Published – Out Now

Price – £1.79 Kindle eBook

Eight strange tales, some dark, some delightful. Unique and curious, these stories will frighten and amaze you.

Shudder at the ancient horror waiting in an old well. Marvel at a man with a very unusual and delicious disorder. Confuse dreams with reality at your peril. Admire the seeker of gold pursued by flames. Fear the slippery creatures which slither through the night. Muse upon the unknowable inner life of inanimate objects. Descend into paranoia as you listen to the wearer of the tinfoil hat. Join a cult which began from mysterious footprints in the sand…

Sometimes you just fancy a short slice of the strange. It had been a long week, and I had a late train and I’ve been meaning to read this author for a while. In NS Ford’s entertaining A Strange Belief – Weird Stories delivers eight tales of different styles and themes that manage to cross all the sides of the strange and unusual in horror, SF and fantasy.

This is a very well-paced set of stories that while is a quick read gives the reader a healthy sense of surprise as to what each tale has left in store for you. In ‘A Strange Belief’ Ford provides a tale that delivers that thing we all fear someone grabbing us and telling us their life story and by the way their theory that we are subject to mysterious monsters controlling us. Ford mixes the warning signs of someone to get away from with just a hint of something to make you think that there may be more going on. Very smartly delivered. While we get more of cosmic horror adventure in ‘The Dweller In The Deep’ that puts a effectively darker spell on some kids getting into danger.

Another tale that really stood out was ‘You May Open Your Question Papers and Begin’ – a very beguiling tale of a young girl dreading her exam and finds it playing with her dreams. The tale provides constant threats and plays with reality and then edges into humour before we get a fine final scenario our main characters has to face.

An unusual piece of historical weirdness awaits in ‘The Sad and Surprising History of the Axcrofte Apple’. A man who had apples grow from him. It is an unusual tale told with plausibility and had a very tasty final set of reveals that neatly wraps the tale up. Then in ‘Superior Brew’ the more surreal spectacle of a teapot who has had enough of their coffee loving owners forgetting about decides to make their presence known and it is very funny matching the magical with the more normal side of life.

‘Tentacles and Concrete’ is a slightly more sinister tale of a young boy who finds his life ever crossed with strange visitors who inhabit our world. It crosses him into adulthood and his speculation as to what these creatures want will bring a nasty surprise. I really enjoyed the unusual ‘Follow Us To The Ends of the Earth’ where a 19th century woman follows footsteps and has a big surprise. It manages to give us an unexpected detour and on top of that has a fascinating final session as to what happened next which is handled very well. The final tale ‘Leap of Faith’ is a light-heartedtale that I’ll let you discover what is going on but it made me smile and works very well to finish the collection off.

If you want something brisk, entertaining and smartly written then this is well worth your time!