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Book Review: Flowers in a Dumpster by Mark Allan Gunnells

Flowers In A Dumpster by Mark Allan Gunnells

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2015

ISBN 9780994679321

Available: print, Kindle ebook

Flowers in a Dumpster contains seventeen short stories, each presenting a provocative investigation of human nature, specifically regarding what happens when hope is gone. Several stories stand out to me.

In “Past Lives,” the world is a very different place after a supervirus ravaged the United States, wiping out a large percentage of the population. A struggling family reluctantly takes in a wayward stranger, one who proves to be all too familiar and a reminder of the lies told by the leader of the free world. This was a very striking story.

“Welcome” and “Welcome Back” both focus on Steve and Al, a couple that gets stranded and end up trapped in a strange house. In the first story, the couple head to the first house they see to call for help. They are greeted by a frantic woman, practically dragged inside, and told a fantastic story about her family being trapped in the house for two years. Now that Steve and Al have arrived, the small family can finally escape. But what of Steve and Al? “Welcome Back” is a continuation that takes place five years after the couple became trapped in the mysterious house. I think the most interesting aspect of the stories is watching how each of the men deal with the stress of their situation. It’s truly heartbreaking.

The shortest story of the collection, “The Support Group,” is probably my favorite in this book, and is one of the most powerful. “The Support Group” personifies various cities around the world that are festooned with parasites. They are desperate to rid themselves of their problem, but no one is willing or able to go as far as one did, one who succeeded.

Two other stories that I found to be gripping are “Similar Interests” and Land of Plenty.” The former is a unique take on the serial killer story. It is told through the perspectives of two serial killers. The latter tells of a small but prosperous community that keeps its population in check using an unorthodox method of control.

A few of the stories, while intriguing, didn’t quite deliver. One such story, “The Locked Tower,” dealt with a man obsessed with gaining access to a forbidden tower in a building at his old college. He’s thwarted at every turn by university administration and security, among others. What he discovers falls flat to me, but others may find it to intriguing.

These are just a handful of flowers you can find in this collection. If you want a stories of a visceral nature, pick up this collection. You won’t be disappointed. Recommended.

Contains: body horror, gore, sex, abuse

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on April 28, 2016 by , Reply

Women in Horror Month: Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and The Wind in the Rose-Bush

 

Mary Wilkins Freeman

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman was born on October 31st, 1852 (a great birthdate for a writer of ghost stories) and died March 13, 1930. . She lived during a time when supernatural writing by women flourished, and she was one of the best. She’s been mentioned in the company of Edith Wharton and Henry James, and won the American Academy William Dead Howells Gold Medal. Described primarily as a writer of naturalism, and particularly of regionalism (as were many women writers of the time, including Sarah Orne Jewett) she excelled at creating supernatural tales that took place in the most ordinary of places and situations, in families and small communities where women’s work is never done. Her stories, mostly told through dialogue or by first person narrators, are unsettling because of what isn’t being said. In her story “The Shadow on the Wall”, which takes place in the aftermath of a death in the family, three sisters are desperately trying to block out the creepiness in the room they are working in, and one sister says to another “Don’t speak! I won’t have it!” That’s about as overt as Wilkins-Freeman’s undercurrents of fear and dread ever get. Willful ignorance, dependent behavior, pride, and guilt, especially on the part of women, all appear in Wilkins-Freeman’s stories, and it’s so often what she doesn’t say that really creeps in to stay with you.  In “The Wind in the Rose-Bush”, Rebecca Flint, who has traveled to collect her recently orphaned niece, cannot get a straight answer from anyone about where her niece actually is; in “Luella Miller”, an unreliable  narrator tells us a terrifying story of a woman who literally drains the life out of anyone who helps her.

Wilkins Freeman only wrote about a dozen supernatural stories, and collected six of them into a single volume, The Wind in the Rose-Bush, but it is more than worth your while to seek out her New England ghost stories of haunted women. There’s absolutely no reason not to, since you can read them for free.

For audiobooks of many of her supernatural stories, click here

To download a free ebook of  The Wind in the Rose-Bush, her collection of supernatural stories. click here

If you want all of her work collected together, Amazon sells The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, which includes her novelettes.

For much more detail on her life, click here or seek out Brian Stableford’s entry on her in the St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost, and Gothic Writers at the reference desk of your local library.

 

 

Posted on February 6, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Flaws and Claws by Edward J. Russell

Flaws and Claws by Edward J. Russell

CreateSpace, 2012

ISBN-13: 978-1478218685

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Flaws and Claws is a self-published collection of humor and horror, consisting of three short stories and a novella. “Green Peppers”starts this work off with a humorous look at the start of a new job. Just before his first day on the job begins, he accidentally eats green peppers on a breakfast burrito. Unfortunately, green peppers give him gas– clear the room kind of gas.  It is a long, slow ride up 38 floors in a crowded elevator.

“Not So Dearly Departed”, the second story, tells the tale of Clancy Fillenbaum as he buries his aunt, who raised him after his parents were killed in a car accident. She was an abusive bully who always had a plan in place to keep him under her thumb, and left him feeling inadequate in every way. He is glad to be rid of her. Freedom at last! Unfortunately for Clancy his aunt’s plans are not over yet.

“Opening Day” is the third short story,and follows the adventures of a group of hunters as they go on an annual hunting trip: a week of hanging out with the boys and hunting deer. With tree stands in place, bright orange vests on, and shotguns locked and loaded, they head out into the wilderness. Suddenly a dark blur of fur and teeth slams into them, taking them unawares. One of the hunters is bitten and carried off. The hunters have become the prey.

Milton Dixon Has A Bad Day is the novella in this collection. Milton Dixon is a published freelance news columnist with multiple credits to his name. Times are tough, and Milton finds himself covering a county fair in rural Hilltower, Kentucky. As the fair is finally coming to a close, Milton plans to interview the sheriff and leave, but the sheriff is late. The sheriff’s deputy informs Milton that there has been an outbreak of sorts: people are going crazy and biting each other. Rather than turning in a dull account of a county fair, Milton is reporting on a zombie attack!

This was a lot of fun to read! “Green Peppers” and Milton Dixon Has A Bad Day were hilarious! “Not So Dearly Departed” and “Opening Day” were good scary stories. All of the works established their settings well using descriptions that told enough without going overboard. The pacing throughout was good and flowed quickly. The characters were well defined and it was easy to follow their voices. The plot in each story was good and I had no trouble following the unfolding tales. The only real complaint I have is that there were a lot of typographical errors of various types. If the editing had corrected these issues then I would have given a higher rating. That being said this was a very entertaining read. I have not read any of this author’s work in the past. Recommended for adult readers.

Contains: Graphic gore, sexual situations, swearing

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher

Posted on January 21, 2016 by , Reply
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