The Reigns of Terror Volume Five: Magic Book Blurb
Let Magic mystify and horrify you in the fifth volume of The Reigns of Terror; four short stories to raise your heart rate and give you nightmares. Blood Iron is the tale of an ancient and cursed knife made from the iron extracted from the blood of murder victims. Join a celebration like no other in Bacchanal and see if you have what it takes to be accepted by the Mother. The Tower joins a group of women at a bachelorette party getting their fortunes told, but will they listen before their time runs out? Retail Revenge considers the consequences of using the dark arts to get revenge on that annoying coworker.
Overall Analysis of The Reigns of Terror Volume Five: Magic
Jack Reigns’ fifth installment of his The Reigns of Terror series of short stories contains four terrifying tales: Blood Iron, Bacchanal, The Tower, and Retail Revenge. Since the book consists of four unrelated storylines, I saw it best to review them individually.
Blood Iron
This short story follows the voyage of a cursed blade made from iron extracted from the blood of murder victims. I have to give kudos for such an original and cool idea. This is the shortest and perhaps the weakest of the four stories, but that’s certainly not to say I didn’t enjoy it. It’s just a different type of burn than the rest. The plot is very linear, and I’d say it reads more like a macabre campfire tale. While it’s a good introduction to the author’s writing (aside from the actual introduction at the beginning of the book), the story definitely stands apart from the other three in its narrative style, granting some diversity to the anthology.
Bacchanal
I had to look up the definition of bacchanal. After discovering it meant “an occasion of wild and drunken revelry,” I agreed it was an apt name for the story. This tale follows Dion after he’s invited to an exclusive and clandestine affair by his coworker Peter. This story, for me, was reminiscent of Midsommar, with some otherworldly influences. Bacchanal goes from 0 to 60 partway through the story, and you will be drastically unprepared for the twists and turns ahead. I felt like I was in a fever dream toward the end of this story, and I have to say, I enjoyed this tale the most out of the lot.
The Tower
This story follows the members of a bachelorette party who receive a grim warning from a tarot-card reader. Overall, the plot may seem a bit basic on a macro level, but the addition of the tarot cards really fleshes this story out. I went back and reread this story, and I was better able to parse out the clues left by Jack Reigns. I originally read this story in a bustling cafeteria, so it didn’t receive 100% of my focus, but upon the second read in a quiet room, I enjoyed it much more.
Retail Revenge
The title of this story reminds me of a retro 80s horror film, and in a way, so does the subject matter. It’s a classic tale of a misfit attempting to enact revenge on a bully with a horrifying twist. This was my second favorite of the stories in this collection. It had a fresh take on the dark arts, relatable dialogue, and unique characters. While the horror was a bit of a slow burn, there was enough drama to sustain the plot until the climax.
Final Thoughts
My initial reaction to reading Jack Reigns’ The Reigns of Terror Volume Five: Magic is that I like his writing style. It’s very clear and concise, and there’s little room for confusion. Many authors are so focused on delivering flowery prose that you can lose the plot, especially with horror, but Reigns’ writing is impactful and direct. This is especially useful when writing short stories.
The common theme in these stories is the element of magic. However, that’s where the similarities end. Each story offers a new and refreshing narrative without recycled or hackneyed plot devices. I definitely recommend reading The Reigns of Terror Volume Five: Magic for horror fans, if not just for the Bacchanal short story. That tale was the true standout for me.