His Own Mad Demons by David A Riley. Book review
HIS OWN MAD DEMONS by David A Riley, Hazardous Press, Trade Paperback £ 5.61
Reviewed by Mario Guslandi
David A Riley is a  renowned horror author who’s been around for quite a while and has contributed numerous stories in various magazines and anthologies. Apparently (and incredibly) he’s having his first collection published only now, courtesy of Hazardous Press. I must say it was high time that somebody would take care of this unbelievable oversight, because Riley is a good writer, endowed with a solid storytelling proficiency and an expert craftsman of the horror genre.
His Own Mad Demons is a slim book of 167 pages collecting five of Riley’s tales. Why these particular stories have been selected among his prolific body of work I couldn’t say, it’s not clear and no explanation is provided by either author or publisher. At any rate all the stories are well worth reading .
The excellent “Their Own Mad Demons†is a strong, terrifying mix between a supernatural tale and a gangster story featuring a peculiar ghost. While “The True Spirit†is an intoxicating, horrific brew (not quite plausible, but deeply unsettling) the ingredients of which are witchcraft, carnage and reincarnation.
In the tense, claustrophobic “Lock-inâ€Â a group of men are trapped inside a pub surrounded by a deep, deadly darkness concealing a murderous horror.
“The Fragile Mask On His Face†is a spectacular example of graphic horror where the unaccounted disappearance of a young girl reveals an abyss of evil and violence. Squeamish people are advised to keep off.
Finally in “The Worst of All Possible Places†   a tower building becomes a living hell,  inhabited by the scum of the earth and by no longer human creatures in a scenery of dirt, decay, moral and physical degradation.
Enjoy and look forward to David’s forthcoming collection “The Lurkers in the Abyssâ€.
I would just like to point out that there’s also a kindle version available for £3.21.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/His-Own-Mad-Demons-ebook/dp/B009WG3L5E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351173214&sr=8-1