Tag Archives: Horror

Chasing Sunset by A.C. Wise

June 23, 2020Book ReviewA.C. Wise, Horror, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: Chasing Sunset
Author: A.C. Wise
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 24th May 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: “…where he makes us go when we’re bad.”

He doesn’t want to be like his father. So he runs. And runs. And runs. But is he running from the horrors, or into a trap?

Running from the past is a pretty common theme in stories. But when that past involves your father and the idea that you too, will turn into a monster? That is a pretty creepy story line.

Whilst reading this short story, I did get kind of pulled in. And swept away. But it was not the kind of story that I was completely obsessed with. Not the sort of story that I strongly remember after I turn that final page.

I did like the ending though. Taking place on a cliffside and ending the thing that has tortured you. There is a sense of completion that is not always around in the short stories that fill The Monstrous collection.

<- Miss Ill-Kept Runt

The Monster Makers ->

Image source: Amazon

Miss Ill-Kept Runt by Glen Hirshberg

June 16, 2020Book ReviewFamily, Glen Hirshberg, Horror, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: Miss Ill-Kept Runt
Author: Glen Hirshberg
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Family, Horror
Dates read: 19th May 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Toward the red and beating thing.

Chloe doesn’t understand why all of her family has changed. Maybe it IS just the move… or is it something far, far darker?

This was seriously dark and twisty. At first, I kind of thought that Chloe was being stolen by body snatchers. And, since the whole story is written in her very innocent voice, that was even more tragic than it would normally be. Mostly though, it is the idea of a young girl who is supposed to be surrounded by a loving family… not being surrounded by love. And then you find the twist.

You get this idea throughout that the older brother was somehow close to dying when they were young or a baby. That his very nickname of Miracle has a whole slew of meanings. Not necessarily happy, positive meanings either. The idea of any child being referred to as a miracle kind of makes me a little squirly inside.

This is one of those stories that once you turn that final page you just want to grab your loved ones close. There is such an open ended, chilling ending to this that is just downright uncomfortable. Which of course is why it takes centre stage in this collection.

<- Jenny Come to Play

Chasing Sunset ->

Image source: Amazon

Jenny Come to Play by Terry Dowling

June 13, 2020Book ReviewHorror, Terry Dowling, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: Jenny Come to Play
Author: Terry Dowling
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 17th May 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: He told Angela to have one of the staff bring Ms. Haniver through at once.

Julia is in an institute after checking herself in. When her sister starts leaving her little gifts, her mysterious, dark past comes to life… and death.

So this story got super creepy super quick. Like super, super, extra uncomfortable creepy. From zero to one hundred in no time at all. Seriously not okay. Seriously uncomfortable. But really, really good and impossible to forget.

I find it very interesting (in a disturbing way) that conjoined twins tend to feature pretty heavily in the more uncomfortable stories. This one is just way, way creepier than most of the stories I’ve read that feature this sense of discomfort. So dramatically creepy that I’m still thinking about it long after I turned that final page… plus, there’s also a mental institution, which just adds another layer of discomfort…

I wouldn’t suggest reading this short story if you’re about to spend some time with twins. I have twin friends that I really like. I don’t necessarily want to hang out with them immediately after reading this… there was just a whole new level of creepy… with the maze and the twins and the hypnosis…

<- How I Met the Ghoul

Miss Ill-Kept Runt ->

Image source: Amazon

Doll Hands by Adam L.G. Nevill

June 9, 2020Book ReviewAdam L.G. Nevill, Horror, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: Doll Hands
Author: Adam L.G. Nevill
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 15th May 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Gemima is the tiny woman who wears rubber sandals and who never speaks.

He has doll hands and everyone thinks that he’s weak. But the reality is so much darker.

Reading this short story, I had a somewhat weird image of a little, bulbous headed horror running around. Killing people. I don’t think that that is an inaccurate image. But it’s certainly not a super fun and exciting one. It’s certainly not one that you want in your mind’s eye just before you go to sleep at night…

Even though I can’t quite feel okay about the narrator of this story, he kind of reminded me a little of a sick and twisted and malformed Dexter. The kill described in this short story is definitely done because of a gross misjustice. But it’s also done because Doll Hands likes to kill. Which leaves some very, very mixed feelings at the completion of this short story. Feelings that still feel very mixed, long after I have turned the final page.

