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Book Review: A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe by J.R. Hamantaschen

A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe by J.R. Hamantaschen

Amazon Digital Services, 2018

ISBN: 978-1722219901

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe is Hamantaschen’s third short story collection, and it is just as enjoyable as his first collection, You Shall Never Know Security. More than just dark and macabre horror stories, Hamantaschen crafts stories that explore the human condition in all its many emotions. They are not, however, for the faint of heart.

 

The last of the book’s stories, “I Will Soon Be Home and Never Need Anyone Ever Again”, is more of a novella than a short story. Thomas is a smart 14-year-old, with a bit of an arrogant streak, who is bullied in school. Most of it is verbal, but it eventually becomes physical. Thomas meets Brandon, who wants to help Thomas with his problem. Though intrigued, and happy to have a friend, Thomas refuses Brandon’s help. Thomas’ life continues into adulthood, though not necessarily as he would have liked. This is an excellent story, and you really feel for Thomas and almost hope he takes Brandon up on his offer. Who can’t relate to a kid being bullied at some point in their lives? While Thomas can be annoying, Hamantaschen writes him with much empathy, even while Thomas denies his own desperate need for friendship.

Other fantastic stories include “That’s Just the Way Things Are These Days”, about a rare and strange disorder that affects a small portion of boys during puberty in a very unexpected manner; “Rococo Veins and Lurid Stains”, about a teenager contemplating suicide and what drives her thoughts; “Faithfully and Lovingly”, about a young couple destroyed by tragic events, though the tragedy ultimately continues; and “Story Title Revealed About Halfway Through”, about a young man who feels no emotions and cares for nothing, though a new treatment may have brought him too far in the other direction.

All the stories in A Deep Horror That Was Very Nearly Awe are highly engaging. Hamantaschen has a way of writing that completely draws you in and makes you feel something—anything—for all his characters.

Recommended

Contains some adult language and (minor) sexual situations; also contains some gore

Revieweed by Colleen Wanglund

Posted on October 28, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton

Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton

Blumhouse Books, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1101973837

Available:  Paperback, Kindle ebook, Audible, and audio CD

Haunted Nights collects sixteen previously unpublished tales of Halloween. It is co-edited by Ellen Datlow, a highly respected genre editor, and Lisa Morton, an authority on Halloween. Haunted Nights presents stories of related holidays as well (e.g. All Souls’ Day and Día de los Muertos).

While I enjoyed all of the stories in Haunted Nights, a few stood out from the others. In “With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfsbane Seeds,” Seanan McGuire weaves a great haunted house story that switches perspective between the dead and the living. Mary can’t abide the teenagers who disturb her house, especially on her birthday, but she knows how to take care of her house, and the intruders. Stephen Graham Jones presents a tale of familial loss and a disturbing return in “Dirtmouth.” Jonathan Maberry’s “A Small Taste of the Old Country,” set in 1948, proves revenge can be served warm and comforting. Garth Nix always delivers an excellent story, and his entry in this collection does not disappoint. In his tale, “The Seventeen Year Itch,” the new hospital administrator disregards all of the warnings from staff about patient Broward and the incessant itch he feels compelled to scratch every Halloween. “A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds” by Eric J. Guignard is set during Día de Muertos rather than Halloween. A misspelling on a sugar skull leads to an eventful night for a man in mourning. Paul Kane’s “The Turn” takes the perspective of multiple characters, and is surprisingly well done in such a short story. Tom Nolan has never gone out on Halloween, but the urgent call from the hospital about his dying grandmother drives him outdoors on the most haunted night of the year.

This collection belongs on the bookshelves of readers who love Halloween and other ghost-related holidays. Other authors in this anthology include Joanna Parypinski, Kate Jonez, Jeffrey Ford, Kelley Armstrong, S.P Miskowski, Brian Evenson, Elise Forier Edie, Pat Cadigan, John Lanagan, and John R. Little.

Contains: blood, bullying, homophobia, rape, sexual content

Recommended

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on August 15, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: You Only Get One Shot by Kevin J. Kennedy and J.C. Michael

You Only Get One Shot by Kevin J. Kennedy and J. C. Michael

Kevin J. Kennedy, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1548671518

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

One story to save your life: that’s what the email said.  One chance to save your life.  If the author of the email doesn’t like it, you’re dead.  One chance at redemption: one of four will live.  The players are four writers the email’s author blames for causing the suicide of an aspiring writer by being crass, rude.  deprecating, and insensitive.  This is serious, and not a scam: a fifth one has already gone to meet their maker.  The four contestants in this twisted game are Fiona, Diane, Drexl and, Simon, each of them as different as they can be.  None of them remember an aspiring writer they had snubbed so badly as to cause them to commit suicide.  They each send in a story: a story that may save their life.

 

You Only Get One Shot has an excellent premise that grabbed me from the start.  This was a twisted novella that flowed so well that I read it in nearly one sitting.  The suspense and action worked that well for me.  The opening chapter was brilliant.  It set the tone in a manner that pulled me straight in.  The characters each get their own chapter, which includes their submission: they are distinctive with their own individual tones, and it was easy to keep the various players separate.  The descriptions were well done, not going overboard.  I have not read anything like this before.  The main criticism I have is with the editing.  Mostly in the last quarter of the story, there were several instances of spelling errors and missing or duplicated words, and the occasional sentence that didn’t work.  I also did  not like the ending.  It was a twist that just didn’t work for me.  The epilogue was excellent though.  I have not read either of these authors’ work before, but would like to.  This was a fun story and well worth reading. Recommended for adult readers.

 

Contains:  Violence, Swearing, References to Suicide, Sexual references/situations/slavery, Abduction.

 

Reviewed By: Aaron Fletcher

 

 

 

Posted on May 4, 2018 by , Reply
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