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0ri's review
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
5.0
Really enjoyed this book, the stories and poems were often unexpected, with humour and twists.
errantdreams's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
When I bought Linda Addison’s horror collection How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend, I didn’t realize there was quite a bit of poetry in among the stories. I’m not much of a poetry reader, and I won’t comment on it here because I don’t have a lot to say about it except “I thought it was good.” But what I can tell you, is that the stories in here are so good that even if you’re the kind of person who skips over poetry, you will totally get your money’s worth with this book. The stories are that good.
“The Power” is a great story about cousins Brenda and Angelique, who share a certain inherited ability. It kind of seems like the scary neighbor has an interest in them, and it isn’t good. I love the characters of Brenda and Angelique, and you’ll see adult versions of them in a later story, “Milez to Go.” In that tale, Addison seamlessly blends bio-engineering with folk magic, which is difficult to do.
My absolute favorite story in here–the one that could justify the price of the entire book–is “369 Gates of Hell.” A bodyguard named Redi Thomas, who used to be an assassin, is offered one more assassination job. The prize? The ghosts of the people she’s killed will stop haunting her. I could never have imagined where this one would go, and it’s just amazing.
There are multiple stories just kind of exploring the lines between life and death, such as “Dust to Dust” and “Night of the Living and Dead.”
A couple of pieces are either humorous or whimsical in nature, such as “Excerpts from the Unabridged Traveler’s Guide as UFOs in Galaxy A.G.2.,” “Artificial Unintelligence,” “Live and Let Live,” (aliens!) and “Am I Repeating Myself?” Not to mention “Unrequited,” which is both whimsical and explores that line between life and death–in it, a zombie seems to have a strange urge that he’s trying to follow.
There are also a couple of more serious stories that examine things like emotional abuse and bullying. This is truly a wide-ranging collection, one that’s extremely well-written. I hope to read more by Ms. Addison!
Content note: some body horror, decomposition, torture.
“The Power” is a great story about cousins Brenda and Angelique, who share a certain inherited ability. It kind of seems like the scary neighbor has an interest in them, and it isn’t good. I love the characters of Brenda and Angelique, and you’ll see adult versions of them in a later story, “Milez to Go.” In that tale, Addison seamlessly blends bio-engineering with folk magic, which is difficult to do.
My absolute favorite story in here–the one that could justify the price of the entire book–is “369 Gates of Hell.” A bodyguard named Redi Thomas, who used to be an assassin, is offered one more assassination job. The prize? The ghosts of the people she’s killed will stop haunting her. I could never have imagined where this one would go, and it’s just amazing.
There are multiple stories just kind of exploring the lines between life and death, such as “Dust to Dust” and “Night of the Living and Dead.”
A couple of pieces are either humorous or whimsical in nature, such as “Excerpts from the Unabridged Traveler’s Guide as UFOs in Galaxy A.G.2.,” “Artificial Unintelligence,” “Live and Let Live,” (aliens!) and “Am I Repeating Myself?” Not to mention “Unrequited,” which is both whimsical and explores that line between life and death–in it, a zombie seems to have a strange urge that he’s trying to follow.
There are also a couple of more serious stories that examine things like emotional abuse and bullying. This is truly a wide-ranging collection, one that’s extremely well-written. I hope to read more by Ms. Addison!
Content note: some body horror, decomposition, torture.
witbeyndmehsure's review
dark
slow-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? N/A
3.0
findingmontauk1's review
5.0
This is the first collection of horror poetry/short stories that I have read and it just opened up a whole new world for me! I was impressed with the tales and short stories, but the poetry was even better than I could have imagined! I had no idea just how dark and twisted poetry could be. I am used to all the long-winded poems of love or loneliness. It's clear to me why and how Linda Addison won a Bram Stoker after this (trivia if you didn't know: she is the first African-American to receive the HWA Bram Stoker award) and I cannot wait for more from her!
exorcismofemilyreed's review
5.0
"They take you to the crossroads / at midnight, you offer / your soul as a door prize."
How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend is a collection of horror & sci-fi poetry and short stories from Linda Addison. I believe this is the first time I've read Linda's work, and I loved it so much! She is so talented at writing both short stories and poetry, and the book switches between the two seamlessly.
This collection is both dark and humorous. The content in How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend is a blend of haunting, hilarious, and heartbreaking. I loved that some of the poems had reoccurring topics, and some of the stories and reoccurring characters.
Linda, if you're reading this...I am begging for a Brenda & Angelique novel. I loved the stories featuring them in this collection, and I'm dying to know more about their family and background. These were such fun witchy stories, and I need more!
My top 5 poems were How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend, Dust to Dust, Mourning Meal, Ghost Driving, and Comic Cannibals. These were an excellent mix of silly and serious.
My top 5 short stories were Night of the Living and Dead, Little Red in the Hood, The Power, Milez to Go, and Artificial Unintelligence (both Brenda and Angelique stories that I mentioned earlier are included).
I can't recommend this collection enough, and I think all horror fans could find something to love here. This would be a great collection for someone looking to get into horror poetry since it has short stories mixed in as well - I know poetry can be intimidating, so this would be an excellent introduction book. I ordered another book of Linda's poetry, and will be reading that soon.
How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend is a collection of horror & sci-fi poetry and short stories from Linda Addison. I believe this is the first time I've read Linda's work, and I loved it so much! She is so talented at writing both short stories and poetry, and the book switches between the two seamlessly.
This collection is both dark and humorous. The content in How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend is a blend of haunting, hilarious, and heartbreaking. I loved that some of the poems had reoccurring topics, and some of the stories and reoccurring characters.
Linda, if you're reading this...I am begging for a Brenda & Angelique novel. I loved the stories featuring them in this collection, and I'm dying to know more about their family and background. These were such fun witchy stories, and I need more!
My top 5 poems were How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend, Dust to Dust, Mourning Meal, Ghost Driving, and Comic Cannibals. These were an excellent mix of silly and serious.
My top 5 short stories were Night of the Living and Dead, Little Red in the Hood, The Power, Milez to Go, and Artificial Unintelligence (both Brenda and Angelique stories that I mentioned earlier are included).
I can't recommend this collection enough, and I think all horror fans could find something to love here. This would be a great collection for someone looking to get into horror poetry since it has short stories mixed in as well - I know poetry can be intimidating, so this would be an excellent introduction book. I ordered another book of Linda's poetry, and will be reading that soon.
moonyreadsbystarlight's review
fast-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
This was a really neat book of short stories. None of these were terrifying, but most everything embodied various spooky elements, whether through magic, zombies, or even real-life horror.
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