Of Tragic Love and Hidden Passion: Bury Your Gays is an anthology of queer horror celebrating love and sacrifice

 

 

Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror

Edited by Sofia Ajram

Ghoulish Books, 2024

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-943720-94-1

Hardback ISBN: 978-1-943720-95-8

135 ppg., Ebook

Buy link

 

 

If you’re looking for a good collection of queer horror to read, then look no further than Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror. This anthology of queer horror was hard to put down! There were a couple of stories in this anthology which I didn’t read – only because they were written in second person POV – but I did read all of the other stories, no matter how bizarre, hard-to-understand or surreal they were.

 

Or frightening. Many of these stories were indeed frightening!

 

You don’t need to be a member of the queer community in order to enjoy reading these stories, though. That is just my opinion. If you love and accept people in the community, and you also love reading horror, then this is definitely one horror anthology to read!

 

For me, though, it’s not an issue. The sexual identity of a character is not a factor of whether or not I enjoy reading a story; it’s the story itself! I read a lot of gay fiction, as well as queer fiction, so I am not new to this subgenre of horror.

 

There were a couple of stories in this anthology that really stood out for me:

 

 “Summer Night” by Robbie Banfitch was a very sad story. And, yet, it was also eerily dystopian. Almost like a warning for what could happen if homophobia manages to take over our very lives in this country, which I used to think of as a “free” one. This story right here is an example of the hatred being shown towards homosexuals now, where in other countries, they are murdered. Having their heads bashed in with rocks, being thrown off of buildings or being hanged only because they love someone the same sex as them. It’s horrible that this happens and I fear it will start happening here if a certain President has his way.

 

I loved the story “American Gothic” by LC von Hessen. The ending was so sad but also so beautiful. It made me cry!

 

Many of the stories in the anthology Bury Your Gays also had undertones of sadness, and that's where the "tragic" part of the title comes in. A break away from the grisly horror that also takes place in the stories, some of them truly horrific to read. I loved how creative some of these stories were! I recommend this anthology of stories to anyone who enjoys reading queer horror, whether or not they are queer themselves.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Poems and Stories of the Strange and Unusual: A Mirror of Past/Present Self is a collection of interesting and unexpected twists

 

A Mirror of Past/Present Self: Poems and Tales

Andrew Buckner

Alien Buddha Press, 2025

ISBN-13: 979-8310600485

Ebook, 90 ppg.

Buy link

 

If you want to read some poetry and short stories that have you exploring your imagination in a brand new way, you won’t want to miss A Mirror of Past/Present Self: Poems and Tales by Andrew Buckner. This short collection of poems and stories strike the odd notes and bring you unexpected twists. There were many times I had to stop reading this book because it blew my mind! It made me see these fictional worlds in a completely brand new way, in addition to creating a lasting impression.

 

Some of the poems in this book were also nostalgic. The mention of the 80s and certain things from back then took me back to my childhood. They were very interesting poems to read and I appreciated the touch of wishing for the good old days that these poems evoked.

 

But my favorites from this book are the stories. They were just so surreal and unpredictable. I loved how they were so different and not what a reader expects. Some of the stories did have certain moments I connected with in a profound way, while others were more of an entertaining tale of an alternative and bizarre reality.

 

Although it is a short collection, A Mirror of Past/Present Self: Poems and Tales was a huge dose of the bizarre and unexpected. A must-read for fans of speculative poetry and fiction! I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading other books by this author.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as part of my digital subscription with the publisher.

Speculative Stories from the Bizarre to Surreal: Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces is a collection of stories for readers hungering for something new and unexpected

 

Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces

D. Matthew Urban

Cursed Morsels Press, 2025

Ebook, 166 ppg.

ISBN: 9798988413899

Pre-order link 

 

 NOTE: This review is based on an ARC I received from the publisher. The book will release April 15.

 

“That was a good story!”

 

Once I noticed that I was saying this after I finished reading almost every single story in this book, I knew I had a good collection of short stories on my hands. Well, short stories and a flash story.

 

D. Matthew Urban really delivers in his collection of speculative fiction, Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces. From the bizarre to the unreal, these stories sent me into worlds of the unknown. So many stories in this book held my interest and kept me reading until the end!

 

The one story I didn’t really care for, though, was “Osculum,” which seemed to be something like the author challenging himself to write a story in one extremely long sentence. It just wasn’t my bag.

 

I also must confess that I did not read the first story, “The Consultant’s Hand,” because I don’t like reading stories written in second person point-of-view. And even though there’s another story written in second person in this book, I did read it, only because it was really short.

 

Yes, there is a mix of long and short stories in this book. Along with really short stories. The shorter tales offered a nice break in between the longer ones, but I felt the longer stories were the best ones.

 

There are a lot of stories in this book which I felt were really good. They were thought-provoking, surreal, surprising, and creative.

 

“Estrangements” was a chilling tale, just as “Bite-Apple” was.

 

“Exuviae” was surreal but captivating, pulling me in from the very beginning with the mystery of the sisterhood and what kind of species they were.

 

“A Goodnight Kiss from Aunt Spider” was both sad and spooky, with its dark undertone at the end. Another story that delivers a horrifying punch at the end is “The World of Iniquity Among Our Members Is the Tongue.” The character, Amelia, really stuck with me, and I could only imagine the trauma she was struggling with all on her own even without her father’s sympathy or compassion.

 

“Winter Savory” was another one of my favorite stories in this book. At first, I couldn’t understand why the grandfather so silently accepted all of the abuse inflicted on him, and at the end, I was like, “Oh! THAT’S why!” Yes, read this story until the end. Please. Then everything that happened up until then will make complete sense. (I love when stories do this for readers.)

 

“Duet for Breath and Flame” was both haunting and mournful, “Smoochfest” was so bizarre, and “Dreamland Coffee” was the kind of story that took me along for one wild, otherworldly ride. And made me want coffee.

 

I really enjoyed reading this book of stories. They were unlike any other stories I have read. They are stories told on a surreal landscape of fascination and surprise. They are the kind of stories that linger in the mind of the reader long after finishing the very last tale.

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.