 I will be honest - I started reading this book with the assumption that the stories would be filled to the brim with blood and gore. While I wouldn’t say the stories are filled with blood and guts, the stories are full of wit, unexpected turns, and yes - some blood and guts. Chuck’s writing immerses the reader in the story with a pleasing amount of detail and usually at a comfortable pace. So while the focus within each story may not be to try to be the scariest or most depraved thing you’ve ever read, each story is very cleverly written and enjoyable to read. Some stories had me feeling like I was reading a book published over many decades years ago, and others felt like I was reading something from today. While I usually read books published within the past 20 or 30 years, I have read a fair amount of classic books. When reading classic books, I felt like the author was giving me their eyes to see what the world was like for people living long ago, like I was learning some history while enjoying the book. Some of Chuck’s stories gave me that same cozy feeling. Not what you’d expect from a collection of dark stories, right? Within this collection, the story settings vary from some point in the 1800’s to stories within more modern times. Some were in the first-person point of view, and others in third-person point of view, with the writing style resonating with modern language or with language common to the time period in which the story took place. And in a lot of the stories, I found myself laughing out loud to some witty quip that sound like something I would think or say. I’ll summarize the stories below and try not to give anything away since you would really enjoy reading these for yourself. The Confession of Jeremiah Heath - This story follows the confession of a man who found it hard to believe in God because he’d never found a sign that proved His presence. One trying day, he found the sign and to assure his salvation, must do the unthinkable. While this story’s ending was fairly predictable and abrupt, the main character was likable despite his misgivings. None of Ours - This story is not very scary, but it does play well with a tense situation that may end very badly. Overall the story is thought-provoking and believable with a great flow. A Savage Smile - If you like bloody action scenes, this one's for you. The story’s setting is a fighting pit where veteran fighter Donkey Jack may have met his final match. This story plays out like a good action scene with an interesting end. Meet the Beetles - Roy is an exterminator who has been called to the house of a lonely woman claiming to have been recently abandoned by her husband for another woman. A house call to deal with what she claimed were roaches turned out to be very interesting, to say the least, and I could not have predicted the ending. Plus - bugs inside the house are just gross to me. Get Off My Cloud - How far would you go to help cover up the crime committed by a loved one, even if you thought they were justified in committing it? Professor Spano finds out that helping his beloved Tanya may be a bit more than he should try to handle. Another cool thing about the story - it retells an old joke I probably last heard last when I was in high school, so it was cool to be taken back. The Fucking Robot - This story was one of the longer ones, but it is a very interesting take on how a futuristic sex robot could drive a wedge between a husband and wife. It follows Eileen as she learns what the robot is capable of doing and what it has become to her husband, and how she decides to handle it. I went into this story expecting that a very different plot would unfold than what really did. This story is more drama than horror, but overall pretty good. A Lady’s Pistol - Set in the mid-1800’s, this story is a tale of an assassination attempt gone wrong. Dickie is a simple-minded man who agrees to a suggestion to kill the owner of a local brothel. The brothel in question is cutting into the profits of the other establishments in town. While the story was well written, just wasn’t my cup of tea. Six Cases of Beaujolais - Set in modern times, this story of a one-sided rift between friends reminded me of Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.” It was pretty creepy and had an ironic last line, but wasn’t my favorite story in here. Hatchet Job - This story is one of the more graphic ones in the bunch, and there is a great balance between action and description so you can picture everything exceptionally in your head. The narrator is recalling his battle against a mysterious co-worker who transforms into something awful under the light of the moon. The ending was somewhat predictable, but this was otherwise a cool story. Snapshots from a Family Album - This is a great story about a haunted house that affects the whole family. I like the style of this story - it is broken into segments where each segment depicts horrific things that happen to each family member as they are exposed to whatever is haunting the place. I got a lot of creepy feelings when reading this one, but a couple chuckles from some of the lines by the character. And the main character has my all-time favorite Led Zeppelin song playing in the background, so I thought I had to mention that :). Adrift on a Sea of Hunger - A haunting story that I believe takes place during colonial times, this was probably the first zombie story I’ve read and actually liked. Made me feel sorry for zombies. A very good story with an ending open to endless possibilities. Everybody, Do the Apocalypse - I’m not usually drawn to end-of-the-world (apocalyptic) stories, and I didn’t think I’d like this one. But it’s very well done with a great pace and believable characters. I also like the gory, creepy scenes the characters got themselves into. Not sure how it compares to other stories of this type, but I really enjoyed it. Rusty’s Last Joke - Rusty is the beloved group prankster whose antics can’t be beaten. After a few drinks, Rusty and the gang head out to prank an old classmate from long ago. For some reason, this one reminded me of something that would be in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - nice and dark. They’ll Call Me Whistlin’ Pete - This story is short and sweet with a great ending. I don’t want to give away too much about the plot. It’s a cleverly written piece that takes place long ago. Hellfire - Roger generously shares his campfire and dinner with a preacher who is just passing through and ready to settle for the night. Unfortunately, this stranger is a little too serious about preaching the Good News. The story was pretty predictable for me. The Meaning of Blood - Ross is a wayfaring man who spends his money on gambling, booze and whores. But when he receives a letter notifying him of his brother’s death, Ross decides to visit his sister-in-law and offer any assistance - or himself in marriage. Along the way, he stops at a saloon for a fun night in case it is his last before committing himself to a family. Unfortunately, he didn’t choose his night’s companion very wisely and ends up paying for it in a couple of different ways. This story was very dramatic and would make a great film. This collection showcases Chuck’s ability to appeal to different types of readers in terms of topics or in writing style. I enjoyed the mix of characters, narrative voices and time periods. I think his stories could reach a wide array of people.  
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