From Beyond the Grave is a themed anthology from 19 different authors, edited by Michael Evans, a talented author in his own right. As the name of the anthology would suggest, each tale is of ghostly proportions, yet, in spite of that fact, none of the stories are the same, and even those that do bear a slight resemblance, in names, location or writing style, are well separated.
The collection is well-edited and has been put together to form what feels like a flowing narrative. The tales range from the creepy to the down right terrifying. The hard part of working with multiple writers is combining the different voices, and making sure than none over power the other. The collection is balanced, and moves at a good pace.
As is always the case with multiple author anthologies, there are some stories that are stronger than others. Not because of the quality of the writing, but rather due to the changing personal preferences of readers. The tales I enjoyed the most may be the weakest for another reader. That is the simultaneous high and low of submitting to and being part of an anthology.
A couple of the tales that spring immediately to mind are:
Spiritus Ex Machina; and
In a lonely place.
I have read a number of anthologies this year, but this was by far the best, and the stories within it are certainly re-readable. With the summer fast approaching, the collection is certainly the ideal poolside, late at night with a cold beer, read.
5 out of 5 stars
Official Site of Alex Laybourne - Author 
Mis-tah Laybourne! You have my curiousity. Good day to you, kind sir. 🙂
I am a big fan of ghost tales and think this is an excellent collection. What impresses me most is the stories don’t start with the usual, ‘we had just moved into the house’ cliche. Since I do have a story in this collection (The Suitcase), I hope it is not pompous for me to say, this is one of the best collections of ghost stories I’ve read in quite some time.
I loved that story! I thought it was a very clever twist on the ghostly hitchhiker narrative. It was a very impressive collection.
Thanks, I blended visceral brutallity into a ghost story 🙂 wasn’t sure how that would go over. Evans was a great editor to work with; he made edits and suggestions without affecting the voice, cadence, and pacing of the story. Glad to see this book getting some reviews!
Thanks very much! Glad you liked the story!