Excellent little bites of festive creepiness! ( )

Review copy

Hell's Bells happens to be one of my favorite tracks from Back In Black arguably the best album from the Australian rock band AC/DC and fits well as the title for this new anthology. Much like the in-your-face rock 'n' roll AC/DC is known for, Hell's Bells, a collection of 40 flash stories of 500 words or less, will leave you rocking.

I've been aware of Australia as a hotbed of horror for a few years now, and this anthology just solidifies that view. In the mix are author's I've read a lot, some I've read a bit, and many I've just read for the first time. While not every story hit the high notes, enough of them did to make this collection worth your time.

There are all kinds of Christmas horror stories among these tales, but my favorites are the Christmas ghost stories, of which there are several. There truly is something for every fan of dark fiction in Hell's Bells. It's not easy to write a complete story in under 500 words, but for the most part that's just what the writers accomplish in this compilation.

As I write this review, it's nearly Summer in the land of Oz and here I was reading these stories in the bitterly cold Northeast United States. So I just imagined myself relaxing out on the deck while me mate grills a thick juicy steak on the barbie. Let me tell ya, that just warmed the cockles of me heart.

Hell's Bells is published by the Australian Horror Writers Association and is currently available for the Kindle. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge. Also, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE using the Kindle Owners Lending Library. ( )