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Skull Full of Kisses
Love and evil know no bounds! Turn the page and enter a world of shadow, as Michael West brings together his most disturbing short stories--twisted tales of forbidden desires and ghoulish deeds, where nightmares manifest in the most mundane and unlikely of places... The basement of a Japanese restaurant, where a seductive creature promises comfort to a lonely hitman, if only he will set her free... A ruined city, where survivors of a natural disaster have become prey to something unnatural... An Indiana farmhouse, where a frightened child attempts to fool the Angel of Death... And the darkest regions of space, where a man fights to protect the woman he loves from invaders only he can see... Ten reasons to lock your doors. Ten reasons to keep the lights on. Ten reasons why you may never sleep again. Praise for Skull Full of Kisses "(Michael West) gave me nightmares!" ~Anne Boedeker, E! -Entertainment Television "This is damned serious stuff, and it's scary, suspenseful, and sweat-inducing; but more importantly - perhaps most importantly - it's all disturbing as hell, and cannot be easily forgotten." ~Gary A. Braunbeck, author of Coffin Countyand Mr. Hands (on Dark Harvest) "Michael West proves himself to be a masterful storyteller, flawless in building momentum, and his skills in characterization match or even often surpass some of the most successful writers in the business." ~Nicholas Grabowsky, author of Halloween 4: the Return of Michael Myers, and The Everborn (on The Wide Game)
212 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
825 people want to read
About the author
Michael West
31 books175 followersMichael West is the bestselling author of Cinema of Shadows, Spook House, The Wide Game, Skull Full of Kisses, and the critically-acclaimed Legacy of the Gods series. A graduate of Indiana University, West earned a degree in Telecommunications and Film Theory, and since that time, he has written a multitude of short stories, articles, and reviews for various on-line and print publications. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, Stephanie, their two children, Kyle and Ryan, their daughter-in-law, Grace, and their dog, King Seesar.
His children are convinced that spirits move through the woods near their home.
West's short story "Goodnight," originally published in WICKED KARNIVAL #6, was named "Best Horror Short Story of 2005" in the P&E Readers Poll.
His children are convinced that spirits move through the woods near their home.
West's short story "Goodnight," originally published in WICKED KARNIVAL #6, was named "Best Horror Short Story of 2005" in the P&E Readers Poll.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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May 12, 2010Skull Full of Kisses collects a wide range of horror stories written by Michael West. Many are re-issues of stories printed in magazines and other anthologies, but there are a few new surprises in store as well. I hadn't had the pleasure of reading anything by West prior to this, so I was introduced to the wide array of his talents. Each story is a new adventure, and West pulls in many outside influences. One example of this is in the story "Jiki", where West's love of Asian horror is expressed in the way he twists the methods of the mob. Another favorite of mine within this anthology was "God Like Me", where a man is unhappy with his life, but soon realizes he has some amazing powers that prove very useful to him. Both of the above mentioned stories, as well as the others in this collection, contain drama, terror, and depth. The stories are easy reads, but they make you think, and some even touch close to home. One story that personally touched me was the final segment of this book, "Goodnight". In this story a young boy has lost his mother, and the spirit of his great-grandfather pays him a visit in order to explain to him about death. "Goodnight" is extremely touching, and, though I'm not a seven-year-old boy like the one in this tale, it made me think more about death and how to face it, as I recently lost someone close to me. West has proven he can bring forth emotions of the reader and to me, that is a sign of a great author! I will definitely be reading more by West in the future and would recommend that all horror fans give him a try. This collection would be a great addition to the horror section of all libraries, as with such a variety of stories included, anyone that picks up this book should find something they enjoy.
Contents:
Disappearing Act (Introduction by Gary Braunbeck)
Jiki
The Bridge
Dogs of War
Trolling
Einstein's Slingshot
God Like Me
To Know How to See
For Her
Sanctuary
Goodnight
Contains: Adult Language, Adult Situations, Sex
Review by Rhonda Wilson
Contents:
Disappearing Act (Introduction by Gary Braunbeck)
Jiki
The Bridge
Dogs of War
Trolling
Einstein's Slingshot
God Like Me
To Know How to See
For Her
Sanctuary
Goodnight
Contains: Adult Language, Adult Situations, Sex
Review by Rhonda Wilson
October 18, 2010
Excellent, well-rounded collection that is well-worth the time and money. Moody, atmoshperic, creepy.
August 22, 2011
Terrifying short stories that won't leave my mind!
West is a master story-teller. I haven't read anything of his that I could put down before reaching the last page.
Skull Full of Kisses is no exception. READ IT!! :O)
West is a master story-teller. I haven't read anything of his that I could put down before reaching the last page.
