Bound in Blood review: A chilling compendium of cursed stories

This Halloween is shaping up to be an especially exciting one for avid readers, especially if you frequently buy from Titan Books. They have an impressive line-up of titles this year that includes the fast-paced gore of Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson to the captivating new short story collection Bound in Blood featuring notable authors like Eric LaRocca, Alison Moore, Adam Cesare, Elizabeth Hand, and A.G. Slatter. Titan is also handling the upcoming Terrifier 2 novelization, so get ready to stuff your Kindle!

Bound in Blood is a unique anthology collection edited by Johnny Mains, with each story themed around cursed stories or haunted books. Not every story of the 20 originals is wholly horror; some verge on weird fiction or even dabble in dark fantasy. There's a sense of appreciation for H.P. Lovecraft's works, perhaps one of the most notable authors regarding cursed books. And speaking of Lovecraft, the opening short story "From the Sea" by Charlie Higson is one of my personal favorites from the entire book.

There's something wonderfully creepy about the idea of opening a book and having it take hold of you in some unforeseen way. It's a popular trope in horror for a good reason. Look at movies like Evil Dead, The Babadook, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, or even The King in Yellow.

From ancient texts and eldritch tomes to haunted bookstores and creepy libraries, Bound in Blood has a little bit of everything to appeal to both the horror fan and the reader in you.

Besides "From the Sea," here are a few more standout stories from this collection, though all of them are good!

• "The House Witch" by Alison Moore
• "Whatever Remains After You Leave Me" by Eric LaRocca
• "Broken Back Man" by Lucie McKnight Hardy
• "Bell, Book and Lamp" by A.G. Slatter
• "The Wretched Tome" by Jeremy Dyson
• "Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand

Whether you're picking this title up to read the latest from your favorite author or want to discover a new voice in horror, Bound in Blood is a great choice for yourself or as a gift for the horror lover in your life.

Bound in Blood is available now in hardback and eBook formats from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.