Inanimate Things Vol. 2 – Stephen Rhoades

3.5 stars

I have, once again, discovered a healthy suspicion and wariness for inanimate objects thanks to Stephen Rhoades and his anthologies.

This volume of inanimate object horror was interesting, but some of the stories were really reminiscent of stories from the first volume. They didn’t shock me as much as maybe they were intended to because I almost felt like I’d already read them (or something similar) before. But let’s talk standouts!

Paul Lonardo’s “Dead Mall” was super creepy! There’s something about abandoned or dying malls that give me a chill, and then you add murder mannequins, and I’m done for. I absolutely despise mannequins (thanks, Doctor Who), so that added another layer to this story.

“Pulling Your Strings” by Anne Wilkins was so masterfully done. Puppets like Mr. Adams also mildly creep me out, and then the idea of it growing to your hand and strings curling under your skin is horrible!

“Keep the Light Out” by Carter Aldridge and “Love You Real” by Kay Hanifen made me really sad. While they were definitely horror stories, at their heart, the characters in both stories just wanted a friend, though they way they went about getting said friend was fairly scary. I couldn’t help but feel bad for both Teddy and Lux in both situations.

This was a solid collection of stories, and if Stephen ever releases a volume 3, I’ll be happily in line to give it a read!