This is Halloween
James A. Moore
Trade Paper $14.95
ebook $2.99

This collection of ten terrific stories came out a year ago, but my copy didn’t arrive until the first few days of November, so I saved it for this year.  Long-time readers of this blog know that I’m a big fan of James A. Moore’s fantasy novels.  Part of what appeals to me about his fantasy is the elements of horror he includes.

That’s hardly surprising since he started his career as a horror writer.  This is Halloween collects ten stories showcasing his talents in the arena of dark fiction.

Some of these stories, such as “The Dry Season”, “Hathburn Avenue”, and “The Walker Place”, deal directly with Halloween.  The ones that don’t are still quite seasonal.  Several stories are set in Beldam Wood, which is not a forest I have any interest in visiting except on paper.  Two stories, “Blood Tide” and “Shades of Grey”, are set in the fictional New England seaport of Black Stone Bay.  I especially liked these two.  Black Stone Bay is definitely a place I want to visit again, on paper of course.

As I stated above, there are ten stories here, all of them dark treats.  There no tricks, at least for the reader.  For the characters, well, that’s a different story.

I’ve yet to read a bad book by James A. Moore.  Check out this collection.  You’ll be glad you did.