The first volume of “One Buck Horror” provides five undemanding, quick; fun reads that centre around children and their doings. All the stories are small enough to read in one easy sitting; they are well paced and have enough meat to satisfy the bite-sized market they’re placed in. My favourite tale here is "A Lullaby for Caliban", a tale of kids at a carnival who end up getting more than they bargain for when sneak into the “freak show” tent. A wonderfully evocative tale, which is highly reminiscent of Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” and comes complete with a Twilight Zone-style ending. “One Buck Horror” is a good quality volume that provides five entertaining tales – hopefully the start of a good on-going series.

- Jenny's House
- A Lullaby for Caliban
- The Last Nephew
- The Cornfield
- The Ginger Men ( )

I've always been a fan of short fiction, especially anything that falls within the horror genre. Being able to draw a reader in, to connect with the characters, and to send chills up and down my spine in a short amount of space requires much skill and talent, and I'm always in awe of those writers who do it well. The stories included in the first volume of tales from One Buck Horror manage to do all of the above.

In "Jenny's House" by Ada Hoffman, a young child's enthusiasm for Show and Tell takes a twisted turn when he tells about how his doll became covered with green slime and what happened over at a little girl's house.

"A Lullaby for Caliban" by Mark Onspaugh follows three young boys sent to a carnival sideshow on a club initiation dare to bring home a "pickled punk" -- a club name for a fetus in a jar of formaldehyde. But when the glass jar with the punk falls and breaks, two of the boys run off leaving their friend Kirby to face the consequences.

With the help of a young street urchin, trapped spirits take their revenge upon the "Uncle" who forced them into servitude in Elizabeth Twist's "The Last Nephew".

A young boy's darkest fears come to life as he tries to escape a monster while crossing "The Cornfield", in a story by Mike Trier.

Georgie's mother is trying a new gingerbread recipe thanks to a special ingredient from one of her neighbors, something she says will help his ailing father. When Georgie accidentally discovers what the special ingredient does, will he be able to help his father, or will he be next? Read Julie Jansen's story "The Gingerbread Men" to find out.

I enjoyed all the stories, especially "The Lat Nephew". The story revealed itself slowly, allowing the shocks to gradually sink in so that the ending packs a heck of a punch. "The Cornfield" left me a little confused about the young protagonist's older brother, but it's still a creepy tale filled with a fantastic monster and enough gore to keep me happy.

This is a great collection of tales, each one immediately grabbing you with horrific visions and worse, just enough details to allow your imagination to fill in the rest. Definitely a collection for any and all horror fans to enjoy. ( )