Home » Posts tagged "Bram Stoker Awards"

Book Review: Grotesque: Monster Stories by Lee Murray

cover art for Grotesque: Monster Stories by Lee Murray

Grotesque: Monster Stories by Lee Murray

Things in the Well, 2020

ISBN-13 : 979-8611527153

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Amazon.com )

 

In Grotesque: Monster Stories Lee Murray has written tales in a wide variety of styles and subgenres in the horror genre. The combination of her imaginative twists on familiar tropes and the New Zealand setting and atmosphere creates some great creepy, dread-inducing, and horrifying tales.

 

Interestingly, three of Murray’s stories include mindless, killer creatures. In addition to her zombie story, “The New Breed”, which raises the question of who really is the monster in the story, two very different stories provide unique versions of the golem. “Grotesque” is a horror story about the uncovering of an underground passage between two French chateaux, framing events of 1560 when the sixteen-year-old king of France had to be smuggled out, sealing the passage behind him to contain… something.  “Into the Clouded Sky” revisits a character Murray has written about previously, Taine McKenna. This is a nonstop adventure with supernatural visitors, terrifying sand golems, and natural catastrophe, set in New Zealand, and moves at a breakneck pace. These two stories were original for this collection.

 

Other strong stories include “Edward’s Journal”, a Lovecraftian tale told in epistolary manner, paints a lush, wet, and terrifying portrait of an English soldier with the mission of burning the Maori people’s crops to force them to move of their land, lost and starving in the New Zealand forests in an increasingly surreal and sanity-breaking situation; “Selfie”, a post-apocalyptic story with a disturbing amount of creative and vividly described body horror; and “Dead End Town”, an incredibly grim and difficult story to read even before the supernatural gets involved, as it involves repeated violence towards and sexual abuse of a child.

 

I was excited to see a kaiju story, “Maui’s Hook”. I think these must be difficult to write, especially from the point of view of a person experiencing it,  because it’s hard to appreciate giant monster violence when it’s aimed at an individual human instead of another giant monster. Murray did a great job creating a terrifying, unkillable monster and chronicling its violence in a setting and context that I haven’t seen in kaiju films.

 

I haven’t touched on every story in this review but I found them all compelling. Grotesque: Monster Stories should have something to interest almost everyone. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Editor’s Note: Grotesque: Monster Stories is a nominee on the final ballot for this year’s Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection.

Posted on May 22, 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: The Return by Rachel Harrison

cover art for The Return by Rachel Harrison

The Return by Rachel Harrison

Berkeley, 2020

ISBN-13 : 978-0593098677

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook ( Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com ) 

 

Rachel Harrison is now on the radar as one of the most interesting new voices in horror/suspense. The Return was one of 2020’s few surprise stories. Others published quality debuts, yet Harrison’s rose to the top for this reviewer. It’s not flashy, bloody, or full of unique devices. It’s simply a great story told very well– and that’s good enough for most horror fans.

 

Julie disappeared from her front porch two years ago and only two people believe she’s still alive: her close friend Elise and her husband Tristan.

 

Two years later, Julie abruptly reappears in the same spot, with no recollection of what happened.

 

Elise and Julie and two additional close friends celebrate Julie’s return some time later, with an escape to a themed getaway. Once there, the quartet of friends attempt to reclaim their tight bonds from before the disappearance. Something is very off about the place, which Harrison handles well, alluding to without ever becoming heavy handed in the description. Julie seems “off” as well. Something has changed within her, something that happened while she was gone.

 

Harrison’s storytelling carries the show in The Return. The dialogue, wit, and character interaction flow with ease, and the suspense and darkness deepen. Harrison displays the skills of a veteran with writing that is neither showy nor cliche.

 

Full of twists and well-developed characters, The Return is one of the Stoker nominees most recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by David Simms

 

Editor’s note: The Return is a nominee on the final ballot for this year’s Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel. 

Posted on May 19, 2021 by , Reply
12345 » Last