The stories in Roots of My Fears (edited by the talented Gemma Amor) , although fiction, read like deeply personal horrors, and, though quite distinct from one another, the feeling of voyeurism into the protagonists’ and, by proxy, the writers’ darkest minds and hearts carried throughout the collection - so much so that at times, I felt discomfort and dread which bordered on fear - and may have once or twice tipped over. 

The Bog Wife almost reads like a fairy tale, with its rich mythology and casual disregard for what we might consider "reality", but it's also a tale full of heart as the siblings - all characters with whom it is impossible not to empathize thanks to Chronister's care in developing them as the most "real" part of the book and fully three-dimensional - wrestle with their loyalty to each other, their parents, the land, and themselves when those loyalties are at odds.

Acquired Taste is Clay McLeod Chapman’s most nefarious work yet. He’s telling us right in the title what his diabolical plan is. We may not like that first sip of - I was going to say “beer”, but when you see his opening sentence, it’s something more like a dirty gin martini - but by the end of 25 stories, we’ll be slurring “shaken, not stirred” with the best of them, even though by then, we’ll know you want to stir it for better flavor.