What do I want to see when I read short story collections? I want twist endings I don't expect, stories that delve into human nature without staying shallow, and a variety of story types/plots. I am happy to announce that HUNGER PANGS by Scott J. Moses delivers on all those accounts! Oh and for bonus points he also adds a brief personal note before each story, detailing some of the inspiration or process behind the tale. I LOVE when authors do that in their short story collections!

Besides the obvious chills and thrills, I feel like these stories have a lot going on beneath the surface. Whether its vampires, ghosts, monsters, or human beings everyone has hunger pangs for life. There's also a constant thread of people who don't necessarily live great lives, but who realize life can be great. Unfortunately they've often done something wrong or lost someone and now the greatness of life lies tainted and twisted. And while there are plenty of monsters, it's often the painful memories, trauma, and grief that are truly dangerous and threaten to consume us

Overall this collection of stories is very good. Moses is an excellent writer, and I really appreciated the variety of stories presented. I can't wait to see what else he has in store!

My favorite stories:
“Blues Exorcist”
“What’s in Your Name”
“The Scent of Souls”
“Hunger Pangs”

Check out my spoiler-free thoughts on every story on my blog!