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Book Review: Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror edited by Lynne Jamneck

 

Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror  edited by Lynne Jamneck, illustrations by Daniele Serra

Dark Regions Press, 2016

ISBN 9781626411111 (ebook)

Available: Pre-order Kindle ebook, hardcover, trade paperback

I haven’t contributed financially to many Indiegogo projects, but when I saw the announcement for Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror, I knew I couldn’t pass it up, and I’m very glad I did not.

Dreams from the Witch House is a collection of twenty weird fiction stories, each one set in various times and places with characters and themes that resonate with the reader long after the tales have concluded. I had to take some time to mentally process each tale after I read them. The authors have crafted tales that really impact the reader. It’s hard to even say which one is my favourite since they each have their own distinct qualities. From the firsshadows-of-the-evening-joyce-carol-oates-1000px (1)t story by the legendary Joyce Carol Oates (what a way to start a book!) to the last, each story has so much complexity and succeed in evoking different emotions in such short page space.  I found that I have something to say about every one of these stories, but I have selected a few that really stand out.

“Shadows of the Evening” by Joyce Carol Oates is the story of Magdalena Schӧn told by her granddaughter. After being forced to leave home, Magdalena finds herself living with her wealthy great-aunt, Erica Kistenmacher to whom she is to be a companion. Finding that she has ample free time, she takes to wandering the streets of her new town. She is beckoned by a handsome voice singing a haunting song. She finds the owner of the voice, and he changes her forever.

Tamsyn Muir’s “The Woman in the Hill” is written in the form of a letter from Caroline, a woman who is afraid she is losing her mind. After her friend Elizabeth tells her of finding a door in a hill, she disappears mysteriously. Caroline discovers Elizabeth wasn’t the first to disappear, and most certainly won’t be the last.

“Pippa’s Crayons” by Christine Morgan is a story of a child whose crayons, crafted by her grandfather, display colours not of this world. Despite the short length of this story, Morgan has written an incredibly chilling story.

“Cthulhu’s Mother” by Kelda Circh injects some humour into the collection with a conversation between cultists of Cthulhu and the rather strict mother of the Sleeper of R’lyeh.

In addition the previously named authors, other women who have lent their writing skills to Dreams from the Witch House are, Collen Douglas, Cat Hellison, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Lucy Brady, Marly Youmans, Sanya Taaffe, Gemma Files, Molly Tanzer, Karen Heuler, Lois H. Gresh, Nancy Kilpatrick, E.R. Knightsbridge, Amanda Downum, Storm Constantine, R.A Kaelin, Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, with full colour artwork by Daniele Serra. Introduction by editor, Lynne Jamneck.

I recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys incredible weird fiction. I was not disappointed with any of the stories. The artwork that Serra created for each story are beautifully rendered. To date, I have only had access to the ebook. The paperback version is still forthcoming.

Highly recommended

Contains: mild body horror, sexuality

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on March 29, 2016 by , 2 comments

Book Review: Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast by Jonathan Winn

Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast  by Jonathan Winn

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2015

ISBN 9780994679345

Available: print, Kindle ebook

Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast contains five novellas set on the first floor of an apartment building. Each apartment houses residents who have dangerous secrets revealed to the reader through the walls of the apartments.

The first story, and one of the best ones, is about a Chinese woman named Lucky, haunted by the dead she created over a lifetime. Poor and turned out of her family’s house as a child, she was left homeless and desperate. Yin Ying finds her and takes her to the home of Madame Xuo, where Lucky learns the secret of the inky black shadow that makes Madame invincible, but at a price. Another excellent story is the last one, focusing on a little girl named Umbra who can negatively impact the lives of those around her with a mere thought. I would have liked to read more about her.

The second and third stories are probably the most gruesome of the lot, and I didn’t really connect with them. It seems as though the author wanted to go for shock value, which he accomplished, and the gross outs were very effective. The second story in the book told of a tattooed drunk who left his drug addict mother to die. I get that the author was trying to convey that the main character was awful, but there was too much detail for me. I also didn’t find the ending very satisfying. The third tale is about a frat boy serial killer and his skeevy friend who follows him around as he’s killing, and playing with the corpses afterward. This is another story that seems to be going for shock value– it’s like he is trying to top himself from the previous one. It was a unique tale regardless.

The fourth story, about an elderly couple who consistently fail murder/suicide pacts every time they attempt it, is alternatively humorous, heart-wrenching, gross, and dark. Marta enlists the aid of a Mr. Peabody who proves to be more than he seems.

Despite my reaction to two of the five stories, overall I would like to see the continuation of the stories of this apartment building. According to the author, there are five total floors with the first covered. I hope he does continue this series. It will be interesting to see what else he creates within these walls. Recommended.

Contains body horror, gore, necrophilia, sex

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on March 25, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: You Shall Never Know Security by J.R. Hamantaschen

You Shall Never Know Security by J.R. Hamantaschen

West Pigeon Press, 2011

Available:  New Paperback, Kindle edition

ISBN-13: 9781466239920

 

You Shall Never Know Security is a collection of stories that can appropriately be described as dark, weird fiction. All of the stories draw some emotional reaction from the reader. They challenge the conventional definition of horror while using the very real feelings of human sorrow, fear, and guilt to build an expectation that always delivers something.

One of my favorite stories is “A Parasite Inside Your Brain”, about a woman who struggles with depression and a spider that has settled itself in her ear, lifting her mood. Which is the real parasite feeding off of her—the spider or the depression? “College” is about a student taking part in a psychology experiment that deals with morality and moral thinking; is it really just an experiment? “There’s Always Something In the Misfortune of Our Friends That Doesn’t Displease Us” describes the experience of an entity inhabiting a man who thrives on human conflict and witnessing awkward situations; it is a commentary on humanity and our fascination with bad news when it happens to others. The novella “There Must Be Lights Burning Brighter, Somewhere” starts with a senseless attack on a bar by an alien creature, and explores the feelings of survivor’s guilt in the aftermath.

Hamantaschen’s stories are beautifully written and quite brilliant in making the reader feel uncomfortable, sympathetic, and horrified all at the same time. There isn’t a bad story in the bunch. I thoroughly enjoyed You Shall Never Know Security and its play on human weakness and emotions. Highly recommended.

Contains: adult situations and graphic violence

Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund

 

Posted on March 18, 2016 by , Reply
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