Review - An Evening at the Grand Guignol

Synopsis -

Welcome to Le Theatre du Grand Guignol! Our reputation proceeds us as the foremost purveyors and portrayers of the bizarre, the mad, the violent and twisted - suffice to say none that attend will return home...unsatisfied, shall we say. Nine tales, from nine authors await behind these doors - stories of revenge, of greed, and of denial. But just in case you might think you may uncover some deeper truth upon our stage, think again. We are to shock you, to terrify you with acts so vile, so fantastically savage, you may wonder if our scribes haven't themselves fallen victim to their own more baser drives. Our tales tonight include a garden party of a different sort, a diner where the evils of Americana and monstrous legends of old Europe meet to do battle for their lives...and another slice of pie, and a destitute man learns that something never comes for nothing, and when its time to give back it's too late to escape his darker fate.

Featuring the all-star collection of authors Michael Strong, Melody Alice, w.p. Quigley, S.N. Humphreys, John A. McColley, and Lucienne LeBeau alongside talented first-timers DS Vernon, Madi Quinn, and Maggie Moreau - "The Troupe" deliver nine unflinching and gory visions into the darkest regions of the human psyche.

Review -

This collection of 10 short stories is unlike anything I have ever read before. The book itself is magazine sized and is more of a piece of art than a straightforward collection of stories.

As is the case with any anthology, though, the offering will live and die based on the stories contained within. The good news is that there are some fantastic tales in the Grand Guignol.

For me, the best story in the collection was No Pain by Madi Quinn, which is a nice little slice of body horror. I also really enjoyed Dumpster Fire by D.S. Vernon and Monsters Have Nightmares Too by Michael Strong.

It's an excellent collection of stories, but I did have one complaint it's that some parts were difficult to read because of the clash between the text and the art, but it was a small annoyance, to be fair.

This one is available on Barnes & Noble by clicking HERE.

4 stars out of 5