Awesome!

Truly enjoyed all the stories in this collection. I love the tension and unease that was built and there was enough scare without resorting to gratuitous gore or shock.

4 people found this helpful

There is still meat on those bones

This anthology makes me want to go back and reduce all the other anthologies I have listened to by 1 star. I just don’t feel like rating this book 5 stars is fair because it will be grouped with all the other 5 star reviews I have given. I absolutely will take this into consideration for all future reviews. So for now please note that while I am rating this book 5 stars across the board I would much rather give it higher.
I enjoyed the writing in this book immensely. The maturity of the writing, the humor, and the psychology of each story were top notch. The descriptions that the author provides perfectly paints everything such that I would never need to see a movie of these. I already watched it exactly as the author intended in my head.
I’m not going to go on and on about how great I think these stories are because you will get a little bit of that when you first start the book and I am sure I won’t be able to as eloquently review the stories as Chris Hall did. I will say that I felt the stories are presented in the same order I would rank them. I was still super excited about the book by the time I finished it although I would say that as with any anthology not every story is a 10, but even the worst was better than a lot of others I have read lately.
The narrator was also fantastic. He has a deep dark tone, had to adjust the speakers in my car while driving, but that richness is perfectly paired for these style stories. Looking forward to more work by Duncan with the same narrator.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

3 people found this helpful

Excellent Anthology Horror

'Gristle & Bone' is a series of satisfying stories of the horror variety by Duncan Ralston. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories, while of course some where better for me than others, they were all worth listening to. Ralston does a great job of keeping the stories fresh and interesting throughout and the pace moving forward smoothly. Craig Beck gives a top notch narrative performance. If you enjoy short form horror, this is a great one for you!

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

1 person found this helpful

Excellent collection of stories!

I received this audio book for free in exchange for my honest review. If you liked The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, then you will love these stories. The writing and narration are both top notch.

1 person found this helpful

kept me wanting more

The stories weren't as good as some of his other works but his character development and description keeps you wanting more. You get attached to characters pretty quickly. Duncan is definitley a new favorite author.

Well-written, intelligent, dread-filled horror...

My second outing with Duncan Ralston was an eye-opening, dread-filled experience, but in a good way.

Within these pages, Ralston has penned a collection of short work that positively drips with dread. That was the thing that kept coming to me during this entire read, that Ralston is masterful at building dread. Which is quite different than suspense, but no less enjoyable. Something in the way he strings the words together, the way things unveil themselves to the reader, slowly peeling back the layers until you’re presented with stark horror and shocking revelations.

None of the stories felt like they didn’t belong, like they didn’t measure up to the others. That’s impressive in collections. Usually, there will be at least one story that seems to be the nadir, standing out against the others because it just doesn’t belong. Not the case with Gristle & Bone at all. From the beginning with BABY TEETH and all the way through the final novella, SCAVENGERS, each story has been loved and crafted specifically to create that lead weight of dread that descends your throat and settles so deep inside it feels as though it’s in your knees. The characters are all lovingly and truthfully drawn, believable, and flawed. They make decisions like you or I would, and even if it’s a different choice than you’d have made, you see why they made it anyway. That’s good writing when you can empathize with characters with whom you disagree or even are vile. And we get the full spectrum here.

Ralston’s prose is, frankly, unmatched. It’s liquid, polished, and flows like a mighty current beneath a seemingly still surface. So much is happening, so much being conveyed. It’s a real craftsman at work here, and it was a joy to consume. The only other author I could compare the prose of with Ralston is Clive Barker. It’s in a similar vein, though Duncan has his own voice, and it sings through all the terror.

There are extreme stories in here, but not all of them are. Just be warned before diving in, if extreme horror or frankly written, explicit sex is not your thing, then skip this. If, however, you’re not bothered by such things, I think you’ll have a great time with this collection. YMMV, but I really enjoyed it.

Well-written, transcendent, full of dread, Duncan Ralston’s GRISTLE & BONE is a winner. Don’t miss out on the writer who is sure to be the future of horror.

very good stories!

A VERY good collection of tales. Not a bad one in the bunch! I'd recommend it to anyone who likes Clive Barker, Stephen King, or likes their horror somewhat gritty and based in reality (reality that has some holes in it, that is).

Almost

Good but too wordy and descriptive to a fault in many places. This author is talented there is no doubt, however.

I was provided a copy of this audiobook for free in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Not a bad horror anthology

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

These short (and not so short) stories run the gamut of horror.

Baby Teeth is more of a true horror and is disgusting in a good way (though if you don't like really disturbing images, be careful of this one).

Beware of the Dog is a good scary story without being too gruesome and it actually has a nice ending.

Viral was the one story that I didn't care for as much as the others. Not that it wasn't a good story, just not the kind of story I usually like but it does make you think some.

Artifact (#37) was a good ghost story and I kind of felt really bad for Amber but I kind of felt bad for the brothers and their team too. It wasn't really their fault what happened to Amber but she blames them because they put her in the crosshairs of the killer. I don't think the ghost should've come after them but it made for a good story.

//End User was a really interesting story and I really enjoyed that one because it had a great twist to it and makes you think "what if" and what would you do in that situation.

Fat of the Land was almost my favorite one of the bunch because it was a really good horror story. Even though I had an idea of what was going on, it's telegraphed pretty obviously, it still was a fun read. The only thing that stopped it from being my favorite is because there was a section that got a little confusing and I wasn't sure what was going on or what was supposed to be implied. I think I understand what the story was telling me but it was a little muddled too.

Scavengers is the longest of the "short" stories and is really well done. When you first hear what was going on, you instantly dislike the couple, even though the narrator of the story says they were friends but by the time you hear the entire story of what they thought was going on and why they did what they did, you feel for them and wish they weren't suffering because of it. It's a good spooky story that I may have to listen to again just to make sure I caught everything.

Mr. Beck does a very good job of keeping the stories interesting and giving the characters enough uniqueness that you don't get lost on who's talking or doing what while you're listening. His voice really fits a couple of the stories really well and I enjoyed listening to him.

Overall, this was a fun listen and gave me a good variety of stories to listen to. They weren't all the same thing rehashed each time and each one gave me a different kind of horror thrill as I listened to them. While they could be gruesome, they weren't gross (other than the ending of Baby Teeth but that was gross in a different way) and I enjoyed listening to them.

Well written Horror Stories

Seven short novellas, these horror stories are very well written, the author’s prose being smooth and descriptive. Occasionally gory, the stories are intense and draw you in.The narrator is a good story teller.