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zoe_e_w's review against another edition
3.0
I should preface the review by saying that I had decided a few years back not to review short story collections because I'm not all that fair to the format. I'd changed my mind by reading some flash fiction collections, and I found certain books that I enjoyed quite a bit. But I can't say I enjoyed much of this collection, and I admit my issues with it are more about my biases than anything wrong with the writing.
I did enjoy the first story in the collection, which bears the same name as the book. But the reason why Autumn In the Abyss worked for me is in its length, being a novelette that builds on a mystery slowly to reveal the fate of a poet who went missing in the sixties, Henry Coronado. The narrator is an agoraphobic shut-in who has become obsessed with solving this mystery, which is surrounded by names of many writers from the same era. This is another reason why the story works for me, because it wraps itself in history in such a way that I can almost imagine that this is something that really happened. It wasn't until close to the reveal that I guessed the ending, and by then, I was so invested in the story that I didn't mind finding out why Henry vanished, and why his works slipped so rapidly out of the public eye. There's also some interesting concepts about the power and purpose of words that tickles at my brain with possible inspiration for stories, and so yes, I really did enjoy this story. If I were giving a score based on this one story alone, Autumn In the Abyss would be a 5 star book.
Then comes Broken Teacup, and I didn't like it at all. It's fairly short, and the plot follows men who make snuff porn films. This is the kind of horror story where one should hate the characters and root for the monster which we know is coming for them. But this kind of story rarely has the right impact on me. I think it's because on any given day, I see similar real news stories about the worst humanity has to offer, and there's no shock value in seeing these kinds of people starring as the main characters. Similarly, I feel no satisfaction at these characters meeting their demise. To truly horrify me, you have to give me someone to feel invested in, and to feel afraid for in the face of danger. That doesn't have to be a good person, either. It just has to be someone compelling enough to make me see the threat through their eyes. But Broken Teacup doesn't give me any time to understand the characters. It's too short to allow for emotional investment of any kind. There's these guys, and they torture and kill women for custom porn videos. Then they meet a monster, and that's the end of the story. This really doesn't work for me.
The third story, La mia immortalita, starts off with steps in the right direction by introducing me to an artist who is desperate to create a work of art that will gain him a place in history. This is something I can understand, wanting to achieve fame powerful enough to ensure that the world will not forget him after he's gone. But shortly after weakly building this connection to me, the character reveals a nasty side that almost matches the empty callousness of the snuff pornographers from the previous story. His evil side is barely revealed when the monster appears for another episode of divine justice, and it's as much the brevity of the story as the empty shallowness of the character that keeps me from enjoying it.
The fourth story, Becoming Human tries to shift gears, following a detective mentally broken and scarred after solving the case the defined his career. Here, while it's possible to feel something for Detective Roberto Vera, the story of the psychopath he tracked and arrested feels pretty far-fetched, and the story of Vera hunting down a copycat killer and making a shocking discovery is just as out there. Which I don't suppose I would have minded if the whole thing didn't feel so rushed. The story ends in such a way that Roberto has closure and possible redemption, but I can't say I felt anything more for him than I did for the doomed snuff crew. Which is a shame, because I suspect in a longer story, I might feel more invested in a mentally broken but basically good character like Roberto.
Last in the collection is Where the Light Won't Find You, and it diverts the most wildly from the others in the story while still sharing certain themes and characters. In this story, Derek Jenner is a guy who's just had a fight with his girlfriend and decides to go to the movies to give her time to calm down. Once at the movie theater, he sees a movie title ominously flickering and asks about it, only to be told it is sold out...in a theater that's mostly empty. He buys a ticket to another movie, and then goes to the movie anyway, where he sees something he was not meant to. It's just as brief as the four previous stories, but where this one helps build some investment, and thus a real sense of horror, is that Derek is an okay guy. He's not beating his girlfriend, they just had an argument and he already feels bad about it. Who hasn't been there before? So when there's a threat to his safety, it's easier to feel worried for him, and to want him to escape.
I kind of wish the other stories had been bumpered with more offerings like this one as a way to balance out all the shallow cruelty. But even then, I don't think I would feel anything for the second and third stories. They're sliver thin slices of nastiness where cosmic justice steps in to "redress the balance," or Karma taking on a monstrous physical form. The same theme is present in the final tale, but it's the act of changing focus to a more relatable character that helped give me a genuine scare.
