Cover Image: Secrets in Scarlet

Secrets in Scarlet

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

First of all I would like to thank the Publisher for sending me the ARC.

This book deals with a collection of tales with a pinch of horror and gothic. It is part of a book series “Arkham Horror”. The stories are nine:
-The Man in the Bubble: a sort of organization tries to secure different magical and alien artifacts which could cause problems to humanity. In particular, commissioner Taylor investigates about the Prism.
-City of Waking Dreams, set in Shangai and in London. Inspector Li Flint is in search of a certain Lady with The Red Parasol, who steals art in exchange for opium.
-Brother Bound, the story of two brothers Desi and Javier. The first one is worried for the health of the second one, seen that he is working until the bone for his family. A story tied to the cut of the cane and its brutality but at the same time with violent magic.
-Honor among thieves, the story of two twin sisters Milagros and Rosa who steal to survive after the death of their parents. This time they have to steal something form the Corregidor fashion collection at the Palacio Errazuriz, but something is not like usual.
-A forty grain weight of Nephrite, Kymani Jones in search of a sky disc of forbidden colors called the Bi which brings dismay and destructions wherever it’s taken.
-Strange Things Done, Rex Murphy is a reporter who has to do a story about the poet Robert Service and for that is going to Alaska but he finds himself involved in something strange.
-In Art, Truth, tied to the muslim religion.
-Crossing stars, Haresah Izem is a warrior, a strong one. Her father taught her that power is everything. She in love with Razin, a young handsome man of her tribe. They start a mission to rule the word while something evil is waiting for them. But this is only the story in the story told by a patron to Luci Diallo at University of Barcelona. Why?
-The red and the black
My favourite are Honor among Thieves, it gave me vibes of Six of Crows. A melange of mystery, sisterhood, horror and magic; Crossing Stars, which reminded me of We Hunt the Flame, the same atmosphere. I liked also the Man in the Bubble, especially because of the presence of this sort of foundation that collects magical and odd artifacts.
In general, I recommend this book to people who like H.P. Lovecraft as author and have a taste for horror vibes.

Was this review helpful?

The ARKHAM HORROR anthology SECRETS IN SCARLET, edited by Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells, is an uneven collection of cosmic horror/Cthulhu-inspired tales. The stories all succeed in generating the atmosphere and lush period detail that makes this genre so appealing to me, and the settings range from New England to Shanghai. The problem, however, is that too often these stories feel static--or, more generally, boring. Repetitive actions churn the story without actually moving it forward, or too much time is spent on a less interesting part of the story, or the protagonists are passive, and the story happens to them. Some stories in the collection shine--I enjoyed David Annandale's the most--but the uneven quality made it difficult to enjoy the collection as a whole.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed the previous books in the Arkham Horror, so I was excited to reading this anthology novel. It was beautifully done with interesting stories. They all had great concepts and I loved reading each one.

THE MAN IN THE BUBBLE by David Annandale is a great story done by a great writer, I enjoyed going through this. CITY OF WAKING DREAMS by Davide Mana I loved the use of different connections. BROTHER BOUND by Jason Fischer had a great noir element that I enjoyed a lot. HONOR AMONG THIEVES by Carrie Harris might have been my favorite story in this book. A FORTY GRAIN WEIGHT OF NEPHRITE by Steven Philip Jones I enjoyed but really didn't stick with me. STRANGE THINGS DONE By Lisa Smedman had a great writing style. IN ART, TRUTH by James Fadeley might be my third favorite book. CROSSING STARS by MJ Newman was my second favorite book. And lastly was THE RED AND THE BLACK by Josh Reynolds was a strong ending to the anthology. Overall this was a great read.

Was this review helpful?