND TALONS

A Horror Anthology by Samantha Combs
Copyright © 2012 SAMANTHA COMBS
ISBN:
Cover art designed by Paragraphic Designs

Well I love a challenge and this is my first ever anthology. This is thus a true challenge. So I spend an entire minute figuring out how does one review an anthology. At the end of that minute after considering hunting down other such reviews on the internet I decided I'll take it a story at time. Then I will do a synopsis of the entire anthology. Here goes. Hope you like it.

The Ink Man
The Ink man was in intricate story which surprised me in its richness and character building.
It was refreshing to read a short story that was so rich in character development and in setting both mood and location in order to ground the reader.
The story itself was also unique and spoke to perception of self and others. It's in the miscalculation between being able to discern between friend and foe that the true horror of the story is hidden. I loved the layered aspect and stand in awe of the author that could accomplish so much in so little pages without ever letting the reader feel as if they are not part of a real story unfolding.
I take my hat off to the author for accomplishing so much with this story. Apart from being a technically brilliant story it was a really enjoyable read to boot.

The Robbery Countdown
This short story was a fun read, not much time or space to work in any character development but the reader will be left with the sense of no bad deed ever goes unpunished. After all, being evil does not guarantee that you are the worst possible thing out there. I really liked the dialogue between the shop owners in this story and was giggling to myself as I read it.

Rock and Roll All Night
Aah, my favorite story in this anthology. All is not what it would seem and as with The Robbery Countdown being evil does not guarantee that you are the hunted and not the prey. I really liked this story and especially liked the casual way in which the twists were introduced into the plot.
The Chair
Really liked this story as well and really loved the end. In this the lesson might very well be that you should not push people to far, it might so happen that they come upon something that will push back for them……..

I love Samantha Combs' writing style. It is clear, concise and technically correct. If any grammar or spelling mistakes were to be found in this anthology then I missed it while being enthralled by the stories.
But no amount of technically proficiency would make me enjoy this book as much as I did without a very generous share of talent. This girl can write people.
I have seldom come across an author with her talent for economizing language without compromising on the story line. The horror aspect dawns on the reader with time. As the stories keep playing off in my head I realize that I should be wary as well as to what I accept as being a truth……..

I can't think of a single market that would not enjoy this anthology even if horror is not your preferred reading material.

I give this anthology a 6 out of 5 rating. I will definitely recommend it to all and gift it to a friend with anticipation as to hear their opinion and takes on this story.

Thank you Samantha for trusting me enough to write a review of your work. I hope I did not disappoint

Find out more about this awesome author at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002376799728

I cant wait to get an opportunity to read her spell series........ wink wink Samantha