I do like a good horror story but I just didn't connect with this book. I confess to not reading all the stories so there may have been ones I liked a lot more. It was more weird and what the heck was going on. Sorry

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!

3 stars!

I liked this short story collection. Some stories stood out a little more than other but that's the beauty of short story collections, everyone's reading experience and favourite are so different t. I thought I'd enjoy this more than I anticipated but clearly didn't hit perfectly for me but that's not to say anything against this collection. Fantastic read.

The thing with anthologies is they're varied. It's a lot of the appeal, but it also makes trying to comment on them a struggle. We all like different things and with 18 stories it's tricky enough remembering them all let alone trying to explain the good and bad of each one. What I can say is that for all the differences this is a strong compilation in terms of consistency. There are no real outliers in terms of good or bad, the quality is high across the board. They're all horror themed, and I often think that's a strong area for horror writing. In fact that's the aspect I really liked here, the stories do that very enjoyable horror style of building something up and then cutting off pretty much on the reveal. For me that really embodies the whole suspense and reveal vibe that makes horror enjoyable. They're creepy ominous atmosphere horror rather than jump scares and shock horror which is a good call for me, and the short story format really suits that style too. Oh, another thing I think suits horror? Graphic stories! And happily we got one of those too. I actually wish there had been two or three because I think the format works well in this genre and it would've made the use feel more balanced, but it's more a wish than any actual displeasure.

If you enjoy a good creepy horror that lets your imagination run away with the story you should find it here. Possibly even 18 times!

I really enjoyed all these short stories. Each one was so different to the next that I looked forward to getting back into it. Really well curated, a great selection and I could have kept reading. I hope there will be another release from this because I was throughly entertained.

Of The Flesh is a remarkably consistent collection of horror short stories. It's difficult to maintain this standard across a multi-author collection, and I feel that the editor/s deserve a lot of credit here... except that they aren't named. What is with this trend? Anyway, I enjoyed the variety and diversity of styles here, including one graphic short from Lewis Hancox, 'Sketchy', which was one of my favourite contributions. In fact, it would be easier to tell you about the stories that didn't work for me than the ones that did, as there really were only a couple I didn't vibe with: Ainslie Hogarth's 'Waffle Thomas' was too experimental for my tastes, and Louisa Young's 'Mouse' a bit obvious. I already knew that I don't click with Irenosen Okojie's writing, so I wasn't surprised not to love 'Rosheen' - though it is more straightforwardly told than the bulk of the other short fiction I've read from her, which made it stronger for me. But that's it! And on the other hand, there are some real standouts here. Susan Barker's haunting 'Fight, Flight, Freeze', about a woman pursued across the globe by another woman she wronged, has made me even more excited about her forthcoming horror novel Old Soul. JK Chukwu's 'Flight 2212' packs such a big world into such a small space. Domestic horrors especially hit home: Bridget Collins's 'The Fruiting Body' and Evie Wyld's 'The Old Lion' were both intensely creepy, as was Emilia Hart's 'Apples', which both presented a beautiful moral dilemma and reminded me of the terrifying fruit in Chuck Wendig's Black River Orchard. It's so satisfying to turn to the next story in an anthology like this and be pretty confident it's going to be a banger, so bravo, Borough Press.

SO good. One of the best horror short story anthologies I've read this year, and I've read a lot. This varies from the gently creepy to the gruesome. None of the stories fell short for me. Horror lovers are absolutely going to love this book.

These short stories are absolutely brilliant! Gruesome, thought-provoking and visceral! My favourites were Flight 2212 (J K Chukwu), The Fruiting Body (Bridget Collins), Daisies (Mariana Enriquez), Carcinisation (Lucy Rose), Going Large (Lionel Shriver), BobaJob (James Smythe) and Mouse (Louisa Young).

The cover art is incredible too!

Of The Flesh: 18 Stories of Modern Horror by by Susan Barker; J K Chukwu; Bridget Collins; Michel Faber; Lewis Hancox; Emilia Hart; Ainslie Hogarth; Robert Lautner; Adorah Nworah; Lucy Rose; James Smythe; Lavie Tidhar; Francine Toon; Evie Wyld; Louisa Young; et al
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 10 October 2024

“Of The Flesh” lives up to its evocative title, delivering a collection of stories that delve deeply into the darker aspects of human experience. I found myself immersed in these tales, devouring each one eagerly. The anthology is nothing short of exceptional, presenting 18 narratives that span the spectrum of horror with a blend of gruesomeness and dark humour.

Each story pushes the boundaries of traditional horror, offering a unique and often chilling exploration of fear and the grotesque. From psychological terrors to visceral encounters with the supernatural, the anthology captivates with its diverse themes and narrative styles. It challenges readers to confront their deepest anxieties and unveils the unsettling truths that lurk beneath the surface of everyday life.

As I progressed through the stories, I appreciated how they collectively provoke introspection and evoke visceral reactions. They linger in the mind long after reading, leaving a haunting impression that speaks to the power of well-crafted horror literature.

“Of The Flesh” is not merely a collection of scary tales; it is a thought-provoking journey through the shadows of human existence, inviting readers to confront the darkness within and beyond.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | The Borough Press, and the authors for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

3.5

A really interesting collection of short stories. I really enjoyed some of them and some of them went over my head a bit!
Some were very creepy and I loved that!

Of The Flesh is a well-selected and organised story collection. There are 18 gruesome, grotesque and fun stories of various styles, including a surprise visual one by modern master of horror such as Mariana Enriquez.
I enjoyed all of the stories, some more than others. I liked Daisies, Apples, Fairies a lot.
I will revisit this book to enjoy some of these stories again.
It is a pretty cool book and I am glad I picked it up. I was introduced to some writers I was not familiar with and cherished some of my favourite horror writers’ work.

This is such an incredible line-up of authors and so going in my expectations were high. I’m pleased to say they were not disappointed. A varied and brilliant mix of horror stories, from the supernatural to body horror to the evil that humans enact on each other. For me the standout stories were the ones by Mariana Enriquez, Susan Barker, Ainslie Hogarth, and Bridget Collins.

Of The Flesh is an apt title - quite a few of the stories featured involve parts of the body (not in a good way!) It certainly is modern horror as described. A few of the authors I recognized - Lionel Shriver, Louisa Young and Francine Toon. Shriver writes about obesity which is one of her favorite topics. I did read them all quickly, one after the other, so that I didn't get nasty images in my head. This means the overall effect merges together and makes it difficult to remember details. One which stands out is Bob a Job which I read twice, as I found it incomprehensible and very creepy. To sum up, horror is not my genre but this is an amazing collection. I appreciate being invited to review it.

As with all short story collections there are some that I really enjoyed and others not so much and I’m sure other readers will have completely differing opinions to mine.

Personal favourites were Apples, The Broccoli Eel, Sketchy and The Fruiting Body.

Big thanks to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.