Pete Kahle

"The label was made of a waxy yellow parchment, glued in place and stained in a couple places by a variety of liquids over the years. Beneath the stains, in a barely legible scrawl, it stated: Specimen #73."
-from Pete Kahle's "The Specimen"

This is a surprisingly good book. It's got aliens, a lot of action, a decent bit of mystery and all-in-all is a well-written tale. This Lovecraftian tale of ancient evil follows numerous characters through numerous time periods that blends mystery with show more scifi with good old fashioned gore-spirited horror.

The core narrative orbits around the discovery of a hideous 'specimen' of unknown origin offered for sale at an odds n' ends store. From there we learn of a mind-reading alien entity that's been manipulating pockets of humanity for untold years. Actually, the years are not untold because Kahle does a terrific job of bisecting his core plotlines with alien backstory that takes us to the time of the Aztecs, Spanish Inquisition, and northern Europe circa 700 AD.

In addition to the fun historical background tales, I particularly enjoyed the Lovecraftian mood set in passages such as this: "Like a leviathan eel lying in the centuries-old muck at the bottom of a stagnant lake, the horrors from his past stirred up the muddy debris of his mind with its convulsions, sending once hidden fossils to the surface."

If you're a fan of monster-based horror and MiB-like shadow military units, you'll like this story and love the fact that it's just the first in a series. It's not particularly deep, but it's a fun read. I recommend it. show less

I'll probably be working my way through this behemoth for years to come and will leave reviews of individual stories as I go, not necessarily in order.

As I'm a contributor to this anthology, I'm not going to rate stories but rather comment on them.

Death to Trees! - Jeff Strand: Not so much a story as an amusing trifle, and a nice way to kick off the anthology.

Conversations Kill - Tim Waggoner: Very nicely written short story with an interesting premise that kept me engaged and guessing. The show more final reveal wasn't all I had hoped for, but overall a satisfying story.

A Church in the Middle of Nowhere - Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason: A rather unusual tale, simultaneously familiar and strange. This reads like a fever dream, and that's a compliment. I wish it had been longer, but it works quite fine as is. show less

I'm really glad I was reading the electronic version of this book; the print version would crush a reader's legs! Story after story, 47 in all, and most were good to very-good. There are a few that are outstanding, and a few that left me feeling "meh", but overall a good anthology to read for the season. Additionally, the proceeds of the sales of this book benefit a well-liked author of this genre. That alone was enough for me to buy the book.

Originally read this in the [b:Widowmakers: An Anthology of Dark Fiction|23280673|Widowmakers An Anthology of Dark Fiction|Pete Kahle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411963427s/23280673.jpg|42800309]. Quick read, fairly predictable, though.