Finished 4 books with a DNF in November.
1. Dark and Lonely Water by Graeme Reynolds. I enjoyed the first half of DALW, which was more of a standard creature feature / folklore horror story. The second half introduced a conspiracy theory to the storyline, which I found less interesting. This was the second novel I’ve read by Reynolds, and while he is a serviceable story teller, I don’t see me seeking out his work again in the future. 3 / 5
2. The Secret Life of Insects was a short story collection by Mexican author Bernardo Esquinca. While there are certainly horrific elements, most of the stories in TSLOI would fall more into the strange or weird tale. Favorites were ‘Senor Ligotti’, were a struggling writer makes a deal with a rich, older benefactor. However, problems arise when the writer no longer wants to fulfill his end of the bargain. ‘Pan’s Noontide’ was about a man searching for his estranged wife, who may have joined an ecoterrorist group making sacrifices to the god Pan. 3.9 / 5
3. Skin Medicine by Tim Curran had a lot of things going on in it, and none of them really came together in the end. Major storylines that just kind of disappeared & character arcs that stretched credibility, even for a Curran story, didn’t help. I definitely prefer Curran at shorter lengths. 2 / 5
4. Holly by Stephen King was one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. Holly Gibney is hired by a woman to find her missing daughter. During her investigation she uncovers several more disappearances in the same area. Unlike The Outsider, there’s nothing supernatural going on in Holly, but the story does go to some very dark places. 4.5 / 5
5. Down in the Deep, Dark Places by Jason Parent. After a novel I didn’t like, a novella that I thought was awful, and only 3 stories in before DNFing this collection, I think I can safely say that Parent is not an author for me. DNF
B
1. Dark and Lonely Water by Graeme Reynolds. I enjoyed the first half of DALW, which was more of a standard creature feature / folklore horror story. The second half introduced a conspiracy theory to the storyline, which I found less interesting. This was the second novel I’ve read by Reynolds, and while he is a serviceable story teller, I don’t see me seeking out his work again in the future. 3 / 5
2. The Secret Life of Insects was a short story collection by Mexican author Bernardo Esquinca. While there are certainly horrific elements, most of the stories in TSLOI would fall more into the strange or weird tale. Favorites were ‘Senor Ligotti’, were a struggling writer makes a deal with a rich, older benefactor. However, problems arise when the writer no longer wants to fulfill his end of the bargain. ‘Pan’s Noontide’ was about a man searching for his estranged wife, who may have joined an ecoterrorist group making sacrifices to the god Pan. 3.9 / 5
3. Skin Medicine by Tim Curran had a lot of things going on in it, and none of them really came together in the end. Major storylines that just kind of disappeared & character arcs that stretched credibility, even for a Curran story, didn’t help. I definitely prefer Curran at shorter lengths. 2 / 5
4. Holly by Stephen King was one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. Holly Gibney is hired by a woman to find her missing daughter. During her investigation she uncovers several more disappearances in the same area. Unlike The Outsider, there’s nothing supernatural going on in Holly, but the story does go to some very dark places. 4.5 / 5
5. Down in the Deep, Dark Places by Jason Parent. After a novel I didn’t like, a novella that I thought was awful, and only 3 stories in before DNFing this collection, I think I can safely say that Parent is not an author for me. DNF
B
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