Half-Minute Horrors

by Susan Rich (editor)

Prior to reading this, I expected this to be an anthology of short horror stories aimed at children. I was partially right on both count. What I didn’t expect was how short those stories were and how creepy some of them are, considering this is a children’s story.

Half-Minute Horrors is literally a collection of horror stories so short that you can spend only half a minute to read one. This collection of horror stories were comprised of many versions. There’s the classic short stories. And then there’s also one page drawings, comics, limericks, and poems. The only similarities between them is they were all really short, some more than other.

I confess that I did enjoy some of the stories, and I’m creeped out by them too. If you have read Goosebumps series by R.L.Stine, you know how some of them go. Even though they are all really short, there’s almost always a twist ending at the end. It’s clearly aimed at children though, so it’s not gonna be very frightening, even though some of them are a little bit too creepy for children. Some of them were classic stories, like the creepy babysitter or things in the closet. Some were random and abstract stories like the one titled The Chicken or the Egg by Jerry Spinelly. And some of it doesn’t make any sense whatsover. Some classic stories that I love were In Hiding by Kenneth Oppel, The Legend of Alexandra & Rose by Jon Klassen (which is actually just one picture, but a creepy one nonetheless) , One of a Kind by Sarah Weeks, and A Very Short Stories by Holly Black. Some of the good abstract one were Grand Entrance by James Patterson, Chocolate Cake by Francine Prose, and Easy Over by Frank Viva. There’s everything in here. There’s aliens, ghosts, murder, werewolves, and a lot more. I can’t tell you what’s the story’s about though, because it’s so short so doing summaries is just a waste.

I enjoyed reading it, and it literally took me just half an hour to read the whole thing since they’re so short. It’s an enjoyable 30 minutes though, so it’s not a waste of your time. Some really well know author is contributing too, like Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket, and Holly Black. But be warned though that this is a children’s book so adjust your expectations as much. It’s very enjoyable though.

0.4

By Mike Lancaster

Sometimes you came across a book or a movie that is so genius, but you can’t tell anyone about it because it would ruin the whole thing.

This book is one of them.

Before reading it, I didn’t have any information about it. All I know is that it is a science fiction book, and the title is somewhat intriguing. I thought I’d give it a go, because I love science fiction. It turns out that the lack of information is one of the thing that makes this book so amazing. You have to read it for yourself to know.

Kyle Straker lives in a small town with his parents and little brother. He enjoys playing and goofing off with his friends. When one of his friends, Danny, put on a hypnosis show for the annual village talent show, Kyle Straker volunteered to be hypnotized, expecting the same old lame amateur acts. But when he wakes up, his world will never be the same. Televisions and computers no longer work, but a strange language streams across their screens. Everyone’s behaving oddly. It’s as if Kyle doesn’t exist.

And… that’s all I can say about the plot of this book without ruining your enjoyment.

There are a lot of science fiction books or post apocalyptic books in the market now. It seems to be the trend, and for once I am so excited with this trend because I love those kind of books. But a lot of the time the premise of those book tend to be the same, or leaning towards the same outcome. I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy reading those books because I do, but I crave variety, a new and truly genius premise.

And this book has it. While reading it, I actually open my door just a little bit because I’m so freaked out. It’s haunting and creepy, but not the jump-out-of-your-closet creepy. It’s the kind of creepy that lodge into your brain slowly and won’t let go. The kind of creepy that makes you think. The good kind of creepy.

In just 273 pages, this is not a long book. But the shortness of the book can be considered an advantage. I’ve read a lot of books with thousands of pages or more that went on and on in 500 pages to tell their plot. This book goes right to the point and it’s refreshing. I actually prefer my books to be longer usually, but this time the length of the book is the perfect fit.

I can not recommend this book enough. For fans of science fiction, you’re gonna love it. For fans of books in general, read it anyway. Maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised. For fans of hard science fiction, don’t be fooled by the genre : YA (young adult) science fiction. It’s awesome and fans of science fiction of all ages can enjoy it. I love it. Truly a recommended book.