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defaultnamespace's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
knightofswords's review
3.0
These all read like they could be segments on an anthology horror series or movie - your mileage may vary with that
evan_streeby's review
4.0
A great collection, with “Death, My Old Friend”, “Symphony”, and “Fragile Dreams” being my personal favorites. The others weren’t bad by any means, but those three really shine.
tabithathewitch's review
5.0
I find myself getting irritated at books of short stories. Believe me when I tell you, though, EVERY. SINGLE. STORY. in this book is stellar. And everyone ends with a twist.
charm_city_sinner's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Spoiler Free
Beneath a Pale Sky by @pfracassi is one of those rare collections that doesn't disappoint or underdeliver in any way.
There's a lot of range here, with some stories grounded firmly in reality...the claustrophobic and psychological horror of being buried alive in the rubble of an earthquake, or riding a ferris wheel only to realize a small plane is headed straight towards you.
There are also some supernatural and cosmic elements here as well, with a university professor discovering alien life, and closing with a character who is friends with the physical embodiment of Death.
Gothic is still my favorite Fracassi read so far, but as far as single-author collections go, Beneath a Pale Sky is one of the best I've read.
Beneath a Pale Sky by @pfracassi is one of those rare collections that doesn't disappoint or underdeliver in any way.
There's a lot of range here, with some stories grounded firmly in reality...the claustrophobic and psychological horror of being buried alive in the rubble of an earthquake, or riding a ferris wheel only to realize a small plane is headed straight towards you.
There are also some supernatural and cosmic elements here as well, with a university professor discovering alien life, and closing with a character who is friends with the physical embodiment of Death.
Gothic is still my favorite Fracassi read so far, but as far as single-author collections go, Beneath a Pale Sky is one of the best I've read.
moncler's review
Rare that I drop something I'm reading since I tend to be pretty stubborn but I could not get through this. Out of the stories I managed to get through I enjoyed about two of them. 'Soda Jerk' and 'Ateuchus' were the highlights for me, the former leaning more on the side of mild enjoyment. The voice, the prose were the standout gripes for me. Too many run on sentences, big inconsistency in timelines in one of the stories. Odd descriptions that really took me out of the 'flow'.
I will admit I was oversold on the quality of this collection. Before going into this I saw numerous recommendations praising the book for one of the 'best' collections of horror stories even the leading introduction heralded it as "the best" but I felt utterly disappointed.
I will admit I was oversold on the quality of this collection. Before going into this I saw numerous recommendations praising the book for one of the 'best' collections of horror stories even the leading introduction heralded it as "the best" but I felt utterly disappointed.
blair_wolff's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jasonsweirdreads's review
5.0
My god, what a great collection of stories. Not a surprise given that it’s Philip Fracassi. Full review to hopefully come later. I need to do some serious catching up.