NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW ON-LINE

This is a magazine featuring non-fictional short stories/essays written by a diverse range of authors. The stories last between one and five pages in most cases and are based around the gruesome, supernatural and just plain odd. The stories are grouped in titled sections, finishing at the end with an epitaph.

Morbid Curiosity only allows essays written in the first person, stating 'NO POETRY or FICTION'. Personally I found that this made the magazine more interesting to read, like watching a horror film based on a true story, but unfortunately it does mean that some stories feel incomplete.

The front page of the magazine greets its reader with a human skeleton and a long list on the left containing words such as, 'murder' and 'blood drinking'. So on first glance the magazine appears somewhat horrific, when in reality it is rather tame.

As I started to read the stories in this issue I noticed a theme. Each story made me want to read on. At no point did I come across a piece, which slowed the pace at which I was reading down and for me that's unusual in a publication featuring stories by different authors.

Some of the stories are subtly strange, such as TANDEM DIVE which simply describes a skydive with a twist. Although I say simply, the story is told in such a way that you can almost imagine doing it yourself. For example when the author describes falling, she says,

It felt like sticking your face out the window of a car rushing 90 miles an hour.

At frequent intervals throughout the magazine, there are advertisements featuring books, magazines and artwork and towards the end of the book there is a section dedicated to reviews. This is a useful feature of the magazine and one which I liked.

My own morbid curiosity made me want review this magazine and I am glad I did. It was a refreshing publication to read and one which I wouldn't mind reading again. Definitely one to try.