I absolutely adored the creepy nature of this story. The idea that the deformed person that is often overlooked is the one who should really be watched much, much closer. But, most of all, I loved that it ended with what I’m sure would be another death. A creepy character in a creepy little world. Such a great story to give you goosebumps.

<- Grindstone

How I Met the Ghoul ->

Image source: Amazon

Grindstone by Stephen Graham Jones

June 4, 2020Book ReviewHorror, Stephen Graham Jones, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: Grindstone
Author: Stephen Graham Jones
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 11th May 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: They were popping off the surface of the rock in…in regular patterns.

He’s a predator, who has finally met his comeuppance. But, will the ending really be what we expect?

This was a seriously creepy story. I always love stories which feature the point of view of the villain. But, normally there is kind of a moment of understanding. If not total acceptance of the character, then at least, an understanding what drives the person who commits a crime. This didn’t have that. The villain / narrator was just horrible and creepy and really, really not okay.

The image of the slugs falling from the body of the lead character is a really great piece of imagery that I can’t quite keep out of my head. It is disturbing, kind of sick and seriously graphic. In the best of ways. It was kind of sick, disturbing, and twisted. But a perfect fit for this collection and short story.

I love the darkness and twistiness of this story. It was a great, fun read and one that I keep thinking about. It’s not the sort of story I’m going to read again and again and again. But definitely one that was seriously enjoyable.

<- Our Turn Too Will One Day Come

Doll Hands ->

Image source: Amazon

Our Turn Too Will One Day Come by Brian Hodge

May 30, 2020Book ReviewBrian Hodge, Horror, Paranormal Fantasy, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: Our Turn Too Will One Day Come
Author: Brian Hodge
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 30th April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Noelle leaned against my back, her freshest tears on my shoulder.

You don’t want to get a call in the middle of the night. Especially not one that involves your sister asking you to bring a shovel… but what happens next is FAR FAR worse.

This was a very intense, family-secrets way too real kind of story. But it was brilliant. And gorgeous. And seriously put me in my happy place. Again, not going to delve too far into the fact that a freaky story with a pretty twisted family secret puts me in my happy place… there are just some questions we probably shouldn’t ask.

One of my favourite aspects to this story is that the big, bad family secret is handed down through the women in the family line. Although the men, and the voice of this story, know that there is something untoward going on. It is up to the women to harbour, and nurture their secrets. And then, when it is all finally revealed… well, I can’t say it was a comfortable moment… but it was an intriguing one.

After finishing this story, the question that kept popping up in my mind was… what price do we pay? What price is paid for money and wealth and security? For a lineage that we want to honour and love. What prices do I pay for my daily life? Definitely nothing as drastic in this story… but still, I keep wondering…

<- Catching Flies

Grindstone ->

Image source: Amazon

Catching Flies by Carole Johnstone

May 26, 2020Book ReviewCarole Johnstone, Family, Horror, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: Catching Flies
Author: Carole Johnstone
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) & Fearful Symmetries (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Family, Horror
Dates read: 26th April 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: And then she stopped.

Her Mum is gone and she has to protect her little brother. But from what? You’ll never be comfortable ‘catching flies’ again.

This was a seriously creepy story. I mean, I knew it was going to be fairly uncomfortable, because all of the short stories in The Monstrous collection kind of are. But, it’s all written in the voice of a little girl…. I think I kind of hoped it would be a little less… insanely intense. And uncomfortable. And gruesome.

The little girl in this story is not the only one who has been told “close your mouth, or the flies will get in”. I am probably now never going to say that myself… this story made that an especially creepy way to think about / talk about such a thing. And, I’m pretty sure I was still missing something in the storyline. Mostly, there is just a horrible darkness of flies and death and mystery. It is truly horrible.

The part of this story that I love the most is that the girl who tells this story is a big sister. And she will do pretty much anything to protect her younger brother. Including sacrifice herself. It’s definitely something that I feel towards my younger sister…. That need to protect her. Against pretty much everything.

<- Down Among the Dead

Our Turn Too Will One Day Come ->

Image source: Amazon

Journeybread Recipe by Lawrence Schimel

May 19, 2020Book ReviewBlack Thorn White Rose, Fairy tales, Horror, Lawrence Schimelskyebjenner

Image result for black thorn white rose book cover

Title: Journeybread Recipe
Author: Lawrence Schimel
In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Horror
Dates read: 20th April 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Prime Books
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: Cover, and, warm and moist, let the bloated belly rise nine months.