So that's two stories out of five that I enjoyed, two that I felt nothing for, and one that I wanted to feel something if only the antagonist hadn't broken my ability to suspend disbelief. I feel I should say that all are written well, artfully, even. This is consistent with the previous short stories I've read from Smith, but those single stories, found in various online publications, were longer and allowed more time to the development of their characters and themes. So I feel like what's missing here in two of the three tales is time to develop any feelings for the characters, even if the intended emotion that should be invoked is revulsion.
As a whole I give Autumn In the Abyss 3 stars, and I admit my problems with the some of the stories lies more in their brevity than in their tone. I'm sure this will have more appeal to fans of gritty horror, but aside from the first and last story, the lack of space to roam and explore leaves me wanting more.
I did enjoy the first story in the collection, which bears the same name as the book. But the reason why Autumn In the Abyss worked for me is in its length, being a novelette that builds on a mystery slowly to reveal the fate of a poet who went missing in the sixties, Henry Coronado. The narrator is an agoraphobic shut-in who has become obsessed with solving this mystery, which is surrounded by names of many writers from the same era. This is another reason why the story works for me, because it wraps itself in history in such a way that I can almost imagine that this is something that really happened. It wasn't until close to the reveal that I guessed the ending, and by then, I was so invested in the story that I didn't mind finding out why Henry vanished, and why his works slipped so rapidly out of the public eye. There's also some interesting concepts about the power and purpose of words that tickles at my brain with possible inspiration for stories, and so yes, I really did enjoy this story. If I were giving a score based on this one story alone, Autumn In the Abyss would be a 5 star book.
Then comes Broken Teacup, and I didn't like it at all. It's fairly short, and the plot follows men who make snuff porn films. This is the kind of horror story where one should hate the characters and root for the monster which we know is coming for them. But this kind of story rarely has the right impact on me. I think it's because on any given day, I see similar real news stories about the worst humanity has to offer, and there's no shock value in seeing these kinds of people starring as the main characters. Similarly, I feel no satisfaction at these characters meeting their demise. To truly horrify me, you have to give me someone to feel invested in, and to feel afraid for in the face of danger. That doesn't have to be a good person, either. It just has to be someone compelling enough to make me see the threat through their eyes. But Broken Teacup doesn't give me any time to understand the characters. It's too short to allow for emotional investment of any kind. There's these guys, and they torture and kill women for custom porn videos. Then they meet a monster, and that's the end of the story. This really doesn't work for me.
The third story, La mia immortalita, starts off with steps in the right direction by introducing me to an artist who is desperate to create a work of art that will gain him a place in history. This is something I can understand, wanting to achieve fame powerful enough to ensure that the world will not forget him after he's gone. But shortly after weakly building this connection to me, the character reveals a nasty side that almost matches the empty callousness of the snuff pornographers from the previous story. His evil side is barely revealed when the monster appears for another episode of divine justice, and it's as much the brevity of the story as the empty shallowness of the character that keeps me from enjoying it.
The fourth story, Becoming Human tries to shift gears, following a detective mentally broken and scarred after solving the case the defined his career. Here, while it's possible to feel something for Detective Roberto Vera, the story of the psychopath he tracked and arrested feels pretty far-fetched, and the story of Vera hunting down a copycat killer and making a shocking discovery is just as out there. Which I don't suppose I would have minded if the whole thing didn't feel so rushed. The story ends in such a way that Roberto has closure and possible redemption, but I can't say I felt anything more for him than I did for the doomed snuff crew. Which is a shame, because I suspect in a longer story, I might feel more invested in a mentally broken but basically good character like Roberto.
Last in the collection is Where the Light Won't Find You, and it diverts the most wildly from the others in the story while still sharing certain themes and characters. In this story, Derek Jenner is a guy who's just had a fight with his girlfriend and decides to go to the movies to give her time to calm down. Once at the movie theater, he sees a movie title ominously flickering and asks about it, only to be told it is sold out...in a theater that's mostly empty. He buys a ticket to another movie, and then goes to the movie anyway, where he sees something he was not meant to. It's just as brief as the four previous stories, but where this one helps build some investment, and thus a real sense of horror, is that Derek is an okay guy. He's not beating his girlfriend, they just had an argument and he already feels bad about it. Who hasn't been there before? So when there's a threat to his safety, it's easier to feel worried for him, and to want him to escape.
