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Aprill 2020 - How Many??

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    Aprill 2020 - How Many??

    Finished 5 in April.

    Behold the Void by Philip Fracassi was one of the best short story collections of recent memory. Nine stories total, and not a bad one in the bunch (the opening story, 'Soft Construction of a Sunset' being my least favorite). Fracassi takes normal people, puts them in normal situations (for the most part) and then cranks up the weird, with bad things often happening to good characters. Favorite stories included the chilling 'Altar', where a trip to the local pool turns bad in both supernatural & real life events, 'Mother', where a young married college professor learns his wife is not what she seems to be, and 'Fail Safe', where a young boy is put in circumstances that will require him to make a decision that will change his life forever. Those were my favorites, though I could heartily recommend any of the other stories in BTV other than 'Sunset'. Highly recommended, but be prepared for some very dark fiction. 4.5 / 5

    Scanlines by Todd Keisling is the latest chapbook from Dim Shores Press, and some what of a departure for them, as Scanlines is a straight out horror story & not the weird fiction usually published by DSP. The story, which borrows heavily from the movie The Ring, deals with three nerdy high school friends who come across the video of a Pennsylvania congressman's suicide in the late 1980's and how viewing the video precedes dark changes in their lives. The story was based on the real life suicide of PA congressman Budd Dwyer, who shot himself in the head at a press conference the day before sentencing on bribery & corruption charges against him. The suicide was later broadcast for public viewing. Dark subject matter and Scanlines is a very dark story, but well worth seeking out. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more by Todd Keisling. 5 / 5

    Blackwater by Michael McDowell was a sprawling southern gothic tale spanning over 50 years in the lives of the Caskey family in Perdido, Alabama. At times I was so engrossed with Blackwater that I couldn't put it down; at other times I grew frustrated with the overriding Steel Magnolias feel to the story. I actually put the book aside at around page 200 and moved on to something else. I went back and finished it, and I was glad I did, as I found the ending of this very lengthy story (nearly 800 pages) to be satisfying. But I was left with the overriding thought that McDowell could have told essentially the same story without any supernatural elements at all. 3.5 / 5

    The Best of Subterranean ed. by William Schafer was a best of collection from the now defunct Subterranean magazine. This was a multi-genre anthology, with stories ranging from hard SF, Space Opera, Steampunk, Dark Fantasy, Horror and a Western. This was a pretty solid anthology, with only one story (out of 30 total) that I felt just fell flat. Several of the more memorable stories include: the screenplay 'Toys of Caliban' by George RR Martin, which was right out of the Twilight Zone, 'The Screams of Dragons' by Kelley Armstrong was a very dark urban modern fairy tale, 'The Last Log of Lachrimosa' was a dark SF story by Alastair Reynolds, 'Final Breathe' by Joe Hill was another Twilight Zonesque piece & 'White Lines on a Green Field' by Catherynne Valente, a light hearted look at Loki as a high school football star with a twisted, dark ending. There were other good stories by Caitlin Kiernan, Lewis Shiner, Michael Marshall Smith, Kage Baker, Tim Pratt, Daniel Abraham, KJ Parker, Ian MacLeod and Jay Lake. 4 / 5

    The Institute by Stephen King revisits a favorite long running theme in King's fiction: kids with psychic powers. In The Institute the kids are being kidnapped and weaponized by a shadowy organization that is using them to control the course of world events. As with all of King's stories, the characters are well drawn and the narrative flows at a smooth, but unhurried pace. However, with it being a common theme in King's fiction (and horror fiction in general), the story got a little long in the tooth for me at about the half way point. The ending was satisfying, though I could easily have done without all the explanation in the last 30 pages. It just kind of came off as anti-climatic on a story that was already over staying its welcome. Overall, I'd say it was firmly middle of the road King. In comparison to recent King publications, I'd put The Institute a step or two behind The Outsider & several steps above Sleeping Beauties. 3.5 / 5

    B

    #2
    April 2020 Reads:
    Finished 13 reads in April. Many shorter works due to attention span issues.

    Forward Collection by Blake Crouch, N.K. Jemisin, Veronica Roth,
    Amor Towles, Paul Tremblay, Andy Weir

    Audible collection of science fiction stories with several authors I want more from. First couple of stories were a bit to Sci-Fi for me. After that I really enjoyed the stories.
    4 Stars

    Blood Territory The Death of Jimmy O'Connell by Mark Whittaker
    This is a podcast from Australia turned into an audible original story. The story follows a murder case in remote Australia. Decent story but nothing special.
    3 Stars

    The Egg and Other Stories by Andy Weir
    This contains 9 short stories by Andy Weir. A couple are mediocre a couple are good and a few are very good.
    4 Stars

    The Man in the Black Suit: 4 Dark Tales by Stephen King
    This was a re-listen for me. I play this one once or twice every year. King short stories at there best.
    5 Stars

    A Murder of Manatees(Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent #2) by Larry Correia
    An audible freebie. An interesting story with hints of John Scalzi but lacked the character development that would have raised my rating.
    3 Stars

    The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
    Needed a feel good story and this one hits all the marks for me so I went back and read it again.
    5 Stars

    Isis (Harrow House #0.25) by Douglas Clegg
    I have almost bought this several times over the years. I then received a Limited and a Lettered in a couple of grab bags. It was an interesting tale, good but not great.
    3 Stars

