Author: ST King
“Now, sometimes, waking up to the sound of his wife’s singing in the faint morning light, he would wonder if the silence had killed her.”
Excerpted from Why Will you linger? By Sarah Monette (Rating: 4/5).
To say a work is better is a conundrum in itself. To say it’s the best – well, that’s another realm. Today, freshly printed and with red ink all over my desk, I attempt to bring you a work that attempts to capture the best of the Year of Terror.
Best Dark Fantasy and Horror Movies of the Year 2012, Edited by Paula Guran is one of the few attempts to cast a big, nasty net: sail it across a black lagoon, see what kind of monsters get tangled in the line, then drag them all back to leave them kicking and screaming on your nightstand.
I’ve split this post into several parts because I think good anthologies are hard to come by these days. A good review of one can be even harder because casual taste can be confusing and tainted – so I’ve decided to let the words speak for themselves as much as possible.
So yeah, if you want to know what it’s like to live with zombies, this is it: they mess up everything.
Excerpted from Rocket Man Written by Stephen Graham Jones (rating 4/5).
Rocket Man By Stephen Graham Jones Why are you wanderingSarah Monette’s ? is a great example of this series. I give these books the highest rating (they are as noteworthy as several others) because together they form the strongest foundation for this book.
These works are most enjoyable because they often turn horror on its head: you see something horrific, but you laugh, or are overwhelmed by sadness or gratitude. These stories have depth, and they know how to kill—and, well, there are worse things than death.
Here are some of the other top-ranked titles in the book:
After the Endby Maureen McHugh (rating 4/5)
Time and tideby Alan Peter Ryan (rating 4/5)
The Lakeby Tananarive Due (rating 4/5)
The ghost girl looked at the purple sky and cracked her arthritic knuckles. The backs of her fingers were covered with saffron purple veins, which were a road map to places she had never been.
Excerpted from still Written by Tia V. Travis (Rating 3/5).
stillwritten by Tia V. Travis, is an example of the laggards in this merry group. These stories are missing something: either coherence or depth, but even so, they provide enough experience. These stories tell you what happened, they may be witty or blunt. But regardless, you have walked this path. You have seen the pale and thirsty vampires and the redemption of the professional killer. These stories are one-way and make up the majority of the book.
Others on the fence:
Lord of Deathby Paul Finch (rating 3/5)
The final triangleby Jeffrey Ford (rating 3/5)
hairby Joan Aiken (rating 3/5)
I can’t tell you how to get through the first door. To be more precise, I can, but I won’t. We live in an underground world with different laws. Now you must respect those laws, too.
Excerpted from Shadow Conservation Written by Yoon Ha Lee (Rating: 2.5/5).
Of the thirty-three stories in this volume, I think only four could benefit from a reconceptualization. Shadow Conservationwritten by Yoon Ha Lee, is an example of a story that, despite its appeal and unique storytelling, is a bit cheesy. The stories I’m reviewing here, Crumbs in the Cookie Jar, are all tasty treats that could have been so much better. But for some reason (clunky flow or missing elements), they’re not as enjoyable as the whole cookie.
The rest, piled in dry but flavorful clumps:
Paper Wall“Soft as Skin” by Adam Callaway (rating 2.5/5)
Tell me I’ll see you againby Dennis Etchison (Rating: 2.5/5)
Joshby Gene Wolfe (Rating: 2.5/5)
Paula Gullane has ambitiously chosen to fill its otherwise empty pages with stories. As an anthology, this book naturally contains all sorts of horrific stuff, and I say that with good intentions; at least some of these stories will stick with you.
I can say that most of these stories offer engaging characters and intriguing plots: interesting twists that will have you laughing out loud by the last page. Only a few (thankfully) will leave you scratching your head or drinking a glass of brandy. This is certainly not the best volume, but it is an admirable step in the right direction.
Order yours here.
Final Rating: 3.5/5
About the author: An aspiring novelist with a penchant for darkness and an insatiable thirst for fantasy, ST King currently works as a mental health counsellor, helping people purge their closets of darkness – although he admits he thinks it’s more fun to put it back in.
