HORROR FICTION REVIEW - AT HELLS GATE 2 : ORIGINS OF EVIL

All the proceeds from At Hell’s Gate 2 go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund so why not pick up a copy, make a cuppa, turn off the lights and see which one is your favourite.

AT HELL'S GATE

What do you get when you put together a horror anthology that contains stories from some of the world’s best authors? You get a great value that is a hell of a lot of fun to read. Mark Tufo, Kit Power, Paul Mannering, Ian McClellan and more come together to raise money for charity and this is one collection you should not miss.

Here’s what you get in in At Hell’s Gate 2:

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At Hell’s Gate 2 starts off with a fun story by Mark Tufo called Pulse. Although not technically horror, this story is reminiscent of a comic book with some sci-fi thrown in. This may have been my favourite story in the entire collection.

Next up we have Cookies For the Gentleman by C.T. Phipps. This one is definitely horror and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Number 3 in the book is History’s End by Frank Tayell. I liked the realism in this story. It felt to me like it could actually happen and mixes thriller elements with horror.

A Mother’s Nightmare by J. Rudolph is another of my favourites. It details a mother’s struggles with keeping her children safe during a zombie outbreak. I could see myself acting the way Cali does and it shows how far a mum is willing to go to protect her kids.

Patient 63 is written by Steve Kopias. I found this one to be slow and although it is written very well, didn’t really hold my interest.

Another story that let me down is Tyrannical Ascension. I thought, since it is written in the bad guy’s POV, that it would be a good story. It just fell flat for me.

Ink is an amazing story written by James Crawford. As a fan of tattoos, having a few myself, I loved this story but I may think twice about getting inked again.

Next, we come to The Man with Four Scars. Had this story not had the character development it did, I wouldn’t have stuck with it. I loved the characters and therefore stuck it out and I’m glad I did. Give this one a little time before you give up on it.

Daddy’s Girl, written by Ian McClellan, is a shocking story that will keep you reading wide-eyed until the very end.

Operation Devil Walk deals with a British Commando team during World War II that finds a new kind of horror they have no idea how to deal with. Not a bad story, but not one of my favourites, either.

The Infected is a unique type of zombie story. I have temporarily sworn off zombies, because of the over-saturated zombie market right now. However, this is unique enough to hold my interest and I think it is a great little story.

In Forget Me Never, the best part is the revelation of what makes an aspiring actor a success. I thought this one is very entertaining.

Mirage is a story written by Sean Smith and it tells the story of a starship crash survivor. This one is very unique and you’ll love the ending!

The Millstone is a vampire story and I really don’t like vampires. However, this story has very well written characters and takes place in a unique setting.

Genesis by Kit Power is another of my favourites, although it is not really horror. Kit writes very well and knows how to build suspense in his stories.

Lockdown, another of my favourites, tells the tale of a teacher who does her best to protect her students during a zombie attack. However, these are not your average zombies.

Collection Night is one of the creepiest stories in this collection. It starts off a little slow, but give it time.

The Cold is another creepy story about a man who practices the dark arts to keep from dying. Since I am terrified of death, this one struck a chord with me.

Claire C. Riley brings us A Different Cocktail. This is the story of a man who goes out of his way to impress a member of the opposite sex, only to find himself in a bad spot. Love the perspective and writing of this one.

A Song to Sing in Babylon is another story that takes a while to build, but has interesting, realistic characters. Call me dumb, but there were a few things that didn’t make sense in this story. I can’t say this one is a favourite.

Finally, The Gouger is a story by Paul Mannering.  I love Paul’s tightly written stories and this one is no different. 

Look at all those stories you get! That is 400 pages of horror (23 stories!) for less than a cup of coffee. All the proceeds from At Hell’s Gate 2 go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund so why not pick up a copy, make a cuppa, turn off the lights and see which one is your favourite.

REVIEWED BY  DAWN ANGRY PUPPY 

Welcome back to Hell’s Gates! The palpable sense of dread may seem familiar, but this time things are a bit…different. Fresher. Newer. As though just recently born… 

See that squealing baby over there? He could grow up to be a lifesaving doctor (or perhaps the antichrist.) What about that scientist burning the midnight oil? He could be working on a bug zapper (or a doomsday device.) Did you catch that comet out of the corner of your eye? It might bring good luck (or an apocalyptic plague.) 

Yes, every darkness has a source, every monster has a birthplace, and every evil has an origin. In the second volume of the #1 Bestselling AT HELL’S GATES series, twenty-three of the finest dark fiction authors working today will force you to witness the ORIGINS OF EVIL. Each unique tale of terror traces an unspeakable horror back to its very beginning. 

All proceeds from this horror anthology series go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a charity benefiting military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. The authors and editors of this series are pleased to donate their time and effort to a truly worthy cause.

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