Soze Says

A shared anthology of five short stories (and one wrap-around tale) that all deal with a shady recruitment company which is definitely more than it at first appears, Limbus, Inc. is grand in concept, but somewhat uneven in delivery.

Firstly, this should not be classified as a horror anthology. Going in with that mind-set is likely to evoke disappointment as this one is more sci-fi than it is a thriller or a horror - though it certainly contains enough elements of these as well. Hell, there are even a number of comedic moments spread through a number of the tales, so if you were prepared to stretch, you could add comedy to that lengthening list of genres. As such, some of the stories are bound to appeal to each reader more than others. Those with a preference for sci-fi will likely enjoy Ethridges's lead-off tale, The Slaughter Man, as well as Nassise's One Job Too Many and Petty's We Employ. By contrast, those whose boats are floated by horrors or thrillers will likely be more satisfied with Talley's The Sacrifice and Maberry's Strip Search.

It would be a disservice to talk about the plot of any of these stories in any detail, as a large portion of the book's success relies upon not really knowing what you're in for. Instead, I'll keep it very generic to note that Maberry's was by far my favourite story, ending this anthology on a huge high with a knockout final punch that dragged my overall rating into the four-star range, with just a bit of help from Nassise's contribution. The others I enjoyed less for varying reasons (We Employ was too weird for my tastes; The Sacrifice too predictable; The Slaughter Man too convoluted for an opening story about the recruitment agency), but all were middling to decent.

In short, it's always good to read something a little different, and Limbus, Inc. certainly falls into such a category. Pick it up for this reason and be prepared to tape your socks to your legs ahead of the last tale!

4 Right People for the Job for Limbus, Inc..