Thirty Scary Tales Horror Stories: Rayne Hall

I love short stories, always have. There we have a plethora of short “horror” tales. Well, as the title suggest there are thirty (30) of them. Seems this is a group of volumes pulled together to make one mammoth book of horror. So, horror, sure but perhaps a side note on this, and that is there are not graphic, nor horrific and mostly fit into the young adult arena of horror.

There is nothing wrong with that of course. It is just that you should be aware going in that this is more your teenage daughter’s horror. There is allot to chose from here and definitely a long afternoon or a few days reading. I found myself skiing about, as several of the stories did not maintain my interest.

Burning was a crisp tale (poor choice of words?) – much of what I see when people talk about this collection are such adjectives as creepy, atmospheric and scary. Here, I would agree with the atmospheric claim. Burning is very tightly written and holds such an atmospheric event about the story that it literally carried the dialog. I very much liked Burning, the premise and the way it was carried it out to the end.

The Devil You Know also provides a great storyline and characterization. I found this light horror to maybe fantastic or even dark, perhaps. Still a nice read with a great delivery. Lucie is a tightly developed and enamored character that I am sure many could relate to. I did enjoy too the plotting and the way the story simply told itself.

There are not thirty wonderful or delightful tales of horror here. Rather a solid number of nicely written stories that border horror and fantasy. Certainly, by sheer volume the price is right and I suppose those Rayne fans will need to pick it up to support their favorite writer – as you should. For the casual horror fan, this is a great collection to get your feet wet.

For the reader, you really can’t go wrong. There is much to absorb and some tightly written tales. I don’t complain about grammar unless it inhibits the enjoyment of the read – and Lord knows I have done that myself, in the past … now, still, sigh. Grab ahold and sit for a spell, I think you will enjoy this one.

For the writer, there is some atmosphere and character development pointer here and there but they really get lost in the midst of all the stories. There isn’t much growth material here.  

By the way – there are some author tidbits that some may find interesting, I personally find them boring. Also, the illustrations are decent and do add to the feel of the book.