Laughing at Shadows

by Brett Reistroffer (Editor)

Overview

Who says you can't laugh at horror? We've all heard of being scared silly, so obviously there's room between slashings, hauntings, and summonings for a good knee-slapper. And that is exactly were this book of dark-minded but lighthearted short fiction comes in.

If you've ever giggled at guts, chuckled at cannibals, or laughed at severed limbs, then this collection of humorously macabre stories might be right up your dark little alley. With twelve tales from some seriously sick and silly writers, it's guaranteed to tickle your funny bone...if not rip it right out of you.

Authors featured in this anthology include: Skyler Goff, Andrew Johnston, Alyssa Eckles, Santiago Eximeno, Eric J. Guignard, Jeff Strand, George Nikolopoulos, C L Raven, Sean Logan, William West, Brandon Butler, and W. T. Paterson.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780996038164
Publisher:	Bad Dream Entertainment
Publication date:	03/02/2020
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.48(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction - Brett Reistroffer

Murder Sandwich - Skyler Goff

Overdue Notice - Andrew Johnston

Bad Dates and Dragons - Alyssa Eckles

The Haunting of Peruvius Corcorant - George Nikolopoulos

It Came from Mail Order - Eric J. Guignard

Captain Pistachio's Charming Rampage - Jeff Strand

Your Diabolical Baby - Santiago Eximeno

The Night Stockers - Sean Logan

Dying Art - C L Raven

Tea Time - William West

All Aboard! - Brandon Butler

Vlad’s Incorruptible Soul - W. T. Paterson

About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

01/20/2020

If, as editor Reistroffer (who previously put together the Dark Little Dreams anthology) notes in his introduction, horror writing and humor writing are opposite sides of the same coin, then the 12 darkly comic stories in this diverting anthology give that coin a playful flip. Reistroffer’s selections are enjoyably varied and run horror’s gamut from vampiric monsters to more psychological chills. Andrew Johnston’s “Overdue Notice” is told through a succession of increasingly threatening overdue book notices from a library. Santiago Eximeno similarly plays with form in “Your Diabolical Baby,” which reads as a what-to-expect-when-you’re-expecting–style instructional guide for mothers with evil infants on the way. Other standouts include Sean Logan’s “The Night Stockers,” which turns a virus-run-amuck scenario into a gonzo romp, and C.L. Raven’s “Dying Art,” which is narrated by an aesthetically inclined serial killer who fashions the remains of his victims into objets d’art. A handful of these tales lean too heavily on absurdism and fall flat, but the best amplify the outrageousness inherent in horror fiction to great comic effect. Horror fans on the hunt for lighter fare will be pleased. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly