Six of the Best: A Hellish Half-Dozen by Kevin G. Bufton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Kevin Bufton’s debut collection of short stories features re-edited versions of stories previously included in other anthologies, and though I’ve not read the original versions, I can say in all honesty that reading this collection was an absolute delight!
The opening story, “Mother’s Milk” is a dark look at a young mother’s experience of delivering and living with a stillborn baby in an evacuated city apartment block, with no escape route and rapidly dwindling supplies. It’s heartbreaking.
“The Shoot” is the story of a journalist who, while interviewing a legendary masked wrestling star who has never before given an interview, learns the truth behind the wrestler’s anonymity – with dire consequences.
“53 Minutes” is an unusual zombie story, and apart from that little snippet of information, I’ll say no more, because I don’t want to spoil the readers’ enjoyment.
“Roots” is a great tale of what could happen when trouble comes rolling your way, but it’s not what you’d think!
“The Wren” would be a perfect tale for inclusion in one of the old Hammer films. It has a quality that reminds me of horror stories from the 60s and 70’s which, for me, was a golden age of horror. It has a shock value comparable to “The Wicker Man”.
“Hooked” is a nautical tale of a man’s search for retribution over the loss of his hand, and features the zombie in its classic form. Somehow, it reminded me of “Moby Dick”. Absolutely wonderful stuff!
