Inspired by specially curated mixtapes, Bev Vincent and Brian Keene present two new spine-chilling novellas…
As a blizzard descends upon the sleepy town of Bayport, Rhode Island, brothers Joey and Frank Shaw investigate the mysterious disappearances of several townsfolk. After the discovery of strange tunnels, tunnels that only Joey can see, the trio suspect something is lurking beneath the snowbound town. Something burrowing. Something hungry. And it looks like Joey might be next in The Dead of Winter.
Did you imagine the world vanishing to a flood or a comet, the hand of God or nuclear war? What if it started with something as innocuous as the Berenstain Bears, and something known as the Mandela Effect? Barricaded in a seedy motel room, one man makes sense of love, loss, and life as the end of the world looms. Do you see what he sees? Do you know what he knows?
Dark bleatings, my dissonant tribe! This collection is a little unusual in that it’s written by two authors – Bev and Brian – and contains one story each from them. It’s also different because the stories are inspired by music playlists that the authors gave to each other. Let’s get into them!
The Dead of Winter
This is Bev Vincent’s story and it’s a hoot. This novella-length, wintery tale is about brothers Joey and Frank as they help Chief Lauren Morton unravel a scary mystery. Heavy snow has fallen but there’s something lurking beneath. People are missing, and gosh darn it – someone has to do something! Bev is a great story teller and this cold, chilling tale was full of personality and intrigue.
The Motel at the End of the World
Brian’s story is one of paranoia (or is it?) and crazy conspiracy theories (or are they crazy, really?). In particular, we’re dealing with the Mandela Effect. A couple have holed up in a hotel room because – our dude claims – the world is ending. The end is nigh. We’re done for. Finished. Bye. The reason for this apocalypse is one I haven’t seen before and it was a lot of fun.
Overall, I think this is a really good read. The stories are both great and we also get the benefit of two authors whose writing styles and chosen subgenres are completely different, giving us variety in tone and perspective.
I’d recommend this to horror fans, especially if you enjoy just a hint of wry humour. If you’d like to check out the book or the authors, I’ve popped some links below for you:
MY VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH BEV VINCENT
Bleeeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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