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biolexicon's review against another edition
3.0
The standout stories for me are: "Funeral Birds", "Money of the Dead", "Refinery Road", and "Skinder's Road"
calliek927's review against another edition
4.0
TBR...
Ok... It took me a while to decide how to review this, and I will keep it pretty short. This is a collection of short stories written inspired by the horror-great Shirley Jackson. I believe there is a total of 18, and I won't review each. That would be too long of a review for me, and I didn't take notes while reading/listening.
There were a few great ones, a few mediocre ones, and a couple I skipped after giving it a try. Some of my favorites were:
"For Sale By Owner" Elizabeth Hand
"Quiet Dead Things" Cassandra Khaw
"Hag" Benjamin Percy
Then a couple that I didn't dislike but were only 2.5-3 stars total. And only a couple I didn't get into. I'm wavering on an overall rating, but rounded up to 4. That may change later; only time will tell.
Ok... It took me a while to decide how to review this, and I will keep it pretty short. This is a collection of short stories written inspired by the horror-great Shirley Jackson. I believe there is a total of 18, and I won't review each. That would be too long of a review for me, and I didn't take notes while reading/listening.
There were a few great ones, a few mediocre ones, and a couple I skipped after giving it a try. Some of my favorites were:
"For Sale By Owner" Elizabeth Hand
"Quiet Dead Things" Cassandra Khaw
"Hag" Benjamin Percy
Then a couple that I didn't dislike but were only 2.5-3 stars total. And only a couple I didn't get into. I'm wavering on an overall rating, but rounded up to 4. That may change later; only time will tell.
nia_guy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
pbraue13's review against another edition
3.0
A decent collection, but it seemed like most of the writers were doing their own thing rather than trying to write like Jackson. There was some strong ones like "Funeral birds", "Take Me, I Am Free", or "For Sale By Owner" that seemed to have the Jackson spirit and some very atmospheric and fun ones like "In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There" or "Quiet Dead Things" that also had the more dark tones of "We Have Always Lived in the Castle". But otherwise it was just alright.
mialeyden's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
3 stars average. As in every anthology, some stories are good and some are not so good. It was a decent selection.
Highlights:
• "In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There" by Seanan McGuire
• "Money of the Dead" by Karen Heuler
• "A Trip to Paris" by Richard Kadrey
• "The Door in the Fence" by Jeffrey Ford
• "Special Meal" by Josh Malerman
Highlights:
• "In the Deep Woods; The Light is Different There" by Seanan McGuire
• "Money of the Dead" by Karen Heuler
• "A Trip to Paris" by Richard Kadrey
• "The Door in the Fence" by Jeffrey Ford
• "Special Meal" by Josh Malerman
twicomb's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted wanted wanted to love this, based on the premise. But story after story just did not grab me, and I found myself skimming faster and faster, trying to find even a single one that I felt was actually “Shirley Jackson”-esque.
I finally did, and no surprise here: it was the one by Joyce Carol Oates. THAT story (Take Me, I Am Free) was 5 stars.
The last story is the book, Skinder’s Veil by Kelly Link, was also excellent.
The rest…well, here’s what I’ll say. Having weird random shit happen in a short story and not bothering to explain it does not make said short story Shirley Jackson-esque. Unfortunately, this seemed to be unclear to many of the writers.
As always, your mileage may vary!
I finally did, and no surprise here: it was the one by Joyce Carol Oates. THAT story (Take Me, I Am Free) was 5 stars.
The last story is the book, Skinder’s Veil by Kelly Link, was also excellent.
The rest…well, here’s what I’ll say. Having weird random shit happen in a short story and not bothering to explain it does not make said short story Shirley Jackson-esque. Unfortunately, this seemed to be unclear to many of the writers.
As always, your mileage may vary!