Skull Full of Kisses is no exception. READ IT!! :O)
September 5, 2014
Overall I really enjoyed the book Skull Full of Kisses, each story worked well as separate entities and overall in a collection based on love and romance. I’m going to review each story in the novel.
I really liked the story Jiki, the way the story was painted had a wonderful feel to it. It left me questioning whether everything the demon had said was true or made-up for our main character. It was a nice touch to include the mythology to the story and added a welcomed element.
It was good to read about Kim again from the Cinema of Shadows book, though if you read that book the Bridge is basically retold in there.
I really liked Dogs of War, to me this story felt like a really good psychological thriller. About the effects war has on the soldiers coming back, and were the demons that followed real demons or imaginary.
Trolling is a part of Michael’s Legacy of the Gods series, just before the beginning of Poseidon’s Children. I overall enjoyed the story and the characters involved in this story.
Einstein’s Slingshot is an interesting story that involves dinosaurs, and a bunch of people in the dinosaurs way. I really felt for the characters and was rooting for them to beat the dinosaurs.
God Like Me was very interesting, I had wanted to know more about the main character’s past and how he got his power. I think this was my least favorite in the collection.
To Know How to See was a really good story, it could have worked the same way as the previous Dogs of War story, it could have been a supernatural tale with aliens or that the main character is going insane in a psychological thriller.
I liked the story For Her, and what I liked about it was that I believed that the story was going to go one way and by the end of it, it changed into something else. It follows the theme of the book with love and romance and had a wonderful mythological feel to it.
Sanctuary is a wonderful supernatural tale involving a temple filled with monks and soldiers trapped in the temple. The demons were wonderfully crafted and felt unique in the collection.
The final story in the collection is called Goodnight, and it returns us to Harmony, Indiana. I think it was my favorite out of all of them. It was definitely different than the other stories in the collection, none of the supernatural elements in the story felt evil, it had a warm safe feeling.
I really liked the story Jiki, the way the story was painted had a wonderful feel to it. It left me questioning whether everything the demon had said was true or made-up for our main character. It was a nice touch to include the mythology to the story and added a welcomed element.
It was good to read about Kim again from the Cinema of Shadows book, though if you read that book the Bridge is basically retold in there.
I really liked Dogs of War, to me this story felt like a really good psychological thriller. About the effects war has on the soldiers coming back, and were the demons that followed real demons or imaginary.
Trolling is a part of Michael’s Legacy of the Gods series, just before the beginning of Poseidon’s Children. I overall enjoyed the story and the characters involved in this story.
Einstein’s Slingshot is an interesting story that involves dinosaurs, and a bunch of people in the dinosaurs way. I really felt for the characters and was rooting for them to beat the dinosaurs.
God Like Me was very interesting, I had wanted to know more about the main character’s past and how he got his power. I think this was my least favorite in the collection.
To Know How to See was a really good story, it could have worked the same way as the previous Dogs of War story, it could have been a supernatural tale with aliens or that the main character is going insane in a psychological thriller.
I liked the story For Her, and what I liked about it was that I believed that the story was going to go one way and by the end of it, it changed into something else. It follows the theme of the book with love and romance and had a wonderful mythological feel to it.
Sanctuary is a wonderful supernatural tale involving a temple filled with monks and soldiers trapped in the temple. The demons were wonderfully crafted and felt unique in the collection.
The final story in the collection is called Goodnight, and it returns us to Harmony, Indiana. I think it was my favorite out of all of them. It was definitely different than the other stories in the collection, none of the supernatural elements in the story felt evil, it had a warm safe feeling.
May 31, 2017
Some of the stories within were quite good. One or another were weak.
Disappearing Act (Introduction by Gary Braunbeck)
Jiki - Short for Jikiwinki is a demon who eats the dead. Nice story about a yakuza with a conscience. A man is drawn to a demon that reminds him of his lost girlfriend. Interesting twist in the end.
The Bridge is a modern tale of ghosts. Weak in my humble opinion. Too amauterish. Too cliche. Too simple (and not in a good way).
Dogs of War - A man's demons haunts his life. What must he do so they can go away? Why did they appear only after the Desert Storm?
Trolling A Story about the sea. Calming sea. When In land why fear the sea creatures? One thing is for sure. I will never touch a woman again without a bit of fear. Ahah (Sorry... :)
Einstein Slingshot is an interesting novelette about time travel. The interesting characters and scenario. A bit predicted in my opinion. Nevertheless I would like to see how Michael West would do with a full lengted novel.
God Like Me - This one is probably one of the best tales in this book. What would you do if you suddently discover that you are omnipotent? What if you discover while your boss is yelling at you? This one should have been a larger story.
