This was not as much horror as I was expecting it to be. There are speculative and dark stories, but it’s actually pretty light on horror, which was disappointing.

Many of the stories were just… fine. I’m pretty picky when it comes to short stories, so that’s not shocking. My preference is for a highly focused, intense short story. But often the ones here meandered a lot and provided far too much context, slowing the story down.

My favorites:
The Other One - focused and intense. Surreal. Needy young woman gets texts from her ex’s new gf that spiral. Love the ending.
Your Happy Place - I saw where this was going, but I still loved it. Prison guard is suspicious of “education” program for prisoners and investigates. It doesn’t go well…

Other ones I liked:
Reckless Eyeballing
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree
The Rider