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Book Review: From the Depths: Terrifying Tales by Richard Saxon

cover art for From the Depths by Richard Saxon

From the Depths: Terrifying Tales by Richard Saxon

Velox Books, 2021

ISBN 979-8745999574

Available: Paperback, Kindle ( Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com )

 

It’s always a pleasure to discover a new author of dark fiction, especially when his debut collection is innovative, interesting and extremely entertaining.

 

This is the case with Richard Saxon, whose short story collection is characterized, first of all, by the unusual, long titles of each tale, which give you a hint of what is waiting for you in the following pages.

 

Here are some examples of the more accomplished stories.

 

“The Ocean is Much Deeper Than We Thought” is a tense, riveting piece blending SF and horror, about some mysterious, dangerous creatures living in the deepest part of the ocean, while “I Woke Up During Surgery. They Weren’t Trying to Save Me” is a very disquieting tale of medical horror where a man cured from cancer develops a scary kind of power.

 

The tell-tale title “My Job is to Watch People Die” perfectly describes the content of that unusual, well crafted story, but in  “We Have Been Guarding an Empty Room for the Past Five Years. Today We Found Something Inside”, a slightly surrealistic piece, the horrific nature of the story becomes apparent only at the end.

 

In the excellent “Every Year on My Birthday, I Have to Die”, a man keeps dying and then coming back to life when someone else takes on his death, while in “A Man Knocked at My Door at Midnight, He Gave Me A Horrible Choice”, an insightful tale with a Twilight Zone feel, the meaning (or the lack of it) of our existence on Earth is cleverly addressed.

 

“Arbor Vitae” effectively describes the story of a woman who makes an unusual, terrible bargain to protect her son.

 

The best story in the volume to me is “ My Favorite Twitch Streamer Just Died. He’ s Still Online”, an outstanding piece investigating the apparently tragic mystery of after-life.

 

I strongly recommend this superb collection to every lover of dark, speculative fiction.

 

Reviewed by Mario Guslandi

Posted on June 3, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies by John Langan

 

cover art for Children of the Fang by John Langan

Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies by John Langan

Word Horde, 2020

ISBN-13 : 978-1939905604

Available:  Paperback, Kindle edition  ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

Some writers manage to wrangle the beast that is storytelling through blood, scars, and evisceration– and then some–  but emerge on the other side victorious with a skill that seems to be effortless.

 

Then there’s John Langan.

 

For anyone who’s read The Fisherman, it’s apparent that this man was born with a storyteller’s DNA. Langan’s prose and style shouldn’t be this seamless, this well, perfect. Yet it is.

 

When Children of the Fang was released, many reviewers touted the collection of 21 tales as Stoker-worthy, and it is. It’s the strongest collection of horror short stories this reviewer has read in many a year. To not have at least one story that doesn’t put a stranglehold on the reader through its quiet, yet vicious voice, is beyond rare.

 

It’s almost as if Langan has that Jungian prescience to peer into the collective unconscious and toy with the shadows within us.

 

The styles and genres explored here display Langan’s vast talent, from science fiction, to fantasy, to noir, before circling back to straight-up horror.

 

Choosing a favorite here is difficult. It may vary from person to person and from read to read, depending on the mood and style desired, attaching to the current mood and infecting the soul. On this particular day, a trio stand out. “Episode Three: On The Great Plains, In The Snow,” is a beautiful ghost story, and while it’s not the most innovative story in the collection, it will feel like it is. “Children of the Fang” wormed its way into this reviewer’s consciousness and tattooed its afterimage there. To describe it would dilute the effect, but there’s a reason why it’s the title of the book.  “Hyphae,” is the most “different” tale in the collection. The less said, the better, but it’s best read alone without another story before or afterwards.

 

Langan’s next offering will be well-sought-after, whether it’s short, spiked bites such as the ones here or a longer, slower dive into darkness that will likely challenge The Fisherman for his best story to date.

Highly recommended reading.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

Editor’s note: Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies is a nominee on the final ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Short Story Collection. 

Posted on May 20, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Not All Monsters: A Strangehouse Anthology of Women in Horror

cover art for Not All Monsters edited by Sara Tantlinger

Not All Monsters: A Strangehouse Anthology of Women in Horror edited by Sara Tantlinger

Rooster Republic Press, 2020

ISBN-13: 9781946335319

Available: Paperback (  Bookshop.org )

 

Not All Monsters, a new anthology of horror fiction edited by Bram Stoker Award-winning author Sara Tantlinger, contains twenty-one tales of terror and darkness by women authors. Tantlinger had the privilege and challenge of scouring hundreds of entries for the anthology.  Her introduction provides an overview of why she decided to embark on this project, and it is well worth the read.

I loved all the stories in this anthology, although some tales stood out more than others. In “Portrait of a Girl in Red and Yellow” by Joanna Roye, set in the Victorian era, the narrator discovers a hereditary skin condition that turns out to reveal a family secret has been passed on to her. “The Miraculous Ones” by G.G. Silverman tells the story of conjoined twins developing their own personalities and the deep desire to live different lives. In “Black Feathered Phlogiston” by K. P. Kulski, sisters tend to a flock of harpies that live in their attic. As their bodies grow, so do their appetites, and the new woman in their father’s life knows more about the creatures than the girls think she does.  “Leather”, a particularly delicious tale by S. M. Ketcham, reveals what can happen to an incel when he takes things too far. “Pretty Little Vampires” by Sam Fleming tells a dark tale about a woman who wants to attract fairies to her dwelling, but gets more than she bargains for. Joanna Koch’s “The Revenge of Madeline Usher” is wonderful, and keeps with the tone of Poe’s original “The Fall of the House of Usher.” This reimagining of the story of the Usher twins told from the perspective of Madeline gives the original story more grotesque content, a deeper story about what goes on in the House of Usher, and what happens, or could happen, when the house finally falls. Could Madeline finally be free of the house and her brother? It is a brilliant short story.

I would recommend this volume to libraries or individuals who want to expand their collections of women-led horror projects. This is a great book, and I couldn’t put it down once I started reading. Each story has its own unique feel. I look forward to reading more by the contributors! Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Editor’s note: Not All Monsters: A Strangehouse Anthology of Women in Horror is a nominee on the final ballot for this year’s Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in an Anthology. 

Posted on April 3, 2021 by , Reply
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