Today I went back to a post I wrote some time ago on women writers of supernatural and Gothic fiction. I am sad to say that, as awesome a source of information as the Internet can be, some of the resources I linked to there now lead to “error–404” pages.A nicely done partial bibliography of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s work has disappeared (although her papers are now available through Harvard and Radcliffe, so that’s a pretty neat development), and at this time I am not able to find a single portrait or photo of Georgia Wood Pangborn. The draft introduction to a limited edition of Pangborn’s work published by Violet Ivy Press is no longer online.Even Wikipedia has little to say about her. I did my best to update the entry and the links. While Perkins Gilman really needs no introduction, as her work has entered the canon of American literature, l’d like to reintroduce you to some women authors who haven’t received the same kind of attention– the magazinists.
Book Review: A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe by J.R. Hamantaschen
A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe by J.R. Hamantaschen
Amazon Digital Services, 2018
ISBN: 978-1722219901
Available: Paperback, Kindle edition
A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe is Hamantaschen’s third short story collection, and it is just as enjoyable as his first collection, You Shall Never Know Security. More than just dark and macabre horror stories, Hamantaschen crafts stories that explore the human condition in all its many emotions. They are not, however, for the faint of heart.
The last of the book’s stories, “I Will Soon Be Home and Never Need Anyone Ever Again”, is more of a novella than a short story. Thomas is a smart 14-year-old, with a bit of an arrogant streak, who is bullied in school. Most of it is verbal, but it eventually becomes physical. Thomas meets Brandon, who wants to help Thomas with his problem. Though intrigued, and happy to have a friend, Thomas refuses Brandon’s help. Thomas’ life continues into adulthood, though not necessarily as he would have liked. This is an excellent story, and you really feel for Thomas and almost hope he takes Brandon up on his offer. Who can’t relate to a kid being bullied at some point in their lives? While Thomas can be annoying, Hamantaschen writes him with much empathy, even while Thomas denies his own desperate need for friendship.
Other fantastic stories include “That’s Just the Way Things Are These Days”, about a rare and strange disorder that affects a small portion of boys during puberty in a very unexpected manner; “Rococo Veins and Lurid Stains”, about a teenager contemplating suicide and what drives her thoughts; “Faithfully and Lovingly”, about a young couple destroyed by tragic events, though the tragedy ultimately continues; and “Story Title Revealed About Halfway Through”, about a young man who feels no emotions and cares for nothing, though a new treatment may have brought him too far in the other direction.
All the stories in A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe are highly engaging. Hamantaschen has a way of writing that completely draws you in and makes you feel something—anything—for all his characters.
Recommended
Contains some adult language and (minor) sexual situations; also contains some gore
Revieweed by Colleen Wanglund
Book Review: Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton
Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton
Blumhouse Books, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-1101973837
Available: Paperback, Kindle ebook, Audible, and audio CD
Haunted Nights collects sixteen previously unpublished tales of Halloween. It is co-edited by Ellen Datlow, a highly respected genre editor, and Lisa Morton, an authority on Halloween. Haunted Nights presents stories of related holidays as well (e.g. All Souls’ Day and Día de los Muertos).
While I enjoyed all of the stories in Haunted Nights, a few stood out from the others. In “With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfsbane Seeds,” Seanan McGuire weaves a great haunted house story that switches perspective between the dead and the living. Mary can’t abide the teenagers who disturb her house, especially on her birthday, but she knows how to take care of her house, and the intruders. Stephen Graham Jones presents a tale of familial loss and a disturbing return in “Dirtmouth.” Jonathan Maberry’s “A Small Taste of the Old Country,” set in 1948, proves revenge can be served warm and comforting. Garth Nix always delivers an excellent story, and his entry in this collection does not disappoint. In his tale, “The Seventeen Year Itch,” the new hospital administrator disregards all of the warnings from staff about patient Broward and the incessant itch he feels compelled to scratch every Halloween. “A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds” by Eric J. Guignard is set during Día de Muertos rather than Halloween. A misspelling on a sugar skull leads to an eventful night for a man in mourning. Paul Kane’s “The Turn” takes the perspective of multiple characters, and is surprisingly well done in such a short story. Tom Nolan has never gone out on Halloween, but the urgent call from the hospital about his dying grandmother drives him outdoors on the most haunted night of the year.
This collection belongs on the bookshelves of readers who love Halloween and other ghost-related holidays. Other authors in this anthology include Joanna Parypinski, Kate Jonez, Jeffrey Ford, Kelley Armstrong, S.P Miskowski, Brian Evenson, Elise Forier Edie, Pat Cadigan, John Lanagan, and John R. Little.
Contains: blood, bullying, homophobia, rape, sexual content
Recommended
Reviewed by Lizzy Walker
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