At Home with the Horrors (2022) by Sammy Scott
I was recently sent a review copy of At Home with the Horrors by Sammy Scott. I was unfamiliar with the author prior to some communication with him about this review and was excited to dive right in. What we have here are a total of 13 short stories and a novella. For me, all good horror needs a relational point that enables the reader to connect with characters in some way and identify with them—in short, we need to care. A situation instantly becomes more intense and terrifying if it involves someone in whose plight we have become honestly invested. This is Sammy Scott’s real gift as a writer; he can quickly establish characters who feel real and relatable, not just rough sketches that are operating to advance the needs of a plot. All of the characters in every one of these tales is believable and their responses to the supernatural elements when they’re introduced don’t...