Dustin Urness ‘Disturbing Tales of Anguish and Horror’ (Review)

Written by: Wesley Thomas

Possibly the best horror collection I’ve ever read. And I have been reading horror for over twenty years! Dustin’s words leap from the page and infect your mind with bountiful scares!

What makes a great short horror story collection? Well, many things. But firstly, diversity.

Dustin appeals to every sub-genre within horror fiction. From science experiments gone horribly wrong to chilling ghosts returning with a vengeance! Despite your preference, there will be a story in here for you, trust me on that!

Secondly, and this may seem like an obvious one, but his stories are scary. SO many horror collections are great fun to read, and they may be gory and unsettling, but not really scary. Not here! Dustin’s tales are terrifying. The ghost tales are especially creepy, which gave me goosebumps! (Which is incredibly rare)

Thirdly, great writing. Short story writing differs from novel writing. You have to get across a backstory, characters and current conflict quickly. Readers who like short stories want just enough information to know what is going on but haven’t got time to listen to the character’s entire life history. Again, the author gets a big fat tick for this!

The pace and flow are expertly executed. We know what we need to follow the story but aren’t bogged down with unnecessary details.

This isn’t to say his writing isn’t descriptive and visual. As that couldn’t be further from the truth. He details everything from character appearances to locations, but he focuses on the story. Which is the main reason we (readers) are reading!

Overall, a fantastic collection. Gory, terrifying, exhilarating, addictive and smart in both the writing and originality. I highly urge ALL horror readers to grab a copy today.

Grab it right here.

Rating: 5/5