Reviews

Aickman's Heirs by Simon Strantzas

jdcorley's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

There's a thousand and a half Lovecraft anthologies hanging around every ebook site and plenty of libraries too. It's rarer to find an Aickmanesque anthology, though just like Lovecraft, Aickman is an almost universally beloved inspirational figure throughout the ranks of horror writers. The sustained anxiety, the decrepit streets of ancient too-sunny towns, these are Aickman's trademarks. And this anthology hits around four triples right out of the gate. When I got to the halfway point I asked myself, "is this the greatest horror anthology of all time?" No, it isn't, it does indeed slowly revert to the mean, but even a few average/decent stories doesn't detract from the great ones. And there isn't a clunker in the bunch.

tyler_j's review against another edition

3.25

1. Seaside Town by Brian Evenson- 4 stars
2. Neithornor by Richard Evenson- 2 stars
3. Least Light Most Night by John Howard- 4 stars
4. Camp by David Nickle- 2 stars
5. A Delicate Craft by D.P. Watt- 5 stars
6. Seven Minutes in Heaven by Nadia Bulkin- 5 stars
7. Infestations by Michael Cisco- 1 star
8. The Dying Season by Lynda E. Rucker- 4.5 stars
9. A Discreet Music by Michael Wehunt- 2 stars
10. Underground Economy by John Langan- 2 stars
11. The Vault of Heaven by Helen Marshall- 2 stars
12. Two Brothers by Malcolm Devlin- 5 stars
13. The Lake by Daniel Mills- 3 stars
14. A Change of Scene by Nina Allan- 3.5 stars
15. The Book That Finds You by Lisa Tuttle- 5 stars

This, like most anthologies, was a mixed bag, but I did find some stories that I absolutely loved and some new authors to check out, which is always appreciated!

Average Rating: 3.33 

the_original_shelf_monkey's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

carlosernesto's review

4.0

Overall, a successful collection that captures the spirit of Aickman without falling into mere pastiche or imitation. While I liked some stories more than others, there was no tale that felt superfluous or detrimental to the over-all reading experience.

micahcastle's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

julietbb's review

5.0

The middle stories lagged a bit, but those stories at the beginning and end more than made up for it.

nancyo's review

challenging dark medium-paced

5.0

Short stories perfect for readers of the weird. Fantastic, extremely well written.