A quaint, disturbing little recipe.

Not quite a poem, and not quite prose. This is a really disturbing two pages of reading. But, you know… disturbing in the best of ways.

I love that this is the recipe for making a Gingerbread Man. After all, there are so many different stories about the man (boy, child) himself, but so very few that feature the making of him. Or the motives behind his making… that one I’m still trying to figure out.

Although this is just two pages. It is really, seriously disturbing. It is a unique take on the very well-known fairytale. One that left me with a seriously uncomfortable and unsettled feeling at the end of it. Just brilliant.

<- Can’t Catch Me

The Brown Bear of Norway ->

Image source: Goodreads

Down Among the Dead Men by Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois

May 15, 2020Book ReviewBlood Is Not Enough, Dark Fantasy, Gardner Dozois, Horror, Jack Dann, The Monstrous, Warskyebjenner

Title: Down Among the Dead Men
Author: Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) & Blood Is Not Enough (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror, War
Dates read: 20th April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: He fingered the spoon compulsively, turning it over and over; it was hard and smooth and cold, and he clenched it as tightly as he could, trying to ignore the fine tremouring of his hands.

He always thought that they were friends. That he was their saviour. But, then he realises that they’re all dead here. Just some are a little more dead than others.

There seem to be a few Jewish / war / prisoner of war stories popping up in my reading at the moment. And although they’re completely heart-wrenching, kind of devastating and seriously intense… they’re also kind of completely amazing. And I am definitely in love with them. What I didn’t expect was to find one such story in a collection of monstrous fantasy stories…

At the beginning of this story, I figured it was going to be dark. After all, it starts with the moment that the narrator first realises that his friend is a vampire. But, then I thought he was going to be a nice vampire… there were so many justifications for his actions. And then things got dark again. Which to me, is the mark of a great story – one which takes you through ups and downs and makes you constantly question your assumptions. The fact that it was done in only a very few pages just made it all the more impressive.

This short story had a much darker, more twisty ending than what I had expected. Which, of course, is kind of why I loved it. There is something fantastic about a dark ending that leaves you disquieted and uncomfortable.

<- The Chill Clutch of the Unseen

Catching Flies ->

Image source: Amazon

The Chill Clutch of the Unseen by Kim Newman

May 4, 2020Book ReviewDark Fantasy, Horror, Kim Newman, The Monstrousskyebjenner

Title: The Chill Clutch of the Unseen
Author: Kim Newman
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror
Dates read: 5th April 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: It occurred to him that she might have inherited the job of station-master – station-mistress? – while he was paying attention to what might be coming into town as opposed to what was happening right here.

He’s been doing this job for years. Protecting his town from the things that go bump in the night. But, now, he’s found the last monster… and he’s getting old.

This short story starts right in the action. Or at least, right in the waiting for the action and the creepy imagery of an old man just waiting… waiting to kill something. It’s all written from his kind of intense point of view and you just sit there in awe throughout the entire story. Anything that you expect to happen… it quickly doesn’t quite happen the way that you expect it to.

My favourite part of this story is honestly the ending. It rounds out the old man’s life and finishes up his purpose in the world. But, it also hints that whilst his cycle is over, the overall cycle is still continuing. That there is more going on in the world than we would expect and you just sit there contemplating what could be hidden just beneath the surface…

The appearance of the incredibly insane Invisible Man in this story nicely rounded everything out for me. There is something fascinating and entertaining about the story of that man… so I seriously enjoyed reading about him. And his demise. After all, you can’t have a good monster book without the monsters dying at the end…

<- The Totals

Down Among the Dead Men ->

Image source: Amazon

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.

Tag Archives: Horror

Chasing Sunset by A.C. Wise

Miss Ill-Kept Runt by Glen Hirshberg

Jenny Come to Play by Terry Dowling

Doll Hands by Adam L.G. Nevill

Grindstone by Stephen Graham Jones

Our Turn Too Will One Day Come by Brian Hodge

Catching Flies by Carole Johnstone

Journeybread Recipe by Lawrence Schimel

Down Among the Dead Men by Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois

The Chill Clutch of the Unseen by Kim Newman