Gasps: A Quiet Horror Anthology – Judith Sonnet

I picked this cute this anthology when I was at KillerCon this year! Judith is such a wonderful person and I was very excited to pick this one up! I know it’s a collection she’s very proud of having currated.

GASPS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF QUIET HORROR currated by Judith Sonnet (Released June 28th, 2024)

Book Description:

Judith Sonnet’s second curated anthology subverts expectations and provides bone-chilling, blood-curdling, breath-freezing scares! With a host of new and legendary authors, she is proud to present GASPS, an anthology of quiet horror . . . written by splatterpunks!

Featuring fiction by Wrath James White, Shane McKenzie, Lucas Mangum, Gord Rollo, Dana M. Evans, Ray Daley, and Judith Sonnet . . . GASPS is sure to delight readers who enjoy the softer, subtler, whispering side of terror!

My Thoughts: 5/5 stars

If you’re a fan of horror but don’t want the visceral and graphic descriptions that come with splatterpunk, then this will be perfect. Or if you need a little cleanser between extreme horror books, then you’ll enjoy this collection of quiet horror.

The standouts for me were Worm in the Wall by Veronica J. Hart, Best Friends by Wrath James White, and Cold Pocket by Judith Sonnet. Those were my top three! That being said, this was a solid little anthology and a good reminder that quiet horror can be just as scary and terrifying as splatterpunk. There is some body horror but absolutely toned down compared to what it could have been!

When I saw the description for one of the stories in the synopsis, “Two children dare each other to swim across a cold lake . . . unaware of what waits for them on the other side.” I knew that one would freak me out. As someone who lives in the land of 10,000 lakes, I am always around water. We live 5 miles from the biggest lake in the state. I don’t think you could pay me to swim across ANY lakes in the state, and now I want to avoid the water completely 😂

This collection introduced me to a few other authors from the genre, and the TBR is continuing to grow! I highly recommend picking it up for the Halloween season or for the upcoming winter months.