A to Z of Horror by Kevin J. Kennedy is a collection of horror tales that range from drabbles and poems to flash fiction and short stories, covering everything from humorous horror to extreme horror! This is a collection that all horror fans will love something from!
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on A to Z of Horror by Kevin J. Kennedy
Hearing that Kevin had another short story collection out that was all his work, I immediately couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. This author is unmatched in his short story writing skill and I can never wait to see what he is going to serve up next. Kevin has an unusual way of making me love even the stories that make my stomach turn sour and my blood boil.
I absolutely devoured this collection.
My favorites stories from A to Z of Horror include:
- B is for By the Seaside
- I is for It’s No Fairy Tale Out There
- J is for Jawbreaker
- M is for My Cuddly Monster
- S is for Satan’s Apocalypse
- T is for Time Left
Per usual, below are my thoughts on each tale.
A is for After the Apocalypse –
In a post-apocalyptic world where people have been forced to flee the lands to get on big ships in order to try to survive, this “survival” brings many challenges.
What a dark opening tale! This bleak outlook is especially terrifying thinking about how people handle the current pandemic. An unsettling tale through and through!
B is for By the Seaside –
Looking to cheer up their daughter on a gloomy day of vacation, this father tells the tale of Sawney Bean. But was it just a tale?
Ah, when I saw Sawney Bean’s name, I immediately went right back to the terror from reading Kevin’s story, The Tale of Sawney Bean!
C is for Crabs Vs the A.Y.T. –
After a terrifying event floods the area, many dead animals are left behind. But some are still alive and are biding their time.
This story is such a funny tale of two young men just looking to find more stimulants. But there’s danger lurking.
D is for Drabble –
This chapter was made of up a slew of great drabbles!
My favorite thing about drabbles is the sudden turns many of them take at the end! And the one with the mention of a fight between an apoc-wolf and a screecher!
E is for Elena –
While on a weekend getaway, a couple sees lights coming from a bar that they hadn’t noticed when they arrived with their camper. When they bring a woman back to the camper with them, things take a quick turn.
What a wild tale! Erotic horror fans will love this!
F is for Family –
After meeting a group of people, this character states that he would do anything for his family.
So short and sweet, you can’t help but wonder what would come next! Things were clearly ramping up…
G is for Gills –
Always thinking they were a fish, this character decides to get one step closer to being one.
What a sad tale!
H is for Hooch and Honey –
All the young man wants is to get away from home and find work so he can afford the rich life! But realizing money is worthless without someone to share it with, he also sets his sights on a girl.
This story has a grimy feel to it when reading, as the atmosphere seems so thick. The ending is so lovely!
I is for It’s No Fairy Tale Out There –
In a brutal place where fairy tale characters go when things go bad, the three little pigs are out for blood.
What a literal bloody tale! The setting was captivating and the violence was intense!
J is for Jawbreaker –
When this boy’s mom cautions him against eating too much candy, he brushes it off like all her other weird sayings. But he will soon learn he should have listened.
I loved this one! My mom and grandparents had all kinds of sayings like this as well. My gosh, if the things they warned me against had come true…
K is for Killer Big-Ass, Fuckin’ Spiders –
When a work, this man learns that the city has a really big spider problem. Literally. So he rushes to make sure his mom is okay.
Big no thank you. Like the character in this story notes, regular spiders that pop up in your house are bad enough. Spiders with feet the size of panther paws?! Nooooope.
L is for Last of the Selkies –
When the planet was on the brink of another mass extinction, two selkies were saved. But was it for the best?
Such a heartbreaking tale of humans ruining everything.
M is for My Cuddly Monster –
When a father brings an animal he thought was a cat home after an accident, the family soon learns it’s not a cat.
I loved this one! Such innocence, until it’s not!
N is for Nightmare Farm –
When a young man finds out he was left a farm by family that had passed, he moves in, ready to have more space. But this farm comes with a shocking surprise.
My goodness! I had no idea where this was going and I was so pleasantly surprised!
O is for Outback Raccoon –
My god, this one is dark and terrifying! No summary not here. You gotta go into this one dark. Good luck!
P is for Poems –
This section had a selection of poems. Staring off with an absolutely brutal one called The Curse of the Internet.
R is for Rage –
A man battling internal rage adopts a dog one day. Things are going well until a thug in a group of young men kicks the dog. This character goes John Wick on the group, but in a much more brutal way.
This was so intense. The action scenes were so brutal I was wincing.
S is for Satan’s Apocalypse –
Living in a world where everyone has to fend for themselves, this young man isn’t afraid of anything.
I love this one! What a tale of survival and growing up. The ending too, is awesome!
T is for Time Left –
In a world where the rich rule even more ridiculously than they do now, this young teen is documenting everything to stand up and make a change.
This story is terrifying not only when thinking about the story itself, but how this could easily become our reality.
U is for Up-and-Comer –
When a drug dealer gets on the radar of a drug dealing family, he’s not afraid. No, he has a plan.
This story was BRUTAL!
V is for Vampire Fae Scotland –
An unsettled vampire goes off on a rant about how it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be.
My gosh, the passage about garlic in this one had me laughing so hard.
W is for Where am I? –
While wandering a town, this young boy discovers an old run-down arcade. When he goes in, something happens and he’s transported somewhere else.
I loved this one! Anything carnival horror and I’m game, but this one was especially chilling. What an ending!
X is for Xana –
When this rare group of beings just wants to live in seclusion away from humans, they will stop at nothing to protect their home.
A heartbreaking tale mixed in with a warning for humanity to do better before it’s too late.
Z is for Zoning Out –
Having blacked out a few times in the past, this man is shocked to zone back in one day covered in blood…
What a turn of events! Phew!
My Favorite Passages from A to Z of Horror
As the days passed by and people were focused on rescuing their own kind and salvaging food and supplies – the crabs were gathering. No one noticed until it was too late. That is when the next stage of destruction began.
— From C is for Crabs Vs the A.Y.T.
Common sense goes a long way but not many have it.
— From I is for It’s No Fairy Tale Out There
I’d love to tell you that I woke up the next morning and that everything had been sorted out, but I don’t carry such luck. I came third in a two-person race once, and I’m not even joking. I will not tell you how I achieved that impressive goal – that’s a story for another day.
— From N is for Nightmare Farm
Then there is the no-eating-garlic pish. I fuckin’ loved garlic. I kid you not. I put it in everything. Whatever the recipe required, I doubled it. The shit tastes superb. Can’t eat it anymore. Burns the shit out of my mouth, like the hottest chilli times a billion. Why couldn’t it have just been onions, I hate those! Naw, garlic. It had to be garlic, the seasoning of the gods.
— From V is for Vampire Fae Scotland
My Final Thoughts on A to Z of Horror
If you’re looking for a great collection of horror tales that are sure to leave you feeling many different emotions, then look no further! Some of these tales will leave you unsettled, some will make you laugh, and some will make you feel ill.
This is another killer collection from the master of short stories, Kevin J. Kennedy.
Halloween Land is the first solo novella by Kevin J. Kennedy. This tale is about two teenagers that attend a carnival, but it’s not just any carnival… This is a magical one, and not everyone who enters the gates will walk back out.
Thanks for reading!
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