There are a lot of books out there like this one. Short story anthologies, black and white to cut down on printing costs, and I'm going to take a wild guess and wager none of the artists or writers were compensated up front for their work. That said, this is probably the best of this kind of book I've picked up.

'Tall Tales from the Badlands' is an anthology of Western stories with horror or supernatural twists. The stories tend to start with a stock frontier premise which is then subverted, giving them a sort of 'Outer Limits' feel. Not all of the stories even go for the same dark vibe, creating a rare mixture of stories that actually are somewhat unpredictable.

I was also impressed by the writing and art. Every story engaged me, even if some of them had trouble sticking the landing, I still found myself looking forward to finding out what would happen next. Indie horror is really hard to get right, as too many people mistake a sudden dark turn or general unpleasantness for command of the genre, but the stories here find a nice balance. Most of the stories had polished art as well, the opening story with Jerry Decaire's 70's horror inspired art being particularly striking. The quality control is better here than most, so props as well to the organizer of the book. If you are looking to just read a menagerie of indie talent, track a copy down.

Score: 3/5

Writers: Various Artists: Various Publisher: Black Jack Press Price: $3.99 Facebook Page Purchase