A Tarot Prophecy and Other Stories by Stephen Tallevi
This review first appeared on Reader Views. Read the Reader Views version here.
A Tarot Prophecy and Other Stories by Stephen Tallevi is a darkly wonderful anthology of horror short stories. The author is a master of the short horror story. Each of the nine tales has a unique setting, adding some dynamism to the volume. The stories hit different horror notes, beings, and welcome tropes, compiled together to make a compelling anthology. Although each is unconnected from the next, the stories in this anthology fit together in their spine-tingling sense of the macabre and let the mind fill in some of the horrifying gaps or endings.
"Captured Souls" is the first story, which hauntingly follows a man who reads “Help Me” on a tombstone shortly after his wife’s tragic death. "Wolf Hunt" comes next, boldly featuring shape changers and revenge. "Then Masked Gods," which will have readers intrigued and wondering who the true murderer is. "A Tarot Prophesy" eerily features a wife, mysterious tarot cards, and a pair of spiritualists. Next up is "The Recruiter," which tells the grim tale of a soldier thinking he’s found treasure. Then "Spirit Photography" stars ghosts and a serial killer. "Second Skin" follows and reveals a horrifying book wrapped in magical human skin that hungers. The penultimate is "The Hunter," which contains tigers, murder, and punishment. Finally, "The Ash Men" has classic teen horror vibes with a twist.
While each story has its own spooky spectacularness to it, the highlight for me was the first: "Captured Souls." It opens the anthology with a tale of tragedy, death, and sorrow but that quickly evolves into a supernatural—perhaps even devilish—mystery that can only be solved with a descent into the depths of a cemetery that was supposed to only have 29 graves, but just added its 30th.
A Tarot Prophecy and Other Stories is an excellent horror anthology. Author Tallevi has skillfully crafted nine stories that, while distinct in many ways, are united in quality, shivers, and imagination. Each tale makes fantastic use of different horror tropes, settings, and vibes, yet each is wonderful in its own dark way. If you’re looking for a bit of a fright, flip this book open to any tale.
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