To me, reading The Outsiders, was a unique experience as I've never read a collection of short stories all set in the same universe with the same characters yet written by different authors. A gated community, believed to be a religious cult, strange disappearances and people with unusual behaviour, as well as something monstrous lurking deep below the foundations of said gated community certainly could make imaginations run wild.In the first story The Subprime, we are introduced to Lee, a man w...

The Outsiders is a really cleverly written horror anthology featuring some pretty fine horror talent from critically authors such as Stephen Bacon, James Everington, Gary Fry, V.H.Leslie, Rosanne Rabinowitz and Kevin Lucia contributing the introduction.I loved how these stories were written by different authors but the stories work really well together creating a really quirky horror anthology.What's really clever about this is that the five stories all are centred around a mysterious cult like

For about a year I have read every new anthology Crystal Lake has published, however, having not read any of the early publications, I thought I would rectify this by reading The Outsiders. 5 authors writing about The Priory, a secluded estate set in the UK and home to a Lovecraftian cult and run by Charles Erich. Opening with an introduction from Kevin Lucia, which sets the scene and gets you in the mood to sit and enjoy these 5 stories.The Subprime by Gary Fry: Finance is a cut throat industry...

Review: THE OUTSIDERSAn extraordinary, seamless, collection with a shared-theme, shared-world--a wonderfully Lovecraftian world, a theme unafraid to reveal the very dark underside of the Lovecraftian Mythos. Five great authors--Gary Fry, James Everington, Stephen Bacon, V.H. Leslie, Rosanne Rabinowitz--collude to provide an incredible story set about one rural English gated community, Priory, a community unlike any other, a community with one focus and one purpose. THE OUTSIDERS is Lovecraftian,...

Different authors contribute to a common themeInteresting anthology about a cult of squid worshipers. Each story is written by a different author, giving different twists on the subject. All the stories fit nicely together.All are well written. I liked this one.

The Outsiders is a shared-world anthology which takes place in a small gated community in the UK called Priory, home to a cult that worships a colossal squid. Five different authors each contribute stories which fit together nicely. Each of our viewpoint characters are outsiders in some way either for being largely friendless, being black in a largely white neighborhood, being an unbeliever, or being gay in a religious community that frowns upon that. I felt like each story in the collection was...

Entertaining series of linked tales with a Lovecraft vibe going on. Definitely worth checking out.

It’s no easy task to be able to twine stories together to create a cohesive tale. Told by 5 very different authors, you’ll find yourself being mesmerized as each story winds through the streets of Priory like tentacles reaching out attached to a common core. Each is its own entity, but together they make a whole. As the title states this is a story of outsiders, those who don’t fit in for one reason or another. Come in; take a peek of the going-ons in this tight-knit little community. Start your...

All separate--all interconnected--all born from Priory...I'm not a huge fan of Lovecraftian-style fiction but I was curious about how a handful of different authors would handle writing a short story stemming from a single theme. Each story was unique and well written, and could be enjoyed as a single unit as well as a part of the whole. My two favorites were: "Precious Things" by V.H. Leslie, and "Stolen from the Sea" by Stephen Bacon--each one chilling enough to send shivers up my spine.I woul...

From the Description:Inside Priory awaits a lot more than meets the eye. The people might seem friendly, but only because their enigmatic leader Charles Erich doesn't give them much of a choice.The cottages inside this gated community seem simple enough, and even though what lurks beneath them is more ancient than mankind itself, can anything be more evil than the people worshipping it?If you dare follow this UK invasion of five prime authors as they each tell their own story of the people livin...

Some horror anthologies are made to scare readers, others are made to terrify them. When it comes to The Outsiders, the latter is at work from beginning to end. It's the type of book best read during the day. This meticulously crafted shared-world anthology will inspire a great deal of panic; not only due to the psychological components present, but also because of the pure horror elements weaved into the stories. Think Jonestown with a side dish of Cthulhu. The authors went above and beyond whe...

This modern British Lovecraftian thriller is composed of five linked stories set in & around a gated religious community . . . with a difference. If the fact that this community is called Priory -- & that the town nearest is Exham -- gives you a sense of dark amusement, you’re probably going to appreciate that difference a whole lot more. Discussing Priory’s devotional practices would be a major spoiler, but suffice it to say that it’s easer to join the congregation than to leave it – ever. No

Not the best or the worst, but worth reading.If you like Lovecraft, and soap operas. Very 'Days of Our Lives', with human sacrifice thrown in.Not very intricate, very straightforward.

Outwardly, the gated community of Priory appears to be the residence to aspire to – safe, quiet and filled with friendly people. Inwardly, it’s a commune more horrific than that led by Charles Manson!For the full review please check out my website: www.linearreflections.com

A gated community brought together by worship of a Lovecraftian monster.Each of the stories is standalone but share characters and setting. Information about the priory is revealed incrementally from the first story; an introduction to the priory from an 'outsider', a newcomer to the community, through to the final story told from the perspective of an insider. I really enjoyed this book and could sense the fun the authors must have had in collaborating and exploring how to reveal the characters...