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Book Review: In the Porches of My Ears by Norman Prentiss

Cover art for In the Porches of my Ears by Norman Prentiss

In The Porches of My Ears by Norman Prentiss

Cemetery Dance, 2023

ISBN 978-1-58767-872-1

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com )

 

Norman Prentiss is a very talented storyteller (winner of the Bram Stoker Award), whose most accomplished tale, so far, is the outstanding “In the Porches of My Ears” which also provides the title for this collection.

 

It’s a totally unsettling piece of fiction, starting in the darkness of a movie theater where a woman whispers about what happens on the screen… ( winner of the Bram Stoker Award)

 

The present volume assembles sixteen Prentiss stories previously appeared in print elsewhere.

 

In addition to the title story, other remarkable tales are “Interval”, an insightful, disturbing description of human behavior after a plane crash, when relatives  are waiting in vain at the airport, and “The Everywhere Man”, revolving around a puzzling and disquieting video becoming “viral”.

 

Another special mention goes to “Invisible Fences”, a vivid novella addressing the way overprotective parents try to defend  their sons and daughters from life’s unavoidable dangers.

 

All very good stuff, probing the dark side of our apparently ordinary existence.

 

Reviewed by Mario Guslandi

Posted on March 17, 2023 by , Reply

Book Review: The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss

The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss

Hydra, 2017

ISBN: 9780399180972

Available: Used hardcover, Kindle edition

 

The Halloween Children, a novel of suburban and familial horror from Bram Stoker Award winner Norman Prentiss and Brian James Freeman of Cemetery Dance Publications, takes place at the Stillbrook Apartments. There, the grounds and property are well maintained, the tenants are diverse, and the problems of the day seem to slip away once they get home. On the surface, everything is perfect. However, things start to happen when the annual Halloween party is cancelled…bad things.

We see the trouble unfold through three different characters’ narratives. Harrison Naylor, the maintenance man lives on site with his wife Lynn and their two children Mattie and Amber, reveals his story in a type of confessional. Harrison is aggressive toward everyone. He resents his wife and complains of the way she neglects their son, instead giving her attention to their daughter. There are clearly some marital issues going on here. His story is delivered as a type of confessional, Then there is his job. Harrison’s work life is mostly satisfying, but his boss has been  making things difficult recently. Harrison is instructed by management to deliver fliers to tenants cancelling the annual Halloween party, under the guise of keeping them safe. When Harrison receives a call one night from a tenant he’s particularly annoyed by, he reluctantly goes to investigate noises in the vacant apartment above her, and finds the first of the grisly events to come.

Lynn’s narrative is laid out in a sort of diary she is writing at the recommendation of her marriage counselor, who she sees without her husband. Lynn is suspicious and passive-aggressive toward her husband, and resents her role as caretaker of the children and household. She works from home, so she always knows what’s going on in the neighborhood, but the only contact she has with the outside world is as a troubleshooter of tech problems for disgruntled people. Could her isolation from the world, her marital issues, and the fact she has started spying on Mattie and Amber be affecting her mind? One thing is certain: she fears her children.

Tenant Jessica Shephard’s story is told through disturbing and cryptic emails that she sends to a friend, asking bizarre questions about the human body, and making reference to the other tenants of the complex, and the Halloween Children. Who are they, and why are they always watching?

The author creates a lot of tension from the first page. Much of what happened caused me to question the accuracy of Harrison’s and Lynn’s narrations as they are clearly at odds with themselves, their relationship, and the children. However, as things unravel, it is clear there is more going on than just paranoia, guilt, and familial problems. The question is, what is going on at Stillbrook Apartments? Recommended.

Contains: Gore

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

 

Posted on July 10, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: Dark Screams: Volume 6 edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar

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Dark Screams: Volume 6 edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar

Hydra, 2017

ISBN: 9780399181931

Available: Kindle edition

Freeman and Chizmar have curated stories from Stephen King, Lisa Morton, Nell Quinn-Gibney, Norman Prentiss, Joyce Carol Oates, and Tim Curran for this short-story anthology. Every one of them is a fast read, each with its own unique edge.

King’s “The Old Dude’s Ticker” is a different spin on Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Richard Drogan is a Vietnam vet working for this old dude whose eye, that vulture eye, is driving him insane, man.  Drogan knows the old dude needs to die.

“The Rich are Different”, by Lisa Morton, tells the story of Sara Peck, who wrote a successful novel about the elite of society. When the family she based the story on wants to meet her, Sara discovers secrets far more twisted than her imagination could conjure. This was probably my least favorite short story out of this collection, but it was still quite good.

In Nell Quinn-Gibney’s “The Manicure”, a young woman getting her nails done professionally for the first time finds that her mind keeps wandering to the past. Her memories merge with the present, and her manicure turns out to be less relaxing than she hoped for. The tension-building in this story was incredibly effective.

In “The Comforting Voice”, by Norman Prentiss, Josh and Cheryl are expecting. Cheryl is in the process of reconciling with her abusive father, Lewis, which Josh does not support. When  Lewis arrives, he is diminished; cancer has ravaged his body and effected a change in his demeanor. When the baby comes, she adores her grandfather, and he is the only one who can calm her screaming fits. What no one thinks about is who will take on that mantle when Lewis is gone. Who will have the comforting voice, and what will they say?

I love Joyce Carol Oates’ work, and “The Situations” did not disappoint. It should be mentioned there is animal and child abuse referenced in this story. In Oates’ story, there are certain lessons children must learn, and if they do not follow the rules, they must bear the scars of their punishment. When the children question Daddy, they learn the most important rule of all.

The last story in this anthology is “The Corpse King”, by Tim Curran. Clow and Kierney are resurrection men just trying to make an honest living. When Sherily warns them not to set foot in the North Burial Grounds, what’s a body to do? I’ve always loved the setting of Victorian slums and the subject of resurrection men. This novella will be added to one of my favorites of this type of story. Curran doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to the atmosphere and substance of the Victorian gothic.

Freeman and Chizmar selected some great stories for this anthology. It has a little bit of something to please most reading preferences. I’m looking forward to the next installment of Dark Screams. Recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Contains: animal abuse, child abuse, blood, brief mention of sex

 

 

Posted on June 18, 2017 by , Reply
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