    The Last Emperox (The Interdependency #3) by John Scalzi
    A satisfying end to the Interdependency trilogy. Interesting to see what Mr. Scalzi comes up with next.
    4 Stars

    Finding Tess: A Mother's Search for Answers in a Dopesick America by Beth Macy
    This is an audible original that chronicles one of the subjects of the original book Dopesick. It is a fascinating look at a young ladies struggles with addiction and the people around her.
    4 Stars

    The Nostalgia Society of Bright Lake, Kentucky by David Bell
    This story starts out great and ends good. Should have been a five star read but it just left me wanting more.
    4 Stars

    If It Bleeds by Stephen King
    Started like a nod to Mr. Mercedes but quickly became a new tale of The Outsider. Good read.
    4 Stars

    Bitters by Kaaron Warren
    This is an ARC of an upcoming Cemetery Dance novella series. I was an intriguing story but I failed to really connect with the characters and by the end found I did not really care. Decent read.
    3 Stars

    You Ought to Know by Adam Wade
    This was another audible freebie. I had never heard of Adam Wade but it sounded interesting. He basically tells stories from his life. Think David Sedaris with more humor and no less darkness. Really enjoyable.
    5 Stars

    Comment


      #3
      Just the 3 books for me, but one was huge so I don't feel too bad about missing my usual target.

      Stephen King - The Stand (Complete & Uncut) (7/10) I read the shorter version back in the 1980s and was slightly disappointed, it was good but not the full-on horror novel I was expecting. The beginning was great and the ending was satisfying but the whole middle section was too slow for my taste. This expanded version is worse. The opening has lost its impact by not starting at the gas station, and the plot and action are spread even more thinly. The hundreds of pages set in Boulder was just a real chore to get through. Neither version makes my King Top Ten.

      Andy Burns - This Dark Chest of Wonders: 40 Years of The Stand (4/10) The first quarter of the book discussing then novel was good, but the remainder dealing with the TV, Audiobook and Comic adaptations was of little interest to me.

      Edward Lee - Haunted House & Other Presidential Horrors (5/10) A mixed bag of short stories, the best told in Lee's typically over the top style, but others including the title story fell flat.

      Comment


        #4
        I got through three in April.

        Mystery Road by Kevin Lucia: Solid Twilight Zone-ish tale that while it maybe didn't reinvent the wheel, I wound up liking quite a bit. I found Lucia's writing style going down so smooth I didn't want to stop. I'll definitely be tracking more down by him (8/10)

        How We Broke by Bracken MacLeod and Paul Michael Anderson: A brother and sister confront their childhood while on a day trip to the old family cabin. Well developed characters and lingering mysteries made this a standout read. Glad I picked up the limited edition from Thunderstorm. (8/10)

        For Emmy by Mary SanGiovanni: A young girl's disappearance leads to Lovecraftian horror in this gem of a novella. This one hit my sweet spot and even though I was the fan of a particular plot point, it was a mere blip in how much I liked this one. Everything I have read from Ms. SanGiovanni has been great and this one seals the deal: I need to track down more of her work. (9/10)

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post
          I got through three in April.

          Mystery Road by Kevin Lucia: Solid Twilight Zone-ish tale that while it maybe didn't reinvent the wheel, I wound up liking quite a bit. I found Lucia's writing style going down so smooth I didn't want to stop. I'll definitely be tracking more down by him (8/10)

          How We Broke by Bracken MacLeod and Paul Michael Anderson: A brother and sister confront their childhood while on a day trip to the old family cabin. Well developed characters and lingering mysteries made this a standout read. Glad I picked up the limited edition from Thunderstorm. (8/10)

          For Emmy by Mary SanGiovanni: A young girl's disappearance leads to Lovecraftian horror in this gem of a novella. This one hit my sweet spot and even though I was the fan of a particular plot point, it was a mere blip in how much I liked this one. Everything I have read from Ms. SanGiovanni has been great and this one seals the deal: I need to track down more of her work. (9/10)
          I read MYSTERY ROAD, and that's a fair assessment...interesting, if predictable, with a style that made it an entertaining distraction. I'd probably give it a 7/10, but otherwise...
          Twitter: https://twitter.com/ron_clinton

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post
            I got through three in April.

            Mystery Road by Kevin Lucia: Solid Twilight Zone-ish tale that while it maybe didn't reinvent the wheel, I wound up liking quite a bit. I found Lucia's writing style going down so smooth I didn't want to stop. I'll definitely be tracking more down by him (8/10)

            How We Broke by Bracken MacLeod and Paul Michael Anderson: A brother and sister confront their childhood while on a day trip to the old family cabin. Well developed characters and lingering mysteries made this a standout read. Glad I picked up the limited edition from Thunderstorm. (8/10)

            For Emmy by Mary SanGiovanni: A young girl's disappearance leads to Lovecraftian horror in this gem of a novella. This one hit my sweet spot and even though I was the fan of a particular plot point, it was a mere blip in how much I liked this one. Everything I have read from Ms. SanGiovanni has been great and this one seals the deal: I need to track down more of her work. (9/10)
            Been a long time since I read it but I loved Mystery Road.

            Comment

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