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Bob @ Beauty in Ruins
PLEASE NOTE: I'm rarely active here anymore, but please feel free to follow me on Goodreads, where I post regularly.
These are the chronicles of a book addict, a photo junkie, and an aspiring author, rewriting the very fabric of reality one page (and one snapshot) at a time. From the strange to the unusual; the abandoned to the abnormal; the haunted to the historic; the supernatural to the surreal; the forests of dark fantasy, the cemeteries of gothic horror, and the post-apocalyptic ruins of science fiction are the landscapes of my imagination.
Currently reading
Deathstalker Rebellion: Being the Second Part of the Life and Times of Owen Deathstalker
Progress:
298/508 pages
Mister October, Volume I - An Anthology in Memory of Rick Hautala
In March of this year, Rick passed away suddenly of a heart attack, leaving his wife and sons in a difficult situation. Already suffering from some financial struggles, he had allowed his life insurance to lapse, leaving his family with no help for funeral expenses or life to follow. When he heard the news, Christopher Golden reached out to dozen of authors and artists, asking them to contribute to a charitable anthology, with the proceeds going to Rick's family.Much to his delight, nearly every one of them agreed to take place, hence the 2 volume Mister October collection, An Anthology in Memory of Rick Hautala.
Personally, I found Volume I a bit uneven, with a number of stories that just didn't work for me, but some definite highlights included:
FEEDERS AND EATERS by Neil Gaiman. Could there be a better way to kick off an anthology than with the signature feel and narrative sound of a Neil Gaiman tale? This is a great story, creepy and understated, with a great final scene.
A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR by Matthew Costello. Sometimes it's the suggestion of horror, and sometimes it's the expectation of a twist that makes a story. This one plays to both, slowly building the sense of dread.
TIGHT LITTLE STITCHES IN A DEAD MAN’S BACK by Joe R. Lansdale. This was one of my favorite stories of both volumes. It's a post-apocalyptic tale where the horrors of monstrous, tentacle-like roses and barren ocean floors, populated with crawling whales, pale in comparison to a tattoo drawn in mourning for a couple's lost daughter.
THE YEAR THE MUSIC DIED by F. Paul Wilson. In a story that adds a X-files sort of paranoia to an episode of the Twilight Zone, this one re-imagines the death of rock 'n roll's early heroes as not a series of unfortunate accidents, but a carefully orchestrated political conspiracy.
PROPERTY CONDEMNED—A Story of Pine Deep by Jonathan Maberry. As a fan of the Pine Deep trilogy, I was looking forward to this one, and it didn't disappoint. It's a haunted house story that takes a Stephen King sort of look at the dynamics of a childhood friendship, as well as the horrors awaiting them on the other side of adulthood. It's a sad tale, but a powerful one.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins