Parasites. Ugh. Creepy things that live off other organisms, sucking the very life out of them... The very idea is scary, so this anthology promises to provide many skin-crawling frights. It is themed around the idea of parasites, and indeed many variations on the idea come to life within, but the name also came from the Yahoo group to which the authors all belong. The stories are written by people with varying degrees of experience, from those who have published novels, to those whose first published story is in this book.

The editor is Del Stone Jr, a much published writer and comic strip author who won the International Horror Guild's award for his novel. He guided the anthology authors through the process with a careful hand, as he describes in his introduction. And the result is a book he and the other authors can be proud of.

The Parasitorium starts off well with stories from Charles A. Gramlich and Richard A. Bamberg about an Aztec-themed club and an unusual scientific experiment respectively. These are well written, and probably the best of the bunch. Other stories I particularly enjoyed include Anthony Cain's feelgood stoner's story - just what does it take to get someone to sort their life out?; Delicious Dreams by Leila Eadie - is Andy's mysterious one night stand date really trying to kill him?; the action tale of the book, Taper by Keith Gouveia, starring tapeworms running wild; and Del Stone Jr's story for which the Yahoo group and the anthology are titled, The Parasitorium, a woman's struggle for freedom. Good stuff.

Other stories show a great deal of promise, but lose track along the way. Garrett Peck's story of repressed love and voodoo is well written, but let down, I felt, by the ending. Similarly, Penance by Paul Grant is stylish, but there's only so much he can do with a very standard revenge plot. And David Bain's story of a house filled with darkness has much potential but came across to me as unfocused and confusing.

Overall, it's a book that will keep you occupied for a good night's read, leaving you with some very disturbing images - nightmares with sharp teeth, worms emerging from a face, vampire tadpoles and babies. Many of the stories have feel-good endings, and the collection left me with a smile on my face. I think these writers, both new and established, have a lot more to offer.

The Parasitorium is now available in trade paperback or as a PDF download, ISBN numbers: 1897013434 (paperback), 1897013442 (ebook).