Finished 6 in November.
1. I Am Legend. The Matheson classic still retains its punch. 5 / 5
2. Portents ed. by Al Sarrantonio. Apparently the last anthology to be edited by Sarrantonio. Favorites were ‘Johnstown’ by Brian Keene & ‘The Hag’s Peak Affair’ by Jeffrey Ford. Also good stories by Melanie Tem, Elizabeth Massie & Christopher Fowler. 3.5 / 5
3. Blooding Night by Tim Curran. The first thing I’ve read by Curran in awhile. He used to be an automatic read for me, but I’ve gotten away from his work after a couple of lackluster reads. Blooding Night wasn’t bad. Probably not as hard core as advertised (the publisher actually had a warning in the front of the book; the first time I‘ve seen that). For a short novel it was some what repetitive, something I’ve noticed in past Curran books. 3.5 / 5
4. The Black Maybe by Attila Veres is the first English language collection from this Hungarian author, and it was quite good. The 10 stories in TBM tended more towards the weird, than outright horror, though each dealt with horrific elements in its own way. Of the 10 stories, there was really only one I didn’t care for. Favorites were ‘Fogtown’, about a mysterious band that no one has actually seen perform, ‘Return to the Midnight School’, about the strange farming practices of a small, isolated Hungarian village, & ‘Walks Among You’, a small religious cult deals with the strains of practicing in the modern day. Overall very impressed with this first reading of Veres. 4 / 5
5. Of Foster Homes and Flies by Chad Lutzke. The first thing I’ve read by Lutzke, this novella deals with a 12 year old boy that lets the corpse of his alcoholic mother rot in the family home so it doesn’t interfere with his preparation for the upcoming school spelling bee. I liked the story; you sympathize with the young boy even with the terrible decision he’s made. 3.5 / 5
6. Fairy Tale by Stephen King. The fairy tale only King could write, his latest calls to mind The Talisman & Eyes of the Dragon, though it stands firmly on its own. As with a lot King epics over the years, this is a story about the journey and not so much the destination (I thought the climax was a little underwhelming). That being said, I think Fairy Tale is King’s second very strong effort in a row (following up Billy Summers) and I looked forward to his next book . 4.5 / 5
B
1. I Am Legend. The Matheson classic still retains its punch. 5 / 5
2. Portents ed. by Al Sarrantonio. Apparently the last anthology to be edited by Sarrantonio. Favorites were ‘Johnstown’ by Brian Keene & ‘The Hag’s Peak Affair’ by Jeffrey Ford. Also good stories by Melanie Tem, Elizabeth Massie & Christopher Fowler. 3.5 / 5
3. Blooding Night by Tim Curran. The first thing I’ve read by Curran in awhile. He used to be an automatic read for me, but I’ve gotten away from his work after a couple of lackluster reads. Blooding Night wasn’t bad. Probably not as hard core as advertised (the publisher actually had a warning in the front of the book; the first time I‘ve seen that). For a short novel it was some what repetitive, something I’ve noticed in past Curran books. 3.5 / 5
4. The Black Maybe by Attila Veres is the first English language collection from this Hungarian author, and it was quite good. The 10 stories in TBM tended more towards the weird, than outright horror, though each dealt with horrific elements in its own way. Of the 10 stories, there was really only one I didn’t care for. Favorites were ‘Fogtown’, about a mysterious band that no one has actually seen perform, ‘Return to the Midnight School’, about the strange farming practices of a small, isolated Hungarian village, & ‘Walks Among You’, a small religious cult deals with the strains of practicing in the modern day. Overall very impressed with this first reading of Veres. 4 / 5
5. Of Foster Homes and Flies by Chad Lutzke. The first thing I’ve read by Lutzke, this novella deals with a 12 year old boy that lets the corpse of his alcoholic mother rot in the family home so it doesn’t interfere with his preparation for the upcoming school spelling bee. I liked the story; you sympathize with the young boy even with the terrible decision he’s made. 3.5 / 5
6. Fairy Tale by Stephen King. The fairy tale only King could write, his latest calls to mind The Talisman & Eyes of the Dragon, though it stands firmly on its own. As with a lot King epics over the years, this is a story about the journey and not so much the destination (I thought the climax was a little underwhelming). That being said, I think Fairy Tale is King’s second very strong effort in a row (following up Billy Summers) and I looked forward to his next book . 4.5 / 5
B