Little Deaths, by John D.F. Taff

When I first heard about this collection of 19 short stories, I was intrigued. They are from an author I hadn't previously heard of, and I was taking a chance on him, which I normally don't do too often. The idea of 19 short horror stories really appealed to me, so I went ahead and got the book. I was pretty happy with the stories but honestly did not feel it had a true horror perk to it throughout. There are some stories that had more of a horror element, but I didn't feel it to be a true horror collection. Don't get me wrong, I liked the stories, well written and enjoyable, but not what I was expecting out of the box. Here are some of the stories that piqued my interests.

Calendar Girl : This was a fun story about a newly wedded man and wife. Everything looks to be going very well, until Melinda decides to look in Josh's little book he keeps with him. She finds out that Josh is writing down future events in their life, and that she also finds events that involve her, and have happened in the past, before they've even met. Melinda decides to take things into her own hands with writing her own future with Josh, but what if Josh planned it all along?

Orifice : A woman decides to get a tattoo from her ex-boyfriend, but it turns into a horrible ordeal that sucks her back in. The tattoo is nothing what it seems either, it becomes an orifice that has disastrous consequences.

The Mellified Man : A man with a long time sweet tooth decides to visit a new candy shop in town. He goes crazy with his addiction, gaining weight, and become obsessed. When he asks the shop owner for something that nobody has ever had before, it turns out to be a piece of candied human flesh, the last of its kind. What will he do in order to try this delectable treat?

Overall a good collection, and I'd probably pick up another if John were to write it. I'd give it a B-, only because a few of the stories were a little slow.


Review by Kyle Lybeck