Tag Archives: Simon Kurt Unsworth

Hauntings edited by Ellen Datlow

Overview
Hauntings: Datlow, Ellen: 9781616960889: Amazon.com: Books

Title: Hauntings
Author: Ellen Datlow, Pat Cadigan, Dale Bailey, E. Michael Lewis, Lucius Shepard, David Morrell, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Joyce Carol Oates, Elizabeth Hand, Neil Gaiman, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Carroll, Terry Dowling, Paul Walther, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Connie Willis, Stephen Gallagher, Michael Marshall Smith, Richard Bowes, James P. Blaylock, Jeffrey Ford, Gemma Files, Kelly Link, Adam L.G. Nevill & Peter Straub
In: Hauntings (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, HorrorShort story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2013

Thoughts

This is, as with all Ellen Datlow collections, seriously fun and enjoyable. The fact that this fantastic collection is full of seriously creepy stories made it that much more enjoyable. Mostly because it’s out of my usual genre of choice. Horror and ghost stories might not be quite my usual speed, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t love reading this collection!

Although I really enjoyed reading all of these short stories, I did find that this was not an anthology I should be reading late at night. Or when I was home alone. Whilst some of the stories were kind of mild and not too terrifying, some made it really difficult to sleep after turning the final page. Or just made it difficult to turn off the lights. Which is why this took me a little bit longer to read than I had anticipated.

Hauntings runs the gambit of horror and ghost stories, from horrible hauntings to stories that had a little bit more hope at the end. They made me feel all of the feelings, and I would most definitely read this collection again in the future.

<- The First Lunar HalloweenEenie, Meenie, Ipsateenie ->

Image source: Amazon

The Pennine Tower Restaurant by Simon Kurt Unsworth

Overview
Hauntings: Datlow, Ellen: 9781616960889: Amazon.com: Books

Title: The Pennine Tower Restaurant
Author: Simon Kurt Unsworth
In: Hauntings (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2013

Thoughts

This wasn’t quite the horror story that I was expecting. It was set out very factually. And it kind of worked in a fairly freaky way – I mean, I was expecting lots of emotion and personality to drive the story and make it a little bit scary. Instead, this was set out in an entirely factual way. As though it was a reporter just recording the history of a building and letting you draw your own conclusions. Lots of hints towards the creepy unknown, but nothing outright stated.

I found that by outlining a timeline and just hinting at the horrors that await, this story was actually far more creepy and intimidating than if you were told outright about the evilness that haunts the tower restaurant. At the beginning of the timeline, it actually doesn’t feel all that horrifying and creepy. But, as more and more evidence stacks up… you tend to get a whole lot of goosebumps.

Unsworth is able to hint at the unknown brilliantly and make you feel kind of uncomfortable as you read this story. Something that I loved – this was spine tingling and uncomfortable, without being overwhelmingly scary. A fun, haunting short story to read.

<- The TollDistress Call ->

Image source: Amazon