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ninjabunneh's review against another edition
3.0
I find it quite difficult to rate a book that's an anthology. Some stories I may absolutely adore, some may be mediocre, others I may not enjoy at all. Such is the case of Things Withered.
All the stories are well written. There is a truck that has a certain pull on a young man which reminded me a lot of Stephen King's Christine. A woman who has an affair with a married man and suffers a cruel fate. A real estate broker who is getting on in years and needs a leg above the competition. And perhaps my favorite that involves a Disney store. I will never look at a stuffed Tigger the same way again.
Things Withered is a decent creepy book. It has the story style of The Twilight Zone. However, being a horror fan for oodles of years, I expect a bit more from my horror books. There was just something missing for me. I want to be clinging to my blankets, afraid to get out of bed because something might grab my foot from underneath. I want to be terrified to turn out the lights.
I want to be as freaked out as this cat.
3 Ninja-Bunnehs-Driving-Trucks
All the stories are well written. There is a truck that has a certain pull on a young man which reminded me a lot of Stephen King's Christine. A woman who has an affair with a married man and suffers a cruel fate. A real estate broker who is getting on in years and needs a leg above the competition. And perhaps my favorite that involves a Disney store. I will never look at a stuffed Tigger the same way again.
Things Withered is a decent creepy book. It has the story style of The Twilight Zone. However, being a horror fan for oodles of years, I expect a bit more from my horror books. There was just something missing for me. I want to be clinging to my blankets, afraid to get out of bed because something might grab my foot from underneath. I want to be terrified to turn out the lights.
I want to be as freaked out as this cat.
3 Ninja-Bunnehs-Driving-Trucks
atlantabelle's review
4.0
This was a great group of short stories. I liked all the characters in each story. They were fleshed out and interesting. Usually, when you read a series of short stories, there's always a few that don't fit in or just aren't as good as the rest. That wasn't the case with these. Great book!
beckylej's review
4.0
Having read Moloney's The Thirteen, it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise that her collection is fairly suburban focused. These tales make you wonder how well you know your neighbors, your friends, and even your family. Even knowing that, you'll find Moloney is particularly adept at surprising you - just when you think you know what to expect, she's guaranteed to turn the story on its head.
In "The Windemere" a realtor makes a startling discovery about her new neighbors. In "Wife" a woman tries desperately to hide her true nature from her husband. For a mother and her son, a weekend outing becomes deadly in "Petty Zoo." One man drives himself mad with fear of death in "Poor David, or, The Possibility of Coincidence in Situations of Multiple Occurrences." And anyone whose experienced it will sympathize with the poor girl in "The Audit."
With these tales and more, Moloney explores the ultimate fears and potential darkness that live behind closed doors - or even within us all!
A few of my personal favorites include:
"The Windemere," is the perfect start to the collection, setting an overall excellent tone. But it's the end of this story that really proved to be the so called cherry on top.
"The Last Living Summer," a little glimpse of the end of the world maybe?
"Reclamation on the Forest Floor," a dark gem of a tale that takes friendly rivalry to the next level.
"The Neighborhood, or, To the Devil With You," because evil isn't always what you expect it to be.
In "The Windemere" a realtor makes a startling discovery about her new neighbors. In "Wife" a woman tries desperately to hide her true nature from her husband. For a mother and her son, a weekend outing becomes deadly in "Petty Zoo." One man drives himself mad with fear of death in "Poor David, or, The Possibility of Coincidence in Situations of Multiple Occurrences." And anyone whose experienced it will sympathize with the poor girl in "The Audit."
With these tales and more, Moloney explores the ultimate fears and potential darkness that live behind closed doors - or even within us all!
A few of my personal favorites include:
"The Windemere," is the perfect start to the collection, setting an overall excellent tone. But it's the end of this story that really proved to be the so called cherry on top.
"The Last Living Summer," a little glimpse of the end of the world maybe?
"Reclamation on the Forest Floor," a dark gem of a tale that takes friendly rivalry to the next level.
"The Neighborhood, or, To the Devil With You," because evil isn't always what you expect it to be.
alexauthorshay's review
3.0
After reading The Thirteen and loving it, I found out Moloney had a short story collection out; I like horror and am trying to get more into short stories so it seemed a good fit. But many of these stories weren't horror at all, most not even all that suspenseful. Many of them also felt like they ended suddenly, building up to something and then getting cut off before the ending occurred. Certainly many had 'fantastic' events occur, bizarre happenings that would be impossible in reality as we know it. But none of the stories really left an impact beyond just how mundane they all were, with splashes of the odd you wouldn't expect and which left me wondering what exactly the point/goal of the stories were. Probably a lot of them could be framed as 'What if X', some weird thing happening in an otherwise normal situation, but the lack of distinct ending on many of the stories just makes them confusing.
andreablythe's review
5.0
Things Withered is a brilliant collection of short horror stories, in which Susie Maloney plays on the anxieties of everyday life to deliver horrifying chills. Whether it’s the need to hold onto a job, unfortunate deaths in the neighborhood, or competition between friends, the drive of each story is grounded in human beings with their own frustrations so that by the time things get really weird, the reader is already on edge.
Take, for example, “The Audit,” in which a young woman faces a growing mountain of paperwork as she attempts to prepare for being audited by the IRS. Taxes are an ordinary kind of fear, but the story manages to build an increasing tension through the escalating mountain of papers that need to be addressed combined with the indifference of the people around her.
The rest of my review can be read on >my blog.
Take, for example, “The Audit,” in which a young woman faces a growing mountain of paperwork as she attempts to prepare for being audited by the IRS. Taxes are an ordinary kind of fear, but the story manages to build an increasing tension through the escalating mountain of papers that need to be addressed combined with the indifference of the people around her.
The rest of my review can be read on >my blog.
scotchneat's review
3.0
A bit uneven. Some of the stories I liked very much, and some just felt like an extended horror punch line.
All of the stories have some element of "other" - supernatural, dark twits, horror. The ones that I liked dealt more with personal demons and smaller lives.
All of the stories have some element of "other" - supernatural, dark twits, horror. The ones that I liked dealt more with personal demons and smaller lives.
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