I kind of wish the other stories had been bumpered with more offerings like this one as a way to balance out all the shallow cruelty. But even then, I don't think I would feel anything for the second and third stories. They're sliver thin slices of nastiness where cosmic justice steps in to "redress the balance," or Karma taking on a monstrous physical form. The same theme is present in the final tale, but it's the act of changing focus to a more relatable character that helped give me a genuine scare.
So that's two stories out of five that I enjoyed, two that I felt nothing for, and one that I wanted to feel something if only the antagonist hadn't broken my ability to suspend disbelief. I feel I should say that all are written well, artfully, even. This is consistent with the previous short stories I've read from Smith, but those single stories, found in various online publications, were longer and allowed more time to the development of their characters and themes. So I feel like what's missing here in two of the three tales is time to develop any feelings for the characters, even if the intended emotion that should be invoked is revulsion.
As a whole I give Autumn In the Abyss 3 stars, and I admit my problems with the some of the stories lies more in their brevity than in their tone. I'm sure this will have more appeal to fans of gritty horror, but aside from the first and last story, the lack of space to roam and explore leaves me wanting more.
avanders's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, my initial thoughts (from before): this book definitely needs some trigger warnings (rape victims). And it is probably the darkest book I've ever read (and I'm quite glad to have it done). Nevertheless, it is well written. More later...
And my review:
**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review**
It's dark. For the majority of readers out there who don't think it gets *much* darker than Stephen King, I think it's important to stress that. It's darker than Stephen King. I haven't yet put my finger yet on what the difference is... I think it's like.. reading Stephen King is like reading a magazine, it's glossy. And reading this book was like reading a horrendous transcript of real life events, it's gritty.
Terrible people do terrible things to other people. BUT there's a sort-of moral response in each. In each? yes, it's a series (short series) of short stories.
Overall, the writing was really good, some of the ideas were great (the title story) and unique (though you don't know why until it's over), and some of the stories were deeply disturbing. The pacing was ok -- better in some place than in others. A little slow from time-to-time. But the short of it is this: if you are into reading books about the horrible, violent things that some people do to others, regardless of whether there are any repercussions, then this is probably the book for you. It is well done, in that. Conversely, if that doesn't appeal to you? This one won't sit well with you. Also, as mentioned, TRIGGER WARNINGS should be apparent on this one. If you are triggered by discussions of/scenes of/insinuations of rape, particularly the violent kind, best to stay far away.
I also note that, although many seem to think only the 3 shorter stories are linked... to me, they are all quite linked (though not all feature Mr. Liu). Importantly, there is a common theme that runs through each of the stories, which becomes apparent when you finish and take a step back to consider.
All in all, FOUR of five stars because it is well written and, for those who don't mind the DARK stuff, it is probably quite good. For me, it was hard to read and I was glad to be done, but I can recognize the talent therein.
Individually:
Autumn in the Abyss is the best of the stories. It also does not have any trigger issues. To describe it, I think would spoil it. Just the most basic, then: The narrator is a several decade shut-in agoraphobe who has spent the past several decades eating, researching the poet Coronado, eating, not cleaning himself often, not cleaning his digs often, and eating. He is obsessed with the poet Coronado and how/why he disappeared, decades ago. Coronado was a poet in the time of the beat poets (Keroac), but with a dark style, completely his own. One day, his car is discovered on the side of the road, the driver's door open, and Coronado is never seen again. As the narrator delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, he starts to receive warnings and hear disturbing "creature" noises from on his roof. To say more would be to spoil it, but I will say that this was interesting, unique, well done. Definitely the highlight piece.
Broken Teacup, La mia immortalita, and Where the Light Won't Find You are all clearly related, shorter pieces. In each, a Mr. Liu appears, rendering the experiences of the otherwise-protagonist(s) more unique. In Broken Teacup, it is two porn-movie makers who begin to make more and more disturbing and horrific films, when Mr. Liu appears. In La mia immortalita, it is an artist seeking immortality, who is historically cruel and indifferent to his lovers. And in Where the Light Won't Find You, it is your average, everyday Joe, just out for a movie on a free afternoon. Of the 3, I think La mia immortalita might be trigger-free (though I would not guarantee that), and Where the Light Won't Find you is pretty light, relatively speaking. However, Broken Teacup does describe in some detail some of the darker projects, and I would recommend staying away to anyone w/ trigger issues.
