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tomatocultivator's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
subparcupcake's review against another edition
3.0
I waivered between three and four stars on this, and finally decided to go with three stars. The first couple stories I really liked, but then the stories started to disappoint me... Abrupt endings, story lines that just didn't appeal to me. I'm all for open endings, but some of these stories were barely even started before they ended. The last couple of stories really saved the book, in particular I loved "Voluntary Committal". Other great stories included "Pop Art" and "My Father's Mask" (although I have no idea what the latter was even about, I still found myself enjoying it immensely). Overall, I decided it was closer to three stars than it was to four, but I'm still looking forward to reading more from Hill.
badseedgirl's review against another edition
5.0
The thing with anthologies and collections is there is a lot of mediocre stories, but with this collection by Joe Hill, all the stories were good, not all were great, but they all held my interest.
To me the cream of this crop was "Pop Art." Once the reader gets past the absurdity of the story's premise, this tale in 29 pages wrung emotions out of me, like few stories have.
Most of the stories in this collection are about the relationships between parents and children. It has been fairly well documented that Stephen King, the authors father, spent the majority of Mr. Hill's childhood battling alcohol and drugs. Based on these stories, one has to wonder how this affected a young Joe.
I have felt very hit and miss about Joe Hill's writing, but I truly believe that short stories are where he shines. I look forward to reading more of his short stories.
To me the cream of this crop was "Pop Art." Once the reader gets past the absurdity of the story's premise, this tale in 29 pages wrung emotions out of me, like few stories have.
Most of the stories in this collection are about the relationships between parents and children. It has been fairly well documented that Stephen King, the authors father, spent the majority of Mr. Hill's childhood battling alcohol and drugs. Based on these stories, one has to wonder how this affected a young Joe.
I have felt very hit and miss about Joe Hill's writing, but I truly believe that short stories are where he shines. I look forward to reading more of his short stories.
etivepmc's review against another edition
4.0
You can tell that Joe Hill is his father's son with these short stories - however, I feel like he can appreciate much more what is involved in a short story, how much info is just the right amount of info without leaving you trying to figure out what's going on.
I loved pretty much every single story in here, the only one that wasn't really for me was Better Than Home - I just didn't understand what was going on.
I loved pretty much every single story in here, the only one that wasn't really for me was Better Than Home - I just didn't understand what was going on.
kalesaladd's review against another edition
4.0
Pop Art and Voluntary Committal were definitely the cream of the crop. I can already tell they're going to stick with me for a long time. A lot of the others were pretty good but didn't really leave a lasting impression.
labunnywtf's review against another edition
3.0
Mm.
I am super super glad this wasn't the first Joe Hill book I've ever read. It's not that the stories are bad, by any means. They're just not my type of stories. I was excited for this because I'm a horror story buff, and Hill is a master of horror. Period.
And in the introduction, written by the incredible Christopher Golden, he tells me up front that these are not horror stories, at least not in the conventional sense. So, I was warned. But still. These were just not my cup of tea. Let's go down the list.
Best New Horror - The closest to conventional, and so meta it hurts. This was a great introductory story. Seriously, I can't even tell you what it's about, it's so meta you have to read it for yourself. If my review leads you to not want to read the whole book, at least seek this one out.
20th Century Ghost - A ghost story. Literally. But not scary. Sweet, actually.
Pop Art - So bizarre. But really, really great. And sad. So, so sad.
You Will Hear The Locust Sing - I don't like bugs. I really, really don't like bugs. So, this one kind of had my skin crawling. But the sympathy I had for the main character was oddly intense.
Abraham's Boys - An amazing side story to the traditional Dracula tale. Absolutely worth the read.
Better Than Home and Bobby Conroy Comes Back From The Dead - Skip it.
The Black Phone - Not nearly as good as it could have been.
In The Rundown - You will spend a lot of time saying, "What are you doing, you idiot?"
The Cape - The only story with a real twist. And it's pretty fantastic.
Last Breath - SO WEIRD. But I really loved it. And want to know more about this museum.
Dead-Wood - Short, almost a poem. I listened to it twice. Beautiful, and one that might stay with you as it did with me.
The Widow's Breakfast - Uncategorical. Google says that's not a real word. I'm using it anyway.
My Father's Mask - I don't get it. Not even a little.
Voluntary Committal - I agree with Christopher Golden on this one, it is very reminiscent of Ray Bradbury. I believe this is the longest story in the bunch, and it's worth it.
Scheherazade's Typewriter - The hidden story. As someone who reads both the introductions and the acknowledgements, I loved how this one was hidden. And it's possibly my favorite? Also a ghost story, but a sweet and sad one.
I am super super glad this wasn't the first Joe Hill book I've ever read. It's not that the stories are bad, by any means. They're just not my type of stories. I was excited for this because I'm a horror story buff, and Hill is a master of horror. Period.
And in the introduction, written by the incredible Christopher Golden, he tells me up front that these are not horror stories, at least not in the conventional sense. So, I was warned. But still. These were just not my cup of tea. Let's go down the list.
Best New Horror - The closest to conventional, and so meta it hurts. This was a great introductory story. Seriously, I can't even tell you what it's about, it's so meta you have to read it for yourself. If my review leads you to not want to read the whole book, at least seek this one out.
20th Century Ghost - A ghost story. Literally. But not scary. Sweet, actually.
Pop Art - So bizarre. But really, really great. And sad. So, so sad.
You Will Hear The Locust Sing - I don't like bugs. I really, really don't like bugs. So, this one kind of had my skin crawling. But the sympathy I had for the main character was oddly intense.
Abraham's Boys - An amazing side story to the traditional Dracula tale. Absolutely worth the read.
Better Than Home and Bobby Conroy Comes Back From The Dead - Skip it.
The Black Phone - Not nearly as good as it could have been.
In The Rundown - You will spend a lot of time saying, "What are you doing, you idiot?"
The Cape - The only story with a real twist. And it's pretty fantastic.
Last Breath - SO WEIRD. But I really loved it. And want to know more about this museum.
Dead-Wood - Short, almost a poem. I listened to it twice. Beautiful, and one that might stay with you as it did with me.
The Widow's Breakfast - Uncategorical. Google says that's not a real word. I'm using it anyway.
My Father's Mask - I don't get it. Not even a little.
Voluntary Committal - I agree with Christopher Golden on this one, it is very reminiscent of Ray Bradbury. I believe this is the longest story in the bunch, and it's worth it.
Scheherazade's Typewriter - The hidden story. As someone who reads both the introductions and the acknowledgements, I loved how this one was hidden. And it's possibly my favorite? Also a ghost story, but a sweet and sad one.
cabrera_bre's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0