“Mutter” by Jess Landry (in Fantastic Tales of Terror: History’s Dark Secrets edited by Eugene Johnson)

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1644679685

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

“Mutter” is the hands-down favorite of most reviewers in this star-filled anthology. They are dead on with this opinion, as the story is written with a fine style that draws attention to it from the first paragraph. In this Crystal Lake collection, authors retold major events in history, usually with a supernatural element, or at least a strong sense of horror. Many evoke the best of The Twilight Zone series, with takes on societal and historical notions that should be dealt with, yet are often swept under the rug. Landry does something special with her pair of characters, who board the Hindenburg, and ultimately have a role in how the zeppelin crashes on that fateful day. The characters make the horrific gears go, and her execution here is perfect. Hopefully, readers will be seeing a lot more of Landry’s work in the near future.

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Editor’s note: “Mutter” is a nominee on the final ballot of the 2018 Bram Stoker Award in the category of Superior Achievement in Short Fiction. Typically Monster Librarian does not review anything shorter than novella-length, but we are making an exception for the Stoker Awards.