Finally, Becoming Human... This one is the most important one to note w/ a TRIGGER warning. It is a dark piece, from the perspective of a detective who has become obsessed in his life with finding and punishing this truly horrific serial murderer/ETC.'er and, as relevant to this story, his copycat. This one takes a very interesting turn and has a satisfying ending, but, again, to say more is to spoil. IF you like the darkest, sickest, most disturbing, this will be fine for you and perhaps even enjoyable -- esp. in consideration of the potential consequences for actions.... Otherwise, despite the good that is in this story, the detail renders is the most problematic, as far as triggers are concerned.
And my review:
**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review**
It's dark. For the majority of readers out there who don't think it gets *much* darker than Stephen King, I think it's important to stress that. It's darker than Stephen King. I haven't yet put my finger yet on what the difference is... I think it's like.. reading Stephen King is like reading a magazine, it's glossy. And reading this book was like reading a horrendous transcript of real life events, it's gritty.
Terrible people do terrible things to other people. BUT there's a sort-of moral response in each. In each? yes, it's a series (short series) of short stories.
Overall, the writing was really good, some of the ideas were great (the title story) and unique (though you don't know why until it's over), and some of the stories were deeply disturbing. The pacing was ok -- better in some place than in others. A little slow from time-to-time. But the short of it is this: if you are into reading books about the horrible, violent things that some people do to others, regardless of whether there are any repercussions, then this is probably the book for you. It is well done, in that. Conversely, if that doesn't appeal to you? This one won't sit well with you. Also, as mentioned, TRIGGER WARNINGS should be apparent on this one. If you are triggered by discussions of/scenes of/insinuations of rape, particularly the violent kind, best to stay far away.
I also note that, although many seem to think only the 3 shorter stories are linked... to me, they are all quite linked (though not all feature Mr. Liu). Importantly, there is a common theme that runs through each of the stories, which becomes apparent when you finish and take a step back to consider.
All in all, FOUR of five stars because it is well written and, for those who don't mind the DARK stuff, it is probably quite good. For me, it was hard to read and I was glad to be done, but I can recognize the talent therein.
Individually:
Autumn in the Abyss is the best of the stories. It also does not have any trigger issues. To describe it, I think would spoil it. Just the most basic, then: The narrator is a several decade shut-in agoraphobe who has spent the past several decades eating, researching the poet Coronado, eating, not cleaning himself often, not cleaning his digs often, and eating. He is obsessed with the poet Coronado and how/why he disappeared, decades ago. Coronado was a poet in the time of the beat poets (Keroac), but with a dark style, completely his own. One day, his car is discovered on the side of the road, the driver's door open, and Coronado is never seen again. As the narrator delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, he starts to receive warnings and hear disturbing "creature" noises from on his roof. To say more would be to spoil it, but I will say that this was interesting, unique, well done. Definitely the highlight piece.
Broken Teacup, La mia immortalita, and Where the Light Won't Find You are all clearly related, shorter pieces. In each, a Mr. Liu appears, rendering the experiences of the otherwise-protagonist(s) more unique. In Broken Teacup, it is two porn-movie makers who begin to make more and more disturbing and horrific films, when Mr. Liu appears. In La mia immortalita, it is an artist seeking immortality, who is historically cruel and indifferent to his lovers. And in Where the Light Won't Find You, it is your average, everyday Joe, just out for a movie on a free afternoon. Of the 3, I think La mia immortalita might be trigger-free (though I would not guarantee that), and Where the Light Won't Find you is pretty light, relatively speaking. However, Broken Teacup does describe in some detail some of the darker projects, and I would recommend staying away to anyone w/ trigger issues.
Finally, Becoming Human... This one is the most important one to note w/ a TRIGGER warning. It is a dark piece, from the perspective of a detective who has become obsessed in his life with finding and punishing this truly horrific serial murderer/ETC.'er and, as relevant to this story, his copycat. This one takes a very interesting turn and has a satisfying ending, but, again, to say more is to spoil. IF you like the darkest, sickest, most disturbing, this will be fine for you and perhaps even enjoyable -- esp. in consideration of the potential consequences for actions.... Otherwise, despite the good that is in this story, the detail renders is the most problematic, as far as triggers are concerned.
charshorrorcorner's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars!
