And Cannot Come Again

And Cannot Come Again is not a light read. It's brilliant, but definitely not light. It's kind of a punch to the gut emotionally. I love Bestwick's style, and the emotions evoked in such a short amount of space for each story is mind-blowing. If you're looking for a truly horrifying, well-written read, then this is the book for you.

This book is so good. I read it in a day. Such an interesting and captivating story. I would definitely recommend it to people. I would like to read more books by this author.

Sometimes, life is the nightmare. You don't always need spooky ghosts, huge monsters that lurk in the dark and small town village curses coming true.

This isa strong thought that came to me when reading this. Don't get me wrong, there is still monsters that creep under rocks and ghosts in ponds but there is also horrific, traumatic tales of ordinary things like bullying, things we should have done and horrible jobs.

This wonderful series of short stories each have a tale very compelling and that you can understand, one way or another.

Often short horror stories are designed to get right into the nitty gritty and deliver that scare that we all want. It's here too sometimes, but also there is enough backstory to keep you intrigued and satisfied.

I gave this four stars on goodreads because some of these stories really got me thinking! I really enjoy ghost stories and was pleased to come across one here. It was done right! The feeling you get when you finish the last line and it hits you - oh! That was brilliant. If you prefer your horror in the form of short stories, some quite traumatic, dark and with the power of suggestion, definately give this a go.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed all the stories from this collection and left a longer review on Goodreads. The stories range from scary and creepy to bleak and sad, but all were very interesting reads. Hope the author writes more.

This wonderful collection by Simon Bestwick has been added to my "These Books Are Special" goodreads list. These stories all all so beautifully written. Mr. Bestwick knows how to create art from words. He write, you read, you see, you feel. I would not call these happy stories, but they have a beauty in them and some of them have a sense of a common part of everyday life. Take "The Moraine", a married couple who were once so much in love and now there's the snapping back and eye-rolling....until something starts happening on this outing and they go from being annoyed to the old "I'd give my life for you" feeling. "Angels of Silence" was powerful. I have honestly never felt such empathy during a moment of violence as I did in this story. This moment is told without laying on the gore and horror and you're experiencing and seeing this as the victim. I found this scene to be very powerful and moving, and so sad for all of the real people who have actually experienced such fates. That said, don't let some sad content scare you away. Reading these stories is like walking into an art museum where you find yourself standing silently before the paintings, weeping just a bit. #Netgalley #AndCannotComeAgain

If you had asked me a week ago who Simon Bestwick was, I would not have known. But his short story collection, ‘And Cannot Come Again’ has an introduction by Ramsey Campbell. Yes, that Ramsey Campbell, and he says: “One of the most accomplished and eloquent British horror writers is Simon Bestwick, and here is a feast of his work.”

Well, OK then.

The truth is, Mr. Campbell knows what he’s talking about. The seventeen stories in this collection are in fact great horror, well-written. The subtitle of the book, ‘Tales of Childhood, Regret, and Innocence Lost’ really does sum up the content. Almost all the stories involve horrific things happening to children or teenagers, things both supernatural and human.

There are many stories involving children in abusive relationships (with parents, teachers, other children), and triggers aplenty – the abuse is emotional, physical, and sexual. Some of the scenes were truly hard to stomach.

My favorite stories were:
The Moraine – a couple lost in the fog on a mountain encounter a mysterious ancient force – monster – creature? We never see it so we don’t know for sure what it is. But we do know it’s out for blood.

Angels of the Silences – the ghosts of two murdered teenage girls make it their mission to protect their friends.

The Children of Moloch – two kids at an orphanage where abuse runs rampant call on the Krail: the spirit creatures of kids from situations just like theirs, who seek vigilante justice on the abusers.

In addition to these, we have ghosts, creatures, graveyards, old lives traded for new, and old guilts, defeats, and despairs come back to haunt. All in all a very good collection that will leave you thinking for a long time about some of the stories. I will definitely be reading more works by Simon Bestwick.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Incredible collection of horror short stories and novellas. I was already familiar with Simon Bestwick's work after reading The Faceless and Hells Ditch, but he really knocks it out of the park with this story.
From the first tale, Dermot, we are presented with Bestwick's very real, often hideous characters, however the book also has a real emotional core. Tales like "A small cold hand" were quite touching as well as creepy, and Angels of the Silences was an amazing read.
Highly recommended. Most horror fans will find something to love in this wonderfully written, disturbing collection

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great in each story and I really enjoyed going through these stories.

I HAVE CHILLS. Wow. This collection of short stories really gave me all the creeps and I loved every bit of it! These were well written and the perfect amount of scary. I actually couldn’t walk down my steps after reading a couple of these. Absolutely amazing. Thank you netgalley for giving me the chance to review this

This book will give you goosebumps. It is perfect for October or any spooky person. I highly recommend this book to people that like short stories and a short thrill