The Root Cellar and Other Stories (Bloody Parchment) by Nerine Dorman

The Root Cellar and Other Stories (Bloody Parchment) Reviews

• 
  Michael Fierce

  The best story in this collection is the title story, The Root Cellar, by Toby Bennett which was far and above the rest. I was completely engaged by the setting, the main character, and the story, which had me riveted to my seat. I felt it had a Poe and Fritz Leiber vibe to it.
  
  Wants and Needs, his other contribution to this collection was the next best story. I just might want to read more by Toby Bennett.
  
  The only others I enjoyed were an arachnid vs. humans survival horror story, Strands, by Benjamin Knox -which wasn't perfect by any means but fun- and Protection, by Icy Sedgwick, about a canine werewolf family defending their human-occupied village against an archetypal clan of werewolves, which wasn't as clear as I would have liked it to be and just as I was starting to get into it, ended both abruptly and without the climactic ending it needed to be better.
  
  The cover is quite lovely! But, unless it is based on one of the stories I could not push through, is completely unrelated. Which is a shame, to be perfectly honest.
  
  I was bored with all the others, the stories not my cup of tea or the writing not doing anything for me.
  
  Glad I purchased this, however. The Root Cellar was a fun and memorable read and worth the price of admission all on its own!
• 
  Maree Kimberley

  I discovered some fantastic horror writers in this collection, which was put together from the winners of the South Africa Horrorfest Bloody Parchment short story competition. The title story The Root Cellar by Toby Bennett had me hooked from the first sentence and didn't let go. Every sentence built up to the tension until the horrifying, and heartbreaking, ending. Bennett has another story in the collection, Wants and Needs, which is equally good but other favourites for me were the chilling Strands by Benjamin Knox, Diane Awerbuck's Duiweltjie and Heirloom by Marc Gentis. Every story in this collection is great, and shows an amazing depth of talent. The competition must have attracted a wealth of entries as the stories selected are professional, tightly written and pack a punch. If you love horror, you'll love this collection.
• 
  Nerine Dorman

  Often having reread a book so many times through the editing process, I don't always remember to add this to my pile over at Goodreads. Seriously impressed with the caliber of the submissions from last year's competition, and absolutely charmed with the broad cross-section of talent showcased here. All brilliant authors to work with, and I urge you to follow up on their existing titles other than just the short stories in this collection.
  
  I must share the footage from the 2013 event:
  http://bloodyparchment.blogspot.com/2...