Anne Boedeker, E! -Entertainment Television Fran Friel, Bram Stoker Nominated Author of Mama’s Boy and Other Dark Tales “A dark, diverse and delicious page-turner of a collection not to be missed!” Ten reasons why you may never sleep again. The basement of a Japanese restaurant, where a seductive creature promises comfort to a lonely hitman, if only he will set her free.Ī ruined city, where survivors of a natural disaster have become prey to something unnatural.Īn Indiana farmhouse, where a frightened child attempts to fool the Angel of Death.Īnd the darkest regions of space, where a man fights to protect the woman he loves from invaders only he can see. Tales of forbidden desires and ghoulish deeds, where nightmares manifest in the most mundane and unlikely of places. Purchase Skull Full of Kisses by Michael West.Turn the page and enter a world of shadow, as Michael West brings together his most disturbing short stories-twisted

Midline horror for those looking for something good, and entertaining, but not too experimental as to lose audience interest, West's collection delivers a spectacular assortment of cultures, themes, and settings sure to keep readers engaged and up at night. West displays a strong knowledge of the genre and its readers and also a level of skill that reflects reliability in forming tales, fleshing out characters and setting a tone that brings good tales to life. Longtime horror readers will come to expect a dark turn of events that may make some of the tales come off familiar, but no less well-written.

The best of the best include: opener 'Jiki', a tale of a Yakuza initiate disposing of his first assigned kill via his boss' pet demon 'Einstein's Slingshot' a Twilight Zone-inspired tale of monumental scientific mess-ups and dinosaurs and the almost-sweet 'Good Night', the poignant closing tale of a man trying to console his grandson after the boy's mother dies in a car accident. While there are a few standouts, there aren't any truly disappointing tales included between the covers. West's style is easy to read, but well-paced and well-formed, delivering solid stories page after page. With ten tales of love and monsters, Skull Full of Kisses gives readers more meat than many other lengthier collections out there. With Skull Full of Kisses Michael West throws his tales into the long list of single-author collections available to horror readers today.