By Matthew J. Barbour
Brian Keen is one of the best-known and most respected horror writers working today. There’s a reason he’s been compared to legends like Stephen King and Jack Ketchum. His work is accessible and fast-paced. Some people pigeonhole Keen into the slasher punk genre, but to pigeonhole him into that genre is to ignore the stories this writer is known for. His work runs the gamut: cosmic horror, erotic horror, monster stories, coming-of-age stories… and more.
cage It is a novella sold by Deadite Press, along with three short stories: “Marriage Gives Rats Cancer,” “Lest You Become,” and “Waiting for the Dark.” All four have been published before. However, most of them are no longer available.
cage The story begins when a gunman walks into a large electronics store alone, after the store is closed. He kills two people. He then gathers the store employees together and locks them in a cage behind the storeroom. Strangely, the gunman sets all the electronic equipment in the store to play an AM radio station, then pulls the store employees out of the cage one by one and into the showroom with him. The remaining people begin to wonder what will happen to those who have been taken away, at which point an alien sound begins to fill their ears.
cage A little bit Bentley Little, a little bit HP Lovecraft. This is a cosmic horror novel with elements of blood-punk. While the story is brief, limiting character and story development, careful references to Keene’s other works make the story feel like part of a larger narrative. Familiarity with Keene’s Thirteen Temples is recommended (but not required) to enjoy this novella.
Don’t expect a perfect, neat ending where everything is explained. There is no such ending. As is typical of cosmic horror, the terror is built through the fear of the unknown. Here, Keen does a great job of building terror. It makes for a truly fascinating book for admirers of the genre, but it may not be for everyone.
The remaining three short stories are also a mixed bag. “Lest Ye Become” is one of the author’s early works and is, by the author’s own admission, “not very good”. However, this is partly due to the author’s failure to fully realize his own writing abilities. For a then-unknown author, it is quite interesting and suggests talents that the author has yet to fully realize or develop. The worst is the predictable “Marriage Gives Rats Cancer”. However, it references several other Keen stories, making this story a must-read for avid fans.
cageAs with the other stories in the series, this is not Brian Keene’s best work. The lack of a more detailed conclusion hurts this novella. This is not uncommon in this sub-genre or in Keene’s other works, such as Rise or Darkness on the Edge of TownFurthermore, the story does have a meaningful, if unsatisfying, ending. However, for those looking for a more substantial narrative that delves deeper into the Thirteen, Crow Gathering might be more appropriate.
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score: 3/5