To Know How to See - Are you what you appear to be? This one was the weakest story in my opinion.
For Her - A lovestory. A horror love story.
Sanctuary - A story set in the himalayan as a man tries to find cover of snow storm... but those monks...
Goodnight - is a story of a man as he try to console his grandson after the boy's mother dies in a car accident. A good twist in the end.
In the end Michael West talks a bit about each story tellings us how it came to be or what does it mean to him. Quite good. I would love to see more opinions of the writers about the stories they write.
Advisable to anyone. I can now see why Michael West is such a good writer and have so many good reviews on his books. I will definetly read more from him.
Disappearing Act (Introduction by Gary Braunbeck)
Jiki - Short for Jikiwinki is a demon who eats the dead. Nice story about a yakuza with a conscience. A man is drawn to a demon that reminds him of his lost girlfriend. Interesting twist in the end.
The Bridge is a modern tale of ghosts. Weak in my humble opinion. Too amauterish. Too cliche. Too simple (and not in a good way).
Dogs of War - A man's demons haunts his life. What must he do so they can go away? Why did they appear only after the Desert Storm?
Trolling A Story about the sea. Calming sea. When In land why fear the sea creatures? One thing is for sure. I will never touch a woman again without a bit of fear. Ahah (Sorry... :)
Einstein Slingshot is an interesting novelette about time travel. The interesting characters and scenario. A bit predicted in my opinion. Nevertheless I would like to see how Michael West would do with a full lengted novel.
God Like Me - This one is probably one of the best tales in this book. What would you do if you suddently discover that you are omnipotent? What if you discover while your boss is yelling at you? This one should have been a larger story.
To Know How to See - Are you what you appear to be? This one was the weakest story in my opinion.
For Her - A lovestory. A horror love story.
Sanctuary - A story set in the himalayan as a man tries to find cover of snow storm... but those monks...
Goodnight - is a story of a man as he try to console his grandson after the boy's mother dies in a car accident. A good twist in the end.
In the end Michael West talks a bit about each story tellings us how it came to be or what does it mean to him. Quite good. I would love to see more opinions of the writers about the stories they write.
Advisable to anyone. I can now see why Michael West is such a good writer and have so many good reviews on his books. I will definetly read more from him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2013
From well-written introduction (by Gary A. Braunbeck) to final haunting explanation, Michael West’s Skull Full of Kisses kept me glued to the page and eager for more. Each story’s completely new and different, yet they hang together beautifully, a well-carved, well-crafted collection like the horror room in an art gallery, filled with mystery, suspense and the awesome power of unspoken fears seeping into the reader’s imagination.
Author Michael West has that rare skill which knows when to let the imagination take over. Something too awful for a gangster to contemplate? Then see it in your own mind’s eye and the page becomes your escape, with the author’s words your guide.
From violence to tragedy to outer space, with vivid descriptions of almost innocence, the sound of convincing dialog, the company of honestly flawed characters, and the breathtaking surprise of well-timed scares, this collection of ten short tales will take you everywhere and leave you haunted.
My absolute favorite is Goodnight; it stays with me still—a classic, wonderful, human story, with the magic of goodnight instead of goodbye, and the skill of horror held bound in the grasp of beauty, kindness and depth. Once that tale’s done, all that’s left is to thank the author for a wonderful experience.
Disclosure: I won an ecopy and I’m offering my honest review. I think I’ve found a new favorite author!
Author Michael West has that rare skill which knows when to let the imagination take over. Something too awful for a gangster to contemplate? Then see it in your own mind’s eye and the page becomes your escape, with the author’s words your guide.
From violence to tragedy to outer space, with vivid descriptions of almost innocence, the sound of convincing dialog, the company of honestly flawed characters, and the breathtaking surprise of well-timed scares, this collection of ten short tales will take you everywhere and leave you haunted.
My absolute favorite is Goodnight; it stays with me still—a classic, wonderful, human story, with the magic of goodnight instead of goodbye, and the skill of horror held bound in the grasp of beauty, kindness and depth. Once that tale’s done, all that’s left is to thank the author for a wonderful experience.
Disclosure: I won an ecopy and I’m offering my honest review. I think I’ve found a new favorite author!
December 28, 2013
Excellent stories, excellent writing skills, great imagination. A very enjoyable read.
November 3, 2016
I loved all the stories in this book, especially "Goodnight". I haven't read any of his other books yet, but after reading this I will. He paints vivid images in your mind of the story he's weaving for you. Some great research was done, since some of his stories are based on legends. I was looking for a good read to fit the October mood and I found it.
August 10, 2011
A collection of my best short fiction to date.
February 7, 2015
This was one great read. If you're a fan of horror, this will satisfy your tastes!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews