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ross_maclean's review
4.0
Aickman writes in a precise, detailed manner so you’re in absolutely no doubt about the atmosphere he wishes to create for the reader. Minute details linger in the memory and give a somewhat unrelenting sense of each location. But there’s an extent to which some of the stories in this collection feel like they’re all build-up and the payoff somewhat anticlimactic.
While there’s no outright disappointing story in the collection, since so much of the joy in them stems from the richly drawn descriptiveness, it is definitely at its finest in the most overtly folk horror stories from the collection: Ringing the Changes and Bind Your Hair. Both those tales are beautifully realised with a pervading sense of unease instilled in both commonplace and outlandish situations.
While there’s no outright disappointing story in the collection, since so much of the joy in them stems from the richly drawn descriptiveness, it is definitely at its finest in the most overtly folk horror stories from the collection: Ringing the Changes and Bind Your Hair. Both those tales are beautifully realised with a pervading sense of unease instilled in both commonplace and outlandish situations.
scottishclaire's review
3.0
3.5 stars. I enjoyed these stories, although a few of them missed the mark for me being quite slow and without a satisfying payoff.
Saying that, I really liked this writer’s ability to skew place and environments in creepy and unsettling ways. I felt his rendering of houses and the spaces people move through were particularly good.
Saying that, I really liked this writer’s ability to skew place and environments in creepy and unsettling ways. I felt his rendering of houses and the spaces people move through were particularly good.
charshorrorcorner's review
4.0
This was a strange, but interesting collection!
I've been hearing from a number of other readers I trust that Robert Aickman's stories are fantastic. I was recently presented with the opportunity to pick up a few of his collections for free, and I jumped at the chance. Since Dark Entries won the September Monthly Read poll at the Literary Horror group on Goodreads, I started this one first.
These are NOT horror stories. Some of them hardly even seem to be stories at all...they're more like windows that look briefly on to some strange portion of someone's life and then they move on. There is no clear plot or point usually, but I found myself thinking deeply about every one of these tales, wondering if there were some hidden meaning that I wasn't getting. There was one seemingly clear ghost story here, "The Waiting Room." (I wonder if it was decided that there needed to be one clear, straightforward story included with this collection just to give the reader a break from all the thinking?)
I think my favorite story in this collection was the last one, "Bind Your Hair". I'm still thinking about it. I'm still thinking about "Ringing the Changes" as well. Don't ask me why, because I don't know...but it's still turning round in my noggin just the same.
I'm a horror loving gal...and I cut my teeth on the short stories of King, Straub, Etchison, Bradbury, Rasnic Tem, and other greats. I loved those tales with all my heart and I still do. I can't compare my Aickman experience to these other authors. That's not to say that I didn't like this collection, because I did. It's to say that these stories aren't even in the same league as those others. It's apples and oranges and both of them taste just fine to me.
Recommend for fans of weirdness.!
I've been hearing from a number of other readers I trust that Robert Aickman's stories are fantastic. I was recently presented with the opportunity to pick up a few of his collections for free, and I jumped at the chance. Since Dark Entries won the September Monthly Read poll at the Literary Horror group on Goodreads, I started this one first.
These are NOT horror stories. Some of them hardly even seem to be stories at all...they're more like windows that look briefly on to some strange portion of someone's life and then they move on. There is no clear plot or point usually, but I found myself thinking deeply about every one of these tales, wondering if there were some hidden meaning that I wasn't getting. There was one seemingly clear ghost story here, "The Waiting Room." (I wonder if it was decided that there needed to be one clear, straightforward story included with this collection just to give the reader a break from all the thinking?)
I think my favorite story in this collection was the last one, "Bind Your Hair". I'm still thinking about it. I'm still thinking about "Ringing the Changes" as well. Don't ask me why, because I don't know...but it's still turning round in my noggin just the same.
I'm a horror loving gal...and I cut my teeth on the short stories of King, Straub, Etchison, Bradbury, Rasnic Tem, and other greats. I loved those tales with all my heart and I still do. I can't compare my Aickman experience to these other authors. That's not to say that I didn't like this collection, because I did. It's to say that these stories aren't even in the same league as those others. It's apples and oranges and both of them taste just fine to me.
Recommend for fans of weirdness.!
ctgt's review against another edition
4.0
I've been on a real Aickman kick recently having just finished [b:The Wine-Dark Sea|65514|The Wine-Dark Sea|Robert Aickman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335660542s/65514.jpg|63562] I heard about a group read for this title and decided to join the discussion. This collection definitely had a "darker"(no pun intended) feel than Wine-Dark but I still wouldn't really call this horror. Weird, yes. Bizarre, absolutely. Loaded with subtext, without a doubt. I did enjoy this collection a bit more than Wine-Dark but that is directly related to all the discussion during the group read. I truly believe Aickman stories need to be kicked around amongst a group of readers.
I really loved Ringing the Changes, The View and Bind Your Hair with The Waiting Room being the weakest.
You live surrounded by the claims of other people: to your labour when they call it peace, your life when they call it war; to your celibacy when they call you a bachelor, your body when they call you a husband. They tell you where you shall live, what you shall do, and what thoughts are dangerous. Does not some modern Frenchman, exhausted by it all and very naturally, say, "Hell is other people?"
I really loved Ringing the Changes, The View and Bind Your Hair with The Waiting Room being the weakest.
You live surrounded by the claims of other people: to your labour when they call it peace, your life when they call it war; to your celibacy when they call you a bachelor, your body when they call you a husband. They tell you where you shall live, what you shall do, and what thoughts are dangerous. Does not some modern Frenchman, exhausted by it all and very naturally, say, "Hell is other people?"
micahcastle's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
jenniferlynnkrohn's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
These are satisfying weird (the genre) tales. The plots are well-constructed, the atmosphere is eerie, and the writing is quite good. I enjoyed the stories, but, with the exception of "The School Friend" and "Bind Your Hair," none are really going to stick with me.
brandonapplegate's review
4.0
This is my first experience with Robert Aickman, so I am not sure if this is the same across his catalog, but there is a formula to the stories in this book. The formula is:
1. Begin the story with a boatload of character development and setup in the style of a typical turn-of-the-century gothic (think James or Wakefield).
2. At the appointed time, slowly start making things creepy.
3. Then suddenly, and without warning, HOLY CRAP WHAT IS GOING ON THIS IS SO WEIRD AND CREEPY!
4. Go back to the previous gothic style and end with your characters being thoroughly confused and in some form of denial.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
1. Begin the story with a boatload of character development and setup in the style of a typical turn-of-the-century gothic (think James or Wakefield).
2. At the appointed time, slowly start making things creepy.
3. Then suddenly, and without warning, HOLY CRAP WHAT IS GOING ON THIS IS SO WEIRD AND CREEPY!
4. Go back to the previous gothic style and end with your characters being thoroughly confused and in some form of denial.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
jaydeereading's review
3.0
Really, this is another case where the rating would be 3.5 if Goodreads let us give half-stars. The quality here is stronger than it feels like a three-star review deserves, but I'd have to give the stories here some time to linger in my mind before I felt comfortable saying that they had the impact of a four-star read.
readawaytherain's review
3.0
This short story collection took me quite some time to read. As with a lot of short story collections I did like some of the stories, but others weren't really for me. The stories were not as scary as I expected them to be, but they definitely had a mysterious atmosphere. Eventhough I was not always sure what exactly was going on, the stories somehow still intrigued me. They are not the best short stories I've ever read but I am compelled to pick up another of Aickman's short story collections.
esperata's review
3.0
These stories contain a subtle horror that you can never quite pin down. It seemed that the women in these stories were purveyors and the men came across as the victims. The author apparently wished to unsettle rather than scare.