Editor’s Note: As with my YouTube content, I only share and promote things that I genuinely enjoy. I do not accept paid promotions and do not conduct book, movie, or video game reviews in exchange for revenue. Therefore, when I speak of something, you can rest assured that I am genuine in my love or disdain for it. And now, on to the horror…
Stephen Spielberg is famous for filling our imaginations with pictures of friendly aliens coming to Earth to befriend humanity. James Cameron, while he has dabbled in the extraterrestrial terror with his Aliens masterpiece, has largely shown us worlds of beauty filled with alien beings that can be reasoned with and ultimately become allies as human beings reach out beyond our world.
But what if the reality of space was much more terrifying? What if we reach the depths of space and we’re simply…not…wanted?
In a sense, that is the theme of author Tim Curran’s anthology, Alien Horrors.
It has been quite a while since I read a book that essentially forced me to write some kind of review. I picked up Alien Horrors while browsing the Kindle store for something quick and new to read. I was captivated by the cover image, which is taken from one of the stories in the book. However, it wasn’t until I finished The Black Ocean, which is the book’s first entry, that I realized what an incredible experience I was in for.
There are twelve stories in Alien Horrors that touch on a variety of topics related to space exploration. But, it is difficult for me to give an accurate description of what the book has to offer without spoiling it! As with any good horror story, it is best to enter into the unknown with no sense of what wonders (or terrors) await you. However, I can safely say there are (almost) no happy endings in this book. You will find yourself face-to-face with ancient space gods that resemble giant insects, alien labyrinths designed to dissect and destroy the human body, and swarms of ghostly terrors who stalk their victims among the planes of distant worlds.
As a science fiction and horror geek, Alien Horrors scratches both of those itches exceptionally well. There were many moments where I genuinely felt the pain and struggle of the characters as they fought in vain against alien beasts and hostile worlds. The stories are well written, the planetary environments are eerie and realistic, and the horrors faced in the depths of space are enough to make you reconsider pursuing a career as a deep space explorer.
Check it out on Amazon in print and electronic formats.
