My thoughts on HellBound Books' Anthology of Splatterpunk

Next to found footage, anthologies are my favourite type of horror movies. Films like ABC's of death, the V/H/S series, and classics like Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt hold a special place in my heart (and one in particular that still lives rent free in my head to this day, but that's a story for another time...)

I also enjoy anthology horror books, so decided to pick one out for my next read. But not any horror anthology, it would be a Splatterpunk one.

This is as much of the cover I can show
without going into very gory territory, so
fair warning if you plan to look up the book!

In the last few years thanks to books like Playground, Cows, and Baby In A Blender to name a few, Splatterpunk has gained a lot more interest from the wider reading world, which is how it got onto my radar a couple years back.

I read a Splatterpunk style anthology last year and, while I found it an interesting read, all the stories were by a single author. This time around though I wanted to try one where each story was by someone different.

I'm not going to give a play by play/review of every single story as I'd be here all day, plus I think that spoils the fun when going into an anthology book, but overall I had an absolute blast reading it!

It wasn't all great mind you. Some stories were badly written, had plots that went nowhere, or ended so abruptly that I got whiplash, but the other stories in between those more than made up for the duds scattered here and there. I mean, when you have a book that contains stories with names like this

or dialogue like this

it's hard not to have a great time.

The best way I can describe this book is like going to a fairground. Not all of the rides are great, and some seem like they're being held together with duct tape and a prayer, but when you get on that Waltzer and experience the thrill of whizzing around at what feels like 100mph, laughing and screaming as you go, you know it was worth visiting that fairground, and you can't wait to find the next ride that will give you that same thrill.

Of course this isn't a book for everyone, as almost every shocking thing you can think of happens within the walls of this book. If you're like me though and enjoy over the top horror and gore, and want a book that will make you laugh, cringe, and at times sad, then this is the book for you.

Overall I'm giving this book a four out of five. While there were some lows, the highs were high enough to reel me back in every time, never knowing what horrors I would encounter with each turn of the page.

If you have any horror anthology books, either written by one author or many, let me know so I can add it to my ever growing reading list!