Balance in the world and in the universe is a recurring theme in this collection of five stories. What does it take to achieve balance? And who, or what, gets to decide what constitutes balance? The tales in this volume address these questions in a highly entertaining way.
The Autumn in the Abyss - Can words change the world? Not just your world, but the entire world? Sprinkled with quotes like "The Word is a living thing" and "Language is a virus from outer space", this is a beautifully written tale that is hard to describe. Can words summon things, things not of this world, things that thrive on human suffering? Can words twist things around so much that you hardly even know yourself anymore? You will have to read this to find out.
"All paths are paved with the carcasses of experience."
Broken Teacup -This was a short, nasty little tale, reminiscent of the bizarro genre or of hardcore horror authors like Edward Lee. In this story, Mr. Liu makes his first appearance. Think of Mr. Liu as a warped ambassador of the cosmic. Always trying to achieve balance at the behest of his superiors. I believe balance was achieved here.
La mia immortalita - Involved in his latest art project, Samuel's dismissive and arrogant personality is on display here. The more frustrated he gets with his work, the more unlikable he becomes. Mr. Liu makes yet another appearance after Samuel proves once and for all that he is a most despicable human being. As Mr. Liu himself states: "Those who require balance within the universe have a perverse sense of humor, Mr. Nisi. I am their liaison here on earth." We'll just say that Samuel's art sculpture did not come out as he'd originally planned.
"People-what a pitiable race to be associated with."
Becoming Human -I think this was my favorite story of the bunch-deep, dark and wicked, but with a sense of hope (against ALL odds), that shines through and in the end, wins.
Where the Light Won't Find You -This was a relatively short story that showcased a scary insect-like thing in a movie theater. In the dark. In the chair behind you. Yeah, it was good.
Overall, this collection was well above average. It features cosmic horror with undertones of Barker and Lee-a combination not often found. It showcases outstanding prose with fantastic ideas hiding within the words. I have no reservations highly recommending this collection to fans of horror, most especially fans of cosmic and/or literary horror.
I was provided a free copy of this book to honestly review for Horror After Dark.
Balance in the world and in the universe is a recurring theme in this collection of five stories. What does it take to achieve balance? And who, or what, gets to decide what constitutes balance? The tales in this volume address these questions in a highly entertaining way.
The Autumn in the Abyss - Can words change the world? Not just your world, but the entire world? Sprinkled with quotes like "The Word is a living thing" and "Language is a virus from outer space", this is a beautifully written tale that is hard to describe. Can words summon things, things not of this world, things that thrive on human suffering? Can words twist things around so much that you hardly even know yourself anymore? You will have to read this to find out.
"All paths are paved with the carcasses of experience."
Broken Teacup -This was a short, nasty little tale, reminiscent of the bizarro genre or of hardcore horror authors like Edward Lee. In this story, Mr. Liu makes his first appearance. Think of Mr. Liu as a warped ambassador of the cosmic. Always trying to achieve balance at the behest of his superiors. I believe balance was achieved here.
La mia immortalita - Involved in his latest art project, Samuel's dismissive and arrogant personality is on display here. The more frustrated he gets with his work, the more unlikable he becomes. Mr. Liu makes yet another appearance after Samuel proves once and for all that he is a most despicable human being. As Mr. Liu himself states: "Those who require balance within the universe have a perverse sense of humor, Mr. Nisi. I am their liaison here on earth." We'll just say that Samuel's art sculpture did not come out as he'd originally planned.
"People-what a pitiable race to be associated with."
Becoming Human -I think this was my favorite story of the bunch-deep, dark and wicked, but with a sense of hope (against ALL odds), that shines through and in the end, wins.
Where the Light Won't Find You -This was a relatively short story that showcased a scary insect-like thing in a movie theater. In the dark. In the chair behind you. Yeah, it was good.
Overall, this collection was well above average. It features cosmic horror with undertones of Barker and Lee-a combination not often found. It showcases outstanding prose with fantastic ideas hiding within the words. I have no reservations highly recommending this collection to fans of horror, most especially fans of cosmic and/or literary horror.
I was provided a free copy of this book to honestly review for Horror After Dark.
porsane's review
4.0
Very disturbing set of cosmic horror stories, set in the contemporary world. This should come with a major trigger warning, there is a LOT of sexual violence in some of the stories.
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